Sacramento releases list of who could be laid off in $66M budget crisis
The brunt of the city of Sacramento’s layoffs would hit parks maintenance workers, according to a list of positions released Tuesday. Cuts also proposed for other departments.
Thirty-seven people could be laid off or demoted from City Hall, according to a discussion heard at City Council on Tuesday, marking the first time the City Council heard publicly how many people — and not just positions — will be affected.
People who are demoted would be handed another responsibility, said Finance Director Pete Coletto. Some have already been placed in other jobs, and others have retired, he said.
Nearly 100 vacant positions could also be shed.
Park maintenance workers in 26 positions could get a pink slip. The city previously said it spared 23 other park maintenance positions.
“Some hard decisions had to be made,” said City Manager Maraskeshia Smith. “Every option considered carried impacts, and those impacts are not abstract.”
The City Council is attempting to fill a $66.2 million budget gap to balance a $1.7 billion fiscal plan. The budget year runs from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.
Other positions proposed to be cut include staff members in the Office of Public Safety Accountability, which serves as a watchdog over the Sacramento police and fire departments. An administrative analyst in the city manager’s office and an IT support specialist could also be let go.
The park maintenance workers, who make about $35,000, are among the lowest paid personnel in the city, said Payden Martin, union representative for Local 39.
“Laying these employees off will in no way solve the $66 million budget shortfall,” Martin said. “Our parks maintenance division works in the cold, rain, blazing heat, pandemics, (cleaning) poop and drug needles out of playgrounds and sports fields.”
He implored the City Council to cancel contracts instead of laying off employees.
