Lauren Hammond, long-time resident of Sacramento and former Sacramento City
Councilmember, passed away on January 18, 2023. A graduate of McClatchy High,
Sacramento City College and Sacramento State, Lauren used her knowledge and love of
Sacramento to become a trailblazer in Sacramento politics. In 1997, Lauren was the first African
American woman in Sacramento history to be elected to the Sacramento City Council, District 5;
she served on the City Council through 2010. Throughout her elective career, Lauren worked
on district issues like sidewalks to schools, traffic management, expansion of youth services and
economic development. Citywide concerns included youth empowerment, health care for all,
predatory lending education, smart growth policies and neighborhood equity.

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Lauren was a lifetime member of the NAACP. Sacramento Magazine named her one of
Sacramento's 30 Most Powerful Women in 2003, and in 2004 she was inducted into the
National Coalition of 100 Black Women.

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Lauren was a long-time member of the Women Democrats of Sacramento County and put her
energy and political chops into action at the Women Democrats’ 65th anniversary luncheon in
2018 where she received a well-deserved Trailblazer Award. Sharing an agenda with keynote
speaker, the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, Lauren closed the program with a stirring message
about the importance of supporting local women in politics, and spoke to the important role that
the Women Democrats play in endorsing and donating to candidates in her home city of
Sacramento. Lauren was a champion and will be missed.