California’s 10th Assembly District: Who's running in the June 7 primary election

Voters in California’s 10th Assembly District will choose a new representative this year. It’s the first time in nearly a decade the seat has been open.

Incumbent Jim Cooper (D–Elk Grove) has represented much of the district since 2014 and is now running to become Sacramento County Sheriff.

The district lines were modified after statewide redistricting last year, a process that happens every 10 years The newly redrawn 10th district includes portions of South Sacramento, unincorporated Sacramento County and Elk Grove. 

His potential replacements include:

• Eric Guerra, a Democrat who has represented District 6 in the Sacramento City Council since 2015. 
• Elk Grove City Council Member Stephanie Nguyen, a Democrat who has served on the council since 2017. 
• Rev. Tecoy Porter, senior pastor of the Genesis Church in South Sacramento and a Democrat. 
• Eric Rigard, a Republican who unsuccessfully challenged Cooper in 2020. 

Here are where the candidates stand on issues like housing affordability, public safety and more. Their answers have been edited for length and clarity. 

On what they think constituents’ biggest concerns are

Eric Guerra: Clearly, number one, the issues of housing and homelessness [and] the cost of housing. A lot of that has to do [with] the lack of housing construction in other regions of our state. We see many people that have come over from the Bay Area because their housing prices and challenges have grown. So, it reminds us that we cannot be isolated and think that we can live on an island, because our regional economy is impacted by those around us. Obviously, homelessness is one that is a critical one and one that's much more complicated than just providing housing. The need to address the shortage of mental health services and support for our youth to prevent them from falling into drug addiction and falling into homelessness. The thing that we need to focus on now in the state, and I hope to do that as an assembly member, is making sure we can increase our housing production, find the essential wraparound services and immediate solutions to tackle the challenge of homelessness in our area.

Stephanie Nguyen: What I'm hearing from folks is that they're tired of hearing about all the shootings, all the stabbings, all the grabs-and-go that are happening all across the region here, and that something needs to be done. They don't know if they leave their house after dark, if there is going to be a shooting that happens. But also the homelessness that has grown exponentially everywhere and they feel that nothing is being done. And so folks want to see something being done at the state level with homelessness. The last thing I'd say and, you know, another priority I have is just the fact that workforce development, economic development, and small businesses are really hurting right now.

Tecoy Porter: They want to see change. That's the most common thing that we hear: They're frustrated as to what's going on and they're tired of the career politicians. And they want a fresh voice with new ideas, a fresh perspective on where we are right now, especially regarding the top issues that's happening with affordable housing, homelessness, our jobs. And then gas, gas, gas — the gas prices and inflation that's happening right now. So, they just want a new face and new perspective on that. And I believe that I can provide just that.

Eric Rigard: The things I hear that they care about are mostly kitchen table type issues: the gas is way high. The taxation is super high, that prices on groceries are getting to be unattainable. They’ve changed the way they're feeding their families in order to make their money stretch and get the food that they need. A few of them have talked about abortion. They want abortion to be safe and legal. They do not necessarily agree with it in the second and third trimesters. They say if you're going to do this, it needs to be done quickly, you know, and either way, I say there still should be the consideration that that is a life that is there. I am pro-life guy. But at the same time, I've got to humble myself and understand that they're the ones going through this. They may make a different decision than I want them to make.

On public safety, guns and criminal justice reform

In this section, candidates reference both Proposition 47 and 57. Voters approved Proposition 47 in 2014. It reclassified some nonviolent offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, including theft and fraud when the value is less than $950. Prop 57, approved two years later, increased opportunities for offenders to earn credits for good behavior to shave time off their sentences. It also allows the California Board of Parole Hearings to grant early release to inmates who serve the full term for their primary offense.

Eric Guerra: Rather than trying to use politics as a way to reform our political justice system, we should look at the actual data: What changes work and what don't. I'll tell you one thing. Just from having a father who was in the correctional system already — he was in county and state centers — that he was set to fail when he was released, because we haven't done enough for the reentry of people who have served their time. And if we don't get ahead of that, both on making sure that there is adequate funding for the parole and the nonprofits that are linked, to making sure that there's adequate workforce training so that there's adequate support, then then we're just expecting to have these individuals who come out of the system fail. And on the back end it becomes a continued cost and tragedy for our state.

Stephanie Nguyen: Law enforcement has gotten behind me completely. And it's not it's not just because I'm married to a police officer, but it's because of the work that I've done at the community level, bringing the community and public safety together.

I do think [Prop 47 and Prop 57] need to be revisited. I think we need to take those back again and see how we can make some changes for the better. That the crime rate has gone up everywhere, all across. And unless we can be adults about this and all come to the table to discuss what's best, nothing is going to change.

Tecoy Porter: The thing that I want to make clear is that guns do not just originate from these communities. Ghost guns, automatics, what have you, they don't just originate in Black and brown communities, but they're the trafficked, along with the drugs. They’re trafficked into these communities. Let's look at the systemic reasons why this type of crime, guns appear within these communities. And then we have to look at these trafficking laws.

I think there's some more that we need to see in [police reform]. We have to look at qualified immunity. We have to hold our bad officers accountable for bad deeds.

