Housing Politics and Protesting in Sacramento: Should We Protest Or Should We Campaign For People Who Care About The Constituents?
Opinion
Last month in my neighborhood, a few blocks away, there were reports of police officers that gathered at the local neighborhood high school. My family and I heard the police helicopter circling the neighborhood for the second time that month. There were reports of a rumored protest near a local park which happens to be down the street from where the Mayor of Sacramento lived with his family.
There was a protest at the Mayor’s house, that resulted in the police being called to disperse the protestors who vandalized the Mayor’s property in the process. There was a protest over the handling of the unhoused community in the city. About 6 people died during a major storm. The city failed to protect it’s unhoused residents: the homeless.
The city does sponsor warming centers, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, there have been some reservations about having the warming centers continue to prevent the spread of the virus. Some constituents such as myself have questions about what happened to the promises that were made last year when the pandemic started and how city politicians were handling the situation.
What happened to housing the homeless community in hotel rooms if they needed a place to stay safe during the pandemic?
What happened to promising no more homeless sweeps during the pandemic if there is no housing solution for the homeless population?
Because of the inaction on the part of the Mayor, City Councilmembers, and the City Manager, what would be the next steps in targeting the unhoused population?
Where is the COVID-19 funding to help support the Governor’s CDC guidelines and regulations for the housing community over the last year being spent on?
The protestors were upset at the inaction and unanswered questions on the part of the Mayor of Sacramento.
So what is causing the inaction of the Mayor and the City of Sacramento?
Is the Mayor of Sacramento and the City Councilmembers taking direction from their campaign investors who are a part of the real estate development community? Maybe. His most recent ballot measure which was Measure A last campaign election cycle in October 2020 was a proposal to have Sacramento move from a weak mayor- city council model to a strong mayor- city council model. Many people that fundraised and funded that campaign were from the development community. He lost that campaign.
I do not think it’s a great idea to protest at the Mayor’s house.
I do think it’s time to vote him out of office and have someone more progressive in the seat who is willing to listen to the constituents of the City, and not from the development community alone. Housing and the cost of living in California is expensive. It is not meant for the middle and working class anymore.
Darrell Steinberg and the City of Sacramento has a responsibility to the constituents of Sacramento, not to the business interests that want to gentrify the city and drive up housing costs. It’s important to create job opportunities which is what is needed right now as we recover from the economic downfall due to the coronavirus pandemic.
