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Guide to the Sacramento (Calif.) City Council District 7 records
CTY004
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Table of contents
Title: Sacramento (Calif.) City Council District 7 records
Dates: circa 1990-2010
Collection number: CTY004
Creator:
Robbie Waters
Collection Size:
11.25 linear feet
(9 boxes)
Repository:
Center for Sacramento History
Sacramento, California 95811-0229
Abstract:
TheSacramento (Calif.) City Council District 7 records document the legal and civic activities of councilman Robbie Waters,
who served as a representative of District 7 on the Sacramento City Council. Waters remained councilmen for sixteen years,
from 1994 through 2010, and backed numerous revitalization projects and community programs during his tenure. The collection
is solely comprised of documents pertaining to Waters' function as City Councilmember and not his earlier career with law
enforcement.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Physical location: MP C:10:A:01-05
The collection is open for research use.
All requests to publish or quote from private collections held by the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) must be submitted
in writing to csh@cityofsacramento.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Center for Sacramento History as
the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also
be obtained by the patron. No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.
[Identification of item], Sacramento (Calif.) City Council District 7 records, CTY0004, Center for Sacramento History.
Transferred from City of Sacramento Council District 7 Office (Robbie Waters) on June 10, 2011 to the Center for Sacramento
History (Accession #2011/024).
Processed and finding aid prepared by Sabrina Abbott, Christina Cannon, Andrew Case, and Chris Kent, 2013.
Materials related to those in the Robbie Waters Papers may be found in the following collections at CSH: City of Sacramento
- City Clerk's Office Records (2011/020).
Robbie Waters, a native of Sacramento, was born in 1936. After graduating from Sacramento High School in 1954, Waters enlisted
in the U.S. Air Force. He completed his tour of service in 1957. A year later, in 1958, Waters joined the Sacramento Police
Department, embarking on a nearly thirty-year career in law enforcement. Robbie Waters and his wife Judie were married in
1960. They have three children, Darren, Deanna, and Dan.
Amid his years of public service, Waters obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology from the California State University,
Sacramento. He authored a text book,
Introduction to Law Enforcement, released in 1972. In 1976, he began work on a Master of Arts degree from the University of Southern California. Waters is
also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Advanced Criminology.
Robbie Waters navigated an extremely successful career with the Sacramento Police Department. After working Burglary Detail
in the Detective Bureau, Waters was promoted to Sergeant of Detectives in 1965. He then rose to Lieutenant in 1966 and served
as Homicide Lieutenant from 1972 to 1976. He served as Juvenile Commander from 1976 to 1977 and worked in Internal Affairs
from 1978 to 1979. Waters was a Lieutenant in the Personnel Training division for the next three years before being elected
Sheriff of Sacramento County in 1982. He served as Sheriff until 1987. In 1974 Waters received the Law Enforcement Officer
of the Year award, and was also recognized as Lawman of the Year by the Elks Lodge and the American Legion. He received the
Sacramento Police Department Silver Medal of Valor in 1975.
Following his retirement from law enforcement in 1987, Waters and his son, Darren, established a construction company building
custom homes in Sacramento's Pocket neighborhood. Along with his wife, Judie, Waters is also the owner of Pocket Custom Framing.
Waters has been part of numerous organizations, having served on the local boards of the Boy Scouts of America, the Red Cross,
and Make A Wish Foundation, among others. He is also a past president of such local groups as the Pocket Little League and
Kennedy American Legion Baseball.
Waters resumed a lifelong devotion to public service when he won a seat on the Sacramento City Council in 1994 as the representative
of District 7. Located in the southwestern portion of the city, District 7 incorporates the Pocket, Greenhaven, and Valley
Hi neighborhoods, as well as the southern half of Meadowview. Waters was re-elected in 1998, 2002, and 2006, serving a total
of sixteen years. Darrell Fong defeated Waters in the 2010 election.
Waters backed numerous development projects in his district over the course of his City Council run. He secured funding to
renovate all thirteen parks in District 7 and encouraged the development of the Bill Conlin Youth Sports Complex, the Didion
Joint Use Project, the Valley Hi-North Laguna Library, and the Asian Community Center. Waters supported the opening of Merryhill
Middle School, Bergamo School, and Phoenix School. Residential and commercial ventures within District 7 included Coleman
Ranch, Delta Shores, and the Islands at Riverlake. But of all his support for new construction and re-development in District
7, the Pocket-Greenhaven Library is perhaps the most meaningful. As a project he first pushed for in 1994, the library finally
opened in 2010 and now bears his name.
On a citywide scale, Waters served on the 911 Center Committee with the goal of improving public safety. He helped bring helicopters
to the Sacramento Police Department, pushed for eight new motor officers, and backed the addition of fifteen new fire trucks.
Waters helped pass a Dangerous Vehicle Ordinance as well as a Car Stereo Ordinance.
