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Tag: Porsche Middleton

  • What can Citrus Heights do to reduce blight, improve neighborhoods?

    Citrus Heights
    File photo, the vacant corner of Auburn and Grand Oaks boulevards in Citrus Heights has long been an unsightly area, but a new burger drive-thru was approved earlier this year to take up the spot. // CH Sentinel

    Sentinel staff report–
    Keeping neighborhoods clean was one of the top priorities Citrus Heights residents said the City Council should focus on in a survey commissioned by the City last year. The topic also came up in one of the questions asked to each of the five residents running for Citrus Heights City Council during a candidate forum hosted last month by the Chamber of Commerce.

    When asked what the City could do to improve neighborhoods to attract new residents to Citrus Heights, candidates offered a variety of ideas, including paving streets, growing existing housing assistance programs, and slashing permit costs to encourage development. But an area of significant disagreement was whether a new $500,000 Rental Housing Inspection Unit should be pursued as a way to proactively combat blight and improve the quality of housing.

    The inspection unit was proposed earlier this year and would bring on two new administrative staff members and three new code enforcement officers to implement mandatory inspections of the roughly 15,000 rental units in the city. The council voted 4-1 in favor of pursuing the program last month, but a final vote is still needed later this year when a draft ordinance is brought before the council.

    Related: Citrus Heights council votes 4-1 to move forward with mandatory rental inspections

    The five candidates running for City Council this year include three current members of the council who are up for election — Mayor Steve Miller, Vice Mayor Jeannie Bruins, and Council Member Al Fox, who was appointed to fill the vacancy left by the late Councilman Mel Turner. Two challengers seeking to unseat at least one of the current members of the council are Planning Commissioner Porsche Middleton and labor relations manager Treston Shull, who also serves on the board of the Residents’ Empowerment of Citrus Heights (REACH).

    Each candidate’s 90-second answer to the question of how Citrus Heights can improve its neighborhoods to attract new residents is included in its entirety below:

    Steve Miller: “There’s a number of ways. One, it starts with public safety, and I mentioned before, property crimes are down, and violent crimes are down 8%. So, having safe neighborhoods, having a police department that responds.

    “The council’s also considering now an ordinance on a Rental Housing Inspection Program. What that would do — and many folks have complained about it — 93%, when we surveyed our residents last, said blight in the neighborhoods was a big issue. And a lot of this comes from the rental housing. And we want to, in the next three years, inspect every single rental housing unit — and that also includes apartments, (although) that’s really not been the issue, it’s been the houses, and you can see them in the neighborhood. We have an aging housing stock. And a lot of these homes that are rentals are absentee landlords from the Bay Area. They’re not fixing the siding, the roofs, and it’s just causing blight in our neighborhood and a lot of folks have asked for us to correct it and I think that’s one of the tools we can do.

    “I’ve also mentioned paving. I know I was one of the fortunate neighborhoods, way back in ’97 – ’98 we had one of the worst streets in the city, and it had never been repaved since it was paved 30 years prior. And just coming and resurfacing the street, just improved the entire neighborhood. So, I think we need to look at ways that we can raise property values, all the surrounding homes, by taking care of some of the blighted issues.”

    Treston Shull: “I believe my plan on that is simple. We need to reduce fees on housing, rental housing. Simplify permitting with a one-stop-shop policy so builders have one point of contact at the City who bird-dog all the City departments and outside agencies. Speed up the permitting process. I am examining financial incentives such as community banking and financing as a possible way to encourage private development of affordable housing. I do not and I will not support any efforts for the City to become a housing provider, builder or landlord.

    “But I think it’s really important what Steve said, when he said that the City recently voted on the new initiative that pays for code enforcement. I believe that was actually wrong. I don’t agree with the City on that. They voted on that 4-to-1. And what that does is, 25% of the code enforcement problems in the city come from rental properties. But now they’re turning to basically taxing, with the registration fee, 100% of the landlords and property owners of those rentals to pay for 100% of the code enforcement increase of those five additional employees. The City said that the three new code enforcement officers, and two new analytical analysts, will be paid for by the registration fees and it won’t be any cost out of the general fund. Those are employees who have pension plans, and raises, and benefit increases every year. So after one year, that fee will no longer cover those services. And that’s going to come out of the general fund. And we need to make sure we do have code enforcement to fix the issues, though, but (in) a financially sustainable way.”

