Before you choose a person for an office, it helps to know what that office can actually do, because a title sounds powerful and a campaign promise sounds simple, but the real job is bounded by the Constitution, by other branches of government and by which level of government the office sits in, so this page walks through every government position on your June 2 ballot and lays out, in plain language, what each one controls, what it cannot do no matter who holds it and why the seat is worth your attention. The governor section is the longest, because the governor's job is the most misunderstood, and the rest follow the same honest pattern so you can compare offices side by side.
Statewide executive offices
On the June 2 ballot
The California Governor is the chief executive officer of the state. The job covers daily government operations, command of state law enforcement and emergency response and the budget proposal. The state legislature, federal law and the state Constitution all constrain that power. The Governor is not a CEO. Most meaningful changes require legislative approval or a statewide ballot measure.
The Governor's real influence runs through three channels: veto power (it takes a two-thirds legislative supermajority to override), appointment power over hundreds of agency heads and board members who shape how laws are enforced and budget authority to propose spending priorities and control line-items. On top of this, the Governor can issue executive orders and emergency declarations, both narrower in scope than the public usually assumes.
What this office controls
Vetoes any bill, including a line-item veto on budget appropriations, unless two-thirds of both houses override.
The governor sets the tone for the whole state, but power moves through appointments and the budget more than through speeches. The biggest promises (single-payer healthcare, free college, a wealth tax) almost always need the legislature or the voters, so the honest question for a candidate is not what they want but what they would actually push the legislature and the agencies to do.
Mapping common governor promises to actual power
Promise
What the Governor can realistically do
What the Governor cannot do alone
Be a sanctuary state
Sign bills and orders limiting state cooperation with ICE; direct the Attorney General to sue federal agencies; instruct state police not to assist immigration enforcement
Cannot physically stop federal ICE raids or prosecute federal agents for official actions (Supremacy Clause)
Single-payer healthcare
Sign legislation creating a state system; request federal Medicaid waivers; appoint health officials to implement it
Cannot override federal Medicare and Medicaid law; federal waiver approval is not guaranteed
Tax billionaires
Support a ballot measure; sign enabling legislation; direct the tax agency to enforce a new tax
Cannot impose a new tax alone; it needs a two-thirds legislative vote or a ballot measure
End the death penalty
Issue an execution moratorium; commute sentences; close execution facilities
Cannot permanently abolish it; that needs the legislature or a ballot measure, and a moratorium is revocable by the next governor
Affordable housing and zoning reform
Sign bills overriding local zoning; appoint housing regulators; fund housing programs through the budget
Cannot force local zoning changes without state legislation
Climate and emissions targets
Appoint climate advocates to the Air Resources Board and the utilities commission; sign emissions bills; pursue federal funding
Cannot act alone; the Air Resources Board is an independent body and major climate bills need the legislature
The Lieutenant Governor is California's second-ranking executive officer, elected separately from the governor, so the two can come from different parties. The job is mostly a standby role with a handful of fixed duties attached to it.
What this office controls
Becomes acting governor when the governor is out of state, and succeeds to governor if the office is vacated.
Serves as president of the state Senate and casts a tie-breaking vote, which is rare.
Chairs the State Lands Commission and serves on the Ocean Protection Council and economic development bodies.
What it cannot do
Has no command over state agencies and no veto power.
Cannot set the budget or write policy on its own.
Has no automatic role in the governor's administration; the two offices run separately.
Why it matters
The office carries little day-to-day power, but it is a real seat on the bodies that govern the UC and CSU systems and California's public lands, and it is the line of succession, so a candidate's record on higher education and public land is the most useful thing to weigh.
The Attorney General is California's top lawyer and the head of the state Department of Justice, elected statewide. This office has real, independent power, more than most voters expect from a down-ballot race.
What this office controls
Represents the state in court and decides which lawsuits to file, including suits against the federal government or large corporations.
Runs the Department of Justice, which oversees consumer protection, civil rights enforcement, antitrust and environmental law.
Issues legal opinions that guide how state and local agencies read the law.
Oversees criminal justice data, the state crime lab and reviews of police use-of-force cases under state law.
Enforces wage, tenant and immigration-related civil rights protections that already exist in state law.
What it cannot do
Cannot write new laws; the office enforces and interprets law, it does not make it.
Cannot control local district attorneys, who are separately elected and prosecute most local crime.
Cannot stop federal enforcement, only sue over it or limit how state resources assist it.
Why it matters
For immigrant and working-class communities this is one of the most consequential offices on the ballot, because the Attorney General decides whether the state sues over federal immigration actions, whether it enforces wage theft and tenant protections aggressively and whether it pursues civil rights cases, so the candidate's enforcement priorities matter as much as their politics.
