Mayoral candidate Lynn Wheat says Elk Grove should build affordable housing, not a zoo on taxpayer-owned property

The zoo project will eventually cost taxpayers $1 billion.

Mayoral candidate Lynn Wheat says Elk Grove should build affordable housing, not a zoo on taxpayer-owned property
Elk Grove Mayoral candidate Lynn Wheat discusses the need for affordable housing at the Elk Grove City Council meeting.

During the October 23, 2024, Elk Grove City Council meeting, mayoral candidate Lynn Wheat spoke during public comment on non-agenda items about one of California's most urgent needs, affordable housing.

Wheat noted that with taxpayers' money, her opponent, Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen, directed purchasing the 100-acre site without voter consent to house the 65-acre relocated Sacramento Zoo. The project will cost more than $300 million in the first phase and is mainly paid for by Elk Grove taxpayers.

It will eventually grow to $1 billion when other phases are completed and would be better suited to address the state's housing shortage. It is unclear how the city will cover the remaining costs. 

See the video below for Wheat's entire commentary. 

During recent city council meetings, Wheat has discussed various policy positions to the consternation of Singh-Allen. At an earlier meeting, Singh-Allen tried to suppress Ms. Wheat's First Amendment rights but silenced herself after being widely criticized.