Sacramento mayoral race has a second candidate, but unknown if Darrell Steinberg will run
Maggy Krell, a prosecutor specializing in sex trafficking prevention, is running for mayor of Sacramento.
Krell, who declined comment for this story, sent an email to a group of past supporters Friday morning with the subject line, “Running for Mayor.”
“I fell in love here, became a mom here,” Krell says in a YouTube video attached to the email. “As deputy attorney general I protected survivors of sex trafficking. When immigrant kids were ripped away from their moms, I helped reunite families. As Planned Parenthood’s lawyer, I defended choice and access to healthcare. I believe in the possibility of a safe and sound Sacramento. I’m Maggy Krell and I’m running for mayor.”
Mayor Darrell Steinberg has not yet announced whether he will run for a third term, but will do so by the end of May, said Mary Lynne Vellinga, his chief of staff.
Flo Cofer, an epidemiologist and a progressive activist, is also running for mayor. Former councilmen Jeff Harris and Steve Hansen have filed paperwork to start raising funds to run, but have not yet made announcements.
Krell serves as special advisor to the California attorney general, and is former deputy for four attorney generals, specializing in sex trafficking prevention, according to her web page. She is also the former chief legal counsel for Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.
It’s not Krell’s first time running for local office. She ran unsuccessfully for district attorney in 2014. But her public profile has risen since then. When the Trump Administration announced its family separation policy in 2018, Krell went to Texas, got inside an ICE detention center and successfully reunited refugee families, her webpage states.
In 2021 she published a book called “Taking Down Backpage: Fighting the World’s Largest Sex Trafficker — A Prosecutor’s Story.” It details a case she led against the website, arguing it was being used by pimps to lure underage girls into sex trafficking. She has appeared on several national media outlets discussing the topic.
Krell was born in California and has lived in Sacramento for over 20 years. She coaches YMCA youth basketball, and serves on the board of directors at the Boys and Girls Club, her webpage states.
The local primary election will be held March 5, and the general election will be held Nov. 5.
This story was originally published April 28, 2023 at 12:48 PM.
