Correction: A previous version of this article stated Lisa Kaplan was a school board member for 22 years. It has since been corrected to say she was a board member for 20 years.
Three candidates are competing in the June primary for Sacramento’s District 1 City Council seat in North Natomas: incumbent Lisa Kaplan; former FBI Investigative Specialist Jenn Chawla and Software engineer Venkat Mechineni.
As a member of City Council, whoever wins the most votes will have input on the city’s budget, make decisions on new development and other projects in the region and be an advocate for the 66,000 or so residents within the fast-growing, suburban District 1.
The communities of North Natomas and Robla make up the district. In comparison to other districts throughout the city, District 1 is one that is still being built out, meaning whoever leads it must think critically about the future of development in the region.
One example of that growth is a new commercial warehouse district recently approved by the council. The controversial project faced opposition from environmental groups, a school bordering the project and neighbors in the Westlake community.
Debates and legal action involving a city-owned vacant property that Sacramento wants to use as a homeless shelter has entered public conversation in recent months. The city wants to put a micro-community for unhoused seniors at 3511 Arena Blvd.
CapRadio spoke with the candidates running for the seat. They discussed their priorities as well as where they stand on homeless initiatives, economic opportunity in the city, and how to best approach the city’s $66.2 million budget deficit.
Incumbent Lisa Kaplan has held the District 1 seat since 2022.Courtesy of Lisa Kaplan
Lisa Kaplan
Age: 50
Notable Campaign Donations: California Apartment Association PAC ($7,300), Assemblymember Maggy Krell ($2,200), Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber PAC ($7,300)
Councilmember Kaplan has served on the dais for District 1 since 2022 and is a licensed attorney who works on labor compliance for school construction.
Kaplan moved to Sacramento in 1997 to attend McGeorge School of Law and worked in the Capitol before serving as the assistant executive officer of the Office of Public School Construction. She also served on the Natomas Unified School Board for 20 years.
Kaplan’s main priorities are affordability concerns for residents, mail theft in District 1, homelessness, and balancing the city’s budget.
“Affordability, it surrounds everything; affordable housing, making sure we have enough housing, making sure that we have resources for our unhoused,” Kaplan said. “Public safety has always been a No. 1 because people want to live and work in safe places.”
On homeless initiatives, Kaplan opposed the tiny home community proposed on Arena Boulevard for unhoused seniors in her district following pushback from some of her constituents.
“I always say, don’t you want an elected official that has an idea, but then we get facts and information and are willing to keep an open mind and say maybe we should switch?” she said.
Kaplan initially supported the site, but has since backed those who oppose it, such as a group of Natomas residents who unsuccessfully sued to stop the development.
She told CapRadio she feels her district has already done its part.
“Distrct 1 has approximately 30% of affordable housing in the city of Sacramento. I have opened up another 122 units of affordable housing and I’m working with another developer to build family and senior affordable housing,” she said. “I think Natomas and our community is actually right there when we talk about affordability.”
When addressing the city’s budget and the $66.2 million deficit, Kaplan is critical of prioritizing homelessness funding over city employees.
“We are at a $66 million deficit, we’ve gotten significantly less money from the state for homelessness services,” Kaplan explained. “My community wants to invest in our current employees.”
Kaplan also supports moving to a two-year budget process.
“We can’t fund and make things more affordable, build more houses and keep our community safe if we're constantly cutting things,” she said.
When looking at how to grow Sacramento’s economy, Kaplan said she's a firm believer in investing in areas that attract tourists – the city’s urban core and Old Sacramento.
“ How can we upgrade Old Sacramento so we can increase the investment there, tie it more into DOCO (Downtown Commons) and tie it into the strength of K Street,” Kaplan said. “Which then ties into the convention center and makes that truly a tourism corridor.”
