A pediatrician and former state senator aims to break barriers by becoming the first Asian American to be elected mayor of Sacramento. Announcing his bid: Dr. Richard Pan, known for his advocacy on public health issues — including vaccination mandates — announced his candidacy in June 2023 on "The Ronin Project Podcast" with Bill Wong. At the time, he acknowledged Jimmy Yee as briefly becoming the first Asian American mayor of the city following the death of Mayor Joe Serna in 1999.
Sacramento NAACP headquarters was firebombed in 1993, but hate crimes against Black Americans remain high. Read more about the impact of this racially motivated attack and the need to combat hate in California.