The Sacramento City Council is the governing body of the city of

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

. The council holds regular meetings at Sacramento City Hall on Tuesdays at 6:00 pm, with exceptions for holidays and other special cases. Sacramento's city council is a nine-member mayor-council system of government. The council is composed of a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

and eight council members, each of whom is elected to four-year terms from their respective districts. Sacramento's government is a "

weak mayor Weak may refer to: Songs * "Weak" (AJR song), 2016 * "Weak" (Melanie C song), 2011 * "Weak" (SWV song), 1993 * "Weak" (Skunk Anansie song), 1995 * "Weak", a song by Seether from '' Seether: 2002-2013'' Television episodes * "Weak" (''Fear t ...

" system in that the council retains

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive di ...

and

legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

authority. The management and operations of city affairs are not under the direct control of the mayor or the council; these matters are delegated to a

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief exec ...

, who is appointed by Sacramento's Mayor and serves at the pleasure of the council.

History

Previous councils

Sacramento, the oldest incorporated city in the State of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, has been governed by a council since the city's citizens approved a

city charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document ('' charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally the granting of a charte ...

in 1849. This charter, known as the "City Charter of 1850" in reference to the year that the charter was recognized by the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legislatu ...

, provided for the election of a ten-member "Common Council" made up of a Mayor and nine council members. In 1858, the governments of Sacramento County and the City of Sacramento merged. As a result, Sacramento was governed by the Sacramento County Board of Directors (a predecessor to the

Sacramento County Board of Supervisors The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors is the five member governing board of Sacramento County, California. Like all other counties in California, with the exception of the City and County of San Francisco, Sacramento is split into five distr ...

) for the next five years. The revised City Charter of 1863 returned to a separate governing body for the City of Sacramento. The charter established a four-member "Board of Trustees" composed of a Mayor and three trustees. Two more trustees were added to the board under the provisions of the City Charter of 1891. Later, in the City Charter of 1912, the five members of the city's governing body were renamed to "City Commissioners". Revisions made in the

City Charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document ('' charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally the granting of a charte ...

of 1921 established a nine-member governing body, composed of a

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

and eight council members. The charter established the group's current nomenclature, the "City Council". Councilmembers were elected via a preferential voting system, in which all of Sacramento's electorate were allowed to vote for multiple candidates. Once elected, the council selected one of the councilmembers to serve a two-year term as the city's mayor.

Present council format

Since 1971, the city has been divided into eight council districts. Each district's boundaries are created using data from the United States Census so that each district contains a relatively equal number of citizens. Councilmembers, who must be residents of the districts that they are elected to, are selected by the voters of their respective districts for four-year terms. Unlike the previous system, the city's voters elect the city's mayor to a four-year term via a popular vote. From the time that the district-based city council was established in 1971, the citizens of Sacramento have considered charters that proposed to consolidate the governments of Sacramento County and the City of

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

. On both occasions, in 1974 and again in 1990, the ballot measures were rejected by the citizens of both municipalities. In 1971, all the seats were up for election as the district format was used for the first time. As a result, councilmembers in odd numbered districts were elected to 6-year terms in 1971 that ended in 1977. Councilmembers in even numbered districts who were elected in 1987 and councilmembers in odd numbered districts that were elected in 1989 were elected to 5-year terms that ended in November of 1992 and November of 1994 as the city switched to even year elections following those elections.

Council Districts

Sacramento's city district boundaries are defined in an effort to distribute the city's population evenly, as required by state and federal law. District boundaries are redrawn based on data from the United States Census. In April 2022, questions were raised when the City Attorney published an opinion stating that the City had incorrectly assigned constituencies in new districts to sitting councilmembers in the period between redistricting and elections, and that sitting councilmembers should instead represent the constituencies that originally elected them.

District 1

Sacramento's District 1 is located in the northwestern area of the city. District 1's neighborhoods include: * North Natomas Councilmember Angelique Ashby represents District 1 of the City of Sacramento. She is a small business owner and a resident of North Natomas. Ashby is an alumnus of

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The inst ...

and earned a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

degree from McGeorge School of Law.

District 2

District 2 is located in the northeastern area of Sacramento. The district includes the neighborhoods of: *Arden Fair *Ben Ali *Cannon Industrial Park * Del Paso Heights *Erikson Industrial Park *Glenwood Meadows *Hagginwood *Noralto *

North Sacramento North Sacramento is a well-established community that is part of the city of Sacramento, California. It was a city from its incorporation in 1924 until it was merged (in a bitter election decided by 6 votes) in 1964 into the City of Sacramento. ...

