Sacramento voters will pick a new Assembly member this year

Sacramento voters will select a new Assembly member for the first time in a decade — and 10 candidates are competing for the seat.

The large field of contenders is vying to succeed Kevin McCarty, who was elected to represent the city in the Assembly’s District 6 in 2014 and is now running for mayor.

The two candidates who earn the most votes in the March 5 primary will advance to the November general election.

Candidates Kevin Martinez and Nikki Ellis did not respond to The Sacramento Bee’s requests for voter guide information.

Emmanuel Amanfor

Party: Democrat

Age: 35

Birthplace: Lagos, Nigeria

Residence: Natomas

Occupation: Compliance supervisor, division of rehabilitative programs: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Education: Providence College, Drexel University

Offices held: Chair of Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Commission. Vice chair of Sacramento Civil Service Personnel Board

Campaign website address: amanforassembly.com

Q: What do you think the Assembly should do to address the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis?

As a public health practitioner, formerly unhoused individual, and a Sacramento Housing Commissioner actively engaged in addressing homelessness and low income, I propose a comprehensive approach for the Assembly to combat the ongoing crisis.

Drawing on the success of collaborative efforts in the Joint Powers Agency, I advocate for increased support to initiatives like the Sacramento Emergency Rental Assistance (SERA 1 & 2) Program, which provides crucial funds for rent and utilities. Emphasizing projects such as Project Homekey to repurpose motels into rental units and expanding low-income housing units in new developments is pivotal. Additionally, endorsing the establishment of tiny home communities has proven effective in reducing homelessness. To achieve meaningful impact, the Assembly should foster partnerships with local housing joint powers agencies, working in tandem with community leaders to execute strategic housing plans and address the root causes of homelessness head-on. Also, integrating mental health support within housing initiatives is crucial to addressing the root causes of homelessness comprehensively.

Q: How should the Assembly respond to concerns about retail theft and fentanyl and drug overdoses?

The Assembly must adopt a multifaceted approach that combines data-driven strategies, community resources, and proactive prevention measures. Drawing on my experience with CDCR and training in public health, I advocate for comprehensive data collection on individuals involved in retail theft. Understanding the correlation between crime and times of unemployment and limited community resources are crucial. To prevent such issues, we need to invest in community resources and employment opportunities, deterring crime through empowerment first.

For the fentanyl and drug overdose crisis, advocacy and education are paramount. Having spoken at the Stephon Clark Fentanyl and Substance Abuse Awareness Expo, I emphasized the need for organizations to provide education on drug usage and employment. Furthermore, implementing naloxone/narcan access in schools is essential. By expanding access beyond school staff to include all students, we take a responsible and proactive step towards preventing drug overdoses from childhood into adulthood.

Q: What do you think of the governor’s approach to dealing with the state’s large budget gap? How would you address it?

As a state employee, the governor’s approach to the budget gap deeply concerns me, impacting not only myself but thousands of state employees. The state budget intricately connects with daily resources, affecting services delivered to communities. Having been a project manager and financial auditor, I emphasize the importance of robust planning to avoid financial waste.

While trusting the governor’s experience, I would review documented lessons learned from previous budget gaps, ensuring contingency plans are in place. Implementing a tier system for financial impact on programs, prioritizing health and public safety, is essential. Transparent communication and sustainable plans within contracts and grants will provide clarity. As a political candidate, I prioritize transparency and accountability in addressing the budget, safeguarding vital programs.

Sean Frame

Party: Democrat

Age: 55

Birthplace: Not provided

Residence: Arden Arcade

Occupation: Multimedia design specialist for special needs educators, Sacramento County Office of Education

Education: San Jose State, San Francisco State

Offices held: Placerville Union School District Board of Trustees, 2011-2020

Campaign website address: seanframe.com

Q: What do you think the Assembly should do to address the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis?

First we need to declare a state of emergency on housing which will help with coordination, prevent duplication, and cut through red tape.

Then, with 10,000 unhoused residents in Sacramento and another 20,000 in danger of becoming unhoused, we must prevent further increases to our unhoused population through immediate expansion of housing vouchers. The fact is, even as Sacramento is building more affordable housing, we are losing older affordable units that are transitioning into market rate based on the terms of older agreements. We simply cannot afford to allow our unhoused population to increase from 10,000 to 30,000.

