Last week, the Official Voter Information Guide for the June 2026 Primary began arriving in California mailboxes statewide. Tucked inside that state-issued booklet, alongside the legitimate candidate statements you would expect, was something most of us never imagined would appear under the seal of the State of California: a violent screed of antisemitic conspiracy theories, accompanied by links to overtly racist, homophobic, antisemitic, and white nationalist websites.
A disclaimer on the page does not undo that harm. When antisemitic conspiracy theories are printed in an official government document and mailed to 23 million people, those lies are given a platform and a veneer of legitimacy they would never otherwise have. This should not have happened, and we must ensure current guidelines are clarified, strengthened, and consistently enforced so it never does again.
We have been in communication with the Secretary of State’s office regarding current and future steps that can be taken. We are also working closely with the California Legislative Jewish Caucus and Assemblymember Gail Pellerin – a Jewish Caucus member and chair of the Assembly Elections Committee – on legislation to ensure that hate of this kind never again appears in an official state publication. We will keep you updated as this work progresses.
This episode arrives at a moment when antisemitism is surging across the country and across the political spectrum. Our community continues to be targeted from many places at once – in our schools, at our synagogues, online, and now in our mailboxes. The through line is the same: Jews remain a convenient scapegoat for grievances of every ideological stripe. California must not – inadvertently or otherwise – become a megaphone for any of it.
Assemblymember Gail Pellerin
“During my 27 years as a county elections official, I rejected numerous candidate statements that failed to comply with the Elections Code’s requirement that they be limited to a recitation of a candidate’s background and qualifications. The antisemitic statement included in the state voter information guide is reprehensible. It does not reflect California’s values and has no place in voter resources produced and distributed by the state. I will work with my colleagues to advance legislation that ensures that this kind of content never appears in official election materials again.” –Assemblymember Gail Pellerin
We are grateful to Assemblymember Pellerin and the Jewish Caucus for their steadfast partnership and forceful response – their full statement is available here – and to our partners who raised the alarm last week and laid the groundwork for the state’s response.
This is a reminder that California has the people, the institutions, and the political will to get this right. We will keep showing up with our partners and our allies in the Capitol until we do.
Onward,
David Bocarsly
CEO
Jewish California (formerly JPAC)
Jewish California’s 43 member organizations — including Jewish Federations, Jewish Community Relations Councils, Jewish Family Service agencies, and others — serve hundreds of thousands of Californians of all backgrounds and represent the interests of California’s 1.2 million Jews.
The Governor must get 50% or we will be stuck with a right-wing TRUMP nut!
Like many of you, I’ve been slow to get on board with the VOTE NO campaign. It seemed a long shot that the Republicans could win.
Then – !!!! I discovered that Newsom is only just barely polling over the required 50%. If we don’t get our votes in, we could find ourselves in an incredible mess.
Do it today. >> On your ballot, fill in the NO BOX at the top. Don’t need to vote any name on question 2. Just stuff your NO ballot into the yellow envelope, SIGN YOUR NAME under the flap, and seal the envelope.
BEST NOT TO MAIL YOUR BALLOT at this late date!(They CAN be mailed in as long as the P.O. postmarks them by Sept 14, but you can’t rely on the P.O. these days….) You can drop your ballot off locally anytime up until election day September 14, and curbside dropoff is available starting TODAY! See below.
INDOORS DROP OFF – BALLOT RETURN & VOTING ADDRESSES
August 16 to September 14, voters can drop off ballots at the following locations. (Drop Boxes are inside office buildings.) [sta_anchor id=”curbside” /]
Click the image for a larger display, or go to the Solano County Registrar of Voters webpage for detailed information.
STARTING TODAY SEPT 9 – “CURBSIDE” DROP-OFF LOCATIONS
Sept. 9, 10, 11, 13 and 14, voters can drop off ballots “Curbside” at the following locations. (Stay in your car, hand ballot to poll workers)
Here in Benicia, two vigilant and persistent residents uncovered the story, as follows:
Constance Beutel contacted our elected representatives, as previously reported here on the Benicia Independent, and found that one can access the Voter Guide online from the California Secretary of State, but that it may not have been mailed to voters this year.
