An independent investigation into the residency of District 2 City Councilmember Sean Loloee has concluded that Loloee is in compliance with all state laws and city ordinances related to residency requirements.
The investigation was conducted by Melinda Guzman, a reputable and experienced local attorney who is unaffiliated with Loloee or the City Council.
Guzman was selected by the Sacramento City Attorney and began her investigation on July 18, 2022. The investigation concluded on Sept. 30, 2022. Guzman submitted her report to the City Attorney on Oct. 4, 2022. The investigation included interviews with multiple witnesses as well as the examination of numerous public and private documents.
The investigation found that the North Sacramento home in question is Loloee’s primary residence. It further found that he has allowed the family of one of his employees to live at the house rent-free for an extended period. This arrangement has worked due to Loloee’s long hours at work and the configuration of the house, which has separate living areas.
Consistent with Loloee’s previous assertions, Guzman found that Loloee’s long hours at his North Area businesses require him to live nearby, and that it has been a consistent business practice of his to live near his businesses due to the nature of the work. The report found that he purchased the house at 1209 Nogales St. in March 2019 so he could be near his North Sacramento businesses. This was prior to his intention to run for Council, the investigation found.
The report also found that Loloee has consistently maintained his property as his primary domicile since March 2019 and has not established another primary domicile. Furthermore, the report concluded that throughout the pandemic, he and his family did not shelter in place together, due to his grocery stores remaining open as an essential service to the community.
Mayor Darrell Steinberg on June 28, 2022, called for an inquiry in response to community questions and media accounts questioning Loloee’s adherence to the City’s residency requirement. City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood initiated the independent investigation to address the ongoing questions, following Loloee’s statement that he welcomed the inquiry and would cooperate with it.
“I am satisfied that this inquiry was thorough and conducted in a professional manner,” Alcala Wood said. “We asked Melinda Guzman to examine the facts of the case in an impartial manner, to let the investigation go wherever the facts led it, and to provide a conclusion as to whether Councilmember Loloee has met and continues to meet the residency requirement of Section 27 of the City of Sacramento Charter and applicable law. The final report provides her analysis and fact finding, and I provide it now so that people can read it for themselves.
“I believe the public, and most importantly, the District 2 constituency, can rely on the accuracy of these findings, particularly because the legal standard used by Ms. Guzman is the same standard that the California Attorney General would use in such a review,” Alcala Wood said.
Click on the links to read the final report from the independent investigation and the City Attorney’s public opinion on the matter.