This article is part of Folsom Times’ 2026 Coffee with Candidates series, featuring one-on-one conversations with candidates in key local races. Through video interviews and accompanying digital coverage, candidates respond to a series of questions developed with input from the community, giving voters an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking office on issues important to the region.
In this segment, we sit down with Amy Slavensky, candidate for California Assembly. Slavensky, D-Fair Oaks, is seeking election to represent California’s 7th Assembly District. A longtime public school educator, Slavensky spent 40 years in education, serving as a teacher, principal and administrator, including as superintendent of the Amador County Unified School District and interim deputy superintendent of the San Juan Unified School District. Born and raised in the Fair Oaks and Carmichael area, Slavensky holds a doctorate in educational leadership and administration from Claremont Graduate University.
Q: California has increasingly used state laws and housing mandates to influence how cities plan for housing, density, and development, sometimes over the objections of local governments and residents. Where should the line be drawn between the state’s need for more housing and the ability of communities such as Folsom, Citrus Heights, and Rancho Cordova to make their own land use decisions? Are there state housing mandates you would support changing or repealing?
Slavensky: That is a very big question connected to housing access, housing equity, and housing affordability for all the people who live in Assembly District 7. That is something that I’m paying close attention to as someone who worked in our California public school system for many years and oversaw not only schools, but whole school systems, very actively involved in school renovations, school construction, school finance. I have a pretty deep, solid understanding of the fact that it takes a lot of people working together to make those tough decisions—the ones that you just asked about.
It will take policymakers getting together, city council members, county board of supervisor members representing the unincorporated areas of District 7, attorneys, consultants, developers, the building and trades—all of us coming together to solve complex, challenging problems. And in fact, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing my entire career. I am someone who has had open doors, open arms, inviting people into my office, into my space to help solve difficult, challenging problems, and this is one of those.
When I’m elected, I am committed to working hard with all of the people who want to work on these really hard issues. For me, around housing and development and the controversies that are oftentimes associated with it, it will be all about putting the people first—the people above profit—and making sure that as we move forward with planning and development, that everyone continues to have what they need and that they are well.
Q: California has one of the largest state budgets in the nation, yet residents and local governments continue to cite unmet needs involving roads, schools, homelessness, public safety, and other services. Do you believe California has primarily a revenue problem, a spending priority problem, or both? What would you change about the state budget? And are there taxes or fees you would support increasing or reducing?
Slavensky: I’m starting to chuckle just a little bit around that question. You may have noticed that, and that is because I have heard my opponent, Josh Hoover, say more than once that we don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. I would oppose that and say we have a competing priorities problem. Again, it goes back to solving complex, challenging problems and getting the right people in the space to work on solving those problems. And again, I am committed to doing that.
I’m also committed to not increasing any taxes—no new taxes for our folks. I’m also very much in support of accountability and transparency. With every tax dollar that is spent, we need to make sure that we know where it’s going. There are metrics to measure the effectiveness and the outcomes of those dollars that are spent, whether it’s around homelessness, providing more housing, putting food on the table, any of those priorities. We have to make sure that there are strong metrics and that we are following the data around those projects—and not only following the data around those projects, but making adjustments where needed. We all know that there’s no such thing as a perfect plan, and that plans need to be studied and modified and adapted as time goes by. Again, that is something that I have significant experience with in the schools, and I’m committed to doing that.
I would also point my viewers, my voters to AmySlavensky.com to look for additional information about specific tactics, specific actions that I will take when I’m elected around this and other questions that have been asked. Really important that you get the vowels in the right places: A-M-Y-S-L-A-V-E-N-S-K-Y.com, to find out more about how I will take action to address those competing priorities.
Q: California spends substantial public resources on education, yet schools continue to face challenges involving student achievement, attendance, staffing, special education, and preparing students for college or careers. What do you believe California is getting right and wrong in public education? What specific changes would you pursue in the legislature, and how should taxpayers measure whether increased education spending is actually improving student outcomes?
