City of Sacramento City Council Councilmember Darrell Steinberg

Running for a second term, Mayor Darrell Steinberg cruised to victory in the March 2020 primary with 77.3 percent of the vote, which is not surprising given the name recognition he’s built up in Sacramento politics. Steinberg got his start on the Sacramento City Council in 1992, then served in the California State Assembly for six years. Elected to the California Senate in 2006, he was elevated to president pro tempore in 2008. Rather than aiming for statewide office, Steinberg entered the June 2016 mayoral race, garnering 58.96 percent of the vote in a field of eight candidates.

While in the California State Legislature, Steinberg focused on mental health issues. He authored Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, which was approved by voters in 2004. In 2015 he founded the Steinberg Institute, a nonprofit organization aimed at advancing public policy on issues of brain health. The institute also addresses the challenges faced by homeless individuals suffering from mental illness, who account for up to 30 percent of the homeless population, according to the Treatment Advocacy Center. In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Steinberg and former Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas as co-chairs of the Homeless and Supportive Housing Advisory Task Force.

Steinberg sees homelessness as a local issue, addressing the need to adopt a homeless housing master plan on the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement website. “The only way we can make a difference in the number of people experiencing homelessness is to provide housing options on a mass scale in locations throughout the city, and that’s what the master plan will accomplish,” Steinberg says on the website. “We also know that people are suffering now, and we have to do what we can in the moment to help alleviate that suffering and the impact of unsheltered homelessness on our neighborhoods and businesses.”

The quick permit process for emergency shelters and campgrounds was approved by the Sacramento City Council in January of 2021. “As we craft a homelessness housing master plan for the City of Sacramento, we also must respond to the urgent needs of people on the streets today and the thousands at risk of losing their housing,” Steinberg wrote as a part of his Instagram post, the week prior to the passing of the permit. “We are going to direct our city team to get 60 tiny homes up in the next 30 days. Also happy to announce that Sacramento will get another $15.3 million for rental assistance from the recently passed federal stimulus bill.”

First elected: June 7, 2016

Alma maters: UCLA (bachelor’s degree, economics); University of California Law School, Davis (juris doctor degree)

Other offices held: California State Senate District 6 (2006-2014), California State Assembly District 9 (1998-2004), Sacramento City Council (1992-1998)

Accomplishments: Since Mayor Darrell Steinberg took office in January 2017, he has been leading the city in taking a different approach to addressing homelessness. One way is through the Pathways program, which connects homeless citizens with health care, removes barriers such as missing Social Security cards, and helps them find permanent shelter. 

The mayor crafted an incentive package that helped attract the West Coast headquarters of healthcare corporation Centene, Sacramento’s first Fortune 100 company. And he recruited new investors for the Sacramento Republic FC soccer team and facilitated negotiations that resulted in Sacramento being chosen as the next Major League Soccer city.

Notable quote: “As Mayor, it’s been an honor to lead our city through exciting and challenging times. I’m proud of the work we have done to diversify our economy, strengthen our neighborhoods, expand arts and culture and provide workforce training for youth. But our work isn’t done. It’s time to both dream and do more. I hope you will join me in the work ahead. Sacramento is already a great city but I believe we can become extraordinary.” (Source: Steinberg’s election website)