Measure U: Here’s how Sacramento can reduce police spending and invest in community

The City of Sacramento attempted to silence the Measure U Community Advisory Committee by canceling all of its meetings prior to the passage of the budget. As the committee’s chair, I believe this was done to prevent us from criticizing the City Council’s proposed Measure U budget, which allocates 50 percent of the revenue to the police department instead of economic development, as promised.

This budget is strikingly callous in the wake of recent widespread protests and fervent calls to reimagine “public safety” by decreasing funds to police and increasing community investments.

The Measure U Community Advisory Committee was formed to advise the mayor and City Council on how to spend the one-cent sales and use tax approved by voters in 2018. With the onset of COVID-19, the city understandably canceled meetings. Yet, as the city enhanced its capacity to support remote meetings, the city attempted to cancel the June 15 meeting before I intervened.

Members of the Measure U Committee have been vocal about the lack of city support for the committee’s work and about our displeasure at the previous budget that was passed just as our committee was formed. During the campaign for Measure U, Mayor Darrell Steinberg repeatedly pledged to spend the second half-cent of Measure U revenue on “inclusive economic development,” yet the last year’s budget only allocated $6.1 million — six percent of the revenue — for this purpose.

The city’s economic forecast changed dramatically due to COVID-19, including a projected loss of $19 million in Measure U revenue. Yet, in the wake of increased need for financial support to communities, this year’s budget reflects an even smaller allocation to economic development, $4.2 million — while the police allocation grew to $41.7 million.

Further increases to police are also a striking departure from the Mayor’s campaign promises. “People would not have voted for Measure U if they thought it was only going to pay for pensions and salaries,” said Mayor Steinberg last year. “This is now a matter of trust with the voters.”

During our meeting on Monday night, I presented a counter-proposal that differs from the City Council’s in that it allocates 46 percent of the Measure U revenue toward Economic Development, to the tune of $37.1 million. It also creates a $14.1 million budget for affordable housing and homelessness, in part to support the mayor’s goal of having shelters in each council district, while balancing the Measure U budget.

While not an official proposal from the Measure U Committee, a majority of the members have signed on. Additionally, over 300 people submitted public comments on the budget, none of whom were in support of the City Council’s police spending. In response, the mayor said he agreed with our premise, but disagreed with our conclusions, including the committee’s formal recommendation in February to spend $5 million on participatory budgeting which sets aside funding for the community to collectively spend.

One issue that may prevent the City Council from reducing the police budget is the current contract, which includes scheduled pay increases this year. This is in stark contrast to unions such as SEIU that are currently renegotiating contracts and considering furloughs because of the dismal economic forecast.

Sacramentans should reasonably expect police to make the same sacrifices as other public employees, many of whom are the essential workers who kept our communities safe during the peak of the pandemic curve. During a state of emergency, cities can renegotiate contracts, but the mayor says this option is not on the table.

Sadly, it appears that our city leadership is as terrified of the police as the community is.

This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 6:00 AM.