By Mary O’KEEFE

The June 2, 2026 primary election in California will be interesting (to say the least), especially when it comes to the governor’s race. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom is termed out. He was elected in 2018. Since 1990 California governors could serve for two four-year terms; those terms do not have to be consecutive.

The race for governor is packed, mainly with Democrats although two Republicans are running. In a poll of 2,000 people conducted by Evitarus, a public opinion research firm, from March 12 to 17 the two Republican candidates were in the lead. Republican Steve Hilton was a couple of points ahead of Republican Chad Bianco, but six points ahead of Democrats Eric Swalwell and Katie Porter. Those polling highest describe themselves as “undecided – not leaning toward anyone.”

A recent Emerson College poll reflects similar numbers with Hilton leading at 17%, Swalwell and Bianco at 14%, Porter at 10% and Democrat Tom Steyer at 9%. 

The field of 10 candidates consists of two Republicans and eight Democrats running for office. Though most other states have primaries in which representatives of specific parties are vying for the vote, and who will then face off during the general election with winners in other parties, California is an “all in” state. The top two recipients of the most votes during a primary election, regardless of party, move on to the general election. So the ballot could have two Republicans running against each other or two Democrats – it all depends on the number of votes each candidate receives. The California system is concerning many in the Democratic party as the high number of Democrats can split the vote, easily shepherding in the two Republican candidates. 

June’s primary election will see a lot of candidates vying for a seat in a lot of offices. In the City of Glendale, the seats of incumbents Dan Brotman and Elen Asatryan are up for election as is the seat of longtime city Council member and present Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian, who will not be seeking another term in office. 

Other seats being voted on in Glendale include those of city clerk and city treasurer. The Glendale Unified School District school board has three seats open (in districts A, B and E) and the Glendale Community College board of trustees also has open three seats (areas 2, 3 and 4). 

Multiple U.S. congressional seats will be voted on in June as well: districts 1 – 52 and state assembly seats in districts 1-80 will be on June’s ballot. California voters will also choose lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, attorney general, insurance commissioner, state board of equalization seats in districts 1-4 and the state superintendent of public schools. The seat of the Los Angeles County Sheriff is up for election; incumbent Robert Luna is facing eight challengers including predecessor Alex Villanueva. 

There is a very active Los Angeles mayoral race as well with incumbent Karen Bass in a race with 13 other candidates. Locally, Councilmember Monica Rodriguez is running unopposed (she represents northeast San Fernando including Tujunga). 

California’s primary election is on June 2. 

Another of the issues facing this year’s election is the policy concerning postmarks of the U.S. Postal Service. As CVW reported in an earlier article (Jan. 8), the USPS stated it did not change its postmark practices but “transportation operations may cause delays.” This means that if a voter mails a ballot on the day of the election, or close to the day of the election, it may not be postmarked for several days after it was mailed. 

The office of the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk advises voters to go into their USPS office to have their ballot postmarked in person if voting seven days or fewer prior to the election day of June 2. 

The USPS transportation change is also noteworthy for April 15 – tax day. If mailing taxes near April 15 it is advised that people go into the post office to have their tax envelope manually postmarked. 

Presently, California will accept ballots received no later than seven days after the election, as long as the envelopes are postmarked on or before Election Day. The Supreme Court is hearing arguments this week regarding this election practice. The lawsuit dispute is over a Mississippi law that allows election officials to count ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but received days later. If the Supreme Court sides in favor of the state’s Republican Party and strikes down the legislation, the ruling will most likely affect other states that follow this practice – like California. 

According to the LA Times, voters submitted over 400,000 vote-by-mail ballots in 2024 that were received a week after Election Day – about 2.5% of the total number of ballots received. 

An RR/CC spokesperson said they are monitoring the Supreme Court for a decision. 

CVW will continue to bring election information to readers. If there are specific questions concerning the upcoming primary election on June 2, please email mary@cvweekly.com and our reporters will reply.