    Al Fox: “I think that the problem that we’re looking at in these established neighborhoods, and we have older families, older residents that have a tax base that they don’t want to give up. We don’t have a way for them to move that tax base as of yet. There’s going to be a proposition on the ballot coming up that talks about: can a property owner, senior citizen property owner, move out of a larger home into a smaller home of equal or near value, and take their property tax exemption with them. We have a situation in all of our communities where your elderly population are being priced out of their homes, or particularly rentals because they’re on fixed incomes and they cannot make that difference. And yet they own a tremendous amount of the land in our city at this point in time. And we need to respect that, and we need to deal with it accordingly.

    “The inspection (program) that people are talking about, I will tell you now, I built houses in the 1960s. I built apartment buildings in the 1960s, and the apartment buildings we have in Citrus Heights, built in the late 60s, were built for a lifespan of about 20 years. And they’re still there and a lot of them have not been changed. We have some serious problems. One of the things we need to avoid is the subsequent liability of the City for not being able to inspect and ensure safe housing — like they’re doing right now in Richmond, like they’re doing in Oakland, and like they’re doing in Berkeley. There are court cases out there pending right now, that, if they go the way they’re looking at this point, will make the local jurisdiction liable for not doing inspections for public safety.”

    Porsche Middleton: “I understand where our current council is coming from when it comes to the rental inspections, and also understand where candidate Treston is coming from also. And my concern is more so that by adding in these extra steps for these property owners that — to not deal with the hassle — they’ll take apartment buildings and they’ll just convert them into condos. And that decreases our rental housing stock. So basically they get renovated, they get to resell them, and it increases property values all around –but then we have to worry about the end effect of that which is people getting priced out of the area, getting priced out of their homes. Rentals increasing in price, and these individuals end up homeless, essentially.

    “I think the more reasonable thing to do is to encourage uses of our community grants, of people going out there and helping to clean up neighborhoods. The old Sylvan school, that’s right across from the community center on Sylvan road, the operating engineers come out there every year and they do development. Rotary goes out every year and they find projects that need to be done within our community.

    “We can’t legislate our way out of this problem. We have to be that community that we were 20 years ago that started to fix these issues as a group. And that’s core, but trying to legislate, and make laws and create more issues for our property owners is just going to turn them away and then we won’t have the development that we want.”

    Jeannie Bruins: “We start by recognizing who we are today, and what we have to live with, and work with. We are a community that has aging housing stock, and a small level of ability to create new housing from the ground up. So most of our improvements are going to be on redevelopment and development of our neighborhoods. One way to improve our neighborhoods to attract new residents, is to continue to grow the programs we already have.

    “We have a first-time home buyer program for people who have not been homeowners in the last three years. It’s a loan assistance program that provides them the ability to make a down payment. It’s a program that they don’t have to pay back until they sell the house. In addition, we have a home repair program that’s very vibrant. We need to continue to grow these programs so that people who are in substandard homes have the ability to pay for repairs that they need to elevate the quality of the home that they live in.

    “We also need to continue to offer options in housing. We have over half of our homes are rental homes, and yes, rental homes are necessary. But for a community to grow and to improve, we need more home ownership. And so the programs that we’re offering are a piece of the puzzle that will help make that possible.”

    *To read more about the candidate forum or watch a full-length recording of the forum, see story: Citrus Heights candidates tackle homelessness, schools, economy, blight

    Want to share your own thoughts on how best to improve local neighborhoods? Click here to submit a letter to the editor for publication.

  • Citrus Heights will soon get an extra $5-6M per year. How should it be used?

    Citrus Heights will soon get an extra $5-6M per year. How should it be used?

    Citrus Heights city hall
    Night-view of the new Citrus Heights city hall. // CH Sentinel

    Sentinel staff report–
    In a few short years, the City of Citrus Heights will get a long-awaited boost of an additional $5-6 million to save or spend as it pleases — and put in perspective of the City’s current general fund budget of $36.6 million, that’s no small amount of money.

    The funding will come from the expiration of a “revenue neutrality” agreement with Sacramento County that will come to an end in 2022. The agreement dates back to when Citrus Heights incorporated in 1997 and reluctantly agreed to have its property taxes be given to the County for 25 years, to compensate for projected negative fiscal impacts the County would incur from Citrus Heights splitting off to govern itself as a city.

    While the City technically has been receiving its property tax revenue each year — under the revenue neutrality agreement, that money gets transferred out to the County each year and is not able to be otherwise spent or invested by the City. The amount of property tax revenue generated in Citrus Heights is currently about $5.5 million per year, but that figure is expected to exceed $6 million by 2022, according to a 10-year budget model included in the latest City budget.

    Beginning in fiscal year 2022-23, the City will retain all of its property tax revenue, which means the three city council members who will be elected to four-year terms this November will each have a say in how that money will be invested or spent during the budget approval process in 2022.

