Sacramento reform measures lose big, provide lessons

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg suffered a stinging defeat on Measure A, his bid to transform Sacramento into a city with a “strong mayor” form of government.

Steinberg’s measure was 14 points short of passing on Wednesday morning. With votes still being tallied, Sacramento voters were rejecting the strong mayor form of government by 57%-43%. This was identical to the vote split when Sacramento voters rejected Measure L, a similar measure, in 2014.

Measure A would have given Sacramento’s mayor a new set of executive powers, including the ability to propose the city’s budget and direct top city officials like the city manager and chief of police.

It would also have added an extra City Council seat and reserved $40 million of the city budget for programs to promote equity in underserved communities.

This Editorial Board endorsed Measure A, saying Sacramento needed an empowered mayor to get results on issues like homelessness. Steinberg, who is merely one vote on the City Council, has struggled to get all of his fellow councilmembers to embrace the solutions necessary to address homelessness.

But Measure A drew funded opposition from an influential union, the Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Local 522, which opposed Steinberg’s decision to set aside $40 million a year for community equity issues. The proposed reform also drew opposition from people who prefer the council form of government to remain as it is.

Measure A’s failure was a rare defeat for an experienced politician with a track record of victory. Given the apparent margin of defeat, it’s clear Steinberg miscalculated by taking up the strong mayor issue.

Now, Steinberg must focus his energy on achieving citywide progress on issues like homelessness and police reform within the City Council’s limited but popular framework.

Measure C fails

It doesn’t look like Sacramento voters will be embracing a socialist revolution anytime soon.

As of Wednesday morning, 62% of Sacramento voters were rejecting Measure C, a rent control law pushed onto the ballot by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. With votes still being tallied, Measure C is on track to lose by a wide margin. Proposition 21, a statewide rent control measure, also lost big.

Measure C would have imposed stricter rent control laws and created a new rent board. DSA activists pushed for the law after breaking a deal with the Sacramento City Council last year.

To recap: Housing activists, including members of the powerful SEIU 1000 union, had threatened to put a rent control measure on the ballot unless the City Council took action. The union then funded a successful signature-gathering drive to place the measure on the ballot, forcing the City Council to pass the Sacramento Tenant Protection and Relief Act.

Claiming victory, two of the rent control measure’s three proponents made good on their word and moved to pull the measure from the ballot. But one of the proponents, egged on by the local DSA chapter, broke her promise and pressed ahead with Measure C.

Measure C’s proponents broke a deal with the City Council, picked a fight with wealthy landlords and, anointing themselves as the “people’s campaign,” pursued a ballot battle without the resources or strategy needed to win.

When the people of Sacramento made their voices heard, they delivered a resounding defeat for Measure C. Even if Measure C had passed, it might have been invalidated due to legal challenges.

Measure C’s failure should serve as a wake-up call for its most vocal supporters, including District 4 Councilperson-elect Katie Valenzuela. She spearheaded the doomed campaign, backed by the DSA, the Democratic Party of Sacramento County and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment. Measure C’s failure provides a glimpse of the odds she’ll face on a City Council where she gets only one vote.

Sacramento needs the new ideas and energy that Valenzuela, a democratic socialist, represents. To be effective, however, Valenzuela and her allies must find a way to build consensus and get things done.