CSRC Report: "Building a Brighter Future: The Journey to Establishing Sacramento's Measure L"

By Kennedy McIntyre

June 2024

Across California, local governments struggle with supporting after-school and weekend programming for children and youth. This is especially the case in low-income neighborhoods where parents cannot afford costly enrichment programs for their children. Sac Kids First, one of the largest grassroots coalitions in the region of Sacramento, California, has prioritized increasing local access to programming for children and youth. This report summarizes the successful efforts to pass Measure L, the Children and Youth Health and Safety Act, in Sacramento in 2022. It draws from interviews with leaders, secondary analysis of reports, and my observations as an intern at Youth Forward, an organization that is dedicated to ensuring that California invests the revenue it is receiving from marijuana taxes into youth prevention. These investments are focused especially on communities of color.

This report is supported by the Gold Shield Alumnae of UCLA, the Stuart Foundation, and The California Endowment.