Councilman’s name will soon be a forgotten piece of trivia in Sacramento history | Opinion
.JPG "Sean Loloee stands outside Viva Supermarket in Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights neighborhood on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. Loloee, who owns the market, was leading City Councilman Allen Warren 54% to 45% as of Wednesday morning.")
I can’t wait for the day we don’t talk about Sacramento City Councilman Sean Loloee. And you know what? That day is coming soon.
Soon, the foul-smelling tenure of this city councilman will be nothing but a distant memory for us to chuckle lightly over and then immediately move on to other topics. District 2 encompasses some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, including Hagginwood and Del Paso Heights, teeming with blighted streets, homes, schools, parks and a total lack investment in its businesses and community. Even Loloee’s city-run webpage for community resources inside District 2 is a sad cobble of mostly Sacramento-wide amenities.
Someday, Loloee’s name will serve only as an answer in a local game of Jeopardy, for a category called “Sacramento Electeds Who Thought They Could Get Away With It.” (And it won’t even be the $500 dollar question, it’ll be like, the $200, at best.)
The California Fair Political Practices Commission has opened yet another investigation into the councilman’s business practices earlier this week — after they learned about commercial properties he owns from a Sacramento Bee story.
Of course, this is just a few weeks after federal agents dramatically raided Loloee’s three Sacramento-area supermarkets, and his two houses — only one of which is actually in his district. I have to imagine the city was relieved no federal agents showed up to raid his office at City Hall.
So that means along with this new FPPC case, there’s also an active U.S. Department of Labor case against Loloee for allegedly threatening to deport workers for complying with a federal investigation, for not paying overtime, employing minors, and failing to give his employees breaks. He also stands accused of destroying evidence, according to federal court filings from the U.S. Department of Justice.
And don’t forget last year, when The Bee last year reported that Loloee didn’t appear to live in the Hagginwood house in his district, but instead looked to be living in his wife’s $1.4 million Granite Bay house — where he took his oath of office via video call. A city investigation, which did not include interviewing the neighbors, found that Loloee lived there with his employees and their family.
It’s just so horrendously sad. Loloee has wasted so much potential to do real good in a community that desperately needed him to care.
The previous councilmember to hold the seat — speaking of forgotten names of our political past — was Allen Warren, whose legal troubles helped usher Loloee into the seat. Warren was found to owe delinquent federal, state and county taxes totaling more than $470,000 according to documents filed at the Sacramento County Recorder’s Office.
Loloee has said he will not seek re-election next year, praise be.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Loloee is an embarrassment to Sacramento. What has he done for District 2 in the last three years other than bring shame?
