CA Primary Election June 2022 Voter Guide: Profiles, How To Vote, More

CALIFORNIA — Californians have a lot of choices to make this year.

The June 7 primary election gives residents the chance to cast their first ballots for governor, state and federal representatives and a host of statewide offices, from lieutenant governor to attorney general to controller.

Thanks to California’s new so-called “jungle primary system,” the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary, regardless of party affiliation or whether either gets a majority, will face off in November's general election.

But the busy election season can seem overwhelming with so many choices, new legislative districts, different ways to vote and crucial issues to worry about: rising crime, historic inflation, COVID-19, drought and, suddenly, abortion.

Patch assembled a guide to everything you need to know before the June 7 primary.

Key Races

Governor

It’s deja vu all over again: Gov. Gavin Newsom is on the ballot for the second time in less than a year. After comfortably surviving a September 2021 recall effort, Newsom faces 25 challengers aiming to take advantage of his waning approval ratings.

Still, Newsom’s 62 percent win in the September election may have scared off some of his top rivals from this race, such as radio host Larry Elder and TV reality star Caitlyn Jenner.

But because it's California, the eclectic list of challengers includes a poet, a farmer, a children’s book author, a psychologist and Michael Shellenberger, who cited Newsom generously in his book “San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities.”

Newsom’s most formidable rival is state Sen. Brain Dahle, a Republican farmer who represents the state’s remote northeastern corner and who served as Assembly minority leader 2017-18.

But after Newsom’s comfortable recall win mirrored his 2018 election victory margin, he remains the favorite to win.

Take a look at the resumes of the top contenders.

• Gavin Newsom, incumbent.
• Brian Dahle, state senator.
• Jenny Rae Le Roux, consulting firm CEO and recall challenger.

Attorney General

The race to unseat Attorney General Rob Bonta will be one of the most closely watched in a year when voters named rising crime rates as one of their top concerns.

Candidates will come under even more scrutiny with the U.S. Supreme Court's possible reversal of Roe v. Wade and California’s rededication to becoming a reproductive rights sanctuary.

Bonta’s challengers are trying to paint him as a soft-on-crime reformer responsible for the rise in crime, alongside embattled prosecutors such as George Gascón and Chesa Boudin.
Bonta has fought back, saying that public safety “is, and has been, job No. 1, 2 and 3.” He pointed to a recently launched program to stop human trafficking and to increased efforts to keep guns away from people forbidden to own them.

Bonta’s most high-profile challengers include Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, an openly gay career prosecutor and former Republican now running as an independent who touts her prosecution record and knack for successfully reopening cold cases; and Nathan Hochman, a prolific attorney endorsed by the California Republican Party, who said he wants to strike a balance between tough-on-crime laws of the past and current “far-left” policies.
Read more about the candidates here.

• Rob Bonta, incumbent.
• Nathan Hochman, attorney.
• Anne Marie Schubert, Sacramento County district attorney.

Controller

Incumbent Betty Yee has termed out, so the race to manage state coffers is wide open.

A number of Democrats are running. They include Malia Cohen, chairperson of the California Board of Equalization and former leader of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; Steve Glazer, a state senator from Orinda; Ron Galperin, former city of Los Angeles Controller; and a Monterey Park council member and financial manager.

The lone Republican challenger is Lanhee Chen, a Stanford researcher who served as a policy adviser to the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush, Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio.

• Lanhee Chen, lecturer, policy analyst.
• Malia Cohen, chair of the California Board of Equalization.
• Steve Glazer, state senator.
• Yvonne Yiu, Monterey Park council member and financial analyst.
• Ron Galperin, former Los Angeles controller

U.S. Senate

If you’ve already seen a primary ballot, you may wonder why the race for U.S. Senate is listed twice.

In 2021, Newsom tapped former Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill the Senate seat left vacant when Sen. Kamala Harris ascended to the vice presidency.

In 2021, the California Legislature passed a law calling for a vote to replace Padilla during the regularly scheduled 2022 elections.

