Sacramento approves Measure L spending plan for youth services

The Sacramento City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed the first spending plan for the Measure L Children’s Fund, a voter-approved initiative to support youth development and violence prevention. 

Some youth advocates called the plan a compromise after a few council members pushed for the city’s Department of Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment to be eligible for the same percentage of funding as community-based organizations. They said they thought community groups would receive a majority share of the money when they campaigned for the measure.

Dozens of advocates gave public comments both on Tuesday and during a meeting two weeks ago. They urged the council to prioritize funding for community-based organizations. The planning and oversight commission for the measure recommended community-based organizations receive 65% of the grant funding and public agencies, such as the city and school districts, get 35%. 

Measure L, approved in November 2022, requires the city over the next five years to give an estimated $46 million in grants for services for youth under age 25. The city uses general fund money to cover Measure L services. That funding must be equivalent to 40% of the annual estimated cannabis business tax revenue. 

Community-based organizations, as well as the city, must apply for the funding and will be judged on the same requirements. After setting aside $9.2 million for foster youth guaranteed income programs, the plan establishes a goal of evenly splitting the remaining $36.9 million between community-based organizations and public agencies.   

Michael Lynch is CEO of Improve Your Tomorrow, which helps young men of color get to and through college. The nonprofit was part of the Sac Kids First Coalition, which led the campaign for Measure L. Lynch said organizations like his exist to fill gaps where government falls short. 

“All of those young people who knocked on doors day after day after day was with the intention to get money directly to organizations benefiting young people,” Lynch said in an interview. 

Measure L allows the city to apply for funding to provide youth services, according to a report by the City Auditor’s Office. But the measure prevents the city from reducing the amount of money it spends from its general fund on youth services. This current so-called baseline funding is $22.9 million, but the city auditor will recalculate the amount annually depending on the overall budget.

Supporters of increasing the amount of Measure L funding the city is eligible for include Council members Eric Guerra, Lisa Kaplan and Karina Talamantes. They referenced deferred park maintenance and added that the city provides more services to some areas of Sacramento than community-based organizations do. 

At Talamantes’s request, city staff presented a list of $25.4 million of unfunded parks projects that could support youth health, wellness and development, as well as help prevent violence. 

“I just didn’t see it as an either or conversation,” Talamantes said during the meeting. “I thought that both programs and spaces like parks were important places for our youth to go safely and for a place for it to be free.”

Council member Mai Vang said she wanted to keep the higher percentage of funding for community-based organizations. Those groups are better able to reach the most vulnerable groups in the city, Vang said. Measure L requires the city to prioritize the Children’s Fund on youth most impacted by poverty, violence and trauma. 

But Vang later explained she supported the plan the council approved as a compromise and wanted it to pass unanimously. 

“We’re all actually fighting for crumbs,” Vang said during the meeting. “Our parks are underfunded; our youth services are underfunded. But the young people who have fought this fight for a really long time knew that.”

Before voters approved Measure L, previous efforts to establish a fund for youth services included Measure Y in 2016 and Measure G in 2020. 

The city expects to give grants for approved programs around February. All programs will receive performance evaluations. 

Lynch said he appreciates the council’s interest in giving final approval for Measure L grants and wants them to ensure the money is distributed equitably. 

“I hope in the implementation of it that our city leaders will continue not only to debate, but to push the city to do more to invest in young people,” Lynch said. 

Measure L continues indefinitely unless recalled by voters.