By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council voted unanimously to retain the name Sayonara Drive, while leaving the door open to future discussion of a name change in the future.
In December 2025, two city council members requested the city examine the possibility of renaming the street, known over the decades for issues of crime and blight. In March, the city issued a survey by mail to 174 property owners and tenants who live on or own property on Sayonara Drive with information on the proposal.
According to the city, 24 of the surveys returned were from people affiliated with Habitat for Humanity. As of Saturday, June 6, there are officially eight new homeowners who now live on Sayonara Drive in homes built through Habitat for Humanity.
Out of 174 surveys mailed out, 16 were unable to be delivered. According to the agenda packet, 37 surveys in total, or 23 percent, were received by the city.
Of the nine tenants who completed surveys, seven did not support a future name change, while two said they supported renaming the street.
While Council member Tim Schaefer initially expressed support for choosing a new name of seven that were suggested within the agenda packet, all other council members discussed putting off a final decision until all 26 Habitat for Humanity homes were completed, and all families were able to provide feedback on the proposal.
Michael Gordan with Habitat for Humanity spoke to the council during the meeting, saying the organization gladly supports whatever decision the City Council were to make regarding the name of Sayonara Drive.
Resident Empowerment Association of Citrus Heights president Kathy Morris also spoke to the council in favor of leaving the street name as is, and said the ill reputation of the street has decreased over the years because of renewed revitalization and more focus on safety measures being taken in the area.
After discussion, the City Council voted unanimously to keep the street name for the time being, and revisit the topic at a later date, should interest become renewed.
Residents who received a survey were able to either reply by mail, or reply online through a provided link.
Renaming Sayonara Drive would cost $10,700 the city said.
Many respondents who opposed the idea viewed the name change as only symbolic, and questioned whether a symbolic renaming would result in any meaningful changes to the neighborhood. Some also expressed concerns about the inconvenience and the costs associated.
In the mailed survey, tenants and property owners were invited to attend an informal community meeting to discuss and ask questions in April. The city said no members of the public attended the meeting.
The city also said notices were mailed out to property owners and tenants informing residents of the planned discussion of the proposal at the June 10 City Council meeting.
Sayonara Drive History
Prior to the City’s incorporation in 1997, Sayonara Drive was widely known for decades locally and regionally for high crime, building blight, overcrowding, absentee property ownership, and traffic safety concerns, according to the city.
In a Herman Goldstein Award 2012 project submission called “Reclaiming Sayonara Drive”, the Citrus Heights Police Department at the time said that Sayonara Drive was declared by citizens and police to be the most crime ridden street within Citrus Heights.
“Gang activity was prolific, with drive by shootings and deadly assaults being commonplace. Narcotics were purchased and sold out in the open, while
neighborhood citizens stayed in their homes too fearful to report crime. Slumlords let their rentals fall into poor condition and disrepair,” law enforcement officials stated.
Following incorporation, the city began revitalization efforts, including public investments and improvements such as installation of street lighting, traffic and pedestrian safety enhancements, and the acquisition and demolition of uninhabited buildings. The city also made plans to establish long term replacement housing, intended to promote “stable, owner-occupied residences.”
The Sayonara Center, a children and youth center focused on providing a safe place for kids, also opened in 2006. Through the children and youth center, neighborhood kids assisted with the planning and design of their very own neighborhood park, police said.
The city also began prioritizing the street for cleanup, demolishing blighted apartment complexes and investing in new lighting and infrastructure.
Once an area where calls for service were 32 times higher than anywhere else
in the city according to the Citrus Heights Police Department, officials said quality of life greatly improved following the years-long revitalization project that cleaned up a three-block multi-family housing section of the street.
The revitalization overhaul won the Citrus Heights Police Department consecutive international awards for community-oriented policing in 2012 and 2013.
Habitat for Humanity Greater Sacramento officials said the city and Habitat for Humanity had been discussing plans to partner together to achieve permanent housing goals for at least a decade and began earnest talks to partner and build housing in 2023.
The first eight homes in a planned 26-home community on Sayonara Drive were completed and dedicated on Saturday, June 6, with the second phase of eight homes currently under construction through Habitat for Humanity.
