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LAist
Source: https://laist.com/news/politics/voter-guides (LA County guides: https://laist.com/news/politics/voter-guides/2026-election-california-general-los-angeles-county; retrieved 2026-10-07)
Notes: LAist is a respected nonprofit news outlet. Its Voter Game Plan guides are nonpartisan explainers and make no recommendations, so it is left out of the comparison grid. Each page explains what the office or measure does, what a Yes or No vote means, who is running, and what supporters and opponents say. A "No recommendation" entry below therefore means the guide is neutral, and the reasoning column summarizes what LAist reports. It also publishes a separate Orange County set (not included here). It reports other outlets' editorial positions (LA Daily News opposes Measure E; LA Times opposes Prop 40; OC Register opposes Prop 38; Pasadena Star-News opposes Measure PFD), which are not LAist's own. Not covered: the Burbank and West Hollywood councils, LA Council Districts 3 and 9, LA City Measures PL, EE, PRT and SC, the LA Community College races, Props 1, 2, 3, 37, 43 and 45, Board of Equalization 1 and 2, and all congressional races.
Items LAist covers that are not in the comparison grid
Race-by-race summaries
| Item | Recommendation | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| LA County Measure A | No recommendation | Explainer. Yes would add binding arbitration (a three-member panel: one pick each by the county and union, plus a mutually agreed third) for roughly 17,000 public safety employees, with a strike ban; No keeps the county able to impose its "best and final offer." Backers are the covered unions (e.g., ALADS, 8,000+ deputies) via a "Safer Los Angeles County" campaign saying it takes politics out of pay decisions. The Board of Supervisors placed it on the ballot to "level the playing field"; the county is still bargaining with ALADS, whose contract expired in January 2025. |
| LA County Measure E | No recommendation | Explainer. Yes creates an independent County Ethics Commission with subpoena power, fines up to $15,000 per offense and a guaranteed $14.3M minimum budget, and restores Measure J's 10% general fund set-aside for community investment and alternatives to incarceration, which was dropped by a clerical error. No leaves the commission under Measure G without locked-in independence or the set-aside. Reports that the LA Daily News editorial board opposes it because it locks in spending. |
| LA County Sheriff | No recommendation | Explainer. Incumbent Robert Luna faces Alex Villanueva, whom he ousted 61%-39% in 2022. Luna says new policies cut violent crime and homicides (25% in patrolled areas); Villanueva says the department "has fallen apart." Issues: a recruitment crisis, excessive-force complaints, jail conditions, alleged deputy gangs, and a US DOJ investigation announced Sept. 9. The sheriff oversees a roughly $4B budget, 42 contract cities and jails holding about 14,000 people, and will help secure the 2028 Olympics. |
| Superior Court Judge, Office 64 | No recommendation | Candidate listing. Rhonda Haymon (deputy public defender, LACBA "Qualified") vs. Maria Ghobadi (deputy district attorney, LACBA "Well Qualified"). Includes guidance on weighing judicial candidates: bar ratings, endorsements, experience and demeanor. |
| Superior Court Judge, Office 65 | No recommendation | Candidate listing. Justin Allen Clayton (deputy public defender, LACBA "Qualified") vs. Anna Slotky Reitano (deputy county counsel, LACBA "Qualified"). Includes guidance on weighing judicial candidates. |
| Superior Court Judge, Office 87 | No recommendation | Candidate listing. David DeJute (law professor/attorney, LACBA "Qualified") vs. Anthony (A.J.) Bayne (deputy public defender, LACBA "Well Qualified"). |
| Superior Court Judge, Office 131 | No recommendation | Candidate listing. David Ross (deputy alternate public defender, LACBA "Qualified") vs. Donna Tryfman (deputy public defender, LACBA "Qualified"). |
| LA City Mayor | No recommendation | Explainer. Incumbent Karen Bass vs. Councilmember Nithya Raman, a DSA member running to Bass's left. Issues: homelessness (Inside Safe: Bass cites declining counts, critics cite billions spent with little progress), housing, Palisades Fire recovery (criticism of Bass's response and the after-action report), street services, policing and the 2028 Olympics. Notes the mayor's role in a weak-mayor system. |
| LA City Attorney | No recommendation | Explainer. Marissa Roy (deputy state attorney general; backed by progressives including Bernie Sanders; plans to fight the Trump administration and focus on workers' and renters' rights) vs. John McKinney (deputy DA with a public-safety and neighborhood-protection focus, backed by prosecutors and law enforcement). Incumbent Feldstein Soto was eliminated in the primary. |
