Spencer Short is a 50-year resident of Lincoln, McGeorge-trained attorney, and 16-year City Council veteran running to return principled representation to District 2.
Why Spencer Short
Spencer served District 2 from 2000 to 2016, guiding Lincoln through its most challenging periods — including the Great Recession — with fiscal discipline and principled leadership.
Spencer brings over twenty years of private business management, legal advising, and organizational leadership — experience that grounds him in the business principles that drive sound public policy and deliver real results for Lincoln residents.
Since leaving office, Spencer served as Chief Legal Counsel for two national security companies and a regional doctoral university, expanding his perspective on criminal justice, land use, and community responsibility to craft useful solutions to complex problems.
Spencer's Platform
District 2 Priorities
The General Plan envisioned downtown Lincoln as the hub of activity — and at certain times of the year, it is. Spencer will push to enhance the entertainment district, create linkages between retail and restaurants, and make it easier for people to come downtown. This includes exploring a parking structure and a golf cart shuttle for residents with mobility concerns.
District 2 holds some of Lincoln's oldest infrastructure. Aging water and sewer lines are quietly failing while attention and money flow to the newest parts of town. Spencer will fight to ensure that long-time residents — who built Lincoln into the community everyone wanted to join — don't get left behind when infrastructure dollars are allocated.
With rapid housing growth and insufficient commercial revenue to match, public safety services per capita have been declining. Downtown residents are reporting decreased patrol levels and slower emergency response. Spencer's position is straightforward: every new housing approval without a corresponding commercial project leaves existing citizens with less. That is unacceptable, and it stops.
"The citizens of District 2 deserve a representative who shows up, does the homework, and fights for what's right — not what's convenient."
— Spencer Short
About Spencer Short
Spencer Short is proud of his Lincoln heritage — a graduate of Lincoln High School who has never stopped serving this community.
After high school, Spencer studied government and economics while interning in the City Manager's office at the City of Lincoln. He went on to earn a degree in Public Administration at Golden Gate University, then graduated from McGeorge School of Law. He has been admitted to the California Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, and the United States Supreme Court Bar.
Spencer served on the Lincoln City Council from 2000 to 2016 — 16 years of principled, results-driven public service. He has always believed in advocating for those who are routinely overlooked, and has carried a strong sense of justice in every decision he has made.
In the decade since leaving office, Spencer served as Chief Legal Counsel for two national security companies and a regional doctoral university developing a hospital in the Sacramento region. That experience gave him perspective on criminal justice, land use, medical care, and community responsibility at a scale larger than city government — and it brought him back to Lincoln ready to apply those lessons.
Spencer currently practices law privately and serves on the Board of Project Go, Inc., a local nonprofit providing affordable housing to seniors and families, administering energy efficiency programs in Placer, Nevada, and El Dorado Counties, and delivering Community Service Block Grants to the most vulnerable residents of Placer County.
Council Accomplishments 2000–2016
First paid fire staffing — Spencer's very first campaign promise, delivered: Lincoln's fire department transitioned to fully paid staffing.
Police staffing increases — advocated for and secured expanded Lincoln Police Department staffing to meet community safety needs.
37,000 sq. ft. Joint-Use Library — chaired the building committee uniting WPUSD, Sierra College, and the City to deliver this landmark community facility.
Second water source for Lincoln — forged relationships with NID to secure a critical second source of water supply for the city.
Ophir Treatment Plant agreement — worked with PCWA on funding agreements for Lincoln's share of treatment capacity for future development.
Placer Conservation Plan — collaborated with Placer County to streamline environmental permitting and reach agreements with federal regulators.
Weathered the Great Recession — led a fiscally conservative response to a 30%+ decline in General Fund revenues; Lincoln emerged from the recession financially stronger.
Development accountability — consistently voted against projects that didn't follow correct process or didn't pay their full cost, protecting existing residents from absorbing new growth costs.
Join the Campaign
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