Part II: What political ambitions lie ahead for Elk Grove's three reelected Trapos - Singh-Allen, Spease & Suen

Part II

Part I of this story introduced predictions of the political futures of three recently re-elected Elk Grove City Council members - Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and council members Kevin Spease and Darren Suen. The focus of that first part was on Ms. Singh-Allen's future. 

We will conclude the assessment on Singh-Allen because her ambitions will dictate what happens to Suen and Spease.

As suggested at the end of Part I and based on information from other elected officials, Singh-Allen's next move up the political ladder will be a challenge to fellow Democrat and former city council colleague, District 10 California Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen.

From Singh-Allen's perspective, a run against Nguyen is a risky but potentially rewarding gamble. It is dangerous because she is challenging a fellow incumbent Democrat in a safe district that has already won two terms. 

Should Singh-Allen lose in either the primary or the general election to Nguyen, her already shaky status as a Democratic Party member will be damaged. If Singh-Allen loses in the June 2026 primary, she will have plenty of time to seek reelection to another term as mayor. 

Furthermore, if Singh-Allen and Nguyen, or some other candidate, advance to the general election and Singh-Allen loses, she will be out of office. Given that Singh-Allen won 69 percent of the vote in a three-candidate race for her third term, we suspect she will be confident of beating Nguyen, even though Nguyen is well-regarded and respected for her years of work with Asian Resources Inc. in Elk Grove and especially in the Pocket and South Sacramento neighborhoods of District 10.   

Regular Elk Grove News readers will recall an October story saying Councilmember Suen, Nguyen's chief of staff at the State Capitol until his separation from that position in August, was mounting a challenge to Nguyen. Life in politics changes quickly, and the dynamics have changed in this situation.

While Suen is known for his political ambitions - he unsuccessfully ran for Elk Grove Mayor in 2018 - he is ceding them to Singh-Allen. Instead, should Singh-Allen succeed in the primary and move to the November general election against Nguyen or some other candidate, Suen will run for mayor in 2026.

As it stands today, 19 months before the June 2026 primary, things line up like this:

• Singh-Allen challenges Nguyen in the June 2026 primary for Assembly District 10 against Nguyen
• Should Singh-Allen not advance out of the primary, she'll run for another term and bide her time
• If Singh-Allen wins the primary, Suen, who will be halfway through his four-year term, will run for mayor

We have yet to mention the other TraPo in the lede of this story, Councilmember Kevin Spease. Like Suen, Spease unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2016 and, according to other elected officials, still harbors mayoral ambitions.

While Suen and Singh-Allen will actively outline their ambitions, Spease is a passive participant. Should Singh-Allen and Suen fulfill their plans, with Singh-Allen running for Assembly in the November 2026 election and Suen for mayor, Spease is believed to be amenable to challenging Suen for mayor. 

Like Suen, Spease will be halfway through a four-year term, so if he loses, he will still be on the city council. Furthermore, even though Spease endorsed Singh-Allen for mayor this year, he has become a thorn in her side for his stances on the Sacramento Zoo relocation project and the 300 percent pay increase the city council granted themselves.  

A Spease mayoral candidacy could offer a different long-term vision for the city. Suen would continue Singh-Allen's popular plans, but Spease could offer an alternative based on economic conditions in 2026—tariffs and their implications could severely affect interest rates—and whether or not the Sacramento Zoo project remains feasible.

As 2024 winds down, the political chatter will subside during the Holidays. When 2025 starts, get ready because Elk Grove elected officials will soon slip into their trapo roles to fulfill their ambitions.