Elk Grove Mayor Steve Ly seeks third term in November, facing two challengers so far

Elk Grove Mayor Steve Ly will seek a third term as the leader of the region’s second-largest city in November. Ly submitted his nomination this month along with two challengers after the filing period opened on July 13.

Michelle Kile, a longtime resident, and Brian Pastor, a first-time candidate, have also filed to run for the 2-year term as mayor. The nomination period closes on Aug. 7.

Ly was re-elected in 2018 after a bitter race against councilman Darren Suen, and Tracie Stafford.

This time, Suen has filed to run for re-election for his District 1 seat and will square off against Ali Moua, a personal injury attorney who is also of Hmong descent. Three people have filed to run for the District 3 seat currently held by Vice Mayor Steven Detrick: Lynn Wheat, Amandeep Singh, and Kevin Spease.

The tension created during the last election extended to the council dais where Ly has received little support from colleagues. An eviction moratorium that he proposed in April to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic was dismissed by most councilmembers until several citizens complained.

And most recently, the City Council considered placing a measure on the November ballot that would ask voters to eliminate the elected mayor position — only 10 years after voters agreed to create it. That item did not make it past discussion but it was a clear attempt to undermine the sitting mayor.

Ly was first elected in 2016 as the first mayor of Hmong descent in the nation, winning support from a coalition of voters in one of the region’s most diverse cities. But in the years since some of his supporters have soured on him.

Last month, Linda Vue, who was once Ly’s campaign manager, accused the mayor of appealing to the Hmong clan system to convince her to remove critical statements on Facebook. The clan system is a centuries-old institution in the Hmong community that’s often used to solve disputes.

Vue said she received cryptic text messages from someone who claimed they were a clan representative. They asked Vue to take down a post that was critical of Ly in a way that she perceived as a veiled threat. Ly denied any involvement but acknowledged that he did mention the incident to clan leaders in lieu of litigation.

Vue said the body is known for being male-dominated, and that it was inappropriate for Ly to ask them to intervene because he’s an elected official. How the episode will pay out in the November election is still an open question.