Sean Loloee’s seat temporarily filled by Sacramento City Council. Here’s who was appointed
The Sacramento City Council has appointed a new member to temporarily fill former Councilman Sean Loloee’s seat.
Shoun Thao, former city staffer, will be a member of the council from April 2 to Dec. 10. Thao is the executive director of a nonprofit called Hmong Youth and Parents United, located in North Sacramento’s Noralto neighborhood.
“As a millennial Hmong American leader who grew up in North Sacramento, I’ve come to appreciate and love my community in North Sacramento,” Thao wrote in the application.
Councilwoman Lisa Kaplan originally made a motion for another candidate, Timothy Smith, but she withdrew her motion after hearing from her colleagues so the vote could be unanimous. Several council members said while all three candidates — Smith, Thao and Raquel Sipp — were outstanding, Thao had a leg up because he’s a former city staffer and because he grew up in the district in an immigrant family.
“It’s so important to have somebody who can hit the ground running,” said Vang, who is also Hmong American. “Someone who understands the complexity of city government and can navigate that.”
A Grant Union High School alum, Thao previously worked a staffer for former Councilman Allen Warren from 2013 to 2020, his application states.
The seat has been vacant since Loloee resigned resigned Jan. 4, which had left the mayor’s office responsible for constituent services. Loloee’s resignation was prompted by a federal indictment on charges connected with allegations that he employed undocumented immigrants, including minors, underpaid them, and threatened to have them deported. The Department of Justice also determined Loloee does not live in the district, but in Granite Bay, which The Sacramento Bee first reported in June 2022. The DOJ filed additional charges against Loloee Friday related to his grocery store business.
Thao will be sworn in on April 2. His term will end Dec. 10, when the new council member’s term will begin. Voters will decide the new member — former state Assemblyman Roger Dickinson or realtor Stephen Walton — on Nov. 5.
This story was originally published March 26, 2024 at 4:35 PM.
