A Quality of Life Vision for Sacramento

By Rowland R. Reeves

This document describes a vision for the creation of a superior quality of life for the citizens of Sacramento. It also describes specifically how the goals set out in that vision can be achieved. Sacramento is going to become the leading city in the nation in terms of:

• 1. The quality of life it provides for its citizens
• 2. The economic opportunity it offers
• 3. The showcasing and celebration of our rich diversity
• 4. The excitement and enjoyment it provides

A Quality of Life Vision for Sacramento

SACRAMENTO'S UNIQUE POSITION IN THE WORLD

To understand the vision we can have for Sacramento it is helpful to first examine our city relative to the world around us. Sacramento occupies perhaps one of the more unique geo/political and cultural positions in the world.

Sacramento is at the heart of a metropolitan area encompassing nearly 1.7 million people. It is the county seat. It is the capital of California; the state with the largest economy and largest population in the United States.

Geographically we are located on the Pacific Rim. The fastes growing trade area in the world. We have at our disposal an international airport and an ocean going port.

We are located in a beautiful part of our state right where two of its major rivers converge giving us miles of green riverfront shoreline and bountiful outdoor recreation opportunities. Most significantly we are one of the more diverse cities in the country right at a time when the growing world economy demands deversity for economic survival and cultural understanding between peoples.

Our city is what America is all about. It is a rich mix that is vibrant with energy. These factors offer incredible political and economic potentials for our city's future.

As the capital of the leading state in the leading nation in the world the visibility and leadership potential for our city is unprecedented.

A UNIQUE VISION FOR SACRAMENTO'S FUTURE

The vision that I would seek to achieve for our city capitalizes on Sacramento's unique set of circumstances as outlined above. We can use our uniqueness to become a national and even world leader in the following areas.

• 1. For Sacramento to become the leading city in the nation in terms of quality of life for its citizens.
• 2. For Sacramento to have a vibrant economy producing an above average standard of living for its citizens.
• 3. For Sacramento to fully showcase our rich cultural diversity and history.
• 4. For Sacramento to become an exciting place for people to live and enjoy life.

THE PATH TO SACRAMENTO'S FUTURE

I am absolutely certain that the above vision can be achieved. The following describes specifically how we can set out on this path to the future.

Specifically what we must do includes the following.

EDUCATION

We must continue to rebuild our city's education system. We must build upon the momentum that Mayor Serna initiated with the reinvigoration of the Sacramento City Unified School District's, School Board. We must take a similar pro-active approach to all the school districts within the City. We must help parent groups, teachers, and administrators who are struggling to bring quality education back to Sacramento. Nothing else is more important than this goal. No matter what else we do in this city it will be for naught if our school system continues to be neglected.

There is an absolute cause and effect relationship between the quality of a city's schools and its economic vitality. If schools deteriorate, neighborhoods deteriorate, if neighborhoods deteriorate the tax base deteriorates, and from there the spiral is only downward. There is no other single investment that will return more to our city than the creation of a quality of education system.

An improved education system promotes property appreciation which allows individuals to qualify for home improvement loans which in turn stimulates economic vitality and neighborhood improvement.

A quality education system enables our young people to learn the skills they need to gain quality employment. Vocational training for our students, the majority of whom do not go on to college, must again become a priority in our school system. Quality employment opportunities lead to more stable families and lower crime.

We must actively recruit a wide variety of tech schools to locate their campuses in Sacramento. Areas around C.S.U. Sacramento and City College should be designated as "Campus Zones" so that technical schools and student housing of all types can be more easily developed.

A quality education system is the foundation upon which the City can rejuvenate itself. A quality education system for both our children and our adults must become the primary focus of our efforts. We must continue and reinforce the efforts that Mayor Serna initiated. We must recognize education as an essential major industry. We must create a "culture of learning" within our City.

CREATING A LIVING, DYNAMIC DOWNTOWN

To create a living, dynamic downtown we must do the following:

• K Street Mall must be covered and enclosed where possible from Macy's all the way to the Convention Center.
• We must encourage the construction of high-rise buildings everywhere in the downtown area except the immediate Capitol zone and in established neighborhoods. These tall buildings must be required to include residential units and ground floor shops and throughways for pedestrians.
• We must place all future downtown parking buildings on the peripheral of the downtown zone and incrementally remove the current downtown parking buildings to make the land available for commercial and residential buildings.
• We must create a downtown "fluid" public transit network. This would allow individuals to park their cars anywhere on the peripheral of the downtown area yet reach their final downtown destinations in a timely and convenient manner.
• A true park must be put in place from ninth street to the Tower Bridge.
• the building permit process for high-rise buildings must be simplified to allow developers the opportunity to again make downtown Sacramento a high density zone that supports a dynamic living environment.

We must create a history museum and living cultural expostion showcasing the rich history and wonderful cultural richness that is Sacramento. This expostion must be placed on the K Street Mall or on the new park between the Tower Bridge and Ninth Street.

CONTINUE TO BUILD NEIGHBORHOODS AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY

We must continue to build our neighborhoods through the encouragement of neighborhood associations, construction of community centers, and expansion of community based policing.

SALARIED CITY COUNCIL AND MAYOR POSITIONS

We need to support the top elected officials in our city who currently work full time at their elected positions while also trying to hold down a job to support their families. Given the size and complexity of our city it is time to sufficiently compensate those who are held responsible for our city's future so that they can afford to devote their full time to their elected position.