[urban_encounter]

Editorial: Fruitridge's Uncity
Water problems point to neglected 'pocket'
Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, April 23, 2007
Story appeared in EDITORIALS section, Page B4


An old water main broke the other day in a neighborhood known as Fruitridge Vista, outside Sacramento's city limits. The gushing water started to flood nearby yards and garages. The Sacramento Fire Department showed up, but it didn't know how to turn off the water mains.

Firefighters called the small private water company that provides water to the area. They had to leave a message. Eventually the Fruitridge Vista Water Co. realized it had a problem. Once again, the company and firefighters pledge better communications.

Yes, the incident exposed a glitch in the water company's 24-hour customer service system but, more important, the problems of government boundaries and government services.

This community, part of what is known as the Fruitridge Pocket, belongs in the city of Sacramento. Its services, including water, should be provided by the city. Its leader should be a member of the Sacramento City Council fighting hard for the community, just as Bonnie Pannell does for Meadowview and Lauren Hammond for Oak Park.

On a map, the area juts like a strange finger surrounded largely on three sides by Sacramento. The tip is to the north, at 14th Avenue. And then it jigs southward, bordered at times by Stockton Boulevard to the east and the old Western Pacific railroad tracks to the west.

If city limits were drawn sensibly for residents, fire departments and water providers, this pocket wouldn't exist. A key southern boundary for Sacramento would be moved, possibly to Florin Road or beyond. It would take some experts at the Sacramento County Local Agency Formation Commission to help figure that out.

In any unincorporated community, there are longtime residents who don't want to join anything. The turf of the water company and some small government districts would be challenged. The same goes for Sacramento County, nominally in charge of that area. It is far easier to neglect the struggling neighborhoods of the Fruitridge Pocket than for Sacramento to try to adopt them.

Maybe, however, Sacramento leaders will find the gumption to take on this project. The city is reviewing its growth document, known as the general plan. So it's the right time to consider boundary changes.

The Fruitridge Pocket neither makes sense on a map nor in reality. When the Fire Department doesn't know how to turn off a water main or whom to call, that is a sign of a dysfunctional community. This community needs a home and a government looking after the people who live there.