2022 California elections

Incumbent Democratic senator Alex Padilla was appointed to the seat in 2021 after his predecessor Kamala Harris resigned to become Vice President of the United States. He intends to run for election to a full term.[2] Harris was first elected in 2016 with 61.6% of the vote.

Due to results of the 2020 United States Census, California will have 52 seats in the United States House of Representatives up for election, a loss of one seat. This is the first time the state will lose a congressional delegation in its history.[3]

Incumbent Democratic governor Gavin Newsom faced a recall election in 2021 in which he prevailed. Newsom was first elected in 2018 with 61.9% of the vote.

Incumbent Democratic lieutenant governor Eleni Kounalakis is eligible to run for re-election, though has not stated whether she will do so. She was first elected in 2018 with 56.6% of the vote.

Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta was appointed in 2021 after his predecessor Xavier Becerra resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. He is intends to run for election to a full term.[4] Becerra won election to a full term in 2018 with 63.6% of the vote.

Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Shirley Weber was appointed in 2021 after her predecessor Alex Padilla resigned to become a U.S. Senator. She intends to run for election to a full term.[2] Padilla was re-elected in 2018 with 64.5% of the vote.

Incumbent Democratic Treasurer Fiona Ma is running for re-election.[5] She was first elected in 2018 with 64.1% of the vote.

Incumbent Democratic Controller Betty Yee is term-limited and cannot run for re-election. She was re-elected in 2018 with 65.5% of the vote.

Incumbent Democratic Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is running for re-election.[6] He was first elected in 2018 with 52.9% of the vote.

Incumbent Democratic Superintendent Tony Thurmond is eligible to run for re-election, though has not stated whether he will do so. He was first elected in 2018 with 50.9% of the vote.

Incumbent Republican Ted Gaines is eligible to run for re-election, though has not stated whether he will do so. He was first elected in 2018 with 51.4% of the vote.

Braden Murphy is the Democrat in the race.

Incumbent Democrat Malia Cohen is retiring to run for state controller.[7] She was first elected in 2018 with 72.8% of the vote.

Incumbent Democrat Tony Vazquez is eligible to run for re-election, though has not stated whether he will do so. He was first elected in 2018 with 69.9% of the vote.

Incumbent Democrat Mike Schaefer is eligible to run for re-election, and has recently announced his re-election campaign for 2022 has $100,000 funding his account as of 1/1/22 He was first elected in 2018 with 52.2% of the vote.

Californians will elect all even-numbered seats to the California State Senate.

Californians will elect all of the seats to the California State Assembly.

Since the passage of a November 2011 law, only propositions placed on the ballot by the state legislature may appear on the primary ballot, and any qualifying measures placed via petition are automatically moved to the general election ballot.[8]

As of April 3, 2022, the state legislature has not placed any propositions on the primary election ballot.[9]

The following propositions have qualified to appear on the general election ballot. An initiative that qualifies is first listed by the California Secretary of State's office as "eligible" until 131 days before the election. Proponents still have the option to withdraw an "eligible" initiative before this deadline. The Secretary of State will then assign proposition numbers to all initiatives and referendums after the 131-day deadline.[9][10]

• Referendum Challenging a 2020 Law Prohibiting Retail Sale Of Certain Flavored Tobacco Products
  • This is a referendum (placed on the ballot via petition) on Senate Bill 793 passed by the state legislature in 2020. The law would ban the sale of flavored tobacco products and tobacco product flavor enhancers. Retailers would then be fined $250 for each sale that breaks this law.[11][12]

• Legalize Sports Betting on American Indian Lands Initiative
  • This combined constitutional amendment and state statute initiative placed on the ballot via petition would legalize sports betting at Native American casinos and licensed racetracks in California. It would also legalize roulette and dice games at Native American casinos, pending each tribal casino amending their tribal-state compacts. A 10 percent tax would also be levied on sports betting at racetracks, whose revenue would then be used for enforcement and problem-gambling programs.[13][14]

• Changes to Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Cap Initiative
  • This state statute initiative placed on the ballot via petition would annually adjust for inflation the state's cap for pain and suffering in medical malpractice lawsuits. The cap had stayed at $250,000 value since it was first enacted in 1975, and would be adjusted to $1.2 million for today's inflation. The law would also allow judges and juries to award damages above the cap for catastrophic injuries like death, permanent disability, permanent disfigurement, permanent loss of consortium, or permanent physical impairment.[15][16]

• Plastic Waste Reduction Regulations Initiative
  • This state statute initiative placed on the ballot via petition would require the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to adopt measures to reduce plastic waste. Specifically, among others, CalRecycle would have to adopt regulations to require all single-use plastic packaging and foodware to be reusable or recyclable, and impose a tax on such plastic packaging and foodware.[17][18]