| LA City Council District 3 | Not covered | Not covered |
| LA City Council District 9 | Not covered | Not covered |
| LA City Measure TE – Fire-victim transfer tax exemption | No recommendation | Explainer. Yes gives a one-time exemption (or refund) from the Measure ULA "mansion tax" (4% on sales above $5.4M; 5.5% above $10.9M) for homes damaged or destroyed in the Palisades Fire and sold by January 2030. Councilmember Traci Park says Palisades owners are selling because they lost everything. ULA's defenders say it funds eviction defense and housing; reformers say it hinders development. Only this ULA change reached the ballot. |
| LA City Measure LA – Infrastructure, budget and contracting charter amendment | No recommendation | Explainer, flagged by LAist as possibly the most complicated measure on the ballot. Yes moves the city to a two-year budget, requires a long-term infrastructure funding plan, gives the Public Works director and Council more oversight over the department, streamlines contractor selection, and removes limits on the city doing commercial business and mortgaging property. No keeps current rules. Part of a Charter Commission package. |
| LA City Measure PL – City planning charter amendment | Not covered | Not covered |
| LA City Measure EE – Ethics, elections and governance charter amendment | Not covered | Not covered |
| LA City Measure PRK – Recreation and parks budget | No recommendation | Explainer. Yes doubles the parks department's minimum budget over ten years (0.0325% to 0.065% of property tax revenue; about $298M now) without raising taxes, with an exception for fiscal emergencies. Supporters cite LA's 93rd ranking among big-city park systems and deferred maintenance; the minimum would be drawn from the general fund. Part of a Charter Commission package. |
| LA City Measure PRT – Airports, Harbor, and DWP charter amendment | Not covered | Not covered |
| LA City Measure FD – Fire Department half-cent sales tax | No recommendation | Explainer. Yes raises the city sales tax from 10.25% to 10.75% for about $345M a year for LAFD staffing, stations and equipment. The city can't cut LAFD's share below its prior ten-year average. Backed by the firefighters' union and LAFD leadership, who say response times and staffing need it; critics say sales taxes are already too high and the city should manage its general fund better. |
| LA City Measure SC – School board campaign finance | Not covered | Not covered |
| Burbank City Council (3 seats) | Not covered | Not covered |
| West Hollywood City Council (3 seats) | Not covered | Not covered |
| Prop 1 – Affordable housing bond | Not covered | Not covered |
| Prop 2 – Rainy day fund | Not covered | Not covered |
| Prop 3 – High-earner income tax permanent | Not covered | Not covered |
| Prop 4 – Public financing of elections | No recommendation | Explainer. Yes lets state and local governments create public campaign matching programs (not using education, transportation or public safety money) and triples the maximum fine for foreign campaign contributions; No keeps the ban. Supporters say it reduces big-money influence; opponents say it risks taxpayer-subsidized candidates and expense. Placed on the ballot by a party-line Legislature vote; only five charter cities (including LA) currently have programs. |
| Prop 5 – Recall election reform | No recommendation | News article (not a guide page). Prop 5 removes the "second question" on recall ballots; replacements would be appointed or chosen in a special election. Placed on the ballot by Democrats with Common Cause and League of Women Voters support, after the 2021 Newsom recall attempt; Republicans opposed it. No money has been raised on either side. |
| Prop 37 – Homeownership housing bond | Not covered | Not covered |
| Prop 38 – Immunology research bond | No recommendation | Explainer. Yes lets the state borrow $8.4B for immunology research, about half to one UC-affiliated institute and half in grants; costs $500-600M a year for about 20 years. Supporters (Alzheimer's LA, Michael J. Fox Foundation, others) cite federal funding uncertainty; opponents note a CalMatters analysis that only one institute, co-founded by a billionaire backer of the measure, would likely qualify. |
| Prop 39 – Voter ID | No recommendation | Explainer. Yes requires government-issued ID to vote in person and the last four digits of an ID number on mail ballot envelopes, narrows accepted documents, offers free state ID cards, and has officials verify citizenship; No keeps signature verification. Estimated cost: tens of millions to low hundreds of millions a year. |
