Sometimes while canvassing, I will engage with a voter who asks, "What party are you?" If my answer of "Democratic" generates an expression of concern, I will add, "But I'm no flaming liberal."
Nonetheless, the Sacramento County Democratic Party will endorse a candidate for Supervisor, District 1. One condition is to submit answers to a questionnaire.
Generally speaking, I will vote "no" unless a preponderance of the evidence indicates that a "yes" vote will be the best for Sacramento County's future. I will evaluate the evidence based on my:
- 65 years of living on Earth
- 20 years of college night school
- 36 years of writing computer programs to manage complex operations
- ability to understand financial statements
- ability to apply statistics to forecast the future
- ability to apply economics to understand capitalism and the responsibilities of governments
- love of nature
Here are my answers:
Background Information
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Email
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Candidate Name
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Office Sought
- County Supervisor, District 1
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FPPC ID
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Occupation
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Employer
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Campaign Email
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Campaign Phone
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Campaign Mailing Address
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Campaign Website & Social Media
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Campaign Manager or Contact Person Name
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Campaign Manager or Contact Person Cell Phone
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Campaign Manager or Contact Person Email
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Campaign Consultants (list all)
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Campaign Treasurer & Contact Email
- Tim Riley; timriley@timriley.net
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Are you a dues-paying DPSC member?
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Ballot Designation (if known)
Optional Demographic Questions
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Racial/Ethnic Identity
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Gender Identity/Pronouns
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LGBTQ+?
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Young Democrat (35 or under)?
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Veteran?
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Union Member?
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Please list all offices you have held or organizations to which you belong or in which you have held a leadership position, and what position you held:
- HOA Board Member (1997-1998)
- Sacramento Symphonic Winds (2020-present). I am the chair of the chair committee. (I arrive an hour early to rehearsals to set up the 52 chairs. ;)
Viability & campaign practices survey
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What are your primary sources for fundraising?
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How much do you need to fundraise?
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How much have you fundraised to date?
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What is your current cash on hand
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How many voters do you need to reach in order to win?
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How do you plan to reach those voters?
- Door-to-door canvassing. 30,000 campaign flyers were printed. I will probably order 7,500 more.
- Yard signs
- Ballot statement
- Mailout (maybe)
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Please check any of the industries in the list below if you plan to
reject campaign donations from that industry, group, or individuals associated with it:
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Are there other groups or individuals from whom you
will not accept donations?
- I will not accept donations from any group or individual. Exception: if offered, the Sacramento County Democratic Party.
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Do you plan to purchase a ballot statement?
- Yes
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My slogan is: High Ethical Standards. I propose we build these new buildings: a 5,000 room homeless dormitory, a 5,000 cell bigger jail, and Sacramento Community College having free tuition. Each building will be in an environment of education. Of course, building, managing, maintaining, and staffing three large buildings, occupying three blocks of premium real estate, will be expensive. It's a pipe dream, now. Professionally, I program accounting software. Personally, I am a South Natomas resident who enjoys nearby parks. However, an increase in homelessness, crime, and noise pollution has caused my living environment to become stressful. To reverse course, our Sacramento County government, as an organization, needs to build a culture of education. For more information, please visit my website: TimRiley.net.
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Will all your campaign materials be printed by a union printer?
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Have you ever registered as a member of a party other than the Democratic Party?
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Have you voted in the last 5 statewide elections?
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Have you ever endorsed, contributed to, campaigned for, or otherwise supported a candidate for election or appointment to a partisan or nonpartisan office that was not a member of the Democratic Party?
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Are you currently supporting or endorsing a candidate for public office at any level who is not a member of the Democratic Party or do you plan to support or endorse any such candidate during the course of this campaign?
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Is there anything in your history on the subject of discrimination, harassment, abuse, or retaliation, which, if revealed, would bring you, your proposed office, or the Democratic Party into disrepute?
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Have you been arrested, charged, or convicted of a felony or violent misdemeanor? (if yes, explain)
District & Governance
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Are you running for an "at-large" seat?
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If the above is a "yes," do you support moving to "district" elections?
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Do you support the adoption of ranked choice voting?
- No
- I will have to research this.
