Most candidates for Congressional District 06 - six of them - showed up for the Candidate Forum at Howe Park last night. Candidate Thien Ho, who is the Sacramento County District Attorney, was missing, despite having previously committed to attend. There were some 35-40 people in the audience during the event, a typical local-area crowd for a weeknight political event. Congressman Kevin Kiley attended virtually, via Zoom from Washington, D.C. There were a few technical glitches with the Zoom link and all the tech gadgetry needed to make it happen. As a result the event organizers are unable to post a recording, as had been planned. The session was nonetheless lively, as reported in the Bee (Mathew Miranda, "Rep. Kevin Kiley faces attacks from opponents in California 6th District debate", Sacramento Bee, April 25, 2026)

The Forum was moderated by the League of Women Voters, with a format that consisted of yes/no questions followed by more pointed ones about the plight of unincorporated communities. Naturally, the Bee focused on the give-and-take among candidates during the yes/no questions instead of their reactions to the questions about neglect of unincorporated communities. Politicians often answer questions by changing the subject to things they would prefer to discuss. For example, a question about taking action on the Corps of Engineers' threatened removal of hundreds of large trees in the American River Parkway - now in lawsuit limbo - morphed into vague responses about flood control and protecting the environment. Still, it was interesting to learn whether the candidates were open to issues that might matter to residents and businesses in unincorporated areas. In response to the question about the USPS' insistence that local addresses stipulate "Sacramento" as the city whether the address is in the city of Sacramento or not (think Arden Arcade, Foothill Farms, or North Highlands) Tyler Vandenberg and Martha Guerrero said though they did not know about the issue they wanted to learn more and hold town halls so they could deal with it. Kevin Kiley said he had worked on similar USPS problems in Mono County and in Lincoln. The other candidates had responses closer to those of a deer in the headlights.

The newly-redistricted Congressional District 06 sprawls from West Sacramento through northern City of Sacramento neighborhoods, across north eastern Sacramento County's unincorporated communities and the City of Citrus Heights and into Roseville and Rocklin in Placer County. There have only been a few months for candidates to file for the office, gather up the massive amount of funds needed for a successful campaign, and also become acquainted with the myriad issues throughout the district. It was helpful for the candidates as well as the audience to have issues discussed right here in our community.

Next up: Candidate Forum for Senate District 06 and Assembly District 07, Tuesday, April 28th at the Carmichael LIbrary at 6:30pm.