Flood control districts oversee dual goals of protecting rivers and their surrounding ecosystems and implementing plans and preparedness activities to increase our community’s resilience to flooding. This role is crucial in Sacramento, which is more vulnerable to catastrophic flooding than any other major city in the United States except New Orleans. Located at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers, the city has a long history of damaging floods, and climate change is projected to make flooding in our region much worse. 

Sacramento continues to rank low in flood preparedness and levee maintenance, putting thousands of residents at risk. Additionally, a recent drought, exacerbated by climate change, negatively affected water reliability in the Sacramento region and left lasting impacts on our rivers. Further, as more people are forced into houselessness in Sacramento, more individuals seek shelter on the banks and levees of the American and Sacramento Rivers. The candidates elected in these roles and the policies they enact will have lasting effects on how prepared our communities are in the face of climate change, how we support our unsheltered population, and how we address our houselessness crisis.

Resource Conservation Districts (or RCDs) partner with local communities on a voluntary basis to care for land, water, soil, and other natural resources. RCD boards of directors conduct research relating to the conservation of resources and share that research with their district members. They can charge fees for services they provide, make improvements on public lands to conserve resources, and provide technical assistance to district residents to help minimize soil and other resource degradation. 

Fire Protection Districts provide fire protection and ambulance and rescue services. The Sacramento districts’ elections listed are managed by Sacramento County - note that some districts do overlap with surrounding counties. Elections are held on even years, and terms of office are four-year staggered terms. Some Fire Protection Districts elect their board members at-large (meaning if four positions are available then the top four candidates from that district become board members). Others divide their districts further into divisions and elect one board member per division. 

Recreation and Park Districts provide recreation programs, local parks, and open spaces. There are 21 districts in Sacramento County; each district is governed by a five-member board with members serving four-year terms. The board is responsible for establishing policies for the operation of the district.

Parks, open spaces, and trails are key to preserving our water and air quality, reducing congestion, and protecting wildlife. Board members’ decisions can either increase or decrease access and opportunities for underrepresented and underserved communities to participate in city programs and services that will impact their physical and mental health. Social equity must be a focus of recreation and park district board members so that public parks and recreation programs are provided on an equitable basis to all community members served by the district. 

Water Districts are publicly owned water utilities. They set prices and supply water to their geographic district. The water utilities are governed by five-member boards elected to four-year terms. The boards are the highest authority and approve key decisions like the budget, infrastructure for safe drinking water, and prices for water and sewage bills. 

Water is a human right, and as we know from poisonings like the Flint water crisis, how cities manage their water can have devastating impacts on people. Also, it is good to keep tabs on sustainable water use during California’s droughts. These boards are overwhelmingly older, white, and college-educated, so it would be good for a younger and more diverse group of folks to have a say in how water is supplied and how much it costs.

Community College Districts are governed by a Board of Trustees, similar to other School Districts. The boards are responsible for the educational, physical, and financial decisions of the district, in addition to setting legal policy for the district. The boards also conduct studies and surveys around the district’s progress on equity, justice and inclusion.

Trustees also advocate for financial aid at the federal level, which can significantly impact student outcomes. Being an effective advocate means educating policymakers about the needs of their communities and showing them how community colleges affect lives and economies for the better. Since trustees control the budget for their districts, it’s critical that we elect board members whose values align with our own.