Sacramento mayor’s rival plan to March ballot measure for youth will be on November ballot
Whether or not Sacramento voters decide to mandate the city set aside an additional $12.5 million on youth at the polls next week, a rival proposal will appear on the ballot in November, the City Council decided Tuesday in a 7-2 vote.
That means if voters approve Measure G in March, Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s alternate proposal to the measure could override it in November.
Measure G would require the city set aside an additional 2.5 percent of its general fund, about $12 million, on youth services each year until 2034. The general fund supports most core city services, including police and fire protection.
Steinberg’s version would require the city spend 20 percent of its year-over-year revenue growth on youth. During a booming economy, that number could exceed $12 million, but for the next five years, it’s estimated at about $2.5 million annually, according to a city staff report. Like Measure G, that figure would be on top of what the city already spends.
Steinberg said his version is more fiscally responsible as the city faces sharply rising pension payments in the coming years. The city could be facing a deficit of $21 million in the fiscal year starting July 1, 2021, Steinberg pointed out. That could rise to about $29 million in the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2022.
“My proposal would allow us to follow through on every other piece of our progressive agenda especially to address our housing crisis,” Steinberg said.
Measure G supporters say the city’s financial troubles are more of a reason to support it in March.
“Every time we have a recession or we need cuts, kids’ stuff is the first to go and I’m just not willing to vote for that anymore,” Councilman Jay Schenirer said.
Schenirer voted against putting the mayor’s proposal on the November ballot along with Councilman Allen Warren.
“We have young people that have tremendous needs in our community that are not being met,” Warren said. “When we stop seeing the pain and suffering in the communities of color and undeserved communities, then I think we will have done our rightful duty to the young people in the city of Sacramento.”
Jim Keddy, treasurer of Sac Kids First, the group pushing for Measure G, said the measure has an equity component, whereas the mayor’s does not. He said the mayor’s plan would equal far less money in immediate years.
“If Measure G passes and if his measure undoes Measure G, that would be like a $10 million cut to youth funding in the city,” Keddy said.
Schenirer proposed changes to the mayor’s version, including prioritizing youth who are most impacted by poverty, trauma and violence. Steinberg said he supported those suggestions.
Steinberg reassured teens who gathered more than 38,000 signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot, some of whom sat in the audience Tuesday in yellow shirts.
“No matter what happens, your voice, your time and your passion are not being wasted,” Steinberg said.
The November ballot measure can be amended through Aug. 7, Steinberg said. The council will soon hold a workshop to consider community proposals and input, and also plans to discuss it at its meeting April 14.
