Officer Hayden LaCurelle, Officer Sheldon Hansen and Officer Christopher Edwards with the Citrus Heights Police Department were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal at a recent City Council meeting. Photo courtesy of the City of Citrus Heights. 

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - At the Feb. 26 Citrus Heights City Council meeting, Citrus Heights Police Chief Alex Turcotte presented three officers with the Distinguished Service Medal.

Turcotte said the medal is awarded for the “use of exceptional tactics and judgement” in stressful situations involving “the threat of imminent danger to themselves or others.” 

Officer Hayden LaCurelle earned the medal for his remarkable composure under pressure when responding to an incident involving a man armed with a knife. He prioritized de-escalation tactics and was able to bring about a peaceful resolution. 

Officers Sheldon Hansen and Christopher Edwards responded to a structure fire in Citrus Heights where a man in a wheelchair was trapped inside. They entered the building through the flames and carried the man to safety, despite the threat of imminent danger to themselves. 

Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa said these officers had joined the rank of heroes.

Councilmember Kelsey Nelson thanked them for their actions and said they “performed heroically.” 

Councilmember Tim Schaefer said he knew the officers never considered the recognition they might receive and took those actions “out of a sense of duty to the community. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that.”

Councilmember Porsche Middleton said, “We are so fortunate to have law enforcement professionals like you amongst our ranks.” She thanked them for putting themselves in the line of danger and using their exceptional training, character, and integrity to keep the community safe. 

Vice-Mayor MariJane Lopez-Taff said she knows the officers perform heroic actions every day, so these must have been extraordinary circumstances to earn this recognition.

At the Feb. 26 meeting of the Citrus Heights City Council, Police Chief Alex Turcotte presented three officers with the Distinguished Service Medal. Photo by Tom Sullivan

During Public Comment, two residents spoke against a proposal by Ethan Conrad Properties to build a Home Depot and In-N-Out Burger at Sunrise Mall. They said the redevelopment should revitalize the area by focusing on fine dining and housing. 

City Council then considered possible options to deal with blight at existing recycling centers in Citrus Heights. Senior Planner Alison Bermudez said that some of the current challenges include the unattractive appearance of the centers and loitering around the premises. 

Under the city’s current regulations, recycling centers are private businesses allowed in commercial zones with a maximum of 600 square feet of space. There is no limit on the number of centers or on distance between centers. 

State legislation imposes a one-mile convenience zone around qualified retailers who sell beverages to ensure that customers have a convenient opportunity to recycle the containers and get back their five or 10 cents from the California Redemption Value (CRV) deposit. If there is no recycling center within that convenience zone, the retailer is responsible for providing recycling opportunities, such as allowing recycling within the store. 

Currently, 12 retailers in Citrus Heights meet the total annual sales requirement for qualified retailers, which establishes 12 convenience zones in the city. The four existing recycling centers meet four of those zones but there are still many areas that are underserved. 

Staff presented four options for potential policy changes. Option 1 was to require a full use permit for new centers, which would have a higher application cost and go to the Planning Commission for consideration, instead of the current administrative approval process.

Option 2 was a policy that any new center would have to be located within an existing convenience zone, which could benefit the retailers and reduce the number of potential new centers.

Option 3 was a requirement for new recycling centers to have full indoor operations, which would reduce the visual impact and fill vacant commercial spaces but those would have a much higher start-up cost for businesses.

Option 4 would be to change the allowable space so existing centers could expand in order to implement modernizations.  

Bermudez said the operators of the existing centers are very willing to work with the city to make improvements. And she also clarified that the city is not required to make any policy changes at this time. 

During Public Comment, Tim James of the California Grocers Association said that local grocery stores are very invested in the communities they serve and “based on state law, we’re the epicenter of where all this emanates from.”

James added that the state has “lifted some of these old school restrictions and created opportunities for us to comply in ways that use new technology,” so now local grocers are looking into nonprofit cooperatives that can fulfill the recycling requirements. His concern was that without input from the grocers, the city might enact policies that unintentionally restrict those new opportunities or make it more difficult for grocers to comply with state law.

“Let’s not commit to options tonight. Let’s take some time. Do the bigger, deeper dive. Think about working with the grocers and getting some more information before you decide to move forward,” James said.

Tony Gonzalez spoke on behalf of Tomra North America, a recycling technology company operating in the U.S. and Canada. He explained that there is existing legislation that provides funding to incentivize the modernization of recycling programs. He pointed to a new recycling center, Simply Recycle, at 4805 San Juan Ave. in Fair Oaks, which is clean and approachable with all recycling operations occurring inside. Gonzalez said it is currently the only one like it in California but new technologies can help replicate its success in Citrus Heights. 

During City Council comments, Councilmember Middleton said it is a priority to address the existing blight through controlled expansion, modernization and enforcement. She suggested that the city could limit the number of new centers and encourage their establishment in underserved convenience zones. She said incentives such as local grants could help existing centers move their operations indoors, and the City could mandate improved site design standards, as well as increased security and proper fencing. 

Councilmember Nelson said she’d like to consider a combination of all the options recommended by staff. 

Councilmember Schaefer said he supported the idea of the grocers creating a nonprofit cooperative.

“I really think that this is a problem that we can let the industry solve instead of coming up with our own solution for this,” said Schaefer. “I think allowing them to take a crack at this first, before we start moving into a regulation, is the right move.”

Vice-Mayor Lopez-Taff agreed that it was important to talk to the grocers and see what is the best fit for them. 

Polices for future centers should not be determined until after more outreach with the grocers, Mayor Karpinski-Costa said. She also agreed with Middleton that the city has to do something about the existing blight, such as increasing the allowable space so they have room to expand and improve. 

Councilmember Schaefer cautioned that the grocers could have ideas that improve the entire recycling industry and make any immediate city plans obsolete. He suggested tabling the issue until the stakeholder discussions have been completed. 

Despite Councilmember Schaefer’s concerns, the City Council majority directed staff to meet with local grocers but also come back to council with policy proposals to improve the existing centers. 

The next Citrus Heights City Council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 12.