Slavensky: Public education, as you know, is very near and dear to me. When I think about public education, I think about our children, our students from birth to adult, because it’s not just K-12 anymore—it’s in fact not even just TK-12 anymore—it is birth to adult. I’m looking at that broad spectrum of public education and wanting to make sure that we are reaching and teaching every student in the very best ways that we can, with the very best outcomes possible, so that they then are ready to go out into society, out into their communities, to be the strong citizens, contributing citizens that we want them to be.
There are certain steps that are currently being taken that are pretty strong, and then there are some steps and actions that need to be taken that we haven’t done a good enough job with yet. I’m gonna focus on the latter part of that. It’s really important for everyone to know that public school budgets in every school district—and I’ve worked in lots of school districts up and down the state of California over the 40 years—every school district budget already dedicates 85% of its budget to teacher and staff salaries and health and welfare benefits, leaving only 15% of that budget for everything else. So it’s a funding problem.
One of the things that I will advocate strongly for is looking at the funding mechanism for public school education in California, and then right along with that, looking at how we can do a better job of paying our teachers and staff what they deserve. It’s so important. Here in California, the average starting salary for a teacher is $58,000. That is after five or six years of college and being responsible for other people’s children. So that is a key priority.
Another key priority for me in public education is connected to career technical education. In order to have solid workforce development and students who are career ready, we have to have funding for career technical education that is not here and there, not at some schools, but at all schools up and down the state and in every district, so that every student can access it and truly be career ready.
A third priority for me in public education is connected to early childhood education. You hear me talk about career tech education towards the secondary high school end of the spectrum—it’s equally important to have a strong emphasis in early childhood education so that with our young children ages zero to five, we are meeting the need for all of them and all of the families. That’s especially critical right now in the face of deep cuts, threatened cuts from the Trump administration around the federally funded Head Start and Early Head Start programs. In California, we need to look closely at making sure that we are paying our teachers what they deserve so that they then can show up even stronger and more effective than they already are in the classroom and addressing the needs of all of our students from birth to adulthood.
Q: Public safety remains a concern throughout the region, including retail theft, property crime, fentanyl, juvenile crime, and repeat offenders. What changes, if any, do you believe California still needs to make to its criminal justice laws, and how should the state balance rehabilitation and alternatives to incarceration with accountability for repeat and serious offenders?
Slavensky: Public safety and community safety are priorities for me and have been through my entire adult life, throughout my entire career. I’m sure you can imagine perhaps what it’s like to be an elementary school principal, a middle school principal—which I was as well in Sacramento—and have a dangerous intruder on the campus or in the nearby community. That has happened to me more than once. Over the years it has been very critical for me to make sure that plans were in place—safety plans, drill plans, response plans—so that all students and staff were safe at all times.
Why am I talking about school safety? Because it transfers over to community safety and public safety. I am a strong advocate and have had and continue to have good relationships with local law enforcement. When I am elected in the State Assembly, I will be working hand in glove, just as I always have, with law enforcement, the Board of Supervisors, City Council, the local police departments, to make sure that our communities are as safe as they can possibly be for all children and families throughout the district.
Q: California has spent billions of dollars addressing homelessness while communities continue to struggle with encampments, behavioral health issues, and people living on streets and public property. What should the state do differently? Should California place greater emphasis on housing, treatment and mental health services, enforcement and accountability, or some combination of those approaches? And how should the state measure whether its spending is actually working?
Slavensky: This is a topic that is near and dear to me. It isn’t just professional, it is very personal. I had an older brother who passed away almost three years ago due to circumstances of being unhoused. I learned a lot in the last year of his life—my sisters and I tried to help him, tried to get him housed, tried to find ways to support his health needs and mental health needs. One of the things that I learned was that some folks don’t want to be helped. I also learned that each individual who finds themselves in this circumstance is a unique individual. They’re there for all different sorts of reasons. Some are veterans, some have just fallen on short-term hard times, some have significant mental health issues or substance use issues, some are older, some are younger. It’s a very, very complex issue—one that I take very seriously.
To your question around should we try this approach or should we try that approach—I firmly believe that we have to have multiple strategies in play at the same time in order to begin to chip away at this really big problem. When I talk about multiple strategies, I’m thinking about housing—yes, of course. We need to find temporary, short-term housing that will then lead into affordable housing for folks as they begin to transition from their circumstances into a better reality.
