Midtown Neighborhood Association

Zip Car debuts in the central city - five total locations, two in Midtown, at 18th & Capitol and 28th & J Streets. If this is a success we hope Zip Car will add locations in Midtown closer to residential neighborhoods so some of us can give up our full time cars. Read more from the Sacramento Bee article here.

The Special Event Ordinance Committee (SEOC) was established to discuss and provide input regarding events occurring on public property in preparation of bringing a final Special Event Ordinance forward for consideration to the City Council in late 2011.

Each meeting covers a key policy issue. Policy issues may include the following:

All Task Force Meetings are public and allow public comment. Midtown is disproportionately impacted by street closures for special events and recurring street parties so we encourage our members to attend. This task force will meet monthly for up to a year. The kick off meeting was in September 2010. For more information about the SEOC, please contact Teresa Jackson at 916-808-3818 or tjackson@cityofsacramento.org.

Meetings are the third Wednesday of the month in the Old Council Chambers on the second floor in Old City Hall at 6 PM.

Upcoming: March 16th, 6:00 PM. The link below gives dates and time and meeting topics, agendas and minutes. Latest minutes from Jan 19th http://www.cityofsacramento.org/parksandrecreation/seoc/index.html

Councilmember Steve Cohn and city leaders hosted a community forum on Midtown nightlife issues on September 25th following the September 11th, Second Saturday homicide. A panel of city executives answered questions forwarded by a facilitator based on comment cards recieved from the audience. The audience included residents, business owners, entertainment industry representatives and other stakeholders. We thank everyone who came out.

This month (October), a few operational changes will occur. Music will end at 9:30 p.m. rather than 10:00 p.m. to provide more time for crowd disbursal as well as providing flexibility for parents to pick up their kids. A four-way stop will be added at 20th and K Street to address pedestrian safety and better promotion of the off-street parking including the $2 flat fee discount parking at the East End Garage located between L Street and Capitol Avenue and 16th and 17th streets. The Police Department will have foot beat, bicycle and mounted officers on general patrol. As in the past, ABC and curfew laws will be enforced. During the winter months when Second Saturday crowds lessen, City Staff will be coming together to further look at all ideas brought forth on how we can continue to successfully manage Second Saturday events.

As far as late night entertainment crowds and related problems, I will continue to work with the Midtown Business Association, Police Department and other City Staff, and community leaders, residents and business owners to implement the recommendations from the Responsible Hospitality Institute process that we have been following over the last year or so.

Many neighbors and businesses have worked for years to make Midtown a great place to live work and play. I often refer to it as the “heart and soul of Sacramento” and I will work with the community to do whatever it takes to preserve this great community".

Following up on that commitment, Mr. Cohn and community leaders met in early December 2010 to discuss solutions: the following information was sent by Mr. Cohn office in mid-December 2010: Some questions and concerns remain - see bold text inserted in the press release below:

As most of you know, a homicide occurred just after midnight on September 12, 2010, at 18th and J Streets. There was a genuine outpouring of support for the victims, particularly for 24 year old Victor Hugo Perez Zavala, the young man who was tragically killed. Victor was finishing up his college degree and hoped to have a career in the field of International Relations.

The investigation is ongoing but the Police Department has no viable leads at this time. Anyone who has information regarding this tragic event is asked to contact the Sacramento Police Department.

On a more positive note, the Police Department made an arrest of a suspect responsible for a shooting that injured a 21-year old man and a 10-year old boy on November 26, 2010, near the shopping center at 19th and S Streets. Two suspects that were also walking in the area got into a verbal confrontation with the victims over gang affiliation. Through a tip, detectives were able to identify the involved subjects and on December 17, 2010, they arrested the 16-year old suspect without incident. The juvenile suspect will be facing charges of attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a minor with a gang enhancement.