*Parker Homes * Robla *Strawberry Manor *Swanston Estates *Woodlake *Youngs Heights In November 2012, Allen Warren narrowly defeated former Councilmember Rob Kerth to win the council seat. Warren, a former stockbroker and founder of a local real estate development company, holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from California State University, East Bay.

District 3

District 3 covers the northern central area of Sacramento. Neighborhoods in District 3 include: *

Cal Expo The California Exposition and State Fair (Cal Expo) is an independent state agency established by law in the California Food and Agriculture codes. Cal Expo is governed by an appointed 11-member Board of Directors and daily operations are managed ...

* CSUS *Downtown Railyards *Dos Rios Triangle * East Sacramento *Gardenland *Northgate *Point West *River District *River Park *South Natomas Councilman Jeff Harris was elected to the Sacramento City Council in 2014. He has owned Cadence Construction since 1982. He was a city Parks and Recreation Commissioner for 4 years. He is a resident of the River Park neighborhood.

District 4

Sacramento's District 4 is located in the western central area of the city. District 4 neighborhoods include: *Alhambra Triangle *

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...

*Freeport Manor * Land Park *Little Pocket *Mangan Park *Mansion Flats *Marshall School * Midtown * New Era Park *Newton Booth *Poverty Ridge *Richmond Grove * South Land Park * Southside Park * Upper Land Park *Winn Park/Capitol Avenue Councilmember Katie Valenzuela defeated Steve Hansen in the March 2020 Primary. Katie is a small business owner working to support environmental justice groups working on state policy, and received her bachelors and masters degree in Community Development from the University of California at Davis.

District 5

District 5 is located in the southern central area of Sacramento. Neighborhoods in District 5 include * Airport (Executive) *Brentwood *Carleton Tract * Colonial Heights * Curtis Park *Freeport Manor *Golf Course Terrace *Hollywood Park *Lawrence Park *Mangan Park *Med Center *North City Farms * Oak Park (North Oak Park, Central Oak Park, & South Oak Park) * SCC *South City Farms *Woodbine *Z'Berg Park Councilmember Jay Schenirer represents District 5 of the City of Sacramento. He works as an independent consultant and policy advisor on education reform and youth policy and strategies. Schenirer is an alumnus of

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is ...

and earned a Masters of Public Affairs at

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

District 6

District 6 is in Sacramento's southeastern central area. The district includes the neighborhoods of: *Avondale *Campus Commons *College/Glen *Colonial Village *Colonial Manor * Elmhurst *Fruitridge Manor *Glen Elder *Granite Regional Park *Sierra Oaks *

Southeast Village Southeast Village is a neighborhood located in Southeast Sacramento. Its boundaries are Lemon Hill Ave to the north, 65th St. Expy to the west, 53rd Ave to the south, along with Logan St and 75th St to the east. Features Elder Creek Road is t ...

* Tahoe Park ( Tahoe Park proper, West Tahoe Park, Tahoe Park East, & Tahoe Park South) *Tallac Village The district previously included UC Davis Medical Center, however this area was removed through a mid-decade redistricting. Eric Guerra represents the district on the City Council. An alumnus of

California State University, Sacramento California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...

, where he earned a Masters in Public Policy and Administration and Bachelors of Science, and later served as Preside of the Alumni Association, Guerra served as a Chief of Staff in the

before being elected to the council. Kevin McCarty represented District 6 of the City of Sacramento until he was elected to the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The ...

in November 2014. He had been a member of the City Council since 2004 when he was elected to replace Dave Jones who was running for a seat in the California State Assembly. His is an alumnus of

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities ...

and Cal State Sacramento where he earned a Masters in Public Policy and Administration, McCarty served as policy director to then Lieutenant Governor

Cruz Bustamante Cruz Miguel Bustamante (born January 4, 1953) is an American politician. He previously served as the 45th lieutenant governor of California from 1999 to 2007, serving under governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. A member of the Democra ...

prior to being elected to the council.

District 7

Sacramento's District 7 is located in the southwestern area of the city. Its neighborhoods include: * Greenhaven * Meadowview (southern portion) *

Pocket A pocket is a bag- or envelope-like receptacle either fastened to or inserted in an article of clothing to hold small items. Pockets are also attached to luggage, backpacks, and similar items. In older usage, a pocket was a separate small bag ...

*Valley Hi Councilmember Rick Jennings represents District 7 of the City of Sacramento. Councilmember Jennings is an alumnus of the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...

and won a

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the gam ...

with the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...

. His predecessor is Darrell Fong who stepped down to run for

. A retired Sacramento Police Department Captain, Fong is an alumnus of

District 8

District 8 is located in Sacramento's southern area. District 8 neighborhoods include: * Meadowview (northern portion) *North Laguna Councilmember Mai Vang represents District 8 of the City of Sacramento. Her predecessor is Larry Carr.

