Sacramento City Council District 1: Who's running in the June 7 primary election

Learn more about local races and get a personalized ballot in CapRadio's 2022 Sacramento Primary Voter Guide.

No matter who is elected this year to represent Natomas on Sacramento’s city council, one thing is for sure: There will be change in District 1. 

Current Council member Angelique Ashby was first elected in 2010 and currently serves as vice mayor. Her tenure coincided with the city’s population boom when Sacramento grew to more than half a million residents.

As the city expanded, so did Natomas, which was one of the region’s fastest growing neighborhoods, increasing nearly 26% in population from 2010 to 2020. 

The district has since shifted with redistricting, in large part because of its continued growth. The Natomas Crossing neighborhood is in District 3 with the rest of South Natomas, and the neighborhoods west of Robla have moved into District 1.

For 12 years, Ashby helped make Natomas one of the hottest neighborhoods for families looking to move into the suburbs. Candidates vying to replace her will have a chance to represent a now established, but still growing Natomas neighborhood.

There are four candidates running to represent the district:

• Alyssa Lazano: A lifelong resident of Natomas who is currently the president of the Natomas Chamber of Commerce.
• Lisa Kaplan: An attorney who has served on the Natomas Unified School District for 20 years. She was first elected as a NUSD Board of Trustee in 2002 and recently served as its president. 
• Nate Pelzcar: A financial accountability manager at the environmental nonprofit California Product Stewardship Council. He’s also a board member for the Stonewall Foundation of Greater Sacramento, which serves LGBTQ+ youth. He’s been endorsed by outgoing council member Angelique Ashby. 
• Robert Alvis: The vice president and general manager at Crest Theater in downtown Sacramento.

In primary elections, the top two candidates will move on to the November election unless one candidate wins more than 50% of the vote.