Who’s running for local office in Sacramento’s 2024 election? Here’s a list

The next round of elections in Sacramento will begin with a March primary, where some races could be determined. Other races might not be determined until the general election in November 2024.

For the city of Sacramento, the offices of mayor, and council member for Districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 will be on the ballot.

Mayor Darrell Steinberg, who was elected mayor in 2016, has announced that he will not seek re-election, which leaves his seat wide open. District 2 Councilman Sean Loloee, whose grocery stores are the subject of a federal civil lawsuit and criminal investigation, is also not seeking re-election.

Here’s a look at the candidates for each race for whom the city has accepted nomination papers, and who have also created committees to raise funds.

Sacramento mayoral race

Flojaune “Flo” Cofer was the first candidate to formally announce a run for mayor. She is an epidemiologist, an activist against police brutality, and former chair of a city committee tasked with advising the council on how to spend new tax revenue. She is endorsed by Sacramento City Councilwomen Mai Vang and Katie Valenzuela as well as the Sacramento City Teachers Association.

Steve Hansen, a former councilman, announced May 30 that he is running for mayor. He was the city’s first openly gay council member. He lost his District 4 seat to Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela in 2020. Hansen is endorsed by the Sacramento Police Officers Association, the Sacramento Association of Realtors and the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

Kevin McCarty, a former councilman who’s serving as Sacramento’s assemblyman, announced minutes after Steinberg’s announcement that he’d throw his hat into the race. The 51-year-old is a lifelong Sacramento resident. McCarty is endorsed by the Sacramento Central Labor Council and Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522.

Richard Pan, a former state lawmaker and a pediatrician, announced June 11 he is running for mayor. He termed out of the state senate at the end of 2022, after leading the way on several controversial vaccine laws. Pan is endorsed by Sacramento District Attorney Thien Ho.

Jose Antonio Avina II is the owner of a Sacramento gym and a captain in the Marine Corps Reserve, according to his website.

Julius Michael Engel is an asset protection officer.

By the issue:

▪ Campaign funding: And here is a breakdown of who is funding the campaigns of the top four contenders for the mayoral seat.

▪ Homeless shelter sites: During a Sacramento Bee and KVIE hosted a debate Jan. 31, candidates were pressed to name specific locations in their districts where they would want to open a homeless shelter site where people could live in tents, tiny homes and trailers. Here’s a story on which candidates provided answers and on the location of their proposed sites.

▪ Addressing homelessness: The four mayoral front-runners have said the top question they hear from voters is: What are you going to do about homelessness? This story details the approaches they have discussed during their campaigns.

▪ Police spending: As Sacramento faces a $50 million budget deficit, the four viable mayoral candidates have vastly different views on how to fund its most costly and controversial department.

Dig deeper:

▪ McCarty was the target of a negative mail campaign funded by the California Alliance of Family Owned Businesses PAC. This story fact-checks the mailer’s assertions.

▪ Cofer and Hansen got into a heated exchange during a debate over whether the city could use Golden 1 Center in emergencies. This story explores what the Sacramento Kings agreement with the city stipulates.

District 2 City Council

Roger Dickinson is a former Democratic California assemblyman who lives in Woodlake.

Ramona Landeros is a former Twin Rivers Unified School District member who also ran in 2020 and lives in Del Paso Heights.

Kim Davie is a retired vice principal at Grant Union High School who lives in Del Paso Heights.

Penelope Larry is a small business owner who lives in Del Paso Heights.

Alicia Bledsoe is a state worker who lives in Del Paso Heights.

Daryl Collins is a retired police officer and the CEO of a nonprofit called the Collins Resource Center.

Veronica Smith is a consultant and was a city staffer for Councilman Sean Loloee, until he resigned in early January. She has rejected Loloee’s endorsement of her.

Stephen Walton is a real estate agent and financial literacy coach who grew up in Del Paso Heights.

Mary L. Russell did not fill out the occupation field in the forms.

Here is a story about who is funding the District 2 candidates’ campaigns.

District 4 City Council

Katie Valenzuela, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, is the sitting council member for the district. The district will include midtown, downtown, and East Sacramento. Valenzuela is endorsed by Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522, the Sacramento Central Labor Council, the Democratic Party of Sacramento County, Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and councilwomen Mai Vang and Caity Maple.

Phil Pluckebaum is a former member of the city’s Planning and Design Commission, and a project manager at UC Davis Health. He is endorsed by the Sacramento Police Officers Association, the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce PAC, the Sacramento Association of Realtors, and Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna.

J. Marilyn Mackey Meyer is a real estate broker.

Here is a story about who is funding the District 4 candidates’ campaigns.

District 6 City Council

Eric Guerra is the sitting council member for the Southeastern Sacramento district. He was first elected in 2015.

Katherine “KC” Schuft is a realtor who lives in Colonial Heights.

David Drelinger is a paralegal and homeless activist. He lives in Tahoe Park.

Kevin Rooney owns a plumbing business and is a partial owner of an East Sacramento apartment building.

District 8 City Council

Mai Vang is the sitting council member for the South Sacramento district. She was first elected in 2020 and has announced she will run again.

This story was originally published April 26, 2023 at 5:00 AM.