Guide to the Steve Cohn papers
Kyle Hill, Laura Mele, Meagan Olson, and Cameron Padama-Travis
Center for Sacramento History
551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd.
Sacramento, California 95811-0229
Phone: (916) 808-7072
Fax: (916) 264-7582
Email: csh@cityofsacramento.org
URL: http://www.centerforsacramentohistory.org/
© 2020
Center for Sacramento History. All rights reserved.
Guide to the Steve Cohn papers
Collection number: CTY0011
Center for Sacramento History
Sacramento, CA
- Processed by:
- Kyle Hill, Laura Mele, Meagan Olson, and Cameron Padama-Travis
- Date Completed:
- 2016
- Encoded by:
- Kim Hayden
© 2020 Center for Sacramento History. All rights reserved.
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).
Series 1.
Organizations, committees, and meetings
ca. 1994-2014
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains material related to specific groups or organizations, and meeting minutes and fliers. While this type
of material can also be found in other series in the collection, the folders in this series were dedicated to each specific
organization, committee, group, or meeting in Cohn's original arrangement.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically.
Box 1, Folder 1-3
Campus Commons Meeting
1995-03-01
Box 1, Folder 4-5
Capital Unity Council Board
undated
Box 1, Folder 6-7
Councilman Cohn - Transportation Committee
undated
Box 1, Folder 8
Dayminder Appointment Book
1995
Box 1, Folder 9
Dayminder Appointment Book
1996
Box 1, Folder 10-11
District Council Meeting, Clunie
1995
Box 1, Folder 12-13
East Bay Public Safety Corridor Partnership
undated
Box 1, Folder 14-16
Library Authority
undated
Box 1, Folder 17-19
Mayor’s Advisory Council on Economic Development
undated
Box 1, Folder 20
Neighborhood Association Advisory Group (NAAG)
undated
Box 1, Folder 21
Neighborhood: Ben Ali
undated
Box 1, Folder 22
Neighborhood: Boulevard Park Neighborhood Association/Marshal School
undated
Box 1, Folder 23
Neighborhood: Campus Commons
undated
Box 2, Folder 1
Neighborhood: Hagginwood
undated
Box 2, Folder 2
Neighborhood: Mansion Flats
undated
Box 2, Folder 3
Neighborhood: NEPNA - New Era Park Neighborhood Association
undated
Box 2, Folder 4
Neighborhood: North Sacramento Redevelopment Area
undated
Box 2, Folder 5
Neighborhood: R Street Corridor
undated
Box 2, Folder 6
Neighborhood: River Park
undated
Box 2, Folder 7
Neighborhood: Sierra Oaks
undated
Box 2, Folder 8
Neighborhood: Swanston/Arden/Point West
undated
Box 2, Folder 9
Neighborhood: Washington Park Neighborhood Group
undated
Box 2, Folder 10
Neighborhood: Winn Park/Capitol Avenue
undated
Box 2, Folder 11-12
Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA)
1995
Box 2, Folder 13-15
Solid Waste Authority (SWA) - Agendas
undated
Box 2, Folder 16
Transportation Authority
undated
Series 2.
Projects and subjects
ca. 1994-2014
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This series makes up the bulk of the collection and consists of material related to individual projects, multi-project issues,
and broader topics that Cohn was involved in or interested in. Items include reports, correspondence, news, photographs, plans,
notes, booklets, and other materials. Also included in this series are two artifacts: a composite wood post from the McKinley
Park Playground signed by the community volunteers of the “rebuild team,” and the sheet-metal head from a sculpture called
the “Wheelbarrow Man” that was originally located in East Sacramento’s Bertha Henschel Park.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically.