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Are there official contribution limits in your race?
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Do you support public financing of campaigns?
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Do you support term limits for all local elected officials?
- No
- Well, two terms for executive branch officeholders or county-wide legislative officeholders (as in the case of my home city of Miami). Sacramento's segmented legislative districts enable voters to fire unethical or ineffective officeholders.
Small Business, Jobs, & Economy
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Do you believe that income inequality is a serious issue that the government can help resolve?
- Yes.
- The county government can resolve income inequality by building Sacramento Community College -- a county taxpayer funded institution. The supply/demand curve for a labor service market predicts the income for that service. To increase the demand for a service, service output must increase and service quality must improve. Increased investments in adult education will increase and improve labor service output. The increased and improved output will raise aggregate income.
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Do you support progressive taxation?
- Yes
- Our progressive income tax benefits lower income workers who have less wherewithal to pay.
- However, respect should be made to upper income workers who devote more time and effort to achieve greater output.
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Should corporations pay their fair share in taxes?
- Yes
- A more specific question would be: If the corporate tax rate is x% of net profit, and if a loophole allows certain corporations to pay less than x% of net profit, then is that unfair? Yes
- However, one should consider no corporate taxes. Instead, have a revenue-neutral, progressive tax on dividends.
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Do you oppose the privatization of public services?
- Yes
- A governmental department's core service should not be outsourced.
- However, a service may require a technology that a department is not proficient at using. This would warrant a governmental contract with a vendor. Nonetheless, the skill to use the technology should, over time, be incorporated into the department. Then the contract can retire.
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Do you support a universal basic income program?
- No
- A governmental, unconditional cash payment to individuals is a redistribution of wealth. Instead, the county government should ensure every resident has a healthy environment to live in and to learn in. Education is the key to economic security.
- "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime."
Employees & Labor Rights
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Do you support the rights of public sector employees to speak, in their private capacity, on issues of public importance?
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Do you support the right to unionize for all workers?
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Do you support a broad right to collective bargaining for salary, benefits, and other forms of compensation?
- Yes
- However, care must be taken to ensure that corporate profits are sufficient enough to tap into. I worked for Eastern Airlines Credit Union when the machinists union went on strike. I could see the rallies at Miami International Airport's service entrance from the 3rd floor break room. Eastern Airlines went bankrupt soon after. I could see the writing on the wall, so I got another job. My credit union account is now at Space Coast Credit Union.
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Do you oppose mandatory arbitration provisions in employment contracts, and jury trial waivers?
- No
- This is a two-part question, and I don't agree with both parts. So, I clicked the "No" button.
- Do you oppose mandatory arbitration provisions in employment contracts? Yes. An employee should have the right to file a civil lawsuit and have a judge make a ruling about damages.
- Do you oppose jury trial waivers? No. I favor jury trial waivers in employment contracts. Jury trials are much more expensive than bench ruling trials. Sacramento County taxpayers have to fund trials.
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Have you ever crossed a picket line?
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Do you support project labor agreements (community workforce training agreements)?
- Yes
- Large governmental construction projects should mandate union labor. Well paid workers should deliver better quality than poorly paid workers.
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Do you support paid family leave?
- Yes, if the terms are compatible with the labor market's terms.
Civil Rights & Social Justice
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Do you support a woman's right to comprehensive healthcare, including the
right to choose and access contraception, and the right to obtain a medically safe, legal abortion?
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Do you support increased funding for domestic violence prevention programs?
- No
- Domestic violence cannot be prevented. Moreover, you cannot control anyone else's behavior; you can only control the distance you place between someone. If domestic violence is occurring, then the punishment for that crime is jail time.
- My father was abusive until my mother divorced him when I was 12. I was relieved when he was gone.
- However, domestic violence counseling is worth funding. Its purpose should be to educate the victim.
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Do you support public funding for prenatal care, family planning, and abortion services for low income and immigrant women?
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Do you support public funding for safe, reliable, quality, and affordable childcare?
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Do you believe that LGBTQ+people should have equal rights in employment, housing, education, marriage, and adoption?
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Do you support the expansion and enforcement of hate crime laws and ordinances?
