Issue: Fall 2025

Hello Friends –

We are interrupting our regular newsletter content because the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary is under tremendous pressure from the city, and we need your help!

What is Happening?

The City of Folsom is experiencing a budget crisis, with expenditures exceeding income. In an effort to balance the budget, the city manager has proposed the zoo sanctuary be “taken over” by a nonprofit or other organization. He brought up this fact for discussion at the 9/23 City Council meeting (Watch the webcast).

What are the Facts?

• The Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary has been a beloved part of Folsom’s culture for 62 years, serving approximately 120,000 people per year. It is one of the reasons people want to live in this town.
• It costs approximately $2.5 million annually to run the zoo.  The zoo sanctuary’s revenue combined with financial support from the Friends covers about $1.2 million of those expenses. The remaining $1.3 million represents only 1% of the city’s overall budget. Docents and others volunteer 15,000 hours per year, saving the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in salaries and benefits.
• One of the goals of the Friends is to reduce the zoo sanctuary’s reliance on the city for financing. We have already taken steps to hire a consultant to do an economic development report on the zoo sanctuary, which will include looking at all feasible models of governance and ways to increase funding. The council members have agreed to participate in the report’s development. The kick-off meeting was on 9/29.
• Over the past 19 years, the Friends has donated $1.5 million to the zoo sanctuary. Your support and contributions have made a difference, and we appreciate it.

We Need Your Help!

We need to let the Folsom City Council and city manager know that the zoo sanctuary is important to this community and we want the city to work with the Friends to find the BEST, not the easiest solution to these budget challenges.

We encourage you to share your thoughts about how important the zoo sanctuary is to Folsom (and to you) with the city manager and city council members. We’ve provided email addresses below and a sample email that you can customize. Feel free to include photos of your visits in the email. In addition to current residents, we’d love for them to hear from people from outside the area or those who no longer live in Folsom but have fond memories of growing up with the zoo sanctuary, so feel free to forward this email to friends and family. If you are unable to email, you can show your support by attending city council meetings. Your support is critical!

Email Addresses

City Manager Bryan Whitemyer          bwhitemyer@folsom.ca.us
Mayor Sarah Aquino                             saquino@folsom.ca.us
Vice Mayor Justin Raithel                    jraithel@folsom.ca.us
Councilmember Mike Kozlowski        mkozlowski@folsom.ca.us
Councilmember Barbara Leary           bleary@folsom.ca.us
Councilmember Anna Rohrbough      annar@folsom.ca.us

Sample Email

Subject: Support for the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary

Dear [City Council Member's/Manager’s Name],

I am writing to express my heartfelt support for the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary. For 62 years, this beloved institution has been a cornerstone of our community, serving approimately120,000 people annually and enriching our town's culture in addition to bringing revenue to town.

The zoo sanctuary operates with the help of dedicated volunteers who contribute 15,000 hours each year, saving the city significant costs. The subsidy required for the zoo sanctuary represents just 1% of the city's overall budget, a small price to pay for the immense value it brings to our community.

[Add personal anecdotes about your zoo sanctuary experience here.]

The Friends of the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary is committed to reducing the zoo's reliance on city funding and has already begun exploring new ways to support these efforts. I hope you will join me in providing crucial support for the preservation and growth of this cherished institution.

Thank you,

Your name

Other Ways to Help

• Become a member of the Friends of the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary
• Support our upcoming special 4-pack of beer with custom animal artwork at Red Bus Brewery (available for order starting November 1)
• Come to  Wild nights and Holiday Lights at the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary this December (Tickets will go on sale November 1)
• Consider a year-end gift to the Friends (Giving Tuesday is December 2)