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Darrell Steinberg has served as Sacramento’s mayor since December 2016. But he didn’t run for a third term and hasn’t announced what he’ll do next, although he has expressed interest in a run for state attorney general.
The mayor of Sacramento runs City Council meetings and appoints members to boards, commissions and advisory agencies. Sacramento’s mayor represents the entire city of 525,000 people, unlike council members who represent certain districts. The mayor is also responsible for interpreting the city’s policies and needs, according to the city charter, and votes with council members on policies and the budget.
Whoever wins the election must navigate Sacramento’s council-manager form of government, which is sometimes called a weak-mayor system. Under this system, the city manager is Sacramento's chief executive, proposes the budget and has the power to hire, discipline and fire city department heads. Previous efforts to switch the city to a strong-mayor form of government, where the mayor holds those powers — including Measure A in 2020 and Measure L in 2014 — failed to get enough votes.
Sacramento elects mayors to four-year terms. The position doesn’t have a term limit. The winner of the November election will serve as mayor from December 2024 to December 2028.
Six candidates ran in the March primary. Voters can choose from the top two vote-getters in the November general election:
Dr. Flojaune Cofer
Cofer, 41, worked as the senior director of policy for the nonprofit Public Health Advocates until early September. The epidemiologist and progressive organizer hasn’t held elected office before.
She served as the chair of the Measure U Community Advisory Committee from 2019 through 2022 and was part of the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change. Cofer lives in Tallac Village and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Sacramento Mayoral Candidate Flo Cofer Sept. 19, 2023.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Kevin McCarty
McCarty, 52, has served as a state Assembly member since 2014 and his term ends this December. He was the Sacramento City Council member for District 6, which includes the Tahoe Park area, from 2004 to 2014.
He started in politics as a member of the city’s housing and redevelopment commission. McCarty lives in the Elmhurst neighborhood and grew up in Sacramento.
Sacramento Mayoral Candidate Kevin McCarty Sept. 25, 2023.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
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