Rival Democratic groups in Sacramento split on key endorsements. Will voters be confused?
Local Democratic Party leaders say a well-connected new political group in Sacramento is misrepresenting its affiliation with the party and misleading voters.
Political consultants Chris Tapio and David Townsend started the Sacramento Democratic Alliance, a political action committee, in January.
“We are a committee of politically-active, Sacramento Democrats who believe that our Party is stronger and more effective when we work together to make our region a better place to live, work, and raise a family — even if we don’t see eye-to-eye 100% of the time,” the committee’s website says.
Tapio and Townsend have for years supported business-friendly moderate Democrats and causes at the local and statewide levels.
Now they’re supporting Sacramento candidates and ballot measures that are closer to the political center than those backed by the Democratic Party of Sacramento County, which leans farther to the left. Unlike other local political groups, they haven’t sought the blessing of the county party by applying to become what’s known as a chartered organization.
Terry Schanz, the county party’s chairman, said the group’s unified-sounding name is tailored to deceive.
“Chris and his colleagues are misleading voters when it comes to who leaders in the Democratic party are actually supporting and is using the Democratic brand to confuse voters,” Schanz said.
The committee has raised just $3,600 so far, but has already caused a stir in local political circles.
“Nobody seems to have heard of this mystery organization the ‘Sacramento Democratic Alliance,’” Preservation Sacramento president William Burg wrote on Twitter on Sept. 8 after the campaign in favor of “strong mayor” touted an endorsement from the committee. “Do they actually exist?”
While perhaps rare locally, Sacramento political consultant Andrew Acosta said groups like the alliance are not uncommon at the state and national levels, and voters have become savvy — knowing there’s more to a committee than its name.
“If it looks shifty and shady, voters will figure that out,” Acosta said. “They see it every cycle with statewide initiatives that try to hide the ball.”
Tapio defended the committee, pointing out the other local political groups with a capital “D” in their names.
“It’s completely not uncommon for Democratic organizations in town to have different endorsements from the Democratic party,” Tapio said.
He mentioned the Sacramento Stonewall Democrats, the Latino Democratic Club and the Fem Dems of Sacramento, which promotes feminist principles. Some of those groups have endorsed different candidates than the main Democratic Party.
All those groups applied to the Democratic Party of Sacramento County and are now chartered organizations, Schanz said.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen anything like this,” Schanz said.
Disagreements on ‘strong mayor’
The Sacramento Democratic Alliance’s most notable position is its support for Measure A, the “strong mayor” proposal that would give Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and future city mayors more power. Steinberg is a Democrat and is the driving force behind the measure.
The county party opposes the measure, saying it would suppress the voices of neighborhoods represented by their City Council members. The Sacramento Democratic Alliance argues a mayor needs more control over the city’s budget and operations.
The measure would make the mayor’s position the most powerful in the city, giving the mayor the ability to draft the city budget, fire the city manager, and veto City Council decisions and budget line items. The council would be able to overturn a mayoral veto with a two-thirds vote.
Schanz and Tapio also held opposing positions on a similar proposal that came before voters in 2014 under former Mayor Kevin Johnson, also a Democrat. Each said their position on “strong mayor” is based on the form of government, not who’s in the mayor’s seat.
Tapio has supported the change in government structure since researching it extensively while serving on the city’s charter review commission about a decade ago, he said.
“Right now we’ve got a mayor whose only unique job from a City Council member is to preside over City Council meetings,” Tapio said. “At this point we need to move beyond ceremonial leadership.”
Schanz said the problem with the City Council is not the so-called “weak mayor” form of government, but the members themselves.
“The problems that exist in our city are not because of the structure of government,” Schanz said. “It’s because of the leadership in those positions.”
Every member of the City Council is a Democrat.
The Sacramento County Democrats have long been trying to move the council farther to the political left, with limited success. Then, in March, they had a big win when Democratic socialist Katie Valenzuela unseated incumbent Steve Hansen, a more moderate Democrat. Valenzuela takes over the seat representing the central city and Land Park in December.
Tapio’s group endorsed candidates for local races in the March primary, he said.
In the Nov. 3 elections for the Sacramento City Unified School Board, the alliance is supporting incumbents Jessie Ryan and Christina Pritchett, while the party is endorsing their challengers Lavinia Grace Phillips and Jose Navarro.
For City Council District 8, the alliance is supporting Pastor Les Simmons, while the party is endorsing Mai Vang.
The alliance has not yet taken a position on a city rent control ballot measure. The Sacramento County Democrats support that measure, called Measure C, which would create a more strict rent control ordinance in the city than what’s already on the books, but could still be thrown out by a judge.
It’s possible the new group could continue to make waves with more endorsements.
“I don’t foresee any additional endorsements,” Tapio said. “But I wouldn’t rule anything out.”
Also behind the alliance are campaign contributors Jonathan Arambel, of Third House LLC; Jim Cooper for Assembly; political consultant Steve Maviglio; retiree Daniel E. McKinley; Vice President of Strategic and Political Affairs for the California Charter Schools Association Jacob Regalado; and Steinberg for Sacramento Mayor 2020, according to campaign finance documents.
For the American River Flood Control District, the alliance is supporting Maviglio, while the party is endorsing Tamika L’Ecluse.
The names behind the group are not on its website, but are publicly available in campaign finance records on a city website.
