Supervisor candidate Pat Hume receives letter from elected officials condemning his silence on reproductive rights

Addressing Sacramento County Board of Supervisor District 5 candidate Pat Hume’s response to a question during last week’s candidate forum, several elected officials, a candidate, a labor organizer, and an activist have sent a letter (see below) condemning his response. Hume, who is running against Jaclyn Moreno, dodged a question on reproductive rights during the League of Women Voters forum on Wednesday, September 29.

The question was asked by Ms. Paula Lee, who moderated the forum. Moreno said she has long supported reproductive rights, while Hume did not state his stance on the issue saying abortion access was legal in California and not significant to governing the County (See the video for the entire exchange).

The letter tells Hume he had dodged the issue for months and that his response demonstrates his lack of understanding of how the county functions.

The letter says, “Sacramento County has a budget of over $7 billion and is one of the largest healthcare providers in the region. Its facilities and programs are regularly called upon to support women’s health and reproductive care, including abortion. The fact that you do not think this is a County of Sacramento issue calls into question whether you fully understand the scope of the County’s vital role in the health and well-being of its residents.”

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, reproductive rights have been a rallying call for Democratic candidates. Moreno is a Democrat, and Hume is a Republican.

The signatories are Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Sacramento City Councilmembers Eric Guerra, Mai Vang, and Katie Valenzuela; Cosumnes Community Services District Director Orlando Fuentes; Fabrizio Sasso, Sacramento Central Labor Council, Executive Director; Dave Jones, Former California Insurance Commissioner and State Senate District 8 candidate, and Amar Shergill, California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus Chair.

Elk Grove elected officials supporting Republican Hume are Democrats Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and Vice Mayor Darren Suen. Even though she endorsed a Republican over a fellow Democrat, Singh-Allen says she supports reproductive rights while Suen has been silent.

Tomorrow, along with a representative from Planned Parenthood, Moreno is holding a press conference, that according to a press release, “to denounce the out-of-touch anti-woman and anti-choice statements from her Republican opponent and announce her #WomensHealthIsPublicHealth plan for Sacramento County.” Although she did not sign the letter, the other Democratic District 8 State Senate candidate Angelique Ashby has endorsed Moreno and will attend today’s event.

The Hume campaign did not respond to an email invitation to comment on the letter.

Shergill said Hume is an embarrassment for failing to comprehend the services provided by the County.

“Hume is supposed to know which services the County provides,” Shergill said. “He is either horribly ignorant [regarding] the office he wants us to elect him to, or he is purposefully hiding his anti-abortion stance that will inform budget votes; either way, we deserve better.”