Jennifer Chawla
Jenn Chawla is a first time candidate for city office and was a former investigative specialist with the FBI.Courtesy of Jenn Chawla
Age: 40
Notable Campaign Donations: Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty ($2,200), Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen ($2,200), District 1 Supervisor Candidate Flojaune Cofer ($650)
Challenger Jenn Chawla is a former Investigate Specialist with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a first time city council candidate.
Chawla grew up in Northern California and worked for the FBI for 13 years after immigrating from New Delhi India as a toddler. She’s lived in North Natomas for 15 years and is the Vice President of the North Natomas Community Coalition.
Chawla told CapRadio she’s focused on addressing mail theft, public safety, economic development, housing and affordability in District 1.
One of her citywide priorities is addressing homelessness.
“We really need to ask ourselves what we are doing at this moment to address the issue productively without wasteful spending,” Chawla said. “How we are collaborating with the city and the county?”
She also advocates for creating more housing through the city’s “missing middle” housing ordinance. That law calls for the city to encourage more multi-unit developments, such as duplexes and triplexes, for middle-income earners in neighborhoods traditionally devoted to single-family homes
“It’s either really low income or you’re paying $3,000 a month,” Chawla said. “Missing middle is what we really need to be focused on.”
When it comes to building more shelter for Sacramento’s unhoused residents and Mayor Kevin McCarty’s plans to create tiny home communities, Chawla said she’s supportive of any plan that gets people off the streets.
“Not every plan is going to be perfect, but the alternative is encampments on the streets,” Chawla said.
When asked about the public opposition to the proposed site in District 1, Chawla said she’s been trying to get community members to understand the need for something like this.
“Where were they going to go? Where do you send them? Just telling them, shooing them away, doesn’t get rid of the problem,” Chawla said. “We’re talking about human beings here right, so where’s the compassion?”
Chawla said there’s a lot of misinformation swirling around regarding the site that she feels has not addressed properly.
“A lot of people, based on my canvassing of the district, don’t really understand what this is,” she said.
In terms of the city budget, Chawla believes cuts will be necessary, but also feels the city hasn’t been planning far enough in advance in recent years. She favors doing multiple audits to ensure money is being spent efficiently.
If elected, Chawla wants Sacramento to grow its way out of the deficit through things that would attract tourism and add to the community. One of Chawla’s ideas includes establishing minor league cricket at North Natomas Regional Park.
“It’s been two decades that people have been asking for this,” Chawla said. “That right there would bring us so much money.”
Chawla also wants to establish hotels, restaurants, small businesses and other entertainment amenities in District 1 given its proximity to the Sacramento International Airport.
Venkat Mechineni is a first time candidate for city office and is a software engineer with the state.Courtesy of Venkat Mechineni
Venkat Mechineni
Age: 60
Notable Campaign Donations: Namaste Natomas Inc ($2,000), Tech-Net Inc. ($2,000)
North Natomas resident Venkat Mechineni is also a first-time candidate for elected office and has lived in Natomas for about 20 years. He previously lived in Washington D.C. and originally immigrated from India in 2001.
Mechineni formerly served as the President of the Indian Association of Sacramento and as Vice President of the Carriage Lane Homeowners Association. He is currently a North Natomas Community Coalition member. Outside of his community organizing, Mechineni is a software engineer for the state.
For Mechineni, the most pressing issues facing Sacramentans right now are homelessness, neighborhood safety, difficulties operating businesses and a lack of jobs.
Mechineni said he would take a balanced approach to the issue of homelessness. He told CapRadio he believes in taking a compassionate approach, but also receiving feedback from residents about the best way to deal with it.
“My intention is to take the opinion of the local neighborhoods,” Mechineni said.
When it comes to the proposed tiny home site on Arena Boulevard, Mechineni said he believes more discussion is necessary before choosing a site.
“We have to rethink and go for the public opinion for where (we) should have these tiny homes, particularly in District 1,” he said.
When asked about the city’s budget, Mechineni said the city needs to find ways to increase tourism to generate more revenue. He also wants to establish budget priorities that include neighborhood safety and investing in parks and libraries.
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