SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ballots are still being counted but Sacramento’s Mayor Darrell Steinberg gave his thoughts on the election so far.
Steinberg said City Council races in Districts 3 and 5 are too close to call, but if they go the way he thinks, Sacramento will have a female-majority City Council.
“That’s a good and a great thing. That’s progress and that gives me more than hope for the future because, for most of Sacramento’s history and the history of this country, men have been in charge,” said Steinberg.
The Greater Sacramento Economic Council is also excited by the majority led city council.
"A lot of people don’t really know or seem to forget that Sacramento is the number two most diverse city in the United States of America, so I think you are seeing people vote toward the population of what’s being represented,” said Michelle Willard, spokesperson for the economic council.
The mayor was also pleased that the third time appears to be the charm for Measure L, which looks likely to pass. If it passes, it will create a Sacramento’s Children Fund for youth development and violence prevention programs. Measure N is also trending towards "yes." That allows money from the hotel tax to be used on a larger variety of projects.
Steinberg says if it passes, he will immediately announce the redoing of the Sacramento waterfront and a state of the art youth sports facility in Meadowview.
The city treasurer estimated that by mid-2024 Measure N will bring in an additional $100 million of hotel bond capacity.
Scott Ford, with Downtown Sacramento Partnership, says the funds will lead to more strategic investments, jobs for locals and the building of more hotels to help continue to generate funds.
“More and more hotels in the central city can be critical to the long-term economic viability of the Sacramento market and the investment, such as the convention center expansion, the Golden 1 Center and surrounding investments,” Ford said.
Ford hopes, with expansion, it will continue to change the perception of Sacramento to make it a destination. Elevating the cities national profile to continue to attract music festivals, conventions and businesses.
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