Level Up, Lift Up

Celebrate local volunteers, build your AI skills for free, and hear the latest on Elk Grove’s future homeless shelter project. We’ve also got details on the March 13 Veterans Career & Resource Fair, how to use the City’s See Click Fix app to report potholes, and a money-saving tip from the Re-Use Room.

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-den: Welcome back to the deep dive. I actually have a confession to make right off the bat today. You know how we usually spend our time wading through those really dense 40-page academic studies? 

AI-leen: Oh, yeah. Or analyzing massive global trends. It is what we do best. 

AI-den: It is, but my confession is it's about my inbox. When I see a subject line that says city update or municipal newsletter. My thumb usually just hovers right over the delete button. 

AI-leen: Right. 

AI-den: It's a reflex. I just assume it's gonna be boring announcements about street sweeping schedules or, I don't know, a photo of a ribbon cutting ceremony. 

AI-leen: That is the inbox clutter filter. We all have it. Local government isn't exactly known for its gripping storytelling. 

AI-den: Exactly. But for some reason, I didn't hit delete on this latest Elk Grove update. I actually opened the PDF and as I started scrolling, I realized I've been looking at these things all wrong. 

AI-leen: How so? 

AI-den: Well, we treat 'em like junk mail, but they're actually treasure maps. 

AI-leen: I love that analogy. Treasure maps. 

AI-den: No, seriously. 

AI-leen: Yeah. 

AI-den: I'm reading this thing and buried in the bureaucratic text, there are legitimate gold mines. We are talking about major controversial decisions on homelessness that will change the face of the city. We are talking about free, literally, free training on cutting edge artificial intelligence, and on a lighter note, free supplies for your next home improvement project.

AI-leen: It really validates what we always say on this show. If you wanna know the future, don't just look at the headlines. You have to look at the fine print. 

AI-den: Yeah. 

AI-leen: And what strikes me about this specific update is the balance. It's tackling two massive pillars of city life at the exact same time. You have physical infrastructure and human infrastructure, 

AI-den: Physical and human infrastructure. That is a really great way to frame it. So that is our mission today. We are gonna unpack this document and find the opportunities and the debates that most people probably skimmed right over. And we have a lot to cover. 

AI-leen: We do. From the ethics of AI to the concrete realities of road repair 

AI-den: and the paint. Do not let me forget the free paint.

AI-leen: I will not let you forget the paint. 

AI-den: Okay, let's dive in. I wanna start with the human infrastructure piece 'cause this one genuinely surprised me. When you think of a city offering community classes, you usually think of CPR certification. 

AI-leen: Right. Basic life skills. 

AI-den: Maybe a yoga class in the park.

AI-leen: Exactly. Or how to compost properly. 

AI-den: Yeah. But Elk Grove is offering a course called AI 101, and it is not a lecture on the dangers of robots taking over the world. It is a straight up workforce development seminar. 

AI-leen: This is a really significant signal. Usually government moves slowly, technology moves fast. To see a municipality stepping in and saying, hey, our residents need to know how to use large language models to stay competitive, that is rare. 

AI-den: So let's break down the details. For anyone listening who might be thinking, you know, I am not a coder. This isn't for me. The source material is very specific. This is a non-technical course 

AI-leen: That is the key. They are partnering with a group called Cyber Proud. The entire goal is to strip away the intimidation factor. There is zero coding required. They aren't gonna make you program a bot. They wanna teach you how to use tools like ChatGPT, safely and effectively to simplify your work or spark creativity.

AI-den: You mentioned safely, that word jumped out at me in the text too. 

AI-leen: It should, 

AI-den: because right now AI is a bit of a wild west, isn't it? 

AI-leen: It absolutely is. And think about the liability if you don't teach safety. You have people putting sensitive personal financial data into public chat bots or employees pasting proprietary company info into an open AI model. 

AI-den: Not realizing that the model might actually train on that data.

AI-leen: Exactly. By offering this class. The city isn't just giving people a cool tool. They are teaching digital hygiene. 

AI-den: It's like driver's ed for the internet age. 

AI-leen: That is a perfect comparison. 

AI-den: Yeah. 

AI-leen: And if we zoom out a bit, this addresses the new digital divide. For the last 20 years. When politicians talked about the digital divide, they meant does this neighborhood have high speed internet?

AI-den: Right. It was all about cables and wifi, 

AI-leen: But now connectivity is largely assumed. The new divide is competence. It's going to be between the people who can use AI to do a day's worth of work in three hours and the people who can't by offering this for free Elk Grove is trying to ensure their workforce is on the right side of that divide.