We also need to be really looking closely at behavioral health services support and substance use support and mental health supports. I know that here in California, we’re fortunate because we already have some of these realities happening in legislation and moving forward. I also understand that there’s a fair amount of criticism around it, especially from my opponent, who’s looking to audit how those funds are being used as to whether or not they’re effective.
Another strategy that I really believe needs to happen is connected to Senate Bill 802 and a strong coordination of efforts across counties and cities. It has been my experience over the years that if we aren’t coordinated, if we aren’t working together, if we aren’t establishing strong partnerships in any significant initiative or project, then it’s likely not going to be effective. We need to make sure that we have a coordinated effort around this in addition to all of the other strategies that I mentioned as well.
I would also say that my opponent, Mr. Hoover, has made decisions in the state legislature to not support affordable housing moves that would help in circumstances like this. I’m very concerned about that. And again, that’s one of the reasons why I’m running. I’m running because I know I can do better. I know that I can take my leadership experience, my personal experience from childhood into adulthood, as well as my professional experience, to make better decisions on the floor.
This might be a good time to mention that my opponent has voted along party lines 98% of the time. Ninety-eight percent of the time. Now, homelessness is a really controversial topic, and it’s a really tough nut to crack as far as finding solutions, but I will tell you that when I’m elected, and I’m on the floor of that assembly or in committee, I will be making decisions based upon two things: what I hear from my constituents and what they need, and based upon what I believe is the right thing to do for all the people of Assembly District 7.
Q: Highway 50 congestion and transportation infrastructure are major issues for communities throughout Assembly District 7, particularly as the region continues to grow. What role should the state play in funding improvements to Highway 50, interchanges, local roads, and regional transit? What specific transportation or infrastructure projects within District 7 would you make a priority in Sacramento?
Slavensky: That’s a very important topic—transportation in general, the condition of our roadways, and the problem of traffic in and around the city of Folsom and other cities. A lot of it has to do with the very rapid, massive development that has occurred in the city of Folsom over the last ten to fifteen years. I’ve watched it, and I drive in and around these roads every day. I see the traffic, I deal with the traffic, and it is definitely a problem that the city needs to continue to address with support from the state.
I will also point out that I grew up in two of the nine unincorporated communities in District 7, and I live in a third one now. Truly, it’s the unincorporated communities that get less support, funding, services, and resources than the three incorporated cities in the district receive. When I’m elected—to your question, what will I do to help with this, what initiatives will I support—I will spend a good portion of my time focusing on the unincorporated communities, which comprise about 51% of District 7, to make sure that they are getting the resources and support that they need to smooth out all the potholes that are damaging our cars every day, to add signage to our roadways and highways so that folks know where they’re going and they know that certain communities exist as they’re traveling along the freeway.
I will also work very closely with our Board of Supervisors to make sure that they feel they’re getting the support that they need in terms of resources and advocacy in the state legislature. There are many steps that I would take, and I would also encourage my voters to go back to AmySlavensky.com to look for more ways that I will be responding to these needs in real time.
Q: California homeowners continue to face concerns about insurance availability and affordability, while wildfire risk and the financial liability associated with catastrophic fires remain unresolved statewide issues. What changes would you support to make homeowners insurance more available and affordable while still protecting consumers? How should California balance the financial responsibility of utilities, insurers, taxpayers, and ratepayers when catastrophic wildfires occur?
Slavensky: Wildfires—it’s a wicked problem. I think I may have mentioned that I lived and worked in Southern California for 24 years. I went down there for college and ended up staying down there for a big chunk of time starting my career in public education. During those years that I was there, there were numerous wildfires that occurred right in my backyard virtually. It impacted me, it affected me and my children and my family and the other community members around me. I have some personal experience with this.
I also understand that the FAIR Act, which was developed years ago, was intended to be a short-term remedy or a short-term solution to help folks in times of crisis for their homeowners insurance, and it has been way over-tapped, way over-used—not in the way that it was intended. I’m also very aware that the state legislature just wrapped up their end-of-session, their end of two-year session, and there are numerous bills coming forward. I think I counted twelve or fifteen bills moving forward to the governor’s desk that are going to address—if he signs them—many of the questions that you have just asked. I’ve taken time to read through most of them, and I support what has moved forward to the governor’s desk. I’m hopeful about that.