Box 2, Folder 18
20th Street Bikeway Event
undated
Box 2, Folder 21-22
43rd Street Parcel Merger
undated
Box 3, Folder 1
Alhambra Rite Aid
undated
Box 3, Folder 3
American River Watershed Project
undated
Box 3, Folder 4
Amtrak Regional Forums
1995
Box 3, Folder 7
Auburn Dam - Comments on DSIR
undated
Box 3, Folder 8-9
Auburn Dam Letters Sent
undated
Box 3, Folder 10-11
Auburn vs. Folsom Dam
1995-01-1995-07
Box 14, Object 2
Bertha Henschel Park “Wheelbarrow Man Sculpture”
1979
Box 3, Folder 12
Beverly Garland Hotel
undated
Box 3, Folder 19
Building Development Projects
undated
Box 3, Folder 24
Bunny Patch Permit Parking
undated
Box 3, Folder 25, Box 4, Folder 1
Capital Unity Council
undated
Box 4, Folder 2
Council of Economic Development Advisors - Tourism Communications
undated
Box 4, Folder 3
Central City Housing
undated
Box 4, Folder 7-9
DASH (Transportation and Planning)
undated
Box 4, Folder 10-14
East Sacramento Room
undated
Box 4, Folder 15-17
East Sacramento Room Exhibit Catalog
undated
Box 4, Folder 19
Exposition Boulevard
undated
Box 4, Folder 21
Fence Zoning Ordinance
undated
Box 4, Folder 24
Fremont Mews Housing
undated
Box 4, Folder 25
Front Yard Landscaping Ordinance
undated
Box 4, Folder 28
H Street Construction
undated
Box 4, Folder 3-4
Kaiser Permanente
undated
Box 5, Folder 12
Medical Marijuana
undated
Box 5, Folder 13-14
Memorial Auditorium
undated
Box 5, Folder 18-19
Midtown Traffic Plan
undated
Box 5, Folder 20
Neighborhood Reclamation Ordinances
undated
Box 5, Folder 22-23, Box 6, Folder 1-15
Box 6, Folder 16
Neighborhood Preservation Transportation Plan
1996-1997
Box 6, Folder 17
Neighborhood Preservation Transportation Plan (NPTP)
1998-1999
Box 6, Folder 18-19
Neighborhood Preservation Transportation Plan (NPTP)
2000-2006
Box 6, Folder 20
Neighborhood Preservation Transportation Plan (NPTP) - Half Closures Vote and Final Council Decision
undated
Box 6, Folder 21-27
Neighborhood Preservation Transportation Plan (NPTP) Letters - Midtown Traffic
undated
Box 6, Folder 28, Box 7, Folder 1
Neighborhood Preservation Transportation Plan (NPTP) Staff Report
undated
Box 7, Folder 3
Parks - Rebuild McKinley
2013
Box 7, Folder 4-8
Parks - Rebuild McKinley Children’s Design Day
2013
Box 14, Object 1
Parks - McKinley, Composite Wood Playground Post, Signed by Rebuild Team (2014/035/352)
2-13
Box 7, Folder 9
Parks - East Lawn Children’s Park
1990
Box 7, Folder 10
Parks - Fremont Park
undated
Box 7, Folder 11
Parks - Kids Play McKinley
1994
Box 7, Folder 14
Point West Area - Transportation Management Association
undated
Box 7, Folder 15
Police Discrimination Court Case
undated
Box 7, Folder 16
Pops in the Park - Agendas/Reports/Minutes/Notes
undated
Box 7, Folder 17
Pops in the Park - Art/Memorabilia
undated
Box 7, Folder 18-19
Pops in the Park - Historic Photo Display - Display Photos
undated
Box 7, Folder 20
Pops in the Park - Historic Photo Display - Event Photos
undated
Box 7, Folder 21
Pops in the Park - Historic Photo Display - Planning and Labels
undated
Box 7, Folder 22
Pops in the Park - Historic Photo Display - Supplemental
undated
Box 7, Folder 23
Pops in the Park - Press
undated
Box 8, Folder 1-3
Pops in the Park - Programs
undated
Box 8, Folder 4-5
Pops in the Park - Questionnaires
undated
Box 8, Folder 6
Privatization of City Lots
undated
Box 8, Folder 8
Redwood House - 515 21st Street
undated
Box 8, Folder 9
River City Emergency Services Food
undated
Box 8, Folder 10
River Park Station
undated
Box 8, Folder 11-12
Sacramento Country Day School
undated
Box 8, Folder 13
Sacramento Country Day School - Correspondence
undated
Box 8, Folder 14-15
Sacramento Country Day School - Correspondence
1996
Box 8, Folder 16-19
Sacramento Country Day School Expansion
undated
Box 8, Folder 20-23
Sacramento Country Day School Staff Reports
undated
Box 9, Folder 1-2
Sacramento County Integrated Waste Management Plan
undated
Box 9, Folder 3-5
Sacramento River Parkway
undated
Box 9, Folder 15
St. Francis House
undated
Box 9, Folder 17
Screen on the Green
undated
Box 9, Folder 18
Starbucks - 1401 Alhambra
undated
Box 9, Folder 19
State of the District Report
undated
Box 9, Folder 20-22, Box 10, Folder 1
Box 10, Folder 2-8
Water Fluoridation
undated
Box 10, Folder 10
WMD/HazMat Rail Re-Route Ordinance
undated
Box 10, Folder 13
Yee Apartments: 2400 Q - 2425 Capitol
undated
Series 3.
Press, correspondence, and awards
1995-2014
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This series consists of press binders that were kept for each year Cohn was in office. Binders include letters, emails, postcards,
thank you notes, website printouts, newspapers and clippings, awards, and pamphlets. Items relate to Cohn, the projects he
worked on, and the issues he was involved in.
