🗳️ June 2026 Primary Election Ballot Analysis (I): Intro + Governor

[cahwyguy]

Here in California (and in Los Angeles in particular), we have an election coming up. You know what that means: Every election, I do a detailed ballot analysis of my sample ballot. This is where I examine each candidate and share my conclusions, and invite you to convince me to vote for the other jerk.  Because this is a long ballot, I’m splitting this analysis into a few chunks (note: links may not be available until all segments are posted):

1. Governor of California
2. Other State and National Offices (excluding judges)
3. County and City (Los Angeles) Local Offices (excluding judges)
4. Measures (nee Propositions)
5. Judicial Offices (County and State)
6. Summary

Note: This analysis is NOT presented in the same order as the Sample Ballot (the ballot order makes no sense). I’ve attempted instead to present things in more logical order.

This part covers the Governor’s race, which has so many candidates it is getting it own post. We’re going to divide this into three tiers:

1. Realistic “Past The Gate” Candidates: These are the folks that are polling sufficiently high enough that they have a change of getting into the “top two” general election. Realistically, if you want your vote to have impact, you’ll pick one from this tier.
2. Valid Candidate, But No Chance, Candidates. These are the folks that are actually reasonable and sane candidate, perhaps with decent positions. However, they are polling so low that, given the jungle primary, a vote for one of these is wasted (and could, in fact, result in a problematic general election).
3. Hopefuls, Kooks and Nuts. Any election brings out a large number of folks who are running for reasons they only understand. Given the nature of the California Primary system, they have no chance. A vote for them is wasted, essentially. But, as I promise in these reviews to give consideration to everyone, they will at least get a paragraph, even if it is a paragraph of “hell no”. You’ll see why I’m saying that.

Bottom Line Up Front: Here’s the bottom line for the Governor’s Race, as the Republican Candidates are unacceptable, and all of the top tier Democratic candidates are: Vote for the top polling Democratic candidate as of May 15 or later, to ensure a Democratic candidate gets into the General election. You can’t go wrong with any of the top tier Democratic candidates. And remember: Perfect is the enemy of “Good Enough”. We can’t get a perfect candidate; good enough will do.

Now, if you push me to select a favorite candidate, it is Katie Porter. I liked her when she announced, and I still like her. Alas, she is not polling that well, and she’ll likely land below the cutoff where I’ll be able to vote for her. My second choice is Tom Steyer. I don’t like the fact that he is a billionaire or his lack of experience. But I still think he’ll be better for California than Becerra.

Conclusion: This is a bit complicated:

1. (What I’ll do) Vote for the top polling Democratic candidate as of May 15 or later.
2. (My favorite of Tier 1) ⚫ Katie Porter (D)
3. (My likely vote from Tier 1) ⚫ Thomas Steyer (D)

🗳️

Tier 1: Realistic “Past The Gate” Candidates

The top tier of candidates contains those candidates polling above 5% in most polls. These candidates have been in all of the televised debates, and are generally considered front-runners. California has a unique primary system: It is the top two winners overall (regardless of party) that advance to the general election. This means that if the Democrats divide the vote too much, the top two candidates could both be Republicans. I’ll address that calculus (because it does impact choices) in my conclusion at the bottom, and (as you’ve seen if you read this sequentially) in the Bottom Line Up Front. For now, for each candidate, I’m going to talk about their strengths and weaknesses from my perspective, including my assessment of their debate performance. I’m also going to be asking Google AI to summarize their negatives, as it produces a more concise result and can comb though a lot more webpages.

A few last reminders:

• Single Payer Health Care. The phrase “single payer health care” does not mean free healthcare. Remember that folks on Medicare pay premiums (often it is deducted from Social Security checks); those who earn more money can pay much more in premiums (look up IRMAA). If you are Medicare Part C, you may also pay different premiums based on the quality of your plan. Where Single Payer saves money is by having a single administrative apparatus to handle claim processing and payments, and a single set of rules regard payment for procedures and such. This saves a lot of overhead money (which reduces costs), and makes lives easier for the medical community because they have one set of rules. Additionally, if the government or a non-profit runs the single payer, costs are less because they don’t have to return profit to the shareholders. However, single-payer also makes it easier for the government to deny procedures and medicines they don’t like.
• SB1 Gas Tax. With the high price of gas, people like to complain about the gas tax. They blame the gas tax for the high price of gas in California. That’s not entirely true. As of July 1, 2025, the California SB 1 (Road Repair and Accountability Act) gasoline excise tax is 61.2 cents per gallon. This rate is adjusted annually every July 1^st based on the California Consumer Price Index to account for inflation.  Note that it is a fixed amount: That means that through all of the Iranian “Conflict”, it hasn’t changed. The gas tax has not made California gas more expensive, and the cost it adds to California gas is much less than folks think (there is also Federal Gas Tax). The Gas Tax goes to road repair and transit. It’s allocation is controlled by the California Transportation Commission (read my pages for more details), and there is transparency on how it is spent. There is an excellent website detailing transportation spending, and there is a specific map showing projects.  Two additional notes: (1) The SB1 Gas Tax does not go towards High Speed Rail; (2) the VMT is a separate proposed tax and currently electrics and hybrids also support the road through a specific fee on their registration. The VMT is a proposed tax for electric and hybrid vehicles only (different rates) that is based on miles driven; it is necessary because such vehicles do not pay into the SB1 funds.
• High Speed Rail. There are lots of complaints about High Speed Rail and its costs. Most folks don’t understand what has led to the high costs and delays, and it is important to understand what is happening (as it is common in many major projects). First, NEPA and CEQA (the Federal and State Environmental approval processes) add to costs simply because they require lots of public reviews and approvals. Those approvals were less in the Central Valley, which is where they started building the line, but are significant for other parts of the route, such as crossing the passes and mountains into Southern California. There are also major design issues related to the soil composition and utilities. Utilities are a big issue, and construction of the line means moving existing rail lines and power utilities (owned by private entities, who balk and delay at moving their lines). There is also the need to move existing roads and cross existing roads, which means involvement with city, county, and state construction projects and authorities. I know (for example) there was major rerouting of Route 99 in Fresno. There have been problems with HSR, and the reports are all available from the State Auditor. There have been financial problems, yes, but all large government construction problems have some level of those problems, and the eventual end result is worth it. That’s true of HSR as well: Having a fast HSR system between LA and the Bay Area will remove a lot of vehicles from the road, and provide significant environmental benefits and benefits to business.
• When Was California At Its Best. A number of the Republican candidates are pining for the “good old days”, and believe that the days of prosperity were under Ronald Reagan. They should check their history. What brought California prosperity was the administration of the strong Democrat “Pat” Brown, Jerry Brown’s father, who left office in 1966. It was under Brown that the UC system achieved its excellence, and it was under Brown that the Freeway system was constructed and numerous homes were constructed. Reagan’s administration started the destruction of that system. Jerry Brown (in his first go around) tried to recover the budget through austerity. Governors since then have just been trying to recover things. As always, I highly recommend this book: “The Last Days of the Late, Great, State of California” by Curt Gentry. It explains well the pivotal election of 1966 that brought us the Republican party of today.

And now, let’s explore the candidates:

◯ Xavier Becerra (D)

Xavier Becerra served as the 25^th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden from 2021 to 2025. Becerra previously served as the 33^rd attorney general of California from 2017 to 2021 and as a U.S. representative from California from 1993 to 2017. Born and raised in Sacramento as the son of Mexican immigrants, Becerra received a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctor from Stanford University. He worked as an administrative assistant for state senator Art Torres and as a deputy attorney general in the California Department of Justice in the late 1980s. He served in the California State Assembly from 1990 to 1992. First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992, Becerra chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus from 1997 to 1999 and the House Democratic Caucus from 2013 to 2017. In 2017, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Becerra to replace Kamala Harris as attorney general after Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate. He was elected to a full term in 2018 and served until he joined the Biden cabinet in 2021. (Wikipedia)

I asked Google AI to summarize Becerra’s negatives. It noted that Becerra faces significant criticism regarding his management at the federal level, an ongoing campaign finance scandal involving former top aides, and shifting stances on key policy issues like healthcare.

• • • Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tenure: Critics and former colleagues from the Biden administration have attacked Becerra’s record as HHS Secretary, particularly his handling of major crises: (•) Migrant Child Crisis: Rivals, including Tom Steyer and Matt Mahan, have highlighted a New York Times investigation revealing that HHS lost contact with approximately 85,000 unaccompanied migrant children during his tenure. Critics allege Becerra rushed their release to sponsors while ignoring safety warnings, leading to some children being trafficked or forced into illegal child labor. (•) Inadequate Crisis Management: Some former Biden administration officials have characterized Becerra as “ineffective” and “not cut out” for high-level management, alleging he lacked urgency and was often unprepared when briefing the President on COVID-19 and border issues. (•) Lack of Health Expertise: During his confirmation and subsequent tenure, he was frequently criticized for having no medical or public health background despite leading the nation’s primary health agency.
    • Campaign Finance Scandal: Becerra’s gubernatorial bid has been shadowed by a federal corruption investigation: (•) Theft of Funds: In late 2025 and early 2026, his longtime former chief of staff, Sean McCluskie, and other associates were charged with conspiring to steal $225,000 from Becerra’s dormant state campaign account. (•) Management Scrutiny: Although Becerra has not been charged with wrongdoing and maintains he was unaware of the scheme, opponents argue the incident undermines his “managerial acumen” and raises questions about his judgment in choosing inner-circle staff.
    • Policy and Political Criticism: (•) Healthcare “Backpedaling”: While Becerra has long championed a single-payer system, he has recently faced backlash for “subduing” this message and sidestepping questions about whether he would support a state-run single-payer system as governor. (•) Record as Attorney General: During his time as California’s top prosecutor, some editorial boards labeled him the “top coddler of bad cops” for initially resisting certain police oversight efforts. Conservative critics also point to his office’s legal battles with religious groups, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor. (•) “Status Quo” Label: Rivals such as Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Matt Mahan argue that Becerra represents a continuation of current Governor Gavin Newsom’s policies, which they blame for California’s high cost of living and crime rates.

For some of these, the extent to which Becerra has major problems is unclear. But often, it is the appearance of problems that can take on a life of its own, and how those problems are addressed (or deflected) that matters. Becerra has been responding poorly in the debates, attempting to deflect responsibility vs acknowledging his role (even if his role was small). It is that deflection of responsibility that is a problem and may be hurting him.

He has also had a problem with interrupting others during the debate, and not showing respect to others on the playing field. He talked over others quite a bit, and (as noted above) never noted where he might be wrong. That comes off as a bit bullying.

Where Becerra is someone better is his positions. He has a strong set of priorities on his website, most of which I agree with. For each, he details both his accomplishments in that area and what he will do at Governor. He has also described his policies well during the debates.

Becerra has a large number of endorsements. Our assemblycritter Pilar Schiavo endorsed him (as well as Thurmond). He has a fair number of elected officials, although not a lot of names I recognize. He has perhaps four construction unions, the Faculty Association, the Nurses (although I think they also endorsed a second candidate), SEIU (although, again, I think they have a split endorsement), and some physicians and dentists, and the California Medical Association. One would think a former HHS secretary would get more healthcare endorsements, and a former AG would get more law enforcement endorsements (although those often go to the Republicans). He has a lot of Democratic groups, plus Planned Parenthood and Equality California. He also has a number of environmental justice endorsements.

Note that one of his endorsements, from CHIRLA, is controversial. As of May 2026, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) is involved in a controversy regarding its endorsement of gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra and allegations of using state-funded resources for political activity. Critics allege the group employs individuals not authorized to work to campaign for Becerra, prompting calls for investigations. CHIRLA has defended its actions.

◯ Chad Bianco (R)

Chad Bianco has served as sheriff of Riverside County, California, since 2019. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice/Police Science from Columbia Southern University. He attended the College of Eastern Utah and the University of Utah between 1985 and 1989 before moving to California. In 1993, he attended the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Academy. He graduated at the top of his class, and joined the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department shortly after graduation. Bianco was first elected Riverside County sheriff in 2018. He was re-elected in 2022 with about 60% of votes for a term set to last until 2028 due to a state law changing sheriff election years to match presidential ones. (Wikipedia)

As with the other candidates, I asked Google AI for Bianco’s negatives. According to Google, there are quite a few. Bianco has faced scrutiny over his past membership in an extremist group, rising jail deaths, and his controversial use of law enforcement power for election-related investigations.

• • • Extremist Group Affiliation: (•) Oath Keepers Membership: In May 2026, Bianco drew significant backlash during a nationally televised debate when he stated he was “very proud” of his past membership in the Oath Keepers, a far-right anti-government militia linked to the January 6 Capitol attack. (•) Refusal to Disavow: While he previously downplayed his 2014 membership as a brief, one-year affiliation, his recent defense of the group has led critics to label his judgment as unfit for higher office.
    • Election Investigation Controversies: (•) Ballot Seizure: In March 2026, Bianco used criminal warrants to seize over 650,000 ballots from a 2025 special election, citing unsubstantiated claims of fraud. (•) Supreme Court Halt: The California Supreme Court eventually ordered him to pause the investigation and unsealed his warrants, which revealed no direct evidence of voter fraud. (•) Legal Fee Refusal: The Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted not to pay for the private law firm Bianco hired for the probe, leaving him to face millions in accrued legal costs.
    • Jail Conditions and Misconduct: (•) Rising In-Custody Deaths: Under his leadership, Riverside County jails have seen a surge in inmate deaths, leading the nation in 2022 and prompting a state civil rights investigation by the California Attorney General. (•) Large Settlements: His department has been hit with millions of dollars in lawsuit settlements, including a $7.5 million wrongful death settlement in early 2026 and a $2.25 million award to a sergeant who reported workplace harassment. (•) Low Crime-Solving Record: A 2025 report ranked his department last in California for its crime clearance rate regarding major offenses.
    • Policy and Pandemic Stances: (•) COVID-19 Defiance: Bianco gained national attention for refusing to enforce mask and stay-at-home mandates, labeling them “tyrannical” and criticizing Governor Newsom’s policies as hypocritical. (•) Constitutional Overreach: Critics argue his “Constitutional Sheriff” philosophy—believing sheriffs have supreme authority over state and federal law—represents a disdain for legal accountability.

Quite a few of these are major problems for me. A law enforcement official should follow the law, and being part of an association that support violation of the law on January 6 is not right; further, sheriff department officials should not be part of paramilitary unofficial groups. That was a major problem with the gangs and cliques in the LA Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff should not be seizing ballots in an election that has already been settled and approved by the Secretary of State, especially when it breaks the chain of custody. Again, that’s an example of a Sheriff putting himself above the law. Wrongful deaths and civil rights investigations should not be due to actions during the administration of a Sheriff that is following the law. Add to that a refusal to follow state mandates and arguing that he has supreme authority. This is all a pattern of someone who puts their beliefs above the Constitution (State and Federal) and puts themselves above the law. It is wrong whoever does it, be it Bianco or Trump. Bianco said lawbreakers need to go to jail: if he truly believes that, he belongs in jail.

He has a wide set of policies and priorities on his website. I disagree with most of them. He wants to kill HSR. He wants to get rid of the gas tax. You know my stance on those. He believes that all homeless have mental health and drug problems. That’s not true; most have been pushed to the streets because of the financial situation in the state, the loss of jobs, medical bills, or the cost of housing. Solve those problems (which are cheaper to solve), and you make a large dent in the homeless. Go after the low hanging fruit first.

He also has traditional MAGA positions regarding things like gay rights, abortion, trans rights, civil rights, and much more. I completely disagree with those. I’m guessing you do to, as you wouldn’t be reading my pages otherwise. I’m often surprised by the support for Bianco in FB comments or Nextdoor, but I guess those forums give the MAGAites a freedom to speak louder than their weight.