| Prop 40 | No recommendation | Explainer. Yes imposes a one-time 5% tax on net worth above $1B (roughly a couple hundred people; backers project $100B over five years), with 90% for health care and 10% for food assistance and education. Supporters: California Democratic Party, nurses, labor, SEIU-UHW, Sanders. Opponents: Newsom, Becerra, Hilton, Planned Parenthood, hospital groups, the LA Times editorial board. Could be nullified if Props 41 or 42 get more votes. |
| Prop 41 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Prop 42 – Personal asset tax ban | No recommendation | Explainer. Yes bars new state taxes on personal property (including retirement and financial assets) and most retroactive taxes; it would void Prop 40 if it gets more votes. Backers include the Building Trades, firefighters, CPAs and business groups; opponents include the California Democratic Party and SEIU-UHW. |
| Prop 43 – Local tax requirements | Not covered | Not covered |
| Prop 44 – Health center spending | No recommendation | Explainer. Yes requires community clinics (FQHCs) to spend at least 90% of revenue on program services, with penalties; the Attorney General would define qualifying spending. Clinics currently average about 80%. Backed by SEIU-UHW citing executive pay; opposed by the California Medical Association, Primary Care Association, Planned Parenthood, hospitals and the Democratic Party, who cite $1.7B in first-year penalties. |
| Prop 45 – CEQA changes | Not covered | Not covered |
| CA Supreme Court justices | No recommendation | Explainer on retention elections: voters answer Yes or No on keeping sitting justices rather than choosing among candidates. Notes the court settles major state-law questions, and that voters last removed justices in 1986. |
| 2nd District Court of Appeal justices | No recommendation | Explainer on retention elections for appellate justices in LA and Orange counties; no California appellate justice has ever lost a retention vote. |
| Governor | No recommendation | Candidate profiles. Xavier Becerra (former HHS secretary and state Attorney General; LAist reports he has not accepted repeated invitations to appear) vs. Steve Hilton (Republican; former adviser to UK PM David Cameron). Describes the governor's powers and limits. |
| Lieutenant Governor | No recommendation | Candidate profiles. Fiona Ma (state treasurer since 2019, former Assembly speaker) vs. Gloria Romero (former Democratic legislator, now a Republican). Explains the largely ceremonial but policy-relevant role (UC and CSU boards, State Lands Commission). |
| Attorney General | No recommendation | Candidate profiles. Incumbent Rob Bonta (led lawsuits against the Trump administration; enforced housing and criminal justice laws) vs. Michael Gates (former Huntington Beach city attorney who challenged state housing and criminal justice policy). |
| Secretary of State | No recommendation | Candidate profiles. Incumbent Shirley Weber vs. Don Wagner (Orange County supervisor running on election integrity, who pushed to release sensitive voter information); notes the partisan divide over counting ballots. |
| Treasurer | No recommendation | Candidate profiles. Eleni Kounalakis (Lt. Governor, voted against UC/CSU tuition hikes) vs. Jennifer Hawks (Republican activist and private-school executive with no elected experience). |
| Controller | No recommendation | Candidate profiles. Incumbent Malia Cohen (promises "transparency, efficiency and fairness"; urged caution in budget talks) vs. Herb Morgan (founded an investment firm; running on exposing government fraud). |
| Insurance Commissioner | No recommendation | Candidate comparison. Ben Allen (state senator since 2014; wildfire-related enforcement legislation; mitigation and post-disaster claims transparency) vs. Jane Kim (former SF supervisor; "natural disaster insurance for all," a state low-cost auto program for everyone, rate freezes and an insurer claims dashboard). |
| Superintendent of Public Instruction | No recommendation | Candidate profiles. Richard Barrera (San Diego Unified board president, CTA-backed; school funding, early childhood, educator housing) vs. Sonja Shaw (Chino Valley board president; opponent of transgender student protections). Notes the office loses power under a law shifting authority to a governor-appointed education commissioner in 2027. |
| Board of Equalization, District 1 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Board of Equalization, District 2 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Board of Equalization, District 3 | No recommendation | Candidate profiles. Mike Gipson (longtime Assemblymember, with a large fundraising advantage) vs. Sam Sukaton (union organizer). Explains the board (property tax standardization; four elected members plus the Controller). |
