By Tom Philp | August 18, 2025 | The Sacramento Bee
These supervisors are wired to overlook how Upper Westside has no water supply. Or an agreement with the Natomas Unified School District to help pay the hundreds of millions of dollars for four new schools. Or a plan to preserve the river environment that is consistent with a quarter century of planning in the surrounding Natomas Basin and local agreements with state and federal wildlife officials.
Click here to read the article in full.
By Tony Rodriguez | August 13, 2025 | CapRadio
Former Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo, now president of the Environmental Council of Sacramento, told the council the plan is a severe danger to the vital grassy areas of the city.
“There is no reason why we can’t include nature in our plans. There is no reason why we should think that we’re the most important species in the world, and that we don’t have an obligation to make room for other species,” Fargo said.
Click here to read the article in full.
By Tom Philp | August 12, 2025 | The Sacramento Bee
In the first time in modern history, and perhaps ever, the Sacramento City Council on Tuesday voted to oppose a housing project contemplated in neighboring Sacramento County. It was the right thing to do. A proposal to build a 25,000-person community next to Garden Highway known as Upper Westside, on lands the city long ago had designated for preservation, is contrary to so many things Sacramento stands for. But it places its relationship with the county in new and unfamiliar territory.
Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article311683495.html#storylink=cpy
This month both the City Council and Board of Supervisors meetings include the Upper Westside Project. Please put these dates on your calendar and plan to attend. Please note that the topic of the City’s August 12 meeting has changed dramatically.
Tuesday, August 12th, 2025 at 2 PM, City Hall, 915 ‘I’ St, Sacramento. Agenda here.
The City Council will discuss a Motion authorizing the Mayor to execute and deliver a letter addressed to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors expressing the City Council’s opposition to the Upper Westside Specific Plan.
Please attend to express your opposition to Upper Westside!
NOTE: If passed, the City’s resolution would be precedent setting for the Grandpark projects also.
Read the City’s analysis of the Upper Westside Project. Page 5 of this document summarizes the critical topics of water and transportation.
In person – Come to City Hall at 915 ‘I’ Street, enter council chambers, and submit a speaker slip to provide in person public comment on Agenda item #8. When your name is called, you will have 2 minutes to speak. You can also hold a sign/piece of paper stating “No on UWSP”.
E-Comment – You can provide electronic comment here. Reference Item # 8 on the Agenda. Your comment will go to all members of the City Council. See “Talking Points” below.
The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote to approve or disapprove the UWSP on Wednesday, August 20, 2025 at 2 PM, 700 H St, Sacramento. However, the Board will not publish the agenda for this meeting until August 13, after the City Council vote. Please keep this date on your calendar – an update will follow.
Video – Natomas residents and homeowners will be negatively impacted by this project. In this video local residents speak out about their opposition to the project. Put it on social media!
Articles in the Bee – Sacramento Bee editor, Tom Philp, has been writing about UWSP and City and County agreements. Read his four recent Opinion pieces here:
Write a Letter to the Editor and reference one of these articles. Submit it here. You are only allowed 150 words and letters are only published on Sundays.
Put these articles on social media too.
Write a few sentences about why this issue is important to you. Possible topics:
Thank you for your support and for joining us in opposition to these projects. We need 200 people at the meeting on August 12th. See you there.
By Tom Philp | August 11, 2025 | The Sacramento Bee
Within days, Sacramento County will consider approving a controversial 25,000-person housing development. north of Interstate 80 that currently lacks an amenity that no home or person can do without: A water source. The county officially plans to rely on the city of Sacramento to provide water to this land next to the Garden Highway and near the Sacramento River. But this proposed development is not within city limits, the city is under no obligation to provide the water and the city has publicly warned the county that there is no agreement to provide the water.
Click here to read the article in full.
By Tom Philp | August 8, 2025 | The Sacramento Bee
A massive and ill-advised development proposal by Sacramento County to create a 25,000-person community that is surrounded on three sides by the city is threatening to create a bigger and broader rift between county supervisors and city council members.
Read the full article here.
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