In the spring we issued our endorsements for state officials. We stand by the recommendations for U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, Governor Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Treasurer Fiona Ma, and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. You can read those endorsements online.
In three other state races, however, our recommended candidates came up short in the June primary and so we have made the following endorsements.
State Controller: Malia Cohen. A former San Francisco supervisor and board president, Cohen currently serves on the state Board of Equalization. Cohen has long been an ally to the LGBTQ community and voted on legislation at the Board of Supervisors to expand access to transitional age youth services, was a strong supporter of restoring funding for gender reassignment surgeries as part of Healthy SF, and helped develop a program to provide those surgeries for uninsured transgender adult residents, among many other policies.
As controller, Cohen would oversee fiscal control of the state's $100 billion in receipts and spending of public funds. Her experience on the Board of Equalization, which is charged with property tax administration and fee collection, will serve her well.
In her Bay Area Reporter endorsement questionnaire, Cohen stated that she would direct state funds to be invested in resources that uplift historically marginalized communities as well as direct funds into sustainable investment sectors.
We recommend Cohen for state controller.
Insurance Commissioner: Ricardo Lara. The only out LGBTQ person elected to statewide office, Lara, a gay man, is poised to win reelection. We previously mentioned our concerns regarding his ethical lapses during his first term and hope that he will assert his independence from the industry he regulates. He has used his office to benefit LGBTQ Californians, such as an order in support of trans youth accessing medical care. We would like to see more actions like those, especially since trans rights are under attack in other states and reproductive freedom is on the line after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion.
We recommend Lara for state insurance commissioner.
State Board of Equalization, District 2: Sally Lieber. A strong ally to the LGBTQ community, Sally Lieber is a former state assemblymember who pledges to be a corporate-free candidate. She wants to make the Board of Equalization more transparent and accessible, and work with the Legislature to identify further reforms for the state's tax system.
We recommend Lieber for the Board of Equalization.
CA Assembly
For the 21st District Assembly seat on the Peninsula, we recommend Diane Papan. This seat is currently held by Kevin Mullin, who's running for Congress to replace Jackie Speier. We endorsed Mullin in the primary for the congressional seat. Papan is currently on the San Mateo City Council. The only other candidate in the race suspended her campaign, so Papan is all but certain to win this race. She is a proponent of reproductive freedom and is an ally to the LGBTQ community.
Help keep the Bay Area Reporter going in these tough times. To support local, independent, LGBTQ journalism, consider becoming a BAR member.