Finally, we need to increase support for mental health services, build more affordable housing and ban Wall Street private equity firms from owning single-family homes. The state’s largest corporate landlord was recently fined millions for rent gouging while also outbidding young families trying to buy first homes. This needs to stop.

Q: How should the Assembly respond to concerns about retail theft and fentanyl and drug overdoses?

Large-scale retail smash-and-grabs are often sophisticated criminal enterprises and should be treated as such. Smaller scale “petty thefts” can often benefit from a more holistic approach. Too many people have too few opportunities to truly participate in our society due to low wages, high rents and lack of social infrastructure. We must invest in economic development and increased social services.

Regarding the rise in fentanyl/drug overdoses, every hospital needs to adopt “best practice standards” in psychiatric management and substance use disorder treatment. Expansion of treatment facilities is essential to get control of the current crisis. Post-hospital management must be closely coordinated with inpatient hospitals. We can’t continue to discharge people to the streets while they wait for treatment. Any successful approach must differ from the criminal justice system. Data shows that making these investments to treat the neediest is ultimately less expensive than neglect.

Q: What do you think of the governor’s approach to dealing with the state’s large budget gap? How would you address it?

As a former school board member, I’m very familiar with managing through California’s boom and bust budget cycles. I understand the need for cuts, but when it comes to issues like climate change mitigation, this is a short-term saving with a long-term cost. Similarly, delaying the $25/hour healthcare worker wage won’t save money, it may actually COST us money because it will delay wage increases in other jobs that will increase overall tax revenue.

Fundamentally, we need a revenue model that is more stable and predictable. We currently rely WAY too much on IPOs and tech stock options that fluctuate wildly from year to year. We need more stable revenue streams created by doing things like ending the corporate property tax loophole, coupled with cost saving efforts that should include cost benefits analysis of outsourcing critical services to contractors as well as the increase in the administrative state.

Rosanna Herber

Party: Democrat

Age: 66

Birthplace: Fort Wayne, Indiana

Residence: Curtis Park

Occupation: President, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Board of Directors

Education: Indiana University, Saint Mary’s College

Offices held: Elected to the SMUD Board in 2018 and re-elected in 2022

Campaign website address: rosannaherber.org

Q: What do you think the Assembly should do to address the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis?

We need to get people off the street and into some sort of shelter with wrap-around social services. The Assembly should fund Project (Homekey), a program for local governments to purchase and rehabilitate hotels, motels, apartment buildings and vacant properties for the unhoused.

We must set a priority that veterans and children with their adult caretakers should receive services first. I’ll bring together representatives from the county and the six cities in our region to share information and better collaborate on addressing homelessness. I’ll ask for more accountability and transparency to make sure our state dollars are well spent. I support California Proposition 1. Finally, the Assembly should provide local governments dollars to help folks who are on the edge of homelessness so they don’t become homeless.

Q: How should the Assembly respond to concerns about retail theft and fentanyl and drug overdoses?

We need to provide consequences for bad behavior. Anyone who is stealing from a retail store should be prosecuted. There shouldn’t be a dollar limit that allows shoplifters to steal without consequences. According to the Attorney General website, much of the “smash-and-grab” retail theft can be traced back to organized crime. We need to protect vulnerable businesses from this growing retail theft problem.

Regarding fentanyl, I was a drug and alcohol counselor for four years, and I saw the destruction drug addiction can have on individuals and families. People who are addicted to drugs need treatment, but I put drug dealers in another category. I’ll support stronger penalties for drug dealers who are dealing fentanyl.

Q: What do you think of the governor’s approach to dealing with the state’s large budget gap? How would you address it?

The governor’s plan makes big cuts to climate change and housing programs, along with school facilities. It defers dollars for early childhood education grants and public transit systems. It also reduces funding for watershed resilience programs that are important to the environment. I wouldn’t have made these cuts.

To close the budget gap, I would first utilize some of the rainy day funds, just as the governor has proposed. Next, I would ask for a review of corporate tax breaks and ensure that the largest, profitable corporations in California and the wealthy are paying their fair share. Finally, if more dollars are needed, I would make equal cuts across the board so that the budget pain was shared by all. The Assembly needs to exercise fiscal restraint and spending oversight of the budget.

