Sacramento Report: Frustrated Voters Begrudgingly Tune In to Governor’s Race

“Disheartened” is the word that comes to mind for Rita McIntyre when thinking about how California leaders have addressed the state’s biggest issues, such as housing prices and homelessness.

“I’m concerned about the state,” said McIntyre, who has lived in Chula Vista since 1958. “It’s so bad. It is just so bad out there. And, for me, it’s so disheartening.”

McIntyre, a retired mortgage underwriter and registered Democrat, is far from an anomaly. Her sentiment is shared by large swaths of the electorate, which is perpetually squeezed by the nation’s most expensive housing market and record-breaking gas prices.

Amid a governor’s race in disarray, the San Diego voters I spoke to for this week’s Sacramento Report echoed disappointment about high housing costs, gas prices and homelessness and expressed cynicism about whoever replaces Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ability to address them.

After former U.S Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race in disgrace following sexual abuse allegations, the remaining seven Democratic candidates have had a difficult time distinguishing themselves. Some Democrats still fear that the two Republicans, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and political consultant Steve Hilton, could advance to the general election in California’s open primary.

Mail ballots will hit voters’ mailboxes in less than three weeks.

The people I spoke with are overwhelmingly looking for authenticity and a commitment to do what they say they will. Many are also looking for a leader who, like Newsom, will act as a bulwark against the Trump administration.

Many are frustrated with President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and would like someone who is able to antagonize him. Others say they want faster progress for California’s high-speed rail project, and others are hoping for more attention to the Tijuana River sewage crisis.

Immigration arrests have skyrocketed in San Diego under President Donald Trump’s second term. Federal immigration officers arrested more than twice as many people in San Diego and Imperial counties in September and October from and the previous year, and overall arrests shot up by 1,500 percent from May to October compared to the same period in 2024, a CalMatters analysis found.

Right next to the border, many residents in Chula Vista, including McIntyre, are upset with the arrests and frustrated about reports of unsafe conditions at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, where the county has sued the Trump administration for allegedly blocking a public health inspection.

“I can’t say the current governor is doing anything, or a new one will do anything,” McIntyre said. “But you have to keep trying.”

Some voters said they’re looking for a candidate who will prioritize the Tijuana River cleanup by collaborating with the federal government.

Becky Fredrickson, a stay-at-home mother who considers herself an independent but usually votes for Democrats, said she’ll likely support Xavier Becerra after previously backing Becerra. She believes Becerra, who served as state attorney general during the first Trump administration, has the experience of going toe-to-toe with the president that she’s looking for in a candidate. But she’s doubtful.

“I’m tired of being deceived. I’m not happy with any political party right now. I think people really need to make them accountable,” Fredrickson said.

Others said they’d like more transparency and efficiency about how public dollars are being spent. 

“Things like the bullet train that’s wasted billions and nobody’s accountable for, just boggles my mind,” Dale Peterson, a retired city planner, said about the high-speed rail project. Peterson said he is an independent.

“I’m not particularly thrilled with the two guys on the Republican side, either,” Peterson said. So far, he is most interested in San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a moderate Democrat and Newsom critic. But he said he’ll likely vote for a Republican in June to ensure that a candidate from both parties is on the ballot.

Some members of San Diego’s delegation in the state Legislature have endorsed candidates. Assemblymember Chris Ward of San Diego and Assemblymember Tasha Boerner of Solana Beach have endorsed billionaire Tom Steyer. Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins of La Mesa and Akilah Weber Pierson of San Diego have endorsed state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. Encinitas Sen. Catherine Blakespear has endorsed Mahan. San Diego’s GOP state lawmakers — Sen. Brian Jones and Assemblymember Carl DeMaio — have not endorsed a gubernatorial candidate.

Still, many voters aren’t engaged, Loyola Marymount University political science professor Chaya Crowder said. It’s easier to vote in California than almost any other state, yet voter turnout hovered around 33 percent statewide in last year’s special election, Chowder said. Turnout is also typically lower in midterm elections compared to general elections. 

In 2024, 71 percent of registered voters showed up at the polls for the November election, while just 35 percent did in the June primary, according to the secretary of state’s office.

“There’s a large amount of political apathy. I don’t think people feel that their vote or their voice matters, and that can be demobilizing,” she said.

What I’m Reading Now

At the San Francisco Chronicle, an editor breaks down how the newsroom’s politics reporters corroborated long-rumored sexual abuse allegations surrounding former Democratic Congressmember Eric Swalwell.

Gavin Newsom’s PAC paid $1.5 million to distribute his memoir to supporters, making up roughly two-thirds of the book’s total print sales, The New York Times reports.

Candidates for California’s top schools job showed little daylight between one another at a forum in San Diego, the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.

Thanks for reading this week’s Sacramento Report. Please feel free to reach me at nadia@voiceofsandiego.org.

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