About Mai

EARLY LIFE

Mai is the daughter of Hmong refugees, born and raised in Sacramento. Mai’s parents fled war in Laos and arrived in California to find a new life. 

As the oldest of 16 children, she helped raise her siblings while working hard to build a career dedicated to helping her community thrive. Mai is a proud product of public schools and was the first in her family to attend college. As a young organizer, Mai returned home to serve the community that raised and supported her.

A young girl standing in front of a school sign that reads 'Phoebe Hearst Basic School,' with a large apple illustration on a bulletin board behind her.
A young man and a young woman holding a baby, standing outdoors in front of a house and a tree.
A woman in a graduation cap and gown with a flower lei, standing with two adults outdoors during sunset, at a graduation ceremony.

ORGANIZER

When schools in her neighborhood were threatened with closure, Mai understood the catastrophic impact that would have on our community. But she didn’t just talk about it, she acted by co-founding Hmong Innovating Politics to organize parents to fight for their children’s educational future. 

As an organizer, Mai fought to make Ethnic Studies a high school graduation requirement, a vision that became a reality during her time as a Sacramento City USD school board member. In 2016, under the first Trump administration, Mai championed and passed the first-ever Safe Haven Resolution in the State of California, ensuring that our schools remained a place of safety and protection for all students and families, regardless of immigration status. A protection that students and families continue to have in Trump 2.0.

Four seniors and a younger woman outdoors in a park, engaging in conversation and laughing, with trees and greenery in the background.
Two women participating in a demonstration, one holding a sign that reads 'Save Our Schools,' and the other speaking into a megaphone.

Showing Up for Our Community

Mai Vang has spent her time on the City Council fighting for the neighborhoods that City Hall too often overlooked, and winning. She has brought tens of millions of dollars home to South Sacramento, led citywide ballot measures, and built coalitions that got results for working families. That's the fight she'll take to Congress.

A woman speaking into a microphone at a protest, with signs in the background including one that reads 'PROTECT IMMIGRANTS' and another partially visible that mentions 'CONTRIBUTORS'.

Investing in Kids and Families

  • Led the creation of the Sacramento Children's Fund, which will direct $8 to 10 million every year to young people affected by poverty, violence, and trauma.

  • Brought in more than $8 million to renovate the Martin Luther King Library for youth, seniors, and families.

  • Co-led Measure E with Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes to keep public libraries open, generating more than $9 million a year for library services.

  • Partnered with Sacramento City Unified to open Susan B. Anthony Park to the community through a shared-use agreement.

  • Worked with former Mayor Steinberg to win $750,000 for the city's guaranteed income program for low-income families.

  • Founded and co-led the city's Food Justice Task Force and won $1.5 million for neighborhood organizations tackling food insecurity in low-income communities.

  • Secured $450,000 to expand the Wood Park community garden and brought in $500,000 for the new Meadowview Farmers Market, open May through October.

An Economy That Works for Every Neighborhood

  • Worked alongside residents to pass Sacramento's first Racial Equity Resolution, which requires equity training for the Mayor and Council and builds a racial equity lens into how the city operates.

  • Partnered with former Mayor Steinberg to pass Measure N, which modernized how the city invests tourism dollars and sends more of them to underserved neighborhoods outside the urban core.

  • Fought for more than $5 million to help minority-owned small businesses and commercial corridors recover from the pandemic.

  • Championed the 2023 renewal of the Sacramento Community Workforce Agreement.

  • Championed the city's Language Access Gap Analysis, launched the LEAP workgroup, and won funding for a citywide language access coordinator.

Safe, Healthy Neighborhoods

  • Launched the Sacramento Alliance for Vaccine Equity (SAVE), which ran one of the most linguistically diverse community-led vaccine clinics in the country during COVID-19 and helped protect thousands of people across the region.

  • Worked with city staff to deliver more than $40 million in street, park, and trail improvements in South Sacramento.

  • Won more than $8 million for proven violence prevention programs.

  • Secured $1.3 million for the South Sacramento Parkway Trail and championed the Del Rio Trail, linking Downtown to South Land Park, Freeport, Meadowview, and Delta Shores.

  • Led the 2022 Sacramento Water Pollution and Flood Prevention Measure, which raises $20 million a year to repair and upgrade the city's drainage system.

  • Pushed for ongoing funding for the FUEL Network, which provides legal support and education for immigrant families.

  • Joined Vice Mayor Talamantes and Mayor Pro Tem Guerra to lead the effort banning ICE from city property.

More Housing

  • Secured 102 acres in South Sacramento for affordable and permanent supportive housing, community amenities, and local economic growth.

  • Brought new affordable housing to Meadowview at Coral Gables, home to more than 300 residents. (Now open.)

  • Fought for stronger protections for renters across the city.

  • Secured more than $5 million to keep the Meadowview Navigation Center women's shelter running.

  • Pressed for a binding City and County agreement to tackle homelessness across the region.