EDITORIAL: Scott Sakakihara, state senatorial candidate, answers Bay Area News Group's primary questionnaire

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Ahead of the June primary election, the Bay Area News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates for California State Senate District 10. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and clarity.

You can read our endorsement in this race here.

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Name: Scott SakakiharaCurrent job title: Union City councilmemberDate of birth: January 25, 1985

Political party affiliation: DemocratOther political positions held: Vice mayor / Alameda County Democratic Central Committee / Union City Planning CommissionCity where you reside: Union City

What are the top three problems you're seeking to solve if elected SD 10 senator?

1. Affordability: especially housing, but also childcare, health care, energy, insurance and the basic cost of living in the Bay Area.

2. Government execution: People need to trust their government, which is built through competent follow-through.

3. Protecting and expanding opportunity: That means strong public schools, a stronger safety net and standing up for vulnerable communities at a time when immigrants and other communities are under direct attack from Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Why are you uniquely qualified to address the three problems you've identified above?

I was born and raised in this district. I've helped approve housing, balance budgets, support public safety and move projects through local government. I serve as vice chair of the Housing Authority of Alameda County, so I understand the regional side of the housing crisis as well. Professionally, I have managed large budgets and complex teams in the private sector, which matters because a lot of California's biggest problems are execution problems. And my Navy service has reinforced in me a simple principle: leave no one behind. That is the lens I bring to this work.

What differentiates you from your most serious competitors for this seat?

What differentiates me is that I pair progressive values with a track record of actually delivering. I am not running as an abstract commentator on the district's problems. I have spent years governing in this district - building housing, strengthening public safety, supporting workers and navigating tough budget and land-use decisions. I also think voters want someone who understands both the East Bay and Santa Clara County parts of this district, and who can speak honestly about what the government can and cannot do. I am a local candidate with a regional perspective, financial experience and a clear sense of purpose.

What Senate committee would you most like to chair, if given the opportunity? And how would that position serve your constituents?

Housing. The housing shortage is the central economic problem facing this district. It drives rent, home prices, homelessness, commute times, school staffing challenges and whether young families can live here. If I had the opportunity to chair Housing, I would use it to push faster approvals, smarter financing, stronger accountability for cities that refuse to meet their obligations and a more serious public sector role in producing below-market housing. Chairing that committee would let me work directly on the issue that touches almost every other problem families in SD 10 face.

You're running to be a lawmaker. If you were going to be remembered for writing and passing one law, what would it be?

I would want to be remembered for writing and passing an accessible housing accelerator. Conceptually, I'd like to incorporate elements from models in places like Vienna and Singapore that could realistically work in California to support mixed-income renters and homeowners, and authorize 3- to 5-year government-backed construction loans to help the public sector, nonprofits and mission-driven partners build large amounts of mixed-income, below-market housing. The basic idea is that California cannot rely entirely on private developers and tax-credit syndication to solve the housing crisis.

You're running to replace Sen. Aisha Wahab. What has Sen. Wahab done right while representing this district?

She has been very focused on helping the most vulnerable in our communities. That is why I'm running for State Senate: to make sure no one is left behind.

How has Sen. Wahab failed this district? And what would you do differently?

We have failed to support adequate housing production and to keep health care, childcare, energy and insurance costs from growing much faster than wages. The state Legislature has been focused on these issues the past couple of years, but some of these crises, especially the housing shortage, have been decades in the making and were never going to be solved overnight. I want to bring a sense of urgency and execution to the work. I would be relentlessly focused on housing production, practical affordability measures and long-term cost control, while making sure state programs actually deliver results on the ground.

What solutions would you support to reduce housing costs in your district? If that's increasing supply, explain the policies you'd support.

I support more infill housing near transit, jobs and schools, faster approvals for projects that meet objective standards, restrictions on fees, adaptive reuse of underused commercial and government-owned sites and targeted California Environmental Quality Act reform so environmental review is used to protect the environment, not to block housing. I also support a more significant public sector role in housing production, including the kind of housing financing model I described earlier. I support building enough housing to ease pressure on rents, but also because I support strong protections against unfair evictions, price-fixing software and abusive practices that exploit tenants.