Past Councils & Councilmembers

Past City Councils (1971 election - present)

Notable Councilmembers

Past Sacramento City Councilmembers with notable achievements include: * Former City Commissioner of Education Luella Johnston (1912-1913), the first woman to be elected to the Sacramento City Council and to any municipal office in California. * The late Congressman

Robert Matsui Robert Takeo Matsui (September 17, 1941 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician from the state of California. Matsui was a member of the Democratic Party and served in the U.S. House of Representatives as the congressman for California's ...

, who served 26 years in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. * Current Mayor of Sacramento and former California State Senate Pro Tem

Darrell Steinberg Darrell Steven Steinberg (born October 15, 1959) is an American politician and attorney who is the 56th mayor of Sacramento, California since December 2016. He was elected to be mayor on June 7, 2016 (avoiding a runoff). Before that, he was Cali ...

, the first leader of the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. D ...

from Sacramento since 1882. * Former California Assemblymember

Phillip Isenberg Phillip L. Isenberg (born February 25, 1939) served in the California State Assembly from 1982 to 1996. He represented the city of Sacramento and surrounding areas. Political career Prior to his service in the Assembly, he was mayor of Sacramen ...

, Sacramento's Mayor for 6 years before serving 14 years in the

. * Former California Secretary of Health and Human Services

Grantland Johnson Grantland L. Johnson (September 29, 1948 – August 19, 2014) was a Sacramento-area politician and former Secretary of California's Health and Human Services Agency, the first African-American to hold the position. He was born in the Del Paso Hei ...

, who also served as a Regional Director of the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is " ...

in the

Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory over ...

and as a member of the

. * U.S. Federal District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller, the second woman appointed to the Sacramento Division of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of California The United States District Court for the Eastern District of California (in case citations, E.D. Cal.) is a federal court in the Ninth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appeal ...

, and the first woman to serve that district as a federal judge. *

Sacramento County Superior Court The Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento, alternatively called the Sacramento County Superior Court, is the California Superior Court located in Sacramento with jurisdiction over Sacramento County. Courthouses Gordon D. Schaber ...

Judge Lloyd G. Connelly, who followed his time on the Council with a 10-year term in the

. * Former California Assemblymember and Senator

Deborah Ortiz Deborah V. Ortiz (born March 19, 1957, in Sacramento) is an American politician from Sacramento, California. A Democrat, she served in both chambers of the California State Legislature. A then-member of Sacramento City Council, Ortiz was elect ...

, who served 10 years in the

. * Former Sacramento Mayor Belle Cooledge, the first woman to serve as Mayor of Sacramento. * Former Sacramento Mayor

Anne Rudin Anne Rudin (January 27, 1924 – November 25, 2021) was an American politician who served as the 51st Mayor of Sacramento from her election in 1983 until she stepped down, after declining to seek a third term in 1992. She was Sacramento's firs ...

, the first woman to be elected Mayor of Sacramento. * The late former Sacramento Mayor

Joe Serna Joe Serna Jr. (September 3, 1939 – November 7, 1999) was an American educator and civil rights activist who served as the 52nd mayor of Sacramento, California from 1992 until his death in 1999. Early life Joe Serna Jr. was born in Stockt ...

, the first Latino to be elected Mayor of Sacramento. * Former Sacramento Mayor

Heather Fargo Heather Fargo (born December 12, 1952) is an American politician who served as mayor and was a former City Council Member of Sacramento, California. She was sworn in as mayor in November 2000, replacing Jimmie R. Yee, and served until December ...

. * Former California Insurance Commissioner and Former Assemblymember Dave Jones. * Former Sacramento County Supervisor and Former Mayor

Jimmie Yee Jimmie R. Yee (born 1934) is an American politician who formerly served on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. Yee was briefly mayor of Sacramento, California after the death of Mayor Joe Serna in 1999. Yee is a Democrat. Early life and ...

Notes

Elected via a special election to complete the remainder of the previous council member's term.
Resigned prior to the end of their council term after being elected to another office (e.g. Mayor, State Assembly, County Board of Supervisors, etc.).
Appointed to complete the remainder of the previous council member's term.
Died in office.
Retired.

References

External links

City of Sacramento: Office of the Mayor and City CouncilCity of Sacramento: City Maps: Council Districts (in effect October 06 2011)City of Sacramento: City Maps: Council Districts (to take effect mid-December 2022)City of Sacramento Charter
{{Sacramento Government of Sacramento, California California city councils