Sacramento Council Considers Emergency Declaration Over Road Safety Crisis

SACRAMENTO, CA (September 14, 2024) — The Sacramento City Council is poised to declare a state of emergency in response to a rising road safety crisis that has resulted in at least 20 fatalities from traffic collisions this year. 

 

Councilwoman Caity Maple, Vice Mayor, announced her intention to propose the emergency measure alongside Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Councilwoman Karina Talamantes. This move comes in the wake of a recent accident on Sutterville Road—a known high-risk area—that left a 48-year-old woman critically injured.

 

Sutterville Road is part of what the city identifies as its “high-injury network,” where a significant number of fatal and severe crashes occur. The proposed state of emergency aims to facilitate the acquisition of state and federal funds to enhance Sacramento road safety more swiftly. Despite the urgency, the city has previously struggled to allocate sufficient funds for necessary infrastructure improvements, even after identifying road safety as a critical priority.

 

Councilwoman Lisa Kaplan has advocated for a bond measure to finance these improvements, but such proposals have not been realized. The council’s new initiative would direct city staff to fast-track safety projects, with Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela urging the Department of Public Works to initiate a “quick-build” program to address urgent safety concerns rapidly.