Community engagement was a constant feature for Waters during his time as councilman. He wrote a column for the local newspaper,
Pocket News, detailing district updates. Waters actively backed Neighborhood Watch groups as an effort to deter crime, and he encouraged
Pocket Area Neighborhood Associations with maintaining quality of life within the district. He helped establish several community
events, including the annual July 4th Parade & Fireworks, an annual levee cleanup, and Seymour Park Summer Concerts.
Finally, Waters pushed a number of infrastructure improvements for District 7. A 100-year certification of the levees and
the installation of new drains have significantly reduced the flood risk for the majority of South Sacramento. Traffic improvements
have included new speed bumps and stop signs, a new traffic signal, and the district's first round-about. Waters also coordinated
with the city on the Light Rail South Line expansion project and the Cosumnes River Boulevard Extension & Interchange projects.
Sacramento (Calif.) City Council District 7 records focus mainly on Robbie Waters' duties as Councilmember, including civic
engagement, administrative operations, and legal issues. The collection primarily documents the councilman's activities between
the years 1994 and 2010, with some folders incorporating files from earlier years. In an attempt to preserve the original
order, most of the folders bear their original names. Also, the complaints and correspondence series maintain their chronological
and alphabetical arrangement. Other series were artificially created and organized by their related content so as to be more
accessible to researchers.
Contained within the collection are printed records such as correspondence, financial records, legal documents, newspaper
clippings, and publications and reports. Several development projects include blueprints, plans, maps, and charts. Additional
media formats are sparse, but include some photographs and two compact discs. The geographic focus of the material is Sacramento,
California, predominantly in District 7. The inclusive dates for the full collection range from 1990 through 2010, with most
items pertaining to 2001 through 2010. Topics and subjects comprising the collection are district programs, civic committees,
special events, the Pocket Greenhaven library, legal documents, financial records in relation to his office and affiliates,
correspondence with district constituents, and some city records.
The following scope and content descriptions only offer selected highlights. Please see container list for a full listing
of the series contents.
Series 1. District 7 includes records related to the district's development and zoning, programs and committees, the Pocket-Greenhaven Library,
and special events. These subjects are broken down into subseries.
Subseries 1.1 Development and Zoning includes such records as project outlines, photos, and plans, site evaluations and studies, and correspondences and complaints.
Most records are related to residential and commercial development projects, as well as infrastructure projects within District
7. This subseries is arranged alphabetically. For the most part, folders are labeled with either the title of the project
or the name of the affected site.
Subseries 1.2 Special Events includes records related to fundraisers, funds, reimbursements, scholarships, and donations for various projects and events
within the district. This subseries is arranged by year, covering the years 2001-2009.
Subseries 1.3 Programs and Committees contains correspondence, reports, and meeting minutes related to committees, commissions, organizations, and programs within
the district.
Subseries 1.4 Pocket-Greenhaven Library comprises records related to the planning and establishment of the library. Design plans, education statistics, meeting minutes,
and funding sources are among the types of documents. In an effort to maintain original order, the subseries is arranged by
year from 2006-2010.
Series 2. City of Sacramento covers records and information primarily related to the city rather than District 7. Records in this series include information
on resolutions, budgets, city planning, and a 1990 report on levee failures. This series is arranged alphabetically, spanning
the years 1990-2008.
Series 3. Constituent Correspondence includes emails and letters written by Robbie Waters and his office staff to district constituents. Most appear to be responses
to complaints or issues raised by Waters' constituents. The series is arranged alphabetically by the last name of the constituent
and covers the years 2001-2010.
Series 4. Complaints contains emails and letters sent to Robbie Waters' office from District 7 constituents. The majority of complaints deal with
residential issues affecting the home or neighborhood of the constituent. The series is arranged by month and year, beginning
in January 2000 and ending in September 2010.
Series 5. Legal is a small series comprised of codes and ordinances, small claims and court papers, and information about particular crimes.
The series is arranged by subject, with information spanning the years 1998-2008.
Series 6. Office Files includes information related to the financial records and personnel records of Robbie Waters' office. These topics are broken
down into two subseries.
Subseries 6.1 Financial contains information about funds, mail statements, grants, and budgets. The subseries covers 1995-2009.
Subseries 6.2 Personnel includes Robbie Waters' accomplishments and administrative information concerning office interns. The subseries covers 1999-2010.
Personal Names
Waters, Robbie, 1936-
Corporate Names
McDonalds
Walgreens
Sacramento (Calif.). City Council
Subjects
Cosumnes River Boulevard
Flood Control
Freeport Shores
Islands at Riverlake
Pocket-Greenhaven Library
Residential Development
Sacramento (Calif.)-History
Sacramento (Calif.)-Politics and government
Sacramento (Calif.)-Politics and government-20th century
Sacramento Parkway