New Sacramento City Council districts approved. Here are the boundaries, who’s running
For the first time since 2010, the city of Sacramento officially has new City Council districts.
The Sacramento Independent Redistricting Commission Thursday night approved a new district map, which went into effect immediately.
It means that two council members — Jay Schenirer and Jeff Harris — do not live in the districts they are now representing. While Schenirer does not plan to run for re-election in June, it’s unclear if Harris will move so he can run.
The adoption of the map also officially kicks off the short campaign season for the June local election, now that prospective candidates know which district they live in. The new members will join the council in December.
Here’s a rundown of the new districts and who’s running so far:
District 1
Where it was: North Natomas
Where it will be: Part of North Natomas, part of North Sacramento
Council member: Angelique Ashby, who owns a North Natomas home but is not running for re-election in June because she is running for State Senate.
Who could replace her in June election:
▪ Lisa Kaplan, Natomas Unified School Board member since 2002, and an attorney, is running for the seat, she said.
▪ Alyssa Lozano, a realtor and president of the Natomas Chamber of Commerce, is seriously considering a run, said Andrew Acosta, a political consultant.
▪ Basim Elkarra, executive director of The Council on American-Islamic Relations and member of the Twin Rivers Unified School District Board, is considering a run, he said.
District 2
Where it was: North Sacramento
Where it will be: Part of the Robla neighborhood will now be in District 1
Council member: Sean Loloee, who owns a house in North Sacramento
District 3
Where it was: East Sacramento, River Park, River District, and part of North Sacramento.
Where it will be: South Natomas, part of North Natomas.
Council member: Jeff Harris, who owns a home in River Park.
Who could replace him in June election: Karina Talamantes, Ashby’s chief of staff, is exploring the possibility of a run, she said. She is also the president of the Sacramento County Board of Education.
District 4
Where it was: Downtown, midtown, Land Park, part of South Natomas.
Where it will be: Downtown, midtown, East Sacramento, River Park, River District, West Broadway.
Council member: Katie Valenzuela, who rents an apartment in midtown.
District 5
Where it was: Oak Park, Curtis Park, parts of South Sacramento.
Where it will be: Oak Park, Parkway, parts of South Sacramento.
Council member: Jay Schenirer, who owns a home in Curtis Park and is not seeking re-election.
Who could replace him in June election:
▪ Kendra Macias Reed, chair of the Planning and Design Commission and co-owner of a small construction company. She lives in Z’Berg Park, which is no longer part of District 5, but plans to sell her house and move, she told The Bee. Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Schenirer have endorsed her.
▪ Caity Maple, who owns a North Oak Park home and is a homeless activist. She is also vice president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association and the vice president of government affairs at Perfect Union, a cannabis company. Ashby and Valenzuela have endorsed her.
District 6
Where it was: Tahoe Park, Elmhurst and southeast Sacramento
Where it will be: No major changes
Council member: Eric Guerra, who owns a home in Tahoe Park. He is running for State Senate, but can keep his council seat if he loses.
District 7
Where it was: Pocket-Greenhaven, Valley Hi and North Laguna
Where it will be: Pocket-Greenhaven, Curtis Park, Land Park
Council member: Rick Jennings, who owns a home in Pocket-Greenhaven and is running for re-election.
Who could replace him in June election: Nobody has announced a challenge.
District 8
Where it was: Meadowview, Parkway
Where it will be: Meadowview, Valley Hi, North Laguna. Last week’s proposed map would have divided Meadowvew into two districts, but the adopted map keeps it all in District 8.
Council member: Mai Vang, who owns a home in Meadowview.
The clock now starts on a 30-day period where registered voters can file a petition to challenge the new districts, according to the city code. If the petition is successful, a court could order the city to redraw the lines.
Isaac Gonzalez, president of the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association, said he plans to file an appeal to the map. Along one section of Second Avenue, the homes on one side of the street are in District 6, while the other side is in District 5. He said they should all be in District 6 because they are all part of the Elmhurst neighborhood.
“Those people are going to be disenfranchised,” said Gonzalez, who called in to the commission’s Thursday meeting to voice the concern. “We’re a community of interest, we should be looking out for each other. We should definitely be able to call the same guy or gal who represents us and say ‘we have a problem.’”
This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
