City of Sacramento
Budget and Audit Committee Report
915 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814
www.cityofsacramento.org
File ID: 2025-01004 6/3/2025 Item 2.
Measure U Community Advisory Commission Recommendations Regarding Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/26 Budget Priorities
File ID: 2025-01004
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Review, comment, and provide direction.
Contact: Ash Roughani, Special Projects Manager, (916) 808-7751, [email protected], Office of the City Manager Presenter: Members of the Measure U Community Advisory Commission Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Measure U Commission FY2025/26 Budget Priorities and Recommendations 3-Presentation
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: The Mayor and City Council established the Measure U Community Advisory Commission (Measure U Commission) to ensure that the expenditures of City resources reflect Council and Community priorities (City Council Ordinance 2024-0039).
At its May 19, 2025 meeting, the Measure U Commission discussed and adopted priorities and recommendations for the FY2025/26 budget year (Attachment 2) for Council consideration.
Policy Considerations: City Council Ordinance 2024-0039, adopted September 24, 2024, outlines the purpose, powers, and duties of the Measure U Commission; specifically, to ensure that the expenditures of City resources reflect Council and community priorities, the commission shall review, report, and make non-binding recommendations on revenue and expenditures of certain funds from the Transactions and Use Tax imposed under Sacramento City Code chapter 3.27 (Sacramento City Code chapter 2.114).
Economic Impacts: None.
File ID: 2025-01004 6/3/2025 Item 2.
Environmental Considerations: California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): This report concerns administrative activities and governmental fiscal activities that do not constitute a “project” as defined by the CEQA Guidelines Sections 15378(b)(2) and 15378(b)(4) and are not subject to the provisions of CEQA (CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3)).
Sustainability: None.
Commission/Committee Action: The recommendations in this report were approved by the Measure U Commission on May 19, 2025.
Rationale for Recommendation: The City Council established the Measure U Commission to advise the Council on community priorities with respect to Measure U revenues and expenditures.
Financial Considerations: Council may need to reallocate proposed or existing commitments to implement the Commission’s recommendations and maintain a balanced budget.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): None.
Measure U Commission
25/26 Budget Recommendation
Dear Mayor McCarty and Councilmembers:
On behalf of the Measure U Community Advisory Commission, we thank you and your staff for your continued support of community-centered initiatives. The impact of Measure U funding has been felt in many areas regarding quality of life but especially in the Community Response Program, the Utilities Rate Assistance Program and the Free Ride Transit Program for Youth. These programs are vital to improving public safety, equity, and access for Sacramento’s most underserved communities.
In alignment with the goals of the Measure U ordinance—which include advancing racial, economic, and gender equity, strengthening community health and safety, and supporting inclusive economic development—we respectfully offer the following budget recommendations:
Funding Recommendations:
1. Youth and Older Adult Programs
The Commission recommends funding for robust youth and senior programs, particularly in historically underinvested neighborhoods. The Commission does not support the proposed $1.3 million reduction in youth programming. Additionally, we oppose any fee increases for youth and seniors in communities already facing economic barriers.
In a presentation to the Commission in January of this year, YPCE leaders reported that Measure U funding supports 55 community-based organizations with more than 8,000 program participants. These programs support entire families and communities who benefit when youth have safe and engaging programming after school and in the summer; reducing these opportunities is short-sighted.
Furthermore, the Commission recommends that funding allocated to the Hart Center be equitably redistributed to support other centers that provide services for older adults in underinvested neighborhoods. A citywide approach to aging equity ensures all seniors regardless of where they live have access to wellness programs and social support.
2. Allocate Funding to Reinstate the Participatory Budgeting Process The result of the City’s pilot program on participatory budgeting, driven by this commission, was not only greater investment of resources to underserved communities and high impact organizations, but an inclusive process that allowed for establishing trust and creating ownership and agency for city residents. We recommend Participatory Budgeting be reinstated as a structural component of Measure U funding. The City’s initial investment of $1 million established a baseline and allowed for a process to be established and evaluated, but it is clear that the need in underserved communities and among our community organizations - now threatened by severe federal funding cuts - is far greater. We urge substantial investment into participatory budgeting-directed community programs that would have an outstanding impact in communities throughout the City of Sacramento. A time of budget shortfall makes all the more clear why community members should be engaged and involved in the funding-tradeoffs the council faces. We hope the City Council can approve increased funding for Participatory Budgeting of $3 million.
3. Affordable Housing & Supportive Services
We strongly urge continued and increased investment in affordable housing and supportive services. Stable housing is foundational to community well-being and reduces reliance on emergency response systems.
4. Redirect Police Vacancies to Community-Based Safety Programs
We recommend redirecting funding from unfilled vacancies in the Sacramento Police Department to community-based alternatives to public safety, such as mental health crisis response, violence prevention, and programs.
5. The City’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program The DEI program is a cornerstone of the City’s commitment to building a more inclusive, equitable, and just community. This work is not peripheral—it is central to the City’s strategic goals and values. The Commission strongly opposes the proposed elimination of the full-time equivalent (FTE) position currently funded with Measure U resources. This position is essential to maintaining the capacity and continuity necessary to advance the City’s DEI objectives. Removing this FTE would significantly undermine the City’s ability to implement and sustain meaningful DEI initiatives, jeopardizing progress already made and sending a troubling message about the City’s priorities.
