“ It had gotten so bad , and it felt like with every new convention center proposal or science center proposal or stadium proposal , the council had lost touch with what was really going on . … That ’ s why I ran .”
KATIE VALENZUELA Sacramento City Council member her council bid , she had never run for office . That changed in winter 2018 . One evening , while dining at her favorite downtown Sacramento Thai restaurant , Valenzuela encountered an older man who was homeless and had come inside to get warm . After a small respite and a modest meal , the man was heading back out to the Sacramento streets during a frigid cold snap .
“ I just went to my car and sobbed ,” she says . “ It had gotten so bad , and it felt like with every new convention center proposal or science center proposal or stadium proposal , the council had lost touch with what was really going on . And that ’ s what we heard when we went out and started talking with people , that the council members weren ’ t working for them , that they had really lost touch . That ’ s why I ran .”
Valenzuela declared her candidacy for the high-profile council seat that incumbent Steve Hansen had occupied since 2012 . She made the affordable-housing and homelessness crises her top priorities .
With little financial backing and even less campaign experience , Valenzuela and a group of volunteers launched her campaign in April 2019 . In May 2019 , they began knocking on doors . “ We had a lot of doors to cover and wanted to hit as many as we could at least two times , so we didn ’ t want to cancel shifts , even when it rained ,” she says . Valenzuela won the seat in the March 2020 primary , garnering 53 percent of the vote and avoiding a November runoff .
Her liberal ideas as a democratic socialist — which she defines as “ fighting for the people and fighting for workers and having the people and the workers have a say in the decisions that impact them ” — are most closely aligned with Vang ’ s , but the councilwomen acknowledge they each hold just one vote and are hopeful they can work with fellow colleagues on the things they agree on and respectfully engage on the things they don ’ t .
Valenzuela also hopes to pave the way for more women and women of color to follow in her footsteps . “ People see a young Latina , Indigenous woman on the council , and it feels like it ’ s opened up the realm of possibility for other folks , which is super exciting ,” she says . “ It matters that we are in these seats so that people know that it ’ s possible for them to follow someday .”
New mayors in town
In addition to women taking a place on Sacramento ’ s city council , two cities in the Capital Region elected women mayors in November 2020 : Martha Guerrero for West Sacramento and Bobbie Singh-Allen for Elk Grove .
Guerrero , elected to the West Sacramento City Council in 2018 , made the decision to run for mayor after she repeatedly heard the same message from constituents : They wanted someone who would listen to their concerns and respond . During the pandemic , West Sacramento City Council meetings transitioned from in person to Zoom , and the public had to send emails to connect with council members . Guerrero rallied for a return to safe in-person meetings . “ This is a time when the public relies on directly connecting with local leaders for basic infrastructure needs , such as reliable broadband , which was lacking and became a necessity for work and school ,” she says . Guerrero ’ s adult daughter and school-age grandson live with her , so she has experienced the issue firsthand .
To get out to the community during the pandemic , she had to get creative . Over the longer days of the summer months , she would don a face mask , apply SPF 50 sunblock , lace up her well-worn athletic shoes and hit the streets — but not for door knocking . She ’ d connect with neighbors out walking dogs , mowing lawns or teaching their children to ride a bike . As the evenings got dark , she would use her cellphone to light her route . “ People often recognized me by my Martha Guerrero for Mayor T-shirt ,” she says . “ I found people wanted to share their ideas and their grievances with me ( 6 feet away ), and I heard them loud and clear , which is why I intend to keep my promise of transparency and increased community participation .” Guerrero , a social worker , offered to meet with constituents , and many took her up on the idea , gathering outdoors or in groups at a local park .
After the final tally in the November 2020 election , Guerrero received 52 percent of the vote , defeating incumbent Mayor Christopher Cabaldon , who had served for two decades . Guerrero credits her
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