The top two candidates for mayor of Sacramento met for their second forum Wednesday, where they talked about the issues–from water rate hikes to how to tackle homelessness.
With homeless people staging a camp-in at city hall demanding the council repeal the anti-camping ordinance, Darryl Steinberg and Angelique Ashby were asked how they would vote. Ashby side-stepped that part of the question and Steinberg was hedging his bets.
“I would be okay with the anti-camping ordinance so long as it doesn’t stand alone,” Steinberg said.
“We have a good program in place right now in Sacramento Steps Forward,” Ashby stated. “It’s only been in place about a year, but it is seeing tremendous results.”
On the issue of affordable housing, Steinberg hopes the market will adjust, but he says the city should continue to subsidize programs that help people get into homes.
Ashby would like to see a partnership among businesses, housing advocates and the city to make sure housing in areas like the downtown core range from low-income to the more expensive.
Both candidates proved to be good at congratulating their opponents for their accomplishments, and then in the next breath arguing that their different individual experience is what is best for the city.
A pair of candidates for Sacramento mayor were not invited to Wednesday night’s forum.
Former boxer Tony “The Tiger” Lopez says it would be nice to have the support of the forum sponsor, the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce. However, he argues he has the support of the people and it is because he treats everyone the same.
“Just because you walk in here with a nice Mercedes Benz…I don’t treat you any different,” Lopez said.
Russell Rawlings calls his exclusion from the forum “disingenuous” and believes it is because his campaign has no money.
“However I want to run this thing as leanly as I possibly can and
yet reach folks in Sacramento and start the dialogue,” Rawlings asserted.
Rawlings says he will participate in other candidate events.