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.
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