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically.
Box 10, Folder 14-15
Binder: News (clippings and correspondence)
1995
Box 10, Folder 16-17
Binder: News (clippings)
1996
Box 10, Folder 18
Binder: News (correspondence)
1996
Box 10, Folder 19-20
Binder: News (clippings)
1997
Box 10, Folder 21
Binder: News (correspondence)
1997
Box 10, Folder 22, Box 11, Folder 1
Binder: News (clippings)
1998
Box 11, Folder 2
Binder: News (correspondence)
1998
Box 11, Folder 7
Binder: Press (clippings)
2000-01-2000-05
Box 11, Folder 8-9
Binder: Press and Correspondence
2000
Box 11, Folder 10-11
Binder: Press (clippings)
2001
Box 11, Folder 12-13
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2001
Box 11, Folder 14
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2002-01-2002-06
Box 11, Folder 15
Binder: Press (clippings)
2002-01-2002-06
Box 11, Folder 16
Binder: Press (clippings)
2002-07-2002-12
Box 11, Folder 17
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2002-07-2002-12
Box 11, Folder 18
Binder: Press (awards)
2002-07-2002-12
Box 11, Folder 19
Binder: Press (clippings)
2003
Box 11, Folder 20
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2003
Box 11, Folder 21
Binder: Press (articles)
2004-01-2004-06
Box 11, Folder 22
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2004-01-2004-06
Box 11, Folder 23
Binder: Press (articles)
2004-07-2004-12
Box 11, Folder 24
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2004-07-2004-12
Box 12, Folder 1
Binder: Press (Arena issues clippings)
2004
Box 12, Folder 2
Binder: Press (clippings and news)
2005-1-2005-06
Box 12, Folder 3
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2005-1-2005-06
Box 12, Folder 4
Binder: Press (clippings and news)
2005-07-2005-12
Box 12, Folder 5
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2005-07-2005-12
Box 12, Folder 6
Binder: Press (clippings and news)
2006-01-2006-06
Box 12, Folder 7
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2006-01-2006-06
Box 12, Folder 8
Binder: Press (clippings and news)
2006-07-2002-12
Box 12, Folder 9
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2006-07-2002-12
Box 12, Folder 10
Binder: Press (clippings and news)
2007
Box 12, Folder 11
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2007
Box 12, Folder 12
Binder: Press (articles)
2008
Box 12, Folder 13
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2008
Box 12, Folder 14-15
Binder: Press (articles)
2009
Box 12, Folder 16
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2009
Box 12, Folder 17-18
Binder: Press (clippings)
2010
Box 12, Folder 19
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2010
Box 12, Folder 20-21
Binder: Press (clippings and news)
2011
Box 12, Folder 22
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2011
Box 12, Folder 23
Binder: Press (clippings and news)
2012
Box 12, Folder 24
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2012
Box 13, Folder 1-2
Binder: Press (clippings and news)
2013
Box 13, Folder 3
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2013
Box 13, Folder 4
Binder: Press (clippings and news)
2014
Box 13, Folder 5
Binder: Press (correspondence)
2014
Series 4.
Travel
ca. 1994-2014
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This series documents Cohn's business travel, especially the Cap-to-Cap program, which sends officials from state capitals
to Washington, D.C. Included is information about the programs concerned, as well as financial records regarding Cohn's trips.
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically.
Box 13, Folder 23
Jinan Sister City Trip
2010-10
Box 13, Folder 29
Philadelphia and New York City
2012-09
Box 13, Folder 31
CALCOG
2013-04-03-2013-04-06
Box 13, Folder 33
LGC’s Elected Officials Conference Yosemite
2013
Series 5.
Digital Media
ca. 1994-2014
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This series contains digital photographs, documents, and video from various official events and projects, including the Pops
in the Park event series. Digital versions of the press and correspondence from Series 3 are available as PDFs in this series,
as well.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically.
Box 13, Folder 35
Mercy Hospital and Sacred Heart Parish School correspondence and written documents (CD)
undated
Box 13, Folder 36
East Sac News and Inside East Sac News Articles (CD)
undated
Box 13, Folder 37
Elica Health Centers Ribbon Cutting (CD)
undated
Box 13, Folder 38
Eppie’s Great Race (DVD)
2010
Box 13, Folder 39
Merry Proposed Heart Center (DVD)
2006-04-13
Box 13, Folder 40
Pops in the Park (CD) discs 1-4
2002-2007
Box 13, Folder 41
Screen on the Green Intros (DVD) 2008-2010
2008-2010
Box 13, Folder 42
Steve Cohn Photos (CD) discs 1-13
undated