With Sacramento County beginning to mail ballots for the Nov. 3 election, epidemiologist Flo Cofer and Sacramento City Councilmember Eric Guerra joined Monday for what might be the final candidate forum in the District 1 Board of Supervisors race.

Here are four key takeaways for the event, which was held at Congregation B’nai Israel in Land Park and was sponsored by a number of organizations, including Sacramento Area Congregations Together.

The discussion was reasonably civil

Just after the forum began around 6:30 p.m., Rabbi Seth Castleman led a brief prayer. He then spoke about his mother being outraged at a comment Ronald Reagan made during a debate with Jimmy Carter during the 1980 U.S. Presidential Election.

“She took her shoe off and threw it at the TV,” Castleman said. “I trust everyone will keep their shoes on tonight.”

He amused the crowd of about 140 people, Cofer and Guerra both seemed to find humor in the remark and a largely polite night followed. The candidates expounded on a wide range of issues. The civility of the evening was evident to former Sacramento City Councilmember Jay Schenirer, who has been a member of Congregation B’nai Israel for more than 40 years.

“They kind of were open about who they are and what they think and I think that’s really important,” said Schenirer.

He said he wasn’t endorsing either candidate but that he liked them both.

Cofer and Guerra share views, but have key differences

Cofer and Guerra answered a dozen question during the session that lasted more than an hour, and showed they weren’t entirely dissimilar.

Both stated that they oppose the death penalty. Both spoke positively of SB 802, a bill by State Sen. Angelique Ashby, D-Sacramento, recently signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom that could create a joint powers authority in the region around homelessness. Both spoke with conviction about protecting transgender residents.

Some differences:

Cofer is decidedly against the use of Flock cameras, telling the room, “I do not want to live in a surveillance state. That does not work well for us and it doesn’t work well for communities of color.”

Guerra parsed his words more carefully, saying that it was important “to evolve with technology” but that arrangements shouldn’t be made “with third-party entities.”

The candidates also differed on ranked-choice voting. Cofer seemed enthusiastic about the concept, saying, “I am excited about anything we can do to bolster people’s participation.”

Guerra said that even though he supported having voters decide whether they want ranked choice voting, he had attempted to talk about it with his neighbors and that “they couldn’t explain it.”

They also had different views about whether the county needs a new jail. Cofer spoke against it; Guerra said conditions in the current jail were “deplorable” and unsafe for both inmates and staff.

“Something must be done,” Guerra said.

How the audience reacted

Cofer and Guerra have each been campaigning for several months and each was a public figure long before that. Cofer lost a very close Sacramento mayoral race to Kevin McCarty in 2024 and has served on local commissions. Guerra has been a member of Sacramento City Council since 2015.

Accordingly, people interviewed after the event tended to have a clear idea of their choices.

Natasha Minsker, an attorney and Land Park resident, said she appreciated Guerra sharing his life experience and perspective but that she was solidly in support of Cofer.

“She understands what Sacramento needs and she’s an independent candidate and she’s really focused on the needs of the community,” Minsker said.

Midtown resident Steven Bourasa said he was leaning toward Guerra due to his experience on the City Council and that Monday’s candidate forum had not changed his view.

“I’m keeping an open mind, but I don’t think it changed my feelings,” Bourasa said.

Then there was Karen McClaflin, who lives in Land Park and is a museum director. She said she entered the evening undecided and would still be thinking things over, but that she was swayed.

“I was just impressed by Dr. Cofer’s answers,” McClaflin said. “She just really seemed to know what she was talking about right off the top of her head. She didn’t rely on always going back to her past. It was present and it was going forward and I appreciated that.”

How Cofer and Guerra assessed the evening

Snacks, lemonade and water were provided in an adjoining room to the forum after it ended. Cofer and Guerra each mingled among attendees and offered upbeat thoughts on how the evening had gone.

Guerra, who had his arm in a sling because it had been fractured in three places, said the evening showed the difference he offered.

“There’s one thing to say what you’re going to do, but there’s another thing in having the practice of doing it,” Guerra said. “And I think I laid a good example of successes that I’ve been able to do as a council member. But as a supervisor, I’m going to be able to use that expertise to actually move the biggest issue, which for us, it is on the issue of homelessness.”

Cofer stressed that her message was not just to voters but to potential constituents.

“My hope is that no matter if you’ve already made up your mind or if you haven’t, there’s still a message I have for you, which is: That in a Cofer administration, we are going to work with you and we want your partnership and your ideas and they’re all going to be welcome here,” Cofer said. “And I want you to tell me what you think and what you care about.”