‘Tis the day to announce you are running for Arcata City Council, it appears.

A little over an hour after the Outpost posted our article announcing Collin Yeo’s candidacy for the Arcata City Council, we received an email from Arcata resident Sarah Schaefer informing us that she too was in the process of gathering the necessary signatures to run. It’s a race! 

Like Yeo, Schaefer is a political newcomer but when we spoke briefly with her on the phone she expressed her excitement to be taking on a new challenge. We’ll let Sarah introduce herself further. Below is the introductory email the Outpost received from the candidate:

Candidate Sarah Schaefer

Hello LoCO Team,

My name is Sarah Schaefer and I am writing to declare my candidacy for Arcata City Council. I saw your article highlighting Colin Yeo and I thought it would be a good time to drop you guys a line and let you know about another candidate in the field. I have gathered all the necessary paperwork and am now working on getting signatures.

I am 28 years old and a history teacher at a small high school in Eureka. I was born and raised in Arcata and have lived here most of my life. I am looking forward to giving back to the community that raised me that I hold close to my heart. I have always had a zeal for government and helping the community. For the last three years I have been in the Lost Coast Rotaract club and have served as President and Public Relations chair. In these positions I have increased my community involvement through many local fundraisers and community service projects.

I am looking forward to a competitive race, it’s the sign of a healthy democracy. I think the city council needs a new, young, and fresh perspective. Issues such as affordable housing, homelessness, expansion of trails, and preservation of green spaces are important to me. Top of my list would have to be taking a closer look at the Arcata Police Department budget and reallocating those funds into more community resources to help with homelessness, drug addiction, and providing Arcata with more active social services.

I am interested in increasing access to community services such as collaborating with legal services for a tenants rights workshop for vulnerable populations. I want to work on problems we experience with the houseless population by becoming clear on their needs and addressing them.

I want to work on connecting the Arcata community to the Humboldt State University community. I hope to work with students and other members of the HSU community on their initiatives. I also want to define the role of university’s police in our community.

Thank you so much,
Sarah Schaefer 

As we mentioned in our previous post, there are three council seats up this November: two occupied by current councilmembers Paul Pitino and Michael Winkler and another that was vacated by Susan Ornelas earlier this year. 

If you’re a registered Arcata voter and you’re itching to get into local politics, it’s not too late this cycle. The deadline to file all the essential paperwork to run for Arcata City Council is Aug. 7. More information can be perused by clicking here.

PREVIOUSLY: Collin Yeo Announces Candidacy for Arcata City Council