    See the City’s 2018-19 budget: click here

    So how will the money be used? The five candidates running for Citrus Heights City Council this year were each asked that question at a forum last week and their 60-second answers are included in their entirety below.

    Candidates include three current council members who are up for election — Mayor Steve Miller, Vice Mayor Jeannie Bruins, and appointed Councilmember Al Fox — along with two challengers, Planning Commissioner Porsche Middleton and labor relations manager Treston Shull.

    All five were largely in agreement that funding should go towards roads and infrastructure. There was also agreement that a portion of the money should be put back into building up the City’s dwindling reserves — which, according to the City’s 10-year budget model, is projected to drop to about $350,000 by the year 2022. By comparison, before the construction of the new City Hall, the City had more than $20 million built up in reserves.

    Steve Miller: “Well, I think by the time it comes around, it’s over $5 million now and I believe it’ll $6 million by the time we start receiving the property taxes with the 2% increases that we see every year. We’ve prepared, we set policies, in that we will be putting aside money and building back our reserve. We knew we would have to draw it down to make it to the end of our revenue neutrality agreement and I think that’s prudent. What that number is, $2-3 million a year, in 10 years we can have our reserve back up to $20-30 million.

    “I also think it’ll give us an opportunity to pave our residential streets, finally. I know the original City Council started out trying to do that in 10 years. You know, one year doing 10% of the paving of the residential streets, but that became far too expensive. We spend over a million dollars a year now on residential paving. I think we’ll lose the gas tax, I think it’ll be defeated in November and that would be $1.4 million we’re losing. So I think finally we’ll be able to address some of our residential infrastructure needs.”

    Treston Shull: “So, if you actually look at the City budget, it does show that we will be getting our property taxes in 2022 and that’s important because the City actually has the sales tax for the City going up. Now, we are a brick and mortar community — we have been for years and years and years — and two of the largest sales tax contributors were Sears and Toys “R” Us, both of those are gone. So for us to — for the City to assume that the sales tax are gonna continue to go up, I believe is not true. And that’s a majority of our money for the City.

    “So we need to focus: as soon as we start getting those property taxes, we need to make sure those property taxes first and foremost is part of a line item which is building the reserves back up. We need to make sure the police and the public safety has everything they need to do what they need to do here in the community to make sure everybody’s safe. We need to rebuild our roads and the infrastructure in Citrus Heights, everybody knows they are awful. And if the City does lose the SB 1 funding — (candidate was cut off by moderator at 60-second time limit).”

    Al Fox: “If they do lose the SB 1 funding, which it looks like they are going to, we still have the opportunity to prepare to meet the needs that we have for infrastructure improvements with the fundings that come out of the property tax, because it’ll give us more money to have matching funds to go out and get grants necessary to make those things happen.

    “Couple of other things, we need to built up the reserves as somebody else said. And we need to completely fund and make sure that we have our PERS retirement (Public Employees’ Retirement System) obligations solvent for the City. So many cities in our area, northern California, are nearing bankruptcy because of their PERS commitment to their employees that they are not able to cover. Those reserves have got to be handled and prepared. We’re doing a great job at that, better than most. And we need to continue that. Property taxes are not the save all for the City, but they will definitely get us to the point where we can continue to serve our community better.”

    Porsche Middleton: “Well, all the good answers are taken. But they’re all true. We need to build back our reserves. We need to get ourselves back to where we were 10 years ago when we had $20 million-plus in the bank and we knew that we could weather a storm. That’s important. We need to make sure that we’re able to put aside money into our reserves, rebuild and resurface our streets. We need to make sure that our commitment to our City employees is honored, because they work for us and they serve us and that’s important; that’s critical. And we also need to make sure that we really be very frugal and conservative about any new projects that we take on. We need to make sure that we are very careful about spending money.

    “My husband and I live off of one income and we’re very conservative about how we spend our money –we’re not frivolous. So I understand the City budget and why things are being done the way they’re being done. But we also need to make sure that we are taken care of as citizens.”

    Jeannie Bruins: “I think we all agree we need roads, so I’m not going to readdress that. But what I would like to say is that we’ve gotten this far because we intentionally budgeted on a 10-year model. And when we became a City, we knew that we wouldn’t have our property tax for 25 years as a result of revenue neutrality. We thought that we’d have crossed over much sooner than now, where we would have to take our reserves and use them for operating expenses. Because of our philosophy in prudent financial management, we have not had to do that.

    “The reason our reserves are low is because they weren’t earning us any money after the economy tanked and we weren’t getting $2-3 million dollars in dividends and interest a year. So we intentionally used our funds to better our community. So going forward when we get our revenue neutrality money back, that’s the time where we will prioritize redeveloping and growing our reserves, as well as addressing infrastructure issues.”

