This guide will be updated regularly as I roll out recommendations and additional thoughts throughout the election season, so bookmark it, share it, argue with me respectfully, and check back often.
Hey fam, it’s your girl Jasmyne and it’s that time again!
For those who don’t know me, I’m a political strategist, political commentator, delegate in the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, and somebody who has worked in Congress, the California Legislature, and for multiple mayors. I’ve spent years helping shape policy, campaigns, and public conversations — and I take recommendations seriously because I know people trust me to cut through the spin.
What do I care about? Working people. Poor people. People paying high ass rent. People living in motels. People sleeping outdoors. Black people other communities of color. Communities that are too often ignored unless somebody needs a photo op or a vote. I care about renters, housing, healthcare, public safety that actually keeps people safe, accountability, civil rights, and whether candidates can stand on business when it matters — not just when a consultant hands them a talking point.
And let me say this now before ballots start flying around: we are not voting off vibes, catchy slogans, or ethnic sounding last names. Some of y’all see a familiar last name and immediately start acting like ancestry.com just endorsed the candidate. No. Read the platform. Look at the record. Learn what office they’re actually running for and whether they even understand the job. Representation matters—but competency matters too. Because some folks are counting on voters doing absolutely no homework beyond pronunciation.
Also, let me remind folks of something important: not a single office on your ballot is a lifetime appointment. If you think the person currently in office didn’t do the job, didn’t deliver, or simply needs to go—you are absolutely free to suggest a replacement with your vote. That’s literally how this works.
Respectfully… if you’re running for office in 2026 with no website, no platform posted, and no basic voter information available, you are already stressing me out—and you haven’t even been elected yet. So don’t reach out and ask.
If there’s no name under an office—that means I am still figuring it out. After the Swalwell debacle—we all need to take our time with making endorsements and recommendations.
This post will remain pinned here on my Substack for easy access.
—Jasmyne
Ballot Measures
Ballot measures are laws or policy changes that voters decide on directly instead of lawmakers voting on them. Depending on where you live, they can appear at the city, county, or state level and usually require either a simple majority (50% + 1) or a higher threshold to pass.
NO on Measure TC (City of Los Angeles)
NO on Measure TT (City of Los Angeles)
NO on Measure CB (City of Los Angeles)
YES on Measure ER (County of Los Angeles)
Constitutional Officers
Constitutional officers are elected officials whose positions are created by a state’s constitution, meaning their powers and responsibilities are built into the law at the highest state level. Constitutional officers serve four-year terms and are limited to two-terms. (See video)
Governor
Tom Steyer
Lieutenant Governor
Michael Tubbs
Secretary of State
Shirley Weber
Attorney General
Rob Bonta
State Controller
Malia Cohen
State Treasurer
Eleni Kounalakis
Insurance Commissioner
Steven Bradford
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Nichelle Henderson
Board of Equalization
Mike Gipson
United States Representative
Members of the House of Representatives are the lawmakers who represent districts across the country in Washington, D.C. They introduce and vote on bills, shape the federal budget, and make decisions on national policies that affect everything from taxes to healthcare. They’re also responsible for representing the interests and concerns of their constituents back home, making sure local voices are heard at the national level. Essentially, they’re in the thick of it, helping to shape the direction of the country.
California has 52 congressional districts. Following the passage of Proposition 50, these districts were redrawn for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections, with 43 seats currently held by Democrats and eight by Republicans, plus one independent. They serve two-year terms, and enjoy no term limits—but have to be re-elected every two years.
Sydney Kamlager-Dove - 37th District
State Legislature
California’s State Legislature is made up of two chambers: the State Assembly and the State Senate. The Assembly has 80 members serving 2-year terms, while the Senate has 40 members serving 4-year terms. Legislators can serve a maximum of 12 years total in the Legislature, whether that’s all in one chamber or split between both. Elections happen every two years, so part of the Legislature is always on the ballot.
State Senate
Lola Smallwood-Cuevas - Senate District 28
State Assembly
Isaac Bryan - Assembly District 55
Sade Elhawary - Assembly District 57
Tina McKinnor - Assembly District 61
Fatima Iqbal-Zubair - Assembly District 65
County of Los Angeles
Sheriff
The Los Angeles County Sheriff is an elected county official who oversees the Sheriff’s Department, county jails, courthouse security, patrol in unincorporated areas, and public safety services across LA County. The Sheriff serves a 4-year term and there are. no term limits. The position is elected countywide, meaning voters across Los Angeles County vote for Sheriff.
