The Sacramento City Council is the governing body of the city of Sacramento, California. 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 and eight council members, each of whom is elected to four-year terms from their respective districts. Sacramento's government is a "weak mayor" system in that the council retains executive and legislative 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, who is appointed by Sacramento's Mayor and serves at the pleasure of the council.
Sacramento's councilmembers receive an annual salary of $58,477; the Mayor's salary is $111,106 per year.
Sacramento, the oldest incorporated city in the State of California, has been governed by a council since the city's citizens approved a city charter 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, 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) 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 of 1921 established a nine-member governing body, composed of a Mayor 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.
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. 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.
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.
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 and earned a law degree from McGeorge School of Law.
District 2 is located in the northeastern area of Sacramento. The district includes the neighborhoods of:
Del Paso Heights
Glenwood Meadows
Hagginwood
Noralto
North Sacramento
Parker Homes
Robla
Strawberry Manor
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 covers the northern central area of Sacramento. Neighborhoods in District 3 include:
Arden Fair
Ben Ali
Boulevard Park
Cal Expo
Campus Commons
Cannon Industrial Park
CSUS
East Sacramento
Erikson Industrial Park
Hagginwood
Mansion Flats
Marshall School
Midtown
New Era Park
Point West
River Park
Sierra Oaks
Swanston Estates
Winn Park/Capitol Avenue
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.
Sacramento's District 4 is located in the western central area of the city. District 4 neighborhoods include:
Alhambra Triangle
Downtown (southeastern portion)
Freeport Manor
Greenhaven
Land Park
Little Pocket
Mangan Park
Newton Booth
Poverty Ridge
Richmond Grove
South Land Park
Southside Park
Upper Land Park
Z'berg Park
Councilmember Steve Hansen narrowly defeated Joe Yee in November 2012 to win the District 4 council seat. A manager at a biotech firm, Hansen holds a Bachelor's degree from Gonzaga University and a Jusis Doctorate from McGeorge School of Law.
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 and earned a Masters of Public Affairs at University of Texas at Austin.
District 6 is in Sacramento's southeastern central area. The district includes the neighborhoods of:
Avondale
College/Glen
Colonial Village
Colonial Manor
Elmhurst
Fruitridge Manor
Glen Elder
Granite Regional Park
Southeast Village
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.
The seat is held by Councilmen Eric Guerra.
Councilmember Kevin McCarty represented District 6 of the City of Sacramento until he was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2014. He had been a member of the Sacramento City Council since 2004 when he was elected to replace Dave Jones who was running for a seat in the California State Assembly. An alumnus of California State University, Long Beach and California State University, Long Beach where he earned a Masters in Public Policy and Administration, McCarty served as policy director to then Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante prior to being elected to the council.
Sacramento's District 7 is located in the southwestern area of the city. Its neighborhoods include:
Greenhaven
Meadowview (southern portion)
Pocket
Valley Hi
Councilmember Rick Jennings represents District 7 of the City of Sacramento. Councilmember Jennings is an alumnus of the University of Maryland and won a Super Bowl with the Oakland Raiders.
His predecessor is Darrell Fong who stepped down to run for California State Assembly. A retired Sacramento Police Department Captain, Fong is an alumnus of California State University, Sacramento.
District 8 is located in Sacramento's southern area. District 8 neighborhoods include:
Meadowview (northern portion)
North Laguna
Councilmember Larry Carr represents District 8 of the City of Sacramento.
His predecessor is Bonnie Pannell. She replaced her late husband Sam Pannell on the Sacramento City Council in 1998 after his death. She was a community activist in her South Sacramento neighborhood prior to her election to council.
Past Sacramento City Councilmembers with notable achievements include:
The late Congressman Robert Matsui, who served 26 years in the United States House of Representatives.
Current California State Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, the first leader of the California State Senate from Sacramento since 1882.
Former California Assemblymember Phillip Isenberg, Sacramento's Mayor for 6 years before serving 14 years in the California State Assembly.
Former California Secretary of Health and Human Services Grantland Johnson, who also served as a Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Clinton Administration and as a member of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.
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, and the first woman to serve that district as a federal judge.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Lloyd G. Connelly, who followed his time on the Council with a 10-year term in the California State Assembly.
Former California Assemblymember and Senator Deborah Ortiz, who served 10 years in the California State Legislature.
Former Sacramento Mayor Belle Cooledge, the first woman to serve as Mayor of Sacramento.
Former Sacramento Mayor Anne Rudin, the first woman to be elected Mayor of Sacramento.
The late former Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna, the first Latino to be elected Mayor of Sacramento.
Former Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo.
Current California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones.
Current Sacramento County Supervisor and Former Mayor Jimmie Yee.
