California has tried all manner of design in choosing its governor.<\/p>\n
Democrat Gray Davis, to name a recent example, had an extensive background in government and politics and a bland demeanor that suggested<\/a> his first name was also a fitting adjective.<\/p>\n Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, by contrast, was a novice candidate who ran for governor on a whim<\/a>. His super-sized action hero persona dazzled Californians<\/a> like the pyrotechnics in one of his Hollywood blockbusters<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the end, however, their political fates were the same. Both left office humbled, burdened with lousy poll numbers and facing a well of deep voter discontent.<\/p>\n (Schwarzenegger, at least, departed on his own terms. He chased Davis from the Capitol in an extraordinary recall<\/a> and won reelection <\/a>before his approval ratings tanked<\/a> during his second term.)<\/p>\n There are roughly a dozen major candidates <\/a>for California governor in 2026 and, taken together, they lack even a small fraction of Schwarzenegger\u2019s celebrity wattage.<\/p>\n Nor do any have the extensive Sacramento experience of Davis, who was a gubernatorial chief of staff under Jerry Brown before serving in the Legislature, then winning election as state controller and lieutenant governor.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not, however, to disparage those running.<\/p>\n Read more: Barabak: She was highly qualified to be California governor. Why did her campaign fizzle?<\/a><\/p>\n The contestants include a former Los Angeles mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa<\/a>; three candidates who\u2019ve won statewide office, former Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, schools Supt. Tony Thurmond<\/a> and former Controller Betty Yee<\/a>; two others who gained national recognition during their time in Congress, Katie Porter<\/a> and Eric Swalwell<\/a>; and Riverside County\u2019s elected sheriff, Chad Bianco<\/a>.<\/p>\n The large field offers an ample buffet from which to choose.<\/p>\n The rap on this particular batch of hopefuls is they\u2019re a collective bore, which, honestly, seems a greater concern to those writing and spitballing about the race than a reflection of some great upwelling of citizens clamoring for bread and circuses.<\/p>\n In scores of conversations with voters over the past year, the sentiment that came through, above all, was a sense of practicality and pragmatism<\/a>. (And, this being a blue bastion, no small amount of horror, fear and loathing directed at the vengeful and belligerent Trump administration<\/a>.)<\/p>\n It’s never been more challenging and expensive <\/a>to live in California, a place of great bounty that often exacts in dollars and stress what it offers in opportunity<\/a> and wondrous beauty<\/a>.<\/p>\n With a governor seemingly more focused on his personal agenda, a 2028 bid for president<\/a>, than the people who put him in office, many said they’d like to replace Gavin Newsom with someone who will prioritize California and their needs above his own.<\/p>\n That means a focus on matters such as traffic, crime, fire prevention, housing and homelessness<\/a>. In other words, pedestrian stuff that doesn\u2019t light up social media <\/a>or earn an invitation to hold forth<\/a> on one of the Beltway chat shows.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy does it take so long to do simple things?\u201d asked one of those voters, the Bay Area’s Michael Duncan, as he lamented his pothole-ridden, 120-mile round-trip commute between Fairfield and an environmental analyst job in Livermore.<\/p>\n The answer is not a simple one.<\/p>\n Politics are messy, like any human endeavor. Governing is a long and laborious process, requiring study, deliberation and the weighing of competing forces. Frankly, it can be rather dull.<\/p>\n Certainly the humdrum of legislation or bureaucratic rule-marking is nothing like the gossipy speculation about who may or may not bid to lead California as its 41st governor.<\/p>\n Why else was so much coverage devoted to whether Sen. Alex Padilla would jump<\/a> into the gubernatorial race \u2014 he chose not to<\/a> \u2014 and the possible impact his entry would have on the contest, as opposed to, say, his thinking on CEQA or FMAP?<\/p>\n (The former is California’s much-contested Environmental Quality Act;<\/a> the latter is the formula that determines federal reimbursement for Medi-Cal, the state’s healthcare program for low-income residents.)<\/p>\n Just between us, political reporters tend to be like children in front of a toy shop window. Their bedroom may be cluttered with all manner of diversion and playthings, but what they really want is that shiny, as-yet unattained object \u2014 Rick Caruso!<\/a> \u2014 beckoning from behind glass.<\/p>\n Soon enough, once a candidate has entered the race, boredom sets in and the speculation and desire for someone fresh and different starts anew. (Will Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta change his mind<\/a> and run for governor?)<\/p>\n For their part, many voters always seem to be searching for some idealized candidate who exists only in their imagination.<\/p>\n Someone strong, but not dug in. Willing to compromise, but never caving to the other side. Someone with the virginal purity of a political outsider and the intrinsic capability of an insider who’s spent decades cutting deals and keeping the government wheels spinning.<\/p>\n They look over their choices and ask, in the words of an old song, is that all there is? (Spoiler alert: There are no white knights out there.)<\/p>\n Read more: Barabak: Forget Reagan and Schwarzenegger. In California governor’s race, boring can be beautiful<\/a><\/p>\n Donald Trump was, foremost, a celebrity before his burst into politics. First as a denizen of New York’s tabloid culture<\/a> and then as the star of TV’s faux-boardroom drama,<\/a> “The Apprentice.”<\/p>\n His pizzazz was a large measure of his appeal, along with his manufactured image as a shrewd businessman<\/a> with a kingly touch and infallible judgment.<\/p>\n His freewheeling political rallies<\/a> and frothy social media presence were, and continue to be, a source of great glee to his fans and followers.<\/p>\n His performance as president has been altogether different, and far less amusing<\/a>.<\/p>\n If the candidates for California governor fail to light up a room, that’s not such a bad thing. Fix the roads. Make housing more affordable. Help keep the place from burning to the ground.<\/p>\n Leave the fun and games to the professionals.<\/p>\n Get the latest from Mark Z. Barabak
Focusing on politics out West, from the Golden Gate to the U.S. Capitol.
Sign me up.<\/a><\/p>\n