    Want to share your own thoughts on how the money should be spent or invested? Click here to submit a letter to the editor for publication.

  • MORE LETTERS: Porsche Middleton, election controversy…

    MORE LETTERS: Porsche Middleton, election controversy…

    Latest letters from readers continue discussion about whether city council candidate Porsche Middleton should have been allowed to use her title of Planning Commissioner on the upcoming election ballot.

    Middleton deserves to use her title on ballot
    [RE: Candidate wins legal fight with City of Citrus Heights over election dispute; Aug. 30] Why would the Citrus Heights leadership block Porsche Middleton, member of their Planning Commission running for City Council, from using her commissioner title in her Nov. 6 ballot ID? Judge Allen Sumner waded through the bureaucratic and legalistic arguments to thoughtfully rule that Ms. Middleton’s Planning title “tells voters what they need to make an informed decision.” Precedent not withstanding, the City Clerk and a cabal of Citrus Heights competing candidates tried their best to minimize her professional and political role.

    An accomplished engineer and voice for a modernizing Citrus Heights, Ms. Middleton clearly is a fresh civic and social force to be reckoned with that the Citrus Heights establishment coldly attacks. A peer Planning Commissioner, Tim Schaefer, goes so far to insinuate that Ms. Middleton “perjured” herself claiming that her Commission work did not require 20 hours/week, confessing he only worked 2-3 hours! Who truly deserves recognition? …Having worked with Ms. Middleton, I can attest to her substantial preparatory and followup thought and active role reaching out to key players in projects such as the Bearpaw Apartments and the Mitchell Farms Development. Citrus Heights residents have a genuine and exciting choice between bureaucratic business-as-usual and a proud and creative future.
    -William Bronston, Carmichael

    Negative letter about Middleton should not have been published
    [RE: Letters; Sept. 1, 2018] I find it reprehensible that your publication would print a letter that essentially accuses a member of the Citrus Heights Planning Commission of perjury, with nothing to back up that assertion except, apparently, personal animus. Porsche Middleton won the right to use “Citrus Heights Planning Commissioner” as her ballot designation in open court. But another member of the commission, Tim Schaefer, chose to continue the attack in your publication with a thinly-veiled assertion of perjury.

    He’s free to believe whatever he wants to, but your publication is under no obligation to print unfounded and groundless innuendo. I admit to a certain curiosity about why Mr. Schaefer chose to continue the attack on Ms. Middleton’s rights. I suppose I could assert it’s because she’s an African American woman–but that, too would be unfounded and groundless innuendo.
    Gregg Fishman, Sentinel reader

    Want to share your own thoughts about a local issue or recent news article? Click here to submit a letter to the editor.

  • LETTERS: Planning Commission, biased Citrus Heights election map?

    Latest letters include controversy over how many hours Citrus Heights Planning Commission members actually spend on their job, as well as an accusation of political bias in The Sentinel’s election map.

    No, planning commissioners don’t spend 20 hours per week on the job
    [RE: Candidate wins legal fight with City of Citrus Heights over election dispute; Aug. 30] Interesting article on Porsche Middleton’s legal win and she is now allowed to use “Planning Commissioner” as her occupation. The Citrus Heights Planning Commission is scheduled the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. Very often the meetings are cancelled due to the lack of Planning Commission business. She stated under penalty of perjury that she spends 20 hours per week on Citrus Heights Planning Commission business. Wow, 20 hours a week? I am also a planning commissioner on the same Commission. We don’t even meet twice a month as scheduled. I can’t remember when Porsche has offered any substantive reflection or public commentary on the material presented at the planning commission meetings. The minutes are public record. I would testify that on average I spend two or three hours a week (8-12 hours per month) on Planning Commission business. “Under Penalty of Perjury,” I guess that means different things to different people.
    -Tim Schaefer, Citrus Heights Planning Commissioner

    ‘Lies, damned lies, and statistics’
    [RE: Citrus Heights: see how your neighborhood voted in the June election; Aug. 30] Dear Sentinel: I think that you should file this article under the heading “Lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Your very RED map (what readers “see”) would be purple or much more blue if you were to tally the total Republican votes (Cox and Allen) versus the total Democratic votes (Newsom, Chiang and Villaraigosa), rather than basing your map strictly on Cox vs. Newsom. One might venture to guess that you have a political agenda to push here, rather than merely reporting the news. Good Day.
    -Sentinel reader

    *Publisher’s Note: In response, The Sentinel has published an alternate map for comparison which shows precincts colored red or blue based on the total Republican votes versus total Democratic votes, rather than only based on the party affiliation of the top vote-getter. Using this method, one previously red precinct turned blue, while all the other precincts remained the same color as the original map. Click here to see the alternate map.

