This education stalwart deserves to be reelected to his Sacramento Assembly seat
Kevin McCarty is a thoughtful, hardworking legislator who has been unafraid to confront some of the most controversial issues in California government.
He wrote a landmark bill last year that guarantees free pre-K education for every 4-year-old in California, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law. McCarty has been a champion of sensible criminal justice reforms and advocated policies that address racial disparities. This year, he’s pursuing a pilot program in Yolo County and elsewhere that could change how the court system deals with people with substance abuse disorders.
McCarty, who chairs the Assembly Budget subcommittee on education finance, has had eight successful years in the Legislature after 10 years on the Sacramento City Council. His enthusiasm and policy skills stand to benefit Sacramento residents further in the newly drawn 6th Assembly District. He deserves another term.
His opponent is Republican Cathy Cook, an Air Force veteran and pilot, and a former president of the Mission Oaks Neighborhood Association. In 2020, she challenged state Assemblyman Ken Cooley for his District 8 seat but lost. Despite advancing to November once more, Cook’s public service experience does not represent true competition for an incumbent of McCarty’s stature and political reputation.
McCarty appreciates the complexity of homelessness, and his record in the Legislature demonstrates a willingness to be mindful of crime as the issue has deepened. He’s advocated for safe grounds at Cal Expo and is sponsoring efforts to clear illegal campsites along the American River Parkway, which didn’t pan out, but did result in McCarty (along with fellow assemblyman, Cooley) recently working within the state budget to allocate $25 million to the County of Sacramento to assist in clearing the parkway of its homeless population.
California’s new 6th Assembly District encompasses much of the old 7th District in Sacramento and Yolo counties as well as added suburban areas such as Del Paso Heights, Gardenland, Natomas, Elverta, Rio Linda, Antelope, Arden Arcade and parts of Carmichael and Sierra Oaks.
While McCarty is fighting for new votes in northern and eastern Sacramento County, he has won reelection in his former district by more than 40 points in each of the last three elections. The 6th is also reliably Democratic; Newsom won among 6th district voters in 2018 with 66%, and Biden won with 70%.
There’s no reason to look elsewhere given McCarty’s effective leadership.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 12:14 PM.