05/09/2026
I was honored to witness as they officially broke ground on their new restorative housing community in Oak Park yesterday, World of Wonder — a meaningful investment that will provide safe, stable, and supportive housing for women, children, and families while creating pathways for healing, restoration, and long-term transformation. By combining housing with performing and visual arts programming along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, this project will uplift lives through creativity, connection, and community.
I’m deeply grateful for Loren and Rachelle Ditmore and the entire City of Refuge team for their leadership and commitment to building something that truly serves people with dignity and care— something they have always done. A sincere thank you as well to for her $8m investment and support in helping make this vision a reality.
I’m proud to support initiatives like this because real change happens when we provide people with the housing, care, resources, and opportunities they need to rebuild their lives with dignity, stability, and a true sense of belonging. That’s how we strengthen families, support the unhoused, and build a healthier future for our city.
A special recognition was given to Flossie Crump for her work in reclaiming this land, restoring its history, and honoring the lives lost while holding space for the healing of the families affected. In 1974, she became one of the first two Black female patrol officers in Sacramento Police Department history, breaking barriers for women in law enforcement during a time when policing was overwhelmingly male.
Crump went on to serve as a s*x crimes and homicide detective before advancing into county and state-level investigations, where she handled high-profile and deeply sensitive cases. She was also heavily involved in the investigation of Morris Solomon Jr., the “Homicidal Handyman of Oak Park,” and is widely believed to have played a pivotal role in connecting key evidence that helped bring the case together, even though she was never fully recognized for her contribution.
This was a special place to be yesterday & I’m grateful to have been a part. Congratulations!