    Want to share your own thoughts about a local issue or recent news article? Click here to submit a letter to the editor.

  • Three more residents pull papers to run for Citrus Heights City Council

    Updated July 27, 6:01 p.m.–
    Sentinel staff report–
    As of Friday, there are now a total of nine residents who have taken the first step towards running for three city council seats up for election this year.

    Latest names to pull papers for council are David Warren, Treston Shull, and Anthony Gutierrez — in addition to six others last week.

    Shull currently serves as an at-large director on the governing board for the Residents’ Empowerment Association of Citrus Heights. According to his professional profile posted online, he also serves as treasurer for the Birdcage Heights Neighborhood Association  and works as a labor relations representative for the Laborers Union. In 2014, he was one of four residents who applied for a vacant position on the Citrus Heights Water District governing board, but was not appointed.

    Warren is a regular attendee and speaker at city council meetings and also serves as a legislative advocate at the State Capitol with Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety. He has regularly taken public positions on controversial topics, including writing in favor of raising local taxes to pay for road repairs, criticizing the city council for censuring Councilman Bret Daniels, and arguing in favor of Proposition 47, a statewide initiative that reduced some felony offenses to misdemeanors in 2014.

    Background information about the other candidate who pulled papers, Anthony Gutierrez, is not known, as is also the case with two other residents who pulled papers last week. More information about each candidate is typically available once election papers are submitted and are available for public review. The deadline to file necessary paperwork is Aug. 10.

    As reported last week, six others have also pulled papers, including all three current council members whose seats are up for election: Mayor Steve Miller, Vice Mayor Jeannie Bruins, and Councilman Al Fox, who was appointed last year to fill the vacancy left by the late Councilman Mel Turner. Planning Commissioner Porsche Middleton also pulled papers, as well as residents David Huber and William Crofton.

    Related: How much do Citrus Heights council members actually get paid?

    After pulling papers, those seeking to qualify for the ballot still have to collect a minimum of 20 valid signatures from registered voters and pay a $25 fee upon filing the signatures with the city clerk’s office. The clerk also checks to ensure candidates are at least 18 years old, are U.S. citizens registered to vote, and are residents of Citrus Heights.

    While the $25 fee is the only cost required to run, candidates can also opt to pay $650 to include a 200-word candidate statement in the November election sample ballot, which is direct-mailed to each voter. As of July 3, the city clerk’s office reports there are 43,747 registered voters in the city.

    Related: Bret Daniels’ election to city council called ‘a shocker’ by Citrus Heights leaders

    In the past, winning candidates for city council have typically raised over $10,000 — although Bret Daniels’ election in 2016 was considered “a shocker” by many, including himself, when he pulled off an election win while raising just $3,100. He was outspent by two other candidates who lost, despite their raising more than three times as much as Daniels.

    The top three vote-getters on Nov. 6 will be seated at the city council’s first meeting in December.

    Want to follow local elections this year? Subscribe to The Sentinel to get exclusive local news delivered to your inbox each Sunday and Thursday.

  • Six residents pull papers to run for Citrus Heights city council, so far

    Six residents pull papers to run for Citrus Heights city council, so far

    Sentinel staff report–
    Less than a week after the filing period opened, six residents have already pulled papers to run for three seats up for election on the Citrus Heights City Council this year.

    As of mid-day Thursday, the city clerk’s office said all three council members whose seats are up for election had already pulled papers — and three other residents have also done so. More may also pull papers to run, as the filing period is open until Aug. 10.

    Document: See the 2018 City Council Candidate Packet

    The six who have taken the first step towards running for city council this year include Mayor Steve Miller, Vice Mayor Jeannie Bruins, and Councilman Al Fox, who was appointed last year to fill the vacancy left by the late Councilman Mel Turner. Planning Commissioner Porsche Middleton has also pulled papers, as well as residents David Huber and William Crofton.

    Both Miller and Bruins have handily won election and re-election to the council at least three times before, but as a newly appointed member, Fox will likely face a more uphill battle to hold onto his seat. The top three vote-getters on Nov. 6 will each earn four-year terms on the five-member city council.

    Middleton previously ran for council in 2016 and placed last of the eight candidates running, earning just over 2% of the vote, but she appears to be making a comeback since her last bid and could be among the top contenders this year. The 34-year-old moved to Citrus Heights four years ago and has served for the past year-and-a-half on the city’s planning commission and has also racked up a lengthy list of endorsements from organizations and officials in the region, including from Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) and the Wellstone Progressive Democrats of Sacramento.

