City of Sacramento City Council Councilmember Karina Talamantes

When Sacramento’s redistricting process transformed District 3 in late 2021, it meant that two-term representative Jeff Harris’s River Park home no longer fell within its boundaries. About a year later, Harris’s successor finally became clear.

Karina Talamantes—a 33-year-old University of California, Davis graduate and past Sacramento County Office of Education board president and chief of staff to then-Councilwoman Angelique Ashby—prevailed over nonprofit cofounder Michael Lynch 53.8 percent to 46.2 percent in the November general election. Talamantes and Lynch had advanced over challenger and healthcare professional Adrianne Gonzales in the June primary but the two top finishers faced a runoff after neither received over 50 percent of the vote.

Talamantes was sworn in Dec. 13, helping Sacramento City Council have a majority of women serving for the second time in its history according to Capital Public Radio.

Background

The first line of Talamantes’ LinkedIn profile describes her as “a living embodiment and manifestation of the California dream.”

The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Talamantes grew up locally, attending Willows High School in the northern area of the greater Sacramento region. At UC Davis, she was active in Lambda Theta Nu sorority and earned a bachelor’s degree in 2011 in community regional development. She interned shortly after graduation with the U.S. Department of Education through the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

Talamantes did staffing-related work for several years after college and has been involved in two family businesses in recent years. The Sacramento Bee noted that Talamantes became active in politics following the women’s marches of 2017. The following year, she won election to the school board, serving as president and was hired as Ashby’s chief of staff.

Talamantes’ LinkedIn bio states that she has a yellow labrador, Ash, and that she has been active in a variety of volunteer causes, including the Sacramento Public Library Authority and the SheShares Mentorship Program. Honors have included the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Rising Star Award and being one of the Sacramento Business Journal’s “40-under-40” selections.

Key Issues

Talamantes’ campaign website lists the following issues:

• Investing in forgotten neighborhoods and working with local groups to bring activities and events to her district;


• Working with the county on homelessness;


• Building more housing;


• Improving public safety;


• Assisting with COVID-19 economic recovery.

District boundaries and office location

Capital Public Radio noted in May 2022 how Talamantes’ district had transformed, writing, “In just a few months time… the district went from snaking westward from East Sacramento to the River District and South Natomas to losing East Sacramento and the River District entirely. Now the district encompasses the South Natomas, Gardenland and Northgate neighborhoods.”

Geographically, the district is just north of downtown Sacramento and just south of District 1.

• District office: Council District 3, 915 I Street, 5th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814