Folsom city councilman to challenge Josh Hoover for competitive Sacramento-area Assembly seat

A Folsom City Councilman will take on a rookie Republican Assemblyman in the 2024 election to represent Sacramento’s suburbs, one of the most competitive districts in California.

Democrat YK Chalamcherla, Folsom’s vice-mayor, plans to challenge Assemblyman Josh Hoover to represent the 7th District, which includes Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights and Carmichael.

Hoover, who also lives in Folsom, defeated longtime Democratic Assemblyman Ken Cooley in 2022 to flip the moderate district red. California’s 2020 redistricting added conservative-leaning Folsom to the mix, giving Republicans more of an edge in an already purple area.

Ahead of the 2022 election, about 38% of voters in the 7th District were registered Democrats, 32% were Republicans and 21% had no party preference. About 41% of voters in the previous district were registered Democrats, while 31% were Republicans and about 22% had no party preference.

The California Democratic Party spent millions of dollars trying to protect Cooley’s seat, but Hoover ultimately won the race by 1,383 votes.

Chalamcherla, Folsom’s vice mayor, was elected to the City Council in 2020 and runs an I.T. firm within the city. He previously served on the Folsom parks and arts commissions, and he was a board member on the American River Parkway Advisory Board.

Chalamcherla said he plans to focus his campaign on state budget accountability, homelessness, economic growth and climate change.

“It is the duty of the Legislature to conduct oversight on how our hard-earned money is spent,” Chalamcherla said in a news release. “Right now, we can do more. As an Assemblymember, I will be a strong proponent for conducting more oversight and increasing transparency for how tax dollars are used.”

This story was originally published March 6, 2023 at 2:35 PM.