Eric Rigard: With Prop 47, I think people don't expect a criminal to be intelligent at all. But when you tell somebody that they can basically steal up to $950 and they'll get a ticket for it — they won't really have to go to jail for it, it’s a misdemeanor — then they're going to walk in, as many have in the past, two people walk in, one sitting there with a calculator, the other one's grabbing stuff. They stop at $950 and go out the door. Well, to maybe a major store, that's not a big thing. To a small business, that's going to cripple them. So we've got to stop that and get rid of that mentality. And if you go into somebody's store and you steal a pack of gum, you're going down for that. We need to revisit Prop 47, definitely. And we need to revisit Prop 57. I think that it was sold to people one way [but] we've seen the results of it across the state, and it's been very negative. 

On whether they would support Gov. Gavin Newsom’s CARE Court proposal, which would make it easier for judges to order people with severe mental illness, including those without shelter, into treatment.

Eric Guerra: The governor's approach I think is going in the right direction. And while there are very valid civil liberties concerns, no one wants to go back to the days of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and Nurse Ratched and that whole scenario. But I do believe that if we can move forward in a direction where we can help people who are in need, it is the right direction. More importantly, the thing about the CARE Court approach is that it is compelling all jurisdictions, particularly our counties, to provide shelter and housing for homeless individuals and families. The point of having our courts, our third branch of government that is supposed to be a neutral and adjudicated body, I think is a very novel approach to help us tackle through the multiple multifaceted challenges that people face on the street.

Stephanie Nguyen: I would support that. I think it's about time where we need to come in and start letting folks know that they do need the treatment. Many times when folks are experiencing mental illness, they don't necessarily understand. They don't necessarily know what they need or what they want. And I think we need to, in some ways, come in and say that you need the help. I think that would be a good first step for us to come in. And if it doesn't work and if it doesn't help and if they clearly still don't want it, then there's not much that we can do there. But I do feel like we need to come in and we need to somehow address this and I would support that.

Tecoy Porter: I think it's worth a look. Especially when you have issues right now, where you have various individuals who may not be able to care for themselves, who need some guidance right there. So in the most severe cases that CARE Court could be a great, great option.

Eric Rigard: I would definitely support that approach. Mental illness, I think, is probably one of the biggest problems with homelessness. We've always fought homelessness by building more housing. But homelessness is really, I think, a three part kind of problem. There's some people that are just down on their luck, may have missed a paycheck or two and they're out there. So they just need a hand up. They need somebody to help them out, help get them on track. And we can do that as a state, as a city, as a county. Others are mentally ill and the police pick them up [and within] 48 hours, they’re back on the street. By bringing a family member into CARE Court, who can hear what's going on and then commit them to a certain treatment program? I think that would be great because they need treatment to get better.

On what the state and local governments should do to build more housing and address affordability:

Eric Guerra: Number one, working with the experts. I'm glad to be part of the solution, working with people on the ground that are making change … having a strong relationship and being able to build and support the first Homekey project in our county with WEAVE and St. John's to build those housing. And most importantly, working with our local jurisdictions so that we end the parochialism that exists. We have to work as multi-jurisdiction entities because homelessness is a regional problem. It's one that you can't just push from one area to another. Many of the issues that are affecting folks here, such as the cost of housing, the issue of lack of health services, making sure we address mental health. Those are regional problems and are not isolated to one area. And I would take that on and use that leadership approach to work as a region to tackle this issue.

Stephanie Nguyen: It's just too expensive to build homes now. The pathway to being able to build homes is tough, it's difficult, it's expensive. So I think locally we all need to figure out a way to make it easier for these homes to be built. I think there's a way for the state to be able to jump in and provide incentives.

It's also more than just making homes affordable, but it's also being able to pay people as well, too, in their jobs and employment. We're being priced out with folks from the Bay Area coming in and doing all cash in purchasing a home. So you've got folks that are here in our community that can't even afford to purchase these homes when once it comes up. They have to be able to make an income where they can afford also to buy the homes. 

Tecoy Porter: Make sure that the monies that are sent over for affordable housing, that they get to the right places, that they are distributed equitably, throughout the district, throughout the city, throughout the state. We need to make sure that we just don't place mixed use housing just in one spot, and look at various other types of housing as well. And regarding transportation, make sure that wherever we place housing, there's adequate transportation there so people get to their jobs and schooling.

I think we do have to look at developing issues to do some of the regulatory things there that might be impeding housing development growth.

Eric Rigard: We need affordable housing. And I think that there are pockets of areas around here where you could develop neighborhoods — I don't know whether you want to develop tiny houses, that seems to be kind of extreme — but maybe the neighborhood's a little bit more compact and the prices are lower. [We’ve] got to give the builders a break because they're paying exorbitant prices just to build the house. Before one stick goes up, they've got to pay so much out in fees, and that just gets transferred to whoever the homeowner is or the renter is. We've got to get the price down so that more people can afford it. And the only way they're going to do that is, I think, holding back some of the restrictions in development fees and stuff like that for developers building houses a little bit more compactly. And getting them in an affordable range where people can afford those homes.