Maggy Krell

Party: Democrat

Age: 45

Birthplace: San Francisco

Residence: Land Park

Occupation: Deputy Attorney General, California Department of Justice

Education: UC San Diego, UC Davis: King Hall School of Law

Offices held: Appointed special advisor to the Attorney General, statewide human trafficking coordinator, supervising deputy attorney general and special assistant United States attorney.

Campaign website address: maggykrellforassembly.com

Q: What do you think the Assembly should do to address the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis?

We have 180,000 people who need a place to live. Seven percent of them are kids who are on their own. Through my work combatting sex trafficking, I got to know the vulnerable young people on California’s streets. In the Assembly, I will focus on them, to prevent them from becoming part of the 36% who are chronically homeless. The per capita rate of homelessness in communities across the country is most closely tied to the cost of housing. We must reduce costs and build more housing.

In Sacramento, development fees are above $100,000 per house and $15,000 for each small apartment. This adds $500 to a monthly mortgage and between $100 and $200 to monthly rent. We should look for ways to spread the costs of shared amenities more broadly and lessen the burden on renters and first-time homebuyers. We also must treat the mental illness and drug addiction that is plaguing many of those living on the streets.

Q: How should the Assembly respond to concerns about retail theft and fentanyl and drug overdoses?

I am tired of the lame excuses that are used to justify retail theft and our complacency with it, especially when we are seeing premeditated, gang orchestrated, repeated raids on retailers. Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper has the right idea. Criminal conduct must be met with criminal consequences.

Fentanyl addiction requires the availability of treatment and overdose reversal medication. Capping or eliminating the out-of-pocket costs of Narcan for example, would reduce costs and help prevent overdose deaths. This drug is a death sentence — we need to do everything we can to stop it from continuing to proliferate, including prevention education and outreach strategies. Those who traffic fentanyl into our communities should be met with serious consequences.

Q: What do you think of the governor’s approach to dealing with the state’s large budget gap? How would you address it?

Gov. Newsom had a good idea when he said we should raise the cap on the size of each year’s contribution to the rainy day fund. He knew that 10% would be inadequate to cover what could lie ahead, and now we are seeing that play out. I would support increasing the percentage that could be saved for the rainy day fund in surplus years to help stabilize the budget and prepare for future challenges.

We must also be better with taxpayers’ hard-earned money — we lost billions of dollars to EDD fraud. We spent $18 billion on homelessness without results. We should ensure best practices and government efficiency.

Closing the tax loopholes that have been layered into our revenue structure for decades would also help grow the budget and increase funding for things like education, healthcare and safety net services.

Carlos Marquez

Party: Democrat

Age: 39

Birthplace: Visalia

Residence: Southside Park

Occupation: Small business owner of CM3 Advocacy, a boutique government and public affairs firm

Education: San Diego State

Offices held: None

Campaign website address: carlosforsacramento.com

Q: What do you think the Assembly should do to address the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis?

First, I would call for an audit of state and local spending on homelessness to scale programs that are working and eliminate those that are not. Then, I would exhibit desperately needed regional leadership by convening city and county officials for public hearings to urge more collaboration in local government, target our spending on the expansion of mental health and addiction programs, and pursue legislation that accelerates the production of housing so that costs go down for all.

Solving the homeless crisis is complex but with more transparency, our constituents can better hold the Legislature accountable for producing actual results. As president of a nonprofit housing provider, I helped establish a shelter for youth experiencing homeless. I will put that experience to work in the Legislature.

Q: How should the Assembly respond to concerns about retail theft and fentanyl and drug overdoses?

The laws we have on the books must be fully enforced to prosecute and crack down on professional retail theft rings, as demonstrated by our district attorney and local law enforcement through their newly established organized retail theft unit. This unit was possible due in part to state funding.

The Legislature should work with law enforcement to measure the effectiveness of such units and renew future funding if proven effective. To combat the uptick in fentanyl overdoses, we must expand rehabilitation and treatment programs and deter the sale and trafficking of high quantities of fentanyl by fully enforcing our laws on the books.