When you make your selection, you’re voting for the candidate you want to fill the remainder of Harris’s term, which lasts until January, and the following six-year term, which lasts until 2029.

Padilla, who has the backing of the state’s powerful Democratic establishment, remains the favorite to remain in the role.

But 20 candidates are challenging his bid. Among them are Mark Meuser, a Pasadena attorney who ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state in 2018, and Cordie Williams, a Carlsbad chiropractor and former Marine who was present at the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

Here are some of the candidates. Patch's profiles are provided by CalMatters. They have not yet created profiles in the Senate, Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State categories. Patch will add links once they become ready.

• Alex Padilla, incumbent.
• Mark Meuser, attorney.
• Akinyemi Agbede, mathematician.
• James Bradley, business owner.

Lieutenant Governor

Democratic incumbent Eleni Kounalakis, who won an intraparty battle in 2018, is the clear favorite to win one of the state's quieter races.

Kounalakis, the first female lieutenant governor in California history, has flown under the radar during her tenure, aside from becoming the first woman in California to sign a bill into law in April when Newsom was on vacation.

Her challengers have generated even less interest. Some $3 million has been invested in the race, according to CalMatters, one of the lowest amounts of any statewide race.

• Eleni Kounalakis, incumbent.
• Mohammed Arif, businessman.
• David Fennell, entrepreneur.
• David Hillberg, aviation mechanic/actor.
• Jeffrey Highbear Morgan, businessman.

Secretary of State

Overseeing elections is becoming an increasingly high-profile and political role with all the recent focus on voting rights.

The incumbent is former San Diego Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, whom Newsom tapped to replace Alex Padilla.

The daughter of Arkansas sharecroppers, Weber is the first Black person to oversee elections in California.

Weber’s main opponents are Rob Bernosky, a center-right tech executive from Campbell, and Rachel Hamm, a far-right author and YouTuber who believes the 2020 election was stolen and is deeply opposed to voting by mail.

• Shirley Weber, incumbent.
• Rob Bernosky, tech executive.
• Rachel Hamm, author and YouTube personality.

Congressional Races

More openings than ever are up for a vote in the California Legislature and in Congress, with a few competitive races, particularly in Central and Southern California.

Some congressional races even have the potential to flip control of the closely divided U.S. House of Representatives.

California election districts changed this year, meaning some voters may find themselves in a different district with a different incumbent than in the last election. Use CalMatters' online tool to figure out what district you are in for Congress and the state Assembly and Senate.

Key Dates

• May 9: Ballots and return envelopes were mailed to every active California voter. After you make your selection, place the ballot in the return envelope, seal it, sign it and put it in a mailbox or drop box. No stamps are needed. Ballots must be postmarked by June 7, the date of the primary.

• May 23: The final day to register to vote. Anyone who is 18 or older by the date of the election and has lived in California for at least six months within a 12-month period is eligible to vote. To register or to check your registration status, visit registertovote.ca.gov. If you miss this deadline, you may still be able to register and vote. See here to find the nearest polling location to complete same-day voter registration.

• June 7: Primary election and the final day to vote by mail. Polls across the state will open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. See here to find your polling location. The information isn’t available yet, but keep checking back. If it still does not appear, call the secretary of state’s office at 213-897-3062.

• Nov. 8: General Election Day.

How To Vote

Gone are the days of taking time off work to wait in lines around the block. California voters now have three options to vote.

• Mail in ballot: Voters can mail in the ballots they received in the mail by signing them, sealing them and placing them in either a mailbox or an approved drop box. Approved drop box locations are listed on county websites. Google “drop box locations” and your county, and a list should pop up.
• Early voting: Each county will have at least one location where voters can vote in person or drop off ballots at least 10 days before primary election day. See here to find your nearest early voting location.
• Traditional in-person voting: Polls will open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 7. See here to find your polling location. Polling locations will also be mailed to voters with their ballots.

Anyone who mails in a ballot can sign up here to track the ballot and to receive email and text notifications about its status.