History, Hunger Relief & High Honors

We honor Black History Month, spotlight a new weekly food distribution supporting families in need, celebrate City Manager Jason Behrmann’s statewide leadership award, and share ways to serve on City commissions. Plus: free AI training, auto repair rules, and more community updates.

Rate, review and subscribe to the Elk Grove CityCast to get more information about the people, programs, and services shaping the City. 

Transcript

Kristyn Nelson: Thanks for tuning into the Elk Grove CityCast, the podcast about Elk Grove, California. I'm Kristyn Nelson, Elk Grove’s Public Affairs and Communications Manager. And with the help of artificial intelligence, we're rolling out new episodes that dive into the relevant topics, events, and happenings within our city.

We're using technology to provide you with new resources that will help you to stay informed and connect with the community at the time and with the tools that you prefer. So whether you have a passion for podcasts or print material, subscribe to social media or dig into digital. We want to be a source for local information that's valuable to you.

Now, without further ado, let me turn it over to our AI friends for a deeper dive into this week's topics. 

AI-leen: Welcome back to the deep dive. Today we're looking at something that might sound a little dry on the surface, but I promise you once we start peeling back the layers, it is absolutely fascinating. We are looking at the nervous system of a city. 

AI-den: Huh. The nervous system. Yeah, that's a, that's a very biological way to frame it, especially since our source today is, you know, a PDF newsletter. 

AI-leen: But it fits, right. We've got this stack of updates here from the city of Elk Grove, the Elk Grove update, and it looks like just dates, times a few announcements, but when you really dig in, when you look at what's being said and more importantly why 

AI-den: It's a snapshot. 

AI-leen: Exactly. It's this incredible cross section of how a community actually functions in 2026. It's about how a city looks after its most vulnerable, how it honors its history, and this is my personal favorite, how it's trying to teach us all how to talk to robots, 

AI-den: And we should add how it keeps the neighborhood driveways looking tidy. That's a surprisingly big part of the whole ecosystem. 

AI-leen: Oh, the driveway mechanics. Yes. We will definitely get to the driveway mechanics, but really our goal today is just to connect these different dots. So whether you live in Elk Grove or you're just a civic data nerd, or maybe you're just curious about how a modern city works, this is for you. 

AI-den: I think what really stands out to me here is this theme of proactive leadership versus just reactive management. You can see a city that isn't just sitting around waiting for problems to pop up. 

AI-leen: Right 

AI-den: They seem to be building systems, whether it's for food or for AI skills that kind of anticipate the need before it becomes a full-blown crisis. 

AI-leen: I like that framing. So let's start with maybe the most immediate need, the nervous system responding to hunger for sticking with my metaphor, there's a new food distribution network. 

AI-den: Right And you know, in the world of city policy, food security is really where the rubber meets the road. If people are hungry, nothing else works. So the city's launched this new weekly distribution. It's at Bartholomew Sports Park. 

AI-leen: That's 1150 Franklin High Road for anyone who's listening and needs the address. 

AI-den: Exactly. Every Wednesday, 10:15 AM But what's so interesting here, isn't just that there's food. It's the coalition that's behind it. You see this a lot in really effective local government. It's almost never just the city acting alone. This is a four-way partnership. You've got the Cosumnes CSD, the city itself. 

AI-leen: Yeah. 

AI-den: The Sacramento Food Bank and this group called Al-Misbah. 

AI-leen: Al-Misbah. I wanted to flag them because I did a little digging on the numbers here. This is not a small operation. 

AI-den: Not at all. 

AI-leen: They're supporting something like 4,000 families every single month across all of Sacramento County. I mean, that's a massive logistical challenge. 

AI-den: It is. That's enterprise level stuff. 

AI-leen: Yeah, it's not a bake sale. And looking at the structure of this particular distribution, they made a very specific choice that I think is worth talking about. The rule is no documentation required. 

AI-den: That's huge. 

AI-leen: Yeah, 

AI-den: because normally government programs love paperwork.  They love forms. Proof of residency. Yeah. 

AI-leen: Love it. 

AI-den: They do. But from a policy standpoint, requiring all that documentation, it just creates friction. And friction is the enemy when you're trying to deliver crisis sport, 

AI-leen: right? Because if you need an ID or a utility bill, you immediately filter out people who might be in the most desperate need. 

