Gavin Newsom could pick Yolo County’s first Latina supervisor. What does the community think?

It’s not as high-profile as replacing a California senator, but residents of Yolo County are patiently awaiting the announcement of another Gov. Gavin Newsom appointment.

The August death of Gary Sandy, Yolo County’s District 3 supervisor, has set the stage for his interim replacement. And just like in the case of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the death presents a political dilemma, differing support from opposing factions — and an opportunity to make history.

“I do believe that the community is split as to who might be the best representative,” said Supervisor Oscar Villegas, who is the current chair of the board.

The most well-known candidates for the appointment are three women: Xóchitl Rodriguez Murillo, Mary Vixie Sandy and Mayra Vega.

Each one brings their own expertise, and would be the first woman to serve on the board since 2011. But if Murillo and Vega were appointed, they would make history as the first Latina supervisor in Yolo County, where roughly a third of the population is Latino.

Newsom is rumored to make his decision for 15 month-long appointment within the next week, but all three women have plans to run in the upcoming March primary.

At the moment, Vixie Sandy, the widow of Gary Sandy, seems to be the front-runner for the appointment. She has garnered significant support from the community, including all four current Yolo supervisors and several well-known Latinos in the area.

“Mary has a real good grasp of the issues affecting the Latino community and community in general,” said Jesse Ortiz, former Yolo County superintendent of schools.

However, not everyone agrees with that assertion. Some residents, such as former Yolo County District 3 Supervisor Matt Rexroad, say Vixie Sandy’s support stems from her husband’s legacy. Rexroad’s thrown his support behind Vega.

“These conversations are happening to not only put somebody in the place but then also deny the opportunity for Latina to serve on the board,” Rexroad said. “This is not something that’s royalty where you get a seat because of lineage.”

Sandy family legacy and commitment to continue it

The Sandy family’s impact in Yolo County is hard to overlook and left many in the Yolo community grieving after Gary died this summer following complications from a treatment for liver cancer.

The family arrived in Woodland in 1987. Two years later, Sandy got his start in politics with a seat on the City Council. He was re-elected in 1992, and eventually served as mayor. Sandy went on to take on roles with the Yolo fair board, Yuba Community College District, UC Davis and, in 2018, won the supervisor seat.

Vixie Sandy spent her career as a policy leader working in higher education and government. She currently serves as the executive director of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the nation’s oldest independent standards board for educators. Previous positions she’s held have been at UC Davis School of Education, California State University Chancellor’s Office and California Department of Education.

Throughout his political career, Sandy prioritized representation and offered his endorsement to many Latinos pushing for elected office in the region.

“Gary was one of the first non-Latinos to come out and make a difference for potential Latino candidates to get elected in Woodland and we haven’t forgotten that,” Ortiz said.

This history has resulted in a swell of Latinos supporting Vixie Sandy. She has secured support from Ortiz, Yolo County Supervisor Angel Barajas, West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero, Woodland Mayor Victoria Fernandez and other prominent Latinos.

Supervisor Jim Provenza specifically cited Sandy and his “loyalty” as one of the reasons for his support of Vixie Sandy. Provenza served on the board for five years with Sandy.

“Mary and Gary have worked as a team, both in getting elected, and in some of the work he’s done in office,” Provenza said. “And I think she most clearly represents somebody who would carry on what he would want.”

Provenza also pointed to Vixie Sandy’s background in education.

But Rexroad argues none of her work has been centered in the geographical area that she could soon serve.

“I am not aware of any activity that Mary has participated in the city of Woodland in the last 20 years,” Rexroad said.

For her part, Vixie Sandy says she has been deeply committed to Woodland’s issues — water conservation, preserving agricultural land and homelessness — since arriving nearly 40 years ago. She also pointed to her roles working with the California Legislature and time with Woodland’s League of Women Voters and YMCA board of directors.

“I have a very deep familiarity with issues of governance, and the work that electeds do,” Vixie Sandy said. “I’ve worked very hard on many campaigns, as well to get electeds into their seats, so this is not unfamiliar terrain for me at all.”

Two Latina pushing for history

Murillo’s ties to Yolo County run deep.

She grew up in Woodland to farmworker parents who immigrated from Jalisco, Mexico. She left the area in 2004 on deployment with the U.S. Army and went on to receive a National Defense Service medal and Armed Forces Reserve medal. She then served in the California Legislature under different capacities. She is also a former Woodland City Council member and, in 2019, was appointed deputy secretary for minority and underrepresented veterans by Newsom.

Murrillo planned to pursue the District 3 seat for some years and would like to be a voice for people in the community like her.

“I grew up in the community, and a lot of my experience mirrors that of many folks who grew up in Yolo County,” Murillo said. “I do think it’s critical that we get a Latina to help be a voice also for the Spanish-speaking community.”

The district up for grabs represents the northern area of West Sacramento and large portions of Woodland, a city where nearly half of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, the highest percentage of any city in the Sacramento area, according to the 2020 census.

Vega, a native of Michoacán, Mexico, is a relative newcomer to region. Her family relocated from Mexico to Napa, where she spent most of her life. She moved to Woodland in 2018, and two years later was elected to the City Council. She has since served a rotation as mayor.

“I am really committed to serving this community and bringing open dialogue and really advocating for advancing well being of this community,” Vega said.

Her background stems in health care with a focus on strategic planning and business development. Vega was appointed deputy director of the California Department of Health Care Access and Information in 2022 by Newsom. If selected for the seat, she aspires to prioritize social services and the health of the community.

But representation remains key, said Vega.

“It’s important for young women and young men to be able to see that their leaders reflect to their community,” said Vega, who, like Vixie Sandy received a letter of support from Villegas.

Both Murillo and Vega acknowledged that the majority of Latino support in the community has gone to Vixie Sandy, which they attributed to her and Sandy’s commitment to representation.

Vega also said some people mentioned committing to Vixie Sandy “months ago” when she asked for endorsements.

“An extensive list like that takes a long time to build,” Vega said.

If not appointed themselves, Murillo and Vega said they hoped the seat would go to another Latina.

Who plans to run for the seat next year?

All three women will face off again, regardless of who is appointed.

Each one told The Bee that they are committed to running in the March primary election for the District 3 seat, with Murillo and Vixie Sandy already joining the signature-in-lieu period.

That upcoming election leads to a “tricky” situation to whoever is appointed to the seat, said Villegas.

Villegas, who was Yolo County’s first Latino supervisor, was in a similar position in 2014. He was appointed to the Board of Supervisors by Gov. Jerry Brown, and then four months later had to run again.

“I got congratulated on day one, and then I got good luck on day two, because it was immediately into a campaign mode,” Villegas said.

Appointments typically take a few months, which leads to some agenda items backing up until full board representation. That means any person appointed, or who goes on to serve a full board term, must understand the community’s issues and challenges almost immediately, Villegas said.

“The people who need our services are not going to show up at our board meetings,” Villegas said. “They just don’t have time for that. They’re too busy trying to get through the day-to-day challenges. So, this position requires somebody who wants to roll up their sleeves, get right in, and on day one fully immerse themselves in the issues.”