Riverside, California sample ballot 2026

Gracie Torres is an environmental planner for Riverside County, a small business owner, and a Western Municipal Water District board member first elected in 2018, according to her campaign site.

Aram Ayra is an educator and Riverside city commissioner, according to The Riverside Record's candidate guide.

Chuck Conder is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and the incumbent Ward 4 council member, according to his campaign site.

Rich Vandenberg is a finance professional running for Riverside City Council Ward 4, according to The Riverside Record's candidate guide.

Steve Hilton is a Republican candidate for California governor, a former senior adviser to U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, and a conservative media commentator. His campaign argues that California needs a change from Democratic one-party rule and frames its agenda around jobs, housing, schools, and public safety.

Xavier Becerra is a Democratic candidate for California governor. He has served as U.S. secretary of health and human services, California attorney general, and a longtime member of Congress representing Los Angeles, and his campaign centers on protecting opportunity and making the California Dream more attainable.

Rob Bonta is California's incumbent attorney general and a candidate for re-election. A former state assemblymember from Alameda, he is California's first Filipino American attorney general and has emphasized consumer protection, civil rights enforcement, public safety, and defending Californians in court.

Michael Gates is a Republican candidate for California attorney general and former Huntington Beach city attorney. His campaign is built around law-and-order messaging, local government legal experience, and opposition to state policies he argues have weakened public safety.

Fiona Ma is California's state treasurer, a CPA, and a candidate for lieutenant governor. As treasurer, she manages state banking, investments, bond financing, and public finance programs that support schools, housing, infrastructure, hospitals, and local governments.

Gloria Romero is a former California Senate majority leader, former Democratic legislator, and Republican candidate for lieutenant governor. Her campaign emphasizes school choice, education reform, and challenging the state's current political establishment.

Shirley N. Weber is California's incumbent secretary of state and a candidate for re-election. A former Assembly member and San Diego State University professor, she oversees statewide elections, business filings, archives, campaign and lobbying disclosure, and key transparency functions.

Donald P. Wagner is an Orange County supervisor, former Irvine mayor, former state assemblymember, and Republican candidate for California secretary of state. His campaign brings county election oversight, legislative experience, and public administration experience to the race.

Cohen is the sitting California State Controller, serving as the state's chief financial officer and sitting on more than 70 boards and commissions, per the campaign site. She previously served on the California State Board of Equalization, was the first African American woman to hold that seat, and was president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; she holds a bachelor's degree from Fisk University and a master's degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University, per the campaign site.

Herb W Morgan is a Republican candidate for California state controller and a finance professional. His campaign emphasizes auditing state spending, surfacing waste and fraud, and making California's finances easier for taxpayers to understand.

Eleni Kounalakis is California's lieutenant governor, a former U.S. ambassador to Hungary, and a Democratic candidate for state treasurer. Her campaign connects public finance experience with housing, clean energy, infrastructure, and responsible investment.

Hawks is an accountant with a career focused on budgeting and financial management, per the campaign site. She describes herself as not a career politician and would chair or sit on six state boards if elected, per the campaign site.

Jane Kim is a former San Francisco supervisor, attorney, educator, and Democratic candidate for California insurance commissioner. Her campaign emphasizes holding insurance companies accountable, protecting consumers, and improving access to coverage in a state facing wildfire and affordability pressures.

Ben Allen is a California state senator and Democratic candidate for insurance commissioner. His campaign highlights consumer advocacy, experience responding to wildfire-related insurance problems, and work on legislation affecting consumers, the environment, and state governance.

Sonja Shaw is president of the Chino Valley Unified School District board and a candidate for California superintendent of public instruction. The nonpartisan office provides statewide public education leadership, and Shaw's campaign focuses on parental involvement, academic performance, and local school accountability.

Richard Barrera is a San Diego Unified School District board member and a candidate for California superintendent of public instruction. His campaign emphasizes public school investment, student support, workforce pathways, and collaboration with educators and families.

Nelson Esparza was elected to the Fresno City Council in 2018, where he is serving his second term as Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee, according to his campaign site. He teaches Economics at Fresno City College and holds a Master of Public Policy from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, per the site.

Shannon Grove is a United States Army veteran who founded the staffing company Continental Labor and Staffing Resources, according to her campaign site. She was the first woman veteran elected to the California Legislature and currently represents the 16th Senate District, per the site.

John Pimentel served as California's Deputy Secretary for Transportation and as a Housing Commissioner in Menlo Park, according to his campaign site. In the private sector he has created projects and companies that built clean energy and water recycling infrastructure, per the site.

Mike Gipson currently represents the 65th District in the California State Assembly, a seat he has held since 2014, according to his campaign site. Before the Assembly, he served as a Carson City Council Member, a police officer, and Chief of Staff for a former Chair of the Board of Equalization, per the site.