The Secretary of State is California's chief elections officer and the keeper of the state's business and public records, elected statewide.
What this office controls
Oversees statewide elections, certifies results and maintains the voter registration database.
Sets uniform standards counties must follow and certifies voting equipment for security.
Runs business filings, the state archives and campaign finance and lobbying disclosure through the Cal-Access system.
Publishes the official voter information guide and verifies signatures for ballot initiatives.
What it cannot do
Does not run the actual election in your area; each county registrar does that.
Cannot change election law, voter ID rules or deadlines; the legislature and the Constitution set those.
Cannot decide who is eligible to vote beyond applying existing law.
Why it matters
This office sets the guardrails for how elections are run and how transparent campaign money is, so it directly affects whether voting is accessible and whether you can see who is paying for political ads, and a Secretary of State who invests in language access and ballot security makes the system easier and safer for immigrant and working-class voters to use.
The State Controller is California's chief fiscal officer and independent financial watchdog, elected statewide. The job is technical, but it is a genuine check on how public money is spent.
What this office controls
Pays the state's bills and issues payroll, and can refuse to release funds that are not legally authorized.
Audits state agencies, programs and local governments to find waste, fraud and misspending.
Reports publicly on the state's real financial condition, independent of the governor's framing.
Cannot decide spending priorities; the governor and legislature set the budget.
Cannot raise or lower taxes.
Cannot force an agency to change policy, only audit it and report what it finds.
Why it matters
The Controller is the office that tells you, with independent numbers, whether the state's money is being handled honestly, and audits from this office have repeatedly exposed waste and mismanagement, so it is a quiet but real accountability seat that does not depend on the governor's goodwill.
The State Treasurer is California's banker and the manager of the state's borrowing and investments, elected statewide.
What this office controls
Manages the state's cash, invests the pooled money fund and sells the bonds voters approve.
Chairs boards that finance affordable housing, schools, health facilities and clean energy projects.
Runs college savings and retirement savings programs, including CalSavers for workers without a workplace plan.
Influences the cost of state borrowing, which affects how much public projects ultimately cost taxpayers.
What it cannot do
Cannot decide what the state spends money on; that is the budget, set by the governor and legislature.
Cannot raise taxes or create new programs alone.
Cannot spend bond money on anything other than what voters approved it for.
Why it matters
The Treasurer decides how billions in public dollars are invested and how cheaply the state can borrow, and the financing boards this office chairs steer money toward (or away from) affordable housing and clean energy, so the office quietly shapes whether working-class communities see new housing and investment.
The Insurance Commissioner is the only insurance regulator in the country elected directly by voters, and runs the California Department of Insurance.
What this office controls
Reviews and can reject proposed rate increases for home, auto and other property and casualty insurance.
Licenses insurance companies and agents and can fine or suspend them for misconduct.
Investigates consumer complaints and insurance fraud, and runs the FAIR Plan oversight for high-fire-risk areas.
Sets market conduct rules and can hold public hearings on major rate filings.
What it cannot do
Does not regulate health insurance rates; most health coverage is overseen by other state and federal agencies.
Cannot force a company to keep selling insurance in California.
Cannot set the price of insurance directly, only approve, modify or reject what companies propose.
Why it matters
As wildfire risk pushes home insurance costs up and pushes insurers out of whole neighborhoods, this office decides how much your premium can rise and who can still get covered, which hits renters, homeowners and small landlords in working-class areas directly.
The Board of Equalization is the country's only elected tax board. It once ran most of California's tax collection, but a 2017 reform stripped most of its duties and moved them to two new agencies, so the elected board is now a narrow office.
What this office controls
Oversees county assessors' valuation of property to keep property tax assessment consistent statewide.
Hears certain property tax and tax-related appeals.
Sets the assessment of railroads, pipelines and some utility property that crosses county lines.
Cannot set tax rates; rates are set by law and by voters.
Cannot create new taxes.
Why it matters
The office is far smaller than its title suggests, which is itself worth knowing, but it still influences how fairly property is assessed across counties, so a candidate's view on property tax fairness is the relevant thing to weigh rather than broad tax promises the board cannot keep.
A US Representative serves one congressional district in the federal House of Representatives in Washington, for a two-year term. This is a federal office, so it works on national law, not state or city matters.
What this office controls
Votes on all federal law, including immigration, healthcare, taxes, the federal budget and benefits like Medicare, Medicaid and food assistance.
Helps write and shape bills through committee work and can introduce legislation.