Q: What do you think of the governor’s approach to dealing with the state’s large budget gap? How would you address it?

The governor has been prudent about contributing annually to the state’s rainy day fund and is now applying those funds to closing our budget deficit, while preventing even worse cuts. As your next Assembly member, I will employ a set of three criteria to help inform tough decisions about how to balance the state’s budget:

1) Do the cuts being considered violate our constitutional obligations? For example, we are required to adequately fund our K-12 public school system under Proposition 98.

2) Do the cuts being considered impact ladders of opportunity for growing the middle class? For example, cuts to higher education may make it tougher for people to attain higher wage jobs into the future.

And 3) Will the cuts being considered make our state less economically competitive? For example, reducing investments in climate change or housing production may make California a less desirable place to live.

Evan Minton

Party: Democrat

Age: 42

Birthplace: Walnut Creek

Residence: Midtown

Occupation: Nonprofit policy director, Voices for Progress

Education: UC Riverside

Offices held: Appointed to the Sacramento County Mental Health Board, Midtown Neighborhood Association Board and Sacramento County Human Rights/Fair Housing Commission

Campaign website address: mintonforassembly.com

Q: What do you think the Assembly should do to address the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis?

Everyone deserves a home and we can do so much more to ensure that’s a reality. We need to build more housing, including housing with dedicated low, and very low, income units. We also need to implement policies to prevent folks from falling into homelessness, like rent control and eviction protections. I would pursue solutions similar to those I have worked on throughout my career.

As a board member of the Midtown Neighborhood Association, I supported efforts for more affordable housing and increased services for our unhoused neighbors, such as opening up more respite centers. At the state level, I have worked on Assembly Bill 1482 (Chiu), which imposed rent caps and Senate Bill 329 (Mitchell), which prohibited landlords from discriminating against renters receiving housing voucher assistance.

Q: How should the Assembly respond to concerns about retail theft and fentanyl and drug overdoses?

Ensuring safe communities is of the utmost importance to me. Fentanyl is a public health crisis. Too many families have been impacted by the drug crisis, including my own. As legislative staff, I navigated bills into law with a public health approach towards our drug crisis. That would be my approach as the next Assembly member in this seat. We must focus on prevention, treatment and reducing the demand for these drugs. Reducing the demand will also, importantly, serve to dry up the market for it, reducing the number of suppliers.

Regarding retail theft, the solutions must include staffing stores adequately, which can be with a combination of security and counter staff. This has the additional benefit of creating jobs. I look forward to working with unions, retailers and other experts on this matter including the Select Committee on Retail Theft, chaired by one of my endorsers, Assembly member Rick Chavez Zbur.

Q: What do you think of the governor’s approach to dealing with the state’s large budget gap? How would you address it?

During California’s last recession, then-Assembly member Ricardo Lara put me in charge of his health and human services budget. I’ll never forget the people who told us the effects the budget cuts would have on them, from the inability to afford groceries to gas to shoes for school. So, I understand how the budget impacts everyday lives. In these troubling times, we need to make the smartest use of our dollars.

An example: California needs to transition to a green future — the longer we wait, the more taxpayers will bear — on healthcare, insurance, infrastructure, and more. We currently have $1.25 billion in federal funds on the table designated for building highways, which actually increases traffic and pollution. If I was in the Legislature, I’d lead the fight to use these dollars to invest in our public health and safety, like transit and active transportation options.

Preston Romero

Party: Republican

Age: 32

Birthplace: Springerville, Arizona

Residence: Arden Arcade

Occupation: Policy analyst, California State Senate

Education: College of Marin, Sacramento State

Offices held: None

Campaign website address: prestonromero.com

Q: What do you think the Assembly should do to address the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis?

Over the last decade, the state has thrown over $20 billion of taxpayer money towards solving homelessness, and yet not even a dent has been made in reducing the population. For too long, Californians have been promised progress and solutions but have only seen more tents, more needles, and more crime. Two things need to happen:

1. We need a full accounting of where and how the billions of dollars for homelessness was spent.

And 2. We need a coalition of partners in state, county and local governments, along with nonprofits and the business community, to meet people where they are at and provide them the services they need now rather than waiting for housing before care. We also need to focus on at-risk or near-homeless individuals who are one missed payment away from being out in the street. We need to catch them before they become a statistic.

