Candidates in the Sacramento mayor’s race discussed their plans to support Latino-owned and small businesses, reduce racial disparities and confront homelessness in a forum Monday evening.
The event drew about 60 people, including some who said they haven’t decided whether they will vote for Assembly member Kevin McCarty or epidemiologist Dr. Flo Cofer with just over a month left before the election.
Both McCarty and Cofer said they would work to increase Latino representation in the city government’s highest-paying jobs as well as on advisory boards and commissions. Latinos make up 29% of Sacramento's population, but accounted for 16% of board and commission members in 2022, according to a city audit. Among city employees who earn more than $180,000 annually, 75% are white and 7% are Latino, data from the City Auditor’s Office shows.
The Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters of Sacramento County co-sponsored the forum at Casa de Español on R Street in downtown. The chamber offered Spanish interpreter services in case any attendees needed it to better understand the discussion, said President and CEO Cathy Rodriguez Aguirre.
“We are very much a community that’s engaged [and] that is invested in the city and what the future holds,” Rodriguez Aguirre added. “This is a large demographic and we want to make sure that we’re being represented both in our voice and our vote.”
Assembly member Kevin McCarty speaks at a Sacramento mayoral candidate forum at Casa de Español in Sacramento, Calif., on Sept. 30, 2024.Kristin Lam/CapRadio
To support Latino entrepreneurs, Cofer suggested streamlining applications for business applications and creating a small business roundtable that can give input on policies. Similarly, McCarty said he wants to start a blue ribbon commission to reduce barriers for obtaining building permits and waive license fees for businesses’ first year of operation.
The candidates differed more in their responses to questions about reducing homelessness. McCarty said the city needs to enforce camping bans and not cut the police budget. But Cofer said focusing on enforcement is ineffective and has proposed shifting police funding to another city department to handle non-violent calls.
Janine Mapurunga, an artist who lives downtown, said she wants to see Sacramento invest in social workers who can handle homeless mental health issues. But Mapurunga added she doesn’t necessarily think the city should take away resources from police.
“I like what they both had to say,” Mapurunga said. “I haven’t really made a decision about who has the best solutions for this problem because I think all of the options that they offered are valid.”
Christopher Jackson works in security and lives in Natomas. He said he previously experienced homelessness and still has questions about the plans McCarty and Cofer propose.
“Where is the funding gonna come from and when is it gonna be set into motion?” Jackson said. “And are these people gonna be mentally able to handle having a home?”
Epidemiologist Dr. Flo Cofer speaks at a Sacramento mayoral candidate forum at Casa de Español in Sacramento, Calif., on Sept. 30, 2024.Kristin Lam/CapRadio
Based on the forum, Jackson said he’s now leaning toward Cofer, but wants to do more research on the candidates. Whoever wins the November election will serve a four-year term beginning in December. Sacramento’s mayor represents the entire city of 525,000 people, runs City Council meetings, and votes with council members on policies and the budget.
Cofer and McCarty will face off in another debate on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Guild Theater at 2828 35th St. in Sacramento. The Oak Park Neighborhood Association is organizing the debate in partnership with Access Sacramento and St. HOPE. Access Sacramento plans to livestream the event.
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