Community Voices

Guest opinion column by Jim Monteton-- From 1862 to 1974, land was donated by different families to provide for a cemetery in Sylvan – later called Citrus Heights. The property has grown from half an acre to over 19 acres. By 1926 the county had changed the ‘Cemetery’ into the Sylvan Cemetery District, one of three Independent Special Districts in Sacramento County. Each special district is responsible for its management and operation, governed by a Board of Trustee that are appointed by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors...

Guest opinion column by County Supervisor Sue Frost– The California State legislature may soon make California the first “Sanctuary State” in the Nation. I want to take a moment to explain what this means for Sacramento County, and how it impacts Citrus Heights residents. To become a “Sanctuary State,” California will have to violate Federal information laws and limit cooperation with the Federal Government in order to help individuals who are illegally in the country avoid deportation.

Guest opinion by County Supervisor Sue Frost-- Soon after I got sworn into office, I issued a survey to our community to help me evaluate and improve our services based on what you want to see. The survey is now closed, and with over 2,500 total responses and 300 responses from Citrus Heights alone, conclusions based on the data can now be made. To me, the most important question on the survey was the question relating to budget priorities. In Citrus Heights, as well as every other community within my district, the number two priority is transportation/roads...

By County Supervisor Sue Frost-- Recently I issued a survey to our community to help me evaluate and improve our services based on what you want to see. Although the survey is still open, with over 200 responses coming in from Citrus Heights alone, we can begin to make some meaningful conclusions based on the data. For example, in a ranking of how residents feel budget priorities should be ordered, homelessness ranks third in Citrus Heights, with only law enforcement and transportation/roads being ranked higher. Clearly this issue is of high importance in Citrus Heights...

By Debra Desrosiers, Vice-Chair 'Don’t Double The Tax – No on Measure B' By now you’ve probably received some very slick mailings from Sacramento Transportation Authority (STA) telling you about the fabulous improvements they have planned for your roads. Many of these mailers are being paid for by Measure A money. What is Measure A? Measure A is the half-cent sales tax you are already paying for roads. Since 2009, Measure A has collected over $669,000,000 of our money to pay for roads and transit services. Last year, Measure A collected over $109,000,000 from us. How are your roads looking? How is your bus service in Citrus Heights? Measure B has been carefully crafted by politicians to collect an additional half-cent sales tax from you for 30 YEARS to go towards roads and transit...

By Mel Turner, Citrus Heights Councilman-- When you cast your vote, whether you do it by mail or at the ballot box, it is critical that you find Measure B and mark ‘Yes.’ Our Department of General Services in Citrus Heights has done a great job using what funding is available to maintain our roads, but Citrus Heights still has a large backlog of streets that get worse every year because we do not have adequate funding for their maintenance. Streets begin to deteriorate the minute they are put into use and there are 235 miles of roads in Citrus Heights alone.