AI-den: And it is a pretty incredible deal. The update says this 90 minute session. Unlock 16 weeks’ worth of content. That is a massive return on investment for a Thursday night. 

AI-leen: It is usually this kind of training is locked behind expensive corporate seminars or paid online courses. 

AI-den: So if you are in Elk Grove, grab a pen. Here are the logistics. The session is this Thursday, February 26th. It's in the evening, five 30 to 7:00 PM You need a computer, you need internet access, and you need a free ChatGPT account already set up. 

AI-leen: And the code. You have to mention the code, 

AI-den: right? The code to waive the cost, you have to use the code. ElkGroveAI  Spaces included I assume when you register. It's a really cool experiment. I'm curious to see if the class fills up. 

AI-leen: I suspect it will. It's future-proofing plain and simple. 

AI-den: So that is the human infrastructure. Now let's pivot to the physical world. This next topic is heavy. It's one that I know has been a source of tension debate, and probably a lot of Nextdoor arguments for a long time. We need to talk about the permanent homeless shelter. 

AI-leen: This is the major civic shift we teased in the intro, and you are right about the tension. This isn't just a proposal anymore. We have moved past the what if stage. 

AI-den: The update confirms that as of the February 11th City Council meeting, a decision has been made. But I wanna spend a minute on how it was made because the source material hints at a pretty intense process. It mentions an extensive staff presentation and hours of public comment. 

AI-leen: Which is code for, it was a long emotional night at City Hall, and that is understandable. Picking a location for a permanent shelter is one of the hardest things a city council has to do.

AI-den: Oh, for sure. 

AI-leen: You have the undeniable need to help vulnerable residents clashing with the concerns of neighbors and businesses. 

AI-den: So the verdict… 

AI-leen: they had three potential locations on the table. In the end, the council voted to proceed with the site at Survey Road at East Stockton 

AI-den: Survey Road. Okay. And the vote was 4-1. Now, usually when I see a four to one vote on a controversial issue, I assume the dissenting vote is at protest. Someone saying, I don't think we should build this here. But that wasn't the case here, was it? 

AI-leen: No. And this is where it gets fascinating. The dissenting vote came from Councilmember Brewer, and the update is very specific about why he voted no, it wasn't because he opposed the Survey Road site.

AI-den: So what was the objection? 

AI-leen: He voted against the motion because it excluded the consideration of a backup site. 

AI-den: A backup site. 

AI-leen: Right. There was another property at East Stockton Boulevard. Brewer wanted to keep that on the table as a Plan B. His argument was essentially risk management. What if the negotiations for the Survey Road property fall through? What if the seller backs out? What if the soil testing is bad? 

AI-den: Ah, I see. So by voting for the motion as it stood, the rest of the council was essentially deciding to put all their eggs in one basket. 

AI-leen: Exactly. They burn the ships, so to speak. They're fully committed to Survey Road now if that deal fails, they're back to square one.

AI-den: That is a high stakes poker game. Why would the majority wanna remove the backup? 

AI-leen: Usually it's about focus and signaling. If you keep a backup site alive, the community around that backup site stays agitated. The staff is split between investigating two properties. By picking one, you signal to everyone, the developers, the funding agencies, the public, this is happening here. It forces momentum. 

AI-den: Speaking of momentum, let's talk about the timeline because if you drive down Survey Road today, you are not gonna see bulldozers? 

AI-leen: No. And this is the part that always frustrates people who want immediate action. 

AI-den: The update says construction isn't expected to begin until summer 2027. That is more than two years away. 

AI-leen: It sounds like a lifetime, especially when you consider people are sleeping on the street tonight, but in the world of municipal construction, 2027 is actually an aggressive timeline. 

AI-den: Why does it take so long? 

AI-leen: It's the iceberg beneath the water. What we see is the building, but underneath you have purchase negotiations, environmental impact reports, architectural design, and the public bidding process, which takes months by itself to ensure taxpayer money is handled correctly. Then you have entitlements and permits. 

AI-den: So the takeaway here is that the machine is moving. It’s just a slow machine. 

AI-leen: Precisely. The shift here is from planning to action. For years, this shelter was a theoretical discussion. Now it has an address. It has a mandate. It's becoming real. 

AI-den: Well, while we are waiting for those bulldozers to show up in 2027, we still have to drive on the roads we have today. And apparently the weather has not been kind to them. 

AI-leen: The rainy season aftermath. It's the hangover of winter. 

