ODD BALLOTFELLOWS: One thing that’s going to be impossible for candidates for governor and Congress to avoid this year is everything else that’s on the ballot — including some polarizing and high-stakes initiatives already driving a wedge between Democrats on key issues.
If you want to know what 2026 candidates will be talking about, the initiatives filed with the secretary of state’s office will help set the agenda in Sacramento and on the campaign trail.
While it’s too early to know what and who will go before voters, proposals in the pipeline would touch on taxes, artificial intelligence, environmental regulations and more. And a proposal doesn’t have to qualify to start generating political strife: Before a single signature was collected, SEIU-UHW’s wealth tax became a lightning rod splitting California Democrats with higher ambitions.