A last-minute voter guide to California’s 2026 primary election

With the California primary just one day away, much of the attention has been centered on the race for governor and L.A.’s mayoral election.

And with good reason.

Xavier Becerra has emerged as a front-runner in the governor’s race just two months after his campaign seemed doomed. Every major opinion poll showed the longtime Democratic politician near the bottom of the pack, my colleagues Dakota Smith and Nicole Nixon wrote. Now he tops them all, according to the latest poll.

In one of the most unusual mayoral election seasons in L.A. history, the latest voter survey shows no clear front-runner in the contest.

Incumbent Karen Bass, Councilmember Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt of MTV’s “The Hills” are fighting for the chance to face off in the Nov. 3 runoff election.

But Californians have several other races and ballot measures to consider, including seven City Council district seats, a crowded rematch for L.A. County sheriff and three tax measures, just to name a few.

Here’s what you need to know.

Race for L.A. City Council seats is pivotal

The mayor’s race might be getting more national attention, but the race for Los Angeles City Council could have profound influence on the direction of local government.

What’s at stake:

A contentious battle for L.A. city attorney, controller

The city attorney has a variety of jobs including prosecuting misdemeanors, signing off on City Hall legal matters and drafting laws and defending the city in court.

Incumbent Hydee Feldstein Soto believes she’s still the best person for the job as she’s taken a tough stand on crime and worked to bring more accountability and oversight to City Hall. Her opponents say she has mismanaged the office.

Incumbent City Controller Kenneth Mejia serves as L.A.’s chief auditor and watchdog of the public purse. He says that, in his first term, he brought much-needed accountability and scrutiny to City Hall and how the government functions.

His challenger Zach Sokoloff — whose mother bankrolled his campaign, contributing $7.5 million — says he would provide more rigorous oversight over budgets and services.

L.A. County and city ballot measures

Both Los Angeles city and county voters have several ballot measures to decide in the primary election, covering hotel taxes, pot and healthcare.

L.A. County’s half-cent sales tax would prop up local hospitals and clinics. Backers say it’s necessary after President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is set to slash more than $2 billion from the county’s budget for health services over the next three years. Critics worry it could hurt business and be a burden on taxpayers.

Three L.A. ballot measures would increase the city’s hotel and short-term rental bed tax by 2% until the end of the Olympics, and 1% thereafter; require online travel companies to pay taxes on their markups to L.A. customers; and tax illegal cannabis businesses at the same rate as legal operators, potentially generating $30 million to $35 million annually for city services.

L.A. County sheriff’s race

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna unseated his predecessor, Alex Villanueva, in a hard-fought campaign four years ago. Villanueva hopes to return the favor Tuesday as one of seven candidates challenging Luna.

While Luna touts a 12.5% drop in serious crimes and restored cooperation with oversight agencies, Villanueva paints a picture of a Sheriff’s Department in severe decline.

For more of what’s on the ballot, consult our last-minute voter guide.

Today’s top stories

California to play a big role in the fight for Congress

• California Democrats redrew the state’s congressional map to gain as many as five seats in November, but those gains aren’t guaranteed.
• Short of a massive blue wave, the California races will play a decisive role in whether Democrats win back control of the House.

Trump enters perilous polling territory

• Mired in a persistent cost-of-living crisis and an unpopular war with Iran, President Trump reached a perilous milestone last week, registering an approval rating of 34% in a top-tier poll.
• The results mark one of the sharpest polling collapses of any modern president.

The robot puppeteers of Silicon Valley

• A growing workforce of robot controllers is teaching humanoids to move like people so they can work in factories and homes.
• The humanoid robots are being taught how to do basic tasks: pour coffee, fold laundry, open fridges and plug in cables.

What else is going on

Commentary and opinions

This morning’s must-read

Another must-read

For your downtime

Going out

Staying in

A question for you: What’s your favorite summer beach getaway?

Wendy says, “In the early 1970s during summer vacation, my Valley Girl high school friends and I would hop on a bus that stopped on Van Nuys Boulevard that took us on the 405 all the way to the Santa Monica pier and the beach. Of course, we had our transistor radios with us. We felt so grown up going there without our parents. Such wonderful memories of those days spent jumping in the waves and listening to the great tunes on our radios! Sunscreen wasn’t really great then, so I would often come home with a bad sunburn! Ouch!”

Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.

And finally … your photo of the day

Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Christina House at a gathering of Marilyn Monroe look-alikes in downtown Palm Springs over the weekend in honor of what would have been the Hollywood icon’s 100th birthday.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Hailey Branson-Potts, staff writer
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.