Sacramento Supervisor Sue Frost won’t run for reelection. When will voters choose a replacement?

When Sue Frost exits the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors in December 2024, the conservative politician will leave a record of spreading COVID-19 misinformation and casting sole dissenting votes on issues from racism to climate change.

Frost announced she won’t run for reelection in an email to supporters last week, more than seven months ahead of the March primary. 

Sacramento County Board of Supervisor Sue Frost.Bob Moffitt/CapRadio

She has represented District 4 covering northeastern Sacramento County since January 2017. The district includes Citrus Heights, Folsom, Orangevale, Antelope, North Highlands, Rio Linda, Elverta and Rancho Murieta. 

During board meetings and in rallies, Frost has repeatedly shared COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and pushed back against mask mandates, despite guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health agencies. In September 2021, she voted against a board resolution denouncing COVID-19 disinformation. 

The resolution didn’t explicitly mention Frost, but Supervisor Phil Serna told CapRadio he was concerned about her comments. Frost said the resolution was subjective and that she represents her constituents, not federal, state or local public health officials. 

“What is facts and science is not necessarily what is facts and science for another,” Frost said before casting the sole dissenting vote. 

The resolution didn’t prevent Frost from spreading pandemic misinformation. Last October, Frost falsely claimed that children do not contract or die from COVID-19 after a presentation by Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye. 

At the time, the Sacramento Bee reported that staff from Frost’s office said she misspoke. About 1,850 children died from COVID-19 between January 2020 and June 2023, according to CDC data. 

Frost has also been the sole dissenting supervisor on other public health issues. She  voted against a local public health emergency for mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, in August 2022 and opposed declaring racism as a public health crisis in November 2020. At the time of the latter, she questioned why the county didn’t also declare a crisis for homelessness, public safety or the LGBTQ community. 

“I do not believe that America is a racist country or that most Americans are racist,” Frost said in the meeting. “I do not believe that Sacramento County employees are racist. I do not understand why we’re not already, just because we’re a government of the people, not just automatically doing everything we can to make sure that every citizen is not being discriminated against.” 

A month later, Frost cast the sole vote against a climate emergency declaration setting a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2030. She said the goal was unrealistic and expressed concerns over balancing associated costs with other county obligations. 

Frost’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. 

At least one of her contrarian votes has received praise from groups across the political spectrum. This spring she opposed raising supervisors' annual salary from roughly $127,000 to $173,000. The rest of her colleagues approved the 36% pay increase. 

“There’s a part of me that wants to support this item, but I’m just not going to be able to because I think given the fact that many of my constituents are suffering from increased inflation and increased prices,” Frost said in April. “It’s difficult to give myself a raise at the same time others are suffering.”

When will the election to replace Frost occur? 

Voters will weigh in on a new District 4 supervisor in the March 5, 2024, primary election. If a candidate wins a simple majority, they will succeed Frost after her term ends in December 2024. But if no candidate claims more than 50% of the vote, the top two will move on to the November election. 

Candidates will be able to file paperwork to run for the seat in November and December, according to a calendar on the county website. 

When she announced her decision not to seek reelection, Frost endorsed Folsom Mayor Rosario Rodriguez as her successor. Rodriguez was elected to the Folsom City Council in 2020 after serving on the city’s Historic District Commission for three years. The council choses one of its members to preside as mayor each year, but her term as a council member lasts through 2024.  

“She is an effective councilwoman, small business owner, widow, mother and grandmother, and a tireless leader who has earned my support,” Frost said in the email. 

Rodriguez has yet to file any campaign finance disclosure paperwork with the county Voter Registration and Elections Office. So far, only one person has filed such paperwork for the District 4 seat: Democrat Braden Murphy, who ran for the state Board of Equalization in 2022. Murphy on Monday announced he left the state Assembly District 7 race to run for county supervisor.