Finally, Some Meat to Chew On!

A few days ago, Dr. Paul wrote a great comment on my post titled "Filing Chapter 13." I have a brief respoonse in the comments section, but promised to discuss his questions in more detail in a new post. Honestly, they were some of the best questions I've heard about incorporation in the past four years. If you haven't read his comment, you really should. Go ahead. I'll wait...

"humm humm humm... if I stay here with you, girl, things just couldn't be the same... cause I'm as free..." Oh, back so soon? Cool, let's move this along.

Here are the questions I want to address this time out, along with my responses.


"What is the vision? What do the candidates see as the most important functions of a new government? Beyond just "we got the money now and can make the decisions," what do people think can actually be accomplished, realistically, with local control?"

It would be presumptious for me to claim to speak on behalf of any candidate. But I do know what the committee has claimed as its goals, and I know what other cities have done. Without repeating what has been stated many times in other places, here is the short list, in the order I hear them discussed the most:

1. Rancho Cordova, Elk Grove and Citrus Heights have all added uniform patrols, and some detectives, to their areas without straining the budget. It's hard to estimate exact numbers, but all three cities have claimed to have reached their targets within the same budgets that were being spent for police protection for their area by the county. This is accomplished through intelligent management, working with...

2. Responsive government. No one can claim to know what the needs of this area will be in ten years. But we can claim that when you shop at the same grocer as your local councilman, and your kid and the mayor's grandkid are on the same little league team, odds are you will get your needs heard more than in the faceless bureaucracy downtown. The plan for Arden Arcade calls for one mayor and six city councilpersons to represent about 100,000 people. That's about 16,600 per council member. Compare that to our current situation, where the entire hundred thousand are just a part of the constituency of one county supervisor. And if annexation occurs, our entire population will get roughly half the ear of one Sacramento city councilperson.

3. Code enforcement. This may not sound like a big deal on the surface, but the impact is huge. The year before Rancho Cordova incorporated, the county towed away a small number of abandoned cars. I'm not positive on the number, but I know it was less than 20. The year after they became a city, they towed away over a thousand. The fact that there were a thousand to be towed clearly indicates the county wasn't making it a priority. And that was in better times, when the county's budget was, maybe not flush, bet certainly not the disaster it is now.

Code enforcement also means we can place limits on businesses like massage parlors, drug paraphenalia and medical marajuana boutiques, thrift stores and check cashing shops. Not that some of these don't have a place, but look at the proliferation they have had over the past decade. Any sociologist will tell you that when these businesses are on the rise any an area, the quality of life is on the decline.

4. Community Services and Identity. Just this morning I heard a report on the radio about a community that had started a new program of volunteers to help seniors. If someone needed a light bulb changed, or a wheelchair ramp installed, or whatever else might come up, the city would send out an experienced volunteer to handle the situation for them. This sort of thing, along with improvements to schools, parks and libraries, can be funded through grants from the fed, the state, or private foundations. Often, but not always, these grants are only available to cities (not the county). But even if they were available, there is no one in the county who can take the time to see the need and find the funding for it.

The impact of this can be enormous. Just ask any high schooler who uses the pool at Mesa Verde. Or a family who spends a Saturday at Rusch Park. Or the teens who longboard at the city skatepark instead of sidewalks and mall parking lots. Or the seniors who use the holiday shuttle busses to do their Christmas shopping. These are the kinds of things that make people want to live in an area. Combine that with better policing and safety, and you begin to see long term effects on property values. And there is so much more than I can talk about here. I invite you to call the city halls of any of our neighbor cities and ask them to tell you their stories. Fascinating stuff.

That's the vision from a "want to" perspective. In a nutshell, here is the "need to" side. Drive down Howe Avenue near Wyda and look at the gang grafitti. Then head over to Watt near Edison and do a quick hooker count. Go ask an Arden Park resident why they have to pay for off-duty deputies to patrol their area. People can only choose to live with their heads in the sand for so long. Eventually you have to come up for air. And when you do, the sight really isn't very pretty.

"How are the candidates planning to deal with the larger question: is this a City that is going to grow? It has to grow to succeed. Are the new leaders planning to adopt a smaller is better approach and keep densities as they are?"

I firmly believe that as a city, we don't need to grow in order to prosper. One argument the opposition makes is that we are landlocked, with no "new dirt" to develop. That is a true statement, but it doesn't have to be a negative. The two fiscal studies that have been done both show that we can br viable. The experience of our neighbors shows we can be better than that. Remember Citrus Heights is landlocked too. And part of the problem Elk Grove has had was in trying to develop the new dirt too quickly, without adequate planning and contingencies for the economic downturn. But even with this, they are managing to keep an even keel and more forward.

"And about taxes: if this City realizes that growth requires investment, are they going to be just another municipality looking to cut services, or are they going to come to the voters with a proposal to raise funds?"

Of course no one can predict the future with 100% accuracy. But we do know that no city (other than Sacramento, which I'm not really sure about) in the county has raised taxes in the past decade. I don't really know about Galt, but I'd be fairly comfortable stating that none of them has raised taxes EVER. Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova have also cut fees for most municipal services (intelligent management + smaller efficient government at work). But we can't say that will always be the case.

If things do manage to get that bad, I'm sure some tough decisions will need to be made. But this one wil be made by the voters, not the council. You can argue whether Prop 13 is a good or bad thing (and honestly, I see merit on both sides), but it's how we run things these days. If new taxes are needed, I hope the city council will have the courage and wisdom to present their case t the voters, and the voters will respond with the long view for the good of the community.

So yes, there is a risk involved. Stay Sacramento has started using the mantra "Cityhood is just too risky." And on some level there is a smattering of truth there. Any decision on this level brings an inherent element of risk. But the option, to stay where we are, isn't a risk at all. It's a guarantee of failure.

After spending four years becoming a student of municipal government, and paying close attention to what is happening in the community, I'm starting to feel like I'm trying to drink from a fire hose. There is so much more I could say. I could go on for hours, if I haven't already, about why this is the right decision - the only decision that makes any logical sense. And when I think about the day my kids finish school, and decide they want to come back after college to live in Arden Arcade, it's also the only decision that makes any emotional sense.

Paul, thanks again for your questions. Getting down to the meat of the matter is really edifying to me. And consider the invitation open anytime to grab a cup of coffee and talk through any other issues you may have.

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Quick reminder, or in case you haven't heard, this Saturday is the kickoff for the incorporation campaign. Head to the old Gottschalk's parking lot at Watt and El Camino at 4pm. Ten bucks gets you in, and firefighters will be fixing up some bbq. There will be kids activities, some classic cars, and a performance by American Idol semi-finalist Stevie Scott. I'm hoping to debut some fancy new incorporation threads as well. Look for me and say hi!

Also, for the more well-heeled among you, there is a gala fundraiser on September 9th, at Mercedes-Benz of Sacramento. That one is way out of my league, so go to the incorporation web site for more details.