Lawsuit filed to block Sacramento County from calling Cofer a ‘doctor’ on June ballot

A new lawsuit seeks to block Sacramento County officials from placing the title “doctor” under Flojaune Cofer’s name on the June primary ballot.

Richard Dwyer, a registered voter residing in the county’s 1st Supervisorial District which Cofer is running to represent, filed the suit Monday in Sacramento Superior Court.

Sacramento City Councilmember Eric Guerra, Cofer’s only serious challenger for the seat, said through a campaign spokesperson that he does not know Dwyer.

“He does not know this person and nobody from Eric’s team knows who this person,” said Matt Reilly, Guerra’s campaign spokesperson.

The suit seeks to block Cofer from using the title in her ballot designation, which appears under candidates’ names. Cofer holds a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of Michigan. She is self-employed.

Because the primary is set for June 2, the suit was fast-tracked, and a hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday before Judge Jennifer K. Rockwell, according to court records.

Cofer, through a campaign spokesperson, declined to comment on the suit until after the hearing.

During Cofer’s 2024 campaign for Sacramento mayor, her ballot designation read “public health professional,” said Ken Casparis, a county spokesperson. For the 2026 election, however, Cofer submitted a different designation: “doctor, public health.”

The county currently plans to use that designation on ballots for the June 2 primary, Casparis said.

The suit alleges the designation would violate state election code, which permits a candidate to select “no more than three words designating either the current principal professions, vocations, or occupations of the candidate, or the principal professions, vocations, or occupations of the candidate during the calendar year immediately preceding the filing of nomination documents,” the suit said.

“While Cofer may call herself ‘Dr. Cofer’ in her own campaign materials, it is wholly inappropriate for the State to perpetuate this mischaracterization through the publication of official ballot materials,” said Dwyer’s suit, filed by attorney Brian T. Hildreth. “A ballot is a ballot, not a bumper sticker ... ‘Doctor’ is not a profession, vocation, or occupation, it is a title derived from academic achievement. Allowing Cofer to use ‘Doctor’ essentially provides a free state-endorsed political advertisement for Cofer’s campaign, rather than giving voters a clear and accurate statement of her actual principal profession, vocation, or occupation.”

Guerra, who has served on the council since 2015, is set to have a ballot designation of “Councilmember/Environmental Advisor” for the June primary, Casparis said. In his failed 2022 primary campaign for state Assembly, his ballot designation was “Councilmember/Legislative Director.”

Supervisor Phil Serna, who has represented the district since 2010, is not seeking reelection and has endorsed Guerra. The district includes the central and northern portions of the city of Sacramento, as well as Tahoe Park.

Cofer narrowly lost to Kevin McCarty in the November 2024 general election for Sacramento mayor. Cofer received 94,495 votes, while McCarty received 96,433.

The Sacramento Bee follows the style of the Associated Press, which guides writers to only use the honorific for individuals with medical-specific professional degrees, including doctors of medicine, dental surgery, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry or veterinary medicine.

This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 2:25 PM.