Fiona Ma running for California lieutenant governor. Here’s the other candidates for 2026

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TREASURER FIONA MA ANNOUNCES RUN FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

The musical chairs continue in California politics, as State Treasurer Fiona Ma announced Wednesday that she is running to succeed Eleni Kounalakis as California’s next lieutenant governor.

“With more than two decades of experience in public office, I am uniquely qualified to be California’s second-highest ranking elected official — where I will continue to be a powerful advocate for improving our state’s housing supply, environment, education systems and economy,” Ma, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Ma, 57, would be the first Asian-American and only the second woman to hold the office if elected in 2026. Prior to becoming treasurer, she served in the Assembly from 2006 to 2012 and then on the State Board of Equalization from 2015 to 2019. Ma also sat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2002 to 2006.

Here’s how the musical chairs are unfolding, so far:

Kounalakis is running to succeed Gavin Newsom as governor. Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon has formed a campaign committee for state treasurer in 2026, when Ma’s term expires. As for Newsom? Well, there’s the biggest chair of all, most likely in 2028.

Ma has some likely competition for the No. 2 seat in California: Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins has formed a campaign committee.

FIRST PARTNER TEAMS UP WITH SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC TO PROMOTE CRISIS HOTLINE

In the closing days of May, which was Mental Health Awareness Month, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom teamed up with the Sacramento Republic football club to release a public service announcement about 988, the nation’s new suicide and mental health crisis hotline.

“No one should face a suicidal crisis or emotional distress alone. There is hope. And there is help available through the 988 Lifeline — which provides 24/7 confidential emotional support and directs callers to local care and resources,” Siebel Newsom said in a tweet announcing the PSA.

To promote the hotline this season, the Republic’s jerseys will have a 988 patch on the right sleeve.

SEN. HURTADO TO HOST FILM SCREENING

Last month, the Senate Appropriations Committee quietly killed a bill by Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Bakersfield, to block foreign governments from buying up California farmland. Per usual, it’s the “suspense” that killed it — the suspense file, where the committee can deposit bills without public deliberation or a vote.

Next Monday, Hurtado will co-host a screening of “The Grab,” a documentary that covering investigative journalist Nate Halverson’s research into “the money, influence, and alarming rationale behind covert efforts to control the most vital resource on the planet.”

In her statement, Hurtado said that California’s agricultural land, which produces a third of the nation’s vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts, is being “irreplaceably lost to future generations of our children every time we sellout to interests who do not care about the impact of their business models on our state’s scarce resources.”

The movie will be shown at Crest Theater in Sacramento, with doors opening at 5 p.m.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“...Burning Flags. Banning Books. We have seen this before. And it’s happening everywhere, all across the country. Woke has become just another a dog whistle. We must continue to call out hate when we see it, as they keep trying to normalize it. If we go silent, this will only get worse. We cannot become numb to this.”

- California Gov. Gavin Newsom, discussing a news story about the burning of a LGBTQ Pride flag in the Los Angeles area, via Twitter.

Best of The Bee:

• Florida governor and 2024 presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis will visit the California capital June 19th for a “roundtable breakfast” priced at $3,300 per ticket, via Jenavieve Hatch.

• Sacramento should have an entirely new entity to figure out how to deal with the growing homeless crisis, a grand jury has found, via Theresa Clift.

• A large group of Sacramento Jewish leaders held a news conference outside City Hall Tuesday to reject antisemitic and racist comments made by a man at council meetings in recent weeks, via Theresa Clift.

• Here’s the good news as the debt limit battle rages on: Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries due payments this week will receive them as scheduled, via David Lightman.

• A Northern California judge on Wednesday dismissed manslaughter and other criminal charges brought against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in connection with the Zogg Fire, a deadly and destructive 2020 wildfire in Shasta County, as prosecutors and the utility company announced a $50 million settlement agreement, via Michael McGough.

• Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has threatened to remove news posts from those social media platforms should Assembly Bill 886, dubbed the California Journalism Preservation Act, become law, via Andrew Sheeler.

• California lawmakers are moving forward with plans to restrict the deployment of self-driving semitrucks — a move that industry representatives say is misguided, via Maggie Angst.