Rich Desmond

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Rich Desmond

Nonpartisan

Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 3

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

4

Predecessor

Susan Peters

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

March 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Santa Clara University, 1992

Law

McGeorge School of Law, 2000

Personal

Birthplace

Carmichael, Calif.

Religion

Catholic

Profession

California Highway Patrol Chief

Rich Desmond is a member of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors in California, representing District 3. He assumed office on January 4, 2021. His current term ends on January 8, 2029.

Desmond won re-election to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to represent District 3 in California outright in the primary on March 5, 2024, after the general election was canceled.

Biography

Rich Desmond was born in Carmichael, California. He earned a bachelor's degree from Santa Clara University in 1992 and a J.D. from the McGeorge School of Law in 2000. His professional experience includes working as a California Highway Patrol Chief.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Sacramento County, California (2024)

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 3

Incumbent Rich Desmond won election outright in the primary for Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 3 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rich Desmond (Nonpartisan)	100.0	50,022

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 50,022
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Desmond in this election.

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Sacramento County, California (2020)

General election

General election for Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 3

Rich Desmond defeated Gregg Fishman in the general election for Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 3 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rich Desmond (Nonpartisan)	50.8	66,397
		Gregg Fishman (Nonpartisan)	49.2	64,178

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 130,575
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 3

Rich Desmond and Gregg Fishman defeated Tiffany Mock-Goeman, Matt Ceccato, and Catrayel Wood in the primary for Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 3 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rich Desmond (Nonpartisan)	42.7	32,075
✔		Gregg Fishman (Nonpartisan)	25.9	19,446
	Submit photo	Tiffany Mock-Goeman (Nonpartisan)	10.7	8,042
	Submit photo	Matt Ceccato (Nonpartisan)	10.5	7,897
		Catrayel Wood (Nonpartisan)	10.1	7,610

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 75,070
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Desmond's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rich Desmond did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Rich Desmond completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Desmond's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a 5th generation Sacramento County resident. The youngest of nine children, I was born, raised, and currently live in Carmichael with my wife, Lisa, and our five children. I joined the California Highway Patrol in 1995 and have devoted the last 24 years of my life to public service.

I oversaw the CHP's legislative affairs program from 2014 through 2018. While in this position, I participated in the development and management of the CHP's budget. I also worked on legislation affecting several areas of public policy, including traffic and public safety and law enforcement use of force and transparency.

I graduated from Jesuit High School in 1988 and Santa Clara University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. While working for the CHP, I went to McGeorge School of Law and graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in May 2000 before passing the California Bar Exam in July of that year.

I became directly involved in Sacramento County issues in 2005 when I participated in the development of the Carmichael Community Action Plan, resulting in a new vision for Carmichael. I also served multiple terms as a Commissioner on the Sacramento County Adult and Aging Commission.

My wife Lisa and I have five children ranging in age from 11 to 20. We are active members of our community, frequently spending time on the American River Parkway, at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center, and in local parks. I look forward to continue to serve my community as your next Supervisor.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Homelessness is among the biggest issues that is facing Sacramento County. We need a compassionate approach to help those in need find long term housing.
• We need to make sure our most vulnerable are safe from COVID-19. My experience as a CHP chief has prepared me to handle disasters in a safe and controlled manner.
• I'm committed to making it easy for businesses to re-open and create more jobs. This included getting rid of unfair rules and regulations that make it hard or expensive to build more affordable housing.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My life is woven deeply into the fabric of this community. I am running for Supervisor because, like you, I care about my home, our home, and want to make it a better place to live, work, and play.

Our community is a special place. The American River Parkway is one of the best outdoor recreation spaces in California. We have tree canopies in our neighborhoods that are the envy of other suburban areas of the state. We have parks and shopping areas that complement our affordable residential neighborhoods. We are protected by first responders who are highly dedicated to our safety. However, with Susan Peters' decision not to run again, we are facing a crucial change in leadership needed to address our challenges and issues.

The homeless population in our area continues to grow despite efforts to alleviate it. Our local businesses face global competition and empty storefronts plague our commercial areas. Our public safety resources are being strained to adapt and respond to ever-increasing demands. Our roads are struggling under the weight of increased traffic and a $750 million maintenance backlog. This is outrageous.

We need a strong County Supervisor who understands our community, is committed to it, and has the skill and ability to meet the challenges we face. If elected, I will be that leader. I will continue the legacy of hard work and dedication to our community.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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