Why Dawnté Early is the best choice in West Sacramento’s city council special election

It’s always a win for democracy when two good people compete for one office. That’s what’s happening right now in West Sacramento — voters there get to fill an empty seat on their City Council by choosing between a pair of candidates who both care deeply about their community.

In a special election set for Sept. 14, West Sacramento voters must decide between Dawnté Early, chief of research and evaluation for the state Mental Health Services and Oversight Commission, and local businessman Duane Wilson. Both reside in West Sacramento with their families.

The empty seat on the council fills the spot vacated by now-Mayor Martha Guerrero, who defeated longtime Mayor Christopher Cabaldon last November. With Cabaldon gone after more than 20 years on the council, Guerrero’s old seat remains open. In fact, Guerrero’s old seat is up for re-election again next year, so whoever wins the special election on Sept. 14 will almost immediately have to start campaigning again for the 2022 election cycle.

Both Early and Wilson are personable and intelligent. Both have good ideas. Both are capable public servants committed to the betterment of West Sacramento.

But The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board has decided to endorse Early because what separates her from Wilson is experience. When it comes to high-level public policy expertise that could benefit a fast-growing but nimble city such as West Sacramento, the gulf between Early and Wilson is hard to ignore.

Early has a proven track record as a change agent at some of the most complex agencies in California. At the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Early led a joint research project between CDCR and the Department of Health Care Services. She spearheaded important research focused on the Affordable Care Act and how health care access can lower recidivism.

For Early, “equity” isn’t just a trendy buzzword. She attended a historically Black university before earning three degrees, including her PhD, from UC Davis. She successfully pioneered a new gender- and racial equity-focused strategic plan while at the CDCR, an agency that spans the entire state and employs over 60,000 public workers. The plan is currently being implemented.

That said, Wilson, who has an impressive background in tech and finance, also proved himself to be an extremely competent candidate with a wealth of intelligent ideas aimed at improving the quality of life in West Sacramento. On housing, his support of Project Homekey expansions and crafting policies that streamline affordable housing development would add much-needed shelter space for the city’s growing homeless population.

His business background lends itself to sensible priorities such as increasing wages for city employees to retain talented staff, and engaging with business owners to make complying with ever-changing regulations easier.

Wilson has a sharp eye for equity issues, too. He said he would create pathways for Black and brown young people to become entrepreneurs and identify tools that expand homeownership opportunities that help build intergenerational wealth.

Bringing fiber internet to West Sacramento would also be a year-one goal, Wilson said. In the era of remote work and school, it is desperately needed.

On top of her more-than-stellar qualifications, Early would be a historical pick if elected. A Black person has never been elected to office by West Sacramento voters. She just missed getting elected to council in 2020, and would be a credit to her community if elected this time.

We think Early is the best choice for West Sacramento voters. But we also hope that Wilson stays involved in city business and considers applying for a commission or committee seat where he could gain more government experience. In a few years, we hope he runs for council again.

Maybe one day Early and Wilson will serve together on the West Sacramento City Council. Both expressed firm plans to run for re-election in a year if they were elected.

For now, however, the choice for West Sacramento’s empty seat is clear: It’s Dawnté Early.

This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Why Dawnté Early is the best choice in West Sacramento’s city council special election."