AI-den: Exactly. Maybe they're unhoused, maybe they're undocumented, maybe they just lost their wallet. By saying no documentation. The city and its partners are basically prioritizing the human need for food over the bureaucratic need for data.

AI-leen: They're lowering the barrier to entry to zero, 

AI-den: And they've made it a drive through format, which speaks to efficiency and frankly, it speaks to dignity. 

AI-leen: Yeah, 

AI-den: It's just a smoother experience. You're not standing in a long line on a sidewalk for hours. You're moving through, popping the trunk, getting what you need and moving on. It helps de-stigmatize the whole process 

AI-leen: And it's year round, rain or shine. A reliable safety net. So while we're on this topic of community support and identity, let's pivot a little to the cultural side, because a city isn't just about services, it's also about culture. And February is Black History Month, 

AI-den: A tradition that's been going for a century now. Recognizing the contributions of people of African descent.

AI-leen: Right. And the update mentions that on January 28th, the city officially recognized the Black Youth Leadership Project, 

AI-den: Which connects right back to that future-proofing idea. We talked about the Black Youth Leadership Project. It isn't just a history club, it's about empowering youth development. 

AI-leen: It's a pipeline.

AI-den: It's the civic pipeline. Exactly. When a city partners with an organization like that, they're basically saying, we need to invest in our next generation of leaders right now. 

AI-leen: And the city's being pretty explicit about the why here. They encourage everyone to share accurate, inclusive stories, and I really like this phrasing too, actively protect the teaching of black history. 

AI-den: That word protecting, that's significant language. 

AI-leen: It feels active. Defensive, but in a good way. 

AI-den: It does. It suggests that this history is valuable, maybe that it's fragile or even under threat in the, you know, the broader conversation. It's saying that this isn't a passive activity, 

AI-leen: It's a civic duty.

AI-den: It's an active duty to make sure those stories are preserved and they even have a resource on the city website that highlights notable Black Americans from Elk Grove itself. 

AI-leen: Which is great because it grounds this big national conversation in local reality. It says, history didn't just happen out there somewhere. It happened right here on these streets. 

AI-den: Yeah. 

AI-leen: Okay. Let's unpack this next section because this is where I had my real aha moment about how this particular city is run. We usually think of city managers as you know, these invisible administrators, but this story about Jason Behrmann. It's incredible. 

AI-den: This is a perfect example of crisis leadership versus just, you know, administrative management. So the headline is that he received the Wes McClure award of distinction. 

AI-leen: Which sounds very official. 

AI-den: It's basically the Oscars for California city managers, a huge honor. But awards are trailing indicators. 

AI-leen: Yeah. 

AI-den: The story behind the award, that's the real tell. 

AI-leen: Yes. The federal shutdown story. This completely blew my mind.

AI-den: Okay, so walk us through it. What happened? 

AI-leen: All right, so there's a federal government shutdown. It happens, but a direct consequence was that CalFresh benefits food stamps were delayed, and that is an immediate catastrophic crisis for. Thousands of families 

AI-den: Life altering overnight. 

AI-leen: So the standard bureaucratic response would be what to say, well, that's a federal problem. Here's your congress person's number. Good luck. 

AI-den: Not my jurisdiction. 

AI-leen: Exactly. But Behrmann doesn't do that. He coordinates an emergency fundraiser and in 48 hours, just two days, they secure $131,000 for the Elk Grove Food Bank. 

AI-den: The speed on that is just staggering for government 

AI-leen: 48 hours. I can't even get through my email in 48 hours. How do you raise six figures in a weekend? 

AI-den: That gets to a concept called relationship capital? 

AI-leen: Yeah. 

AI-den: You can't just wake up one day and raise $131,000. 

AI-leen: No, 

AI-den: You can only do that if you've spent the last decade building trust. You can only make those calls to business leaders, to philanthropists if they already know you and trust you. The money didn't appear because of the crisis. It appeared because of the trust he'd already banked. 

AI-leen: That makes so much sense. It wasn't about fundraising. It was the trust that made the fundraising possible. 

AI-den: Precisely. And that is the difference between administration and leadership. Administration follows the process. Leadership realizes when the process is broken like a federal shutdown and steps outside of it to solve the actual problem. 

AI-leen: And he's been there for 27 years. 

AI-den: 27 years of service. Yes. And it also says his peers nominated him. The people who know exactly how hard that job is. The update also mentions his work on local control.