I also abhor Bianco’s performance during the debates. He was disrespectful (especially to Katie Porter), and talked all over other candidates, acting like the bully that he is.

He has a fair number of endorsements. A small number of elected officials. Loads of public safety officials.  More local elected folks, mostly from Republican cities. He has a number of county-level Republican organizations and affinity Republican organizations, but not CAGOP. He has no union endorsements.

◯ Steve Hilton (R)

Stephen Hilton is a British and American conservative political commentator, former political adviser, and contributor for the Fox News Channel. He served as director of strategy for British prime minister David Cameron from 2010 to 2012. Hilton hosted The Next Revolution, a weekly current affairs show for Fox News from 2017 to 2023. He is a proponent of what he calls “positive populism” and is a strong endorser of U.S. President Donald Trump. He was a co-founder of the crowd-funding platform Crowdpac, but resigned as CEO in 2018. He was given a bursary to Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham in Sussex, before studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at New College, Oxford. Hilton became a U.S. citizen in May 2021. (Wikipedia)

As with the other candidates, I asked Google AI about Hilton’s negatives. Having not served in public office before, his negatives have a slightly different spin. Hilton faces criticism over his past political associations, his media background, and his close alignment with Donald Trump in a deep-blue state.

• • • Political “Chameleon” and Past Liberal Ties: (•) Crowdpac Controversy: Hilton has been labeled a “chameleon” by primary rivals like Chad Bianco for his “dark past” as the co-founder and CEO of Crowdpac, a crowdfunding platform. Critics allege the company fundraised tens of millions for radical liberal causes, Black Lives Matter protesters, and activists resisting the Trump administration. (•) British Political Record: Opponents point to his background as a top strategist for former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, where he was credited with pushing for government shrinkage and deregulation. Critics argue this reflects a “visceral disdain for the state” that could lead to a “wrecked economy” if applied to California.
    • The “MAGA Problem” in California: (•) Trump Endorsement: While Donald Trump’s “complete and total endorsement” has helped Hilton lead GOP polling, analysts suggest it may be a liability in a general election. In a state where two-thirds of voters “loathe” Trump, his close alignment is framed as a significant electoral hurdle. (•) Election Integrity Stance: During debates, Hilton has been called out for refusing to explicitly state that Trump lost the 2020 election, a stance that has fueled criticism of his democratic credentials.
    • Managerial and Policy Critique: (•) Lack of Government Experience: Democratic rivals like Xavier Becerra have attacked his lack of practical governing experience, calling him a “Fox News talking head” who has never balanced a budget the size of California’s. (•) “Unrealistic” Promises: He has been accused of “lying to voters” over central campaign promises, such as his claim that he can slash gas prices to $3 a gallon. (•) Tax Plan Skepticism: While popular with some, his plan to eliminate state income tax for those earning under $100,000 has been criticized as necessitating drastic, potentially harmful cuts to state services.

Of the negatives surfaces by Google AI, there are a few that are problems (beyond his broader MAGA positions). First, there is his lack of government experience, and his lack of state government experience. He became a citizen in 2021. His broad civic experience is in the British political system. That’s very different than the legislative system of California. He also doesn’t have a legal background; he doesn’t have experience working with the legislature; he doesn’t have executive experience; he doesn’t have experience balancing government budgets. He just doesn’t have the experience. Now, sometimes that can work (Arnold Schwarzenegger), but generally it doesn’t (Trump). I’m also bothered by his stance regarding the 2020 election. That election was done and settled, and the Congress selected a President. At this point, there should be no debating regarding its validity.

His policies are on his webpage. They are MAGA policies. I disagree with them. I shouldn’t need to say much more. Those values are not my values. I will, however, note that some of them do align with Democratic policies, such as speeding up the permitting process.

With respect to his debate performance: With respect to the Republicans, I think he came off as way better than Bianco. If you are looking for a Republican candidate, Hilton is better than Bianco, hands down. He also showed a bit more respect to the other candidates on the stage.

I just generally believe Hilton has policies that are incompatible with my values, and he lacks the experience required for the position.

Steve Hilton does not list endorsements on his website. He has the big one for his followers: Donald Trump. He does not have the endorsement of the CAGOP, as they are staying out of the primary fight. Other key endorsers are: Vivek Ramaswamy, Tom McClintock, Gloria Romero, the Nisei Farmers League, the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC), Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (PAC), Israeli-American Civic Action Network, California Republican Assembly, California Rifle and Pistol Association, Rupert Murdoch, (the late) Charlie Kirk, and numerous Tech Industry Leaders.

◯ Matt Mahan (D)

Matthew Mahan has served as the mayor of San Jose, California since 2023. Mahan previously served as a member of the San Jose City Council from 2021 to 2023. Mahan was the co-founder and CEO of Brigade Media, a tech company focused on civic engagement. Mahan graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 2005 with a degree in social studies. He served as president of the Harvard Undergraduate Council. He also received a Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Fellowship to Bolivia, where he spent the year after graduation working on economic development projects. Mahan spent a year building irrigation systems in Bolivia and then joined Teach for America where he was matched to Alum Rock Middle School in San Jose and taught seventh and eighth grade English and history from 2006 to 2008. In 2008, Mahan joined a tech startup led by Sean Parker and Joe Green. Together, they formed Causes, a for-profit civic technology Facebook application. Mahan became CEO and president of Causes in 2013. In 2014, Mahan launched Brigade with investments from Parker, Ron Conway, Marc Benioff, and others. Brigade was created as a social medium for civic engagement. In 2019, Brigade was acquired by Pinterest and its technology was purchased by Countable. (Wikipedia)

As with the other candidates, I asked Google AI for Mahan’s negatives. Google AI noted that Mahan is often criticized for his heavy reliance on tech industry funding, his late entry into the race, and a centrist platform that has alienated key Democratic power blocks like labor unions.

• • • Management and Policy Criticisms:  (•) Strained Relationship with Unions: Mahan is loathed by some labor unions due to disputes in San Jose over wages and his efforts to tie public employee pay to performance metrics. Critics argue that winning a California statewide office is historically difficult without major union support. (•) Controversial Homelessness Tactics: While he touts a reduction in homelessness, his “Responsibility to Shelter” policy has irritated activists who oppose compelling individuals into treatment or clearing encampments. Some critics also claim he relocates individuals without providing adequate long-term housing solutions. (•) Opposing “Progressive” Measures: Mahan has clashed with party leadership by opposing a wealth tax on billionaires and supporting Proposition 36, which increased penalties for drug and theft crimes—a move Governor Newsom and many progressives strongly opposed.
    • Campaign and Ethical Scrutiny: (•) “Billionaire Puppet” Label: His campaign has been fueled by millions from Silicon Valley executives, leading opponents to label him a “tech favorite” or a “billionaire puppet”. Rivals like Tom Steyer have accused his backers of profiting from data and surveillance while attacking labor interests. (•) Social Media Ethics: He faced “grumbles” at City Hall for using personal social media accounts, allegedly manicured by city-paid staff, to build a brand now used for his gubernatorial campaign. (•) Vague Political Identity: Critics from both sides have questioned his true representation after he was seen at fundraising events hosted by donors with visible “MAGA” ties, leading to claims that his words and track record do not align.
    • Electoral Obstacles: (•) Late Entry and Low Name ID: Entering the race just four months before the primary left him with little time to build statewide organization, especially in expensive markets like Los Angeles. (•) Rift with State Leadership: His frequent criticism of Governor Newsom is viewed as a “difficult place to start” in a deep-blue state where Newsom remains a party standard-bearer.

For me, the major negative of concern is his connection with the tech billionaires (and his subsequent seeming to eschew taxes on billionaires and limiting AI). Although not mentioned, another billionaire supporting him is Rick Caruso, who I abhor. If Caruso is for Mahan, I’m against him.

I’ll note that I debated whether Mahan belonged in Tier 2. Ultimately, I decided to include him because the major news organizations have included him in all the debates. He’s polling close to Porter, and I consider (and most consider) Porter a major candidate.

Mahan’s positions are detailed on his campaign site, although in a form that is harder to link. I disgree with some of them, especially stopping the gas tax. But overall, I can live with his approaches. I’m also not sure he has the state level experience necessary, but I guess running San Jose is sufficient.

In terms of debate performance: He came off as knowledgeable and had a command of his accomplishments. He did a fair amount of attacking and interrupting. I don’t believe he was disrespecting Porter.

He has a fair number of endorsements. There are a lot of local Bay Area elected officials. The only major organization is ThriveLA. There are no unions supporting him, nor Democratic clubs or organizations.

⚫ Katie Porter (D)

Katie Porter served as a U.S. representative from California from 2019 to 2025. Porter graduated from Yale University and Harvard Law School and has taught law at several universities, including the University of California, Irvine, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the University of Iowa. In 2018, she was elected to Congress as part of a Democratic wave in Orange County, flipping the 45^th district. In 2022, after redistricting, she was reelected in the 47^th congressional district. In the House, she was deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and received media attention for her questioning during congressional hearings. She was noted for her use of whiteboards and other visual aids, and she gained a reputation as a fierce questioner. In 2023, Porter announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate, forgoing reelection to the House of Representatives. She was defeated after failing to advance from the nonpartisan primary won by Adam Schiff and Steve Garvey. (Wikipedia)

As with the other candidates, I asked Google AI for negatives. Google AI noted that Porter has faced significant criticism regarding her temperament, workplace management, and past political rhetoric. These issues have notably impacted her standing in recent polling.

• • • Toxic Workplace and Staff Allegations.  (•) Viral “Get Out of My Shot” Video: In late 2025, a 2021 video surfaced showing Porter swearing at a staffer for entering her frame during a remote interview. Porter has since released a campaign ad attempting to poke fun at the incident, which critics labeled as “contempt” for mistreated employees. (•) “Bad Boss” Reputation: Former staffers have described a pattern of abusive behavior, including berating aides until they cried and using “cruel” tactics such as referring to underlings in the third person while they were present. (•) COVID-19 Controversy: Leaked text messages from 2022 showed Porter scolding a staffer for allegedly giving her COVID-19 and subsequently firing the staffer, though Porter’s office maintained the staffer was a fellow whose term had naturally ended. (•)
    • Temperament and Media Relations. (•) Combative Interview Style: In October 2025, Porter faced backlash after a heated interview with CBS Sacramento’s Julie Watts. She threatened to end the session early due to persistent follow-up questions, leading rival Betty Yee to call her “unfit to lead California”. (•) “Unhappy Experience” Comment: During the viral exchange, Porter stated she didn’t want to have an “unhappy experience” on camera, which critics argued signaled a lack of transparency and an inability to handle the scrutiny required of a governor.
    • Past Political Controversies.  (•) “Rigged” Election Claim: Following her loss in the 2024 U.S. Senate primary, Porter drew sharp rebuke from fellow Democrats for claiming the election was “rigged by billionaires”. Critics condemned the language as echoing Donald Trump’s rhetoric, though Porter later clarified she meant the influence of “dark money” rather than vote counting. (•) Allegations of Personal Conduct: Opponents have pointed to decade-old restraining order allegations filed by her ex-husband involving claims of verbal and physical abuse, including an incident where she allegedly dumped mashed potatoes on his head. Porter filed her own cross-claims of abuse against him during their divorce.
    • Policy and Electoral Challenges. (•) Healthcare and Immigration Stance: In 2026 debates, Republican rivals like Steve Hilton attacked her support for providing state-funded healthcare to undocumented immigrants, framing it as a fiscal burden on an already strained state budget. (•) Polling Decline: Following her viral outbursts, Porter’s support dropped significantly, with a November 2025 poll showing her trailing Antonio Villaraigosa and several other candidates as voters expressed being “less likely” to support her due to the controversies.

Of these, none are particularly major. Many, especially those regarding her behavior, would be perfectly tolerated if it was a male politician behaving that way. There’s often a double standard for female politicians, expecting them to be softer and sweeter, and calling them to task if they are hard or gruff. What is also notable is that Porter has generally acknowledged her behavior in these incidents, apologized, and worked to change her behavior.

Porter has a specific set of priorities on her website. I generally agree with her priorities, and I don’t recall anything from the debates I disagree with (except, perhaps, suspending the gas tax).

The debates demonstrated that she has a command of the facts, and that she has a calm demeanor under pressure (which goes against what the negatives are saying). She was much more respectful of the other speakers. She made cogent arguments, and notably none of the other debaters was really attacking her past.

She has endorsements from a large number of groups, including the Sacramento Bee. Lots of unions. Environmental groups. Womens groups. There are much fewer elected officials.

⚫ Thomas Steyer (D)

Thomas Steyer is an American businessman, philanthropist, and environmentalist. Steyer is a graduate of Yale University (BA) and Stanford University (MBA). After graduating from Yale, Steyer began his professional career at Morgan Stanley in 1979 and spent two years there. Steyer worked at Goldman Sachs from 1983 to 1985 as an associate in the risk arbitrage division, where he was involved in mergers and acquisitions. Steyer also worked for San Francisco-based private equity firm Hellman & Friedman. He is the founder and former co-senior managing partner of Farallon Capital. Following his departure from the company in 2012, he became an advocate for climate action and founded NextGen America. His book, Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We’ll Win the Climate War, appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list in 2024. He also founded Galvanize Climate Solutions, a climate change-centered investment firm.  A billionaire, Steyer has been one of the largest donors in American Democratic Party politics, using his wealth to fund both environmental causes and political campaigns. In 2020, he ran for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. After spending $253 million on his campaign, he withdrew from the race in February 2020 without having received any pledged delegates. In 2025, Steyer announced his candidacy in the 2026 California gubernatorial election to succeed term-limited governor Gavin Newsom. (Wikipedia)

The Wikipedia article noted some aspects of his time at Farralon that are relevant to his negatives. Wikipedia notes that Steyer made his fortune running Farallon, which was managing $20 billion by the time he left the company. Steyer is known for having taken high risks on distressed assets within volatile markets. In October 2012, Steyer stepped down from his position at Farallon in order to focus on advocating for alternative energy. Steyer decided to dispose of his carbon-polluting investments in 2012, although critics say he did not dispose of them quickly enough and noted that the lifespan of the facilities he funded would extend through 2030. A 2014 New York Times article said coal-mining companies that Farallon invested in or lent money to under Steyer had increased their coal production by 70 million tons annually since receiving money from Farallon, and that Steyer remained invested in the Maules Creek coal mine. Prior to Steyer leaving Farallon, a student activist group called UnFarallon criticized the company for investments in companies with anti-environmental policies. In 2016, some critics noted that Farallon had also invested in private prisons while Steyer was leading the hedge fund. According to SEC filings, Steyer was at the helm as the hedge fund purchased nearly $90 million of Corrections Corporation of America stock (5.5% of the company’s outstanding shares).

As with the other candidates, I asked Google AI about Steyer’s negatives. Google AI noted that Steyer faces significant criticism regarding the source of his wealth, his campaign spending, and his lack of prior governing experience.

• • • Past Business Investments. (•) Fossil Fuels and Coal: Critics, including Democratic rival Katie Porter, argue that Steyer’s $2.4 billion fortune was built partly through his former hedge fund, Farallon Capital, which invested heavily in fossil fuels and coal plants. While he claims to have divested from these industries over a decade ago, recent reports suggest his personal portfolio retained complexity and exposure to these legacy investments. (•) Private Prisons and ICE: His former fund also profited from investments in private prison companies, such as CoreCivic, which now operate ICE detention facilities. Opponents use this to challenge his credibility as an anti-ICE advocate, with some calling his current stance hypocritical.
    • Campaign and Electoral Issues. “Buying the Election”: Steyer has faced immense backlash for his prolific self-funding, having spent over $150 million of his own money on the 2026 race—far outspending all rivals combined. This has led to accusations from both parties that he is trying to “buy” political office through a massive advertising blitz. (•) Lack of Government Experience: Unlike leading rivals like Xavier Becerra or Antonio Villaraigosa, Steyer has never held elected office. Critics argue he lacks the practical managerial skills required to lead the state’s complex government and that his failed 2020 presidential bid demonstrates a history of unsuccessful political campaigns.
    • Policy and Political Critique. (•) Policy “Flip-Flopping”: Steyer has been accused of reversing his stance on single-payer healthcare, which he once opposed but now champions as a centerpiece of his platform. (•) Economic Concerns: Business groups like the California Chamber of Commerce have attacked his plans for a billionaire tax and higher taxes on oil companies, warning they could drive investment out of the state and worsen the affordability crisis. (•) Democratic Establishment Friction: Steyer has a history of disagreements with party leadership, who often view his wealth-driven involvement in various races as disruptive rather than collaborative.

