California General Election
How I'm voting in Oakland. Tap any line for my reasoning.
California
Statewide Offices
The real election in California is the jungle primary. The general election is just to tap the Democrats who won their primary.
Governor Xavier Becerra
Steve Hilton is Trump's pick, running on a flat tax for the rich and gutting environmental rules. Becerra wants cities to zone for more apartments and condos.
Lieutenant Governor Fiona Ma
Gloria Romero is Hilton's running mate and a school-voucher crusader. Ma is a CPA and two-term state treasurer.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber
Weber made universal vote-by-mail permanent and stood up to election-fraud conspiracies. Don Wagner wants voter ID and backed handing voter data to Trump's DOJ.
Controller Malia Cohen
Cohen ran San Francisco's budget committee and has pushed Sacramento to spend cautiously. Herb Morgan is running on Trump's “California fraud” talking points.
Treasurer Eleni Kounalakis
Two terms on the state finance boards this job runs on. Her Republican opponent touts having no government experience.
Attorney General Rob Bonta
Bonta has sued the Trump administration more than 50 times and made cities follow state housing laws. Michael Gates spent a decade fighting those laws as Huntington Beach's city attorney.
Insurance Commissioner Jane Kim
Kim wants a public disaster-insurance backstop instead of letting insurers hike rates and walk away. Backed by Bernie Sanders, the Labor Federation and the Working Families Party.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Richard Barrera
Supreme Court Retention
Yes/no votes to keep each justice. No organized opposition and no public discipline for either. Judge research by Claude.
Joshua P. Groban yes
Jerry Brown's judicial-appointments adviser before joining the court in 2018; rated “exceptionally well qualified.” An independent vote with a clean record.
Kelli M. Evans yes
Former civil-rights lawyer and public defender, appointed by Newsom in 2022. The court's most frequent dissenter on youth sentencing, the death penalty and biased jury selection.
Propositions
Our regular attempt to end run around the professional legislature and bamboozle uninformed voters.
1Bonds for Housing yes
Authorizes Bonds for Housing Affordability Programs.
$11.25 billion to build and preserve affordable homes and help buyers. The 2018 housing bond money is spent and shovel-ready projects are waiting on financing.
2Rainy Day Fund Constitutional Amendment yes
Increases State's Rainy Day Fund.
California's revenue rides the stock market. Save up to 20% in the boom years so a bust doesn't gut schools and services.
3School Tax on High Incomes yes!
Provides Permanent Funding for Schools and Health Care by Extending Existing Tax on High Incomes.
Not a new tax. It keeps the existing top rates on income over about $371K from expiring in 2031: $5–15 billion a year for schools and health care.
4Repeal Prohibition of Public Funding of Campaigns yes!
Repeals Prohibition Against Public Funding of Election Campaigns.
Charter cities like Oakland and Berkeley already have public financing. Every California government should be allowed to give small donors a fighting chance against big money.
5Change Recall Process for Statewide Offices yes!
Changes Recall Election Process for Statewide Officers.
Today a recalled governor can be replaced by whoever tops a crowded field with a sliver of the vote. Recalls should remove bad officials, not be a back door for people who can't win a regular election.
37Create Loan Program for Home Buying no
Creates Loan Program for Middle-Income Buyers of Qualified New Homes.
Up to $25 billion in bonds for second loans on new homes. No taxpayer money at risk, but it's mostly a demand subsidy. Zoning and permitting reform would do more.
38Bond for Medical Research for One Billionaire no
Authorizes Bonds for Immunology Medical Research.
$8.4 billion in state debt, half of it written so only one institute qualifies, the one chaired by the billionaire bankrolling the campaign. Fund research through the budget, not a ballot earmark.
39Voter ID Amendment no!
Prohibits Citizens From Voting Unless They Present Government-Issued Identification.
Voter suppression written into the constitution. California already verifies identity at registration and checks the signature on every mail ballot.
40Billionaire Tax yes
Imposes One-Time Tax on Certain Taxpayers.
California's roughly 200 billionaires pay a one-time 5% of their fortunes to backfill federal Medicaid cuts. That's tens of billions for health care.
41Wealth Tax Poison Pill Audit Requirement no!
Prohibits New State Taxes That Exclude Revenues From State Spending Limit. Requires Audits for New State Special Taxes.
A poison pill dressed up as accountability, bankrolled by Sergey Brin. If it gets more votes than Prop 40, the billionaire tax dies even if it passes.
42Wealth Tax Poison Pill no!
Prohibits New State Personal Property Taxes and Certain Retroactive State Taxes.
The billionaires' second off switch for Prop 40. It bans exactly that kind of tax, voids Prop 40 if it gets more votes, and writes a wealth-tax ban into the constitution.
