A mayor, governing Sacramento from his den, embraces the small blessings during coronavirus
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg draws his energy from big crowds and face-to-face interactions – in other words, the type of activities that have been prohibited the last two months.
Before the coronavirus crisis closed down the country, the mayor normally started his day playing tennis at Garcia Bend Park in the city’s Pocket neighborhood, then packed his schedule with meetings, speeches and events. His work life often stretched into evenings and weekends.
When the state issued a stay-at-home order in mid-March, Steinberg’s routine changed dramatically. He’s been working out of the den of his Greenhaven home instead of City Hall, conducting City Council meetings via Zoom, and had to swap out morning tennis with friends for a squeaky elliptical, which he rides while working his way through a biography of Winston Churchill.
He’s struggled to find ways to draw energy and connect with residents, but has also found some positives out of the pandemic. He feels a closer connection to his family and friends, especially his elderly parents in the Bay Area who he now calls (almost) every day.
“In some ways when you have these high positions, you get more isolated from your friends and family because your time is so constrained,” said Steinberg, who served as state Senate president pro tem before he was elected mayor in 2016. “I’m trying to build in some things into my life that I didn’t do before.”
One of those new traditions – weekly walks with his son, Ari, every Saturday morning around Greenhaven. The family held Zoom video calls to celebrate a Passover Seder and to throw a surprise 26th birthday party for his daughter, Jordana, who lives in Los Angeles.
The mayor, who rarely turns down an opportunity to attend an event, has had to get more selective about where he goes.
In mid-April, Steinberg attended a Food Bank distribution event at Will C. Wood Middle School. Realizing he forgot his mask, he tied his T-shirt around his face.
A few days later, at an event at Christian Brothers High School, a red pickup truck drove up to the loading station. When the mayor loaded a cardboard box of food into the bed of the truck, the driver recognized him and thanked him, delivering a dose of the social interaction he’s been craving.
“My desire and strong temptation is just to get out there,” Steinberg said. “Big time.”
But Steinberg, 60, also must be mindful about his own health and about setting an example to the rest of the city.
After conducting two council meetings from his den, in his sport coat and jeans, Steinberg was craving a dose of normalcy. On April 21, he put on a full suit and drove to City Hall to conduct the virtual meeting from his office.
“It felt empty to me,” Steinberg said. “I did not feel that elusive energy you get when you’re driving the agenda, when you’re in the literal mix physically with your colleagues and staff.”
He tried again to work from City Hall in early May, but missing his close-knit staff and his Keurig coffee maker he had taken home, drove back to the den.
Like many people, Steinberg has increasingly looked to social media to connect with others, hosting Facebook Live video addresses several evenings a week. He has interviewed public health officials, homeless service providers and even San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman and Sacramento native Arik Armstead. The videos have helped, but are no substitute for the real thing.
“I like giving public speeches because you draw energy from the crowd,” Steinberg said. “It’s harder to do that with Facebook. Are people really watching? Are they getting some information that they otherwise wouldn’t get?”
By May, things were looking up. The tennis courts were back open. Steinbeg’s days were filling up again. On May 6, he worked from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., crafting a letter to the City Council on how he proposes to spend $89 million in federal stimulus, then on a call with other mayors across the state. He had gotten his “mojo” back, he said.
“It’s a blessing to be busy,” he said.
He’s frequently boasted about The Sacramento Bee’s finding that Sacramento has the lowest coronavirus infection rate among major metropolitan areas in the country. But avoiding a surge remains top of mind. He’s far from calling for a complete reopening of the city.
“If we have to be inconvenienced for awhile longer, we will be,” he said.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