Second Saturday

A Community Forum was held on September 25, 2010 to gather input and suggestions on Second Saturday and Midtown Nightlife issues in general. All comments as well as other updates are available under the tab "Midtown Nightlife/2nd Saturday" at http://www.cityofsacramento.org/council/index.cfm?frpath=departments/home.cfm?MenuID=5008

Permits for vendors and music are currently issued by the City from April through October when the weather begins to warm up and attendance increases.

The most significant changes we made after the Forum were to stop the amplified outdoor music at 9:30 p.m., increase enforcement of the 10:00 p.m. curfew for youth under 18 years of age, and increase police presence.

Second Saturday crowds generally thin out during the cold weather winter months. During this time, the City’s Second Saturday Safety Team which includes Police, Fire, Code Enforcement, Department of Transportation, Neighborhood Services, and Parking are reviewing all comments and suggestions received at the September Community Forum as well as by email, letters and calls and will work to ensure its continued success in the coming year.

Street Lighting - Midtown Neighborhood Assn continues to ask for streetlights on P & Q Streets - if you live on these streets and need lights - please continue to email Mr. Cohns office schon@cityofsacramento.org and ask for streetlights in the very dark residential areas. We need to keep asking until the funds are located to finish lighting our Midtown neighborhoods. I and J Streets -'the project area' are in the Midtown PBID - why is CDBG $$ being used in the PBID and not residential areas? Aren't the supplemental assessments of property in the PBID supposed to pay for this?

In 2011, streetlights will be installed as part of the Sutter Medical Center project (28th Street from N to R Street; L St & Capitol Ave corridor from 25th to 28th). Additionally, I dedicated $400K in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for streetlights in Midtown. Design for the area bounded by I and J Streets, from 20th to 27th Streets is almost done and an engineering estimate will soon be complete. This estimate will give us an idea of how many lights in the project area we can install this year. I will continue to look for additional funding to install the remainder of the lights within the project area.

Midtown Nightlife – Hospitality Zone Assessment (HZA)

In 2009, the Midtown Business Association (MBA) engaged the Responsible Hospitality Institute (RHI) to perform an assessment on the local Midtown nightlife pertaining to dining and entertaining, public safety, venue service and safety, multi-use sidewalks, late-night transportation and quality of life. Several categories for action were produced and the Hospitality Zone Assessment (HZA) task force was formed. From May to November, the HZA task force comprised of neighborhood leaders and business owners met to come up with several action items:

• Late-Night Concierge and Guide Service Pilot Program: MBA launched this pilot program on October 9th. Currently the Lavender Angels are providing six to eight people each Friday and Saturday night from 9:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. through the end of the year in the area bounded by 18th to 22nd Street, from N Street to I Street. The Lavender Angels are being used to walk people to their cars, work with nightclub security and communicate with Police. The Lavender Angels are working with Police to help track trends in the area. An assessment will be done at the end of the pilot period and a report brought to the MBA Board in February for a possible long-term contract and expansion to larger area. What about the spillover impacts into the residential areas? How will these areas be protected?

• Supplemental Police Officers: MBA and Sutter Business Improvement District (SBID) have contracted for two police officers and one car for “The Bloc” area (near 27th and 28th and J Street) through the end of the year.

• Graffiti Abatement: MBA offers graffiti abatement services to the properties within the MBA PBID Boundaries (see www.mbasac.com). Call 442-1500 to report. All other graffiti can be reported to 3-1-1. For those of us NOT in the PBID - call 311 to report. If it's on your property, photograph, report and remove it.

• SacAlert Text Program: This program has been launched and while it had a slow start, the clubs are starting to use it more frequently. Club Security sends out a group text to a network of 40 (so far) that includes other clubs, PD, etc. if an individual or group are ejected from a club. When patrons are ejected from a club adjacent to a residential area, what then? What is the follow up in any? Are rowdy or dangerous patrons left to wander Residential Midtown streets?

• Parking Directional Signage: Locations for placement of additional parking signage is being reviewed. Cards with parking information, pricing and locations are being distributed at businesses throughout Midtown. A Public Parking surface lot and structure map is now available at www.bestparking.com and www.exploremidtown.org What is being done to protect residents access to on-street parking?