I also will add that this isn’t just a homeowners insurance affordability issue that is important—it’s also a health and safety issue and it’s also a climate issue. It will be very important that we all pay attention to this in the state legislature connected to all of the impacts that wildfires have on our families and districts.
Q: Businesses in California regularly cite taxes, regulation, labor costs, energy prices, and permitting requirements among the challenges of operating in the state. What would you do to make California more competitive and make it easier for small and locally owned businesses to survive and grow? Are there specific regulations, taxes, or state requirements you believe should be changed?
Slavensky: First, I want to mention that the work of the small business owner is absolutely critical to our economy, to the well-being, to the livelihood—not only of the small business owner, but of all the folks who are going to take advantage of their services, their resources, what they’re selling. As consumers, it is critical for all of us to take good care of our small business owners.
I’ve had the opportunity to develop some solid relationships recently with some of the small business owners right here in Assembly District 7. I’ve asked them questions like, “How’s it going for you? What do you need? What’s working and what’s not working?” What I have heard every time from them—whether they’re a dentist or the owner of a sandwich shop or the owner of a controls business for heating and air conditioning systems—every time the response is: the cost of health and welfare is going up, the cost of healthcare is going up, and as an employer, I’m responsible for that. Minimum wage is going up—I have to make sure that I’m paying my employees what they deserve to be paid, what the law requires that they are paid. They’re feeling the heat.
When it comes to the healthcare providers, they’re feeling the heat around whether or not they’re going to get reimbursements from the medical system or the dental insurance systems, and that is having an impact on whether or not they’re able to pay their employees in a timely manner and meet payroll.
When I’m elected, I will want to make sure that, number one, I’m continuing to listen to those constituents and really understand what their experience is on the ground and what it is that they need. Then take that information into the state legislature, work with experts around these challenges and these problems to solve—again—these complex, challenging problems that are happening within our economy and within our communities.
That being said, it’s critical that folks are paid what they deserve, and it’s critical that everyone has access to quality healthcare. That impacts the small business, yes, but we have to figure out solutions to make it work for everyone, and I’m committed to doing that.
Q: An assembly term is only two years. If elected, what would be your three highest priorities for Assembly District 7, and what specific measurable results should voters look for at the end of your term to determine whether you were effective?
Slavensky: My three highest priorities are around all things connected to affordability, quality healthcare for all, and public education. I’ll take those one at a time.
Affordability—again, as I was saying earlier in this conversation, it has to do with being able to put food on the table, gas in the cars, pay for childcare—which is a ramping up cost that I am hearing from family members and others. It’s like paying another mortgage just to pay for childcare—and so many other costs. Healthcare is associated with that. Housing is associated with that as well. There are many steps that I will take to begin to address that. Again, I will point you to AmySlavensky.com to see the specific steps.
As an experienced professional educator, accountability has been a key priority. You may be familiar with the term LCAP—in our schools, the Local Control Accountability Plan. The “A” in LCAP is accountability. For decades, it has been a priority for me to make sure that I am accountable to the people that I serve—the families, the students, the parents. In the state legislature, it will be critical to me that I’m accountable to the people that I serve.
I will be looking to collect data around what is working and what’s not working with steps that I take and steps that others take. Data can come in the form of surveys, town hall meetings, research that we acquire and/or do ourselves. We look at those metrics to make sure that progress is happening in each of those areas. Basically, can they put food on the table? Can they pay their bills? Can they access quality childcare and pay for it? Those will be some key things around affordability.
In the area of healthcare, there are again steps that I will take. To measure that and have some accountability around healthcare, I will want to make sure that I’m no longer hearing from my family members, “I couldn’t get a doctor’s appointment,” or “I couldn’t see a mental health therapist,” or “I couldn’t get in to see a psychiatrist because there’s only one psychiatrist in the tri-county area.” That was my experience in another part of the state. Those are some accountability steps that I would look for connected to health.