Accountability & Equity:
We urge the adoption of a transparent process to ensure Measure U funds are serving the purpose of the half cent tax increase approved by voters in 2018. The purpose of this tax as presented to voters on the ballot include: “enhance essential public safety services, including 9-1-1 response, fire protection, community neighborhood policing, and other essential services, including homeless supportive services, affordable housing, libraries, park maintenance, high-wage job promotion, and youth programming.” The Measure U Advisory Commission is currently developing a proposed metrics framework that would give us the more robust data needed to fully fulfill our duties of evaluating if City spending serves these purposes, and we understand the City is engaged in similar discussions with council.
In the absence of this data, our recommendations rely upon presentations from department directors that, while appreciated, do not give us any standard criteria or apples-to-apples comparisons to evaluate programs or identify the best return on taxpayers’ Measure U investment.
For example, while we acknowledge the city’s investment in firefighter recruitment and outreach—including the funding of 17 FTEs through Measure U with the goal of increasing diversity—it is unclear whether these efforts have yielded tangible progress. The same concern applies to the Police Department. We urge the City to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs and prioritize equity-driven outcomes rather than continue to invest in strategies that have yet to demonstrate success.
Fiscal Responsibility:
The Commission is deeply concerned that the City may attempt to balance the budget at the expense of youth, seniors, and other vulnerable populations. Measure U was passed by voters to uplift communities most impacted by historic disinvestment—not to reinforce the status quo. Budget decisions must reflect that commitment.
In Summary:
We urge the City to:
● Maintain and increase funding for youth and senior services.
● Prevent fee increases for low-income and under-resourced communities.
● Invest in affordable housing and community-based safety strategies.
● Reassess the return on investment in public safety recruitment initiatives.
● Ensure Measure U funds are used in accordance with equity and community empowerment goals.
● Fund the Participatory Budgeting Program and ensure community input in the City’s budgeting process.
We thank you again for your collaboration and leadership, and we look forward to continuing to work together to build a more just and inclusive Sacramento.
Sincerely,
The Measure U Community Advisory Commission
2025-26 Budget
Recommendations
Measure U
Community Advisory Committee
Committee Purpose
“To ensure that the expenditures of City resources reflect Council and community priorities, the committee shall review, report, and make non-binding recommendations on revenue and expenditures of certain funds from the Transactions and Use Tax.” - City Council Resolution 2018-0393
Committee Powers and Duties
A. Provide recommendations through the publication of an annual report that will be available on the City’s website and presented to the Sacramento City Council, which report will include:
a) A review of Transactions and Use Tax revenues;
b) Recommendations on how to allocate resources to support inclusive community economic development. Recommendations should be informed by committee review and discussion of revenues from the Transactions and Use Tax and information concerning city expenditures;
c) Advice to council on priorities; and
d) Review of performance measures and evaluation of city expenditures.
B. Work with City staff on community engagement with respect to the Transactions and Use Tax.
- City Council Resolution 2018-0393
2025-26 Budget Recommendations
1. The Commission does not support the proposed $1.3 million reduction in youth programming.
○ Measure U funding supports 55 community-based organizations with more than 8,000 program participants. These programs support entire families and communities who benefit when youth have safe and engaging programming after school and in the summer; reducing these opportunities is short-sighted. 2025-26 Budget Recommendations
2. We recommend Participatory Budgeting be reinstated as a structural component of Measure U funding.
● The City’s successful participatory budgeting pilot program invested resources into underserved communities and high impact organizations AND established an inclusive process for building trust and creating ownership and agency for city residents.
● The City’s initial investment of $1 million established a baseline but the need is far greater. We hope to see $3 million.
● A time of budget shortfall makes all the more clear why community members should be engaged and involved in understanding funding-tradeoffs. 2025-26 Budget Recommendations
3. We strongly urge continued and increased investment in affordable housing and supportive services. Stable housing is foundational to community well-being and reduces reliance on emergency response systems.
4. We recommend redirecting funding from unfilled vacancies in the Sacramento Police Department to community-based alternatives to public safety, such as mental health crisis response, violence prevention, and programs.
5. The Committee strongly opposes the proposed elimination of the full-time equivalent (FTE) position currently funded with Measure U resources. The DEI program is a cornerstone of the City’s commitment to building a more inclusive, equitable, and just community. This work is not peripheral—it is central to the City’s strategic goals and values.
Metrics and Outcomes Data Needed
We urge the adoption of a transparent process to ensure Measure U funds are serving the purpose of the half cent tax increase approved by voters in 2018.
The Measure U Advisory Commission is currently developing a proposed metrics framework and urge your support for providing the robust data needed to fully fulfill our duties.
We appreciate departmental presentations on Measure U spending. Still, we lack standard criteria to evaluate programs to determine if they are meeting the purpose of Measure U funds.
Thank you!