43Limit Local Voters' Ability to Raise Revenue no!
Limits Voters' Ability to Raise Revenues for Local Government Services.
Lets one-third of voters veto local taxes most voters want. Future citizen-led transit and housing measures get much harder to pass.
44Excessively Regulate Health Clinic Spending no
Requires Community Health Clinics Spend 90% of Revenue on Program Services.
An arbitrary spending formula that punishes safety-net clinics just as Medi-Cal cuts hit. Expect cut services or closures for low-income patients.
45Limit Environmental Reviews no
Modifies Environmental Review for Certain Projects.
The 2025 reforms already exempt urban infill housing from CEQA, so this mostly fast-tracks sprawl and freeways, while excluding high-speed rail. A Chamber of Commerce wish list, not a housing bill.
Alameda County & East Bay
Elected Offices
U.S. House, District 12 Lateefah Simon
Former BART board president and the East Bay's strongest transit voice in Congress.
State Assembly, District 18 Mia Bonta
Chairs the Assembly Health Committee and has delivered on tenant protections and affordable housing for the East Bay.
First District Court of Appeal Retention
The appeals court covering Alameda County. No opposition campaigns and no public discipline for any of these justices. Judge research by Claude.
Monique Langhorne Wilson yes
Former Napa prosecutor and longtime Napa trial judge; joined the court in 2024. Clean record.
Charles A. Smiley yes
Seventeen years on the Alameda County bench running its juvenile and diversion courts; started as a public defender. Rated “exceptionally well qualified.”
Kathleen M. Banke yes
Appellate specialist on the court since 2009. Seventeen years without controversy.
Therese M. Stewart yes
Argued San Francisco's marriage-equality cases. Presiding justice since 2022, rated “exceptionally well qualified.”
Tara M. Desautels yes
Ran the Alameda County Superior Court through COVID; former prosecutor. Clean record.
Ioana Petrou yes
Former federal prosecutor on the court since 2018. Wrote a 2025 ruling that kept a CEQA suit from stalling affordable housing in Eureka.
Victor A. Rodriguez yes
Oaklander who ran Alameda County's domestic-violence restraining-order court. Backed at confirmation by justices across the spectrum.
Tracie L. Brown yes
Former federal prosecutor and San Francisco judge; presiding justice since 2023. Clean record.
Danny Y. Chou yes
Former San Francisco City Attorney appellate chief on the Prop 8 team. Confirmed unanimously in 2023.
Gordon B. Burns yes
Career state DOJ lawyer and CalEPA undersecretary. Wrote the 2025 ruling denying fees to the groups that fought People's Park student housing.
AC Transit
Director, Ward 3 Adriana Valencia
An investigation found incumbent Joel Young violated AC Transit's harassment policy, and 33 East Bay officials want him censured. Valencia is a housing advocate endorsed by the Alameda County Democrats.
Measures
RTMTransit Sales Tax yes!
Connect Bay Area regional transit measure.
Without it, AC Transit faces cuts of up to 31% and BART could lose entire lines. Half a cent keeps buses and trains running and pays for seamless transfers.
Oakland
Oakland Offices
Rank up to five candidates in each race.
Mayor- 1Barbara Lee
- 2Julius Robinson
- 3Brenda F. Grisham
- –Mindy Ruth Pechenuk
Barbara Lee, the progressive incumbent, won the 2025 special election and deserves a full term. Julius Robinson, listed as a community investment executive, has almost no public record. Brenda Grisham led the 2024 recall of DA Pamela Price, and Mindy Pechenuk is a LaRouche-aligned Republican.
City Council, District 2- 1Charlene Wang
- 2Nate Adams
Incumbent Charlene Wang chairs Public Safety, wrote Measure FF, is attempting to curb the prostitution on International, and is endorsed by East Bay for Everyone. Nate Adams, the East Bay DSA co-chair running on lower rents and stronger tenant protections.
School Board, District 2- 1Arielle Fleisher
- –Jennifer Brouhard
Arielle Fleisher is an OUSD parent and former SPUR transportation-policy lead running on fixing the district's budget for real and on literacy.
Measures
EEOakland Strong Mayor yes
Under Oakland's hybrid charter nobody is accountable when the city fails. EE puts the mayor in charge and gives the council real oversight: confirmations, subpoenas and its own budget analyst. I might prefer a strong council like Berkeley has to a strong mayor like New York has, but having neither is awful
FFEliminate Foreclosure Tax Exception yes
Banks and speculators who take property through foreclosure skip the transfer tax everyone else pays. Closing that loophole raises up to $13 million a year.