(SACRAMENTO, CA.) — For Sacramento City Council District 5 candidate Santiago Morales Jr., his campaign for city council is deeply personal. Born and raised in Sacramento, Morales decision to run comes from a lifetime of living, working, and raising a family in the very neighborhoods he now hopes to represent.
(Santiago and his wife Gladys have been happily married for 30 years. Credit: Santiago Morales Jr.)
“I went to high school right here at Luther Burbank,” Morales said during an interview with OpGov.news. “I married my high school sweetheart. We’ve been together for over 30 years. We raised our four kids here, and they all went into public service in different ways. Sacramento is home.”
Morales first ran for City Council in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He says the experience was overshadowed by illness, uncertainty, and the challenges that came with campaigning during a global crisis.
Now, five years later, Morales says he feels a stronger sense of urgency.
“I don’t like the direction our city is going, and I don’t like the direction my district is going,” he said. “I believe my experience and the knowledge I’ve gained working in state government can help make a real difference.”
Morales is running for city council against incumbent Caity Maple and candidate Henry Harry. District 5 stretches across some of Sacramento’s most diverse and historically rich neighborhoods, including Oak Park, Hollywood Park, North and South City Farms, Golf Course Terrace, Valley Hi, and portions of Meadowview.
The district reflects a wide cross-section of Sacramento life — from longtime residential communities and working-class neighborhoods to growing business corridors, parks, and culturally diverse areas that have shaped the city for generations. Residents throughout District 5 often share concerns about public safety, homelessness, infrastructure, housing affordability, illegal dumping, and neighborhood investment, while also expressing pride in the strong sense of community and identity that defines the area.
Morales, a current state employee who has worked for several California agencies, including the California Student Aid Commission, Covered California, and the Department of Industrial Relations, believes Sacramento is missing opportunities to better coordinate with state resources already headquartered in the city.
“We have all these state agencies here in Sacramento doing outreach programs and providing services,” he said. “Why aren’t we partnering more with them instead of duplicating programs and spending unnecessary money?”
Morales has spent months walking neighborhoods across District 5, speaking directly with residents about the issues affecting their daily lives.
“Talking to neighbors has been eye-opening,” he said. “Every neighborhood has different needs. Oak Park is different from Parkway. But at the end of the day, we’re all connected.”
(Morales, pictured with his family, says he wants safer community parks. Credit: Santiago Morales Jr.)
He says one of the biggest concerns residents consistently raise is homelessness. People want safer parks, cleaner public spaces, and long-term solutions instead of what Morales describes as a cycle of moving encampments from one neighborhood to another.
“We can’t keep shuffling people around,” he said. “That doesn’t solve anything. A month later, the camps are back, and residents are frustrated.”
Morales believes Sacramento should focus on smaller, community-based housing and support systems instead of creating massive, centralized encampments.
“If you group thousands of people together, things can quickly become unmanageable,” he said. “We need smaller groups with consistent follow-up and support services.”
He emphasized that homelessness solutions must include compassion, accountability, and long-term planning.
“These are still people with dreams and goals,” Morales said. “The goal shouldn’t just be putting someone in a tiny home forever. It should be helping them regain stability and independence.”
(Santiago sitting with members of Sacramento Power and Inclusion for Everyone. Credit: Santiago Morales Jr.)
Morales also spoke about involving the broader community in outreach efforts. For example, helping someone prepare a résumé, practice for an interview, or even donating basic necessities can make a difference.
Another issue Morales says residents frequently discuss is illegal dumping.
From discarded mattresses to abandoned couches along roadsides, Morales believes the city must make disposal options more accessible and affordable.
“A lot of people don’t have trucks or extra money to take things to the dump,” he said. “Then we wonder why things end up dumped on the side of the road.”
One idea Morales proposed is creating temporary neighborhood collection areas where residents can dispose of bulky items for free.
“It may sound unconventional, but if we provide safe, organized spaces for dumping large items, we could reduce the amount of trash spread throughout the city,” he said.
Morales pointed to similar collection programs used in other counties and cities across the country.
“We don’t always have to reinvent the wheel,” he said. “There are cities solving these problems already. We should learn from them.”
Morales also stressed the importance of protecting Sacramento’s parks, river access points, and outdoor recreation areas.
“We’re blessed to live in an area where people come from all over to enjoy the river, the trails, and the parks,” he said. “Those spaces generate tourism and support local businesses.”
A serious injury in 2023 changed the way Morales views public infrastructure. After falling through his attic while doing work at home, Morales spent nearly eight months in a wheelchair recovering from a severe leg injury.
The experience, he says, gave him a firsthand understanding of how inaccessible sidewalks and damaged infrastructure can impact residents.
“When you’re walking, you might step around a cracked sidewalk and not think much about it,” he said. “But when you’re in a wheelchair, that crack becomes a major obstacle.”
Morales said the experience made him more aware of the challenges faced by seniors and people with disabilities.
“We need to fix sidewalks faster, maintain safe public spaces, and make sure city contracts are actually being completed on time,” he said.
He discussed long construction delays and pointed to examples where road projects remained unfinished for months.
“These little things matter because they directly impact people’s daily lives,” he said.
Public safety was another central topic during the conversation. Morales says residents have repeatedly raised concerns about slow emergency response times, staffing shortages, and inadequate street lighting.
“There are streets in some neighborhoods that are completely dark,” he said. “When our streetlight went out near my home, it took more than six months to replace it. During that time, my car was broken into twice.”
He believes Sacramento should prioritize investments in police staffing, emergency services, and basic infrastructure.
“Police officers aren’t superheroes,” Morales said. “They want to come home safely to their families too. We need enough officers so they aren’t responding alone or waiting too long for backup.”
At the same time, Morales acknowledged the city’s budget challenges and emphasized the need for balance.
“We can’t prioritize every single program without looking at what’s actually working,” he said. “Basic services have to come first.”
Unlike many campaigns, Morales says he is not accepting donations and is running largely on his own.
“I don’t have a big campaign team behind me,” he said. “It’s just me.”
Instead of large advertising pushes, Morales says he prefers direct conversations with voters.
“You won’t see a bunch of signs or mass text messages from me,” he said. “I want people to hear directly from me and know that I’m accessible.”
Throughout the interview, Morales repeatedly returned to one theme: community connection.
“I don’t want to be a politician,” he said, laughing. “I just want to be someone from the community who genuinely wants to help make Sacramento better.”
As the District 5 race continues, Morales hopes voters will take time to study each candidate’s platform and decide what kind of future they want for Sacramento.
“Local elections matter,” he said. “This is where people can really make their voices heard.”
For more information on Santiago Morales Jr.’s campaign, please visit https://www.santiagoforsacramento.com/meet_santiago.
Have tips or story ideas from around Sacramento County? Send them to Sarah Denos at sarahkdenos@gmail.com.
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