In a first, a Sacramento-area city has an all-female council. It’s one of six in California
Five women just made history in West Sacramento.
For the first time, all five of its elected council members are women. The all-female council is a first in the Sacramento region and one of six women-only councils in the state, according to the League of California Cities.
The city held its swearing-in ceremony for new council members on Wednesday night, and officials took a moment to celebrate.
“Tonight, sweet little West Sacramento has become a mightier city,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Quirina Orozco, with tears in her eyes.
Orozco is joined by council members Dawnté Early, Verna Sulpizio Hull, Norma Alcala and Mayor Martha Guerrero. The women unanimously voted to retain Orozco as pro-tem.
Hull, the sole newcomer, defeated Alex Hirsch to replace District 4 council member Chris Ledesma, who stepped down after 12 years on the council. Early won her District 3 race against Leanne Linares, while Guerrero was re-elected without opposition.
Orozco and Alacala are not up for reelection until 2024.
The historic night comes 12 years after the council was composed of only men. And it follows an election that brought a record number of women to the Legislature. The city of Sacramento will also have a female majority council for the first time in 30 years.
The moment was not lost on Hull, who is 36 weeks pregnant and was joined by her son on Wednesday.
“For a long time women’s voices were not given a seat at the table,” she said. “Women not only deserve a seat at the table, but we deserve several. My sons will know from day one that West Sacramento had an all-female city council and they will see things differently.”
The council is now not only female, but they are all women of color. Guerrero, Orozco, Alcala and Hull all identify as Latina. In 2020, Early became the first Black council member elected in West Sacramento.
Earlier in the night, the council recognized Ledesma, who was first elected in 2010. Ledesma announced last summer that he would not run for reelection. He has been credited for attracting new employers such as IKEA, Target and Nugget Market and helping the city’s approval of the Bridge District plan, an urban commercial and residential zone near Sutter Health Park.
Yolo County Supervisor Oscar Villegas and Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, attended the meeting and praised Ledesma for his leadership and dedication to the community.
“In public service, we can only hope to leave things a little better than we found them and today. I can say without a doubt that you did,” Villegas said.