• Best Business Practices Manual: In-process, final expected fall 2011. MBA and the City of Sacramento are working on a manual that will have information on setting up a business plan, etc. The manual will have specific sections focused on night life businesses. Will these 'best practices' have any teeth? Be enforceable? Or are we left to rely on the 'good faith' of late night businesses?

• Pubs, Clubs, and Bars Best Practices Training: The MBA, Downtown Sacramento Partnership and Old Sac Association have partnered to host four classes so far with good attendance at each and will continue every two to three months. Classes have been held regarding Responsible Beverage Service, Security Practices, Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Rules and Promotion Tactics (focused on owners taking responsibility for their businesses, problems with working with novice promoters, etc.) The City will explore the possibility of making this class mandatory for ABC License transfers, new ABC licenses and Entertainment Permits. Mandatory training is an excellent start.

• Good Neighbor Agreement: This document is being drafted and could be used for discussion and ultimately an agreement between an existing or new business and neighbors. The final draft is expected to be completed in early 2011. Will the actual neighbors have an opportunity to review this? Again, will any of these practices or agreements have any teeth and be enforceable?

• Sound Ordinance: Research has been completed regarding sound ordinances in other jurisdictions. MBA is working with City Code Enforcement and acoustical engineering firm engagement for new sound ordinance recommendations and/or training for Sacramento PD and Code Enforcement related to the sound. Sound studies of local nightlife establishments will commence in the summer of 2011.

The HZA Task Force will convene in early 2011 to review draft documents and status of the action items. The draft documents will also be made available for review by the public, including the Neighborhood Advisory Group (NAG). Will the residents who participated in the first series of workgroups be part of this discussion?

Special Events Ordinance Review Committee

The City of Sacramento Special Events staff is working with a Special Events Ordinance Review Committee to look at citywide events that occur on public property. Topics being reviewed include amplified sound, vendors, traffic mitigation, safety, etc. For Agendas, Minutes and Updates, visit http://www.cityofsacramento.org/parksandrecreation/seoc/index.html or contact Teresa Jackson at 808-3818 or tjackson@cityofsacramento.org

The City of Sacramento Historic Properties Plaque Program is now official. Residents can now purchase a bronze plaque with the official city seal to recognize their historic property. Many Midtown neighborhoods are also historic districts. In the MNA boundaries for example, there is the Winn Park, Capitol Avenue, Capitol Mansions, and 20th & N Street Historic Districts. In February 2010, the Sacramento City Council approved the program to recognize designated historic homes and landmarks within the City of Sacramento. Owners of residential and commercial properties that are designated by the City of Sacramento as either a Historic Landmark or a Contributing Resource within a City-designated Historic District, as listed in the Sacramento Register of Historic & Cultural Resources, are eligible to apply for a Historic Property Plaque. The Sacramento Register is available online at

For more information on how to apply for a placque and see a sample plaque for your home or commercial building, see the City of Sacramento's Community Development page

Graffiti is on ongoing problem and is prevalent in the fall as people are out and about. This is a reminder that if your property, incuding fences and dumpsters or trash cans are tagged, photograph (record), report and remove as quickly as possible. It is a hassle to repaint but is essential to record, report and remove. The more reporting we do, the better the city can track where these incidences are occuring and better deploy resources to combat it. Photographs help the police identify local graffiti hot spots. Gang-related graffiti is forwarded to the Gang Unit for identification and intelligence purposes. If a trail of photographic evidence can be tied to a vandal who has been caught, it may raise the crime from a misdemeanor to a felony. And, leaving graffiti tags on your property is not only and eyesore and devalues property, it sends a powerful negative message that our neighborhoods are places in which neighbors don't care and thus taggers and possibly gang members can get away with their bad behavior. We must all do our part to keep our neighborhoods clean and safe.

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