AI-den: The update drops a statistic that honestly blew my mind. I never really thought about the sheer scale of what the city has to manage. Do you know how many linear miles of roadway Elk Grove maintains?

AI-leen: It's a huge number. 

AI-den: 1,170 miles. 

AI-leen: 1,170 miles. Just to visualize that for you listening, that is roughly the distance from Elk Grove to almost Denver, Colorado. 

AI-den: That puts it in perspective. 

AI-leen: Imagine being responsible for inspecting every inch of pavement between here and the Rocky Mountains. It's a monumental task. 

AI-den: and the city claims their pavement is in better condition than anywhere else in the county, which, I mean, I'll let the listeners judge that for themselves as they drive home, but they admit they can't be everywhere at once.

AI-leen: This is where the concept of the smart city hits reality. We usually think smart cities means sensors and drones everywhere, but in reality, the most effective sensor a city has is a resident with a smartphone. 

AI-den: This is the citizen science angle. They are pushing the See Click Fix app. 

AI-leen: I actually love this tool. It's available on Apple and Google Play. 

AI-den: What I like about it is that it stops the screaming into the void. You know, usually you hit a pothole, you spill your coffee, you curse the city as this abstract enemy. 

AI-leen: Yeah, 

AI-den: but nothing happens, 

AI-leen: right? It feels helpless. 

AI-den: But with the app, you snap a photo, you geotag it, and you hit to send. You create a ticket. 

AI-leen: And that feedback loop is essential. You can actually track the progress. It turns the resident from a passive observer, someone who just complains, into an active participant in maintaining the infrastructure. It's crowdsourced maintenance. 

AI-den: So the message is if you see a pothole, don't just complain to your spouse. Download, See, Click, Fix, and tell the people who actually have the asphalt trucks 

AI-leen: exactly. Help them help you. With 1,170 miles to cover, they need the extra eyes. 

AI-den: Alright, let's pivot back to the community side of things. We've talked about skills. We've talked about shelter. We've talked about roads. Now let's talk about the people who make the city run and the people who have served it.

AI-leen: This section of the update really highlights how a city acknowledges its own. First, we have the Stars of Service Awards. 

AI-den: This is the feel-good part of the newsletter. The city is looking for extraordinary residents. The people whose dedication improves the quality of life in Elk Grove, 

AI-leen: Every community has these people, the ones running the food banks, organizing the park cleanups, coaching the little league teams for free, but often their work is completely invisible.

AI-den: Well, it's only invisible if we don't nominate them, but you have to hurry. This is the tightest deadline we have today. Nominations must be submitted online at elkgrove.gov by this Wednesday, February 25th. 

AI-leen: That is basically tomorrow. So if you are listening to this and a face popped into your head, that neighbor who is always helping out that community organizer. Don't wait, go to the website. Recognition isn't just about being nice, it encourages them to keep going. 

AI-den: Absolutely. And speaking of service, there is a massive event coming up for a very specific, very important demographic in Elk Grove, 

AI-leen: The veteran. 

AI-den: Did you catch the population number in the update? 

AI-leen: I did. Elk Grove is home to more than 9,000 military veterans. 

AI-den: 9,000. That is a significant chunk of the population. 

AI-leen: It is, and it's a population with very unique needs. Transitioning from military to civilian life is notoriously difficult. You have incredible skills, leadership, logistics, technical training, but translating that into a civilian resume can be tough.

AI-den: Not to mention the bureaucracy. 

AI-leen: Oh, the bureaucracy is a nightmare. You have housing benefits, education benefits like the GI Bill, healthcare through the VA and usually those are all in different buildings, different websites, different phone trees. 

AI-den: So the city is partnering with American Legion Post 55 to host a Veteran's Career and resource fair, it's on Friday, March 13th, 

AI-leen: and looking at the description, they're calling it a one-stop shop. That is the magic phrase. 

AI-den: It's at District56. That's at 8230 Civic Center Drive from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. 

AI-leen: Bringing employers, housing assistance, education counselors, and health benefits all under one roof. That removes the friction. It respects the veteran's time. 

AI-den: and it's free admission. So if you are a vet or if you know a vet who might be struggling to navigate all those different agencies, this is the place to be. March 13th, 

AI-leen: it connects back to that theme of human infrastructure. There you go. If you can successfully connect 9,000 disciplines, skilled veterans with the right jobs and support, you are strengthening the entire city, not just those individuals 

AI-den: Well said. Okay. Are you ready for the hidden gem? 

