The campaign to be the next governor is heating up, and the candidates are starting to make their rounds of the state. Many of the candidates have been in the news cycle for a number of months. However, one man just put his hat in the proverbial ring about three months ago.
Ian Calderon is no stranger to Sacramento. In 2012, he became the first millennial elected to the California legislature. In four years, he became the youngest Majority Leader in state history. By the time he left the legislature in 2020, he had become the longest-serving Majority Leader is state history. His meteoric rise in the Democrat Party and state history only came to an end because he believed that he needed to be home in southern California with his wife and four young children who range in age from four to eight years old.
So what prompted Calderon to re-enter state politics and run for governor in 2026? A late-night conversation with his wife settled on the topic of his children. As they talked, they realized that the current trends in home ownership were going to make it nearly impossible for his children to purchase a home by the time they were adults. Calderon points out that the median price of a home is over $800,000. He noted that only about 55% of Californians own their own home, which is over 10% less than the rest of the United States. He also mentioned to the Irrigator that homeowners only get a $7,000 tax credit from owning a home. This has been the same amount since 1978. Calderon suggested that if the tax credit had only kept up with inflation in would be around $70,000. He also warned that large corporations own about 1.45 million homes in California. The would-be governor said that it becomes very difficult for first-time homebuyers to compete with the large corporations. Calderon would like to charge large up-front fees to corporations to help pay for programs for first-time buyers in order to level out the playing field. He also has plans to give homeowners tax relief by a variety of methods.
Patterson has perhaps never seen a candidate for California governor make a local campaign stop, but Calderon held a rally at the RM Ranch on Wednesday, November 19. Several dozen people were on hand to meet the candidate and hear his ideas. He was introduced by an enthusiastic Channce Condit. Candidate Calderon then addressed the crowd forty-five minutes or so. His top passion in the campaign is clearly home ownership. However, he does have strong opinions on many of the issues confronting California, and he took questions from the audience on a wide range of topics.
Calderon would like to see California elect a new generation of leadership who will think outside the box on the challenges that the state faces. He believes there is a need to be creative in finding solutions. As the campaign develops in the months ahead, a more detailed examination of his principles and solutions will be made by Californians. For now, it is something for Patterson to consider that he took the time to come by the West Side.
You can learn more about Ian Calderon and his plans for California at ianforgovernor.com.
To reach Timothy Benefield at the Irrigator call (209)892-6187 or email timothy@pattersonirrigator.com.