Q: How should the Assembly respond to concerns about retail theft and fentanyl and drug overdoses?

For too long, criminals have found safe harbor in the policies promoted by the legislative supermajority. Any time someone raises common sense criminal justice or public safety reforms, the regressive progressive voices in the room shout down sanity and reason with claims that wanting to enforce the law or buff up the law is a return to the “War on Drugs era,” or can be construed as racist.

We need to return to a culture that fosters a community attitude that will not tolerate drugs and crime in their neighborhoods. We need to let our law enforcement officers do their jobs, actually enforce the laws on the books and put the teeth back into legislation and hold criminals accountable for their actions. Broken glass, broken families and broken spirits have been the results of soft on crime policies coming out of the Legislature.

Q: What do you think of the governor’s approach to dealing with the state’s large budget gap? How would you address it?

In addressing the budget deficit, we must do everything absolutely possible to avoid the harmful proposed cuts to K-12 commitments and not break the promises made to our most vulnerable Californians. During flush years, our governor and the legislative supermajority blew out the coffers to fund special interests and pet projects that won’t improve schools, won’t make neighborhoods safer and won’t make your life easier.

In lean years, public education and the disability community are always put up on the budget chopping block, along with other proposals that disenfranchise communities who will suffer from cuts to vital programs. Additionally, you or I don’t get to run sky-high deficits in our personal finances, so why do we accept this from the government? We also need to start being truthful with the California taxpayer about how far their taxes go and how much waste actually occurs in government.

Paula Villescaz

Party: Democrat

Age: 35

Birthplace: Austin, Texas

Residence: Arden Arcade

Occupation: Associate director of member engagement, County Welfare Directors Association of California

Education: UC Berkeley

Offices held: School board member, San Juan Unified School District

Campaign website address: paulavillescaz.com

Q: What do you think the Assembly should do to address the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis?

Homelessness is the intersection of many policy failures. At the top are unaffordable housing and inaccessible services.

I will support holding cities and counties accountable for increasing housing inventory, so that all layers of government share responsibility. I will work to ensure we don’t exacerbate the problem. The fastest growing segment of unhoused neighbors are seniors and people living with a disability. In the fifth largest economy in the world, this is unacceptable. I will advance investments in homelessness prevention support services, substance use disorder treatment, mental health services, and wrap-around services, so losing a job or suffering a health episode does not mean you lose your housing.

Finally, we have to build. Building housing of all income levels relieves pressure on the market for working and low-income families to find housing. We must increase inventory of all housing to make it easier to become and stay housed in California.

Q: How should the Assembly respond to concerns about retail theft and fentanyl and drug overdoses?

I support Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’s leadership to make this an urgent priority in the State Assembly. Californians throughout the state are losing faith that our elected leaders will stand up and solve these problems that make communities less safe. As a new mom, I will support smart and fair policies that ultimately make our communities safer.

Retail theft is a $9 billion problem throughout the state — and growing. People steal merchandise to then resell it for a profit. In addition to holding criminals accountable, we must crack down on avenues for secondary selling including online resale markets. Making sure there’s nowhere to resell goods is a key strategy in curtailing retail theft.

I also support holding fentanyl traffickers accountable, and investments in public health strategies to raise awareness about the harms of fentanyl, drugs that may be laced with fentanyl, and increasing the availability of opioid-reversing drugs such as naloxone.

Q: What do you think of the governor’s approach to dealing with the state’s large budget gap? How would you address it?

When considering budget cuts, my first rule is: protect the most vulnerable from cuts that will do the most harm. Our budget funding is volatile, and the Legislature must play a leading role in smoothing out this revenue roller coaster. We went from a $100 billion surplus to a $38 billion deficit in two years.

Current economic indicators, including job rates and the stock market, demonstrate a strong economy. But this economy is not working for everyone. Low and middle-income families are struggling. I generally support the governor’s proposal to draw from the reserves to address the significant swing in revenue. However, I oppose proposals to cut CalWORKs funding and funding that supports our children in foster care.

I have experience with tough budgets. In my time on the school board we have passed a positive, certified, budget of $660 million every year, and I’m ready to get to work.