Runs casework: a representative's office can help constituents with federal agencies, including immigration cases, Social Security and veterans benefits.
Conducts oversight of federal agencies, including immigration enforcement.
What it cannot do
One member is one vote out of 435; no single representative can pass a law alone.
Cannot control state law, the state budget, schools, policing or local zoning.
Cannot directly order a federal agency to act; oversight is pressure, not command.
Why it matters
Your representative is your voice on the federal decisions that reach deepest into immigrant and working-class life, immigration policy, healthcare and the safety net, and the casework side is concrete help your household can actually use, so both the votes they cast and how responsive their office is matter.
A California State Senator represents one of 40 state Senate districts in Sacramento, for a four-year term. The state Senate is one of the two houses that write California law.
What this office controls
Votes on all state law: the state budget, housing, healthcare, schools, labor protections, immigration-related state policy and taxes.
Introduces bills and shapes them in committee, and confirms many of the governor's appointments.
Steers state funding toward or away from their district.
Can override a governor's veto, with a two-thirds vote alongside the Assembly.
What it cannot do
Cannot pass a law alone; a bill needs the Assembly, the full Senate and usually the governor.
Cannot set federal policy or control city and county decisions.
Cannot raise most taxes without a two-thirds vote of the whole legislature.
Why it matters
State senators write the laws that govern tenant protections, the minimum wage, school funding and how California responds to federal immigration actions, and because each district is large, your senator carries real weight in Sacramento, so their voting record on housing, labor and immigration is the clearest signal of what they will do.
A California State Assembly Member represents one of 80 Assembly districts in Sacramento, for a two-year term. The Assembly is the other house that writes California law, and Assembly districts are smaller, so the member is closer to the neighborhood.
What this office controls
Votes on all state law, the same range as the Senate: budget, housing, schools, healthcare, labor and immigration-related state policy.
Introduces bills and works them through committee.
Originates revenue bills, which by the state Constitution must start in the Assembly.
Can override a governor's veto with a two-thirds vote alongside the Senate.
What it cannot do
Cannot pass a law alone; it takes both houses and usually the governor.
Cannot control federal policy or local city and county decisions.
Cannot raise most taxes without a two-thirds vote of the legislature.
Why it matters
Because Assembly districts are smaller, this is often the state official closest to a working-class neighborhood, and the member can be a direct line into Sacramento on housing, schools and worker protections, so how present they are in the district matters alongside their votes.
A County Supervisor sits on a county board of supervisors, the governing body of the county. In California most counties have five supervisors, and the board acts as both the legislative and executive authority for the county. This is one of the most powerful local offices and one of the least understood.
What this office controls
Sets the entire county budget, which funds public health, the county hospital and clinics, mental health services and social safety-net programs.
Oversees county services many residents rely on: CalFresh and Medi-Cal enrollment, in-home support, child and family services and public health.
Governs land use, zoning and development in unincorporated areas, those outside any city.
Sets policy direction for the sheriff's budget and the county jail, and oversees the probation department.
Appoints many county department heads and county commissions.
What it cannot do
Cannot make state or federal law.
Cannot directly command the sheriff or district attorney, who are separately elected, though the board controls their budgets.
Cannot govern land use inside incorporated cities; that belongs to the city.
Why it matters
County supervisors decide the budget for the health, mental health and safety-net services that working-class and immigrant families lean on most, and they hold the purse strings for the jail system, so for many residents this seat shapes daily life more than any office in Sacramento, and the board's budget choices are where to look.
The Sheriff is the county's elected chief law enforcement officer. Unlike a police chief, who is hired by a city, the sheriff answers directly to voters and is highly independent, which makes this an important and closely watched race.
What this office controls
Runs the county jail system, including conditions, medical care and how long people are held.
Provides policing for unincorporated areas and for cities that contract with the county for patrol.
Sets the department's own enforcement priorities and policies, including its stance toward federal immigration authorities.
Decides how the sheriff's office handles immigration detainer requests, within the limits of California state law.
What it cannot do
Cannot write criminal law; the legislature does.
Cannot decide who gets prosecuted; that is the district attorney.
The county board controls the sheriff's budget, but cannot directly run the department.
Must operate within state law, including California limits on cooperation with immigration enforcement.
Why it matters
The sheriff's policies on jail conditions and on cooperation with immigration enforcement directly affect immigrant and working-class communities, and because the office is so independent, voters' main check on the sheriff is the election itself, so a candidate's record and stated approach to detainers and jail oversight deserve close attention.
These are two different prosecuting offices, and it is worth knowing the difference. The District Attorney is elected county-wide and is the county's chief prosecutor. The City Attorney represents a city; in some cities the City Attorney is elected, in others appointed by the city council.
