Voters packed out a neighborhood forum on Thursday night to get a closer look at candidates running for an open seat to represent District 1 on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.
The board of supervisors oversees a multi-billion-dollar budget and decides how county dollars are spent on public health, homelessness, and public safety.
District 1 covers most of the city’s core. The elected supervisor would represent neighborhoods from Del Paso, stretching past downtown into the southern areas, such as near Fruitridge Road.
It’s open for the first time after Phil Serna, who held the seat for 16 years, decided not to run for re-election. Serna has already thrown his support behind Sacramento City Councilmember Eric Guerra.
The community forum hosted by the League of Women Voters brought together all four candidates who will appear on the June ballot: Sacramento City Councilmember Guerra, former mayoral candidate Flojaune Cofer, former State Senator Deborah Ortiz, and computer programmer Tim Riley. Over a hundred people came in person, and more watched online as the candidates shared clear differences in how they say the county should operate.
Different visions on county leadership
Cofer, who narrowly lost Sacramento’s most recent mayoral race—losing to Mayor Kevin McCarty—framed her county campaign around frustration with the county’s current direction.
Flojaune Cofer, a public health professional and candidate for Sacramento County Supervisor District 1, speaks during a candidate forum at the Coloma Community Center in Sacramento on April 9, 2026.Tony Rodriguez/CapRadio“I don't expect the establishment to line up and support me when I'm saying, hey, the way things have been working isn't the way that they should,” Cofer said. “But we watched as the county spent $300 million of our COVID money on the sheriff instead of on public health, and people got sick and died because of that.”
She pointed to her background as an epidemiologist and in public health as experiences that shape her approach. Cofer said she has plans to work collaboratively with the entire board.
“I’ve done direct homeless outreach and I’ve seen where the county has really let people down,” Cofer said in an interview. “So I’m coming in with a vision for how we address those real issues.”
Guerra, who has been reelected to the Sacramento City Council since 2015, leaned into his ability to work across agencies and pointed to support from current county leaders.
“I've been endorsed by all the Board of Supervisors, and not because we agree ideologically,” Guerra said. “I have Republicans, Democrats and independents who are endorsing me, but that's because as a councilmember, I've worked with them to address their constituents' issues.”
Guerra said if elected, his focus would be to improve the relationship between the city and county government.
Eric Guerra, a Sacramento City Councilmember and candidate for Sacramento County Supervisor District 1, speaks during a candidate forum at the Coloma Community Center in Sacramento on April 9, 2026.Tony Rodriguez/CapRadio“The reality is that for us to make a change in the city, we have to be able to have the relationships with the city and the county all to really focus on the biggest challenges in front of us,” he said.
Ortiz served on the Sacramento City Council in the 1990s before spending nearly a decade in the state Senate. She said her background as a local elected official and legislator demonstrates her ability to effect policy changes.
Deborah Ortiz, a former state senator and candidate for Sacramento County Supervisor District 1, speaks during a candidate forum at the Coloma Community Center in Sacramento on April 9, 2026.Tony Rodriguez/CapRadio“I know that I bring a far more comprehensive experience, not just in years, but the substance and the policy and the implementation of policy,” Ortiz said. “I was the vice president of the largest Planned Parenthood in the nation.
She warned that upcoming federal funding cuts could have serious local consequences on health services and homelessness resources in the region.
“Counties have exclusive authority to implement public health policy,” Ortiz said. “Poor people are going to be decimated.”
Ortiz also pointed to Sacramento County’s budget challenges, saying the board will be forced to make difficult decisions.
“Our county is going to have a one hundred million dollar deficit,” she said. “Those decisions that those five Board of Supervisors make will be about saving lives.”
Riley says he is not taking any campaign donations. He outlined his own priorities on housing, saying he would bring unconventional solutions. Riley has raised significantly less money than the other candidates.
“I can’t speak for the establishment, but what I can speak for is my own personal campaign. I am not taking any contributions period,” he said. “I am funding it from my retirement account. I’m running a frugal campaign.”
For attendees, the forum got them up close and personal with their options.
Rick Hamilton attended as a voter, wanting to learn more, and said multiple candidates stood out, but Guerra and Cofer grabbed the most of the crowd’s attention.
Attendees listen during a candidate forum for Sacramento County Supervisor District 1 at the Coloma Community Center in Sacramento on April 9, 2026. More than 100 people attended the event.Tony Rodriguez/CapRadio“She’s well spoken. She’s seen a lot of water under the bridge locally; she seems very well in tune with what's going on,” he said. “But the same can be said for Guerra. He's paid his dues, too.”
Hamilton said seeing candidates in person made a difference.
“You get to see the people live with their feet in the fire,” he said.
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