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<\/p>\nFlojaune Cofer, an epidemiologist and progressive organizer who narrowly lost Sacramento\u2019s 2024 mayoral election, has entered the race for Sacramento County\u2019s Board of Supervisors District 1, saying the county must play a far more active and transparent role in addressing homelessness, public health, racial inequities and regional governance.<\/p>\n
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Cofer, who received more than 94,000 votes against Kevin McCarty in late 2024, losing by only 1,941 votes, said her decision followed months of reflection after the campaign. Her supporters urged her not to let the momentum for change dissipate.<\/p>\n
\u201cCounty decisions shape our lives at the moments that matter most \u2014 during public health emergencies, housing crises, floods, wildfires, and when families need care and support,\u201d said Cofer. \u201cI\u2019m running because Sacramento County can do better by the people who live here \u2014 and because leadership at this level must be transparent, accountable, and rooted in care.\u201d<\/p>\n
She initially hesitated to enter the race, the election for which is June 2, because she was working to support Mai Vang\u2019s campaign for California\u2019s 7th Congressional District against longtime incumbent Doris Matsui. \u201cWe have a limited number of people in this region, and when you\u2019re running campaigns that rely on volunteers and people power, you worry about splitting resources,\u201d Cofer said. \u201cBut people reminded me of my own slogan \u2014 that more is possible \u2014 and that if we want to govern differently, we also have to campaign differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
During her mayoral campaign, Cofer said the two questions she heard most from voters were how Sacramento would address homelessness and how the city could work more effectively with the county, which oversees a broad range of public services. \u201cMost people don\u2019t actually know what the county does until something goes wrong,\u201d Cofer said. \u201cBut the county is responsible for many of the services we expect the government to get right: mental health, public health, housing stability, emergency response. Strengthening the county strengthens the entire region.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said supporters encouraged her to view the supervisor race as a way to direct the energy from her mayoral campaign toward an institution that often operates out of public view but controls many of the systems shaping daily life.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe spent a lot of time in the mayor\u2019s race talking about homelessness and public safety, and people kept asking, \u2018What are you going to do about the county?\u2019\u201d Cofer said. \u201cThis is a way to focus attention where it actually belongs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sacramento County functions both as a regional government and, for residents in unincorporated areas, as a municipal government. For people outside city limits, the county provides services such as road maintenance, land-use regulation and code enforcement.<\/p>\n
For everyone, including city residents, the county oversees major systems that shape daily life, including public health, behavioral health, child welfare and foster care, housing and homelessness programs, the jail, the district attorney\u2019s office and the courts.<\/p>\n
Sacramento residents operate under two layers of government: City Hall for local services and the county for health and human services, mental health, emergency care, and much of the public safety and justice infrastructure. That structure often leaves voters unclear about where to turn for help, but it also means county decisions directly affect homelessness response, substance-use treatment, family stability and public health across the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith homelessness, mental health and health care, people often say, \u2018That\u2019s the county\u2019s responsibility,\u2019 and they\u2019re right,\u201d Cofer said. \u201cThat\u2019s why collaboration matters, but it\u2019s also why leadership at the county level is so important. If the county is strong, the entire region benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cofer\u2019s campaign will take on the county\u2019s continued consideration of a roughly $1 billion jail expansion, a proposal she called misplaced given the region\u2019s unmet needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you ask people what Sacramento most needs, almost no one says an expanded jail,\u201d Cofer said. \u201cThey talk about affordable housing, affordable food, child care, health care, and wages that keep up with inflation.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also pointed to county decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Sacramento County received hundreds of millions in federal relief funds.<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic health was told it could ask for about $2 million,\u201d Cofer said. \u201cThat alone tells you something is fundamentally misaligned in how priorities are set.\u201d<\/p>\n
Homelessness, she said, would be her top priority if elected, with an emphasis on housing placement and prevention.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery $100 rent increase increases homelessness by about 9%,\u201d Cofer said. \u201cStabilizing people where they are is just as important as building new housing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The District 1 race includes Sacramento City Councilmember Eric Guerra, who has been endorsed by outgoing Supervisor Phil Serna and former state Sen. Deborah Ortiz.<\/p>\n
Cofer said Serna\u2019s endorsement of Guerra reflects continuity rather than change.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis race isn\u2019t about legacies or political stepping stones,\u201d Cofer said. \u201cIt\u2019s about whether the outcomes we\u2019re seeing \u2014 homelessness, health inequities, environmental degradation \u2014 are acceptable. I don\u2019t think they are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kendra Lewis, chair of the California Democratic Black Caucus, said Cofer\u2019s background as an epidemiologist distinguishes her in the race. \u201cHer experience and dedication in public health is significant,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cYou don\u2019t see many people with that background running for these offices. That perspective matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis added that Cofer\u2019s loss in the mayor\u2019s race does not diminish her candidacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always positive when people fully participate in our democratic system,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cVoters need choices \u2014 choices they know and can trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cofer began her career at the Sacramento County Department of Public Health more than two decades ago and later helped lead community health improvement efforts locally. She said the Board of Supervisors lacks expertise in the very systems it governs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t currently have anyone on the board with a public health background,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s a gap when we\u2019re talking about homelessness, mental health, foster care and racial disparities.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pointed to the county\u2019s 2020 resolution declaring racism a public health crisis, saying structural change has lagged behind symbolism.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t face what hasn\u2019t been named, but naming it isn\u2019t enough,\u201d Cofer said. \u201cWe need a racial equity analysis of our budget and our outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cofer, who if elected would become the first Black woman to serve on Sacramento County\u2019s Board of Supervisors, also criticized the structure of county governance, saying long weekday meetings and dense agendas discourage public participation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis body has been overlooked and, frankly, too sleepy,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople deserve to know who their supervisors are and to see them in the community, not just during election season.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the campaign unfolds, Cofer said her focus is less on opposing other candidates and more on redefining what local government can accomplish.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been told our whole lives that change has to be slow,\u201d she said. \u201cBut governments can move quickly when they choose to. The question is whether we\u2019ll be bold on behalf of housing, health and dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n
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