Judges
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge is responsible for overseeing cases that range from criminal trials to civil disputes. They make rulings, ensure that trials are fair, and help guide the legal process by interpreting the law. Whether it’s deciding a sentence in a criminal case or resolving a business conflict, their job is to ensure justice is served while maintaining fairness and impartiality in the courtroom. About 1/3 of the judicial offices are up for election every two years. If a superior court judge runs unopposed for re-election, his or her name does not appear on the ballot and he or she is automatically re-elected following the general election. In contested races, the candidate who receives a majority of all the votes in the primary wins the election. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes in the primary, the top two compete in the November general election. Judges are elected to 6-year terms and there are no term limits.
Office No. 2
Tal K. Valbuena
Office No. 14
Irene Lee
Office No. 39
There’s only one candidate
Office No. 60
There’s only one candidate
Office No. 64
Rhonda A. Haymon
Office No. 65
Justin Allen Clayton
Office No. 66
No recommendation
Office No. 81
No recommendation
Office No. 87
Sharee Sanders Gordon
Office. No 116
Paul A. Thompson
Office No. 131
Office No. 141
There’s only one candidate
Office No. 176
Zachary Smith
Office No. 181
Office. No. 196
There’s only one candidate
City of Los Angeles
Mayor
Karen Bass (y’all already know)
The Mayor of Los Angeles is the chief executive of the city and oversees city departments, proposes the city budget, appoints department heads, and helps shape policy on issues like homelessness, public safety, housing, transportation, and emergency response.
Unlike City Councilmembers, the Mayor represents the entire city—not just one district.
The Mayor can approve or veto certain actions by the City Council, although the Council can override some vetoes with enough votes.
The Mayor of Los Angeles serves a 4-year term and can serve a maximum of two terms.
City Attorney
The Los Angeles City Attorney is basically the city’s lawyer, but the office also has a direct impact on everyday neighborhood issues people complain about constantly.
They prosecute misdemeanor crimes inside LA city limits—things like some protest-related arrests, trespassing, vandalism, illegal dumping, street vending violations, nuisance cases, and other lower-level offenses. They also work on issues tied to homelessness encampments, neighborhood complaints, and quality-of-life enforcement depending on the priorities of whoever is elected.
The office gives legal advice to the Mayor, City Council, LAPD, and city departments too—which means they help shape how the city responds to protests, policing policies, housing fights, public records issues, and lawsuits.
So yeah… the City Attorney may not sound flashy, but the person in that office can absolutely impact what happens in your neighborhood and how aggressively the city decides to enforce certain laws.
The position is elected citywide, serves a 4-year term, and is limited to two terms.
City Controller
The Los Angeles City Controller is basically the city’s financial watchdog. They don’t make laws and they don’t run departments, but they do track where the city’s money is going and call attention to waste, fraud, mismanagement, and budget problems.
The Controller audits city departments, reviews contracts and spending, monitors payroll, tracks city revenues, and can investigate how taxpayer dollars are being used—or misused.
So when you hear about reports on LAPD overtime, homelessness spending, broken city programs, or whether money promised to your neighborhood actually got spent where officials claimed it did… a lot of that can come from the Controller’s office.
Translation: this is one of the few city positions specifically designed to follow the money.
The position is elected citywide, serves a 4-year term, and is limited to two terms.
City Council
City Councilmembers help run your city. They pass local laws, approve budgets, oversee city services, and make decisions that shape everything from housing and policing to streets and parks.
In the City of Los Angeles, Councilmembers are limited to three 4-year terms and even and odd numbered districts rotate for election. This election is the odd numbered districts.
Los Angeles City Council
1st District
Eunisses Hernandez
9th District
Jose Ugarte
11th District
Faizah Malik
13th District
Hugo Soto-Martinez
Other Cities
San Bernardino Mayor
Amy Malone
Compton
Anyone but Jace Dawson for Compton City Council 2nd District. Compton voters, please do not elect Jace Dawson to your city council. I believe that he is a professional grifter. You deserve better. Google him and do your homework. By homework, I mean when he says he’s a “Dr.”—actually check that out. When he says he worked for Obama—check that out. When he says anything—fact check it.
*Full disclaimer: I am a consultant on this campaign. And one thing about me, I’m not working on a campaign for somebody I couldn’t personally endorse. It goes both ways.
Also, I am allowed to make a living. Last time I checked, working on a campaign does not magically remove my right to vote, have political opinions, or publicly support a candidate. Y’all want experienced people involved in politics and then act shocked when experienced people are… involved in politics.
Thank you