In the area of public education, there’s the LCAP, the Local Control Accountability Plan that I was just mentioning before, and that measures in depth for every school district all things connected to student achievement and student performance and progress. I know in the state of California that our students are struggling in math and sciences in particular, and we need to do a better job in Assembly District 7 to support our teachers so that our student outcomes can improve. There are definitely specific steps and ways of doing that as a professional educator that I will work hard to support, not only in the state legislature, but on the Education Committee in the State Assembly. I’m looking forward to that, and I’m looking forward to being held accountable and being transparent in pushing information back out to the constituents on all the ways that we are making improvements in those three key priority areas.
Q: Is there an important issue facing District 7 or California that we haven’t asked you about, or something about your candidacy that you want voters to know? This is also your opportunity to discuss your qualifications, endorsements, and previous work, distinguish yourself from your opponent, and tell voters why you believe you are the best choice to represent District 7 in the California State Assembly.
Slavensky: Thank you. I am definitely the better candidate for this office of State Assembly District 7. It is the reason why I’m running. I am not in this race for the job. I’m not in this race for the salary, the power, the prestige. I don’t need any of that. I’ve had a long, wonderful career already. I am in this race because I know I can do better than the incumbent, my opponent, Josh Hoover.
I have 40 years of service in our California public school system. Honestly, that’s longer than he has been alive. He touts himself as an education expert based upon his four years of serving on a school board and being the parent of school-age children. That pales in comparison to my deep and broad experience in our California public schools.
Some folks may say, “Well, what does she know about everything else? That’s just one niche aspect of the work in the State Assembly.” And again, I will say that due to my lived experiences personally, I can connect with folks here in Assembly District 7 way better than my opponent can.
Here’s a little known fact about District 7: More than 50% of the people who live here qualify for Medi-Cal. That means they’re living at or below the poverty line. I understand what that looks like and feels like. I understand what it’s like when the systems are there for you and when they’re not. I will fight hard in the Assembly to make sure that people have what they need to be healthy and well and live a good life—and even take a vacation from time to time without having to worry about it.
My opponent, on the other hand, is a career politician with his eyes set on Washington. He also is someone who I don’t believe has experienced poverty—at least not to my knowledge. Again, I am a better candidate because of my lived experiences. I’m also a better candidate because I am a woman. I know this can be controversial as well, but I’m gonna just go for it and say that I am a woman and he isn’t. Because of that, in my experiences, I have experienced sexism in the workplace. I have experienced pay parity issues, and I have experienced poor maternity protections in the workplace. In fact, I had to go back to work when my babies were six weeks old—and I could still carry them right here—or lose my job as the primary breadwinner. I understand what that’s like, and he doesn’t. I will fight fiercely to make sure that women’s rights and protections are strengthened in the state of California.
Those are a variety of ways that I am a better candidate, a stronger candidate than my opponent. I’m super happy to share with you that I have been endorsed by a growing list of endorsers, including strong unions such as SEIU State, SEIU 2015, SEIU 1000, AFSCME, the California Teachers Association, the California School Employees Association, California Federation of Teachers, the California Faculty Association, the California Nurses Association, National Union of Healthcare Workers, and so many others—a growing list.
It’s no surprise to me that I have been endorsed by these really powerful unions because I have valued service workers for my entire career. I was a teacher. I was a member of CTA when I was a teacher. I worked hand in glove with service workers all throughout those years—couldn’t get the work done without them. Everywhere we look, all around us, we are being taken care of by service workers. If we’re not taking care of them, then what are we doing?
I’m proud to be endorsed by all those folks as well as a growing list of community leaders and community clubs throughout District 7. I’m very proud of all the ways that people have stepped up to support Amy Slavensky for State Assembly. I would encourage everyone who’s watching this to go to AmySlavensky.com to find out so much more information about me—who I am, why I’m running, what I stand for, what my priorities are, how I will get things done when I’m elected.
Again, I encourage everyone to vote. The key here is you just have to vote on or before November 3rd. I would greatly appreciate it—I would love to have your support—and I look forward to serving you in the near future. More about Amy Slavensky’s campaign can be found at AmySlavensky.com.
Copyright © 2026, Folsom Times and Coffee with Candidates is a digital product of All Town Media LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
