Decision ’94 / SPECIAL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA’S ELECTIONS : Governor’s Race : About This Race
The governor is California’s chief executive officer. He or she lays out each year’s spending plan in the state budget and determines how to finance it. In addition, the governor appoints key officials to head a broad array of agencies, departments and commissions. The governor also appoints all Municipal and Superior Court judges in California and nominates justices to the state Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
Through the long campaign, virtually all the attention in the governor’s race has been focused on the two major party candidates: Democrat Kathleen Brown, the current state treasurer, and Republican incumbent Pete Wilson.
Voters will have a choice of five candidates when they go to the polls on Nov. 8. The other three candidates are Gloria Estela LaRiva of the Peace and Freedom Party, Jerome (Jerry) McCready of the American Independent Party and Richard Rider of the Libertarian Party.
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