Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson
Democratic Mayor Kevin Johnson is mulling a run for an unprecedented third term as mayor of Sacramento next year, and
promises to make his decision "pretty soon." However, Johnson has been drawing some very ugly headlines recently, and he may have a tougher challenge than he expected if he seeks re-election.
Johnson has faced sexual misconduct allegations throughout his political career, but nothing has ever stuck. However, Deadspin recently posted a 1995 police interrogation video showing Mandi Koba, then 16, accusing Johnson of molesting her. Johnson has always denied the allegations, and Johnson signed a $230,000 settlement agreement with her in 1997. Voters knew about some of this story in 2008 when he was first elected mayor, but they didn't know the name of Johnson's accuser then. Koba says part of her agreement with Johnson was that she wouldn't speak publicly about this, but she's breaking it now because she's finished "protecting him." The video also makes it much harder for people to ignore this.
There's already been some short-term fallout for Johnson. On Monday, ESPN announced that it would hold off on releasing a documentary detailing how Johnson kept the Sacramento Kings from moving to Seattle in 2011. Kerri Asbury, who heads the county Democratic Party, has called for the mayor to resign, though the local Democratic establishment has always had a bad relationship with Johnson.
It's very unclear what will happen next. Johnson has plenty of allies in the business community, and if this story doesn't sink him, he could very well win another term. Johnson has dodged these types of allegations throughout his career: As recently as April, a former city employee filed a claim saying Johnson had spent months sexually harassing her, but an investigation concluded the claim was unsubstantiated. But Koba's story is making national headlines, and Johnson can't just ignore it and hope it goes away.
Former state Senate leader Darrell Steinberg and Councilor Angelique Ashby are both eyeing this post, and it's possible they may challenge Johnson. Former Democratic Assemblyman Roger Dickinson is also a possible contender. Things are very much in flux here, but Johnson doesn't have too long to decide on his 2016 plans.