Sun poured into the Yolo County Administrative Building’s atrium on Monday morning, casting golden light into the room filled with the newly elected Supervisors, county staff, and loved ones for a swearing-in ceremony.

Supervisors Oscar Villegas, Mary Vixie Sandy and Angel Barajas were re-elected in November, and following the announcement of Yolo County District 4 Supervisor Jim Provenza’s retirement, Sheila Allen won the District 4 seat.

The ceremony on Jan. 6 marked a historic day for the board. For the first time in 50 years, two women will sit on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, and for the first time in nearly two decades, a woman was voted onto the elected body.

“It’s been approximately 18 years since a woman was elected to the Board of Supervisors of Yolo County … that’s way too long,” Allen remarked in her speech after she was sworn in as the District 4 representative.

Allen, a nurse, mother, and grandmother, said she isn’t unfamiliar with public service. Prior to being elected to the board, Allen served as executive director of the Yolo Healthy Aging Alliance and worked with local governments for the last 30 years.

“As my friend, former Assembly member and former supervisor Helen Thompson, said, as she’s had a chance to see all different levels, county is really where it’s at,” Allen explained. “It’s where you can go to the grocery store, drive down past the fields, and see the difference you are making right here. So I am so excited for this.”

Sandy, who was originally appointed to her seat by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year, said her reelection means she will be able to continue working toward finding solutions to the challenges Yolo County residents face every day.

“We’ve had some significant successes in the county this past year, including the adoption of a climate action and adaptation plan that will guide our work toward achieving a very bold goal of zero net emissions,” she offered. “In recent years, the American Recovery Act funds made it possible to undertake these kinds of long-term planning efforts, expand our services, support new initiatives, and strengthen the critical work of our network of nonprofit agencies by providing them with what they need to extend the County’s reach.”

Supervisor Villegas was re-elected and has served as the District 1 representative since 2014. He said being a supervisor for the community he lives in is something he never takes for granted.

“It’s the best job in the world,” Villegas said to the crowd. “The voters of District 1 in West Sacramento and Clarksburg entrusted me with moving their county forward … I couldn’t be more thankful.”

Barajas, who was first elected during the COVID-19 pandemic, reflected on why he first came into office just four years ago.

“I was elected three or four years ago, and as you know, during that time, we were in COVID, and a lot of the underserved communities that I represent and most of the supervisors also represent were passing away. They were having health issues. They weren’t getting the services or educational access because of COVID,” Barajas recalled.

According to Barajas, the rural communities across Yolo County suffered the most. Yolo County is home to 10 unincorporated communities, each of which wanting the same amenities provided by city governments.

“A lot of these residents that live in the rural area want the same type of amenities that many of us have who live inside the cities — they want roads, they want good water, they want a good education, they want parks, they want to be able to be safe,” Barajas said. “We have our county services, our county teams being dispatched and helping those with services … there’s so much up to talk about.”

According to the county’s schedule, the new board will convene for their first regular meeting on Jan. 14 at the Yolo County Administrative Building at 9 a.m.