Race to November: Auburn voters to consider several contested races this election season

Editor's note: This is the first of two introductions to the election season in Auburn. Next week, we will address the school district and other races. Now that candidate filing periods have ended and the November ballot is beginning to take shape, it's clear Auburn voters have several local races to pay attention to this election season. City of Auburn voters will decide upon contested races for seats on the Auburn City Council, Auburn Union School District Board of Trustees, Auburn Area Recreation and Parks District Board of Directors and the Placer County Board of Supervisors. The Placer Union High School District will also have two contested seats in its new specific trustee areas. City of Auburn The city of Auburn will see two candidates face off for the two-year term vacated in late 2023 by Daniel Berlant after he was appointed State Fire Marshal. Appointed incumbent Michelle Sierra-Sammons works for the Placer County Assessor's Office and previously served on the Auburn Union School District Board of Trustees. She has served on the Auburn City Council since December. "My priorities are to maintain and improve our public safety resources; increase support of our business districts and improve our city infrastructure without compromising our historic values," Sierra-Sammons said in her official candidate statement. "Our city needs leaders who listen to residents, businesses, and neighboring entities. My experience working in local government, as a former school board member, and being an appointed Auburn City Council member has given me leadership skills to ensure open and respectful communication, so that everyone impacted by important decisions can have a place at the table." Facing Sierra-Sammons is Kelley Davis, mother of two young children and director of the Auburn Trails Alliance, which maintains the Auburn Bike Park and improves bike and pedestrian infrastructure. "I want to help build a community that kids and youth thrive in, feel connected to and be seen as valuable members of our society," Davis said on her campaign website. "As a council member, I will advocate for responsible spending, fire and public safety and for the establishment of creative revenue streams to better support our city. I will fight for our schools, work to preserve our environment and promote active transportation. … I will make Auburn stronger and more sustainable so that our next generation will not only cherish our city like we do, but will thrive within it." Mayor Rachel Radell-Harris and Councilwoman Alice Dowdin Calvillo are running unopposed for their council seats. Auburn Treasurer Donna Silva also is running unopposed. Radell-Harris, Dowdin Calvillo and Silva will be listed on the ballot with the possibility of write-in candidate opponents. The Placer County Elections Office will begin accepting paperwork to qualify write-in candidates on Sept. 9. Measure F The city of Auburn will also float an increase to its Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), or traveler's tax. In an attempt to catch up to nearby cities' TOT levels, the city seeks to increase its tax collection from 8 percent to 10 percent and to include short-term rental properties. The text of Measure F, which needs a majority vote to pass, reads, "Shall the measure funding police, fire, street maintenance, pothole repairs, parks, and for general government use for maintaining other City services by increasing the City's transient occupancy tax (paid only by hotel and lodging guests) on hotel rent by 2% matching nearby city rates, and by extending it to short-term rentals, to last until voters end it, raising approximately $162,000 in additional revenue per year that cannot be taken by the State, be adopted?" Placer County Board of Supervisors District 5 The Placer County Board of Supervisors recently redrew the boundary lines of its supervisor districts, creating a new District 5, which includes Auburn, North Auburn and communities along Interstate 80 all the way to North Lake Tahoe. Two candidates will face off on the November ballot after receiving the most votes in the March Primary election. Incumbent Cindy Gustafson was originally appointed to the Board of Supervisors in 2019 and before her appointment she had experience in the private and public sectors. "Throughout my professional career and volunteer efforts, and now more than ever, I see a need to work in a bipartisan manner in order to achieve results," Gustafson said on her campaign website. "As a dedicated independent, I strive to maintain positive working relationships with elected officials from across the political spectrum, often with very different views of how issues should be addressed. I work hard to serve those I represent, and that collaboration results in tangible benefits to District 5 and Placer County generally." Former Placer County Planning Commissioner Wayne Nader is challenging Gustafson. He served for 12 years as the chair of the Placer County Audit Committee. During the March Primary, Nader received 6,065 fewer votes than Gustafson in the four-candidate race. "Our foothill and mountain communities deserve to be protected from development that threatens the enjoyment of their unique ways of life," Nader stated on his campaign website. "Unlike my opponent, I will always fight against adverse development projects and never take developer money."