AI-leen: I have been waiting for this. This is my favorite part of the update. 

AI-den: We promised you a life hack. We promised you free stuff. Let's talk about the Reuse Room. 

AI-leen: It sounds like a hipster club, but it's actually a hazardous waste facility, which makes it even cooler, in my opinion.

AI-den: So here is the scenario. You decide to paint an accent wall in the living room, or maybe you just need to touch up some trim where the dog scratched it. You go to the hardware store. How much is a gallon of paint these days 

AI-leen: For the good stuff? 40, 50, maybe. 60 bucks, 

AI-den: right? Buy the gallon. Use a cup, maybe a pint. And then what happens to the can? 

AI-leen: It goes to the garage graveyard. It sits on a shelf, gathers dust, and 10 years later it's a solid brick 

AI-den: And you can't just throw it in the trash 'cause it's hazardous. 

AI-leen: Exactly. Liquid paint is terrible for landfills. It's really expensive for the city to process. 

AI-den: So Elk Grove has a solution. The Special Waste Collection Center has a reuse room 

AI-leen: located at 9255. Disposal Lane, very literal. 

AI-den: They stock new and partially used, paint that other residents have dropped off. Staff checks it to make sure it's still liquid and usable, and then they put it on a shelf. You can just go take it for free and the limit is generous. You can take up to 10 items per month per household. 

AI-leen: 10 items. You could repaint a decent chunk of your house for $0. 

AI-den: I mean, you have to be flexible with colors. You might not find 10 gallons of the exact same shade of eggshell white, but for furniture flips for a rental property. For a fence. It is a gold mine.

AI-leen: This is what we call the circular economy on a micro level. We talk about sustainability a lot, and usually it involves buying expensive green products. But the most sustainable thing you can do is use something that already exists, 

AI-den: Environmentalism disguised as a bargain. I love that. 

AI-leen: That's exactly what it is. The city avoids the disposal cost. You avoid the purchase cost. The landfill stays empty, everyone wins. 

AI-den: It's open Saturday through Wednesday, 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM. I bet 90% of the people listening right now had no idea this room existed. 

AI-leen: It is the best kept secret in city services. 

AI-den: So looking back at this update. We have gone from AI neural networks to homeless shelter zoning, to potholes, to recycled latex paint. It is a wild mix. 

AI-leen: It is, but that is what a city is. It's this messy, complex overlap of high level strategy and low-level maintenance. 

AI-den: Let's do a quick recap of the dates 'cause we threw a lot of deadlines at everyone. If you are reaching for your calendar app. Here's the rundown. 

AI-leen: First up, immediate action. Wednesday, February 25th that is the deadline to nominate someone for the Stars of Service Volunteer Awards. Do it today. 

AI-den: Next, Thursday, February 26th. That is the free AI training with Cyber Proud. Remember the code ElkGroveAI. Get your free chat GPT account ready before you log in. 

AI-leen: Then looking ahead to next month, Friday, March 13th, the Veteran's Career and resource Fair at District 56, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM 

AI-den: And finally the ongoing stuff. Download the C Click Fix app now so you have it when you hit that pothole. And check out the reuse room on the weekends for that free paint. 

AI-leen: And of course you can sign up for these weekly updates yourself at elkgrove.gov. 

AI-den: Before we sign off, I wanna go back to something you said earlier, you called the city a toolkit. 

AI-leen: I did. You know, we often talk about civic duty as these big heavy obligations, voting, paying taxes, jury duty.

AI-den: The things we have to do. 

AI-leen: Right. But looking at this document, I'm struck by how much of modern citizenship is actually about optimization. 

AI-den: Optimization. 

AI-leen: Think about it. If you use the app to report a pothole, you aren't just complaining, you are optimizing the road network for your neighbors. If you take the free paint, you are optimizing the waste stream. If you take the AI course, you are optimizing the local workforce. 

AI-den: That is a really empowering way to look at it. It stops being about following the rules and starts being about using the system to make things better. 

AI-leen: Exactly. So here's my challenge to you listening to mull over today. Is it possible that being a good citizen in 2026 isn't just about showing up to vote every two years? Is it actually about these small micro decisions? Using the see click fix app or fixing a fence with recycled paint? Actually the most direct form of community building. 

AI-den: I love that. Patriotism through home improvement 

AI-leen: In its own way. Absolutely.

AI-den: Thanks for joining us for this deep dive today. Go get that free paint, learn how to talk to the robots, and we will catch you on the next one. 

AI-leen: Take care.

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.