Why should renters who live in your district vote for you? (If you think you've addressed this in prior answers, then note that.)

I support stronger protections against unfair evictions and abusive practices, and I believe renters deserve safe housing, a fair process and a government that takes their side when the market is badly out of balance. But I also think we have to be honest - we will not make renting more affordable unless we build a lot more housing. That means more multifamily housing, more affordable housing, more housing near transit and jobs and a state government that stops letting delay and dysfunction make the crisis worse.

Why should first-time homebuyers vote for you?

Buying a home has moved from difficult to unrealistic for too many. My approach is to build a lot more housing and reduce the costs that government adds through delay, dysfunction and scarcity. I've made affordability and housing central priorities. Also, first-time buyers need a state government that is actually on their side, not one that treats housing as an abstract debate. That means supporting more homes of all types, being open to new public financing models that can create below-market housing at scale and making sure insurance and energy costs do not price people out even after they buy.

What actions would you take to tackle homelessness? Do cities and counties need more control over the problem or does the state need to demand more coordination and accountability? How are your policy prescriptions different than what's already been done?

My approach would start with housing: more permanent supportive housing, more interim shelter that is actually safe and usable and a focus on preservation and prevention so fewer people fall into homelessness in the first place. We also need to provide more mental health care, substance use treatment and better reentry support. The state also has to be tougher about outcomes. If taxpayers are spending billions of dollars, we should have common metrics, transparent reporting, regional coordination requirements and consequences. What I would do differently is put much more emphasis on prevention, regional coordination and outcome-based accountability.

Bay Area counties will lose billions in coming years as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. These federal cuts, particularly to health care, are expected to hit Alameda and Santa Clara counties' residents hard. What actions, if any, would you support to protect these counties' budgets, in general, and health care services, in particular?

My response would have three parts. First, I would fight to protect core health services, especially Medi-Cal, public hospitals, community clinics and behavioral health programs, and I would be open to targeted state backfilling where necessary to prevent catastrophic service loss. Second, I would support fairer revenue options and closing loopholes if that is what it takes to keep people covered and counties solvent. Third, I would push for much tighter state oversight and prioritization so limited dollars are focused on essential services and measurable outcomes, not spread thinly without accountability.

Should California have a single-payer universal health care system? Explain.

I support the goal of a single-payer universal health care system. I also think we should be candid: Getting there is hard, and it requires both financing and federal coordination. My position is that California should keep pushing in that direction while also taking immediate steps that strengthen access right now: protect Medi-Cal, lower prescription drug and out-of-pocket costs, improve behavioral health access and defend coverage from federal cuts.

Why should your district's commuters vote for you?

Given the district's high number of commuters, mobility is directly tied to quality of life. People in SD 10 need transit that is reliable, safe and financially sustainable. They need roads that are maintained and housing policies that reduce the need for punishing super-commutes in the first place. I have supported transit and active transportation locally, and I believe the Bay Area needs practical regional leadership to make commuting less expensive, less stressful and less time-consuming.

Do you think BART has made enough of the difficult financial choices to right-size the agency? Do you support the proposed sales tax on the November ballot? If not, what should BART be doing to stabilize the transit system?

No. I do not think BART has yet made enough of the difficult financial choices required by the post-pandemic reality. I also think it would be a major mistake to let the system spiral into severe cuts, station closures and a broader collapse in regional mobility. I support the November transit measure, but only in tandem with real reform and accountability. I do not support writing a blank check. I do support preserving the backbone of the regional system while requiring a more credible long-term operating model.

Please list Bay Area transit governance reform legislation that you would support?