Some of his negatives don’t bother me. People can learn from their mistakes, and I believe that Steyer has divest from the problematic past business investments. Further, people often invest in funds that then invest in something they don’t believe it. It is hard to find well performing socially relevant funds (I know, I’ve tried). I don’t think such investments are disqualifying.

I have more of a problem with the campaign and electoral issues. I’ve had it with billionaires who buy their way into office. I didn’t like it with Trump and I don’t like it with Steyer. I also don’t like his lack of experience, even as I like his policies. Will he have the patience to work with the legislature, or will he try to be like an executive and force his policies?

As for the policy and political critique: He clearly learned on single payer, and the billionaire tax will be going to the voters.

He has a broad issues page, with lots of details and specifics to address each issue. Whether he could get all of this through the legislature remains to be seen.

His debate performance was strong, although he kept repeating the same slogans and platitudes (such as “look at who is funding the attacks on me”). He did tend to overattack a bit.

He has an incredibly large set of endorsements. Unions. Significant organizations. Significant elected leaders. His website could sort and present them better, but the quantity and quality of his endorsements are heads and shoulders over the other candidates.

Tier 2: Valid Candidate, But No Chance, Candidates

The Tier 2 candidates fall into two bunches. First, there are the well-known candidates that were considered in the top group, but then later withdrew from the election. Their names are still on the ballot due to timing issues. These folks have an ❌ instead of the ballot indicator ◯. The other folks have been generally polling at 5% or lower. They have been included in some of the debates, but that all depends on the percentage threshold used by the organization holding the debate. They really do not have sufficient votes to really have a chance, unless there is a significant change. Note that with the major candidates, I’m going to be using Google AI to provide a summary of the negatives of the candidates.

Tier 2.1: Withdrawn

❌ Eric Swalwell  [Withdrawn] (D)

Swalwell was the Congresscritter representing Congressional District 15 between 2013-2023, and District 14 between 2023-2026. Swalwell attended Campbell University and played soccer on a scholarship for the Campbell Fighting Camels from 1999 to 2001. He lost his scholarship in 2001 after breaking both his thumbs. He transferred to the University of Maryland, College Park and interned for U.S. Representative Ellen Tausche between 2001 and 2002. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in government and politics in 2003. In 2006, he received a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law. From 2006 to 2012, Swalwell worked as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County. He served on the Dublin Heritage & Cultural Arts Commission from 2006 to 2008 and on the Dublin Planning Commission from 2008 to 2010 before winning election to the Dublin City Council in 2010. (Wikipedia)

For the longest time, Eric Swalwell had been my favorite candidate. But then, more than a dozen women came out with allegations that he made them uncomfortable. And then, even more accounts of problematic behavior came out. None of the allegations have been proven in court yet, but the damage is done. The accusers were viewed as credible, and the general thinking was that multiple women would not come out with the accusations unless there was something behind them (because of the potential damage the accusers would cause to themselves). After the accusations had been out there a few days, Swalwell suspended his campaign. A few days after that, he resigned from Congress. He has not subsequently endorsed any of the candidates for the office.

As Swalwell withdrew after ballots had been printed, his name could not be removed from the ballot.

❌ Betty Yee  [Withdrawn] (D)

Betty Yee served as California State Controller from 2015 to 2023. Yee previously served as a member of the California State Board of Equalization from 2004 to 2015. In 2024, Yee announced her candidacy in the 2026 California gubernatorial election. She graduated University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology in 1979. In 1981, she graduated from Golden Gate University with a Master of Public Administration. Yee worked for the legislature and was then governor Gray Davis’s chief deputy director for budget. She then became the chief deputy to California State Board of Equalization member Carole Migden. She was appointed to fill the seat when Migden vacated it after being elected to the California State Senate.

On April 20, Yee dropped out of the race for Governor. In her message, she indicated she couldn’t see a path to get donors and additional support from undecided voters with six weeks left before the primary: “It was becoming clear that the donors were not going to be there. Even some of my former supporters just felt like they needed to move on as well.” At the time she left the race, she was polling in the low single digits, at the bottom of the second tier of candidates. She subsequently endorsed Tom Steyer.

As Yee withdrew after ballots had been printed, her name could not be removed from the ballot.

Tier 3.2: Below 5%

◯ Tony Thurmond (D)

Tony Krajewski Thurmond is currently the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction (since 2019). He was a member of the California State Assembly from 2014 to 2018. Thurmond attended Temple University, where he served as student body president, and went on to earn dual master’s degrees in law and social policy and social work from Bryn Mawr College. In the mid-2000s, Thurmond was the executive director of Beyond Emancipation, a social service agency providing aftercare services to youths leaving the child welfare and juvenile justice systems in Alameda County. Prior to being elected to the Assembly in 2014, he was a member of the Richmond City Council. Since 2004, Thurmond has pursued seven different elected offices: he ran unsuccessfully for Richmond City Council in 2004, was elected to the Richmond City Council in 2006, lost an election for State Assembly in 2008, won an election to the West Contra Costa School Board in 2008, created an exploratory committee for a potential State Senate campaign in 2009, was elected to the State Assembly in 2014, was re-elected to the State Assembly in 2016, and announced his campaign for State Superintendent in 2017. (Wikipedia)

I asked Google AI to summarize Thurmond’s negatives. It indicated that Thurmond has faced criticism regarding his management style, Department of Education leadership, and student performance during his tenure:

• • • Management and Workplace Allegations: (•) Toxic Workplace Allegations: In 2021, reports emerged from POLITICO and other outlets alleging that Thurmond created a hostile work environment. Former officials claimed he humiliated and intimidated staff, contributing to a high turnover rate of nearly two dozen senior aides. (•) Questionable Hiring Practices: He faced backlash for hiring a deputy superintendent who was living in Philadelphia while working for the California Department of Education, which critics viewed as a lapse in local accountability.
    • Educational Performance and Policy: (•) Student Achievement Gaps: Critics point to persistent struggles in California’s education system, noting that over half of students are not meeting standards in reading and math. While scores have shown some post-pandemic improvement, his record has been criticized for failing to significantly close long-standing achievement gaps. (•) Pandemic Response: His leadership during the COVID-19 school closures was frequently questioned by those who believed he lacked a clear, proactive strategy for helping districts navigate re-openings and learning loss. (•) Past Board Record: During his time as a trustee in the West Contra Costa Unified School District (2008–2012), critics noted that student performance deteriorated relative to state averages and facilities for at-risk students were poorly maintained.
    • Recent Political Challenges: (•) Power Struggle with Gov. Newsom: In early 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom proposed shifting oversight of the Department of Education away from the superintendent and toward the State Board of Education. While framed as “modernization,” the move was widely seen as a public reduction of Thurmond’s authority. (•) 2026 Gubernatorial Standing: As of May 2026, Thurmond has faced pressure from some party leaders to exit the governor’s race due to low polling numbers, which he has dismissed as a “waste of time”.

Thurmond has only been in one debate (KCBS), but everything I’ve read assessed his performance as very impressive. I would tend to agree. However, that performance has not been sufficient to move him up in the polls.

I reviewed his priorities page. His priorities are good, but they need more detail. I really think the folks that are citing “single payer health care” would clarify their position, because it does not mean free medical care. Even with Medicare, people are paying premiums (often, they are deducted straight from Social Security). It is just there is a single centralized source for claims and payments, which reduces a lot of the processing infrastructure and overhead. He really needs to provide more specifics about his proposals.

He has a larger number of endorsements than Villaraigosa in some areas. He has a smaller number of construction unions (3),  but he has California Faculty Association. He has some Democratic clubs, and some black affinity organizations. He has more elected officials, notably Barbara Lee and Pilar Schiavo (our assemblycritter), and a fairly large number of local elected leaders and school-related leaders.

I liked Thurmond based on his debate performance, but he is so far behind in the polls he won’t be able to recover.

◯ Antonio Villaraigosa (D)

Antonio Villaraigosa is an American politician who served as the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the Majority Leader from 1996 to 1998 and Speaker of the California State Assembly from 1998 to 2000. Antonio Villaraigosa overcame a troubled youth, including being expelled from high school, to earn a Bachelor of Arts in History from UCLA (1977) and a Juris Doctor from the People’s College of Law. He attended East Los Angeles College before transferring to UCLA.

I asked Google AI to summarize Villaraigosa’s negatives. It indicated that Antonio Villaraigosa’s career has been marked by significant personal scandals, ethics issues, and political losses, most notably a 2018 third-place finish in the California governor’s race despite high spending. Key negatives include an extramarital affair, consulting for a controversial company (Herbalife), and criticism regarding a “red-carpet” focus.

• • • Affair and Divorce: In 2007, Villaraigosa’s marriage ended amid a widely reported extramarital affair with a television reporter. He faced severe public backlash for his handling of the situation, with critics labeling his actions “smarmy and self-serving”.
    • Ethics Violations: He was forced to pay over $42,000 in fines in 2010 for accepting excessive free tickets to prestigious events like the Oscars and Lakers games while mayor.
    • Herbalife Consultation: After leaving office, he worked as an advisor to Herbalife Nutrition, a company criticized as a pyramid scheme that targeted Latino communities.
    • 2018 Governor’s Race Loss: Despite spending $32 million, Villaraigosa finished third in the 2018 California gubernatorial primary. Critics noted he entered the race late and failed to gain traction with key Latino voters.
    • Perception of “Red Carpet” Focus: Editorial criticism from his time as mayor suggested he was more focused on the perks of office—such as rubbing shoulders with celebrities—than managing city operations.
    • Questioned Legislative Record: While he highlighted a drop in crime, some critics argued that he took credit for citywide trends that were occurring nationwide, arguing that his business-friendliness ratings remained low.
    • Time Away From Office: As of early 2026, critics have also pointed to his time away from office, as he has not held a government position since 2013, making it difficult for him to build momentum in new campaigns.

I do not have a high opinion of Villaraigosa, as I remember well his stint as Mayor. He was better than his Republican opposition, but I don’t remember significant improvement in the city under his watch.

He has detailed issues information available on his campaign page. I’m sure we’ve all heard them well: he has covered them during the KCBS, NBC 4, and CNN debates. Many of the Democrats have similar positions on the subjects; the truth of the matter is that any of the top Democrats would make a good Governor. There are some notable areas of concern in his positions:

• • • Crypto: He seems to want to protect the use of Crypto.
    • Gas Prices: He seems to believe that drilling for gas locally will lower gas prices. That’s not true: It won’t change the price of a barrel of oil because that’s based on market prices. What will lower prices is increasing refinery capacity and potentially using the same blend as other states (although that has air quality issues).

His behavior during the debates really didn’t impress me. I still remember his characterization as “All of the Above”. He was doing a lot of attacking of other candidates, often to the detriment of actually answering the question. At times, he also seemed a bit more hesitant.

He has a very small number of endorsements. Notable elected official endorsements include Karen Bass and Barbara Boxer. He has six construction unions, and the Police Officers Research Association. That’s a pretty light slate of unions.

Tier 3: Hopefuls, Kooks, and Nuts

Any political season draws a number of candidates for office who realistically have no chance of winning, especially under California’s “jungle primary” system. Some of these fall into the kooks and nuts category. Some are more broadly hopeful. Some are angry at the system and are expressing that anger by running for office, hoping to change the system. Some just want to change the system because of some injustice that they see, or because they believe their unique view isn’t being heard. So I’ll do my best to summarize their view (and if I can’t, I might as Google AI to give it a try). They may represent traditional parties, or they may represent parties that don’t meet the thresholds for state recognition, or they might be truly independent (truly hating the party system). These folks have a number of things in common. First, they are polling below the level of significance (typically, below 1-2%). Second, they have no endorsements (unless I note otherwise).

So why do I take the time to go through them all? First, being on the ballot is a form of speech. I may disagree with their speech (and for some I disagree strongly), but they deserve to be heard. Isn’t that all what we are striving for—to have someone hear us? Second, this is a ballot deep dive, and that means I need to explore every candidate on the ballot. It would be intellectually dishonest to do otherwise.

I’m going to break this tier down a bit further to separate the more “grounded in reality” candidates from the kooks and nuts.

Tier 3.1: Below Viability Candidates with Complete Positions

◯ Larry D. Azevedo (D)

Azevedo earned and Associate Degree in the Auto Diesel Industry from the Arizona Technical and Trade School in Tucson. Following his technical education, he converted a barn on his family’s property into an auto and truck repair shop, which he continues to operate. In the Cotton Industry, he worked his way up from a Yard Man at the Dos Palos Co-op Gin to become a Head Pressman and Assistant Ginner. In the Tomato industry, he served as a state grader for tomatoes during the harvest season. He also started a trucking company (later sold to his brothers), and has invested in real estate.

His campaign website has three distinct issues pages. The first issue page provides his positions on the Economy, Education, Tech Innovation, Infrastructure, Income Inequality, Immigration, Racial Inequality, the LGBTQ+ Community, and Women’s Rights. The second issues page covers healthcare, mental health, social security, climate change, gun control, and criminal justice. The third (and last) issues page covers civic engagement, agriculture policy, energy, international affairs, and homeland security. His materials are presented in large text blocks, which make them hard to read and digest. They seem to be reasonable ideas, but do not provide details on how they would get through the legislature, or how they would be funded.

His candidacy provides an interesting perspective on progressive ideas through a central valley lens.

◯ Carolina Buhler (D)

Buhler is an undergraduate at UCLA studying Earth and Environmental Science. She has done a internship at NASA Glenn Research Center, tutored physics and computer science in the Riverside Community College District, and interned in plant cell biology at UC Riverside. Her campaign is building on her history of civil rights advocacy.

She collects her policies into what she calls a Dignity Policy Bundle. The Statewide Core Protections (The Dignity Spine) are: (1) Rent Rebate Program; (2) Wildfire Prevention; (3) Abolish Racial Raids and End State Targeting of Immigrants in California Enforcement; (4) End ICE Detention in California; (5) End Mass Incarceration; (6) Mental Health Crisis Teams; (7) Tiny Home Villages; (8) Ultra-Wealthy Tax Reform; and (9) Total: 5.9 billion surplus /year. For each, she identifies what it does, who pays, and the impact.

Her candidacy is driven by her passion for civil rights.

◯ Elaine Culotti (—)

Elaine Culotti, a/k/a “Lipstickfarmer”, is the former owner of PortaBella, and is now involved with something called 559 FARMTRAIN. Her personal webpage describes her as “Real estate developer, interior designer, founder of House of Rock, and farm to table farmer, Elaine Culotti currently stars on the second season of the discovery+ reality series “Undercover Billionaire””

On her campaign page, she has published policy positions in the following areas: 01 Criminal Justice & Public Safety; 02 Immigration & Workforce; 03 Economy, Jobs & Industry; 04 Agriculture & Land Use; 05 Healthcare; 06 Civil Rights & Culture; 07 Voting & Governance Reform; 08 Education & Youth; 09 Environment & Energy. Her positions appear to be somewhat progressive. For example, under 06, she writes: (•) Support gay rights and equal protection under the law; (•) Oppose gender transition medical procedures for minors; (•) Personally against abortion but support a woman’s right to choose; (•) Strong protection of First Amendment free speech rights. Voting rights is another mixed area: She supports Voter ID, but opposes Citizens United. Her education one is similarly mixed, but with a little dogwhistle thrown in: “Promote teaching diverse viewpoints while preventing political or ideological indoctrination”. She’s across the board. She does provide links to full details of her positions.

