Four takeaways from The Sacramento Bee’s wide-ranging town hall with Rep. Ami Bera

U.S. Rep. Ami Bera weighed in on the war in Gaza, talked about texting New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and how Democrats can make a comeback during a Sacramento Bee town hall Thursday night.

The event offered residents a chance to ask the Elk Grove Democrat pressing questions after he launched a campaign for the newly redrawn 3rd Congressional District seat. The district was redrawn after Californians passed a ballot redistricting measure.

Here are four takeaways from the event:

Democrats lost in the political wilderness

Bera acknowledged Democrats’ shortcomings following President Donald Trump’s win. But he did not say top leadership required a complete overhaul as bitter infighting brews in his party.

Instead, he proposed “marrying” the energy exuded by young politicians with the rich experience held by elected officials.

“Don’t toss out experience necessarily,” Bera said, who also noted he supported Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat who is retiring.

Democrats’ message should focus on issues such as a cost of living, soaring health care costs and a lack of affordable housing, he said.

Bera noted that a spotlight centered on bread-and-butter messaging secured Democratic wins on Election Day. Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, won New York City’s mayorship and liberals swept gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey.

Bera mentioned he texted Mamdani congratulations after his win. He added Mamdani represents a model for future Democrats .

“If you could do it in New York City, you can do it anywhere,” he said.

War in Gaza

The Democratic Party splintered over Israel and a war in Gaza, which began more than two years ago. Bera denounced Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu but declined to characterize Palestine deaths as genocide.

The conflagration sparked after Hamas, a terrorist organization, killed 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023 and seized 251 hostages.

In retaliation, Israel declared war on Gaza and about 69,000 Palestinians have died since. Israel authorities committed several “underlying acts” of genocide within Gaza, according to a Sept. 16, 2025 report by a United Nations group.

The American Jewish Committee, a nonprofit, noted the Hamas’ strikes were the deadliest attacks on Jewish people since the Holocaust and said Israel has not engaged in homicide.

Bera said he supports a two-state solution and compared Netanyahu to Trump — someone who is more focused on self-survival than his country.

“I think Israel is worse off today,” he said.

Asked if Palestinians suffered genocide, Bera deflected. He said starvation should not be a tool of war and the destruction has led to a “real humanitarian crisis.”

“I don’t know I use the term genocide,” he said. “But I do think how they prosecuted this war has left tens of thousands of innocent individuals, children dead.”

Proposition 50

Bera maintained he supported California’s independent redistricting commission, which carves out congressional districts to avoid gerrymandering. But he threw his support behind Prop. 50 because “we don’t live in normal times.”

The ballot initiative attempts to flip five Republican House seats for Democrats and passed in California. Bera said — in supporting the ballot initiative — he gave up his safe district because it was the only way to stop Trump. The Trump administration’s Department of Justice is intervening in the election process, as evidenced by federal prosecutors’ lawsuit seeking to overturn Prop. 50, he said.

“It’s not the right way to go about doing this,” he said. “But if we lose in 2026, it will be very hard to have a fair election.”

Running in a new district

Bera said he’s represented much of Sacramento County throughout his more than 10 years in Congress. But, to run in the newly-drawn 3rd Congressional District, he noted its similarities with his old district.

Rancho Cordova and Folsom are fast-growing cities in Sacramento County, which prompts questions of striking a balance between development and protecting land, he said.

Bera, a former Sacramento County’s chief medical officer, said he seeks to focus on rural health care because there’s an existential crisis coming from there. Water issues in South Lake Tahoe and Truckee are also among his focus.

This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 9:20 PM with the headline "Four takeaways from The Sacramento Bee’s wide-ranging town hall with Rep. Ami Bera."