Your guide to the California lieutenant governor’s race: long line to replace Eleni Kounalakis

More than a dozen candidates are vying to become California’s next lieutenant governor.

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, the first woman to hold the position, is finishing her second term and cannot seek reelection.

Among the notable candidates running to take her place are State Treasurer Fiona Ma, former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, former Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero and Josh Fryday, a veteran and member of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s cabinet.

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Romero, a former Democrat, is running as a Republican. Ma, Tubbs and Fryday are Democrats.

If the sitting governor dies, resigns or is removed from office, then the lieutenant governor would assume the role. The lieutenant governor also serves on boards that oversee the University of California, California State University and community college systems, and can be called upon to break a tie in the state Senate. The position is otherwise largely ceremonial.

Here’s a look at the the candidates:

Fiona Ma speaks at the California Democratic Convention at the Anaheim Convention Center.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Ma is a certified public accountant serving as state treasurer.

She previously sat on the California Board of Equalization and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She also served three terms in the California Assembly, where she introduced legislation banning toxic chemicals and strengthening protections for domestic violence victims.

Ma believes her political experience sets her apart from other candidates. “It’s now more important than ever that we have qualified and experienced leaders in state government that know how to fight Trump,” she said.

If elected, Ma would consider some “thoughtfully done” tax increases. But she is opposed to the Billionaire Tax Act, a proposed state ballot initiative that would levy a one-time, 5% tax on the state’s billionaires to help offset recent federal cuts to healthcare and other programs.

“We need billionaires here in California,” she said, adding the tax could push them to leave the state. “Our budget is highly dependent on personal income tax, corporation tax and sales taxes.”

Ma supports the death penalty for those who kill police officers in the line of duty or commit heinous crimes against women and children.

She does not agree with the state’s plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, arguing that consumers should be free to make their own decisions. She said California can continue to fight climate change without mandating those vehicle restrictions.

Asked how she would approach conflicts with the Trump administration, Ma said she would try to find common ground.

“Our business is about people and relationships,” she said. “I think it would help if we had more open lines of communication where we can try to come to a compromise.”

Gloria Romero speaks at a town hall at the Calvary Chapel in Big Bear.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Romero is an adjunct professor at Pepperdine School of Public Policy.

She served as a Democrat in the Assembly and state Senate and became the Senate’s first woman majority leader in 2005. She registered as a Republican in 2024 after splitting with Democrats over the push to oust President Biden as the party’s presidential nominee. She then endorsed President Trump.

Romero said it’s time for Republicans to lead the state again. “Democrats have governed CA for 16 years,” she said. “They fail us every day. But we can’t give up.”

Romero would not support tax increases or the Billionaire Tax Act.

“California doesn’t have a revenue problem; it has a spending and accountability problem,” she said. “Instead of inventing new taxes, we should focus on controlling spending, encouraging investment and making California a place where people want to build businesses and create jobs.”

Romero supports the death penalty for serious crimes because victims’ families deserve justice and closure.

Although she encourages cleaner technologies, Romero disagrees with banning new gas-powered cars because it could make transportation unaffordable for some families.

Romero also would work to end the “constant political warfare” with Washington.

“The state should work constructively with the federal government on issues like public safety, infrastructure, border security and disaster response, and reserve litigation for situations where it is truly necessary,” she said.

Michael Tubbs, the first Black mayor of Stockton, in 2021.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Tubbs is the founder of End Poverty in California, a nonprofit, and serves as a special adviser to the governor on economic mobility.

He previously served on the Stockton City Council and was elected mayor in 2016, becoming the city’s first Black mayor and the nation’s youngest at 26. In 2021, he published a memoir “The Deeper the Roots” about overcoming poverty and graduating from Stanford University.

While he served as mayor, Tubbs said, Stockton cut homicides by 40% and became the state’s second-most fiscally healthy city. He also launched Stockton Scholars, a universal scholarship program. “California’s next lieutenant governor needs to be a proven leader who turns big ideas into real results, and that’s exactly what I did as mayor,” he said.

Tubbs said the Billionaire Tax Act could drive billionaires and their annual tax dollars out of the state. But he supports other measures to increase revenue, like corporate property tax reform.

“Given California’s budget deficits, the question isn’t whether to raise revenue — it’s how,” he said. “Any new revenue must come with strict accountability measures.”

Tubbs does not support the death penalty because it’s costly for taxpayers, has not been shown to reduce crime and has a disproportionate effect on Black and brown communities.

While he supports clean energy, he believes the state’s goal of banning new gas-powered cars is unrealistic.

Tubbs would defend California’s values “against an increasingly authoritarian federal government.”

Josh Fryday, Chief Service Officer of California in the California Governor’s Cabinet, talks to a campaign supporter during the California Democratic Convention in San Francisco.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Fryday is the former mayor of the Northern California city of Novato and serves as the state’s chief service officer, leading the newly created Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement. He is also a veteran who served in the Navy as a judge advocate general.

While stationed in Japan, Fryday helped coordinate disaster relief efforts after the 2011 tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster. He represented detainees while serving at Guantanamo Bay and later urged legislators to close the detention facility during his testimony before a U.S. Senate committee.

“I have the experience of delivering for people and the demonstrated courage of standing up for our values and speaking out when it matters most,” he said.

A self-described environmental champion, Fryday supports the state’s plan to phase out new gas-powered cars by 2035. “We need to be very aggressive in pursuing the transition to a clean economy,” he said.

Fryday has concerns about the Billionaire Tax Act and thinks the state should explore other ways of raising revenue.

He does not support the death penalty.

“Public safety should be a huge concern of government,” he said. “It’s part of why I volunteered to serve in the military, to keep our country safe, but I think the death penalty has proven that it doesn’t deter crime and its been applied unfairly.”

Fryday would fight back against the Trump administration’s attacks on universities, communities and the environment.

“We need courage to stand up to the Trump administration to be able to protect our state,” he said.

Other certified candidates appearing on the ballot for lieutenant governor include Democrats Janelle Kellman, Jeyson Lopez, Oliver Ma, Tim Myers and Abdur Rahman Sikder and Republicans Ebie Lynch, David Collenberg, David Fennell and Skip Shelton. Third party candidates include Alice Stek with the Peace and Freedom Party and Rakesh Christian and Sean Collinson, who both have no party listed.