It is hard to know what to make of her candidacy. On one hand, she’s a reality TV star with no political background. But she also provides a reasonable set of policies that whipsaw between progressive and Conservative. She’s confusing that way.

◯ Randeep Dhillon (R)

Dr. Randeep S. Dhillon, Ph.D., is a Punjabi-American Economist, Farmer, and Sociologist. He immigrated from Punjab, India, to California in 1986. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in finance and economics in California.

He’s running as a Republican, but oddly the key emphasis of his campaign is government funded healthcare, and in particular, free healthcare for every Californian. That’s more of a progressive position.

He wants to reform the AB5 ABC test. For those unfamiliar with that test, it is the one that determines what makes someone like a Lyft or Uber driver an independent contractor vs. an employee. Given the 18-wheeler trucks he shows in his ads, my guess is that he is concerned about that test being applied to truckers. There are a large number of Indian truckers based in the central valley. Dhillon is based in Bakersfield, CA.

His website details a broad set of policies across a wide set of areas. Many of them are farm and agricultural based. Many of his policies are on the progressive side, other than his emphasis on fossil fuel development and his opposition to tax increases.

His candidacy appears to be based in central valley concerns: improving the life for farmers and those involved with the food systems. He is not as rigidly into the social issues as other Republicans… however…

Dhillon is behind the MASA movement. The MASA Movement, which stands for Make America Safe Again, is a grassroots organization based in Bakersfield, California founded by Dr Randeep S. Dhillon, who supports Donald Trump, and advocates for restoring safety and security in the United States. The movement has gained significant momentum, with hundreds of thousands of supporters voicing their concern about family safety, neighborhood well-being, and personal security.

◯ Sophia Edum-a-Sam (D)

Sophia Edum-a-Sam is a landscape designer for the Baltimore City Recreation & Parks Department. Befor that, she was a staff landscape architect for Dewberry, an entry level landscape architect for Morris & Ritchie Associates, a Junior Landscape Designer for Bob Jackson Landscapes, and an intern at Cayuga Landscape Company. Most of this was in Maryland. She has a degree in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University, and a degree in Landscape Architecture from The Ohio State University. (and, yes, this is the correct bio as her LinkedIn page shows a “Sophia Edum-a-Sam for Governor” banner)

She does have a detailed issues and plans page. She starts with 3 pillars: (1) Lowering the cost of living and building economic security; (2) Expanding opportunity through equity and investment; (3) Building a resilient and sustainable California for the future. She then has specific plans within each pillar to achieve those goals.

She also has a detailed healthcare plan. It too has multiple pillars: (1) Affordable Access; (2) Prevention Focus; (3) Mental Health; (4) Integrated Care; and (5) Cost Reduction.

Her “Why I’m Running” page has even more policies buried in it. These focus on AI-driven job loss, and public safety and police reform. She indicates she is pro-choice, pro-trans, and pro-same-sex marriage.

She does note that she has used AI to develop her policies, writing: “As a one-woman campaign for most of this journey, I personally met every single person who nominated me, listened to their real concerns about rent, healthcare, jobs, and mental health, and researched solutions right away. Because I’m building this mostly alone, I’ve relied heavily on AI to scale outreach, analyze data, and draft policy, but I never lose sight that AI is a tool, not a replacement for human connection.”

Her page, however, fails to answer the key question: Why California? After all, her life and experience are in Maryland. Her family is out that way. So why isn’t she running for the Governor of Maryland. Why California?

Her candidacy is driven by something I see common in immigrant candidates, and that she expresses well on her website: “I truly believe people like me, immigrants, daughters of single mothers and everyday workers need to be in leadership positions.” There are so many immigrants or children of immigrants who run based out of this drive.

◯ Serge Fiankan (—)

Serge Fiankan is a Global Sales Consultant, CEO and Founder of Wateule Wamungu LDA, a biomimicry-drive real estates development firm. He is a real estate broker at Akwaba Real Estate, and was formerly with Century 21 Troop Real Estate in Moorpark. He has a BA in Broadcast Telecommunications from San Francisco State. He previously ran for Governor in 2022, receiving 0.1% of the vote.

He’s running for a reason that seems common for these underdog candidates: “because too many Californians feel the system is no longer working for them. Families work harder yet fall further behind. Housing is increasingly out of reach. Government programs lack transparency, accountability, and measurable outcomes. He believes leadership should be grounded in lived experience, honesty, and results, not slogans or party talking points. SF is running to restore trust in government by making every program measurable and public; to bring affordability back into reach for working families; and to build a resilient California whose energy, water, and infrastructure systems are sustainable, reliable, and locally driven.”

His platform is built in three layers: five core pillars, twelve vision areas, and detailed plans. The pillars are (1) Honest, Open Government; (2) A Livable California; (3) Real Paths to Opportunity; (4) A Future that Works; and (5) Stronger, Safer Communities. These are then broken into the 12 vision areas: 1. Families First; 2. Economic Independence; 3. Healthcare & Family Security; 4. Government That Works; 5. Energy & Environmental Resilience; 6. Technology & Access; 7. Tax & Infrastructure: Fair Funding for California’s Future; 8. Public Safety & Preparedness; 9. Seniors & Tax Relief; 10. Parental Rights & Education; 11. Homelessness & Housing Solutions; and 12. Risk Mitigation & Governance

I reviewed his details in these areas, particularly looking for problematic dog whistles. I started with parental rights. He does mention “Parental authority pilots”, but has no mentions about curriculum content. His family first policy is progressive, and makes no mention of “traditional” family stuff.  Overall, his plans look good; he expands upon them in a detailed plans and policy hub.

Overall, I like his approach. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the vision or support to get much further. Visionaries often don’t. Additionally, his lack of government experience raises the question of whether he would have the ability to get his plans successfully through the legislature, or be able to perform the budget magic to pull them off.

His candidacy seems to be drive by a desire to fix the direction of California.

◯ Max Fomin (—)

Max Fomin appears to be the owner at No Bold, a company specializing in Scalp Micropigmentation SOlutions, as well as the owner at Plainsurgar. Befor that, he was managing sales and branding projects for MST, FER, and ICDC colleges. He did business development at ParkMe, and sales at ReneSola. He has a BS in Marketing from CSU Dominguez Hills.

His campaign website, calls “newmericans”, indicates that he aims to tackle the “California Tax” on everyday life. He writes: “From freezing utility rate hikes to cutting the red tape that makes housing so expensive. My goal is to make sure middle class and low-income families can actually afford to live in the state they love.” His plan, at a high level, is to “Will veto California’s milage tax, suffocate homelessness, assassinate unemployment, nuke crime, house the unhoused, prosecute statewide corruption, invest in profitable industries, will investigate Veil of Secrecy bill, will retire SB947 & Prop 36, like my coffee iced out.” His website provides links to plans addressing Public Safety, Homelessness, Housing, Roads, Immigration, and Growth.

Being a Highway Guy, I took a look at his page on Road, which actually links to a page titled “Economy“. His solutions are very high level: “we will say no to foreign investments coming from China, Quatar, and other countries that could destabilize our local and state market. We will focus on creating manufacturing hubs funded by state to train our future workforce that will increase the number of jobs available for Californians. One of the biggest steps that we will undertake will be completely rebuilding California’s aging infrastructure, making it more futuristic and efficient. ” He needs more details on what he specifically wants to do.

I took a look at some of his other plans. They are similarly single paragraphs, and they are similar to proposals made by other candidates (for example, going after large corporate owners of housing). His plans are somewhat moderate; they don’t appear to veer into the traditional progressive. I don’t see anything particularly novel in them.

His candidacy seems to be driven by a desire to improve California, although his approach is naïve.

◯ Derek Grasty (D)

Grasty is a School Board Trustee for the Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District (elected in 2024 and 2020). He is also a Mentor/Coach for the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, and Past President of VVP Productions. He has Bachelors and Masters of Music degrees from University of Michigan.  He also ran for the East Union High School District in 2018 (6.3% of the vote) and 2016 (6.65% of the vote)

His campaign website lists the following areas of policy: (1) Strategic Action on Homelessness; (2) Education: TK–14 and Beyond; (3) Business and Labor: A Strong, Fair Economy; (4) California Strong: Equity, Power, and Progress; (5) Healthcare That Works for All; (6) Housing and Fiscal Accountability; and (7) Climate. In each area he lists 3-5 things he plans to do. They seem reasonably progressive.

He does have a specific thrust on education. He proposes a specific resolution to increase the qualifications of superintendents. He has a large number of supporters for this resolution.

He also has a proposed penal code amendment to protect Californians from kidnapping by unidentified agents without proper credentials. His solution is to (1) Require Proper Identification: All law enforcement must display visible identification including name tags, badges, and proper credentials during arrests.; (2) Mandate Visible Credentials: Prohibit face coverings and plain clothes during arrests without proper warrants signed by a judge; and (3) Protect Citizens’ Rights: Guarantee citizens’ right to verify authority and seek peaceful relief from potential kidnappers. This amendment has a large number of supporters.

He has a few personal endorsements.

Based on the specific amendments on his campaign website, his candidacy seems to be driven by concerns he has seen in his Elementary School District and by the abuses of ICE. He then built this into a larger campaign.

◯ Lewis Herms (—)

Not much is known about this fellow. His bio on his website says a lot without saying much. He did fill out the Ballotpedia profile. In that profile, he writes: “As the “Anti-Politician”, I will lead California with a no BS approach. I founded ScrewBigGov.com and Freedom In Action to expose the truth and motivate We The People to take action. My family and I have sacrificed immensely in this battle to free our planet from tyrannical control. Even through all these hardships I have lead with perseverance and will NOT yield until every man, woman and child is rid of this Globalist death grip! With God’s guidance I will always put “We The People” first and will NOT cave to political pressure, bribes or threats. Our team will lead the charge against the globalist agenda. This is not just a movement; it is a rallying cry for patriots everywhere, a symbol of resistance against tyranny.”

When I did the search for him, Google indicated that people who searched for him also search for Don Grundmann, the fellow who did the antisemitic screen in the candidate statements. That could be because both are running for Governor. It could also be because both are antisemitic nut jobs. The latter is a possibility because of Herms’ fights against the “globalist agenda”. The American Jewish Committee, in their hate speak directory, notes that “globalist is a coded word for Jews who are seen as international elites conspiring to weaken or dismantle “Western” society using their international connections and control over big corporations (see New World Order)—all echoing the destructive theory that Jews hold greed and tribe above country.” When you read a politician’s page complaining about globalists or globalism, it is often this dog whistle in use. The More You Know.

He had a GiveSendGo funding page that was batshit crazy, indicating that he is an Independent Conservative and running as such because his “intent to expose the parasitical controllers that run California” is not limited to one party: “This is NOT limited to the Democratic party of Gavin Newsom, Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff and Maxine Waters. It also includes the Parisitic Rebublicans that pretend to be your Allies while stabbing We The People in the back all to line their pockets with millions of dollars.”

His campaign website is a bit more normal. It does present a limited platform focusing on some common Conservative conspiracy areas: (1) Human Trafficking Networks; (2) Poisoning of the Food Supply; (3) Restoring Effective Education; (4) Reducing Abortions. His solutions page has additional positions: (5) Making Housing Affordable Again; (6) Addressing Homelessness; (7) Exposing and Eliminating Government Waste; (8) Ending a rigged economic system; … and there’s lots more.

I started out thinking this guy is batshit crazy, and belonged in Tier 3.3. Now I think he is just a heavily Conservative candidate, at the level of MAGA-crazy, not kooks and nuts. Sometimes it is hard to drawn the line.

His candidacy seems to be driving by hatred of the direction he sees California moving.

◯ Matthew (Chase) Levy (D)

Levy is a scientist with a Ph.D. in Physics from Rice University and experience as a researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He was the first American physicist awarded the Isaac Newton International Fellowship. He was an honorary fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford. He is the founder and chairman of NobleAI, a company found to create scalable AI technology. He is also the founder of Blue Capital, a VC think tank. He has a Masters from University of Oxford, and a PhD in Physics from Rice University. He evidently did his undergrad in Physics at UCLA.

Reading his “Meet Matt” page, he gives off vibes similar to Tom Steyer. It notes: “Matthew believes that those who have been fortunate owe something in return. In 2022, he founded the Baruch Spinoza Scholarship at the University of Oxford in honour of Sir Isaiah Berlin, the philosopher who founded Wolfson College. The scholarship supports graduate students pursuing knowledge for its own sake – the kind of curiosity-driven work that often leads to the biggest breakthroughs. In 2023, he founded AE Blue – a venture capital fund dedicated to giving back to science, technology, and clean energy communities.”. He goes on: “He is running for Governor because he sees California at a crossroads. The state still invents the future, but it is losing its ability to build it. Housing is unaffordable. Energy costs are rising. Wildfire seasons grow longer. Too many families are one emergency away from crisis. And too often, Sacramento responds with promises instead of plans.”

His page identifies six policy areas: (1) Cost of Living and Housing; (2) Education and Job Pathways; (3) Innovation and AI; (4) Land, Water, and Environment; (5) Clean Energy and Security; and (6) Uniting Californians. He then has a full roadmap to implement them. Each has multiple pillars, identified measures of success, and a specific plan to pay for them. It is all very impressive and well thought out.

I’m impressed with this guy. Alas, he’s in the group at the bottom of the polls.

His candidacy comes from a clear desire to give back to California.

◯ Daniel Mercuri (—) (R/MAGA)

According to Ballotpedia, Daniel Mercuri was born in Santa Ana, California. Mercuri served in the United States Navy from 1998 to 2003. He earned associate degrees in broadcast and communications from Los Angeles Valley College in 2006. Mercuri’s career experience includes co-founding a production company and working as its CEO, as a partner and chief financial officer of a private investment group, an advertising professional, an author, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu professor, and a boxing coach. Mercuri has been affiliated with Veterans in Media and Entertainment (VME).

He ran for Governor in 2022, receiving 0.5% of the vote. He also ran in the recall election for Gavin Newsom, receiving 0.1% of the vote. He also ran in the 2020 Congressional District 25 special election, receiving 1.6% of the vote. In the general primary election that same year, he received 0.6% of the vote.

Although he is supposedly independent, he takes a MAGAish stance, with quotes like: “American ascendancy and self-governance has been despoiled by a single locution, progressiveness to which California is praised for.” and “Prison is the solution for corrupt government representatives. Nothing less will do!”.

His policies page details policies in a large number of areas (yes, he uses all caps): TAXES, GUN LAWS, CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING, POLICE REFORM, HOMELESS, CLIMATE CHANGE, HEALTH CARE, VACCINATIONS, ABORTIONS, ILLEGAL ALIENS, EDUCATION, SOCIAL MEDIA, MEDICAL BOARD, CALIFORNIA VETERANS, FARMERS AND WATER, ELECTRICITY BLACKOUTS, and VOTER ID. Sampling some of these policies: he is very strongly pro gun, and wants California to be a “stand your ground” state. He wants to end all forestry and fire fighting D.E.I programs. He has this doozy when talking about fire prevention: “All plans that are cloud seeding, chem-trailing California skies or blocking out the sun will be escorted to a military base or shot down. Let God’s green earth and its weather take its natural course. ” He is strongly anti-vaccine in many, many ways; this is perhaps the mildest: “Remove and nullify ALL vaccine CA. State mandates, policies and regulations….permanently! Government has no authority to control the behavior of the people.” He is strongly anti-abortion. He is strongly anti-immigrant and would cooperate with ICE. With respect to what he calls “working aliens”, he believes “the vast majority have done nothing but abuse and take advantage of our systems, showing zero loyalty to America”. He wants mandatory Voter ID with the rolls purged every 2 years so people must reregister. Those are just some highlights.

