Proposed Sacramento City Council district map would mean big changes for these neighborhoods
Several neighborhoods in Sacramento – including East Sacramento, Curtis Park, the River District and Land Park – would be placed in new City Council districts under the city’s proposed new Council district map.
If the Sacramento Independent Redistricting Commission next week adopts the map it created, Councilman Jeff Harris’s River District home would no longer be in his district, but in Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela’s. In order to run in the June election, he would likely need to sell the house and move north of the river to the new District 3, which would mostly be comprised of South Natomas. He did not return a call seeking comment Thursday, likely because the map is not yet final.
Tricia Stevens, president of the East Sacramento Improvement Association, said that group believes East Sacramento should be in the same district as the central city — with corridors such as J Street and Folsom Boulevard that connect them — but wanted to keep Harris, who’s been representing the neighborhood since 2014.
“Our neighborhood was asking to remain in D3 for continuity of representation,” Stevens said. “We feel that it was a similar request that other neighborhoods had made. We’d been in D3 a long time and wanted to remain in D3.”
The map would also present an issue for Kendra Macias Reed, who is running in District 5 to replace Councilman Jay Schenirer, who is not seeking reelection in June. Under the proposed map, Reed’s Z’berg Park home would no longer be in District 5. Reed, who is endorsed by Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Schenirer, said she plans to sell her home and move her family to the district, which includes Oak Park and parts of south Sacramento.
“I had anticipated that was a likely scenario from the beginning of me entering this race,” said Reed, who is the chair of the Planning Commission and the co-owner of a small construction company.
For Reed, the clock is ticking, and the housing market is tight. They would have to move to a new address and be living there for at least 30 days before filing papers within the nomination period, which runs from Feb. 14 to March 11.
Reed will challenge Caity Maple, who owns a North Oak Park home and is endorsed by Councilwomen Angelique Ashby and Valenzuela.
She is the vice president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association and the vice president of government affairs at Perfect Union, a cannabis company.
Some support new district map
The Railyards and the River District, home to many homeless residents and service providers as well as the site of several planned significant housing developments, would go from District 3, represented by Harris, to District 4, represented by Valenzuela. During council meetings, Harris typically speaks in favor of clearing homeless encampments from certain areas, while Valenzuela, a Democratic socialist, typically speaks against the practice.
Joe Smith, advocacy director for Loaves and Fishes, a major homeless services organization in the River District, said it would be a positive change.
“Councilmember Valenzuela has been a leader in homeless initiatives and would bring a bright new perspective to the River District,” Smith said.
In the south area, District 7 — represented by Councilman Rick Jennings, who’s running for re-election in June — would keep Pocket/Greenhaven and gain Curtis Park, Land Park and Parkway. Valley Hi and North Laguna would go to District 8, represented by Councilwoman Mai Vang. About two-thirds of Meadowview would stay with District 8 and one third would go to District 5.
Jesse Reese, president of the Meadowview Neighborhood Association, said he was disappointed that Meadowview would no longer be all in the same district. He said he did not know if the new District 5 representative would understand the issues in Meadowview.
“If you can just have one council person you can talk with, I would like to keep in that way,” Reese said. “If you get cut in half, you lose your power.”
Some neighborhoods were pleased with the changes, however. Kirk Vyverberg, board member for the Land Park Community Association, said the group was happy with the proposed map.
“We are pleased to share both community and representation between Land Park, Curtis Park, and a reunified South Land Park, while anticipating a new relationship with the residents of the Pocket,” Vyverberg said in a statement. “As for the use of Broadway, Freeport and Sutterville, as boundaries, we will try to benefit from the collaboration of two districts in shaping the future development of these neighborhood ‘Main Streets’ into vital residential and retail transportation corridors.”
In the north, District 1 would shrink land-wise, to account for an large increase in population in North Natomas since the last time the lines were drawn in 2010. The district also would pick up part of Robla and North Sacramento. Alyssa Lozano, a realtor and president of the Natomas Chamber of Commerce, is seriously considering running in the June election, said Andrew Acosta, a political consultant.
Ashby, who is not seeking re-election because she is running for State Senate, has not yet made an endorsement in the District 1 race.
The next redistricting commission meeting is set for Thursday, when the commission could tweak the map but cannot make major changes. Once the map is adopted, the new districts will go into effect, City Clerk Mindy Cuppy said.
After the commission adopts a final map, any registered voter can file a petition to challenge it within 30 days, according to the city code. If the petition is successful, a court could order the city to redraw the lines.
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
