Name: ROGER DICKINSON

Candidate for: Sacramento City Council, District 2

Occupation: Policy Director CivicWell

List the top 3 issues you plan to address along with possible solutions.

Housing and homelessness: Homelessness is an urgent issue affecting everyone, especially the unhoused. We are a community full of resourceful families and proud neighborhoods. Still, it’s easy to see North Sacramento needs more care, attention, and resources than it has been getting.

Working with the Housing Concepts Coalition, I have a proven track record of advocating for affordable housing initiatives and collaborating with community organizations to bring much-needed investments.

No one should be left to weather the storms of life on our streets. We can reduce homelessness if we commit resources and services to prevent it initially while providing family support measures, expanding mental health interventions, and offering a full spectrum of housing options to the unhoused.

Now is the time to rewrite the narrative of homelessness and create a city where dignity and opportunity flourish.

Public safety and youth investment: ​​​​In North Sacramento, we can no longer let crime define us. We must have a vision of safety that transcends traditional approaches and embraces the power of community. To create neighborhoods where all residents can feel safe and respected, we must build a community where trust thrives, and law enforcement and residents collaborate as partners.

Community-based policing fosters meaningful connections between law enforcement and community members. I founded Yes to Youth and helped establish Birth and Beyond to invest in youth development initiatives, from early intervention for at-risk youth to job training and educational opportunities.

Additionally, we must recognize the importance of identifying the appropriate first responders for each situation by ensuring that mental health professionals and social workers are correctly integrated into our emergency response system. By responding to crises with care and expertise, we can de-escalate situations, provide support, promote healing, and increase public safety.

Economy: ​​My success with job creation is why President Obama’s administration asked me to put job-creating stimulus money to work in Sacramento.

I’ve balanced government budgets and created more than 20,000 jobs. I will work to bring new high-tech, green, and clean industries to North Sacramento. Renewable energy sources and clean technologies are long-term jobs that cannot be outsourced cheaply overseas. We can combine the expansion of our housing supply with new vitality for our small and local businesses to create active, attractive, and vibrant commercial corridors.

Over the past 25 years, I have been involved in projects that have brought thousands of jobs to Sacramento, including leading the effort to keep the Sacramento Kings in town, the transition of McClellan Air Force Base into a thriving economic center, and the construction of a new primary health care center for Sacramento.

What differentiates you from your opponent?

I have long-standing relationships at the local, state, and federal levels; years of experience in putting together coalitions to accomplish results; and deep knowledge of how to identify and obtain resources to fund needed programs and projects. I am ready on Day One to go to work and bring positive change to District 2.

Why should Blacks vote for you instead of your opponent?

I’m proud to be supported by numerous local, state, and federal elected officials and many neighborhood, business, and community leaders throughout District 2.

Some of my supporters include:   

  • Congressmember Ami Bera
  • Congressmember Doris Matsui
  • California State Treasurer Fiona Ma
  • Assemblymember Anthony Rendon, Speaker Emeritus
  • Mayor Darrell Steinberg
  • Vice Mayor Caity Maple
  • Councilmember Lisa Kaplan
  • Councilmember Shoun Thao
  • Councilmember Karina Talamantes
  • Councilmember Eric Guerra
  • Councilmember Katie Valenzuela
  • Councilmember Mai Vang
  • Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy
  • Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna
  • Sacramento County Supervisor Rich Desmond
  • West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero
  • Yolo County Supervisor Oscar Villegas
  • Yolo County Supervisor Lucas Frerichs
  • Sacramento Board of Education Trustee Bina Lefkowitz
  • President Board of Trustees, Natomas Unified School District Dr. Susan Heredia
  • Natomas School Board member Scott Dosick
  • Twin Rivers School Board member Mike Baker
  • Twin Rivers School Board member Linda Fowler 
  • Twin Rivers School Board member Christine Jefferson
  • SMUD Director Nancy Bui Thompson
  • SMUD Director Heidi Sanborn
  • SMUD Director Dave Tamayo
  • SMUD Director Brandon Rose
  • SMUD Director Gregg Fishman
  • SMUD Director Rob Kerth
  • SMUD Director Rosanna Herber
  • American River Flood Control District Board Member Rae Vander Werf
  • American River Flood Control District Board Member Brian Holloway
  • American River Flood Control District Board Member Steve Johns
  • former Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones
  • former Treasurer Phil Angelides
  • former Senator Deborah Ortiz
  • former Assemblymember Dennis Mangers
  • former Mayor Heather Fargo
  • former Councilmember Sandy Sheedy
  • former Councilmember Steve Cohn
  • former Supervisor Ted Sheedy
  • former Councilmember Ray Tretheway
  • former Twin Rivers School Board member Walter Kawamoto
  • former Del Paso Heights School Board member Harry Block
  • former Grant School District Board Member Jason Sample
  • Ty Thao, HOPE Center Founder
  • Merv Brookins, CEO of Brother to Brother
  • Jovan and Alaya Agee, Pastor and Co-Pastor for His New Glory Church
  • Andy Hernandez, former Woodlake Neighborhood Association president 
  • Phyllis Burden, Strawberry Neighborhood Community Association Administrator 
  • Louise Williams, former Strawberry Manor Neighborhood Association President
  • Sonney Chong, Sheriff’s Outreach Community Advisory Board 
  • Angelica Tellechea, Deputy Secretary of State
  • Greg Jefferson, Del Paso Heights Community Association President
  • Sondra Betancourt, Ben Ali Neighborhood Association President
  • Zach Trowbridge, Hagginwood Community Association
  • Katherine Anuszczyk, Hagginwood Community Association
  • Daniel Savala, Fmr. Del Paso Blvd. PBID Executive Director
  • Janet Rice, President DAD Partners, Inc.,
  • Howard Posner, Ret. Director of SMUD,
  • Sheila Boxley, Executive Director of the Child Abuse Prevention Center,
  • Debra Armstrong, Little Paws Doggie Rescue, President
  • Debra Marsh, Sacramento Metro Advocates for Rail and Transit,
  • Sergey Terebkov, President of the Slavic American Chamber of Commerce,
  • Derrell and Tina Roberts, 23 year North Sacramento residents
  • Dwayne Crenshaw,  Del Paso Heights community activist
  • John Esguerra, Swanston Estates Community Association President
  • Patrick Knapp, Swanston Estates Community Association Vice President
  • Ben Raderstorf, Sacramento YIMBY/ House Sacramento Co-President
  • Mark HarrisBarbara Stanton
  • Mina Perez
  • Adrian Perez
  • Miguel Cordova
  • Robert Bell
  • Kathy Platt
  • Michael Alcalay
  • Gregg Wardrip
  • John Reven