His values clearly (IMHO) do not resonate with the bulk of California’s values (although it is up to the voters to decide). Still, he doesn’t quite fall into the “kook” category, as his values would be perfectly acceptable in a place like Indiana or Alabama or Wyoming.

His candidacy is driven by conspiracy theories and a hatred of things that don’t fit his notion of whitebread America.

◯ Leo Naranjo IV (R)

Leo Naranjo IV is an office worker in the Federal Government for 6 years, after which he retired. He says it was a quiet job that kept him busy. Before that, he was an Eligibility Specialst in the Department of Human Assistance in Sacramento for 11 years, a Key Data Operator at the Franchise Tax Board, a Private Security Officer for organizations such as Kaiser Permanente, and a Sergeant E-5 in the US Army. He has a general education degree from University of Maryland, Overseas Branch.

He explicitly notes on his webpage that he held a clearance and what that clearance was. I was taught, when I got my clearance, that you don’t give the details of your clearance to anyone that didn’t need to know it; you certainly don’t post it publicly.

He makes odd statements on his campaign site (although I guess they are typical for Republicans these days): “After 30 years of watching my State being led blindly down the path of Socialism”.

Reviewing his Key Points: He seems to be on the edge, if not centered in, MAGA views. He starts off with “end Sanctuary Status in California; end the components of SB-54 for our Law Enforcement officials”, which is something I’ve heard from Biancho. He has a forceful approach; for example, for the homeless, he says “Assistance refusal will no longer be the option”. He is using MAGA dog whistles: “We will instill Parental rights, support our Teaching staff, insist on Education not indoctrination”

He is endorsed by a small number of private individuals.

His candidacy seems driven by a sincere desire to implement his views (MAGAish). It is unclear the extent to which he understands the full workings of state government.

◯ Mauro Alberto Orozco (—)

Ballotpedia notes that Mauro Alberto Orozco earned a high school diploma from Manual Arts High School and an associate degree from Compton College in 1996. He also attended William Penn University. Orozco’s career experience includes being a small business owner. He has had a number of jobs: Car Washer/Detailer at Felix Chevrolet; a uniform delivery man; a Uber/Lyft driver; doing event and mall security; doing maintenance at William Penn University; being a baseball coach at Warren High School; being a Water Delivery Man; working the deli department at a HyVee supermarket in Iowa; being a truck driver.

His campaign webpage lists a number of priorities: (1) Addressing Government Fraud and Spending; (2) Addressing Homelessness; (3) Supporting Second Amendment Rights and Concealed Carry Permits; (4) Oil Independence; (5) Eliminating the California Air Resource Board; (6) Addressing Wells Fargo and Unresolved Consumer Fraud; (7) Elimination of the notion of Eminent Domain; and (8) Addressing the Cost of Living. A number of his ideas are radical or problematic, such as “address homelessness by relocating all homeless individuals to newly constructed rehabilitation centers”, or “the complete elimination of the California Air Resource Board (CARB) to reduce bureaucracy and lower costs” (which would require the legislature’s consent). He does not provide specific details regarding how he would achieve all of these goals, and doesn’t seem to have a clear understanding of how the state government works with regard to the legislature and state agencies.

His core message has the following points: • Public safety with accountability and compassion; • Economic growth that helps workers and small businesses; • Respect for family, freedom, and local communities; • Independent leadership that puts California ahead of party agendas; and • A practical approach to reform without losing order or stability.

His candidacy seems sincere, and he does care about the issues. He also seems a bit naïve.

◯ Thunder Parley (D)

Thunder Parley is a Software Engineer at Google (18 years); before that, he was a Software Engineer at HP. He has a BS in Computer Science/Math from Pepperdine. He wants a safer and more affordable California for our children, elderly, veterans and all of the Golden State’s hard-working residents and business owners.

His main focus is tackling the affordability problem in California. This is made clear on his campaign page. His priorites are the affordability crisis, jobs and the economy, public health and safety, and education. He does have a full platform that details problems and solutions.  Most are reasonable. He wants to do loads of fiscal audits, and wants to increase the use of AI. I’m surprised he doesn’t suggest AI to do the fiscal auditing. The problem I have reading through his proposals is that I don’t think he has a deep understanding of how the state government, state budgets, and the spending process words. As such, they come off a bit simplistic. However, the basic ideas are reasonable starting points for the development of policy.

He has also specified three policy plans. Examples includes (1) Pushing Teachers to the LIMIT; (2) The MATH Plan: The Most Equitable Tax Code in California History; and (3) Play: The Sacramento Shakedown.

His candidacy seems a sincere attempt to get his ideas across.

◯ Raji Rab (D)

Ah, Raji Rab. A perennial candidate here in Southern California. He ran for US Senate in 2024 getting 0.2% of the vote; for CD 32 in 2022 getting 1.8% of the vote; for CD 30 in 2020 getting 4.7% of the vote; for LA CD 12 in 2019 getting 1.5% of the vote; for CD 30 in 2018 getting 5.3% of the vote; and for CD 30 in 2016 getting 5.8% of the vote.

He is an aviator, educator, and an entrepreneur. He graduated with his commercial pilot license from Laverne, CA, and then became a flight instructor, chief pilot, owned and operated a flight school, an airline, and now a computer infrastructure and training facility. He served over 25 years in civil rights, human rights, community events, charities, toy drives, mentoring students, serving food to the homeless, supporting schools and law enforcement programs to build bridges with the community.

His campaign website is annoying. Pages start playing audio upon loading. They are laid out strange and hard to navigate. The best way to characterize it is that the layout is too busy. As I recall, they’ve been that way throughout his campaigns.

He does have an issues page. After the annoying audio and a number of annoying graphics, you get to the heart of the page where he states his high level plans. He covers the following areas: Economy; Global Investments; Healthcare for All; Education and Student Relief; Environment; Housing Welfare, Homelessness, and Poverty; Rescue Ranch; Equality and Social Justice; Women’s Right to Choose; Fund and Support for Seniors; Film Credit; Strengthen Social Security and Tax Relief; Public Safety, National Security, and Gun Control; Immigration Amnesty; Constitutional Rights; Tourism and Foreign Relations; Partisan Political Climate; Improve Parks and Recreation; Drought; Protection of Animal Rights; Corruption; Democracy – Elections; and (whew) COVID Recovery. As you can see: quite comprehensive. He has lots of ideas. He doesn’t have a lot of details, nor does his describe how he would work with the entities of state government to achieve everything.

His candidacy seem to be driven by a sincere wish to give back to the public sector (I’ve noticed this is common for immigrants that have found success). He’s never quite made it, but he keeps trying.

◯ Ramsey Robinson (P&F) (Socialist)

Ramsey Robinson is a mental health social worker, organizer, and revolutionary based in San Francisco. A graduate of California State University, Los Angeles, where he earned his Master of Social Work, Ramsey has consistently merged his academic expertise with grassroots activism.  Ramsey’s organizing spans multiple fronts. As a key member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and the Peace and Freedom Party of California, he has been instrumental in campaigns demanding justice for victims of police brutality. He founded and supports a Student Socialist Club at the high school where he works, empowering youth to organize Know Your Rights trainings for their community amidst the growing threat of ICE raids on undocumented communities.

His proposed program has the following thrusts, each of which has more detail behind it: ★ A government for the people, not the wealthy ★ Housing is a Human Right: Homes for People, not for Profit ★ Free Universal Healthcare For Everyone, Covering Everything ★ Fully Fund Public Schools: Free Quality Education for All ★ Full Rights for Immigrants: No Deportations ★ Save our planet from capitalism ★ Guaranteed Union Jobs and Living Wages for All ★ End the War on Black America ★ Defend Women’s Rights, Full Equality for LGBTQ People ★ Divest from Israel: Free California from Complicity.

As always a reminder of the difference between Socialism and Democratic Socialism (think Bernie Sanders) is appropriate here. Democratic Socialism is a philosophy that advocates for a democratic political system alongside a socially owned or regulated economy, aiming to meet public needs over private profit. It seeks to achieve social justice, economic equality, and worker empowerment through democratic, electoral means rather than revolution, differentiating it from authoritarian socialism. Socialism, on the other hand, is an economic and political system based on public or collective ownership of the means of production, rather than private ownership. It focuses on reducing inequality through social control of resources, with production geared toward human use rather than profit. It often involves state regulation or planning of the economy.

He is endorsed by the “Vote Socialist” movement.

His candidacy is driven by revolutionary zeal.

◯ Reza Safarnejad (—)

Reza Safarnejad is a Criminal Forensics Data Scientist/CTO at 2nd Logic. Before that, he was CTO in the Medical Science and Computing Office at NIH/NLM/NCBI. He was also an IT Program Manager for Lockheed Martin at NIH/NCI, a Senior Software Engineer at Lydian Trust, and an IT Manager at NASDAQ. He has a Bachelors in Computer Science from University of Maryland.

His campaign page lists a set of eight priorities: (1) Housing Reform; (2) Affordability; (3) Homelessness (4) Public Safety; (5) Education; (6) Environment; (7) Healthcare, and (8) Fire Prevention. Each has a lot more details behind it, with specifics solutions detailed. Common themes across his solutions and priorities are detailed audits of government spending; breaking up monopolies across the board; treating the homeless like humans; holding lawyers responsible; backing law enforcement and fully funding police departments; paying teachers better; addressing disparities between poor and rich neighborhood schools; breaking up medical monopolies or institute single payer; improve infrastructure for clean energy; break up insurance monopolies. He does have some interesting lines, such as “Bring back public and individual responsibility; Condoning harassing behavior such as loud pipes on cars and street take overs has resulted in spread of social decay.”

Although he is running as an independent, he is clearly leaning towards the progressive side.

His candidacy seems to be driven by a desire to get his particular solutions into the public arena.

◯ Christine Sarmiento (—)

According to Ballotpedia, Christine Sarmiento earned a high school diploma from the Del Pilar Academy, an associate degree from Pasadena City College in 2010, and a bachelor’s degree from Western Governors University in 2024. Sarmiento’s career experience includes working as a registered nurse. Her website indicates she has dual backgrounds as an Operations Manager in the private service industry and a Public Health Nurse in community healthcare.

She has a realistic campaign website, although it doesn’t have a lot of details. She identifies two key highlights: (1) Lowering the cost of living with affordable housing, lowered fees, and ending costly bureaucracy for all Californians; and (2) Top down accountability and transparency. Eliminating waste, improving efficiency, and making sure every dollar works for the people.

An article for a nurses organization expresses her views a bit more: the working class should represent themselves rather than rely on traditional politicians to do it for them. Sarmiento has stated, “For the longest time, politicians have been telling us and promising us that they will speak for us, the working class. But after all these issues with affordability, I think it’s time that we speak for ourselves.” This article notes that her campaign emphasizes addressing homelessness, improving healthcare access, promoting education and infrastructure, and fostering unity across political lines. These are policy areas directly tied to her professional experience managing public health systems and coordinating complex operations.

Her candidacy seems driven by  a desire to improve things.

◯ Gretha Solórzano (R)

Solorzano is a retired scientist with 30 years of experience in the energy sector. She has a BS in Nuclear Engineering from UC Berkeley. She characterizes herself as a “moderate conservative” — socially progressive and fiscally conservative. She also writes that she is a Christian, a Zionist, a scientist, and a change agent.

She has a policy page that details her policies. In general, they are a mix between stuff you might see on the progressive side and traditional conservative policies. No excessive MAGA philosophy or dog-whistles. She favors a flat tax. She wants to respect women and let them make their own decisions about their bodies. She wants limited government. She wants to cut the gas tax. She isn’t against high speed rail, but wants the project audited. She wants to reform the business tax system. She wants to reintroduce nuclear energy and modernize the grid to handle solar, wind, thermal, and batteries. She thinks addiction and mental illness are the key drivers of homelessness. She wants school choice, but doesn’t use the more MAGA references about parental choice or indoctrination. She supports privatized healthcare. She has normal Conservative public safety views. As I said: All across the map, mixing conservative and progressive stances.

She has a strange webpage that includes images of printed manifestos. She appears to be self-funding and not asking for donations.

Her candidacy seems to be driven by the desire to get her views out there.

◯ Margaret Trowe (—) (Socialist Workers Party)

Trowe was the 2000 United States VP candidate for the Socialist Workers Party; she also appeared as their VP candidate in 2004 in those states where official candidate Arrin Hawkins was excluded from the ballot for being constitutionally ineligible to serve as vice president. Trowe ran for United States Senator from Iowa in 1998 and received 2,542 votes. She also received one write-in vote for President of the United States in the 2004 election. In 2006, she was a candidate for Florida’s 18^th congressional district. In 2020, Trowe once again ran for a seat on the United States Senate. She was a candidate for Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky in the 2022 Louisville mayoral election.

Trowe is a hotel worker and member of UNITE HERE. She’s using her campaign to build solidarity with union struggles.

She does not appear to have a campaign website. Her candidate statement hews the Socialist line. She calls for union-backed fight for amnesty for undocumented workers to build working-class unity. She is against racism, for women’s rights and against Washington’s wars, from Vietnam to Venezuela. She defends Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, and stands against antisemitism. She supports the Cuban Revolution. She defends free speech, due process, other Constitutional protections. She believes workers need to take political power—the only solution to world capitalist economic, political, and moral crisis and the only way to stop the capitalist rulers’ march to World War III. As I said: Normal socialist stuff.

For all those who are complaining about the Democratic Socialist candidates out there, saying that they are socialist: Trowe is much more along the lines of the real socialists. You’ll notice she says nothing about Medicare for All, or social services for all. Her focus is the workers and revolution. As I’ve said before, and I’ll say again: Democratic Socialism is a philosophy that advocates for a democratic political system alongside a socially owned or regulated economy, aiming to meet public needs over private profit. It seeks to achieve social justice, economic equality, and worker empowerment through democratic, electoral means rather than revolution, differentiating it from authoritarian socialism. Socialism, on the other hand, is an economic and political system based on public or collective ownership of the means of production, rather than private ownership. It focuses on reducing inequality through social control of resources, with production geared toward human use rather than profit. It often involves state regulation or planning of the economy.

Her candidacy seems driven by Socialist passion (which is common for those with that alignment).

◯ Tom Woodard (L)

Based on his “about” page, Woodard’s experience is all over the map. Literally. Luckily, the Libertarian website has a more succinct summary. Woodard has a BS, Business Administration (Management), San Diego State University, 1979. He was Co-Founder & CEO of a Private Nature Preserve on the Sea of Cortez (Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico), 2006–2023. He was Founder of Floresta USA / Plant With Purpose, 1984. He was Founder of a Los Arbolitos commercial tree nursery. He was a Surgical Equipment Specialist, Consultant, at Allergan Surgical / Advanced Medical Optics, 1992–2005. He was a Regional Diagnostic Equipment Specialist at Allergan Humphrey, 1988–1990. He was a Sales Representative / Sales Manager at America Forklift Company (San Diego), 1979–1981.

His positions generally hew the Libertarian line: Humanely ending homelessness, law and order, conservation, ending government waste, water abundance, etc. A common theme seems to a striving for unity, and getting rid of the dividing polarity in politics. But his overriding approach is expressed in his Libertarian philosophy: “The non-aggression principle is absolute: no individual or government may initiate force, fraud, or coercion against peaceful people. You own your life, body, labor, choices, and property. The government’s sole legitimate role is to protect individual rights, defend against external threats, and provide only those essential functions that must be met collectively. All government programs overreach, stifling prosperity and driving California’s decline, creating sky-high living costs, energy poverty, housing shortages, wildfires, youth exodus, and job flight, all fueled by excessive taxes, mandates, regulations, and cronyism. Libertarian solutions unleash freedom: personal liberty, free markets, minimal government, and voluntary stewardship. The result: lower costs, abundant resources, explosive innovation, and opportunity for everyone.”

