Ensure Public Safety Services Funding, Transparency and Priorities meet all our citizens needs and ensure due process for both residents and officers. Implement annual Implicit Bias training for Police department, City Staff and City Council. Adopt resolution setting the “8CantWait” use of force policies as hundreds of cities in California and our region have like Roseville, Elk Grove, Sacramento, Folsom, Rocklin .
Maintain our ability to address housing insecurity for working families and seniors to prevent homelessness, and continue to partner with other local governments to address long term homelessness.
My Monday, January 4, 2021 public comment to Rancho Cordova City Council Meeting Agenda Item 11.1 : AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTIONS OF THE RANCHO CORDOVA MUNICIPAL CODE RELATED TO TITLE 23 ZONING CODE AND DISCUSSION AND DIRECTION ON FUTURE AMENDMENTS TO TITLE 23 (Discussion and Direction – Emergency Shelter permitted in Zones OIMU, M-1, M-2)
Donald Childs 2601 Barbera Way, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 | (916)207-2659 |donald.childs@gmail.com
January 4, 2021
TO: Rancho Cordova City Council, City Manager Cyrus Abhar, Planning Manager Darcy Goulart 2729 Prospect Park Drive Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
Subject: RE Item 11.1 – AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTIONS OF THE RANCHO CORDOVA MUNICIPAL CODE RELATED TO TITLE 23 ZONING CODE AND DISCUSSION AND DIRECTION ON FUTURE AMENDMENTS TO TITLE 23 “Discussion and Direction”
I am opposed to the permitted use of Emergency Shelters in the OIMU (Office/Industrial/Mixed Use) and believe this decision should be moved through public workshops to address residential and business concerns with having emergency shelters located near neighborhoods, retail, business parks and motels.
I am also disappointed as to how this subject was placed on the agenda, inconsistent with standard practices of cities throughout the county, region and state.
This community has a storied and unjust history in land use decisions being made at our expense to address social problems, alleviating other communities from shouldering their fair share. The need for residents and local businesses to be real, empowered stakeholders remains.
I am in complete support of permitted use of Emergency Shelters in the M-1 and M-2 zones, with the condition that council form a commission addressing housing, housing insecurity and homelessness; that commission be comprised of members of the commercial real estate community, owners, tenants within the M-1, M-2 zones, as well as housing advocates, multi-family housing property management reps, homeless npo staff, and at large seats for residents.
This commission should receive a quarterly report on permitted emergency shelters from RCPD, Code Enforcement, homeless program managers/staff measuring how many clients were served, the number of calls for services, code enforcement complaints so that the commission may provide stakeholder oversight and recommend to staff and council needed changes.
I hope in the coming months you will consider the roll out of workshops to address the permitted zoning of emergency shelters and the re-instatement of the Planning Commission to participate in bringing stakeholders together to help make these decisions in traditional, conventional ways that every other city in California above 55,000 in population have been committed to doing.
On Nov 2nd, the night before the 2020 general election, 3 Rancho Cordova city council members endorsed discussing restoring the planning commission. All 3 council members fully endorsed restoring the planning commission. Mayor David Sander, Donald Terry @donaldterryrc and an enthusiastic, assertive Garrett Gatewood. Thank you. I look forward to that meeting.
Ballot count update – We’re still in 6th place, 8% of the vote with 4,564 votes, with 51, 699 ballots remaining to be counted. Thank you again to all who voted for me and supported our issues.
@electsiri Siri Pulipati has pulled into 2nd place, Congratulations!
Next count update is on Tuesday, 11/17/2020 at 4:00 p.m.
I want to thank everyone that voted for my candidacy, my friends and family, community members for your endorsement and support of my candidacy in this current city council campaign of 2020, and in 2018.
The Sacramento County Office of Elections released an update of votes this afternoon and it looks like we wont see a change from 8% of the vote, at 3,058. There are still 260,804 ballots left to count, and the next update will be on Tuesday, 11/10 at 4pm.
It looks like we may have a new city council member with Siri Pulipati currently holding at 3rd place.
Congratulations to Siri, Donald Terry and David Sander.
I look forward to continuing to work with the city council to make Rancho Cordova a great city, and include Rancho Cordovans as partners in economic, public safety, land use planning, mobility, transit and zoning decisions that affect them by restoring the planning commission.
Thank you again for your support, for the opportunity to serve you in making a difference for Rancho Cordovans.
I am opposed to approval of the Trumark at Kassis housing development, as currently presented/proposed, due to traffic, environmental impacts to the American River Parkway, as well as no traditional public stakeholder participation to date.
I have signed the petition circulated by SARA (Save the American River Association) and share concerns with Tiffany neighborhood residents about the project and the city council’s responses to date.
I am also opposed to the concessions the city and community must make to facilitate this development being built as proposed in the FBSP designated “Parkway Corridor Overlay Zone” (RCMC 23.325.070 Parkway corridor (PC) overlay zoning district), which includes the orchard and river bank, sensitive areas to the health of the American River Parkway.
