Meet Kevin McCarty
Kevin McCarty has served our city as a Housing and Redevelopment Commissioner, a City Councilmember, and a State Assemblymember. Grounded in practical problem solving – Kevin has remained focused on investing in our kids and families, enhancing public safety, and bringing innovative solutions to housing and homelessness.
His work started early-on targeting blight in our neighborhoods as a Housing and Redevelopment Commissioner.
On the City Council he launched innovative programs like Operation College — a model school counseling program that helped students make college a reality and increased college rates by 45% at Hiram Johnson High School. He fought to expand programs for our youth. Like opening community centers on Friday nights to give kids a safe place to go. He started a local baseball league that has helped thousands of children play – free of charge. In addition to target public safety, he wrote a local gun ordinance to get guns out of the hands of criminals. It worked and became a statewide model.
In the State Assembly his work continues to focus on our future. He has championed greater access to college, early education, and investing in our youth. He passed legislation to ensure California students have access to our public colleges and universities over non-resident students, and preschool is free and accessible for all children. As Education Budget Chair, Kevin also made historic investments in public education increasing funding for the middle-class scholarship and Debt-Free financial aid programs for families.
His work targeting gun violence continued in the legislature with laws to expand efforts to remove guns from the hands of domestic abusers and close the gun show loophole.
Kevin’s focus has always been on Sacramento and investing in our community. Locally, he has secured over $100 million for projects across the city including funding to launch Aggie Square, the research and innovation center at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. This economic driver will create thousands of new tech and medical jobs, as well as directing $50 million dollars toward affordable housing in the surrounding neighborhoods. In addition, post-COVID when downtown office buildings stood empty, he wrote a new law to convert vacant state office buildings into affordable housing.
Kevin is committed to bringing new solutions to homelessness. He fought to create the American River Conservancy and authored a law to end illegal camping on the American River Parkway. At the same time, he secured $25 million for the County to provide shelter and services for those in need, including expanding shelters at Cal Expo. This will increase safety for people who enjoy the parkway and improve its environmental health.
He wrote a new law to provide drug treatment programs for repeat felons committing drug-related crimes. He also fought for new laws to expand care and treatment for those dealing with untreated mental illness and substance abuse. He also helped pass Prop 1 for the March ballot to build 10,000 new treatment beds and housing. He has written a new law that would require the County and Sacramento regional cities to form a joint powers authority to work together on solutions to homelessness.
As Mayor, he will continue the fight for more urgent temporary shelter and greater coordination and cooperation with the County. Collaboration is needed to provide basic wrap around services for those dealing with homelessness and issues like untreated mental illness.
Born and raised in Sacramento, after receiving his high school diploma through adult education, Kevin attended American River College and earned degrees from CSU Long Beach and CSU Sacramento.
Kevin is an avid sports fan and in his spare time enjoys gardening, spending time along the American River, and coaching youth softball and baseball.
He and his wife, Leticia, live in Sacramento with their twin teenage daughters Victoria and Barbara.