His candidacy seems driven by the Libertarian view, which isn’t captured well by the other parties. Democrats agree with individual rights (mostly, but they don’t go as far as Libertarians), but believe in more government. Republicans agree with the market views and personal freedom (emphasis on the “personal”), but don’t agree with individual rights.

◯ Nancy Young (—)

Young was the Mayor of the City of Tracy between 2020 and 2024, having been a council member before that, first elected in 2012. She was also a project manager at a company that provided nannies. She also worked at JP Morgan and a temp agency. She has a BA from UC Berkeley in Mass Communications/Media Studies, and a PhD in Theology/Theological Studies from Good News Seminary and Bible College.

She ran for the San Joaquin Board of Supervisors in 2024, receiving 29.4% of the vote.

Her priorities are broad: Unity; Transportation; Strengthening communities; Supporting Small Business; Affordibility; Safer Neighborhoods. The first priority, “unity”, seems to be the broadest and strongest, for she writes on her campaign website: “partnership over polarization, practical solutions over party agendas, and leadership that serves everyday people — not political machines”. She does not provide more details behind her priorities or how she would implement them.

Her candidacy seems sincere.

◯ Leo Zacky (R)

Zacky s part of the Zacky Farms poultry family. His great grandfather, Samuel, immigrated to California over a century ago in search of the American dream. Together with his three sons, they started a small chicken business. Leo’s grandparents, Robert and Lillian Zacky, expanded the business through vertical integration of Zacky Farms. The family worked hard through the years to survive and thrive during the good times and bad times. As a teenager, Leo would accompany his grandmother to Sacramento and Washington, D.C. as she lobbied for the agriculture industry. Later, he would become a lobbyist as a member of the California Poultry Federation (CPF). In 2012 there was a major global recession and the business was in trouble. At the age of 20, Leo decided to leave college, determined to do his part to help save the family business. He literally rolled up his sleeves and started at the bottom to learn every facet of how to run a business. Alas, in 2019 the family business collapse; Leo blamed government overreach. Since then, Leo has worked in the energy and food production sectors. He has a degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Arizona (2012).

Zacky first ran for Governor in 2021 as a potential replacement candidate for Gavin Newsom during the Newsom recall attempt. He ran again in 2022.

Zacky is clearly pissed at the Government for the loss of his family business, writing on his campaign website: “California is being run into the ground by crooks, cowards, and globalist sellouts. They’ve taxed us to death, flooded our streets with chaos, and turned our schools into propaganda mills. Everything they touch gets worse because they don’t care about us. I’m not here to manage their collapse. I’m here to blow it up and rebuild it.” Reading through his positions, they are generally MAGAish. There’s a lot of anger and broad statements; there isn’t a lot of specifics of how he would do anything. There are also some troubling statements, such as “No more globalist garbage”; for those unfamiliar with dog whistles, mentions of globalism are often (but not always) veiled references to antisemitism. There is also clear conspiracy theory language: “We’ll protect medical choice and expose the censorship and collusion that silenced the truth” or “stop pretending climate extremism is science”.

His candidacy seems driven by anger at a government that done him wrong.

◯ David Zickefoose (R)

Zickefoose’s campaign website doesn’t say much about who Zickenfoose is, other than the fact that he “is a proud California native, born and raised in West Covina, who built his life raising a family in Chino Hills and now resides in Huntington Beach” and that he is “a self-made real estate entrepreneur”. I did some Google search to see if I could find educational background or the realty company, but I couldn’t. His wife is a realtor, and his son is a realtor, and possibly another son is a realtor, so it appears to run in the family.

He appears to support significant tax cuts (10% income tax, 5.5% C-Corp tax, 0.5% property tax, 5.5% sale tax), although the Governor cannot unilaterally lower taxes (especially sales and property taxes, where rates are established at the county and city level). Other policies appear to toe the older moderate Republican line. There is not a MAGA tilt that I could see. His policies are more at the platitude or broad idea level; there are no specifics.

His candidacy seems driven by a hatred of taxes and similar economic issues.

Tier 3.2: Below Viability Candidates with Incomplete or One-Note Positions

◯ Akinyemi Agbede (D)

Agbede is a Nigerian-American mathematician and educator. He attended Baptist Academy Obanikoro for his Higher School Certificate and later studied Mathematics at the University of Lagos. Additionally, he attended the Redeemed Christian Bible College.  He earned a PhD in Mathematical Analysis from the University of Cambridge. Agbede ran for Senator in 2022 (1.0% of the vote); and was disqualified or withdrew from the battle for Congress in District 28 in 2020. He ran for Governor in 2018 (0.1% of the vote); for Senate in 2016 (didn’t make it onto the ballot); and for Governor in 2014 (0.9% of the vote).

His campaign page does something odd, giving the routing and checking account number for people to make donations. That makes the cybersecurity guy in me cringe. He also gives Zelle information for donations. I’m not sure that either approach meets the FEC standard for political donations.

His campaign page identifes three main areas: Housing and Homelessness; Economic Growth; and Public Safety. There’s one sentence for each and no further details. His site has a banner indicate a 7-point agenda, but this doesn’t appear to be on the website.

In his candidacy, we have another perennial candidate. It is unclear why he keeps running.

◯ James Athans Jr. (R)

Athans is a businessman and realtor. He appears to be associated with Keller-Williams Realty in Rancho Palos Verdes. His LinkedIn indicates his education is the Grace School of the Bible. He also has a podcast.

The Bible reference fits well when you review his campaign website. It has a specific page for a “Bible Dugout”, and indicates that Athans is a minister. He also has a pro-life pledge on his website.

His platform is based on the notion of “Prosperity Zones”. I asked Google AI to summarize the page, as it was complicated. They summarized it as follows:

The webpage for Jim Athans’ California Gubernatorial campaign details a “City Revitalization Plan” and a “10-Block Business Community Model” designed to transform economically depressed areas into “Economic Prosperity Zones” (EPZs).City Revitalization Plan. The plan is structured into three primary phases focused on infrastructure and policy:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Phase 1: Planning & Policy: Establishing a “Master Development Corporation” to oversee the zones, implementing flexible zoning for mixed-use developments, and securing federal/state funding.
            2. Phase 2: Infrastructure: Acquiring blighted properties, modernizing utility grids with “Smart Grid” technology, and improving streetscapes to be more pedestrian-friendly.
            3. Phase 3: Housing: Utilizing prefabricated and modular homes (approx. 700 sq. ft.) to reduce construction costs by 20% and accelerate the development of mixed-income communities.

The 10-Block Business Community Model. Athans proposes a specific urban layout that mixes national anchors with local services to foster civic engagement and employment:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Anchors: High-traffic national chains like Vons, McDonald’s, 24 Hour Fitness, and Taco Bell to provide essential services and entry-level jobs.
            2. Local & Essential Services: Includes laundromats, auto repair shops, community gardens, and senior care services.
            3. Innovation & Finance: Features business incubators/coworking spaces, tech training programs, and a community credit union to provide microloans and financial literacy.
            4. Economic IncentivesTo support this model, the plan offers façade improvement grants, flexible lease agreements, and technical assistance for small businesses. It also mandates local hiring requirements to ensure neighborhood wealth-building.

Athans also proposes a CA-DOGE, a specialized state agency designed to modernize operations, eliminate redundant processes, and rigorously audit state spending to prevent and address waste and fraud. This looks to be modeled after the Federal DOGE effort.

However, Athans’ proposals are incomplete, failing to cover many of the issues and areas of concern that need to be addressed within the state.

Athans candidacy appears to be focused on bringing many conservative ideas to state government.

◯ Joseph Cabrera (—)

Cabrera makes it easy as he has a detailed bio site, by virtue of being an Assistant Professor, University of La Verne (2014-present). He is also Asst. Vice Provost for Undergraduate Programs and Faculty Affairs. Previously, he was an Assistant Professor, Marywood University (2011-2014); a Licensed General Contractor & Green Builder, LI#901367 San Diego, CA (2006-2011); Adjunct Faculty, Pima Community College (2002-2004); a Graduate T.A., University of Arizona (2000-2005); and a Yoga Instructor (NY & AZ) (1999 & 2002). His research areas are Community development, Social Capital, Social Networks, New Urbanism, Inequality. He has a PhD from University of Arizona (2010); an MUP from CUNY-Hunter College (2000); and a BA from UC Irvine (1997).

His campaign website indicates that his key priorities are: (1) Affordable Housing, Health and Mental Care; (2) Social Justice; (3) Supporting Small Businesses; (4) Efficient Government; (5) Veterans Care; and (6) Affordable Clean Energy. He does not provide any specifics. He does mention one interesting thing in his introduction, which could be the driver for his campaign: “Finally, we must restore and revamp the Donahoe Higher Education Act. I will return our public universities to the merit-based, accessible model that once made California the envy of the world. By auditing “ghost projects” and redirecting interest savings, we can fund our schools and clinics without raising your taxes.”

He has endorsements from a number of local businesses.

◯ Jon Henderson (—)

Henderson is a CRP®, CRPC®, CBDA and Founder and CIO of Echo45, a Financial Advisory Firm. His business site bio says he “launched Echo45 Tax and Estate to provide integrated tax preparation, estate planning, and wealth management services.” His LinkedIn profile gave more information: He has been at Echo45 for over 6 years; before that, he was a Wealth Management Advisor and Senior VP at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He has a BA in Communication from San Diego State. He has licenses and certifications in blockchain and digital assets, as well as retirement planning and financial planning.

His campaign website makes a strong plea for an independent stance (but not from the hatred direction of some of the other independents): “He believes in a simple principle: the Golden Rule for the Golden State. Treat your neighbors the way you want to be treated, even when you disagree. California is too diverse, too dynamic, and too interconnected to survive on contempt. We do not need to think alike, but we do need to respect one another and learn how to disagree better. Jon believes that when we put our differences aside and focus on building something together, something powerful happens. Shared goals lead to shared effort. Shared effort leads to real accomplishments. And those accomplishments foster respect.”

His campaign website does heavily market his book, which appears to be the impetus for his running.

He does have a solutions page, but the set of solutions proposed seems incomplete. Therefore, I’m putting him in Tier 3.2.

His candidacy seems to be driven by his book.

◯ Dawit Kellel (—)

Kellel was born and raised in Abyssinia, and is a 20 year Navy veteran.

His campaign website contains a large things he stands for, and they are across the map:

• • • Pro Choice
    • Pro Second Amendment
    • Pro Freedom of Expression
    • Pro Veterans: My vets, don’t screw this up. It’s a no brainer!
    • Pro Farmers
    • Pro Law and Order
    • Pro Strong Borders
    • Pro Voter ID
    • Pro Prop 50
    • Pro Business/Anti-Monopoly and Plutocracy
    • Pro Free Market Capitalism/Anti-Socialism
    • Support the US Constitution as Amended
    • Against California Off Shore Drilling
    • Cut State Gas Tax, Income Tax and Corporate Tax
    • Keep Prop 13, Protect Individual Property Rights
    • Reform Healthcare Services
    • Invest in Infrastructure, Education (STEM), and Law Enforcement
    • Utilize California State Owned Buildings and Lands to Combat Homelessness. Housing affordability improves when supply grows. Supply grows when we cut red tapes and rein in excessive fees!

Some lean towards MAGA, some lean towards progressive goals. For each he had 1-2 sentences about the goal, but no more details about how he would implement them. However, his priorities page gives more information, but it doesn’t cover all the areas.

Reading his pages, it feels like he is unprepared for the job. His planning is incompleted.

His candidacy seems to be driven from the immigrant experience.

◯ Alicia Lapp (R)

Lapp has a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from Cal State Chico, and an AA degree in the Administration of Justice from Butte College. Her campaign site, however, says “I earned four college degrees”, without saying what they are.

Her website details her story: “I am a mother who was failed by the California family court system. I watched as a domestic violence abuser (A Green Card Holder)—someone I had an active restraining order against—was granted guardianship alongside a person fresh out of prison. I watched as police reports of child abuse were barred from the courtroom. I didn’t just walk away; I went to work. I earned four college degrees to find out why this happened. What I learned in those years of study was the most chilling truth of all: My nightmare isn’t an accident. It’s “normal.” The system knows exactly how to fix these failures, yet it chooses not to. I am running for Governor because our family units are being destroyed, and our children are paying the price. I am not backed by special interests, corporate donors, or political machines. I am here for the Village only.”

She doesn’t link any policies on her campaign page. I did uncover some policies via Googling:

• • • A “Homelessness” policy that Google found,  but it doesn’t say much or have any depth.
    • A “Law and Order” policy. However, it mostly has to do with court IT system consolidation and has nothing to do with achieving law and order.
    • A “Power Independence” policy. Her basic plan is to get rid of investor owned utilities.
    • A “Fire Safety and Tree Army” policy. The basic idea is using the National Guard for fuel reduction.

Her X page is very MAGA: “Californians FIRST! Deport ALL illegals, END homelessness, PROTECT parental rights, RESTORE law & order, GUT fraud, END judicial discretion✊Let’s Take back CA”, and has a large “America First” banner.

Her policies seem incomplete and naïve.  She doesn’t seem to understand state government.

It is clear her candidacy is based in anger from her experience with the Family Courty system.

◯ Duane Loynes Jr. (—) (American Solidarity)

Duane is a recent graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a B.A. in Screenwriting and a minor in Asian Studies.

He is a candidate of the American Solidary Party. I’d never heard of them, so I looked up their platform. At the front is this statement: “The American Solidarity Party is based in the tradition of Christian democracy. We acknowledge the state should be pluralistic while upholding a vision of the common good of all and of each individual informed by Christian tradition and acknowledging the primacy of religion in each person’s life.”. This leads them to be “pro-life” and pro-“natural families”. But it also leads them to social justice and pro-environmental platforms.

His website provides platforms on abortion, homelessness, and housing. I think we can guess the abortion platform. His homelessness platform is problematic: “Families of the homeless should be provided with a reunification program for their unhoused relatives”. Of course, this completely ignores those that are fleeing abuse from their families. His housing policy is interesting, going after corporate landlordship: “Tax policy should reduce the hoarding of single-family homes by corporations. In order to discourage holding multiple properties and keeping homes off the market, escalating taxes should be placed on each additional home. “

The abortion position is interesting. Unlike most Republicans, who only care about the foetus before it is born, they have a whole-life approach. They feel that if life is important, it should be important form birth to death. Even though I disagree with them regarding abortion (as I don’t believe they should be able to foist their religious views upon someone who believes different), I do agree with the whole life perspective.

His candidacy seems to be driven through a party-based religious zeal.

◯ Amanda Martin (—)

Amanda Martin is an Ojai local currently running for Governor of California. She is the founder of Renewal Revolution, a sustainable general contracting and construction social enterprise based in Ojai. She frequently participates in local Ojai events, such as the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s garden tours and wildfire resilience workshops. She is a mother who often speaks about how her daughter, who has Down syndrome, has shaped her perspective on unity and community. According to her Renewal Revolution bio, Amanda has earned multiple degrees and extensive experience as a Nurse, Executive Medical Coordinator, Teacher, Marketing Coordinator, Solar Consultant, Solar Designer and Construction Project Manager. She began the growth of Renewal Revolution during her second year of pre-med studies when she decided she wanted to open a wellness center that treated individuals as a whole and not just a symptom, this clinic would be a social business model and as such would treat everyone, regardless of insurance or income.  She later felt the need to not only give back to her community and the planet but to run outreaches in other countries.  After getting into the solar field on a whim and then building contracting with solar, she realized if she wanted to see her dreams to fruition she had to “be” her goals on every level. Amanda is a wife of a Physician and mother to two children, one bordering the spectrum and the other with Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome). Amanda attended Ventura and Santa Barbara counties WĒV (Woman’s Economic Ventures) Program and graduated with honors, as well as sits on the Central Coast Green Building Council (CCGBC) a chapter of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) as a board director as well as being the VP of diversity and inclusion and the Ventura Regional Chair. Amanda is also a Regional Leader with United States Hemp Building Association (USHBA), she Co-Leads Region 2 which consists of CA, NV, and HI. Amanda is one of a handful of contractors in the Nation who is licensed, with experience building permitted hemp structures as she built the first permitted Hemp ADU in California.

