August 28, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

California Voters to Decide November Governor Ballot Today

Current CA Governor Jerry Brown will be running for a fourth term as voters decide today who else will be on the ballot in November.
Current CA Governor Jerry Brown will be running for a fourth term as voters decide today who else will be on the ballot in November.

Voters are expected today to put either Assemblyman Tim Donnelly or fellow Republican Neel Kashkari on the November ballot for governor, along with Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, who is seeking an unprecedented fourth term.

This is the first gubernatorial election under the “top two” system adopted by voters in 2010. Candidates from all parties appear on the primary ballot, with the top two advancing to the November election regardless of party.

All polls give Brown a wide lead, with a close race forecast between Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, and Kashkari, a former Treasury Department official.

There are 15 candidates on the ballot — six Republicans, two Democrats, five without a party preference and one each from the Green and Peace and Freedom parties.

Kashkari has focused his campaign on two issues — creating jobs and improving education.

Donnelly has called for eliminating government waste, reducing state spending; cutting taxes; increasing government efficiency; imposing a moratorium on all new regulations; and reversing Brown’s realignment plan, which has transferred inmates from state prisons to county jails and resulted in some early releases.

However, in the final weeks, the campaign was dominated by questions over Donnelly’s fitness as a candidate amid fears by Republican leaders that he would hurt the party’s other candidates on the November ballot.

Donnelly drew criticism from Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, for stating on his Facebook page on May 5 that Kashkari “supported the United States submitting to the Islamic, Shariah banking code in 2008 when he ran TARP,” a reference to the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

“This type of stupidity disqualifies Tim Donnelly from being fit to hold any office, anywhere,” Issa said. “Donnelly is no longer a viable option for California voters.”

Donnelly based the claim on a 2008 Washington Times story about Kashkari attending a conference on Islamic finance.

Aaron McLear, a strategist for Kashkari, said last month the story was inaccurate.

“The U.S. Treasury Department regularly invites delegates from around the world to Washington to advocate for free market principles,” McLear said.

“The conference on Islamic finance was designed to explore how free market principles could work in Islamic countries. It had nothing to do with changing America’s legal or financial systems.”

Another fellow Republican, former Gov. Pete Wilson, also criticized Donnelly for his “irresponsible personal behavior,” a reference to a 2012 no contest plea to misdemeanor gun charges for carrying a loaded gun into an airport.

In a letter to voters, Wilson wrote “Donnelly’s record, not California’s critical challenges — is what would inescapably become the focus of a Donnelly campaign,” if he were on the general election ballot.

“With Donnelly on the ballot, it would be a losing campaign, risking injury to our party and our state and to other Republican candidates, who deserve to win,” Wilson wrote.

Donnelly has characterized the incident as an honest mistake.

The son of immigrants from India, the 40-year-old Kashkari was raised in the Akron, Ohio, suburb of Stow and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Illinois. He moved to California in 1998 and worked as a design engineer at TRW in Redondo Beach, developing technology for NASA space missions.

Kashkari returned to college and received an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 2002, then worked in the San Francisco office of the investment bank Goldman Sachs, eventually leading its information technology security practice.

Then-Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson hired Kashkari in 2006 as a special assistant on energy policy. He was appointed by then-President George W. Bush in 2007 as assistant secretary of the Treasury for international economics and development.

Kashkari was among several Paulson aides who wrote the legislation that created TARP, then oversaw it as interim assistant secretary of the Treasury for financial stability, a position he remained in during the initial months of the Obama administration.

Following his government service, Kashkari worked for the Newport Beach-based global investment management firm PIMCO, resigning last year to explore running for governor.

Donnelly, 48, was elected to the Assembly in 2010 and re-elected in 2012, representing a San Bernardino County district. He has authored legislation to designate every Feb. 1 as Freedom from Slavery Day and each January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

In 2005, Donnelly founded California’s largest chapter of the Minutemen,an effort by the public to monitor the border to discourage illegal immigration.