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Do you support the right of transgender children to have equal access to school and government services, programs, and facilities according to their gender identity?
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Do you believe it is ever acceptable for a business owner to deny services to LGBTQ+ people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity?
- No
- Moreover, publicly advertising service providers, including cake bakers and photographers, must honor market-rate contracts for weddings of LGBTQ+ couples.
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Do you support giving undocumented immigrants living in the United States a path towards citizenship?
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Do you support making higher education funding available for children of undocumented immigrants?
- Yes, for the current programs that subsidize tuition.
- However for the future, the county government should build Sacramento Community College and offer free tuition for everyone. Then the current subsidizes should be retired.
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Do you support granting legal status to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and went to school here?
- Yes
- It is unconscionable that a person who was raised here should have to leave.
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Do you believe that individuals, including members of the LGBTQ+community, should have the right to sponsor family members (i.e. spouses, partners, parents, siblings, children) to immigrate to the United States?
- Yes
- However, population growth in the United States is a problem. A responsible federal government should manage immigration properly.
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Do you support the use of public funds to provide mental health services to homeless individuals?
- Yes
- A 5,000 room homeless dormitory is necessary to solve our homeless problem. It will be in an environment of education. Tutors, having social science degrees, will monitor the study hall. They will provide assistance with homework and other socially beneficial activities. Visit timriley.net/homeless.html.
- The Sacramento County Health Center offers psychiatry and mental health counseling and should be well funded.
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Do you believe that persons with disabilities should have equal access to public spaces?
Healthcare
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Do you believe that healthcare is a human right?
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Do you support Medicare-for-All, or similar legislation at the state level in California?
- No
- Each county in California should have a well-funded, primary health care center.
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Do you oppose parental notification requirements before a minor can terminate a pregnancy?
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Do you support mental health parity?
- Yes
- Mental illness is just as debilitating as a physical illness.
Housing
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Have you previously served on a planning commission, or another commission with authority related to housing policy?
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Do you support the adoption of rent control, rent stabilization, and/or just cause eviction protections in your city or county?
- No
- Unfunded governmental mandates have negative consequences. For example, rent control in San Francisco caused my father to lose his lease. A provision in San Francisco's law allowed the homeowner to raise the rent over the control if the homeowner moved back into the residence for three months. The homeowner did that, so my father moved to Sacramento.
- Generally speaking, the supply/demand curve of the rental market predicts the rent. To lower the market rent price, the supply of rental units must increase. Farms in North Natomas are currently being developed into apartment neighborhoods, increasing the rental unit supply.
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Do you support the adoption of inclusionary housing ordinances?
- Yes
- New housing plans should require developers to set aside a portion of the subdivision for low income households.
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Do you support ordinances prohibiting Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) discrimination?
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Do you support policies preserving and protecting affordable housing?
- Yes, except for unfunded governmental mandates.
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Do you support building affordable housing on public land?
- No
- Public land that was meant for green space should remain open to all.
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Do you support building teacher/administrator housing on school property?
- No
- Schools should not be in the real estate business.
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Do you support the use of public funds to house unhoused individuals in hotels?
- No
- This is too expensive and a disincentive to self-improve.
- The government should provide a safety net, not a hammock.
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Do you support the use of other public funds to create housing for unhoused individuals?
- Yes
- Sacramento County needs to build a 5,000 room homeless dormitory. It will be in an environment of education. Visit timriley.net/homeless.html.
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Do you support policies banning the use of hostile architecture (such as segmented benches designed to prevent sleeping, street spikes designed to prevent sitting on sidewalks, or placement of boulders/rocks in corners) targeting homeless people?
Transportation
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Have you previously served on a board or commission with authority over transportation policy?
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Do you support expansion of the light rail system?
- Yes
- A major stress contributor is too many cars are on the streets.
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Do you support local tax measures to fund transportation and public transit?
- Yes
- If residents used public transportation more, then our collective stress level will decrease.
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Do you support policies to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the region?
- Yes
- Personally, I walk or ride my bike to do errands. When I went to Sac State, I went without a car for six years. (I was fortunate at the time; there was an Enterprise rental nearby.) Nonetheless, Sacramento is relatively bicycle friendly. Older areas, like East Sacramento, need street retrofitting for bike lanes.