Her website is odd. Some pages, such as her Narrative, feel oddly generic, like the website hasn’t been completed. Others, such as her stances and beliefs, are more fleshed out and give specific proposals. She wants to audit state spending and reduce waste, which is a stance that seems a bit more conservative. However, the rest of her stances are more … what I might call people stewardship or people centered. They aren’t broadly progressive, but they are putting people first and bringing services to people. However, they are also very high level and don’t provide specific details as to how they will be achieved with the legislature.

Then, when you get to her “Make It Make Sense” page, things turn conservative again: halting non-essential state spending until an audit, halting Atmospheric Geoengineering Activities (i.e., “chemtrails”), eliminating the gas tax and VMT, giving people the right to go off grid. This page does give more specifics, but it is hard to see how they would be implemented.

Her candidacy seems to be driven by a mix of sustainability and conservativism.

◯ Satish Rao (D)

Rao is a professor of EECS as UC Berkeley. According to the Daily Cal, Rao, who teaches discrete mathematics, probability and pedagogy in the electrical engineering and computer sciences department, said his decision to run stems from growing frustration working in public education and public service. Rao’s platform mainly centers on education reform and administrative efficiency. He is bringing his internal fight with the UC Berkeley administration to the state level. He claims that administrative costs have ballooned while academic spending remains flat in his 10 years analyzing university spending. According to Rao’s analysis, UC Berkeley’s administrative spending increased by $50 million between 2021 and 2024. Rao’s platforms also focus significantly on K-12 education. Drawing from his four years researching Berkeley High School, Rao criticized the state’s current curriculum, such as the 1,000-page California math framework. For Rao, the campaign is less about political ambition and more about injecting “the truth” into public dialogue.

His campaign website has the subtitle “Sure. Why not.”, alternating with “Shrug. Worth a look.”. It does cover some other issues, but also has some explicit pandering videos. Like a typically professor, his website works by asking questions, together with “What do you think?”

His website also includes a course curriculum on California Government.

His candidacy seems driven by a single issue of education reform, particularly in Berkeley.

◯ Sam Sandak (—)

Sandak has a BFA from New York University. He was a writer for Hasbro, and a writer and editor for Sega of America, working on “Sonic Boom”. He has also written for Netflix (“Legend Quest: Masters of Myth”, and for DC Comics. Currently, he is a VP and Co-Producer at Bad Hat Harry Productions. His father, Bill Freiberger, is a comedy writer. His mother, Beth Sussman, is a Juilliard-trained classical pianist. More at IMDB.

His main philosophy is captured on his campaign page: “California is a place where titans like Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino could make their movies their way. Those are the types of films California should be funding: Movies that come from filmmakers with original ideas. Just this week, California announced “The Simpsons Movie 2” will be getting $22 million in tax incentives, while another $11 million will be given to a “13 Going on 30” reboot at Netflix. That sum of $33 million isn’t creating jobs. The success and viability of those IPs created those jobs. California does not need to subsidize The Simpsons 2. California taxpayer money needs to create new films, with new ideas; jobs that would not exist if not for the tax incentives.”

He has specific actions to support this manifesto: (•) Add to film incentives; the 750 million dollars currently allocated by the state will be increased to 1 billion dollars; (•) Require productions to hire crew for a minimum of 30 days in order to qualify for incentives; (•) Dismantle “FilmLA” once and for all; (•) Establish “California Canon” as an official designation for movies acknowledging the importance of the original creators. Only George Lucas’s Star Wars stuff counts; (•) Add filmmaking to the curriculum in public schools; (•) Ensure that actors are held liable if they shoot a gun on set and it kills someone.

His website lists no other policy objectives.

His candidacy is built around this one note: he wants to bring filmmaking back to California.

Tier 3.3: Kooks and Nuts with Incomplete Positions

◯ Louis De Barraicua (D)

Barraicua is a story director at OptomystiK, which is a Web3 portal accessible through an interactive story. Before that, he was an English and Film Teach at LAUSD (Henry Clay MS, Vist MA) for 24 years. He was also a Market Researcher for Nissan Motor Company. He has a BA in Creative Writing from USC.

His website is strange: “Story Premise | A teacher discovers the school system is controlled by corporations so he creates a story that leads citizens becoming playable character in a parallel reality he incepts by becoming Governor of California.” Uhhhhhhh….. What he seems to be doing is promoting public policy through this weird game. As he puts it: “Golden Road | a 9-step Onboarding Process a Game Lobby That Organizes Citizens into a Story a Mission-Focused Narrative”

He describes his game OptomystiK as follows: “Since 2019, Louis has been researching how to create a decentralized micro-economy concept to solve the unmet needs of California. OptomystiK is a chapter-by-chapter narrative that simulates a process in a story that incentivizes communities to collaborate, like in a story. The process is enabled through an interdimensional technology, the YBR. At the hands of a pirate captain, the YBR becomes the interface for decentralized communities. “

His “What?” page details his plot line: (1) Step #1: Implement a 3D Tools that Changes Behavior (2) Step #2: Incentivize Locals (3) Step #3: Engage Learners. Then, on his “Power the Narrative” page, he cites Ezekiel 25:17, which Google AI indicates is “a declaration of divine judgment against the Philistines and other nations hostile to Israel, focusing on God executing “great vengeance” and “wrathful rebukes” so that they will know He is the Lord”

His candidacy seems to be some warped promotion for his online video game.

◯ LivingForGod DeMott (—)

Yes, that is his name. It’s on his tax return and everything. He appears to be a chaplain and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He evidently was in the pest control business before becoming a chaplain.

He has a platform that addresses five areas: (1) Faith & Family Values; (2) Economic Freedom; (3) Educational Financial Freedom; (4) Responsible Stewardship and State Integrity; and (5) Constitutional Sovereignty. That last one intrigued me the most.  I was worried it was going into sovereign citizen territory, but it wasn’t: “California has the inherent authority and the moral obligation to ensure that the constitutional rights of its citizens are never compromised by federal violations. The Constitutional Sovereignty platform asserts that the Bill of Rights is not a suggestion, but an ironclad shield that is there to protect every Californian, regardless of unconstitutional violations. This means that no entity—be it a federal agency or a state department—has the authority to engage in warrantless surveillance, illegal seizures, or unconstitutional impersonation. By standing on the principle of the Tenth Amendment, California will assert its right to protect its people from any policy that undermines individual liberty. We will maintain a state-level watchdog system to ensure that every resident’s right to due process, freedom of movement, and personal privacy remains the highest priority, securing a future where the sovereignty of the state is there to PROTECT THE PEOPLE.” It still is strange.

His faith platform is more problematic: “By anchoring governance in the unifying principles of faith”. That always makes me, a non-Christian, nervous.

His candidacy seems to be driving by some sort of religious manifesto. So is he a poorly defined realistic candidate or does he fall into the kook category. It’s a close call, but the structure and layout tends to push him into the latter.

◯ Lukasz Filinski (—)

His campaign website gives no background information, and he does not appear to be on LinkedIn.

His campaign website is strange. The opening image is a big Christian Cross with “67”, and a bear and the Golden Gate bridge, with the word “HOLD”. His philosophy is to “HOLD the Line for Families, Truth, and a New Golden Era”. He says that, as Governor, his first official act will be “to introduce the HOLD Amendment to the California Constitution and immediately launch the Truth Budget Dashboard. This will be a transparent real time public online tool that tracks every major state spending item, its actual outcomes, and waste metrics.” The amendment would requires that “every major decision and budget item must pass the HOLD Test: Does this strengthen families, protect children, honor truth, and treat people with dignity? I will veto any bill that fails this test unless it is overridden by a 67 percent supermajority of both houses. In the spirit of the New Fway 67, we move beyond narrow 51 percent victories and instead seek broad consensus so that major decisions serve all Californians.”

His website offers plans to address the homelessness and improve the housing situation, as well as building a family renaissance. He wants to make California the best state in America to fall in love, get married, and raise a family. He does this by providing grants to newly married families. He does not indicate the source of the funding. He also wants to rebuild education, and create a “Human First AI State”. He wants tax and budget relief, and to bring back joy through something called “Peoples Coachella”.

Lastly, he wants something called “Rebirth of Gods Creation – A New Covenant with Californias Wild Heart”. This is something called California Reborn, an ambitious, decade long initiative to: plant 1,000,000 native trees, restore major watersheds and wetlands, expand public access, and create a youth stewardship corps.

He writes odd things, such as “This is not my plan alone. This is our covenant. I have carried the cross through the hills of San Francisco and felt what it means to be nailed down by pain and fear. Yet love held stronger. That same love can heal and lift California if we choose to carry it together.”

His candidacy seems to be driven by a strange religious zeal.

◯ Don Grundmann (—) (Constitution Party)(National Justice Party)

Ah, Don Grundmann. The candidate I’ve most hesitated to investigate because he penned a virulent antisemitic, anti-zionist, and hate-filled screed in the Candidate Statements. A screed that required the Secretary of State to put a disclaimer that it didn’t represent the position of the SOS’s office. A screen that started a debate about whether it should have been published at all. For example, JNS notes that Elizabeth Barcohana, chair of Jewish engagement at the California Republican Party, told JNS that Grundmann’s statement is “abhorrent and not in touch with the concerns of California families.” The Times of Israel noted the protest that this has raised in Jewish groups, noting that Jewish groups said Grundmann’s statement violated candidate guidelines that said that the statements “shall be limited to a recitation of the candidate’s own personal background and qualifications” and that they needed to have a declaration from the candidate “that the statement being submitted is true and correct.” The Jewish Journal noted that Members of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus also condemned the inclusion of the statement and said they are exploring legislative responses, urged California Secretary of State Shirley Weber to issue a public apology and remove the statement from the voter guide website.

The thing is: He’s done this before. Grundmann ran for Senate in 2022 (0.1% of the vote) and 2024 (0.1% of the vote), and had similar statements published then (I remember commenting on his 2024 in my ballot deep dive then). He ran for Congress in Swalwell’s district back in 2020 (1.2% of the vote), and for Senate way back in 2018 (0.2% of the vote) and 2016 (0.2% of the vote). He even ran for Senate way back in 2012. He’s not a new nutjob.

His hatred isn’t limited to Jews. He organized numerous Straight Pride festivals, including one in 2019. He links to the National Straight Pride Coalition in his screed (I’m not including the link). So he hates gays as well. He supports the Constitution Party, the National Justice Party, and Christian Nationalism. He’s a White Pride supporter (this is made even more clear in his 2024 screed).

This guy is about as far right as one can get.

He may have had a candidate website (fight-the-power (dot) org), but the site is unreachable and hopefully is down for good. The Google summary of that site says “is a website associated with Don Grundmann, a Bay Area chiropractor and political activist who has frequently run for public office. Grundmann uses the site to promote his views, which include anti-transgender sentiments and calls to dismantle the IRS and U.S. Department of Treasury. He is also the founder of the National Straight Pride Coalition, intending to host “Straight Pride” rallies, and chairman of the Constitution Party of California, which he states is an affiliate of the Christian Nationalist Party (CNParty (.) org), a party he founded. Critics have described his rhetoric as hateful and radical.”

His candidacy seems to be based on a deep-seated hatred.

◯ Brent Maupin (—)

Maupin was born and raised in Redding, California, and is a fifth generation Californian. He is  a licensed Civil Engineer, Architect and, for many years, a licensed contractor in California, and has worked on projects up and down the state, as well as many projects in neighboring states, including Arizona where he lived prior to relocating back to California.

His website is a bit odd, saying “California has reached a “tipping point”. The power of change lies in becoming who God made us to be, thus ushering in the Kingdom. Together we can: • End All School Shootings • End All Mass Shootings • End All Sex Trafficking • End All Sex Trafficking of Children • End Pornographic Availability to Children • Have Better Wildfire Mitigation • Have Healthier Food Products • Better Manage Our Water Resources Including to build a Desalination Plant in Southern California, not a 350 Milelong Pipeline from Northern California’s Already Taxed Rivers. • Provide 200,000 Transitional Housing Units for the Homeless • Educate People as to Why We Have the Homeless Problem.” It is the “ushering in the Kingdom” that tingles my spidey senses.

He doesn’t give any more details on how he will do this except for that “as governor I intend to implement the Theory of Constraints (TOC) into each and every department within the state government. This will streamline the efficiency of each department with a goal of a 25% minimum improvement.” Basically, what he was is “Dancing in the Desert: The Spiritual Overthrow of Government”. He goes on to say “use our “Phantasia” along with our “Yetsirah” to bring about the paradigm shift that California desperately needs. This is especially true when we receive a calling from God to do so. An important part of this is to become far more aware of the universe around us and our role in it. In my book, The Freeing of One Billion Souls, I tell of one such experience. As Governor of California I hope to tell many, many more stories. Stories about supernatural healings, drastically reduced crime, and ultimately a story of making all of Californias’ cities the safest and most economically successful of all the cities within the United States.”

He goes on with the oddities, saying “Have you ever asked yourself why has the homeless problem in California gotten so far out of control? I have, and the answer I got was eye opening. In the next video I describe how subliminal messages of “Death to America” chants from various countries around the world has impacted our most vulnerable citizens.”

His candidacy seems to be some sort of odd spiritual journey for him.

◯ Frederic Schultz (—)

Per Ballotpedia: Frederic Schultz was born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia in 1990 and a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1994. His career experience includes working as a human rights attorney, voting rights attorney, and stock trading. Schultz helped found the Academy for Jewish Religion and has served on the board of directors and the founding academy council. He also ran for Governor in 2022.

As you enter his campaign website, the first thing that hits you is the statement “State of Emergency” for Human Rights. That seems to be the thrust of his message. You see it in his Candidate Statement: “Please elect me governor, to save our rights/lives. We’re in an Emergency: I’ll declare a State of Emergency, to save us! Murderous government thugs kill us daily, for the “crimes” of seeking asylum, documenting attacks, protesting. California arrests 800,000 annually, most for unconstitutional victimless/consensual “crimes”, enslaving 200,000 daily, without telling jurors we can always vote “not guilty”.”  You see it in his website, with statements like “I’m the only candidate who will save our lives, b/c I’m the only candidate who recognizes we’re in a “state of emergency”, so I’ll enact one to save our lives and freedoms from unelected Trump’s tyranny! […] I’m only one who will close the camps, fre most of the slaves in jail for unconstitutional victimless “crimes”, etc! Our bodies our rights! No victim no crime!” (this was originally ALL CAPS).

He does have a few economic policies: “$10K basic income/ adult and $5K/ child and $25K school vouchers, no lockdowns ever again, and all human rights now! Free the people! ” (again, originally ALL CAPS)

He then goes on with long writings that appear to say muchly the same thing. He really doesn’t have broader policy points or a serious governing platform.

His candidacy seems to be driven by an abiding concern for human rights, but there is an odd obsession within it.

◯ Barack D. Obama Shaw (D)

Obama Shaw was born into the Cecil Shaw family as Cecil L. Shaw III before legally becoming Barack D. Obama Shaw through an inspired vision in 2013. Obama Shaw studied music and taught private lessons to aspiring artists. He was the State Chairperson of the Ring of Truth Political Party and ran for Mayor of the City of Alameda CA in 2022. Obama Shaw served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 2008 to 2016. Obama Shaw earned a high school diploma from M.B. Smiley High School. His career experience includes working as a business owner.