Related Posts

(Video) The Opening of Mr. Charlie’s with Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete

August 28, 2025

August 28, 2025

Vegan burger restaurant with brightly colored decor now open on 26th street across fromthe Brentwood Country Mart. The Opening of...

California Pizza Kitchen Debuts Heart-Shaped Pizza Celebrating Swift–Kelce

August 28, 2025

August 28, 2025

13 Days of Engagement Pizzas, and Return of Hot Honey Flavors California Pizza Kitchen is rolling out a series of...

Culver Hotel Celebrates 101 Years With 101 Anniversary Menu and Live Music

August 28, 2025

August 28, 2025

Guests Can Enjoy a Four-Course Meal, Nightly Performances, Trivia Contest The historic Culver Hotel is celebrating its 101st anniversary this...

Westside Chefs Shine at the Manhattan Beach Food & Wine Festival in September

August 27, 2025

August 27, 2025

South Bay’s Culinary Festival Returns With Two Nights of Food, Wine, and Music Santa Monica, Westchester, Los Angeles, and West...

(Video) Come Tour The Willows Community School!

August 27, 2025

August 27, 2025

Sign up for a tour at The Willows and come see what makes our school such a vibrant, inspiring place...

Jewish Clergy Rally in Los Angeles Urging Ceasefire, Hostage Release, and Food Aid for Gaza

August 27, 2025

August 27, 2025

Two Dozen Rabbis Gathered at Israeli Consulate, Hostage’s Family Appears at Second Rally Jewish clergy from across Los Angeles County...

Metro LA’s Aug. 30 Deadline for Public Comment on Sepulveda Transit Draft EIR Approaches

August 27, 2025

August 27, 2025

Community Members Can Weigh In Before the 90-Day Comment Period Closes. Metro is reminding community members that the 90-day public...

Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Culver City, and Uni High Gear Up for Early-Season Games

August 26, 2025

August 26, 2025

The Centaurs, Eagles, Normans, and Wildcats Face Key Matchups This Week Football season is heating up across our area, with...

I-405 to See Lane Reductions, Ramp Closures as Pavement Rehab Project Continues

August 26, 2025

August 26, 2025

Drivers Should Expect Delays With Overnight Work Aug. 26–28, Sept. 5 Motorists using Interstate 405 through the Sepulveda Pass should...

Kobe Day Tribute: Lakers Welcome UCLA Newborns With Purple-and-Gold Gifts

August 26, 2025

August 26, 2025

Babies Received Adorable Care Packages in Celebration of “Kobe Day.” Families welcoming newborns at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and...

Suspect Arrested After Eight-Hour SWAT Standoff in Jefferson Park Shooting

August 26, 2025

August 26, 2025

 Police Say a Man Was Killed and a Suspect Barricaded Himself Inside a Home Hours after a fatal shooting near...

Attorney General Rob Bonta Secures Release of $900M in Frozen Education Funds for California

August 25, 2025

August 25, 2025

Trump Administration Agrees to Release Frozen Education Funds  California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Friday that the Trump administration has...

“Rich Rollin” Burglary Crew Linked to 92 Break-Ins Taken Down in LAPD Operation

August 25, 2025

August 25, 2025

Ten Suspects, Including Confirmed Gang Members, Face Charges Nearly 100 residential burglaries across the city have been tied to a...

Oakley Founder Relists Beverly Hills Fortress for $65.995 Million

August 25, 2025

August 25, 2025

James Jannard’s Brutalist Mansion in Trousdale Estates For Sale The brutalist estate built by Oakley founder James Jannard is back...

18-Year-Old Woman Fatally Shot While Trying to Break Up a Fight on a Metro Bus

August 24, 2025

August 24, 2025

Police Say the Teen Was Killed in Westchester After Intervening in a Dispute  Efforts to break up a fight on...