RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Two intertwined or separate subjects (depending on one’s point of view) created the most discussion at the Monday, June 21 Rancho Cordova City Council Meeting.

The Council heard from staff on adopting the 2021-2029 Housing Element Update. If approved, the document could be submitted to the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for certification (a draft was previously sent last November). Mandated by the State, the Update is part of the City’s General Plan and sets forth the policies and programs to address the housing needs of all households in Rancho Cordova.

Since June 2020, the creation of the Update has been discussed in public workshops, stakeholder interviews, city council hearings, communication with the community and more. Yet despite this, over 50 residents via Zoom and e-mail were compelled to express their distaste for a particular piece of the Update - the utilization of 70 percent of the Mills Crossing Civic Center site for housing. “Instead of a Civic Center, we’re getting a Housing Center.” complained one disgruntled caller.

After the staff presentation, the Council spent a good degree of time trying to separate the Civic Center from the Update for the record… and themselves.

Councilmember David Sander showed concern that good faith with the community was possibly at risk going forward with so much public rejection yet acknowledged the flexibility of the Update. He also at first showed hesitation without the presence and input from Vice-Mayor Donald Terry and Councilmember Linda Budge (who joined much later). Similarly, Councilmember Siri Pulipati initially stated she was “not ready to move as is” with the Update until more clarification was provided.

This led to talk of what would be the ramifications of putting off the sending of the Update for certification at the present time. Project Manager Cynthia Walsh answered the question by saying not having the Update at least adopted by the City on September 10, would cause it to enter a 4-year cycle instead of an 8-year cycle.

Deputy City Manager Micah Runner appeared to steer the direction of the discussion to its ultimate conclusion by stating that the Civic Center and Housing Allocation were really two separate conversations, an attitude also shared by City Manager Cyrus Abhar. Councilmember Pulipati moved to go forward with the Update and her fellow Council members had to make sure they heard her correctly as it was the opposite of her earlier statements. The Update was agreed to be sent off to the HCD.

A much less hazy topic was found in the swift adoption of an Urgency Ordinance to stem the increase of illegal fireworks use during the upcoming Fourth of July extended holiday. A fine and jail time can now be dealt out not just to those who fire off illegal fireworks but those who own the property (landlords, property managers, homeowners) if the activity occurs. With the current dry weather conditions factoring into a deadly wildfire cocktail, the Ordinance was a no-brainer for the Council. Mayor Garret Gatewood emphatically stated the City needed “to show we’re with other bodies of government in other jurisdictions that are doing the same thing” and called the new enforcement “a critical one”.

Other illegal fireworks discussion included law enforcement trying to get the fireworks off the streets before the weekend, the increased police presence in “hot zones” of activity, PTSD triggered by the noise of the firework on residents and how the ordinance could work year round.

Another item going forward was the Sunrise Boulevard Improvement Project, a $36 million endeavor split between the city and Sacramento County which will create 4 travel lanes with landscaped medians and bike lanes between Kiefer Boulevard and Jackson Highway.

The City also recognized Key Covid-19 partners, Sacramento Metro Fire and the Del Paso Heights Vaccination Clinic. The former was praised for their overall assistance as well as helping up with setting up test sites. The Del Paso Heights Vaccination Clinic was warmly thanked for their numerous vaccination clinics at city hall. City Manager Abhar happily touted the over 1,500 vaccinations administered and the over 90 percent return rate for the second Moderna dose. He also proudly stated Rancho Cordova zip codes were the highest in the county for vaccination rates (over 79%).

Before the close of the Council Meeting during new topics, Councilmember Sander made it known he was not happy with a water tower recently erected at the VA Medical Center on Mather which he referred to as an “industrial blight” on the edge of an attractive residential and commercial area and the need for communication between the City and the VA.