Guerra is best bet for Sacramento City Council
If you think your vote doesn’t matter, it counts even more in what’s expected to be a low-turnout special election Tuesday in Sacramento’s City Council District 6.
The winner will be sworn in as soon as April 21, giving district residents their representative on the council for the first time since Kevin McCarty took a state Assembly seat on Dec. 1. Filling this vacancy can’t come soon enough as the council heads into budget season, deciding how to spend precious tax money.
Even better, voters have a choice of two strong candidates – Eric Guerra or Bruce Pomer. We give a slight edge to Guerra, who would bring youthful energy and a passion for helping neighborhoods.
Though only 36, Guerra has built an impressive record. He has been a California State University trustee (he has both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Sacramento State) and has served for five years on the Sacramento County Planning Commission.
He came up through the Tahoe Park neighborhood association to become a leader in the district, which also includes College Glen, Elmhurst and Fruitridge Manor. He also has helpful experience as a staffer in the Legislature. He’s now a part-time policy analyst for Assemblyman David Chiu of San Francisco, which would give Guerra the time to devote to the council.
It’s also significant that, if elected, he would be the first Latino on the council since 1999 – a rather remarkable fact given that about 27 percent of city residents are Hispanic.
Pomer, 65, has more seasoning. He served for 20 years as a Los Rios Community College trustee and retired as executive director of the Health Officers Association of California. He also has the three most recent district representatives in his corner.
If voters pick Pomer, he says he will bring a hard-nosed attitude to city finances. The council could certainly use more of that.
Still, on balance, Guerra would add a little more to City Hall and gets our recommendation.
This story was originally published April 5, 2015 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Guerra is best bet for Sacramento City Council."