The Sacramento alternative rock band, CAKE, is hosting a fundraiser concert for Councilmember Mai Vang, who is running for California’s 7th Congressional District.
In a news release, lead singer of CAKE, John McCrea, endorsed Vang and said the band is “standing with her.” He said the collaboration with Vang shows the band’s “commitment to challenging the status quo and refusing corporate influence,” according to the news release.
“We don’t have the luxury of staying quiet anymore while the environment and the working class are treated as afterthoughts,” McCrea said in a news release. “Mai (Vang) understands that you can’t have a working democracy without clean air, clean water and a system where the people at the top actually contribute their fair share.”
Vang is running against longtime incumbent, U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui to represent Sacramento, South Sacramento and portions of Lodi, Elk Grove, El Dorado Hills, Placerville and Galt. Matsui has held that seat since 2005.
The Democratic councilmember faces Matsui’s deep fundraising pockets. Matsui had raised about $785,000 in campaign donations according to past Bee reporting from February. Vang had cleared $199,000.
Matsui has been endorsed by leading Democrats such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla. She was also endorsed by a majority of the Sacramento City Council, including Mayor Kevin McCarty.
Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang speaks during the 50501 protest against the Trump administration at the state Capitol on Saturday, April 4, 2025. JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com
Vang was elected to the Sacramento City Council in 2020 as the first Asian American woman to hold a councilmember seat. While on City Council, Vang has focused on vaccine clinics, Measure L and addressing food insecurity in the region.
Vang said her campaign is honored to have the support of CAKE, who she described as “a band that is not afraid to speak truth to power.”
“This benefit show is about more than great music,” Vang said in a news release. “We’re building a movement to make our government work for the people instead of corporate interests.”
The fundraiser concert will start at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, at Channel 24 in Newton Booth. The band will play a 30-minute concert after “a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the band’s process,” according to the news release. Tickets start at $30 and go up to $3,500 for a backstage photo with CAKE, VIP reception, premium seating and a limited edition poster.
The proceeds from the concert will be divided between Vang’s campaign for Congress and Effie Phillips-Stanley’s race for New York’s 17th District.
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This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 12:14 PM.
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Emma Hall covers Sacramento County for The Sacramento Bee. Hall graduated from Sacramento State and Diablo Valley College. She is Blackfeet and Cherokee.