SACRAMENTO — October 24, 2026. Californians will decide who leads the state after Governor Gavin Newsom, as well as the composition of the state Legislature, California’s representation in the U.S. House and a series of statewide policy proposals. The official state ballot includes 14 propositions dealing with housing, government finances, healthcare, elections and other public-policy subjects. This independent overview focuses on the offices, candidates and measures at issue, rather than endorsing any candidate or proposal.
Who is running for governor?
The two candidates listed in California’s official state election guide are Xavier Becerra (Democratic) and Steve Hilton (Republican). Becerra served as California attorney general and later as U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services. Hilton is a former British government adviser and political commentator who is running as a small-business owner. Their backgrounds, policy programs and claims should be evaluated separately from party identification.
The official California Governor Candidate Statements page identifies both candidates but states that neither supplied a candidate statement for that particular guide. The absence of a statement on that page must not be confused with withdrawal from the race.
Other statewide offices
The certified election roster also includes contests for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, attorney general, insurance commissioner, superintendent of public instruction and Board of Equalization districts. Officially listed candidates in several prominent contests include:
| Office | Candidates identified in the statewide guide |
|---|---|
| Lieutenant Governor | Fiona Ma (Democratic); Gloria Romero (Republican) |
| Secretary of State | Shirley N. Weber (Democratic); Donald P. Wagner (Republican) |
| State Controller | Malia M. Cohen (Democratic); Herb W. Morgan (Republican) |
| State Treasurer | Eleni Kounalakis (Democratic); Jennifer Hawks (Republican) |
| Attorney General | Rob Bonta (Democratic); Michael E. Gates (Republican) |
| Insurance Commissioner | Ben Allen (Democratic); Jane Kim (Democratic) |
| Superintendent of Public Instruction | Richard Barrera (nonpartisan); Sonja Shaw (nonpartisan) |
Source: Secretary of State’s statewide candidate roster. The candidates for a specific U.S. House seat, legislative district, county office or municipality are different depending on the jurisdiction; this statewide summary does not substitute for local candidate profiles.
Congress, the California Legislature and local contests
California’s certified candidate list includes contests for 52 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, 20 State Senate seats and all 80 State Assembly seats, along with judicial offices. The governor’s election proclamation also identifies state constitutional offices and other county and local races. These are separate contests: neither a statewide governor profile nor a general report on Congress establishes who is running in a reader’s particular legislative or local district.
For documentation of the participating offices, see the California Secretary of State’s August 27 certification announcement and the governor’s election proclamation.
Fourteen statewide ballot propositions
The Official Voter Information Guide lists Propositions 1–5 and 37–45. These are the proposal topics and legal descriptions summarized by the state, not California58 positions for or against them:
- Proposition 1: Bonds for housing-affordability programs.
- Proposition 2: Changes to California’s reserve, or “rainy day,” fund.
- Proposition 3: Extending an existing high-income tax to support schools and healthcare.
- Proposition 4: Removing the prohibition on public financing of election campaigns.
- Proposition 5: Changes to the recall process for statewide officials.
- Proposition 37: A housing-loan program for eligible middle-income purchasers of qualifying new homes.
- Proposition 38: Bonds for immunology medical research.
- Proposition 39: Government-issued identification requirements in elections.
- Proposition 40: A one-time tax on specified taxpayers.
- Proposition 41: New restrictions and auditing provisions involving state taxes and the state spending limit.
- Proposition 42: Limits on new state personal-property taxes and certain retroactive taxes.
- Proposition 43: Restrictions on local governments’ ability to raise revenues for services.
- Proposition 44: A proposed requirement that community health clinics devote 90% of revenue to program services.
- Proposition 45: Changes to environmental review requirements for certain projects.
These one-line descriptions cannot capture all the legal, fiscal or constitutional implications. Readers examining a proposition should compare the state’s full legal text, official analysis, fiscal estimates and arguments in the Official Voter Information Guide. California58 does not portray projected costs or benefits advanced by campaign groups as verified results.
Why local journalism matters in a statewide election
Statewide contests matter to Californians in every region, but their practical effects can vary. Agricultural communities may be following water, transport and workforce policy; coastal cities may be especially concerned with housing, insurance and land-use decisions; desert communities may be focused on public safety, healthcare access, utilities and water quality. Those are examples of local reporting questions, not claims about what all residents of a place think.
California58 connects statewide issues to community-specific reporting through its 667-edition local newspaper directory, 483 incorporated-city index, Rural California reporting hub and 58-county election coverage directory. Where a county or city office is discussed, the responsible local edition should link to the actual records and identify the relevant jurisdiction, rather than present a statewide candidate article as original local reporting.
Sources and editorial standards
Published as a pre-election overview on October 24, 2026. Primary sources: California Secretary of State’s certified candidates announcement (August 27), official candidate and proposition guides, and the governor’s election proclamation (June 8). Candidate positions, legislation and financial claims should be attributed to verifiable records. This article does not endorse any candidate or measure and does not provide operational voting instructions. For official election administration information visit the California Secretary of State’s election page. Corrections: California58 newsroom.
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