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West Sacramento has been an incorporated city since 1987 but most people living in the area never knew much about the city; Chris Cabaldon was no exception. In fact, he says the only reason why he discovered West Sacramento was because he accidentally took the wrong freeway exit, but he ended up finding “a place that I wanted to live.”
Cabaldon began seeing many opportunities for change and growth in his new city and used it to build his platform for his political candidacy. As a resident, he was able to truly get to know the city and “know [the city’s] heart and its history and its future and its pain and its aspirations.” In his role as mayor, Cabaldon continues to use that same intimacy to embrace change and innovation as West Sacramento provides a unique opportunity “to try new things and take some risks.”
Through these risks and keeping the residents in the forefront, Mayor Cabaldon has helped West Sacramento grow businesses and programs, like urban farms, breweries, city seed funding for college savings accounts, and bikeshares. But he is “very clear on what it is that my organization and the city itself can do, what our capacity is, what our context is,” and knows when collaboration and partnership with other organizations, cities are necessary to further the creative process.
Listen to his interview to hear more about how community, passion and purpose have helped navigate Cabaldon’s time “In the Arena” as mayor of West Sacramento.
Previous Guests:
- Affie Ellis, State Senator, Wyo.
- Beth Niblock, CIO of Detroit, Mich.
- Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, Calif.
- Ed O’Keefe, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation
- Blair Milo, Ind.'s first Secretary of Career Connections and Talent
- Phil Bertolini, Co-Director, Center for Digital Government
- Jo Ann Davidson, Ohio State Representative
- Dow Constantine, Executive of King County, Wash.
- Harry LaRosiliere, Mayor of Plano, Texas
- Rebecca Rhynhart, City Controller of Philadelphia
- Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University
- Mayors Melvin Carter of St. Paul, Minn.; Jenn Daniels of Gilbert, Ariz.; Jacob Frey of Minneapolis and Francis Suarez of Miami
- Chris Castro, Director of Sustainability for Orlando, Fla.
- Kim Foxx, State's Attorney for Cook County, Ill.
- Doug Burgum, Governor of N.D.
- Steve Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, S.C.
- Kristen Cox, Executive Director of Utah Office of Management and Budget
- Acquanetta Warren, Mayor of Fontana, Calif.
- Greg Fischer, Mayor of Louisville, Ky.
- Themis Klarides, Minority Leader of the Conn. House
