History
A Little History of ESCA
The East Sacramento Improvement Association was founded and incorporated in 1958. In 2021 the Association changed its name to the East Sacramento Community Association.
Glenn and Sidney Pope and Kay Lobner were among the founding and charter members. They saw a need to preserve and protect the character of East Sacramento. Certainly, even they may not have envisioned that the Association would be so successful and still going strong to this day.
One of the early galvanizing issues for ESCA was Mercy Hospital’s expansion plans in 1957 and 1958. ESCA was successful in scaling down the original plans to something more compatible with the neighborhood.
Over the years the Association developed an outstanding reputation of successfully defending East Sacramento from inappropriate development and advocating for the best of East Sacramento. One City Manager told Sidney Pope that because of the Association’s efforts, East Sacramento did not evolve into something like Watt Avenue.
Over the years, ESCA has tackled both big and small issues to promote the best for East Sacramento. One example is when ESCA helped to stop the owners of the old Rosemont Restaurant (previously Andiamo’s and then Good Eats and now OBO and Kru) when they wanted to convert it into a huge card room. Another big effort was to stop the city’s proposal to connect Elvas Avenue to Richards Boulevard in 1987. This connector would have greatly increased traffic in East Sacramento neighborhoods. ESCA was a major player in the battle to oppose the Centrage development and its proposed 26-story skyscrapers. A residential neighborhood, McKinley Village, now sits on that property.
ESCA promotes the good things happening in our neighborhood. In 1978, long-time ESIA member Marilyn Mahoney suggested that the Association recognize people and businesses that have made positive and negative contributions to the neighborhood. Thus was born the Orchid and Onion Awards; the former was later renamed the Sydney Pope Memorial Orchid and Onion Awards in her honor. These are given annually to recognize ‘jewels’ of East Sacramento and to nudge others to do better.
The Association led the efforts to rezone the Alhambra corridor, preserve its architectural uniqueness and to limit building height. While this took several years of committee and other meetings, the results were well worth it. ESCA was the first to form a graffiti patrol under the able leadership of Katherine Travers-Cohn.
Over the years, ESCA has advocated for bulk and height standards (the “tent” ordinance) to curb the McMansionization of East Sacramento.
ESCA is a charter supporter of the Pops in the Parks concert series and the East Sacramento Room in the Clunie Community Center, which serves as a permanent place to display East Sacramento’s history. ESCA members Cindy Collins and Steve Cohn had originated this idea.
In 2015, ESCA joined forces with MENA – McKinley East Sacramento Neighborhood Association – itself a successful neighborhood group formed in 1994. The focus of both organizations had become more clearly aligned and the result is one larger and more effective voice for East Sacramento’s interests