- For those that don't bike, public transportation should be well funded to reduce vehicle miles.
Environment
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Have you previously served on an open space board, parks commission, or other public body with authority related to public spaces?
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Do you support the retention of farmland and woodlands by supporting infill over greenfield development?
- Yes
- Tax dollars to remove obsolete structures are worth spending.
- Any land that absorbs carbon dioxide and emits oxygen should be preserved.
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Do you believe that climate change is a serious threat to our communities?
- Yes
- The Earth recently hit a CO2 concentration of 420 parts-per-million. The last time Earth had this much concentration, Greenland lacked any ice. Back then, the Atlantic ocean had so much water that Florida was underwater and the South Carolina coast was 60 miles inland.
- I forecast in 50 years, a massive migration of east coast residents will move here.
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Do you believe we should preserve and enhance current wildlife sanctuaries in the region?
- Yes
- Along the Sacramento River, within the Natomas Basin, is a project to restore former farms back to their natural wetlands. However, Supervisor Serna is trying to persuade his supervisor colleagues to develop there.
- The Upper Westside development is an abomination. Visit timriley.net/upperwestside.html.
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Do you believe that green/open space and public parks are important to our local community?
- Yes
- I would raise the bar and say that green/open space is essential for our collective health.
Education
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Do you support policies that would provide equitable funding to schools in low-income and underserved neighborhoods?
- Yes
- However, our many school districts are contributing to the inequitable funding. Districts located in neighborhoods with a larger tax base have higher appropriations than districts located in economically challenged neighborhoods. The Sac City and Natomas school districts are stressing. Should the county government appropriate funds to even out the disparity? This is a valid debate to have.
- Nonetheless, the county government should focus its attention on free adult education for all.
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Do you support mental health services for staff and students in public education?
- No
- Schools should be well funded for education. Mental health services are a luxury that public schools cannot afford.
- If school staff need mental health services, then there is a more fundamental problem to solve.
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Do you support an inclusive and culturally competent curriculum in public schools that includes LGBTQ+rights, accurate historical events, and the truth about America s history?
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Would you support legislation removing charter schools from the public school system?
- No
- Charter schools are already an institution, so it would be disruptive to remove them.
- However, the concept of a magnate school should be considered. Magnate schools are selective and have specialties like charter schools. However, school districts would decide where they are built. In Miami (where I'm from) magnate schools are located in economically challenged neighborhoods.
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Do you support policies allowing youth offenders access to restorative justice programs?
- Yes.
- Having a mediator sponsor a conversation between a youth offender and the victim is a good first thing to do.
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Do you believe that public adult education, college, and university education should be tuition free?
- No
- Education is expensive. Taxpayer funds for adult education should be carefully planned. The county government should create a budgetary line-item for adult education to build, manage, maintain, and staff Sacramento Community College. The college should offer free tuition and books. Investing in our human capital will increase our collective economic output and lower our collective stress level.
Public Safety
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Do you support increased diversity, equity, and inclusion training for police and other law enforcement officers?
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Do you oppose police practices that result in a disproportionate rate of over-policing in communities of color and low-income communities, resulting in more people of color and low-income people being forced into the criminal justice system?
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Do you oppose police departments reporting undocumented immigrants to federal authorities, even when they are not accused of a violent crime?
- Yes
- Moreover, given our currently contentious immigration enforcement, Sacramento should be the bellwether sanctuary city.
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Do you support universal body cameras, including severe consequences for officers who turn their cameras off during police encounters?
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Do you support the timely public release of body camera footage where appropriate?
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Do you support policies banning the use of weapons that cause grievous bodily injury (including tear gas, rubber bullets, and tasers) during peaceful protests?
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Do you believe that an officer who makes offensive and/or racist remarks on social media should be subject to official punishment?
- Yes
- Moreover, any officer who makes an offensive remark in uniform should be subject to official punishment. Officers should communicate both firmly and respectfully.
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Do you support the right to protest?
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Do you oppose efforts by local governments to impose curfews for the purpose of preventing public protests?