    Little is currently known about the other two candidates, other than David Huber, who also pulled papers to run in 2016. He ended up not filing the papers that year and did not appear on the ballot.

    Of the candidates who ran in 2016, at least three have stated they will not be running again. Tim Schaefer, who placed fifth, is now seeking a spot on the San Juan Unified School District board, and Rick Doyle and Michael Nishimura both told The Sentinel they will not be running again this year.

    Related: How much do Citrus Heights council members actually get paid?

    After pulling papers, those seeking to qualify for the ballot still have to collect a minimum of 20 valid signatures from registered voters and pay a $25 fee upon filing the signatures with the city clerk’s office. The clerk also checks to ensure candidates are at least 18 years old, are U.S. citizens registered to vote, and are residents of Citrus Heights.

    While the $25 fee is the only cost required to run, candidates can also opt to pay $650 to include a 200-word candidate statement in the November election sample ballot, which is direct-mailed to each voter. As of July 3, the city clerk’s office reports there are 43,747 registered voters in the city.

    Related: Bret Daniels’ election to city council called ‘a shocker’ by Citrus Heights leaders

    In the past, winning candidates for city council have typically raised over $10,000 — although Bret Daniels’ election in 2016 was considered “a shocker” by many, including himself, when he pulled off an election win while raising just $3,100. He was outspent by two other candidates who lost, despite their raising more than three times as much as Daniels.

    Winning candidates on Nov. 6 will be seated at the city council’s first meeting in December.

    Want to follow local elections this year? Subscribe to The Sentinel to get exclusive local news delivered to your inbox each Sunday and Thursday.

  • Public hearings set for 3 development proposals in Citrus Heights

    Public hearings set for 3 development proposals in Citrus Heights

    Development proposal under review sign
    File photo, development proposal sign. // CH Sentinel

    Sentinel staff report–
    Planning commissioners in Citrus Heights are scheduled to hold three separate public hearings this coming Wednesday, with proposals including a plan to allow additional restaurants on Auburn Boulevard, a subdivision proposal at the new Capital Nursery Plaza, and a proposed 60-foot-high Verizon cell tower disguised as a tree on Verner Avenue.

    Proposed cell tower
    The first hearing on schedule for the Sept. 13 meeting at city hall is the new cell tower proposed at 7000 Verner Ave. in the Foothill Golf Center, situated near Interstate 80. Planning commission documents indicate Verizon Wireless has identified a “significant gap” in coverage in the area and is seeking a use permit in order to construct a 60-foot “stealth” cell tower, disguised as a pine tree in the golf park. The property is owned by the Sunrise Recreation and Park District, which supports the proposal — while other alternatives for “collocating” the cell tower on an existing utility pole or structure were determined to either be unsuitable or the property owners would not agree to the proposal.

    A staff report included in the planning commission meeting packet recommends approval of the cell tower project, along with the imposition of 23 conditions that include fire access requirements, a prohibition of advertising posted on the tower, and a requirement that noise be kept under 55 decibels at all times. The meeting packet also indicates that notices about the proposal were mailed to property owners within 500 feet of the project site, but no comments were received in response and no comments were received from the area’s neighborhood association, Citrus Heights Area Number Three (CHANT).

    Proposed increased restaurant uses
    California C&S Properties, which owns Stock Ranch Plaza at 7000 Auburn Blvd., is seeking to increase the number of future restaurants allowed once the vacant pads are developed in front of Costco and Walmart. Along with seeking approval for a modified traffic loop design to address “ongoing circulation challenges,” C&S is proposing to develop the site with up to 15,000 square feet of fast-casual restaurants and an additional 13,000 square feet of fast food users.

    A total of nine new buildings are proposed to be constructed at the site, ranging in size from a 2,300-square-feet restaurant along Auburn Boulevard to various other buildings that range from 5,000 to 8,500 square feet. Another large 34,000-square-feet building is also shown on the proposed site plan, located on the eastern side of the existing entry road in front of Walmart. It was reduced in size from an original 40,000-square-feet due to parking reconfiguration.

    Related: Will the empty lots in front of Costco ever be developed?

    The site’s leasing agent, Jon Schultz, previously confirmed nine pads are to be developed and leased at the site, but said he couldn’t make “any particular announcements” about which businesses or restaurants would be opening at the site. He said development has been on hold, pending approval of the modified traffic design — which includes an additional four-way stop on the traffic loop.

    If the latest modifications are approved by the planning commission on Wednesday, the site could likely fit at least four or five new restaurants in addition to other retail uses.

    According to the planning division, no comments from nearby neighborhood associations were received about the proposal. A staff report included in the planning commission meeting packet recommends approval of the proposed modifications, along with the imposition of 11 conditions that include future review of site circulation by city officials once 20,000 square feet of buildings have been constructed.

