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Natalie Rogers | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Santa Rosa, California | |
| In office December 13, 2022 –December 17, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Chris Rogers |
| Succeeded by | Mark Stapp |
| Member of the Santa Rosa City Council | |
| Assumed office December 11,2020 | |
| Preceded by | District established |
| Constituency | District 7 |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
Natalie Rogers is an American politician and therapist who served from 2022 to 2024 as the mayor of Santa Rosa,California,the fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area. [1] [2] In 2020,she was elected the first Black female councilmember in Santa Rosa history, [3] and was appointed the city's first Black mayor in 2022. [2] [4] [5]
Elected to the newly created District 7 of the Santa Rosa City Council in 2020,Rogers was the first person to hold the office. [1] [6] In an election with exceptionally high voter turnout,she won by a margin of just 200 votes. [3] It was her first run for public office of any kind. [3] Upon election,she was selected by her colleagues to serve as vice mayor for a one-year term. [1] [7]
On December 13,2022,Rogers' fellow Santa Rosa city councilmembers voted to appoint her as mayor for a two-year term,making her the first Black mayor of Santa Rosa. [4] [8] At the start of her term,she listed her priorities as infrastructure improvements,affordable housing,business recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,and fiscal stability. [4] Rogers was re-elected as city councilmember in November 2024. [9]
In February 2025,Rogers announced she would be a candidate in the 2026 election for California's 2nd senatorial district,seeking to succeed the term-limited Mike McGuire. [9]
A licensed family and marriage therapist,Rogers has had her own private practice,has worked for Sonoma County,and has worked in mental health at Kaiser Permanente. [10] [3] [11]
Rogers grew up in Marin County,California,living for a time in public housing. [3] Her father was an operating engineer and union member,while her mother was a maintenance worker. [3] Her sister died by suicide when Natalie was 15,leading her to pursue a degree in psychology at Sonoma State University. [3] She moved to Santa Rosa after several years in Texas,and earned her master's degree and therapy license. [3] She remarried in 2017 and has eight children in her blended familly. [3]