Ballot Recos: State Offices (2022)
California evolved into a high growth, high income economy with a very diverse population attracting immigrants from all over the world whether working in the state’s tech, Hollywood or agricultural industries. It is the port for the nation’s fast-growing trade with Asian economies.
For decades, California has not built enough housing for its population growth and is experiencing high home prices, homelessness, and severe housing affordability; local homeowners and local governments have erected many of the barriers to new housing development. The warming climate has fueled droughts and wildfires that plague the state.
The K-12 educational system has been underperforming since the financial earthquake of Prop 13 on local taxes; the poor performance of the state’s elementary and high school education system has been particularly acute for lower income children living in our big cities and rural communities, and student performance has suffered due to the pandemic. Students have been in virtual learning for two years due to the pandemic, and the public school systems is hemorrhaging enrollment due only partly to a decline in birth rates.
California’s tax system needs overhauling as we are heavily dependent on the highly volatile capital gains taxes on the personal incomes from the highest income Californians; local property taxes are highly inequitable due to Prop 13 which freezes out newcomers while protecting long-term residents who own their own homes.
Governor: Gavin Newson v. Brian Dahle
Governor Newsom has been a strong and articulate policy leader and has achieved a lot in his first term as he has wrestled with the pandemic, climate change, the drought, the wildfires and the Trump Administration’s efforts to go after deep blue California on many policy fronts from immigration to deductibility for state and local taxes to environmental protections. He will face equally huge challenges in his second term. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/governor/
Brian Dahle is a conservative rancher and senator from the far northeast reaches of California. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/governor/
Recommend: Newsom
Lieutenant Governor: Eleni Kounalakis v. Angela Jacobs
Kounalakis has been an Ambassador to Hungary and a real estate developer in Sacramento. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/lieutenant-governor/eleni-kounalakis/
Jacobs has been a city councilwoman from Lancaster and a banker. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/lieutenant-governor/angela-underwood-jacobs/
Recommend: Kounalakis
Attorney General: Rob Bonta v. Nathan Hochman
Bonta was a progressive state legislator appointed to this job by Newsom after Xavier Becerra was selected by President Biden to be Secretary of HHS. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/attorney-general/rob-bonta/
Hochman is an experienced criminal defense lawyer specializing in white collar criminal defense like tax evasion and tax fraud. He touts his experience as an accomplished litigator and avoids taking any positions on hot button issues like reproductive rights or even the death penalty. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/attorney-general/nathan-hochman/
Recommend: Bonta, as he is straightforward on where he stands on the tough and complex public policy issues that the AG is going to have to litigate on behalf of Californians.
State Controller: Lanhee Chen v. Malia Cohen
The Controller pays the bills and audits the state and local agencies for financial malfeasance. Cohen is experienced and knowledgeable, serving as the Chair of the State Board of Equalization (state taxes) and was chair of the SF Board of Supervisors. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/controller/malia-cohen/
Chen is an educator and lecturer at the Hoover Institute at Stanford; he has been involved in the presidential campaigns of Romney, Bush and Rubio as domestic policy advisor. He is a moderate Republican and really know the ins and outs of domestic policy. He has never held elected office and has no experience running a major state or federal agency. He promises to be a tough and principled watchdog on state spending, controlled by the Democrats. He has been endorsed by almost every major newspaper. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/controller/lanhee-chen/
Recommend: still deciding.
Secretary of State: Shirley Weber v. Robert Bernosky
Secretary of State runs the state’s elections.
Shirley Weber is a gem from San Diego; as a state legislator she took on the state’s teacher’s unions over the unreasonably short tenure requirements for a permanent position. She has made the tough calls as the state’s election official and has been a strong administrator for increased voting and better voter participation and a more engaged, better informed electorate. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/secretary-of-state/shirley-weber/
Robert Bernosky has been a stalwart, longtime GOP leader in the county of San Benito. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/secretary-of-state/robert-bernosky/
Recommend: Weber
Treasurer: Fiona Ma v. Jack Guerrero
The treasurer invests the state’s funds and awards low-cost financing for housing and economic development.
Fiona Ma began her public service as an advocate for small business and the Asian American business community. She has led the SF Board of Supervisors, the State Board of Equalization and served in the state Assembly as speaker pro tem. During her first term as Treasurer, she focused on new housing development. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/treasurer/fiona-ma/
Jack Guerrero is a councilmember from Cudahy, a small community in LA County. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/treasurer/jack-guerrero/
Recommend: Ma
Insurance Commissioner: Ricardo Lara v. Robert Howell https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/insurance-commissioner/
The Commissioner regulates the state’s insurers, including their rates.
Ricardo Lara served in the state legislature and completed his first term as insurance commissioner. He protected homeowners in rural communities from cancellation by their insurers due to fires and required rebates to drivers whose driving fell sharply during the pandemic and allowed adult children to add their older parents to their health insurance policies. He has had ethical lapses.
Robert Howell runs a cyber security company in Silicon Valley. He is not qualified for the job.
Recommend: Lara
Superintendent of Schools: Tony Thurmond v. Lance Chistensen https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/superintendent-of-public-instruction/
Tony Thurmond has been a local city council member, school board member, Assemblymember and has served his first term as Superintendent of Schools at a time when the schools were remote for two years. He has been criticized for his management style.
Lance Christensen has been a legislative staffer and works as Deputy Director at the California Policy Center a conservative think tank in Orange County. He is a strong advocate for school choice and vouchers.
Recommend: Thurmond.