- No
- I favor curfews to prevent violent protests. The purpose of protesting is to persuade decision makers to make a different decision. When the sun sets, the persuasion tends to become coercion.
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Do you support universal background checks for new gun purchases?
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Do you support magazine size limits and limits on the amount of ammunition a person can purchase?
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Do you support a ban on assault weapon sales?
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Do you support law enforcement policies and practices that incorporate mental health personnel on service calls, where appropriate?
- No
- A law enforcement service call is to:
- calm down a tense situation
- research whether or not a crime has been committed
- arrest someone who committed a crime
The jail is the appropriate venue to incorporate mental health triage.
- However, our downtown jail is overcrowded. Sacramento County needs to build a new 5,000 cell jail. Moreover, it should be in an environment of education. Visit timriley.net/jail.html.
Other
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Did you publicly support Proposition 50(2025)?
County Candidates
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What will you do to address the homelessness crisis in Sacramento County?
- Sacramento County needs to build a 5,000 room homeless dormitory. It will be in an environment of education. Visit timriley.net/homeless.html.
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Will you support more development outside of the county's urban services boundary?
- Yes
- The urban services boundary may not be large enough to provide the economy necessary for Sacramento's population growth.
- However, greenspace is vital for our health. Natomas, where I live, has a long-term development plan. The county government should respect it. Visit timriley.net/upperwestside.html
- Nonetheless, a current event is a decision to build warehouses, restaurants, and hotels on 450 acres just south of Sacramento Airport. My observations are:
- The 450 acres are east of the mile-wide, wildlife corridor (Hawk Zone).
- Industrial output around an airport provides for efficient logistics.
- An earthen berm, maybe 20 feet high, can be a barrier to the existing Paso Verde School.
- In 2002, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution which said, "The City, rather than the County, is the appropriate agent for planning new growth in Natomas." However, the City of Sacramento needs to review the environmental impact in good faith.
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What will you do to ensure that unincorporated communities in Sacramento County receive the services and representation that they deserve?
- For district 1, I will be the representative for all constituents. District 1 encompasses most of the city. However, the farms in western Natomas are still unincorporated. Because the city is in between, sheriff protection is virtually non-existent. City encroachment is stressing the farmers. The Natomas Development Plan has a process for if a farmer decides to sell to a developer.
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What do you see as the most important public safety and criminal justice issues facing Sacramento County and what will you do to address those issues?
- Our public safety bottleneck is the small jail.
- Sacramento County needs to build a new 5,000 cell jail. Moreover, it should be in an environment of education. Visit timriley.net/jail.html.
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What do you see as the most important health, human services, or social services issues facing Sacramento County and what will you do to address those issues?
- Our primary stress issue is homelessness.
- Sacramento County needs to build a new 5,000 homeless dormitory. Moreover, it should be in an environment of education. Visit timriley.net/homeless.html.
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How will you address fiscal challenges and what services or investments will you prioritize for protecting or for cutting when facing budget shortfalls?
- The fiscal challenges can be solved by focusing our limited resources towards the root cause of problems. Currently, our resources are swatting at the symptoms resulting from the root causes. The root cause of many of our problems is the lack of understanding of what is really going on. The solution is education.
- My priorities are:
- adult education
- sheriff
- Sacramento County Health Center
- infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc.)
- jails
- justice
- homeless housing
- emergency response
- youth recreation
- Visit timriley.net/pipedream.html.
- I am proposing three new, expensive buildings. Moreover, Sacramento County's budget margin is thin; state and federal subsidies are tenuous. Therefore, budget shifting is inevitable.
- Denver's international airport is self-sufficient. Landing fees and rents pay for all of its expenditures. On the other hand, Sacramento's international airport is subsidized by taxpayers in the amount of $159.8 million a year.
- Special area districts are areas within Sacramento County that receive extra services. To pay for the extra services, additional property taxes are assessed to district residents. However, these districts are additionally subsidized by taxpayers in the amount of $146.7 million a year.
- Of course, I only have publicly available information. Nonetheless, my ability to scrutinize expenditures and my ability to spend frugally will be assets for Sacramento County taxpayers.
