The SacVibes Podcast

In this episode, the team speaks with Sacramento Fire Chief Chris Costamagna.  He talks about his journey into becoming  a firefighter and his family’s generational involvement both in Sacramento and firefighting in general.   Community Immigration Action Plan https://sacramento.legistar.com/View.ashx? M=F&ID=15612213&GUID=535E4485-A9A7-45D0-814C-EA2232B567F9 Audit of the City’s Homeless R...

The team sits down with the hardest working City Clerk, Mindy Cuppy!  Learn about her hobbies, how she got involved in local government and what she has planned IF not when she plans to retire as City Clerk.

*Update* A previous version of this podcast was deleted due to being cut short during upload. This version is fixed with the full episode. Apologies! In this episode, the team sits down with the City Treasurer John Colville!  Learn about what the City Treasurer’s day looks like, what he likes to do for fun and how having a little bit of “pop-off” is necessary when working with investors (!).  Topi...

In this episode Greg and Danielle go on location, recording at last week’s CORE Summit. CORE stands for Cannabis Opportunity, Reinvestment & Equity.  The Summit was an opportunity for CORE Participants to meet City Staff, other Cannabis related businesses and regulatory agencies from other cities, counties and state level.  For more info about the CORE summit and/or the Office of Cannabis Mana...

This month the team talks with colleague Alicia Scholer, the City’s Language Access Coordinator and member of the Community Engagement Team.  Alicia talks about her work including the “I Speak” campaign and other things related to language access in the City of Sacramento. Water safety on the river  https://safekidssacramento.org/safe-kids-programs/water-safety/#:~:text=Make%20sure%20there%20are%2...

This week the team talks with District 5 Councilmember Caity Maple!  We learn more about what she likes to do and how she got involved in politics!   Links Mentioned in the episode: The Rook: What it is, what it isn’t and how it will be used https://sacramentocityexpress.com/2023/02/07/the-rook-what-it-is-what-it-isnt-and-how-it-will-be-used-to-de-escalate-dangerous-situations/ SACOG https://www.s...

When life gives you lemons, how do you make lemonade?  This is one of the themes of this episode where we talk about the City's current budget deficit for fiscal year 2026/2027.  We break down the deficit, how the city spends its money and the next steps on how to influence the budget process by making public comment about projects/services that you like or don't like as a resident of the...

The team sits down with Councilmember Mai Vang for a Community Conversation.  We learn about her passion for her family, community and what she likes to do (hint: it involves community)  Links mentioned in the video: Police Department and Office of Violence Prevention https://sacramento.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=22&clip_id=6675&meta_id=857338 Office of Innovation and Economic Dev...

In this episode of SacVibes the team learns about the Street to Housing Pilot Program co-led by the Department of Community Response and the Office of Innovation and Economic Development.  Greg had the honor of doing a small video about the Street to Housing Pilot project which is also available on our channel here as well. Links mentioned in the video: On the Road with SacVibes - Street to Housin...

The team welcomes Vice Mayor and District 3 Councilmember Karina Talamantes to the SacVibes podcast! Learn more about how CM Talamantes got involved in local government and what she likes to do in her spare time! Links Mentioned in this episode: Updating the City of Sacramento’s Legislative and Programmatic Support for Immigrants and Refugees. https://sacramento.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_i...

The CE Team welcomes Boss Lynette back to the podcast!  For this episode we look back at 2025 and talk about our favorite projects, events and/or episodes. We also talk about what we’re looking forward to in 2026. Links Mentioned in this Episode New City Manager Maraskeshia Smith https://sacramentocityexpress.com/2025/09/30/sacramento-city-council-appoints-maraskeshia-smith-as-new-city-manager/ Ci...

The CE Team meets with Ginger Weagraff and Michael Young from the City’s Business Solutions Center (BSC)!  The BSC is a program of the Office of Innovation and Economic Development.  The team does some role play and also our BSC experts quiz us on our business knowledge.   Links Mentioned in this Episode: Business Solutions Center Website cityofsacramento.gov/businesssolutions California Capital h...

