Sacramento mayoral candidate says he is supported by police officers. Is that true?
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The Sacramento police officer union has endorsed Assemblyman Kevin McCarty for mayor.
It’s unclear when the powerful union issued the endorsement, as neither the union nor the campaign announced it publicly.
McCarty mentioned the endorsement at the end of mayoral candidate forums on Monday and Friday.
“I’m super excited that the majority of elected officials from our Board of Supervisors to our City Council members to our Congressional representatives to our Assembly members to leaders who have seen my work have endorsed our candidacy,” McCarty said during the forum Monday. “As have our firefighters, our police officers. They know I can make tough decisions and more importantly bring common sense.”
Afterward, McCarty spokesman Andrew Acosta confirmed the Sacramento Police Officers Association’s endorsement and sent a photo of a door hanger campaign volunteers had been handing out for several weeks. It lists the SPOA at the top of a list of supporters.
The SPOA is not listed on McCarty’s campaign website under the “endorsements” tab, however. The campaign has not posted about it on social media.
That’s in contrast to the way the campaign handled the endorsement of the Sacramento Area Firefighters in January. At that time, the campaign posted about it on McCarty’s X, formerly known as Twitter, account and listed the union at the top of the endorsement page.
It’s not the first time McCarty’s camp has received high-profile support quietly. In March, Mayor Darrell Steinberg made a hefty $4,050 donation to McCarty’s campaign, but there was no public announcement of support until The Bee asked about it in August. The campaign earlier this month tweeted about Steinberg’s support, included it on the endorsement page and on a door hanger.
Officer Dustin Smith, SPOA president, said the association has had a good working relationship with McCarty, who is the current chair of the state assembly’s public safety committee.
“He has a good working knowledge of our budget and the police department,” Smith said. “He has been responsive about being willing to meet and sit down about the different issues the police department has been facing. We have not always seen eye to eye on topics in the past but we have always been able to have an honest conversation that allows us to see each others’ views.”
The SPOA has not yet determined if it will make a campaign donation to McCarty, Smith said.
During the primary, the union endorsed former councilman Steve Hansen, who did not advance to the general election.
Police funding is one of the biggest topics where the candidates differ. Both agree on no police officer layoffs. But candidate Flo Cofer has said she wants to, over time, shift $70 million away from the police budget. She wants to use that money instead to hire more non-police personnel to respond to non-violent calls in the hopes of reducing instances of racial profiling and officer-involved shootings.
McCarty’s mailer states a pledge of, “no cuts for our police and fire departments.” It points out the departments are not back to pre-Great Recession staffing levels.
McCarty’s other claim at the forum about being endorsed by the majority of electeds in Sacramento is true. While Cofer has been endorsed by progressive councilwomen Katie Valenzuela and Mai Vang, McCarty has been endorsed by dozens of other elected officials.
The election will be held Nov. 5. The new mayor will be sworn in on Dec. 10.
This story was originally published September 20, 2024 at 2:13 PM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that Kevin McCarty’s campaign has included Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s support on the endorsement page of its website and door hanger.
