This Sacramento official is the right choice serve Elk Grove in the California Assembly

The redrawing of California’s 10th Assembly District, which now encompasses South Sacramento and Elk Grove, prompted Sacramento City Councilman Eric Guerra to scrap a run for state Senate and join the race for the lower chamber. That spared Guerra from having to compete with former state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and fellow Sacramento City Council member Angelique Ashby in the race for the new 8th District Senate seat.

And it’s good news for the voters of the Assembly district, who would be well served with Guerra as their representative.

Guerra has been an advocate for small business and economic development in underused city business corridors. He has also supported expanding child care options for working families and combating climate change through city policy.

Guerra is better known in Sacramento than in Elk Grove, but his moderate Democratic leanings should appeal to voters in the decidedly purple suburb.

Guerra was a central figure in the approval of Aggie Square, a $1.1 billion project that will be located at Stockton Boulevard and Second Avenue on land owned by UC Davis, expanding the university’s footprint in Sacramento.

Along with Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Councilman Jay Schenirer, Guerra helped broker the deal that brought lawsuits and tense negotiations among neighborhood advocates, trade unions and the university. It ended amicably with a more than $50 million agreement to prioritize jobs for local residents, repair aging homes and fund more affordable housing.

Guerra’s rival for the seat is Elk Grove City Councilwoman Stephanie Nguyen.

Nguyen is the director of Asian Resources, a nonprofit that provides job training and work opportunities to low-income Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, helping them become self-sufficient. The wife of an Elk Grove police officer, Nguyen has strong political ties across the region thanks to her time in elected office and her extensive philanthropic work, which became more vital during the pandemic when the AAPI community was unjustly targeted.

Guerra grew up in a family of farmworkers, picking fruit at the age of 5 alongside his mother, often for 12 hours a day. He put himself through college, working as a janitor at Sacramento State and sometimes sleeping in his car as he earned an engineering degree at Sacramento State and then a master’s in public policy. The councilman has served as Sacramento’s mayor pro tem, the governor’s appointee to the California State University Board of Trustees and the chair of the Sacramento County Planning Commission.

Guerra has a record of championing affordable housing, having been instrumental in the development of an affordable housing complex on Stockton Boulevard that was approved by the council last year. In his interview with The Bee’s Editorial Board, Guerra said he wanted to increase accountability for local governments and outlined his ideas to encourage more infill projects and multifamily homes.

“Not everybody, for their first home, can have a four-bedroom, two-bathroom, three-car garage; we have to expand the different types of housing so people can start in a smaller home,” Guerra said. “We have to make sure the zoning laws allow for that. (California has) a $31 billion surplus. We should be using that to fund public infrastructure for infill projects.”

Each of the contenders vying to represent South Sacramento and Elk Grove in the Assembly have strong community credentials and experience fighting for the underrepresented. Guerra, however, boasts a deep understanding of the issues and the policy skills to address them. He’s been effective in accomplishing his goals and serving his constituents on the Sacramento City Council, and he is well-positioned to do the same in the Assembly.

This story was originally published September 8, 2022 at 5:00 AM.