We wrapped up our 2026 endorsement cycle last night with an extensive discussion of every statewide and county ballot measure on the November ballot. We also heard from all five Democratic candidates seeking our endorsement for LA County Superior Court, and finalized our endorsements on everything remaining on the 2026 ballot.
In Case You Missed It 👀, you can watch the entire meeting here:
🗳️ Endorsement Results
Per our Club Bylaws, contested endorsements require 55% support.
Endorsed candidates/positions listed below in bold.
Proposition 1 (Housing Bond) (56 votes cast, plus 4 abstentions)
Yes – 47 votes (84%)
No – 7 votes (13%)
No Endorsement – 2 votes (4%)
Proposition 2 (Budget Stabilization) (57 votes cast, plus 4 abstentions)
Yes – 52 votes (91%)
No – 3 votes (5%)
No Endorsement – 2 votes (4%)
Proposition 3 (Education Funding; Income Taxes) (56 votes cast, plus 4 abstentions)
Yes – 49 votes (88%)
No – 7 votes (9%)
No Endorsement – 2 votes (4%)
Proposition 4 (Public Financing of Elections) (58 votes cast, plus 2 abstentions)
Yes – 52 votes (90%)
No – 6 votes (9%)
No Endorsement – 0 votes (0%)
Proposition 5 (Recall of State Officers) (58 votes cast, plus 2 abstentions)
Yes – 51 votes (88%)
No – 6 votes (10%)
No Endorsement – 1 vote (2%)
Proposition 37 (Second Mortgage Bond) (55 votes cast, plus 5 abstentions)
Yes – 40 votes (73%)
No – 14 votes (25%)
No Endorsement – 1 vote (2%)
Proposition 38 (Immunology Medical Research) (59 votes cast, plus 1 abstention)
Yes – 46 votes (78%)
No – 13 votes (22%)
No Endorsement – 0 votes (0%)
Proposition 39 (Voter ID) (58 votes cast, plus 2 abstentions)
Yes – 3 votes (5%)
No – 55 votes (95%)
No Endorsement – 0 votes (0%)
Proposition 40 (Wealth Tax) (57 votes cast, plus 3 abstentions)
Yes – 35 votes (61%)
No – 22 votes (39%)
No Endorsement – 0 votes (0%)
Proposition 41 (Tax Administration; Revenue & Spending Limits) (58 votes cast, plus 2 abstentions)
Yes – 11 votes (19%)
No – 47 votes (81%)
No Endorsement – 0 votes (0%)
Proposition 42 (Income Taxes) (58 votes cast, plus 2 abstentions)
Yes – 10 votes (17%)
No – 47 votes (81%)
No Endorsement – 1 vote (2%)
Proposition 43 (Supermajority; Local Government) (60 votes cast, no abstentions)
Yes – 5 votes (8%)
No – 53 votes (88%)
No Endorsement – 2 votes (3%)
Proposition 44 (Health Care Spending Requirements) (59 votes cast, plus 1 abstention)
Yes – 3 votes (5%)
No – 55 votes (95%)
No Endorsement – 1 vote (2%)
Proposition 45 (Expedited Environmental Review) (58 votes cast, plus 2 abstentions)
Yes – 13 votes (22%)
No – 45 votes (78%)
No Endorsement – 0 votes (0%)
Measure A (Binding Arbitration) (57 votes cast, plus 3 abstentions)
Yes – 49 votes (86%)
No – 7 votes (12%)
No Endorsement – 1 vote (2%)
Measure E (Ethics Commission) (57 votes cast, plus 3 abstentions)
Yes – 49 votes (86%)
No – 7 votes (12%)
No Endorsement – 1 vote (2%)
Judicial Office #65 (55 votes cast, plus 5 abstentions)
Anna Slotky Reitano – 39 votes (71%)
Justin Clayton – 10 votes (18%)
No Endorsement – 6 votes (11%)
Judicial Office #87 (57 votes cast, plus 3 abstentions)
David DeJute – 53 votes (93%)
No Endorsement – 4 votes (7%)
Judicial Office #131 (48 votes cast, plus 12 abstentions)
Donna Tryfman – 15 votes (31%)
David Ross – 26 votes (54%)
No Endorsement – 7 votes (15%)
Result = The Club did not reach consensus on this race.
Governor (58 votes cast, plus 2 abstentions)
Xavier Becerra – 51 votes (88%)
No Endorsement – 7 votes (12%)
Lieutenant Governor (58 votes cast, plus 2 abstentions)
Fiona Ma – 55 votes (95%)
No Endorsement – 3 votes (5%)
Treasurer (57 votes cast, plus 3 abstentions)
Eleni Kounalakis – 53 votes (93%)
No Endorsement – 4 votes (7%)
Superintendent of Public Instruction (53 votes cast, plus 7 abstentions)
Richard Barrera – 47 votes (89%)
No Endorsement – 6 votes (11%)
Congratulations to all of our endorsed candidates!
Our now-concluded 2026 endorsement process brought hundreds of Santa Monica Democrats together to consider candidates and measures up and down the ballot. Congratulations to everyone who has earned the Club’s endorsement, and thank you to every candidate who participated in this year’s endorsement process and all of our members who took the time to participate and make their voices heard.
SM Rent Control Board:
Heather Thomason
Sue Himmelrich
Kurt Gonska
SMMUSD Board of Education:
Alicia Mignano
Stacy Rouse
Robbie Staenberg
SMC Board of Trustees:
Sion Roy
Luis Barrera Castañon
Tom Peters
Kera Blades Snell
Governor – Xavier Becerra
Lieutenant Governor – Fiona Ma
Secretary of State – Shirley Weber
Attorney General – Rob Bonta
Controller – Malia Cohen
Treasurer – Eleni Kounalakis
Insurance Commissioner – Ben Allen
Superintendent of Public Instruction – Richard Barrera
Board of Equalization – Mike Gipson
LA County Sheriff – Robert Luna
US House District 36 – Ted Lieu
State Senate District 24 – Brian Goldsmith
State Assembly District 51 – Rick Chavez Zbur
LA Superior Court:
OFFICE #64 – Maria Ghobadi
OFFICE #65 – Anna Slotky Reitano
OFFICE #87 – David DeJute
Ballot Measures:
STATE
1 – Yes
2 – Yes
3 – Yes
4 – Yes
5 – Yes
37 – Yes
38 – Yes
39 – No
40 – Yes
41 – No
42 – No
43 – No
44 – No
45 – No
COUNTY
A – Yes
E – Yes
LOCAL
GG – Yes
RR – Yes
TT – Yes
VV – Yes