SACRAMENTO, Calif. (PSN) — Two upcoming city meetings and new comments surrounding stalled contract negotiations between Sacramento and its police officers union are bringing renewed attention to how the city prioritizes public safety spending as Sacramento continues collecting revenue through Measure U.
The developments come as the Sacramento Police Officers Association, or SPOA, presses the city for a new labor agreement amid concerns about officer staffing, recruitment and compensation.
CBS Sacramento reported Thursday that the Sacramento Police Department has about 150 fewer officers than it did in 2008, despite growth in the city's population. SPOA President Dustin Smith cited compensation as a significant factor affecting the department's ability to recruit and retain officers. (CBS News)
The union is seeking raises of up to 5% annually over three years, along with improved health benefits, according to the report. Smith indicated the dispute appears headed toward arbitration. (CBS News)
The comments follow SPOA's submission this week of what the union described as its "last, best and final offer" to the city following prolonged negotiations. (ABC10)
City Manager Maraskeshia Smith told CBS Sacramento the city is attempting to balance employee needs against its responsibility to manage public resources. (CBS News)
The dispute is increasingly raising a broader question: How should Sacramento prioritize the money it already collects?
Smith told CBS Sacramento that SPOA believes the city has sufficient revenue but is not allocating it effectively, criticizing spending on programs and projects the union believes do not produce adequate economic development or public safety results. (CBS News)
That argument intersects with an ongoing discussion surrounding Measure U, Sacramento's permanent 1-cent general sales tax.
Measure U is not legally restricted to police, fire or public safety. Revenue can be used for general municipal purposes, leaving spending priorities largely to the city's annual budget process.
Measure U Commission Meeting Set for Monday
The city's Measure U Community Advisory Commission is scheduled to meet Monday, Aug. 17, at 5:30 p.m., according to Sacramento's Public Participation Hub. (City of Sacramento Public Meeting Portal)
The meeting provides another venue for scrutiny of how Measure U revenue is being used and whether funded programs are producing measurable results.
Materials associated with the commission's work have emphasized evaluating Measure U expenditures, improving accountability and examining whether programs demonstrate measurable returns on public investment.
The commission has also previously considered recommendations involving public safety spending, including redirecting funding associated with unfilled police positions toward community-based safety programs.
Those recommendations should not be confused with adopted City Council policy or a decision to remove existing police officers. They represent recommendations considered through the Measure U oversight process.
City Council to Discuss SPOA Behind Closed Doors
The police labor dispute will move directly before the Sacramento City Council next week.
The city has scheduled a closed session Tuesday, Aug. 18, involving labor negotiations with SPOA. The city's public meeting listing identifies City Manager Maraskeshia Smith, Aaron Donato and Tim Davis as designated representatives in the negotiations. (City of Sacramento Public Meeting Portal)
Because the discussion is scheduled as a closed labor-negotiation session, the agenda does not disclose what council members will discuss or whether they will provide negotiators with new settlement authority.
The timing is notable, however, coming less than a week after SPOA submitted its final offer and publicly intensified its argument that Sacramento's police staffing and compensation problems reflect the city's spending priorities.
Separately, the council's Aug. 18 agenda includes discussion of citywide violence-prevention and intervention strategies, adding another dimension to the debate over how Sacramento distributes resources intended to improve public safety.
Staffing at Center of Dispute
The staffing issue predates the latest negotiations.
Concerns about Sacramento police staffing were publicly raised in 2025, when projections indicated active sworn staffing could fall below 600 officers in 2026 amid recruitment difficulties and budget pressures. (KCRA)
The city's FY 2025-26 budget was adopted amid what Sacramento described as significant financial challenges and a continuing structural imbalance between revenues and expenditures. The city used a combination of one-time resources, revenue and cost-recovery increases, and ongoing spending reductions to balance the budget. (City of Sacramento)
The central dispute now extends beyond what officers should be paid.
It increasingly involves competing views over where Sacramento should place public safety among its broader spending priorities.
PSN Community Survey Underway
Public Safety News has launched a community survey asking Sacramento residents and voters what they understood Measure U to fund when it was approved and what they believe its priorities should be today.
The survey also asks residents about public safety funding, transparency, Measure U oversight and whether voters should have another opportunity to formally weigh in on spending priorities.
The survey is informal and non-scientific, and results will not be represented as a statistically representative sample of Sacramento voters.
Take the PSN Measure U Community Survey:
PSN Measure U Community Survey
PSN will continue monitoring Monday's Measure U Community Advisory Commission meeting, Tuesday's City Council closed session and any developments in the city's negotiations with SPOA.