Running a bit late on this one, and finding most of the non-Governor races hard to research. I ended up with a fair amount of “I guess I’ll vote for who Lateefah Simon endorsed”. Take this all with a grain of salt. Just don’t forget to vote yes on A!
Here’s my cheat sheet:
| what | my vote |
|---|---|
| Governor | Tom Steyer |
| Lieutenant Governor | Michael Tubbs? |
| Secretary of State | Shirley Weber |
| Controller | Malia Cohen |
| Treasurer | Anna Caballero |
| Attorney General | ROB BONTA |
| Insurance Commissioner | Ben Allen? Jane Kim? |
| State Board of Equalization, D2 | Sally Lieber! |
| US Representative, D12 | LATEEFAH SIMON |
| State Assembly, D14 | BUFFY WICKS |
| Superior Court Judge, Office 13 | Cabral Bonner |
| Superior Court Judge, Office 19 | Selia Warren |
| State Superintendent of Public Instruction | Nichelle Henderson? |
| Alameda County Superintendent of Schools | Alysse Castro |
| District Attorney | Pamela Price |
| Peralta A (renew a community college parcel tax) | YES |
Governor: Tom Steyer
This is the most covered race, and my feelings on it aren’t ultra strong. Frankly, all three of Steyer, Becerra, and Porter look to be a step up from Newsom, and it doesn’t look like the Republican lockout is going to happen.
I think a decade ago I would have leaned towards Becerra: lots of experience, not necessarily flashy or an inspiring speaker, OK politics. But in 2026 I’m looking for somebody bold and principled, and somehow it looks like that’s the billionaire in the race. That the billionaire is getting all the lefty endorsements is odd, but I guess that’s where we are, and his endorsements from elected leaders like Nancy Skinner and Lateefah Simon are meaningful to me. He clearly prioritizes addressing climate change more than most, and his earnest and straightforward positions opposing ICE terrorism and supporting trans kids are refreshing.
Lieutenant Governor: Michael Tubbs?
This election cycle has snuck up on me and I’m admittedly behind on my research. I’ve generally had a positive impression of Tubbs ever since he introduced Universal Basic Income as mayor of Stockton. Anyone better running?
Secretary of State: Shirley Weber
I liked her four years ago. And once again, she’s a Democratic incumbent that the SF League of Pissed Off Voters endorsed when there are potentially-leftier candidates on the ballot (two Greens) which makes me think the Greens aren’t worth looking into.
Controller: Malia Cohen
Eh, I’ve voted for her a bunch of times for this and other seats, and I don’t see any reason to believe Meghann Adams is a serious candidate (basically no endorsements on her site, though the League does endorse her). This isn’t going to be a close election.
Treasurer: Anna Caballero
I don’t feel like I have a huge depth of knowledge about this race either. I like Caballero’s endorsements list and don’t feel like Kounalakis has done much as Lieutenant Governor. The fact that Caballero has an “ICE Out” Plan tips the scales in her direction for me.
Attorney General: ROB BONTA
Not that he has any serious opposition, but I’ve generally been impressed by the work Bonta’s office has been doing to try to counteract Trumpism in California.
Insurance Commissioner: Ben Allen? Jane Kim?
I won’t pretend to be an expert on insurance policy. I’m attracted to bold ideas like Kim’s single-payer insurance scheme. I’m also pretty skeptical in that she doesn’t claim to be an insurance expert nor does her plan appear to have enough details to be plausible. The more realistic part of me thinks Ben Allen seems like a reasonable candidate.
State Board of Equalization, D2: Sally Lieber!
Voted for her in 2022. Haven’t heard anything bad and she is roundly endorsed.
US Representative, D12: LATEEFAH SIMON
I feel Lateefah Simon represents me well.
It looks like I have many mutual friends with the other candidate on the ballot (Jamie Joyce); if she were running against somebody I wasn’t actively impressed by, I’d consider her campaign more seriously. The two candidates are both heading to November anyway.
State Assembly, D14: BUFFY WICKS
Buffy Wicks has slowly earned my trust and support over the last 8 years and I don’t see the need to search for a protest vote here.
Superior Court Judge, Office 13: Cabral Bonner
Both candidates seem reasonable, but I’ll take the civil rights lawyer endorsed by Lateefah Simon and Jen Corn over the candidate with the lengthier list of more moderate endorsements.
Superior Court Judge, Office 19: Selia Warren
I dunno, she seems to have endorsements from people I’ve heard of who aren’t other judges.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction: Nichelle Henderson?
There are a few candidates with compelling stories and endorsements, such as Richard Barrera. I like what I’m seeing from Henderson (and I guess my rule of thumb of “why not go with the Lateefah Simon endorsement” applies here too).
Alameda County Superintendent of Schools: Alysse Castro
Uncontested incumbent. I voted for her last time and she’s got the endorsements of plenty of folks I recommend.
District Attorney: Pamela Price
Look, I voted for Pamela Price in 2018 when she lost, and twice in 2022 when she won. And I opposed her disingenuous recall in 2024 when she lost. I have voted for her this many times not because I necessarily believe that she is the most perfect and effective example of a reform-minded DA imaginable, but that that’s the general platform and position I support from a DA.
Running again after the recall seems pretty quixotic, and I’m sad that nobody else with a similar platform wanted to challenge the appointed replacement DA. I can’t imagine that the incumbent won’t win in a landslide, but I’d at least like to make clear that there’s still some appetite for the kind of justice Price represented.
Peralta A (renew a community college parcel tax): YES
This is just renewing an expiring tax that I was happy to support back in 2018. Would be nice if these essential funding mechanisms lasted more than 8 or 9 years, but so be it.
This one requires two thirds of the vote to pass, so please don’t miss it!