I would support legislation that: - creates truly seamless regional fares and free or low-cost transfers across major operators - requires coordinated regional service planning and better timed connections across BART, Caltrain, VTA, AC Transit, Muni and other systems - conditions new regional operating money on clear performance standards, independent audits and public reporting - strengthens the region's ability to align transit funding, land use and transit-oriented housing production - reduces duplicative governance where practical and gives the region a stronger framework for accountability when agencies do not meet agreed-upon goals

Explain your position on California's High-Speed Rail project.

The project has taken too long, costs too much and suffers from too many management and credibility problems. I understand why taxpayers are frustrated. I do not think the responsible answer is to walk away after major infrastructure has already been built. My position is that California should continue the project, but under a much stricter framework, which includes realistic phasing, stronger independent oversight, honest public timelines and no blank-check mentality. If we are going to finish this, it has to be in a way that delivers real transportation value and restores some public trust.

Joint Venture Silicon Valley estimates 400,000 Bay Area jobs are at risk of being replaced by AI. What role should the state play, if at all, in regulating AI to protect Bay Area workers and/or consumers?

We should harness AI's potential in areas like medical research and making complex, previously expensive systems available to individuals, small businesses, nonprofits and government. We should also insist on transparency, accountability and worker protection where AI can cause real harm. That means rules for high-risk uses of AI in employment, housing, lending, health care, education and public services, strong consumer privacy protections, safeguards against deepfakes and fraud and special protections for children. It also means investing in workforce adaptation so workers are not simply told to fend for themselves while the economy shifts underneath them.

Would you support legislation to curb children's use of social media?

Yes, if it is carefully written, evidence-based and legally durable. I support stronger protections for children online, including limits on addictive design features, better default privacy protections, clearer parental tools and stronger enforcement against platforms that knowingly harm kids' mental health. I also think we need more digital literacy and media literacy in schools. The goal should not be performative legislation - it should be laws that actually make children safer.

What actions would you support to help California balance its chronic deficit? If that's by raising revenues, explain how. If that's by cutting spending, explain how.

I would start with performance-based budgeting, tougher oversight of large programs and a willingness to stop funding initiatives that do not produce measurable results. We should find redundancies and streamline programs, reform procurement where it wastes money and stop relying on gimmicks, delays and one-time maneuvers to paper over recurring problems. On the revenue side, I am open to fairer and more targeted changes, especially closing loopholes and asking the largest corporate interests to pay more, but I do not think voters will support more revenue unless the government demonstrates much more discipline and accountability on spending.

In what ways, if at all, would you support modifying Proposition 13?

I support revisiting the way Prop. 13 treats large commercial and industrial property, because the current system too often rewards long-held corporate property in a way that shifts the burden elsewhere and deprives schools and local services of revenue. I am open to a split-roll style reform that protects homeowners while asking for a fair share from the biggest commercial interests. I would also be open to improvements that better protect seniors and longtime homeowners on fixed incomes, and I think any Prop. 13 conversation should be grounded in fairness rather than ideology.

What are the biggest challenges facing your district's public schools? What actions would you take to improve them?

I would fight for stronger and more stable school funding, universal preschool, better mental health support, more robust career and technical pathways and policies that help educators actually stay in the Bay Area. I also believe California needs to do a better job of aligning housing, childcare and education policy, because families do not experience those as separate silos.

What do the biggest contributors to your campaign expect from you?

I am fortunate enough to have been able to make an initial personal investment in the campaign. Beyond that, my support has come almost entirely from a mix of family and friends, local community members and people who know me from public service and my professional life. My contributors expect me to be thoughtful, accessible, honest and effective. And they expect me to bring the same values I have brought to local office: pro-housing, pro-working and middle class families, serious about public safety and willing to stand up for vulnerable communities when it matters.

What more should we know about you that might inform our board's judgment of your capacity to serve this district's constituents?

First, I think voters deserve transparency. I spent a significant part of my professional career in Silicon Valley at the software company Palantir. I was in the finance department, not making product or policy decisions, but I understand why people ask about it given the company's work with ICE under Trump. My own values are clear: I oppose Trump's immigration agenda, I oppose collaboration with ICE and I do not want families in this district living in fear. That is a large part of why I quit my job last year.

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