
Two initiatives, with rideshare companies and trial attorneys taking opposing sides of the campaigns, qualified for the November ballot in California on June 17. One initiative sponsored by Uber would require car accident victims to receive at least 75% of the total amount of damages recovered; establish standards for the recovery of medical expenses based…

California voters are set to decide on a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of the state’s billionaires in November. The secretary of state reported on June 17 that at least 980,438 of the more than 1.6 million signatures filed were valid, qualifying the ballot initiative. The SEIU-UHW is sponsoring the initiative. The tax…

Incumbent Karen Bass and Nithya Raman are running in the nonpartisan general election for mayor of Los Angeles, California, on Nov. 3, 2026. In the June 2 primary, neither received more than the 50% of the vote required to win the election outright. Bass is the first incumbent to face a runoff since 2005. Of…
The California Secretary of State announced that a ballot initiative proposing to amend the California Environmental Quality Act by modifying environmental review processes qualified for the ballot on June 16. The Committee to Build an Affordable California, the campaign supporting the initiative, submitted 942,967 signatures, of which the secretary of state projected 77.5% are valid,…

Incumbent Mike Thompson (D) and Eric Jones (D) advanced from the top-two primary for California's 4th Congressional District on June 2, 2026. Six Republicans and one independent candidate also ran. As of March 2026, Thompson (D) and Jones (D) led in fundraising and local media attention. Local political observers described the primary in terms of…

On June 10, 2026, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) swore Rep. James Gallagher (R-Calif.) into the U.S. House of Representatives, filling the vacancy in California’s 1st Congressional District. The vacancy began on Jan. 5, 2026, after the death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.). In the special primary election on June 2, 2026, Gallagher…

The California Secretary of State announced that a ballot initiative to make permanent the state’s top marginal tax rates on higher incomes, which are set to expire in 2031, has qualified for the November ballot. This will be the third ballot initiative related to this income tax, which was enacted in 2012 with the approval…

Incumbents Ken Calvert (R) and Young Kim (R) defeated six other candidates to win the top-two primary for California's 40th Congressional District on June 2, 2026, receiving 35% and 21% of the vote, respectively. Calvert, Kim, Joe Kerr (D), and Esther Kim Varet (D) led in campaign fundraising and polling ahead of the election. Calvert…

Xavier Becerra (D) and Steve Hilton (R) advanced from the top-two primary for governor of California on June 2, 2026. Of the 61 candidates who ran in the election, Becerra, Matt Mahan (D), Katie Porter (D), Tom Steyer (D), Antonio Villaraigosa (D), Chad Bianco (R), and Hilton led in polling and media attention. Incumbent Gov.…

Incumbent David Valadao (R) and Randy Villegas (D) advanced from the top-two primary for California's 22nd Congressional District on June 2, 2026. Jasmeet Bains (D) placed third. The election took place in the context of redistricting, which changed the district lines from those used in 2024. Inside Elections' Nathaniel Rakich said the new lines "would…