CalMatters’ voter guide for the June 2 primary is out and it has everything you need to know about who’s running for governor, what races you should keep an eye on, how to vote and more.
This year’s guide includes short video Q&As with each of the leading gubernatorial candidates across major topics, such as housing, homelessness and climate. Watch them to learn why Tom Steyer believes California’s tax structure is unfair; what Xavier Becerra would do to fix the state’s health care system; and what Chad Bianco says is the “dumbest question I’ve ever heard.”
The guide also has rundowns for other state offices including the race for attorney general, secretary of state and insurance commissioner. You can find out each candidate’s experience and background, key endorsements and who their major donors are. Already, the governor’s race has seen more than $200 million in donations, according to the voter guide.
You can also learn more about the post-Proposition 50 landscape and how it’s shaping key congressional races that could give Democrats the majority in the U.S. House and the ability to block President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. Five current Republican seats could flip to Democrats, including two contests in Central Valley and San Diego County that are on national watchlists of closest races in the country.
All members in the California Assembly are up for election this year, as well as half the seats in the state Senate. Several races are competitive and could help Republican efforts to chip away at the Democratic supermajority in the state Legislature. Case in point: In two races, the GOP incumbents won by fewer than 600 votes in recent elections; now Democrats are mounting fierce fights to flip those seats. Meanwhile, an incumbent Democrat won by just 13 votes in 2022, showing that every vote really does matter.
In addition to our race analyses, the voter guide has:
- An interactive quiz so you can find out which gubernatorial candidates match your views.
- Answers to common questions, like what do you do if you miss the voter registration deadline or mess up your ballot.
- Lookup tools for your district race.
The CalMatters Ideas Festival convenes policymakers, journalists and community leaders for conversations about the issues shaping California, including a main stage discussion with The Lincoln Project. Join us on May 21 in Sacramento. Purchase tickets before early bird pricing ends May 4.
CalMatters’ “License to Kill’’ investigation of California’s Department of Motor Vehicles was recently honored the Frank A. Blethen Award for Local Accountability Reporting in the Poynter Journalism Prizes, and also as a finalist for excellence in local and regional investigative reporting in the Scripps Howard Journalism Awards.
Other Stories You Should Know
A brother’s influence on AI policy?
Speaking of politics, CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang examines Jim Steyer — the older brother of gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer — and how his role as CEO of Common Sense Media could influence the younger Steyer’s approach to regulating the tech industry.
Jim Steyer founded the influential California nonprofit in 2003 as a way to help parents review movies, video games and digital content for age-appropriateness. In recent years he has turned his focus to the potential harms of social media and artificial intelligence chatbots on young users.
Tom Steyer, meanwhile, is a member of the nonprofit’s board of advisers. As a progressive candidate, he has advocated for regulating AI and requiring safety audits on social media. Lawmakers and advocates for tech regulations are optimistic that Jim Steyer’s views could influence Tom Steyer’s policies if he takes office, while tech industry advocates are wary of the prospect.
When asked about their relationship and Jim Steyer’s potential influence, Tom Steyer said he trusts his brother’s expertise but would not “slavishly follow” what he says.
The high cost of college for CA’s asylum seekers
Attending college has remained challenging for many of California’s asylum-seeking college students, as they face costly tuition and a lack of financial aid, write Andrea Baltodano and Chrissa Olson of CalMatters’ College Journalism Network.
Unlike refugees whose status is granted before they enter the country, asylum seekers apply for status upon arriving, and are among the least legally protected immigrants in the U.S. California had about 169,000 pending asylum cases in 2023, according to the most recent data.
Before establishing California residency, asylum-seekers are charged non-resident tuition rates, which is about three times more than what residents pay for public universities and up to 13 times more for community colleges. They’re also excluded from federal aid and some state financial aid programs, including the tuition-waiving Cal Grants. New fees for asylum seekers, implemented under Trump, add additional financial pressures.
Without access to aid, some of these students experience homelessness and food insecurity. Two bills to expand Cal Grant eligibility to certain asylum seekers also failed in 2023 and 2019.
- Eric Cline, social services program director at OASIS Legal Services, which supports California asylum seekers: “I only see them struggling. I’m always surprised (when) a few clients tell me ‘I just graduated from college.’ I think, ‘Wow, how did that happen?’”
And lastly: Health clinics file lawsuit to stop ballot measure
A group that represents more than 2,300 California community health clinics is suing a major healthcare workers union to stop it from placing an initiative on the November ballot. The union’s proposal would impose rules on how health centers can spend their revenue and punish clinics that don’t comply. Read more from CalMatters’ Kristen Hwang.
California Voices
Charging utility customers extra fees that have nothing to do with the electricity they use — which can add nearly 37% to the average Californian’s electricity bill — is unfair and inequitable, write Ahmad Holmes and Pat Fong Kushida, president and CEO of the California African American Chamber of Commerce and CalAsian Chamber of Commerce, respectively.
Reader Reaction: Though well intentioned, some recent proposals to change parole eligibility would insert politics into a board process that currently yields the most advanced and thorough parole system in the country, writes Jennifer Shaffer, former executive officer of the Board of Parole Hearings.
Other things worth your time:
Two of CA’s largest insurers seek new rate hikes // San Francisco Chronicle
Court’s mifepristone ruling threatens abortion access for rural Californians // Los Angeles Times
CA will soon have more than 300 data centers. Where will they get their water? // Grist
Record ocean heat off CA coast kills seabirds, reshapes weather outlook // The Mercury News
SF supervisors, state senator arrested as May Day protest closes SFO roadway // San Francisco Chronicle
What Silicon Valley layoffs hide about the future of the job market // The Washington Post
Multiyear agreement makes a repeat of the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes unlikely // The Wall Street Journal
CA braces for uncertainty as last shipment of Persian Gulf oil arrives in Long Beach // Los Angeles Times
Orange County mom faces involuntary manslaughter after son’s e-motorcycle crash kills man // The Guardian
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