By admin 
District 1 of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, spanning from downtown to the Sutter County line, is at the epicenter of friction between the county and the city of Sacramento. One of the two candidates vying for this seat is best suited to guide a much-needed course correction.
Read more Incumbent and a small business owner seek Citrus Heights 4th District seat
The city of Sacramento has sued the county over its misguided approval of a 25,000-person community in Natomas that is too close to the Sacramento River. In addition, the two governments aren’t working collaboratively on their worst shared crisis, homelessness.
The Bee endorsed public health advocate Flojaune Cofer over Sacramento City Councilmember Eric Guerra in the June primary to fill this seat. We affirm our support for Cofer. She is best suited to shake up a stagnant board that needs to fundamentally change how it does its business. The public deserves better.
It’s hard to imagine a worse supervisor than Phil Serna, who is leaving the board after utterly failing in four terms to be an ambassador between the county and the city. He was aloof and petulant as homelessness proliferated in the county on his watch. The city needed a partner. Serna was nothing of the kind, and the other four board members never had the courage to do anything about it. It was a sad case of political guilt by association.
Guerra is a smart and steady public servant. Cofer is the clear change agent. She would challenge a county budget dominated by law enforcement. Having run for mayor of Sacramento in 2024, she understands the importance of collaboration between the two biggest governments in the county. Her public health background would be invaluable on a board responsible for directing social services in the county.
Any board member who wants to effect change can only succeed through relentless diplomacy and persistence. Cofer understands this. Unlike Serna, who could behave like a child when his decisions were questioned, Cofer willingly engages with allies and opponents.
This is a moment in history when the public needs the next supervisor to perform some heavy political lifting. That’s Cofer’s strength. The fact that no current supervisor supports her is the greatest endorsement of all. Flojaune Cofer is needed on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.
Read more Female athletes sue UC Davis for sex discrimination after varsity equestrian cut
BEHIND THE STORY
MORE
What are editorials, and who writes them?
Editorials represent the collective views of the editorial boards of McClatchy Media’s California opinion teams.
They do not reflect the individual opinions of board members or the views of reporters in the news sections of The Sacramento Bee and its sister publication, the San Luis Obispo Tribune. Reporters do not participate in editorial board deliberations or weigh in on board decisions.
In Sacramento, the board includes Executive Editor Chris Fusco, California Opinion Editor Marcos Breton, opinion writers Robin Epley, Tom Philp, LeBron Antonio Hill, Cathie Anderson and op-ed editor Hannah Holzer.
In San Luis Obispo, it includes Opinion Editor Stephanie Finucane.
We base our opinions on reporting by our colleagues in the news section, and our own reporting and interviews. Our members attend public meetings, call people and follow-up on story ideas from readers just as news reporters do.
Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
Tell us what you think
You may or may not agree with our perspective. We believe disagreement is healthy and necessary for a functioning democracy. If you would like to share your own views on events important to California, you may write a letter to the editor (150 words or less) using this form, or email an op-ed (650-750 words) to [email protected]. Due to a high volume of submissions, we are not able to publish everything we receive.
Read more Sacramento news roundup: light rail, UC Davis lawsuit and ICE bills