Your guide to Sacramento County’s 2nd District Board of Supervisor primary race
Three candidates are vying for Sacramento County’s 2nd District supervisor seat, including one incumbent.
Incumbent Patrick Kennedy, first elected in 2014, is seeking his fourth term as supervisor against two relative political newcomers, Ronnie Bell and Brian Lajda.
Sacramento County is represented by five supervisors, a nonpartisan role that includes all cities, as well as the county’s unincorporated areas.
Where is the district?
The 2nd District includes parts of Upper Land Park, Land Park, South Land Park, Parkway, Valley Hi/North Laguna, Pocket, Greenhaven, Meadowview, Lemon Hill, Florin and Vineyard.
Who are the candidates?
Kennedy, 58, served as a trustee for the Sacramento City Unified School District from 2008 until 2014, stepping down to run for supervisor. He served on the Sacramento City Planning Commission from 1993 to 2004 and worked for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District from 1991 to 2001.
He said he sees local government’s role as a “customer service organization” and works to balance policy issues with meeting the day-to-day needs of constituents.
Bell, 75, worked for the state of California for more than 20 years, including at the Department of Motor Vehicles, and is a retired pastor. He has previously run for local office, including against Kennedy in 2018 and multiple times for Sacramento City Council.
Lajda, 55, works for the Elk Grove Unified School District’s food and nutrition services department and has previously worked for the state of California.
All three candidates said that homelessness is their main priority and an issue they would focus on if elected.
Kennedy said homelessness is the No. 1 issue “vexing” the county and other areas across the state, and that while providing shelter beds to get people into housing immediately is crucial, officials must also prioritize the “long term elimination of homelessness.”
That includes building more housing — including tiny homes, low-income housing and housing for first-time homebuyers — and providing mental health care and care for those suffering from drug or alcohol addiction, Kennedy said.
Bell said homelessness has become more prevalent since his last run for supervisor. He said he wants the county to build more “adequate housing,” including modular homes and apartment complexes for homeless individuals, but not tiny homes.
“We’ve got to make sure that a person doesn’t have to worry about where they’re going to sleep,” Bell said.
Lajda said he wants to build more low-income and affordable housing throughout the district. He also said it is crucial to get more funding for services for those suffering from drug or alcohol addiction.
He also said he supports Sen. Angelique Ashby’s bill to require Sacramento County and its cities to form a new joint powers authority to handle homelessness in the region.
Who is funding the race?
As of the end of March, Kennedy has more than $37,000 in cash on hand in his campaign finance account.
He has received donations from the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s political action committee, Sacramento City Councilmember Caity Maple’s committee, Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and Councilmember Darren Suen, Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Local 522’s political action committee and the Sacramento Building Trades Council’s political action committee.
Neither Bell nor Lajda has reported contributions by mid-April.
Who else is supporting the candidates?
Kennedy is endorsed by the Democratic Party of Sacramento County and the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s political action committee.
