Q&A with Sacramento Councilmember Caity Maple

While I’ve long had roots here and have always been involved in my community, including serving on the neighborhood association board of directors, during the pandemic I was really frustrated by some of the issues I felt weren’t getting enough attention, including the rise of homelessness and the lack of affordable housing.

Although I’d worked in the State Capitol and nonprofits around policy and governance for many years, I always thought of myself as a behind-the-scenes person. But I realized I can either be the person who shows up and complains or I can do something about it. I’m a doer so I decided to throw my hat in the ring and run for City Council and was elected in 2022.

Since then I’ve been really focused on trying to break down the many obstacles to building more affordable housing, in addition to issues like pedestrian and cyclist safety as someone who regularly rides and walks. It’s really special to see these projects happen in the place where I called home.

Sacramento has done some really innovative things that make us a leader in affordable housing, not just in California, but around the country. Yet while I would say Sacramento outpaces many other places in terms of our development of affordable housing, it’s still not enough. As an elected leader I think it’s really important to continue to push for better, rather than be complacent.

To that end, we’ve completely overhauled our General Plan and eliminated some of the barriers that had historically made it more challenging to build dense housing or affordable housing. For example, we were one of the first cities to end single-family zoning, and now projects that meet the rules are passed quickly.

While I’m proud of the work we’ve done, the biggest challenge remains money, and we’re always looking at ways to be less reliant on federal dollars.

I’m a big proponent of collaboration, and I think we benefit from the economies of scale that come through combining resources. I also recognize that likely puts me in the minority as we’ve been trending toward siloing some of these efforts. For example, the city has been rethinking the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency and whether it should stay the way it is, as just an entity of the city of Sacramento or expand to include other cities in the county. Personally, I would like to see it grow and include everyone.

I understand there’s a desire for local control at the city level regarding the types of projects where we’re focusing our energy, but I think we become less competitive in procuring necessary funding when we’re not working together so I’m constantly pushing us to do more.

Like many other places, Sacramento is experiencing a “silver tsunami,” with more people reaching retirement age, many on fixed incomes. So you have this challenge which mirrors other places like the Bay Area and beyond where we’ve seen a rapid increase in our rental prices, which really skyrocketed during COVID when people relocated from higher-cost areas and made housing even less affordable.

I think the way we treat our seniors says a lot about us, so that’s one of the key housing types we need to prioritize and invest in, to make sure we’re taking care of the people who’ve invested in our community for many years.

Donner Field is a perfect example of what we need to be doing. The plot of land has been vacant for decades—unutilized and undeveloped. This project will bring that parcel to life and not only offer much-needed affordable housing for seniors, but benefit the entire neighborhood, with amenities like the community gardens and other green spaces.

While opinions might currently be mixed, I think that’s because people fear change at the outset, but once something is developed and they see the aesthetics and benefits, we find they usually appreciate it. So while sometimes it can seem like an uphill battle to get these types of projects approved, I’m really focused on making the right decisions.

I love to read and go on really long walks so I often combine them and listen to an audiobook and walk with my dog.  And I love being out enjoying the world around me, whether it’s hiking or paddle boarding. This area has so much to offer and I’m proud to live here and represent it.