Time for a change

The time has come for a new generation to step forward, innovate and lead Sacramento County to a better tomorrow. My name is Catrayel Wood and I’m running for the county Board of Supervisors because the time has come for change and a new vision for our future.

Our county government is hamstrung by inaction and slow responses to the challenges at hand. We all know what these challenges are: a lack of affordable housing, rising rents, continued spikes in homelessness and families living paycheck to paycheck despite working full-time.

We can do better. What has stopped our current elected officials from meeting these challenges is an absence of sound policies, plans and a clear vision for our future.

My vision for Sacramento County is built on the principles of the American Dream. I was born and raised in a blue-collar region of the Central Valley, and though my parents didn’t graduate from college, they instilled in me the importance of hard work, service to one’s community and, most importantly, that if you want to make a change, you don’t wait—you act.

So I did. With my mother’s support, I went to college and graduate school to study politics, international relations and finance. Because of that support network, I’ve been fortunate to pursue my own dream. For many, homeownership is an essential element, and my vision for Sacramento County is rooted in a belief that no one should be without a safe, stable and affordable place to call home.

To make this dream a reality, I’ll push for an expansion of development opportunities, streamlined approval for new homes and a rethinking of overly restrictive fees and regulations. I’ll work to provide incentives to include an equitable number of affordable homes within new developments. Increasing home affordability should be a key policy goal for Sacramento County, and it will be once I’m elected.

Regarding homelessness, I’ll collaborate with local, state and federal agencies; use data to drive results; and invest in evidence-based practices. Together, we will retool current systems to better meet the needs of those experiencing homelessness.

Together we can address these challenges. Join me, and let’s move beyond a district where home affordability has hit a 10-year low; where residents can no longer afford the median home price; and where poverty rose faster in Arden Arcade than anywhere else in California. Let’s move beyond a 30% rise in homelessness between 2015 and 2017, and let’s move beyond a time in which a homeless person dies every three days in Sacramento County.

Now is the time to move beyond our past and look forward to a better tomorrow.