SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Without claiming victory, Jim Cooper said Wednesday afternoon he is cautiously optimistic about his bid for Sacramento County Sheriff given the latest polling.
However, his opponent says this race isn't over just yet.
“We believe that less than half of the total votes have been counted in Sacramento County, and this race is far from over,” said the campaign for Jim Barnes.
Cooper, 58, is a California Assemblymember currently representing District 9, which encompasses parts of Elk Grove, South Sacramento, Galt and Lodi. He has served in that role for the past eight years. Prior to that, he spent 15 years on the Elk Grove City Council, including as the city’s first-ever mayor. During that time and before it, Cooper also spent 30 years working for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, rising through the ranks and becoming a captain.
Cooper would become Sacramento County’s first Black sheriff, but he is already receiving criticism from Black activists over concerns that the longtime law enforcement officer will continue business as usual in the department.
Sacramento activist Berry Accius, founder of the youth mentorship program Voice of the Youth, has long called for accountability and transparency in the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
“Representation does matter but who you are representing and what are you representing is truly the thing that is significant when we talk about Jim Cooper being in this position,” Accius said.
Accius hopes to see changes in the sheriff’s office, including deputy accountability but also a focus on crime prevention in neighborhoods that are experiencing high levels of violent crime and sex trafficking, particularly in communities of color.
“I want to see a curve in violence, I want to see a curve in sex trafficking in our area, and I want to see less and less unauthorized excessive and negative behavior against black people,” Accius said.
Accius has made repeated calls to fund youth and community programs in efforts to improve neighborhood resources and prevent crime.
Tanya Faison is the founder of Black Lives Matter Sacramento, which she describes as a law enforcement abolitionist organization. She has little faith in improvements in terms of leadership at the jail, accountability or transparency, regardless of who is in office.
“The existence of it, the way it moves no matter who is in office, is always going to be the way that it is because that’s what it’s supposed to be doing,” Faison said.
She wants to see community organizational structures put in place to replace the role of law enforcement.
If elected, Cooper says he will be ready to listen to the public, communities and organizations in efforts to improve safety in for everyone.
His first focus as sheriff will be surrounding the issues of crime and homelessness, particularly surrounding the American River Parkway trail. He says he looks forward to working closely with the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and maintaining a transparent department.
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