An article about his 2022 run for mayor said: “The third candidate in the race is Barack D. Obama Shaw. No, that’s not his birth name. He says he legally changed it in 2013. He also says he’s a business communications consultant. He has little knowledge of city issues and has never run for office before. He told us he wants pay raises for school teachers and to keep children safe in school, which suggests that he should be running for school board, not mayor.”

His campaign website starts with an odd screed. Some excerpts:

• • • California needs a uniter, not a fighter. That approach is not working. Let’s work together and win big and win often.
    • Instead of casting stones at one another, we should gather up all those stones and start building houses to eradicate homelessness and have renters to become homeowners.
    • Political Parties are the highways that get us from point a to b. I don’t love the highways. I use the highways and love the people. Let’s stop fighting over parties and start supporting new candidates. I am an American who has primarily voted Democrat and I am not a Democrat. I am a American who is on the Democratic ticket. When I travel to other countries, I introduce myself as an American and I am recognized as an American.

He does have some high level priorities (but no specifics). Some are what you would expect: school safety, teacher pay, homelessness, job security. Some of them are a little more “out there”:

• • • Interdependent City: It’s Easier to Climb than to Wait. Why wait for someone to come along and fix the problem? You have talents, skills and intelligence. All it takes is a little initiative to have people work together to resolve the challenges in our neighborhoods.
    • Cities with Purpose: An Identity is Key. Every city is purposeful.
    • Patriotic Music and Art: Music Unites. We need to engage in unity, music, art, and activities that inspire the inner being.

His candidacy seems to be driven … I can’t put it into words. I want to say a kooky form of love for people? He’s clearly down towards the kook end of the spectrum, but there’s a little more sense behind it.

◯ Scott Shields (D) (Blue Dog Democrat)

Shields has a Bachelors (Finance and Insurance) from Illinois Weslayan, and an unspecified degree in Economics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He claims to be a Chief Strategy Officer, and that he is “Well Known in Certain Circles”. He writes “The strategic planner identifies the knowns; the Chief Strategy Officer acknowledges the knowns and finds the unknowns”.

This is one of the kooks. A key statement on his website is this winner: “Peace On Earth Will Only Occur When The Centuries Old Mind Virus Of Atheist Marixism Is Eradicated Within Every Human Being”, I’m still not sure what that is saying, but his website says that statement clicks with all those not indoctrinated with the mind virus. He also writes: “I Am Just The Man In The Phone Booth”. By the way, he loves initial caps. They are all over his website.

Shields claims to be a “Blue Dog Democrat”. AI notes that the Blue Dog Coalition is a caucus of moderate-to-conservative Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives formed in 1995 to promote fiscally responsible policies, strong national defense, and bipartisan compromise. Often representing swing districts, they bridge ideological extremes, functioning as a “common sense” voice within the party. This led to a larger group that echoes these “Blue Dog” values. This shows in Shields ramblings. He also seems to strongly support crypto.

He has this strange endorsement on his website: “Think About It – Maybe Scott Should Be Elected Governor” — Scott’s Friend.

His website is rambling, with large blocks of text put up as images. It jumps back and forth from some form of political philosophy to occasional policy ideas to off the wall non-sensical screeds. It is unclear what is overall point is. The only thing that is clear is that this fellow should not be elected Governor.

His candidacy seems to be an excuse to spread his ramblings.

Tier 3.4: The Unknowns

◯ Mohammad Arif (D) (Peace & Freedom) (Democratic Socialist)

Arif is President and CEO at ARifCO in Bakersfield. He previously was an Executive Manager at a Law Office. He may have a law degree from Abraham Lincoln Law College.  He has a Facebook page, but it doesn’t provide much information. He ran for Congress in the 20^th District in 2024 under the Peace and Freedom flag; his website from that run is still up. He ran for Lt. Governor in 2022 (2.7 percent of the vote, under the P&F flag), and for Senate in Arizona in 2020 (Democrat, Write-in, 0.0%); and for Arizona State Senate District 18 in 2018 (1.1% of the vote); and for California State Senate District 16 in 2013; and for the P&F nomination for Governor in 2010.

As you can see from his experience, he has bounced between the Democratic Party and Peace and Freedom. This year, the posters on his website indicate he is going with the Democratic Socialist subbanner within the Democratic party. No specific positions or platforms are given.

Arif seems to be perennial candidate. Perhaps he is driven by the immigrant desire to give back to the adopted country; I see this often doing the writeups. It is hard to tell with so little information.

◯ Naomi Bar-Lev (—)

Bar-Lev is owner as Chris Karl Reynolds (Red Flag) publishing. She was a musician at “Diet Bunny”, but her writings on her LinkedIn page are strange about that: “UPC codes of our work being stolen, a Zendesk hacker which means the government thug, Lt. Jon Dungan, also on the Brady list and to be sure behind a number of the IP Addresses on my computer as I write, is in charge follows us around through platforms, all. 859784637373 …”. She has a BA in Economics from UCLA. She ran as a Republican for State Assembly in 2010 and came in last in the Republican primary. In 2010, she was described as “Miss Naomi Bar-Lev is a homegrown San Diegan. She is also a graduate of U.C.L.A. with a degree in Economics (1993) and has attended the M.B.A. program locally at San Diego State University. She has had her own company since 1996. Through her company she has been involved in restoration of a number of properties in the district. As a small business owner graduated from one of the finest schools in economics, she is keenly aware of the problems facing small business owners.”

She seems to be a bit paranoid. On her FB, she writes: “Recall the first trick they played was leaving out my contact info. By the way I found out some of the things they did while continuously breaching all my accounts. They have butchered my reels. First changing all the covers. I cant even make heads or tails on what each reel is and I am pretty sure once again Lt. Jon Dungan has removed specific data about him. It also butchers my freedom of speech onc more. His antisemitic sermon, I cant even begin.” It appears she believes she is being targeted by AWS (Amazon Web Services), and that someone from AWS is modifying her writings.

Her paranoia seems to have gone so far as the US Supreme Court, where she has filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari. Reading through the Writ, it seems in many ways similar to what is being posted on her Facebook. She also appears to have had something in front of the Bankruptcy Court.

She does not appear to have posted any positions, policy statements, or platforms other than what can be inferred from her ramblings.

Her candidacy seems to be driven by her mental state

◯ Patricia De Luca Basualdo (R)

Patrizia De Luca Basualdo is a realtor with RealtyOne Group in Campbell, CA.

She does not appear to have a campaign website, although there is a campaign website for a Dominico DeLuca, who does not seem to be connected.

◯ Rafael Hernandez (R)

Not much is known about Rafael Hernandex, or Rafael M. Hernandez, as he is listed in the Candidate Statements. Here’s what we do know:

1. 1. 1. He has an Instagram for his campaign. It says he is a “Businessman,Book&SongWriter” without providing more details. It looks like he has a large series of short posts where he makes various statements, but he doesn’t have a published text platform, or policies, or a plan.
         • He has one particular post while he talks about gas prices. It basically states he wants $3 gas by opening wells in California.
         • He has another Instagram post where he indicates he wants to build 5 million homes for low and medium income families. He doesn’t say how he will do this.
         • He has yet another Instagram post where he says “We need a big change in our government. The accumulation of wealth cannot be in the 1% of the population.”
      2. He has a YouTube video with a song, “California Governor 2026”, about running for Governor. It is all in Spanish, however, so I’m not sure what it is saying, other than it is about the governor’s race because I keep hearing “Gobernador California Veintiséis”.
      3. There was a Rafael M. Hernandez who ran for Mayor of Oxnard in 2024, willing 9.1% of the vote.

That’s about it. It is unclear what his candidacy is about: (•) Publicizing his music? (but if so, there would be more of his music on the internet) (•) Making statements about what California needs? In any case, it doesn’t appear to be a serious candidacy.

◯ Joel Jacob (D)

He does not have a campaign website. He may have a TikTok site, but I can’t get to it.

◯ Gary Kidgell (D)

Per the Personal LinkedIn page listed on Ballotpedia: Kidgell is owner of Piao Liang America. Piao Liang is primarily a streetwear brand offering apparel like hoodies, tees, and truck hats, often featuring graphic designs and logos. The brand maintains an active online presence for updates and sales, such as on Instagram and via their official Big Cartel shop.  However, the campaign’s FB page says “Kidgell brings over 15 years of experience as a building consultant and four+ years of statewide consulting, Gary brings practical expertise to the issues that matter—affordable housing, public safety, and infrastructure resilience.” His Instagram page says he is the founder of UFORI. UFORI is a trademark for clothing goods and services, which fits with Piao Liang America.

His campaign has a campaign page here, but his SEO and communication is so bad that Ballotpedia doesn’t know about it. They list only  a Facebook page, an X page, and an Instagram page. This doesn’t provide a lot of information. It appears he funded his campaign with a GoFundMe. On the GoFundMe, he describes himself as “My experience spans construction, infrastructure planning, public health policy drafting, campaign compliance, legal strategy, and community outreach. I’ve built things you can touch — and systems you can trust. I’ve worked with labor, navigated government filings, and stood up to bureaucratic barriers that shut everyday people out. I know how California works because I’ve lived inside its machinery.”

Now, there could be two Gary Kidgells out there. But Kidgell owes the voters a clear description of who he is, his work history, and his qualifications for the position, including his education.

He looks to be posting his policy as a series of FB/Instagram posts, such as this one on Clean Energy. This is not an effective way to communicate policy to the voters. It does mean you can get his policy by wandering through his Instagram. It looks like has has posted 5 of 15. He has also posted 15 design principles for his policies: (the ALL CAPS are his)

• • • HOUSING – MAKE HOUSING AFFORDABLE AGAIN
    • GAS / ENERGY – MAKE GAS & ENERGY AFFORDABLE AGAIN
    • HEALTHCARE – MAKE HEALTHCARE AFFORDABLE AGAIN
    • JOBS – MAKE WORK PAY AGAIN
    • EDUCATION – MAKE EDUCATION AFFORDABLE AGAIN
    • COST OF LIVING – MAKE LIFE AFFORDABLE AGAIN
    • PUBLIC SAFETY – MAKE CALIFORNIA SAFE AGAIN
    • WATER – MAKE WATER CLEAN AGAIN
    • SMALL BUSINESS – MAKE BUSINESS THRIVE AGAIN
    • FAMILIES – MAKE LIFE AFFORDABLE FOR FAMILIES AGAIN
    • CHILDCARE – MAKE CHILDCARE AFFORDABLE AGAIN
    • INFRASTRUCTURE – MAKE CALIFORNIA BUILD AGAIN
    • TRANSPORTATION – MAKE TRANSPORTATION AFFORDABLE AGAIN
    • INNOVATION / AI – MAKE CALIFORNIA THE FUTURE AGAIN
    • ENVIRONMENT – MAKE CLEAN ENERGY AFFORDABLE AGAIN

He has a “Day One” plan, 110 pages, available on his website… for $1000. He has a collection of letters he wrote to Congress on sale… for $250. He has California logo wear for sale. Is his goal marketing?

The campaign website lists an affordability plan, but it is very high level; about the same level as the flyers on Instagram.

His candidacy feels like a vanity project.

◯ Anne Komarovsk (—)

I took a look at the linked in profile for KomarovsK. It shows “Fourth Estate Elementary”, where she learned to tie her shoes, and “College Preparatory” for grades 902, where clases are “Getting out of Prep School 101” and “Basket Weaving 102”. She is supposedly President/CEO of SayRabbit LLC, and President of UniSat (Universal Satellite Communications), and was Engineer in Charge of Field Operations for Tribune Media. She was also a Documentary Cameraperson/Producer at Lambert Enterprises.

Her campaign page is strange. It has a “My Governor is an Idiot” flag. It calls itself “4th EstatE NewZ”, with a (202) phone number. It says (sic) “does not accept government-bought entitlements. Additionally, we do not use ‘Cookie”.

It links to a bunch of statements and reports, but states no positions of the candidate. These are things like Caltrans District 7 meetings, “No Kings” day reports, Brown Act reports, the Voter Guide. It seems to be connected to something that delivers Malibu news.

This does not seem to be a credible candidacy.

◯ Tim Nelson (R)

Nelson was born in San Diego, raised in Orange County, graduated from USC, arranged events for the Pacific Council from San Francisco to Mexico City, became an expert on Russian Affairs at Oxford, and worked along the way in restaurants, as a hotel evaluator and manager, school and SAT prep teacher, and backend banker before beginning his diplomatic career. He was a political officer in the Russian Affairs Office at the US Department of State for 23 years, serving in DC, at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, in Bucharest, and in Toronto. He has a M.Phil in Russian and East European Studies from St. Antony’s College at Oxford, and a degree in Russian from St. Petersberg State University.

He believes that Californians are exhausted and demoralized by the past decade of hyper-partisan politics. He wants to help remedy that by standing up for State’s rights against federal overreach, for all Constitutional rights, and for economic prosperity and hope to be restored.

His campaign website gives no other issues or plans. It does say he is running for Governor of California to secure and unite our state and states; to enhance international trade and grow our economy; to lower the tax burden with accountable oversight; to improve our infrastructure; to conserve our beautiful natural resources; to prevent corruption, crime, and insecurity; and to expand housing and affordability. That’s as close to a platform as it gets. There is no evidence of MAGA ties; he appears to be closer to moderate traditional Republican.

His candidacy seems to be driven by a desire to get past partisan politics, but the rest is really unknown. He doesn’t have enough passion to give more specifics, and he states he is independent, but has registered as Republican.

◯ Erin Zezulak (D)

Erin “Zez” Zezulak, RN, IBCLC, MPH is a nurse, educator, smallbusiness owner, consultant, and mom. She has set up an ActBlue fundraising site, but does not appear to have a campaign website.

As she doesn’t have a website, the only clue to her positions is her candidate statement. She appears to want a unified, equitable healthcare system for all people living in California; equity for all Californians in education, safety, and protection; and protection from discrimination and unconstitutional practices. She wants to keep ICE out of California if they keep using their present tactics. She wants to enable affordable housing for all; she has water management plans to eliminate the drought/flood cycle that impacts California’s farming. There does not appear to be more specifics behind her plans posted.

📋 Conclusion

Whew. That was a lot to go through all these candidates. Let’s start with the easy part. We can dismiss all the Tier 3 and Tier 2 candidates, and the two Republican candidates from Tier 1. The Tier 3 and Tier 2 candidates don’t have a chance, and my values do not align with Hilton or Bianco.

Next, we go to the mantra of this election: Perfect is the enemy of Good Enough. All of the remaining Democratic candidates have policies I can live with, even if they aren’t perfect candidates. What is most important is to get a Democrat into at least one of the top two positions, given the nature of jungle primaries in California. That means a vote for a candidate who is polling at roughly 14% or lower may just be serving to siphon enough votes away from top polling Democrats to make the general election between two Republicans. There are two strategies to address this. First, we need to get Republicans to settle on one candidate, mostly likely Steve Hilton as he has Trump’s endorsement. We need to get them to flee from Bianco. Second, all Democrats should plan to vote for the top polling Democratic candidate as of May 15 or later, to ensure a Democratic candidate gets into the General election. You can’t go wrong with any of the top tier Democratic candidates. We can’t get a perfect candidate; good enough will do.

Now, if you push me to select a favorite candidate, it is Katie Porter. I liked her when she announced, and I still like her. Alas, she is not polling that well, and she’ll likely land below the cutoff where I’ll be able to vote for her. My second choice is Tom Steyer. I don’t like the fact that he is a billionaire or his lack of experience. But I still think he’ll be better for California than Becerra.

Conclusion: This is a bit complicated:

1. (What I’ll do) Vote for the top polling Democratic candidate as of May 15 or later.
2. (My favorite of Tier 1) ⚫ Katie Porter (D)
3. (My likely vote from Tier 1) ⚫ Thomas Steyer (D)

🗳️

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🗳️ June 2026 Primary Election Ballot Analysis (I): Intro + Governor by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.