Final Sacramento City Council race is decided. Here’s who will succeed Jay Schenirer
Caity Maple has declared victory in her race for Sacramento City Council.
As of Tuesday, Maple had received 52.3% of the vote in the race to represent District 5, while state worker Tamiko Heim had received 47.7%. The election is not yet certified.
Maple, 31, will represent Oak Park and parts of south Sacramento. She will replace Jay Schenirer, who is retiring after 12 years on the council.
A consultant and former marijuana lobbyist, Maple declared victory in a press release Tuesday after the county’s most recent election update. She campaigned for more than two years.
“This was a victory not just for my campaign, but also for every person in District 5 that deserves a City that works for them,” Maple said in the release. “Despite the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent against me by special interests, my team and I have held firm and focused on our core values: a New Deal for Sacramento’s working families and small businesses.
“My opponent ran a strong campaign and I’m glad that we both had the opportunity to put forward our best efforts to represent the residents of District 5. I could not be more grateful for the confidence that our community has placed in me,” Maple said.
The California Association of Realtors spent over $108,000 on ads against Maple, who supported a local rent control measure two years ago.
Maple was the more liberal candidate of the two. She pledged not to accept campaign donations from law enforcement, developers and real estate. She received donations from unions — Sacramento Central Labor Council, SEIU Local 1000 and Sacramento Central Labor Council. She was supported by councilwomen Angelique Ashby, Katie Valenzuela, and the Democratic Party of Sacramento.
Heim, 43, an Active Transportation Commission member, received donations from city police and firefighter unions, as well as realtors and developers. She was supported by Schenirer and Mayor Darrell Steinberg.
On homelessness, Maple said she wants to place people in permanent housing units right off the streets, instead of placing them in shelters. During a recent debate, Maple highlighted that she lived in her car for a time in college, and has been on the ground talking to many homeless people since 2020 with a nonprofit group she co-founded.
Maple will be sworn into the council on Dec. 13 along with Lisa Kaplan, who will represent North Natomas, and Karina Talamantes, who will represent South Natomas.
This story was originally published November 29, 2022 at 4:32 PM.
