Measure E revives Elk Grove’s oldest park trees

Elk Grove is using Measure E sales-tax money to treat or replace aging oak trees at Elk Grove Park, the city’s oldest major park. (patch.com) City crews and contractors are expected to intervene on about 20 high-risk trees, focusing on heritage oaks that line roads and heavily used areas of the park. Measure E is the one-cent local sales tax Elk Grove voters approved on November 8, 2022. (patch.com) (elkgrove.gov) The tax took effect April 1, 2023, raising Elk Grove’s local sales-tax rate from 7.75% to 8.75%. The city says Measure E money is shared with Cosumnes Community Services District, which handles parks and recreation services in Elk Grove. (elkgrove.gov) (cosumnescsd.gov) Cosumnes Community Services District lists “maintaining parks” as one of the spending priorities tied to Measure E, including landscaping, repairs, playground equipment and security lighting. The city’s February 25, 2026 staff report says park maintenance remained one of the funded priorities in fiscal year 2024-25. (cosumnescsd.gov) (elkgrove.gov) The tree work is landing at a park with unusual local history. Cosumnes Community Services District says Elk Grove Park has been a gathering place since the late 1800s, and residents bought the land in 1903 after organizer Jennie McConnell sold $5 shares to save its oak trees from being cut for lumber. (cosumnescsd.gov) That early rescue still shapes the park now. Cosumnes says the site grew into a 127-acre regional park under its care in 2003, and the large oaks still define the look of the grounds around picnic areas, trails, sports fields and the historic Rhoads School House. (cosumnescsd.gov 1) (cosumnescsd.gov 2) The city and district have also been formalizing how they handle tree risk. Cosumnes sought a tree health and risk assessment for Elk Grove Park, requiring a contractor to evaluate tree structure, defects and the likelihood of failure using International Society of Arboriculture risk standards. (cosumnescsd.gov 1) (cosumnescsd.gov 2) Elk Grove’s tree rules also lean toward preservation. The city code says Elk Grove wants to preserve existing trees whenever reasonably possible and protect the historic character older trees give the community. (codepublishing.com) Measure E generated about $34.1 million in fiscal year 2023-24, according to the city’s first annual oversight report, giving Elk Grove and Cosumnes a larger maintenance budget than they had before the tax passed. The current tree project shows where some of that money is ending up: not in a new park, but in the old canopy residents already use. (elkgrove.gov) (patch.com)