There is a growing coalition of Sacramento City and County Constituents that believe the “Homeless Issue” can be solved without compromising our Business and Residential Communities. This group is often finding themselves at odds with Mayor Steinberg and some members of the City Council over this issue. Especially true is the Mayor's recent proposed plan for a “Tiny Home Unsheltered Community” at Cal Expo.

Lot H at Cal Expo is environmentally unsuitable for habitation. Anyone who has spent time around horses, livestock or a 4-H project can attest to the issues of flying insects and odors that are part of the landscape. Tiny Home Projects across the state are experiencing difficulty encouraging unhoused populations to take advantage of these shelters. To make these units more attractive is Mayor Steinberg furnishing fly swatters and plug-in air fresheners as standard equipment?

County Supervisors and the Arden-Arcade Business Community have been encouraging interest in developing a movie production facility, student housing, and a sports complex at Cal Expo. Mayor Steinberg's Homeless Shelter Plan on Lot H would surely kill any opportunity for business development and job growth in the area.

In selecting sites to provide for the Sacramento Homeless Population, it is difficult not to conclude that the Mayor and City Council have no regard for their constituents nor the welfare of the population that they are trying to help. The question becomes: Is site selection completely politically motivated? Can the Mayor possibly choose an even less suitable site for a shelter? Oh, yeah....Del Paso Regional Park.

Cal Expo is and should remain a community experience:

The California Exposition & State Fair mission is to create a State Fair experience reflecting California including its industries, agriculture, and diversity of its people, traditions and trends shaping its future supported by year-round events.

As a member of the Coalition of Constituents, we would hope that in the future Mayor Steinberg and Members of the City Council would stop to consider all the factors in making proposals like “Steiny Home”. We invite Mayor Steinberg and members of the City Council to start working with- not against- Sacramento Business and Residential Communities to solve- rather than exacerbate- the “Homeless Issue”.

Ron Jellison

Friends of Del Paso Regional Park