| Board of Equalization, District 4 | No recommendation | Candidate profiles. Denis Bilodeau (Republican) vs. Tom Umberg (Democrat), both Orange County lawmakers. Explains the board. |
| State Senate District 20 | No recommendation | District profile. Most of the San Fernando Valley, all of Burbank: 50.2% Democrat, 24.6% no party preference, 18.5% Republican. Caroline Menjivar (incumbent, D) vs. Tony Rodriguez (R). |
| State Senate District 22 | No recommendation | District profile. San Gabriel Valley through Ontario (45.4% D, 23.7% R). Susan Rubio (incumbent, D) vs. Mike Netter (R, small business owner). |
| State Senate District 24 | No recommendation | District profile and "race to watch" (Palisades Fire; the state Democratic Party couldn't agree on an endorsement). Westside and South Bay (49.3% D). John Erickson (councilmember) vs. Brian Goldsmith (small business owner), both Democrats. |
| State Senate District 26 | No recommendation | District profile; the state Democratic Party didn't reach consensus. Downtown LA, Koreatown, East LA, Eagle Rock (59.8% D); incumbent Durazo not running. Sara Hernandez (affordable housing advocate) vs. Sarah Rascón (environmental protection director), both Democrats. |
| State Senate District 28 | No recommendation | District profile. Westside and parts of South LA, Culver City (61.5% D). Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (incumbent, D) vs. Joe Lisuzzo (R). |
| State Senate District 30 | No recommendation | District profile. Montebello, Downey, La Mirada to Diamond Bar and Brea (46.9% D, 23.1% R). Bob Archuleta (incumbent, D) vs. Araceli Martinez (R). |
| State Senate District 34 | No recommendation | District profile. Northern Orange County including Santa Ana, plus South Whittier (46% D, 24.1% R). Avelino Valencia (Assemblymember, D) vs. Rhonda Shader (R). |
| State Senate District 36 | No recommendation | "Race to watch": purple Orange County coast district (37% R, 33.4% D). Chris Duncan (D, anti-tariff attorney) vs. incumbent Tony Strickland (R). |
| Assembly District 34 | No recommendation | "Race to watch" in a semi-purple open seat (Lackey termed out): Lancaster, Palmdale to the Nevada border (39.2% R, 30.5% D). Randall Putz (D, mayor and business owner) vs. Charles Hughes (R). |
| Assembly District 39 | No recommendation | District profile. Lancaster, Palmdale, Victorville (43.6% D, 23.3% R). Juan Carrillo (incumbent, D) vs. Paul Marsh (R). |
| Assembly District 40 | No recommendation | District profile. Santa Clarita, Castaic, northern San Fernando Valley (40.3% D, 30.1% R). Pilar Schiavo (incumbent, D) vs. Rickey Hayes (R). |
| Assembly District 41 | No recommendation | District profile. Pasadena, Altadena, Rancho Cucamonga; heavily affected by the Eaton Fire (44% D). John Harabedian (incumbent, D) vs. Adam Vena (R). |
| Assembly District 42 | No recommendation | "Race to watch" (Palisades Fire fallout; open seat, Irwin termed out). Malibu, Palisades, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks (40% D, 31.3% R). Deborah Klein Lopez (D, city councilmember) vs. Ted Nordblum (R). |
| Assembly District 43 | No recommendation | District profile. San Fernando, Sylmar to North Hollywood (52.1% D). Celeste Rodriguez (incumbent, D) vs. Ricardo Benitez (R). |
| Assembly District 44 | No recommendation | District profile. Burbank, La Crescenta-Montrose, parts of Glendale (48.8% D). Nick Schultz (incumbent, D) vs. Carolyn Daniels (R). |
| Assembly District 46 | No recommendation | District profile. Western San Fernando Valley to Bell Canyon (48.3% D). Jesse Gabriel (incumbent, D) vs. Tracey Schroeder (R, teacher). |
| Assembly District 48 | No recommendation | District profile. Baldwin Park, Azusa, Covina, Glendora (46.1% D, 23.3% R). Blanca Rubio (incumbent, D) vs. Dan Tran (R). |
| Assembly District 49 | No recommendation | District profile. Alhambra, San Gabriel, Monterey Park (44.6% D). Mike Fong (incumbent, D) vs. Long Liu (R). |
| Assembly District 51 | No recommendation | District profile. Santa Monica to Griffith Park, including Beverly Hills and West Hollywood (57.1% D). Rick Chavez Zbur (incumbent) vs. Colin Hernandez (digital strategist), both Democrats. |
| Assembly District 52 | No recommendation | District profile. East LA and part of Glendale (60.1% D). Jessica Caloza (incumbent, D) vs. Andrea Anderson (R). |
| Assembly District 53 | No recommendation | District profile. Pomona, Ontario, Chino (44.8% D, 24.1% R). Michelle Rodriguez (incumbent, D) vs. Rafaela Romero (R). |
| Assembly District 54 | No recommendation | District profile. Montebello, Boyle Heights, downtown, Koreatown (56.1% D). Mark Gonzalez (incumbent, D) vs. a Republican write-in. |
| Assembly District 55 | No recommendation | District profile. Culver City, Ladera Heights, View Park-Windsor Hills (63% D). Isaac Bryan (incumbent) vs. Ashley Brown (school social worker), both Democrats. |