“The opportunity sites designate locations where the City will concentrate resources (e.g., economic development incentives, public investment, facilities, outreach, coordination) and community assets (e.g., public gathering places, events, activities) with the goal of catalyzing significant private investment in these areas.”
Chapter 5, Opportunity Sites 2013 Folsom Blvd Specific Plan Update
Nowhere in the FBSP Opportunity Site assessment of the Kassis Property does it mention the American River Parkway as a “community asset”. The major blind spot of the perspective of this specific plan is that it promotes private investment at the cost of the American River Parkway.
Our city must strike a balance between meeting our housing needs share identified in the SACOG “Regional Housing Needs Allocation”, the economic development opportunities and challenges facing Folsom Boulevard, and protecting the American River Parkway.
I strongly urge the project proponents demand greater due process for their project and the neighboring property owners’ interests, by demanding that the City Council immediately restore the planning commission, allocate funds to hire additional staff to study this project, and create a task force of neighboring property owners, project proponents and regional parkway stakeholders to iron out project alternatives that don’t impact the American River Parkway and address traffic safety and preservation of quality of life in the established Tiffany neighborhood.
I would also ask that each of the candidates running in the November 3, 2020 election for Rancho Cordova City Council share their position or perspective on the proposed Trumark at Kassis project and protection of the American River Parkway.
Trumark’s most successful projects in other cities have moved through the planning process with a planning commission in play. This fact should inform their sense of urgency to avoid costly and wasteful litigation, and bring neighbors and parkway stakeholders together to achieve a successful housing project that meets the housing needs of the city, mitigates harm to the American River Parkway, and honors the property and due process rights of all involved.
Join me in voting No on Measure R! No more writing off $250k loans to breweries or $192k loan forgiveness to Chamber of Commerce.
Please read these articles to learn more about how Measure H funds have been managed and what may be in store for Rancho Cordova taxpayers with Measure R.
2019: Sacramento Biz Journal reports City of Rancho Cordova trying to collect on $235K balance of loan or write off loan – Source: Sacramento Business Journal
August 2019: Sac News and Review reports on Rancho Cordova Chamber Bailout after I ask them to look into story. Sacramento Bee declined to respond.
There isnt a way to only link to my profile and answers, so I will share them here.
Question 1: Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Donald Childs: I have not sought campaign contributions.
Question 2: While coronavirus restrictions are expected to eventually subside, budget shortfalls from COVID-19 are expected to persist. How will you address these and what are your priorities for spending in the future?
Donald Childs: With falling revenues comes an inability to maintain current city service levels not mandated by the state of California. The city will have to freeze, and in many cases reduce service levels across the board. Citizens will need to be engaged and dealt with as stakeholders in making those decisions. We have to reassess how we use our current revenue sources that are not state mandated, such as Measure H, and protect revenue generating sources such as housing construction, retail, hospitality industry and business to business sales and services activity. The city must also examine its revenue neutrality property tax payment agreements with Sacramento County. We must maintain our ability to address housing insecurity for working families to prevent increasing homelessness, and continue to seek partners, county, state and federal funding to address the homeless problem.
Question 3: Racial inequality exists in all of our communities. How do you plan to address these gaps in the community you are seeking to represent?
Question 4: Housing affordability is changing our neighborhoods. What must be done to ensure our communities provide enough quality affordable housing for families of all income levels?
Donald Childs: The City of Rancho Cordova has identified in its housing element vacant infill sites and underutilized infill sites within the Folsom Boulevard Corridor, Coloma Road Corridor for affordable housing projects. The city needs to continue to focus on encouraging housing production through zoning appropriate land, and facilitate owners of unsuccessful, underperforming and vacant office/retail parcels to rezone to residential mixed-use zoning.
Question 5: What do you believe is the most important issue facing your constituents today, and what will you do to address it?
Donald Childs: Housing Insecurity. Many Rancho Cordovans face uncertainty in maintaining employment and paying their rent or mortgages. Just over 40% of residents in Rancho Cordova rent, living in multi-family housing. I want to expand the Folsom Cordova Community Partnership – Relief Safety Net Services: CDBG-CV– grant program, by appropriations from Measure H fund, CDBG-CV fund to provide a one time rental or mortgage payment grant to residents who have a dire need, and are facing eminent homelessness from current budget of $100,000 to $500,000. I also want to increase funding for Sacramento Self-Help Housing: Housing Counseling and Renters Helpline services provided to Rancho Cordovans.
Im proud to receive an endorsement from Lincoln Village resident Fayzah Mughal.
(See image of letter below)
Fayzah has shared with me the challenges of using transit and bicycling safety issues in Rancho Cordova. We have worked together to advocate for better transit service from Regional Transit, and I have learned from her a great deal about the issues facing Lincoln Village.
Thank You Fayzah for your support, counsel and encouragement.