This was followed by phone calls and email correspondence from Colleen Higgins of Benicia. Quoting Colleen, with permission:
With the mantra VOTE EARLY! we received our ballots on September 28 WITHOUT the usual California Voter Information Guide, including text of proposed laws / pros and cons. We only received the local Solano County Voter Guide.
After numerous phone calls over two days to offices of the Solano County Registrar of Voters and the California Secretary of State, this is what I know.
First, my tone and concern was not to blame or point fingers but to clarify, plead for and maximize the voter information packet to ensure a ‘well formed citizenry.’ Per Secretary of State, on page 109 of a 112 page ONLINE version of the Voter Guide, voters are informed that the law changed in 2018, such that the text of proposed laws is no longer auto mailed. The voter must call/text/email a request to the Secretary of State for a mailed copy. [This on page 109 of the un-mailed Guide!]
Neither Solano County nor the Secretary of State have a highly visible advisory of this big change on their websites.
And one last confusing piece is that Solano received the Secretary of State copy of proposed bills and they will be mailed out separately to Solano voters ‘soon.
So I asked that they consider texting all voters of the change in procedures so that no one, based on income, fires, pandemic be partially disenfranchised from voting the full California ballot.
Seems like there was a disconnect between Secretary of State and Counties.
I sincerely hope this is resolved quickly.
Colleen Higgins, Benicia
Many thanks to Constance and Colleen for digging up the background on this story.
Surely this information was made available somewhere other than in the Voter Guide itself…the Voter Guide which we all expected to receive but didn’t. Surely, right? But I follow State and Local political races, and I don’t recall having seen public announcement or other notification. Like me, the general public must be clueless.
I’m posting the link here (again) so you can now access the California Voter Information Guide, at the Secretary of State, or here on the BenIndy.
Yesterday, I posted breaking news about the non-delivery of mailed copies of the California Voter Information Guide. More about that in another post, but first, and MOST IMPORTANTLY…
PROP 14 Authorizes Bonds Continuing Stem Cell Research. Initiative Statute. p. 16 (See also below, pp. 78-109 for an incredibly lengthy section on the State Bond.)
PROP 15 Increases Funding Sources for Public Schools, Community Colleges, and Local Government Services by Changing Tax Assessment of Commercial and Industrial Property. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. p 22
PROP 16 Allows Diversity as a Factor in Public Employment, Education, and Contracting Decisions. Legislative Constitutional Amendment. p. 26
PROP 17 Restores Right to Vote After Completion of Prison Term. Legislative Constitutional Amendment. p. 30
PROP 18 Amends California Constitution to Permit 17-Year-Olds to Vote in Primary and Special Elections If They Will Turn 18 by the Next General Election and Be Otherwise Eligible to Vote. Legislative Constitutional Amendment. p. 34
PROP 19 Changes Certain Property Tax Rules. Legislative Constitutional Amendment. p. 38
PROP 20 Restricts Parole for Certain Offenses Currently Considered to Be Non-Violent. Authorizes Felony Sentences for Certain Offenses Currently Treated Only as Misdemeanors. Initiative Statute. p. 44
PROP 21 Expands Local Governments’ Authority to Enact Rent Control on Residential Property. Initiative Statute. p. 52
PROP 22 Exempts App-Based Transportation and Delivery Companies From Providing Employee Benefts to Certain Drivers. Initiative Statute. p. 56
PROP 23 Establishes State Requirements for Kidney Dialysis Clinics. Requires On-Site Medical Professional. Initiative Statute. p. 60
PROP 24 Amends Consumer Privacy Laws. Initiative Statute. p. 66
PROP 25 Referendum on Law That Replaced Money Bail With System Based on Public Safety and Flight Risk. p. 72
OVERVIEW OF STATE BOND DEBT p. 78 TEXT OF PROPOSED BOND p. 89
Again, go here to view the Guide on the CA Secretary of State website. (And in case that doesn’t work, I have also saved a copy you may access here on the BenIndy website – click here.)
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