Steinberg’s ‘strong mayor’ dream failed. Can he still lead Sacramento toward progress?

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.

This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 5:00 AM.