District 1 of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, spanning from downtown to the Sutter County line, is at the epicenter of friction between the county and the city of Sacramento. One of the two candidates vying for this seat is best suited to guide a much-needed course correction.
The city of Sacramento has sued the county over its misguided approval of a 25,000-person community in Natomas that is too close to the Sacramento River. In addition, the two governments aren’t working collaboratively on their worst shared crisis, homelessness.
The Bee endorsed public health advocate Flojaune Cofer over Sacramento City Councilmember Eric Guerra in the June primary to fill this seat. We affirm our support for Cofer. She is best suited to shake up a stagnant board that needs to fundamentally change how it does its business. The public deserves better.
It’s hard to imagine a worse supervisor than Phil Serna, who is leaving the board after utterly failing in four terms to be an ambassador between the county and the city. He was aloof and petulant as homelessness proliferated in the county on his watch. The city needed a partner. Serna was nothing of the kind, and the other four board members never had the courage to do anything about it. It was a sad case of political guilt by association.
Guerra is a smart and steady public servant. Cofer is the clear change agent. She would challenge a county budget dominated by law enforcement. Having run for mayor of Sacramento in 2024, she understands the importance of collaboration between the two biggest governments in the county. Her public health background would be invaluable on a board responsible for directing social services in the county.
Any board member who wants to effect change can only succeed through relentless diplomacy and persistence. Cofer understands this. Unlike Serna, who could behave like a child when his decisions were questioned, Cofer willingly engages with allies and opponents.
This is a moment in history when the public needs the next supervisor to perform some heavy political lifting. That’s Cofer’s strength. The fact that no current supervisor supports her is the greatest endorsement of all. Flojaune Cofer is needed on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.