What this office controls
District Attorney: decides which criminal cases to charge, what charges to bring and which to drop, and sets county-wide policies on bail, diversion programs and which crimes to prioritize.
District Attorney: handles felony and most misdemeanor prosecutions and can run conviction-review and consumer-protection units.
City Attorney: advises the city government and defends the city in lawsuits, and drafts city ordinances.
City Attorney: in many cities also prosecutes lower-level misdemeanors and city code violations, and can bring civil cases over tenant harassment, wage theft or public nuisance.
What it cannot do
Neither office writes criminal law; both apply it.
A district attorney cannot control the police or the sheriff, only decide what to do with the cases they bring.
A city attorney does not handle felonies, which belong to the district attorney.
Neither can act as a judge or decide guilt; courts do that.
Why it matters
The district attorney's charging choices shape whether the local justice system leans toward incarceration or toward diversion, which falls heaviest on working-class and immigrant communities, and an elected city attorney can be a real tool against wage theft and slumlords, so both offices, where they are on your ballot, carry concrete weight.
A Mayor leads a city government, but how much power a mayor actually has depends entirely on the city. California has two main systems. In a "strong mayor" city (Los Angeles is one), the mayor runs the city administration. In a "council-manager" city, which most California cities use, the mayor is one vote on the council and the day-to-day running of the city is done by an appointed city manager.
What this office controls
In a strong-mayor city: oversees city departments, proposes the city budget and appoints department heads.
In a council-manager city: chairs the council, sets the tone and agenda and is the public face of the city, but votes as one member.
In either case: a visible bully pulpit to push priorities on housing, homelessness, policing and local services.
Often represents the city in regional bodies on transit, housing and air quality.
What it cannot do
In a council-manager city, cannot run city departments or hire and fire staff; the city manager does that.
Cannot pass a city law alone; ordinances need a council majority.
Cannot make state or county policy, and cannot control schools, which are run by separate school boards.
Cannot set the police budget alone in most cities; the council votes on it.
Why it matters
A mayor's real power varies so much by city that the first useful question is which system your city uses, because in a council-manager city the mayor persuades more than commands, while in a strong-mayor city the office directly controls the budget and departments that shape housing and local services.
A City Council member sits on the elected governing body of a city. The council is where most local law is made, and in council-manager cities the council, not the mayor, is the real seat of city power.
What this office controls
Passes city ordinances and the city budget, setting funding for police, parks, libraries, street repair and local services.
Controls zoning and land use, deciding what gets built where, including housing, and approving or rejecting major developments.
Hires and oversees the city manager in council-manager cities, the official who runs city departments.
Can pass local renter protections, minimum wage rules and tenant anti-harassment ordinances within state law.
What it cannot do
Cannot make state or county law.
Cannot run schools, which belong to separately elected school boards.
Cannot directly command city staff in council-manager cities; that goes through the city manager.
Cannot override state law, for example the limits Costa-Hawkins places on local rent control.
Why it matters
City council decisions on zoning, the city budget and renter protections shape the cost of housing and the quality of streets and parks in a working-class neighborhood, and because turnout in city races is often very low, a council seat is frequently decided by a small number of voters, which makes each vote unusually powerful.
A School Board member, sometimes called a board of education trustee, sits on the elected governing board of a school district. The board governs the district; it does not run the schools day to day, which is the superintendent's job.
What this office controls
Sets the district budget and decides how money is spent across schools.
Hires, evaluates and can dismiss the superintendent, the only employee the board directly manages.
Approves curriculum frameworks, instructional materials and district policy, including on discipline, safety and language programs.
Negotiates and approves contracts with teachers and staff, and decides on opening, closing or boundary changes for schools.
What it cannot do
Cannot set state education law or the statewide standards and testing rules.
Cannot directly manage principals, teachers or daily school operations; that runs through the superintendent.
Cannot control the Proposition 98 funding formula that sets the state's minimum school funding.
Why it matters
School board decisions on budgets, school closures, discipline policy and language and immigrant-student support reach directly into the lives of working-class and immigrant families, and like other local races these elections often draw few voters, so a parent's vote here is unusually decisive over the schools their children attend.
Almost every office on this ballot is part of a system, and that is the point: a single official, even a powerful one, rarely acts alone, because the budget belongs to one body, the law belongs to another, the courts can step in and a higher level of government can override a lower one. So when a candidate makes a promise, the useful question is not whether they mean it but whether the office they want can actually deliver it, and the offices that feel small on the ballot, the school board, the city council, the county board, often touch your daily life the most.
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