Beautification Crew praised for tackling blight in Citrus Heights

By Sara Beth Williams–
The city’s Beautification Crew has addressed over 5,000 service requests since the two-person crew began addressing blight on the streets in December 2022, but one council member warned that funding will end in 2026.

Following a city departmental report at the recent City Council meeting on Sept. 25, Councilmember Tim Schaefer warned that funding for the Beautification Crew ends in 2026 and that the city needs to continue to address the cause of blight. Schaefer said the recent illegal vehicle-camping ordinance passed during the council meeting, and the proposed ban on new recycling centers, which was pulled from the evening’s agenda, are “interconnected” with the Beautification Crew’s effort to combat blight in the city.

“We have to be prepared for what happens when 2026 comes around,” Schaefer said, adding that the undesirable activities will come “roaring back” unless the city addresses it through policy changes.

During the council meeting, General Services Director Regina Cave reported that the Beautification Crew has averaged about 275 service calls per month so far in 2024, compared to 235 per month in 2023. Cave said online reporting availability has been a factor in allowing the crew to address blight in a timely manner. Residents have reported their appreciation for “accessible” online tools like the See Click Fix app and responsive communication between staff and residents.

Cave discussed the successes of the program, including the establishment of new regional partnerships to address and maintain public rights of way that weren’t typically maintained by Citrus Heights prior to the Beautification Crew’s launch.

A maintenance contract negotiated with the California Department of Transportation allows the Beautification Crew to remove debris from freeway underpasses, on-ramps, and portions of land in the vicinity of freeways. Cave said city crews are able to respond more quickly than CalTrans crews, and that the city is reimbursed. Trouble areas have included uninhabited spaces around Antelope Road and the entrances to Interstate 80 where illegal dumping has negatively impacted multiple businesses, Cave said.

Beautification Crews have also identified and removed debris from in front of the sound wall along Greenback Lane near Interstate 80 entrances near the edge of the city. Recently, Cave said the crew pressure washed the sound wall and constructed secured fencing around tree wells where undesirable activities would often persist, such as illegal camping.

Cave also said new fencing will be placed in two underground culverts that funnel water beneath city streets during the rainy season, but attract illegal dumping or accumulate abandoned property in the dry seasons.

In a report on metrics, Cave said service requests for blight removal in the last five years prior to the launch of the Beautification Crew totaled an estimated 2,100, with a consistent increase year-over-year according to the department’s chart. Often, crews did not have the adequate equipment to remove significant piles of debris from public rights of way until the Beautification Crew was launched.

Cave said partnering with regional and local partners such as the Citrus Heights Police Department and CalTrans has been “instrumental” in ensuring the success of the program. The city began partnering with the Citrus Heights Police Department shortly after launching the two-person Beautification team and eventually increased the partnership from two days per week to five days per week.

City Council members commended the city for their efforts. Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa thanked City Manager Ash Feeney and the two members of the Beautification Crew, calling it a “great program.” Vice Mayor MariJane Lopez-Taff said the technology of the See Click Fix app and coordination of different city departments have been “incredible.” Councilmember Porsche Middleton said the program has had a “stellar impact” on the community and that the return on the investment of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding spent on the program has been “tremendous.”

In June 2022, the City Council voted to allocate $875,000 in ARPA funding to go towards the Beautification Crew pilot program, with funding for two, full-time maintenance workers through fiscal year 2025-26.