Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Processing Information
Biography / Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Related Material
Descriptive Summary
Title: Steve Cohn papers
Dates: 1990-2014
Bulk Dates: 1994-2014
Collection number: CTY0011
Creator:
Cohn, Steve, 1953-
Collection Size:
15 linear feet (14 cartons, 1 oversize folder, 1 artifact)
Repository:
Center for Sacramento History
Sacramento, California 95811-0229
Abstract: The collection documents the civic activities of Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Cohn during his time on the council representing
District 3 from 1994 to 2014. Material is related to projects, organizations, meetings, and committees he participated in;
news covering him and his subjects of interest; and correspondence he received. It covers a range of topics including residential,
commercial, and industrial developments; gun control and water fluoridation; neighborhood associations, events, and public
programming; public spaces and parks; and public services and infrastructure, including waste management and flood control.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
Collection is open for research use.
Publication Rights
All requests to publish or quote from private manuscripts 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 CSH 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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item and/or item number], [box and folder number], Steve Cohn papers, CTY0011, Center for Sacramento History.
Acquisition Information
Transferred from City of Sacramento Council District 3 in 2005 and 2014 (accession numbers 2005/084 and 2014/035).
Processing Information
Processed and finding aid by Kyle Hill, Laura Mele, Meagan Olson, and Cameron Padama-Travis, 2016. Finding aid edited by Kim
Hayden, 2020.
Biography / Administrative History
Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Cohn grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated from Yale University in 1975, then
was a Fulbright Scholar in France from 1975 to 1976, where he received a diplôme from the Université d'Aix-Marseille. Cohn
then graduated from the University of San Diego Law School in 1979. That same year, he and his wife, Catherine Travers, a
high school teacher, moved to Sacramento. They have two children.
In 1992, Cohn began working as the chief assistant general counsel for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), a
role he maintained until 2010. Cohn was elected to Sacramento’s City Council District 3 in 1994 and served until he stepped
down in 2014. He was also elected vice mayor of Sacramento by the city council in 1996 and 2008. He made an unsuccessful run
for mayor in 2000 and for the California State Assembly in 2014.
During his 20-year city council career, Cohn focused on promoting neighborhood programs, transportation, sustainable growth,
and mixed development. He was involved with improving public safety and flood protection, promoted the green sector, and pushed
for the enlarging of city parks.
Cohn served on many different boards and committees during his time on city council. He was the chair of the Council Audit
Committee, Regional Transit Board, and Sacramento Regional Arts Financing Authority, and a board member on the Sacramento
Area Council of Governments, Sacramento Regional Sanitation District, Sacramento Transportation Authority, Capitol Corridor,
Sacramento Metro Air Quality Management District, and Sacramento Human Rights/Fair Housing Board.
Because of his work, Cohn was the recipient of many rewards, including the East Sacramento Improvement Association Orchid
Award for Community Service in 1993, Sierra Club Award for Civic Courage in 1997, Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
City Elected Official of the Year in 2001, Bob Holderness Award for Highway 50 Corridor in 2002, Urban Land Institute Transit
Development Leadership Award in 2007, and Transit Action Elected Official of the Year in 2012.
In October 2016, Cohn published an autobiography, Citizen Cohn: Memoir of Sacramento City Councilman Steve Cohn.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection documents Cohn's civic activities as a Sacramento City Councilmember representing District 3 from 1994 to 2014,
including projects, organizations, meetings, and committees he participated in; news covering him and his subjects of interest;
and correspondence he received. Material covers topics such as residential, commercial, and industrial developments; gun control
and water fluoridation; neighborhood associations, events, and public programming; public spaces and parks; and public services
and infrastructure, including waste management and flood control. The collection mainly consists of paper material, including
emails, letters, notes, plans, reports, notepads, awards, posters, newspapers, and booklets. It also includes print photographs,
CDs containing digital documents and photographs, and two artifacts.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 5 series:
- Series 1. Organizations, committees, and meetings, ca. 1994-2014
- Series 2. Projects and subjects, ca. 1994-2014
- Series 3. Press, correspondence, and awards, 1995-2014
- Series 4. Travel, ca. 1994-2014
- Series 5. Digital media, ca. 1994-2014
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Sacramento (Calif.)
Sacramento (Calif.). City Council
Sacramento (Calif.). City Council. District 3
Sacramento (Calif.)--Politics and government--20th century
Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA)
Capitol to Capitol
Sacramento (Calif.)--Neighborhood Preservation Transportation Plan
Related Material
Related materials at the Center for Sacramento history can be found in the Josh Pane papers (2005/083) and City of Sacramento
City Clerk's Office Records (2011/020).