    Proposed Capital Nursery Plaza subdivision
    In an effort to sell off portions of the new Capital Nursery Plaza at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Madison Avenue, a developer is proposing to split the six-building plaza into a total of six parcels. The Plaza is already split into four parcels, so the modification would create two new parcels by splitting existing parcels that currently have multiple buildings on them.

    A staff report recommends commissioners approve a tentative map to allow the subdivision, along with eight conditions that include requirements to provide separate sewer lines and utility connections for each new parcel. According to the planning division, no comments were received from the Birdcage Heights Neighborhood Association, which represents the area the proposal lies within.

    The planning commission will meet at 7 p.m. on Sept. 13 at city hall, located at 6360 Fountain Square Drive. Public hearings will be held following the administration of the oath of office to newly appointed Commissioner Porsche Middleton.

    Document: see the full agenda packet for the Sept. 13 meeting

  • Leadership Citrus Heights: course to offer training for business, civic life

    Leadership Citrus Heights: course to offer training for business, civic life

    View of the fountain outside the new city hall in Citrus Heights. // CH Sentinel

    Sentinel staff report–
    Want to better understand local government and develop more leadership and management skills? The Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce will soon be launching its 2017 Leadership Citrus Heights classes, with a goal of developing local community leaders, activists, visionaries and advocates at all levels.

    Past graduates of the program can be found in various positions of leadership throughout the city, including current city council members Steve Miller and Albert Fox, as well as newly appointed planning commissioner Porsche Middleton, who graduated from last year’s program.

    Meeting once a month from October through June, the $495 course promises to take aspiring leaders through an inside look at how city government works, along with a crash course in the history of Citrus Heights, public speaking, entrepreneurship, and more. A finalized schedule has not yet been released on the Chamber’s website, but a draft schedule published in June listed the following topics:

    • History of the City of Citrus Heights incorporation, cityhood, and ethics
    • Stress and Time Management, City of Citrus Heights quality of life
    • Economic & Community Development, conflict resolution
    • History of Citrus Heights: arts & history, entrepreneurship, and strategic planning
    • Public Safety: Citrus Heights Police and Metro Fire, code enforcement
    • Mock City Council Experience, public speaking, and project management
    • City, County Management & Finance, effective communication
    • History of Citrus Heights Business Districts & Associations
    • Community Partners, The Fish, bus tour of Citrus Heights

    Councilman Miller said taking the Leadership Citrus Heights course in its inaugural year back in 2003 “lit a fire” under him, with one instructor telling him words he still remembers today: “You need to step outside your comfort zone and see what is and what can be.” Miller, who led students in the class on a bus tour of the city earlier this year, said the course helps develop personal, professional, social and city-wide leadership skills — and it likely played a role in helping him get appointed to the city council in 2005.

    “Half the battle in leadership is showing up,” the councilman said. “It actually might be 100 percent of the battle.”

    The course was first brought to the city under the leadership of Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins, who said she began working in 2001 to launch the program — modeling the class after a similar program offered by the Folsom Chamber of Commerce. She said the class continued to be held yearly until around 2012 and was later re-started in 2016 under the leadership of both Bruins and former councilman Mel Turner.

    “It mattered because we saw some really solid leaders come out of this,” said Bruins. “It piques interest and helps people understand why things are the way they are.”

    Classes are typically up to 25 students in size, with meetings to be held on the first Wednesday of each month at a room in city hall. The Chamber’s Renee Larscheid confirmed on Thursday that enrollment in the course is still open, with the deadline to enroll being Aug. 31 this year. Scholarships are also offered for one high school student from each high school in Citrus Heights.

    Classes are scheduled to begin on Oct. 4, 2017 and conclude with a June 6 graduation next year, according to an information packet. Classes are typically held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with lunch included mid-day. Larscheid said applicants do not need to be Chamber members and are also not required to live in Citrus Heights.

    —
    Enrollment information:

    Informationpacket.pdf

    Applicationform.pdf

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  • Albert Fox appointed to fill vacant seat on Citrus Heights city council

    Albert Fox, Citrus Heights city council
    Newly appointed Citrus Heights Councilman Albert Fox is sworn in by City Clerk Amy Van on Friday, as Vice Mayor Steve Miller and Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins look on. // CH Sentinel

    In 2005, Citrus Heights resident Albert Fox applied to fill a vacancy on the city council, but didn’t get appointed. More than a decade later, he applied again and was appointed on Friday to fill the vacancy left by Councilman Mel Turner, who passed away last month.

