Another Sacramento City Council race is decided. Here’s who’ll succeed Jeff Harris
Karina Talamantes, chief of staff to Councilwoman Angeqliue Ashby, has declared victory in her race for Sacramento City Council.
As of Tuesday, Talamantes had received 53.7% of the vote in the race to represent District 3, while nonprofit director Michael Lynch had received 46%. The election is not yet certified.
Talamantes, 33, will represent South Natomas on the council. She will replace Jeff Harris, who has been on the council since 2014. A once-a-decade redistricting process meant that Harris could not seek re-election unless he moved from his River Park home, opening up the newly drawn district.
Talamantes, a member of the Sacramento County Board of Education, declared victory in an email Wednesday after the county’s most recent election update.
“I’m ready to serve our community on day one,” Talamantes wrote. “I’m looking forward to using my knowledge of city hall, relationships with the community, and energy to improve our neighborhoods of Natomas, Gardenland, and Northgate. Juntos vamos a mejorar a nuestra comunidad para poder seguir adelante ... I promise to use my hard work ethic in service to our beautiful and deserving community. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I am humbled and grateful.
Talamantes received campaign donations from the city police union. She was seen as the more liberal candidate compared to Lynch, who received donations from developers and realtors. Talamantes was endorsed by endorsed by Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist and the council’s most liberal member. She was also supported by Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and council members Mai Vang, and Sean Loloee.
Lynch called Talamantes Wednesday to concede.
“I’ve offered to assist her in any way that could benefit the community we both love, and I urge all those who supported me to stand with her to help address the challenges facing our community,” Lynch said in a press release. “We should all take pride that there will now be a historic number of women on the City Council and be proud of Councilmember-elect Talamantes’ victory. It has been the privilege of a lifetime to run for office and I look forward to continuing to serve our community now and in the future.”
Talamantes has been highlighting her experience in solving qualify of life problems, such as potholes, street lights, and crosswalks. On homelessness, Talamantes said she has sites in mind for future shelters, including motel conversions and safe parking lots, but wants to wait until a community meeting to announce them.
“I won’t identify a site until the community has proper input,” she said Wednesday.
When she starts her term Dec. 13, she will have at least one controversial homeless project already in the works. Manufactured homes for homeless hospice patients are planned for a vacant lot in front of Garden Valley Elementary School. Talamantes said she has no current plans to try to block it, but needs to be briefed on the details.
“I think its a good project and it’s necessary,” Talamantes said. “Putting it in front of the school wouldn’t have been my first choice. I need to review the (memorandum of understanding) and see what’s been promised, not promised and what kind of outreach needs to be done to make sure we have community conversation.”
Talamantes will be sworn in during the council meeting on Dec. 13 along with Lisa Kaplan, who will represent North Natomas. The winner of the seat to represent Oak Park and parts of South Sacramento is still too close to call, though Caity Maple is in the lead.
This story was originally published November 23, 2022 at 12:48 PM.