Another Community Conversation is the highlight of this segment, this time our guest is District 1 Councilmember Lisa Kaplan! Find out where she grew up, how she got into politics and what she likes to do as hobbies! Also watch her sweat it out on the Hot Seat! Will she escape the Hot Seat without looking silly? Stay til the end to find out! Links Mentioned in the Episode 11/2/25 City Council Meet...

On this episode of SacVibes, the team learns about the Stockton Blvd Plan and Action Grants that are currently out!. The team welcomes Elizabeth Boyd from the Planning Department, Melissa Cirone from the Office of Arts and Culture and Mikel Davila from the Office of Innovation and Economic Development. Links Mentioned in the Episode Learn more about the Stockton Blvd Plan Grants https://cityofsacr...

This week we learn about zoning with Jamie Mosler and Amy Yang from the City’s long-range planning team.  The SacVibes crew plays a zoning game and our experts/colleagues review our zoning work. Don’t forget to take the Neighborhood Commercial Survey which is out now until November 17th!  Links Mentioned in the Episode: Neighborhood  Commercial Survey https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/community-dev...

Last week we recorded a community conversation with Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum.  Representing District 4, “Phil” (as he wanted us to call him) talks about his ties to the city, what he’s passionate about (ie. needing out about redistricting), the local restaurants and holes in the wall that he loves, and his hobbies.   We also talk about City Council updates from October 14, 2025.  Links mentio...

In this episode we have a community conversation with Councilmember Eric Guerra.  As the elected official representing District 6, Councilmember Guerra shares his political origin story, his favorite foods and things he loves about Sacramento.   We also talk about council updates from the Oct 7th Council meeting and discuss the 2026-2027 budget development policy and the appointment of a new inter...

Welcome to Season 3!  We kick off our latest season with a new intro, new graphics and a new segment, Community Connections.  A few weeks ago we interviewed Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty!  Find out what his hobbies are, how he got into politics and most importantly who his favorite artist is (hint: it’s in the title). 

Our final episode of Season 2!  This one includes a recap of the City’s Award Winning Community Ambassador Program, council meeting updates from June 24 and July 1.  We also take a look back at the last twenty episodes and talks about each of our favorite episodes of the season! Links mentioned in this episode Lender Open House https://bit.ly/SacLenders1 City Connect Mixer - July https://www.cityo...

In this episode the team talks about the work we've done in June. Including our City Connect Mixer at Roscoe's, Juneteenth at Land Park and a Laptop giveaway at City Hall. We also have a recap of City Council meetings this past week. Links mentioned in this episode: Railyards protest article https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/railyards-development-project-hits-roadblock/10...

In this episode, the team gets a thorough update on the City budget from Lynette. Greg reveals the footage of our time at the Filipino Fiesta last week. The team also talks about upcoming events the Community Engagement Team will be at this summer. Links mentioned in this episode:City Council Meeting Recap 061125https://sacramento.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=22&clip_id=6429S...

The CE Team welcomes Workforce Development Manager Kevin Daniels to the podcast and Antonette Seeley our intern from Kevin’s program!  Dixieanne Alleyway Project https://sacramentocityexpress.com/2025/05/21/sacramento-to-premiere-dixieanne-alley-transformation-documentary-on-may-22/ Dorian Grey Movie  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray_(1945_film) Make a comment on this year’...

The CE Team helped host a party to celebrate the launch of the CityStart Initiative!  Learn more about the initiative and the work the equity work that the City is doing to bridge the wealth gap for Black residents in Sacramento!   Links mentioned in the episode: The LabRats https://www.labratsband.com CityStart Webpage https://cfefund.org/project/citystart/ City of Sacramento CityStart Initiative...

The CE Team Meets Reyes Rios, the Sacramento Youth Commission Chair person.  We also meet Domynique Herndon, program coordinator for the Youth Commission. Links mentioned in the episode: Council Updates Proposed City Budget released this week https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/content/dam/portal/finance/Budget/25-26-proposed/FY2025_26_Proposed_Operating_Budget_PgNum_Prnt_Web.pdf Granicus link for Co...

The CE Team talks about the City’s boards, commissions and committees.  Learn about what a commissioner does, what duties they have and how you can become one yourself!  Links mentioned in episode: Sacramento Granicus - make public comment about the city budget! https://sacramento.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=21 City of Sacramento’s Board and Commissions Website https://boards.cityofsacr...