    The 71-year-old has become a familiar face to city government since moving to Citrus Heights 16 years ago, serving on the city’s planning commission since 2011. Now retired, Fox formerly served in state law enforcement and also served on the committee responsible for recommending Citrus Heights form its own police department.

    Asked for comment following his appointment, Fox said he was “surprised, excited (and) looking forward to the challenge.”

    According to a bio included in his application, Fox has also been a college instructor and served in parent-teacher committees in the Fresno City Unified School District and the Buckeye School District in El Dorado County.

    In a May 26 interview at city hall with council members, just prior to being appointed, Fox said one of his goals would be attracting young families to Citrus Heights by focusing on housing and schools.

    City council members also interviewed eight other residents who had applied to fill Turner’s vacant seat, taking about two hours to have questions answered about public safety, debt, priorities, and whether there was any disagreement with past decisions made by the council.

    Familiar faces among the applicant pool included Rick Doyle, Marcel Weiland, Amor Taylor and Porsche Middleton — all of whom ran for city council last year. Jim Monteton, who serves on the board of the Sylvan Cemetery District and ran for city council in 2010, also applied for the position.

    Three new faces in the applicant pool were Patrick Moneybrake, Cynthia Kennedy, and Naveen Habib. According to their applications, Kennedy works with the Sacramento County Office of Education, Habib is a senior account executive with Lucas Public Affairs, and Moneybrake is the owner of a Citrus Heights-based chimney cleaning business. (See full applications)

    The council made its decision by an initial round of voting to narrow the list of applicants from nine down to three. With each of the four council members writing down their top two picks, the field was narrowed to Fox with three votes, and Porsche Middleton and Marcel Weiland tying with two votes each.

    A motion was then made to appoint Fox, who was approved 4-0.

    “It was a tough decision because among the other eight applicants, some were equally qualified,” said Mayor Jeff Slowey. “At the end of the day I think the right decision was made.”

    Vice Mayor Steve Miller also called the decision difficult and said he was “impressed with everybody.” However, he said Fox stood out from the list because “he was ready to hit the ground running.”

    Miller, who applied for the same vacant seat as Fox in 2005, was successfully appointed to the council the same year and has won re-election for each successive term. He encouraged the eight applicants who weren’t appointed to continue involvement in the community, citing his own history of losing a race for city council in 2004 before being appointed the following year.

    Other council members also encouraged the applicants to remain involved, with Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins reflecting on the advice she gave to Turner when she heard he was interested in running for city council. “You need to be known in your own community first,” she recalled telling him.

    Bruins offered two tips to the room of applicants and about 40 other community members and city staff who attended the May 26 meeting where Fox was appointed. “Get involved in your neighborhood association and take the [chamber of commerce] leadership program,” she said.

    >>Learn more about the city’s 11 neighborhood associations: Neighborhood groups REACH out to connect Citrus Heights residents

    Tonya Wagner, who attended Friday’s meeting and formerly served as president of the Residents’ Empowerment Association of Citrus Heights, also expressed hope that the other applicants who applied for the vacant seat would remain active and “not just disappear from view.”

    Wagner said she was satisfied with Fox’s appointment and credited him with being an engaged member of the community who “knows the issues the city faces.”

    Fox will serve on the council through the end of Turner’s term in December, 2018.

    Want to share your thoughts on the new appointment? click here to submit a letter to the editor for publication.

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  • Citrus Heights city council candidates on the issues, in their own words

    Rick Doyle, Amor Taylor, Jeff Slowey, Porsche Middleton, Tim Schaefer, Marcel Weiland, Michael Nishimura, Bret Daniels
    Citrus Heights 2016 City Council candidates, from left to right. Top: Rick Doyle, Amor Taylor, Jeff Slowey, Porsche Middleton. Bottom: Tim Schaefer, Marcel Weiland, Michael Nishimura, Bret Daniels. // CH Sentinel

    Updated Oct. 23, 12:21 a.m.–
    In the interest of providing voter information and fair election coverage, The Sentinel has given all eight Citrus Heights city council candidates an equal opportunity to submit written statements on a variety of local issues. Seven of the eight candidates submitted statements by the Oct. 22 deadline, and links are provided below to each candidate’s responses.

    Questions included topics of homelessness, enhancing public safety, body cameras, marijuana regulation, fiscal policy, and Measure B. Although agreeing on many issues, candidates hold opposing views on Measure B and police-worn body cameras, and also have differing approaches to enhancing public safety and addressing homelessness.

    Click below for each candidate’s responses:

    Other articles related to the local election:

    >>Get local news and election updates delivered to your inbox each Sunday: click here to sign up for The Sentinel’s free Weekend e-Edition