January/February 2023

Before After

Cone Zone: Local Streets Get a Makeover

Check out the new look along Waterman Road between Grant Line and Bond Roads and Elk Grove-Florin Road between Elk Grove Boulevard and Valley Oak Lane. Public Works crews recently completed the rehabilitation of approximately 3.5 miles of these streets. Work included widening portions of Waterman Road, paving road surfaces, installing bike lanes, upgrading curb ramps to ADA standards, and installing a pedestrian flashing beacon at the Elk Grove Creek Crossing on Elk Grove-Florin Road.

Volunteers Find More Ways to Serve Community

The Elk Grove Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) support our community by taking on tasks that allow our limited police resources to go further. From conducting free vacation checks to providing low-cost fingerprinting services, these volunteers help make Elk Grove a better place to live while protecting the budget. But it doesn’t stop there. Their activities raise thousands of dollars through donations that they in turn use to support philanthropic efforts in the community. Through their recent donation to Sun Grove Church, the VIPS were able to provide Thanksgiving meal bags to 100 families in Elk Grove.

To learn more about free vacation check and fingerprinting services or how to volunteer, visit elkgrovepd.org

Emergency

Bookstore Recognized for Going Above and Beyond

For those who are neurodivergent, the intensity of the sights and sounds of the modern world can sometimes be overwhelming. That intensity doesn’t have to be at a sports arena level to have an impact—even a bookstore can pose a challenge. While normally considered an island of peace, bookstores have events such as book readings, games, and presentations that, for the neurodivergent, pose substantial challenges.

Emily Autenrieth, owner of A Seat at the Table Books, recognized this and works to provide a safe and inclusive environment to accommodate her neurodivergent customers. For her honorable efforts, Ms. Autenrieth was recently named an Above and Beyond award recipient. A Seat at the Table not only welcomes those with disabilities but also promotes and celebrates them. For example, the bookstore collaborates with neurodiverse children’s authors to sell their books in the store. To learn more about the Above and Beyond Award, visit elkgrovecity.org/aboveandbeyond

City Council

January 11, 25; February 8, 22

6 p.m.

Arts Commission

January 26; February 23

6:30 p.m.

Disability Advisory Committee January 18; February 15

6 p.m.

Historic Preservation Committee January 9; February 13 6:30 p.m.

Diversity and Inclusion Commission January 17; February 21 6 p.m.

Planning Commission January 5, 19; February 2, 16 6 p.m.

Trails Committee January 16; February 20 6 p.m.

Youth Commission January 10; February 14 6 p.m.

CITY HOLIDAYS

New Year’s Day (observed) Monday, January 2 – City Hall closed

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Monday, January 16 – City Hall closed

Presidents’ Day Monday, February 20 – City Hall closed

CITY MEETINGS

City Council and Planning Commission meetings are livestreamed online and archived on the City’s website at elkgrovecity.org/watchlive

CommUNITY Observances

Elk Grove’s diversity is a source of strength and pride. City staff and the City Diversity & Inclusion Commission work hard to make Elk Grove a City Welcome to All. In January and February, please join us in acknowledging these important cultural observances:

January 16: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 22: Lunar New Year

January 27: International Day of Commemoration in Memory of Victims of the Holocaust

February: Black History Month

To learn more about the City’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, visit elkgrovecity.org/acitywelcometoall

Recordings of City Council meeting broadcasts are also available on Metro Cable Channel 14. Links to all meeting agendas are available at elkgrovecity.org

GROVE CITY COUNCIL

Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen bsinghallen@elkgrovecity.org

Councilmember Darren Suen | District 1 dsuen@elkgrovecity.org

Councilmember Rod Brewer | District 2 rbrewer@elkgrovecity.org

Vice Mayor Kevin Spease | District 3 kspease@elkgrovecity.org

Councilmember Sergio Robles | District 4 srobles@elkgrovecity.org

ELK

Special Waste Collection Center

9255 Disposal Lane

Residents: Sunday–Wednesday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Small Businesses: Wednesdays by appointment

Small businesses must meet the requirement of a Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator. Fees might apply.

MANDATORY ORGANICS RECYCLING BEGINS

JULY 1, 2022

Pick up a FREE Countertop Container for Organics Recycling at the SWCC Sunday-Wednesday! Funded by CalRecycle, the containers are available to Elk Grove residents. There’s a limited supply—get yours today!

What This Means for Residents

916-478-2228 (Option 4 on the call menu) elkgrovecity.org/recycle

All these services are at your disposal for FREE!

In a statewide effort to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants like methane, all jurisdictions are now required to implement mandatory organic waste collection programs. Under SB 1383, signed into law in 2016, any person or business that creates solid waste will have to recycle all their organic food waste.

WHAT CAN I PUT IN MY ORGANIC WASTE BIN?

The Special Waste Collection Center (SWCC) is your place to drop off items that do not fit into your curbside cart, such as large amounts of green waste, cardboard, or an appliance. Household hazardous waste (HHW), tires, and E-waste are also accepted at the facility.

Household Hazardous Waste

Household hazardous waste (HHW) should not be placed in your garbage. Instead, take items to the SWCC to ensure they are properly disposed of.

Organics like food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, and cardboard make up half of what Californians dump in landfills. This decomposing waste produces methane, a naturally occurring gas that is many times more powerful than carbon dioxide at producing climate impacts. With landfills being the third largest source of methane in California, reducing organic waste in landfills will have the fastest impact on the climate crisis.

