Elk Grove City Council Member Stephanie Nguyen will run for the newly formed Assembly District 10 seat in this June’s primary election.
District 10 includes Elk Grove and parts of south Sacramento.
Nguyen, a Democrat, told the Citizen that her decision to join the Assembly race was based on whether the district’s current representative, Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove, planned to run for reelection to the District 9 seat. Cooper instead announced last week that he would run for sheriff of Sacramento County.
Following the redrawing of the state’s Assembly district boundaries last year, Elk Grove will be included in District 10 instead of its current District 9.
“There was no race to begin with; it was Assembly Member Jim Cooper’s seat,” Nguyen said. “And I think we were all waiting to see what he was going to do. I’ve spoken to Assembly Member Jim Cooper for some time now about should he ever decide to run for sheriff, I would be interested in (his Assembly seat).”
In her run for the District 10 Assembly seat, Nguyen already has Cooper’s endorsement, as well as endorsements from Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen, Elk Grove Vice Mayor Darren Suen, Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, and Assembly Member Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento.
Also seeking to represent District 10 are Democrats Eric Guerra, a Sacramento City Council member; and Dr. Tecoy Porter Sr., a Sacramento pastor; and the only Republican candidate, Eric Rigard, an Elk Grove resident who challenged Cooper in the 2020 Assembly District 9 election.
Nguyen said that if she is elected as the District 10 representative, she would be dedicated to assisting Elk Grove.
“Forty percent of the district lines are in the city of Elk Grove, and I want to make sure that we have a champion in the Legislature that is not going to forget about Elk Grove.”
Nguyen noted that public safety is among her top issues.
“Right now, (public safety) is one of the biggest issues all across the region, but I want to make sure that our city continues to stay safe,” she said. “Elk Grove is one of the safest, cleanest cities in the region and we have to make sure that continues to stay that way.”
She added that when communities are safe, people are more interested in leaving their homes and spending more money at local businesses, thus allowing the economy to grow.
Nguyen also expressed a need to assist small businesses.
“The (COVID-19) pandemic really impacted a lot of our small businesses,” she said. “I just want to make sure that we support our small businesses in our city to be able to increase job opportunities, and get these jobs back in place again as we get through this pandemic.”
Additionally important to Nguyen is helping to provide more access to services and resources.
“I know that so well that I worked directly with Assembly Member Jim Cooper in securing $5 million for (the) Elk Grove Food Bank, so that they have a place where they can continue to serve our communities, so that they can expand on their operations,” she said.
She noted that this funding plays an important role in the drive to reduce homelessness.
“We just need to make sure that we find ways to get them off the streets,” she said.
Nguyen mentioned that she also served as an advocate against anti-Asian hate.
“During the time of the anti-Asian hate, I really stepped up and called it out as it is, and made sure that our community knew that this was happening to our (Asian Pacific Islander) community,” she said.
Nguyen expressed appreciation for her five years as a member of the Elk Grove City Council.
She joined the council in February 2017, after they appointed her to fill the District 4 seat of then-Vice Mayor Steve Ly, who was elected as the city’s mayor in 2016. She retained that position by winning the general election in 2018.
Beyond Nguyen’s time on the council, her experience includes her service as the executive director of Asian Resources, Inc., a Sacramento-based nonprofit organization that serves the needs of individuals and families, providing adult employment programs as well as youth programs and services.
She has also served as secretary of the Council of Asian Pacific Islander Together for Advocacy and Leadership, and on several boards and commissions.
Nguyen explained why she feels she is the best candidate to succeed Cooper as this area’s Assembly representative.
“I know I am the best person for this job, is because I know what our community needs, I know what our community wants, and the fact that I’m able to bring people together, the fact that I’m able to collaborate,” she said. “In this time and age, we don’t see too much of that anymore.”