AI-leen: What does that mean exactly? 

AI-den: It means he's been a key voice in protecting smaller cities like Elk Grove from broad sweeping state laws that might not be a good fit. He's basically been defending the city's autonomy, saying one size fits all doesn't work for us. 

AI-leen: And it seems like his own staff agrees. I mean, these stats are kind of nuts. 93% of employees say Elk Grove is a great place to work. 

AI-den: That's the number that jumped out at me.  In the public sector where burnout is so high and scrutiny is constant, to have 96% of employees recommend working there. 94% plan on staying. 

AI-leen: That's a culture. 

AI-den: That is a culture of trust. And think about the economics of that. 

AI-leen: Yeah. 

AI-den: Employee retention saves taxpayers a fortune. Turnover is incredibly expensive. Keeping good, experienced people is a massive win. 

AI-leen: So we have a city that's feeding people honoring its history and has this rock star manager. But they can't do it all by themselves.

AI-den: No. And this is where we get to the you part of the story. The listener. 

AI-leen: Yes. You, if you're listening right now and you have opinions, and I know you do, the city is basically putting up a help wanted sign. They want you to go from advocate to appointee. 

AI-den: It's the classic. Put your money where your mouth is. Moment. The city has openings on two key bodies. The Disability Advisory Committee and the Diversity and Inclusion Commission. 

AI-leen: And these aren't just for show, right? You don't just show up for the donuts? 

AI-den: No. Well, there might be donuts, I can't promise. But the work is real. These commissions give input directly to the city council. They're like the city's sensors. If you're on the disability advisory committee, you are the reality check on city plans. 

AI-leen: You're the one saying, Hey, this new park design, that ramp is too steep. 

AI-den: Exactly. You're the filter that turns policy into a better reality for everyone. And on the Diversity and Inclusion Commission, you're helping make sure the city doesn't have blind spots. If everyone making decisions has the same life experience, they're going to miss things. 

AI-leen: So if you're interested, the deadline is coming up fast. February 18th, 2026

AI-den: and this is how it works. This is how complaints actually get turned into policy. It transforms that frustration into real action. 

AI-leen: Okay. Speaking of action, let's talk about the future, and by future I mean artificial intelligence. 

AI-den: This is the part you were excited about. 

AI-leen: I am. because usually when a city offers free training, it's for like. CPR, which is great. But Elk Grove is offering a class called AI 101 

AI-den: Through a group called Cyber Proud.

AI-leen: Yes. And it's free for residents. The code is ElkGroveAI. It's on February 26th in the evening. 

AI-den: And what's so smart here is the pitch. They're very clear. This is non-technical, 

AI-leen: No coding required. My favorite four words in the English language. 

AI-den: Right. They're framing AI not as this scary thing that's gonna take your job, but as a workforce tool. The description says it's about learning to use chat GPT safely and effectively. 

AI-leen: Safely is a really important word there. 

AI-den: it is. This is economic self-defense. We're in an era where knowing how to use these tools is becoming as basic as knowing Microsoft Word. If the city can upskill its residents, teach them about data privacy. Teach them not to upload sensitive info. That's just modern digital literacy. 

AI-leen: It's only 90 minutes. It's an acknowledgement from the city that the whole workforce is changing and they want their residents to be ready for it. 

AI-den: It's an economic development strategy disguised as a community class, a tech literate workforce attracts better jobs, better companies. It's a long-term play. 

AI-leen: Okay, so we've got the high tech digital future in one hand, the cloud, and now let's look at the other hand, the one covered in grease. 

AI-den: Driveway mechanics. 

AI-leen: It is such a sharp pivot in the newsletter, but I absolutely love it. We go straight from learn to talk to a robot to please stop rebuilding your engine in the front yard.

AI-den: It's a huge pivot, but it's all part of the same thing. A city has to manage the virtual world and the very physical, very real neighborhood. 

AI-leen: So here are the rules. The city's reminding everyone, only minor auto repairs are allowed on your property, 

AI-den: And they define minor. Very, very strictly, 

AI-leen: We're talking routine maintenance, oil changes, spark plugs, lubrication. That's about it. 

AI-den: And crucially, where you can do it 

AI-leen: Only on the driveway or inside your garage. Not on the lawn people. 