| Assembly District 56 | No recommendation | District profile. Whittier, Pico Rivera, Hacienda Heights, Diamond Bar (46.2% D). Lisa Calderon (incumbent, D) vs. Jessica Martinez (R). |
| Assembly District 57 | No recommendation | District profile. South LA, Florence-Graham (59.2% D). Sade Elhawary (incumbent, D) vs. Constance Menzies (R). |
| Assembly District 61 | No recommendation | District profile. Marina del Rey, Hawthorne, Inglewood (59.8% D). Tina McKinnor (incumbent, D) vs. a Republican write-in. |
| Assembly District 62 | No recommendation | District profile. Bellflower, Huntington Park, South Gate (53.5% D). José Solache (incumbent, D) vs. Paul Jones (R). |
| Assembly District 64 | No recommendation | District profile. Downey, Norwalk, Bell, La Mirada (48.4% D, 23% R). Blanca Pacheco (incumbent, D) vs. Raul Ortiz Jr. (R). |
| Assembly District 65 | No recommendation | District profile; open seat (Gipson termed out). Compton, Willowbrook (56.3% D). Ayanna Davis (D, school board member) vs. Lydia Gutiérrez (R). |
| Assembly District 66 | No recommendation | District profile; open seat (Muratsuchi termed out). El Segundo to Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes (43.3% D, 26.8% R). Sara Deen (school board member) vs. Paul Seo (mayor and corruption prosecutor), both Democrats. |
| Assembly District 67 | No recommendation | District profile; open seat (Quirk-Silva termed out). Cerritos, Anaheim, Fullerton (41.7% D, 27.5% R). Mark Pulido (D, city councilmember) vs. Paulo Morales (R, law enforcement). |
| Assembly District 69 | No recommendation | District profile. Long Beach, Carson, Signal Hill, Avalon (51.2% D). Josh Lowenthal (incumbent) vs. Carolyn Essex (legislative policy analyst), both Democrats. |
| Congressional District 23 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 26 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 27 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 28 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 29 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 30 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 31 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 32 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 34 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 35 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 36 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 37 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 38 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 41 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 42 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 43 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 44 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 45 | Not covered | Not covered |
Covered by this source but not in the comparison grid
| Item | Recommendation | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Culver City Measure YV – Voting age 16 | No recommendation | Explainer. Yes lets Culver City residents aged 16-17 vote in city and school board elections once the council and school board fund and approve logistics (first chance would be November 2028; about 700 potential voters). Supporters, including the mayor and vice mayor, cite Berkeley and Oakland and research on voter habits. Opponents (former mayors, two councilmembers, a right-leaning PAC) say teens would be an impressionable bloc and that candidates could obtain their contact data. |
| Inglewood Measure AT – Large-venue ticket tax | No recommendation | Explainer. Removes the annual cap on Inglewood's 10% SoFi Stadium ticket tax (about $20M a year now) and adds a 2.5% tax on Intuit Dome tickets. Backed by billboard company WOW Media, as part of an advertising turf war with the stadiums. |
| Inglewood Measure BB – Billboard ban | No recommendation | Explainer. Yes bans most commercial advertising on public streets and sidewalks (billboards, kiosks), ending $3-8M a year in city billboard revenue; backed by the stadiums in a turf war with WOW Media. Opponents say it doesn't explicitly require removing existing structures. |
| Pasadena Measure PFD – Fire Department property tax | No recommendation | Explainer. A 19-cent-per-building-square-foot parcel tax (over $300 a year for most homeowners; low-income senior exemption) for 14 years for fire infrastructure, staffing and wildfire preparedness; needs two-thirds. Backed by the mayor and council; opposed by the Apartment Association, Realtors and the Pasadena Star-News editorial board. |
| School bond measures (LA and Orange counties) | No recommendation | Explainer. At least a dozen districts seek about $1.4B in bonds repaid by property taxes, with district-by-district guides and a primer on school facilities funding. |