Down Not Out
CITY NEEDS MAYOR TO REMEMBER FIGHTING SPIRIT
As Mayor Darrell Steinberg struggles to resolve the city’s homeless crisis, the unsheltered population continues to grow. Several people living in a Downtown alley recently asked Inside photographer Aniko Kiezel to make pictures of them. “Thank you for seeing us,” one man said after the photo session.
T
he last Sacramento mayor who moved onto bigger and better things was Dr. Henry L. Nichols. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, that’s because Mayor Nichols served only one year. It was 1858. Nine years after he left City Hall, Dr. Nichols became California
RG By R.E. Graswich City Beat
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secretary of state. He was on the job when the Capitol building was finished, and climbed to the top of the new dome and stuck the golden ball in place. It’s still there. It’s a safe bet Darrell Steinberg will not climb any domes and place golden balls. Like the other 44 mayors who followed Dr. Nichols, Steinberg has reached the summit of his political career. It’s downhill from here. This is not how life was supposed to turn out for Steinberg. He was supposed to hold statewide office, maybe attorney general, maybe governor. That was the plan. But being mayor until 2024 is what
Steinberg is stuck with, for better or worse. His ability to manage his disappointment will shape Sacramento’s recovery from the economic and societal horrors of pandemic and homelessness. He hit solid notes at his State of the City speech in June. If Steinberg falters in the months ahead, the city’s recovery is in trouble. And trouble is already banging on the door. Since being passed over by Gov. Gavin Newsom for attorney general— an appointment Steinberg desperately wanted—the mayor has struggled to maintain his public façades of optimism and leadership. Losing
the attorney general sweepstakes to Alameda Assemblyman Rob Bonta crushed Steinberg and ended any relationship he had with Newsom. Steinberg is 61 and hardly doddering. But a flock of Democrats have lapped him, younger, more diverse, with larger or more influential constituencies. His “best by” date has expired. Steinberg was already losing his grip on City Hall. The arrival of three new council members last year shattered his command over a fivevote majority on City Council. Power reduction is painful for Steinberg, who loved wielding authority in the state Senate.
