SACRAMENTO – Allen Wayne Warren, the representative of Sacramento City Council District 2, is not throwing in the towel yet as the latest results from the Nov. 3 General Election show he has fallen further behind challenger Sean Loloee.
As of Nov. 10 and with all 23 precincts reporting, Loloee expanded his lead with 5,672 votes (55 percent) to Warren’s 4,508 votes (45 percent). Warren and Loloee were forced into a run-off from the primary election in March.
Warren, who was raised in the Del Paso Heights neighborhood, has been the D2 representative since 2012. He is optimistic that things can change and he has chosen to wait until all of the votes are counted.
“I’m going to let them count. We need to let them count because we were told that there are a lot of votes out there that may change the outcome,” Warren told The OBSERVER by telephone. “What I have been told is that traditionally, District 2’s votes are counted last. So we just need to let it play out.”
Warren may have all the right reasons to let the process continue, based on past experiences. When he first ran for the seat against Rob Kerth in 2011, he was down by 400 votes at the end of the night of the election. When Warren woke up the next day, he was ahead of Kerth by 200 votes.
Three weeks later, Warren was declared the winner and has been D2’s representative until now. He still expects to govern the area that covers Arden Fair, Ben Ali, Del Paso Heights, Hagginwood, Robla, Strawberry Manor, and Woodlake.
“But we’ll see. Whatever happens, will be the will of the community and the people,” Warren said. “I respect the democratic process, but in saying that, you have to let it play out.”
The Sacramento City Council District 8 race between Mai Vang and Les Simmons, the senior pastor at South Sacramento Christian Center, is also still too close to call. Vang leads Simmons with 7,360 votes (52 percent) to his 6,780 votes (47 percent).
It could be up to two weeks before a victor is declared in the D2 race as more ballots are to be counted by Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections.
Should Warren recover and win, there will only be two Black elected city council persons remaining on the dais, the other Richard Jennings II. Larry Carr, an African American who is backing Vang, decided not to run again for District 8’s seat.
The Black leadership in the Sacramento City government had six individuals between 2008 and 2016. Kevin Johnson decided not to run for mayor for a third term in 2016.
City government is poised for a different makeup should Vang or Simmons win District 8. Katie Valenzuela already has dethroned Steve Hansen for District 4 in the primary election in March.
Also, a Vang victory could put three women on the City Council dais. Vang and Valenzuela, would join Angelique Ashby (City Council District 1) on the eight-member council.
Ashby has been the city council representative for District 1 since 2010. Her third term expires in 2022 but she has also announced a run for Dr. Richard Pan’s state senate seat in two years.
By Antonio R. Harvey | OBSERVER Staff Writer