Here’s how Sacramento organizations prepare people from underrepresented communities to serve in office

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Nancy Pacheco wasn’t interested in serving on an education board or city council, despite her experience as an outreach specialist for the Yolo County Library. She says the forward-facing, demanding work intimidated her. 

But a training program called Nueva Epoca has helped her hone her skills and explore how she presents herself to people. With the support of Latino peers in the program, now she can see herself undertaking the responsibilities of public office in the future. 

“This is the first chance that I've ever had in my life to work with other professionals who have a Latinx background,” Pacheco said. “And that is just paramount in my own maturity and idea of who I am and the assets that I bring to the table.” 

Nueva Epoca is one of several Sacramento programs that prepare people from underrepresented communities to serve in public office. The programs often aim to build a diverse pipeline of people who can influence civic policy decisions in the future. 

Adrian Ruiz co-created the Nueva Epoca program, which means new era in Spanish. It started after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately impacted Latino communities in Sacramento County. 

The program aims to make sure Sacramento leaders more closely reflect the region’s Latino population, Ruiz said. Latinos make up 23% of people living in the greater Sacramento region — which includes Sacramento, Yolo, Sutter, Yuba, Placer and El Dorado counties — according to the 2023 Hispanic Economic Report. But Ruiz said Latinos are underrepresented in public office in the area.

Ruiz could not point to data on Latino public officials in Sacramento. But other studies show disparities on a statewide level. 

A 2022 UCLA study found that Latinos have the largest representation gap among all racial and ethnic groups for appointees in California’s executive branch. Latinas hold 4% of county supervisor seats and 9% of city government seats, despite representing 20% of the state’s total population, according to a November 2023 report by Hispanas Organized for Political Equality. 

Marissa Gutierrez Green (center) and Liliana Ruiz (right) review a worksheet during a Nueva Epoca training in Sacramento, Calif., on Dec. 1, 2023.Kristin Lam/CapRadio

At the local level, Nueva Epoca serves as a place for Latino community members and their allies to discuss who they are and how to make sure they are represented, Ruiz said. 

“We are making sure that we also uphold who we are and not necessarily sit at the table just to fit in,” Ruiz said. “But to sit at the table to bring who we are in terms of our values and to share our values. But not to sit at the table as recipients of services any longer, but to also sit at the table as resources and leaders.”

Elizabeth Esquivel serves on the Yolo County Board of Education. She participated in the Nueva Epoca leadership training program before being appointed to the board.Courtesy of Elizabeth Esquivel

Since the program began in 2021, Ruiz said Nueva Epoca has helped get more than 70 fellows appointed to boards and commissions. Yolo County Board of Education Trustee Elizabeth Esquivel is part of that group. 

Esquivel said she always had an interest in serving on a school board, but might not have applied for a vacant seat if she didn’t participate in the first Nueva Epoca cohort in 2021. In addition to showing her the technical skills to succeed in public office, Esquivel said mentors reaffirmed that she belonged on the decision-making body and encouraged her to go through the appointment process. 

“You need to speak up,” Esquivel said. “You come from a single-parent household. You come from a low-income background. You're first-generation. You need to have a voice to represent those students that are not always represented.”

The board appointed her to the seat in February 2022, and Esquivel ran unopposed to keep the position later that year. 

Organization supports LGBTQ+ candidates 

Similar to Nueva Epoca, Stonewall Democrats of Greater Sacramento also aims to empower future candidates to seek public office. 

Among its other work, Stonewall Democrats President Jonathan Cook said the organization provides training to LGBTQ+ people. The club also partners with state and national organizations and connects members with larger training opportunities. 

Jonathan Cook said it’s important to both elect LGBTQ+ candidates and build a bench of people who could run for office at all levels of government. 

“Especially at this moment where trans rights and trans issues are under attack in so many places, even here in California,” Cook said. 

He referenced discussions of gender notification — also called forced outing — policies at school board meetings in Rocklin, Roseville, Elk Grove and El Dorado Hills. Such proposals seek to require school staff to tell parents if students use different names or pronouns than the ones on their records. A statewide version was proposed in 2023, but the bill died in a state assembly committee. 

Evan Minton is running for the state Assembly District 6 seat. About three years ago, he participated in a training by Stonewall Democrats of Greater Sacramento and the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund.Courtesy of Evan Minton

No openly transgender person has ever served as a California state lawmaker, but Evan Minton could be the first. About three years ago, he participated in a leadership training held by Stonewall Democrats and the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, a national organization working to elect LGBTQ+ people. 

Now Minton is running for the District 6 Assembly seat, which represents a large part of Sacramento County. Minton said one thing he took away from the training was the importance of being his authentic self on the campaign trail and telling his personal story, including his experience as the first out transgender person working in the state Capitol. 

“I think that folks in underrepresented communities often don't see ourselves in government,” Minton said. “So, unless we’re recruited or asked or prepared or trained to run, then we just might not do it.”

Minton added that he’s running for office to advocate for the community as someone who has lived experience and knows what it’s like to be transgender. 

“It’s always been my experience that if you're not there at the table, then you're always going to be on the menu, whether you're the first thing on the menu or the last thing,” Minton said. “If you're not there representing your community, you're always going to be on the menu and the trans community is under attack.”

Networking builds foundation of support

Beyond the technical skills, Minton said he also built supportive relationships through training with Stonewall Democrats. Programs have given him a foundation and network, he added. 

Participants and leaders of similar programs shared similar social highlights, including Michael Lemus, the co-director of New Leaders Council Sacramento. The program tries to connect and train the next generation of progressive leaders. 

Ideally, Lemus said fellows bond over progressive causes and learn from each other. When considering applicants, Lemus said the New Leaders Council doesn’t just focus on how old they are or where they are in their careers. But many fellows are Millennials or Gen Zers, said Lemus, who participated in the program himself before later becoming a co-director. 

“Anyone can of course impact change, but we see this program as an investment in our young leaders,” Lemus said. “The younger we can equip our progressive leaders with the skills they need to succeed, the better.”

It’s unclear how many people who’ve trained with groups like New Leaders Council, Stonewall Democrats and Nueva Epoca will decide to run for office in 2024. But even more program participants could seek office in the years to come.