Sacramento top stories: School funding, Fix50 delays and a Kings owner on trial

Sacramento’s top stories Wednesday span a school district’s contested labor deal, another setback for a long-running freeway overhaul and the opening of a high-profile wrongful death trial. Here’s a quick look at what happened.

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• A Sacramento County Office of Education-appointed fiscal adviser has temporarily suspended Sacramento City Unified’s approval of a new teachers union agreement, saying the district failed to complete required fiscal reviews and public disclosures before the school board voted. Fiscal adviser Luz Cázares cited state laws requiring public explanation of a labor deal’s terms and costs, and giving the county office 10 working days to review agreements from districts with negative budget certifications. The MOU would extend use of the district’s retiree health fund for an additional year to cover an estimated $23 million in retiree health costs during 2028-29. It adds to an escalating dispute over how SCUSD should address its estimated $222 million structural deficit.

• Caltrans’ $511 million Fix50 project on Highway 50 has been pushed back again, with substantial completion now estimated for Oct. 31, District 3 spokesperson Sergio Ochoa-Sanchez confirmed. Public records obtained by Abridged by PBS KVIE showed multiple instances of unapproved concrete being poured, including one at the Elmhurst Bridge that added six months to the timeline. The project — which adds carpool lanes and resurfaces pavement between I-5 and Watt Avenue — has run nearly $100 million over its original estimate and more than a year past its 2025 target date. Crews still need to finish electrical, landscaping, drainage and striping work.

• Opening statements began Tuesday in Auburn in the wrongful death case against developer and minority Sacramento Kings owner Phil Oates, 75, who was driving the Cadillac that collided with Patrick Mulderrig’s motorcycle in Granite Bay in 2024. Mulderrig’s widow, Miranda Flores, is seeking up to $30 million in damages, and her attorney Roger Dreyer told jurors he would show evidence of pain and significant economic loss, including more than $2 million in future CalPERS pension value. Oates’ attorney Chris Hogan countered that Mulderrig was unconscious throughout and never regained consciousness, asking jurors to “measure it carefully within the confines of the law.” Oates was not ticketed and prosecutors declined to file charges.