Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen appoints spouse of political ally to an Elk Grove commission

As part of her authority as mayor of Elk Grove, Bobbie Singh-Allen nominates members to the city’s various commissions. During the February 28 city council meeting, Singh-Allen nominated and had an appointment confirmed to the city’s Diversity and Inclusion Commission.

According to information posted by the city clerk’s office, there were 10 applicants for the position. During the meeting, two of those candidates, Alejandro Gutierrez-Duncan and Brent Burfield, made presentations to Singh-Allen and the city council.

During his presentation, Mr. Burfield noted his spouse is Elk Grove Unified School District Trustee Michael Vargas. Elected to the board of trustees in 2022, Mr. Vargas is a close political ally and supporter of Singh-Allen.

After hearing from both applicants, Singh-Allen nominated District 3 resident Brent Burfield. In her deliberations, Singh-Allen said in addition to speaking with the commission chair Tina Lee-Vogt, the mayor said she consulted with District 4 Councilmember Sergio Robles, who was absent from the meeting.

“Both Ms. Vogt and councilmember Robles were looking to appoint someone from the LGBTQ-plus community, which makes this hard because you are both representatives, of course,” Singh-Allen said.

After nominating Burfield, the city council confirmed the appointment.

Mr. Burfield’s presentation can be seen in the video.