AI-den: And then there's the time limit. This is probably the one that gets people, 

AI-leen: the vehicle cannot be an operative for more than 24 hours. 

AI-den: Wow. That is a tight window. 

AI-leen: So if you start a brake job on Saturday morning, you better be done by Sunday morning. No, leaving it on cinder blocks for a week. 

AI-den: And they list the big don'ts too. No major repairs, 

AI-leen: Right. No engine swaps, no transmission work, no axle replacements. Basically, if you're doing open heart surgery on your car, it can't be in a residential zone. 

AI-den: And that's municipal code 16.1, 10.1116 for anyone who wants to look it up.

AI-leen: So why is this such a big deal? It's my driveway. Why does the city care? 

AI-den: It really comes down to two things, zoning and the environment. Residential zones are for living, not for heavy industry and major car repairs create hazardous waste oil, coolant transmission fluid, 

AI-leen: And if that spills, 

AI-den: It goes right down the driveway into the storm drain and into the local creeks. A commercial garage has systems to prevent that. Your driveway doesn't.

AI-leen: That makes sense. 

AI-den: Plus, there's the blight factor. Most people don't wanna live next door to an unlicensed auto shop. It affects noise, property values, the whole feel of the neighborhood. 

AI-leen: It is funny to imagine someone taking that AI class on their laptop, learning about the future, while looking out their window at their neighbor just frantically trying to finish an oil change before that 24-hour clock runs out.

AI-den: That is modern city life in a nutshell. We're straddling the digital ether and the concrete driveway, and the city has to make rules for both. So 

AI-leen:  So where does this all leave us? We've covered a lot of ground. 

AI-den: We have. We saw how Elk Grove is handling basic needs like food with dignity through partners like Al-Misbah. We saw them honoring the past by protecting black history. 

AI-leen: We saw some incredible crisis leadership from the city manager, Jason Behrmann, turning a disaster into a solution with the power of trust. 

AI-den: And we saw the call for you, the listener, to step up to join a commission and be part of the process. 

AI-leen: And finally, that choice between learning to chat with bots or fixing your car, just, you know, do the carport quickly.

AI-den: It's a complex organism, a city. It's this constant negotiation between safety and history. Innovation and neighborhood order. 

AI-leen: And if you wanna stay plugged into that nervous system, remember you can get these updates yourself 

AI-den: Every Monday. 

AI-leen: Go to elkgrove.gov, sign up for the emails. It's the best way to know what's happening.

AI-den: Or know the zoning codes so you don't get a fine. 

AI-leen: Exactly. Knowledge is power. 

AI-den: I wanna leave you with one final thought today. We use the term civic duty a few times. 

AI-leen: Yeah. 

AI-den: And normally when we hear that, we think of voting. Or maybe jury duty, 

AI-leen: The big stuff, 

AI-den: The big official stuff. But looking at all this,  Isn't civic duty much broader than that? 

AI-leen: What do you mean? 

AI-den: Well, isn't applying for that commission. A civic duty isn't taking the time to learn a new skill. So you stay employed and contribute to the economy as civic duty. Heck isn't respecting your neighbor's view by not leaving a half-repaired car in the driveway also a form of civic duty. 

AI-leen: That's a really good point. It's not just about the ballot box, it's all the small, everyday actions. 

AI-den: Exactly. How do all those small individual choices to learn, to help, to volunteer, to be considerate. How do they all add up to create the actual culture of a city? We look at a guy like Jason Behrmann and say, great leader, but a city's health is really defined by the thousands of tiny leadership decisions its residents make every single day.

AI-leen: I love that. Are you a driveway mechanic, citizen, or an AI trainee citizen? Maybe both. Something to think about 

AI-den: Indeed. 

AI-leen: Thanks for joining us on this deep dive into Elk Grove. We will see you next time. 

AI-den: Stay curious.

Kristyn Nelson: Thank you for listening to the Elk Grove CityCast. Tune in again soon for another deep dive into the news events and happenings around the City of Elk Grove. Like what we're doing? Please rate, review, and subscribe to the show to help spread the word to other audiophiles. Want more news before the next episode? Follow the City of Elk Grove on social media. You can find us on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Nextdoor. Or get our news delivered directly to your inbox by signing up for the city's weekly email update at elkgrove.gov. Thanks again for listening For the City of Elk Grove, I'm Kristyn Nelson.