Examples of HHW include:

• Garden products (e.g., pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers)

• Over the counter medications, supplements, or vitamins

• Paint

• Household cleaners

• Pool and hobby products

• Automotive products

• Aerosols

Reuse Room

The materials in your organic waste bin will be taken to a recycling processor to be composted or anaerobically digested. Acceptable materials include the following:

JULY

Beginning July 1, 2022, Elk Grove residents will no longer be allowed to throw away food scraps or other organic material in their trash bins. Instead, you’ll be required to throw them in your green waste bin, mixed with your yard waste. This bin will become your “organic waste bin” and will be serviced weekly, along with your trash bin. Non-organic recycling bins will continue to be serviced biweekly.

• Fats, cooking oil, and grease

• Bio-sharps (e.g., needles, lancets, syringes)

• Batteries

• Fluorescent bulbs

• Electronic devices

Residents who do not currently have a yard waste bin or who need an additional bin should contact Republic services at 916-635-2500. Residents can have up to three green waste carts without an additional charge.

For questions about a specific item, call the Special Waste Collection Center information line at 916-627-3232

CONTAMINATION MONITORING

The City of Elk Grove is mandated to conduct regular route reviews where containers are randomly selected and checked to ensure materials are placed in the proper carts. Recording, reporting, and follow-up is required for any contamination that is found.

Because new habits take time to develop, the City will initially take an educational approach with residents whose bins are not properly sorted. After a one-year

1, 2022

•

HHW products that residents have dropped off and are reusable and in good condition are placed in the Reuse Room. These new and partially used items are available to Elk Grove residents free of charge (up to 10 items per month per household).

• All food waste including vegetable and fruit scraps, eggshells, meat, dairy, bones, and rotting food—anything you eat and any byproduct of your meals

Additional

• Food-soiled paper including napkins, paper plates, paper bags, paper containers, pizza boxes, coffee filters, tea bags, and paper towels

Recycling

• Curbside pickups:

• Popsicle sticks, wooden chopsticks, and toothpicks

• Yard waste including leaves,sticks, grass clippings, and landscape trimmings

• One dump at the Elder Creek Transfer Station per calendar year

• On-property assistance with solid waste carts for seniors and individuals with disabilities*

grace period, the City will begin to levy fines against repeat offenders. We all need to do our part, as the stakes are high—the State of California can actually fine Elk Grove if it believes the City is not doing enough to make people follow the rules.

• Free compost at the Elder Creek Transfer Station (5 cubic yards per trip, twice per year)

* Call Republic Services at 916-635-2500 for questions or requests.

Additional information will be coming soon. Please “like” our Facebook page and follow @COEGRecycles on Instagram for upcoming notifications, or read future editions of this newsletter. You can also visit our website at elkgrovecity.org/recycle

Using Bags for Collecting Organics?

Be sure they’re certified compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute. Just look for this symbol when shopping.

Bi-weekly recycling service will be divided throughout the City with an A/B schedule due to the new increase in service for the Organics Cart. This calendar shows the alternating schedule for A/B recycling.

To know if you are schedule A or B, visit our website and look up your address, or call Republic Services.

Recycling is are the new carts.

City of Elk Grove

City of Elk Grove

8401 Laguna Palms Way

Elk Grove, CA 95758

Picturing a New Zoo Renderings

Illustrate the Possibilities

The new zoo proposed for Elk Grove could be a fantastic regional attraction, and now you can see what the facilities could look like when complete. The Sacramento Zoological Society and the City of Elk Grove have released a series of drawings that illustrate the vision for a state-of-the-art zoological park. These renderings of the multi-phased project depict expansive savannas where African wildlife roam, as well as a variety of possible immersive experiences for guests, including feeding the animals and overnight stays in a luxury tent-cabin. To view the drawings, learn more about the new zoo project and ways you can get involved, or to sign up for future project notifications, visit elkgrovecity.org/zoo

Get In on the Action as the City Begins the Climate Action Plan Update

Within the next few months, the City will begin the process of updating its Climate Action Plan (CAP) and your input is important to this process. The purpose of the CAP is to identify how the City will mitigate the impacts of climate change and achieve State-recommended targets of reducing GHG emissions. Updated every five years, the CAP is a tool that identifies sources of GHG emissions and strategies to reduce emissions through energy use, transportation, land use, water use, and solid waste. The new CAP is expected to be adopted in spring/summer of 2024. To learn more about the CAP update and ways to participate, visit elkgrovecity.org/climateactionplan

8401 Laguna Palms Way

Elk Grove, CA 95758

(916) 478-2206 elkgrovecity.org

Kristyn Laurence Public Affairs Manager

klaurence@elkgrovecity.org

Lupe Murrietta Graphics & Multimedia Program Manager

lmurrietta@elkgrovecity.org

SCAN ME with your smart phone for up-to-date information about the City of Elk Grove.

The City does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission to, access to, or operations of its programs, services, or activities. Questions, concerns, or complaints may be forwarded to the City’s ADA Coordinator.

Recycle Your Christmas Tree

Place your tree curbside next to your organic waste cart (green bin) by 6 a.m. throughout the month of January on your collection day. All ornaments, lights, tinsel, metal rod supports, and tree stands must be removed. Trees taller than 6 feet must be cut into 3-foot or shorter pieces and placed in your Organics Cart, ensuring pieces fit completely with the lid closed.

You can also take your tree of any size, FREE of charge, to either the Special Waste Collection Center (9255 Disposal Lane)* or Elder Creek Transfer and Recover Station (8642 Elder Creek Road).

* Artificial, flocked, or “live” trees with root balls will not be accepted.