Malia Cohen (D) and Lanhee Chen (R) are running for California controller on Nov. 8, 2022. Incumbent Betty Yee (D) was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.

Cohen was elected to the California State Board of Equalization in 2018, representing District 2. Her professional experience includes working for Power Forward Consulting and the Corporate Strategy and Communications team for the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Cohen said she would “ensure that addressing equity is a cornerstone priority of her office,” and “continue to focus on job creation and job training, prioritizing communities of color and low-income communities that have endured long-term disinvestment.”

Chen’s career experience includes working as a Stanford University professor and researcher at the Hoover Institution. Chen was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate in 2013 to serve as a member of the Social Security Advisory Board. Chen said, “For too long, the Controller has been a Sacramento insider, valuing partisanship over competence,” adding, “We need a check on the Sacramento politicians who spend first and ask questions later.”

California has had a Democratic controller since 1975. In the 2018 election, Yee defeated Konstantinos Roditis (R) 65.5%-34.5%.

The controller serves on the Board of Equalization and the Franchise Tax Board. The areas of government audited and reviewed by the controller include school districts, the California State Lottery, oil and gas lease royalties, state agencies, and a multitude of local governments.