EDITORIAL: In their words: Fiona Ma v. Josh Fryday v. Michael Tubbs v. Gloria Romero. We asked. They answered.
May 10-Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
California's lieutenant governor race is a test of who can turn a limited office into a powerful one. Between now and June 2, voters can choose from 16 candidates running to replace termed-out Eleni Kounalakis. Whoever wins will play key roles on the UC Board of Regents, the Cal State University Board of Trustees, the State Lands Commission and the Commission for Economic Development, among other state bodies overseeing education, economics and environmental land use.
As part of our endorsement process in April, we sent out an extensive questionnaire to several candidates in search of answers to two core questions: What would they seek to do as lieutenant governor? And what makes them qualified to accomplish their goals?
After months of campaigning, there are only four candidates - three Democrats and a Republican - running campaigns with the financial resources and endorsements necessary to win:
- Josh Fryday, 45, leads Gov. Newsom's Office of Service and Community Engagement. He is the ex-mayor of Novato and a former officer in the U.S. Navy.
- Fiona Ma, 60, is California's state treasurer. She served on the State Board of Equalization, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and in the California State Assembly. (You can read our endorsement of Fiona Ma here.)
- Gloria Romero, 70, served in the State Assembly and Senate, where she was the Democratic majority leader. She is now a Republican.
- Michael Tubbs, 35, is a nonprofit leader and an advisor to Gov. Newsom. Also, he is the former mayor of Stockton.
To help voters understand more about these candidates, here is a curated selection of our questionnaire.
Their answers have been edited for length and clarity.
What are the top three problems you're seeking to solve if elected?
Fryday:
1. Housing shortage.
2. Aligning education with workforce needs.
3. Protecting California from the Trump administration.
Ma:
1. Higher education affordability: One of my top priorities will be to build more affordable housing units on and around college campuses so that students do not have the burden of commuting long distances to school or sleeping in cars. I have also been working to improve our state financial aid system.
2. The environment: I will work to keep our coastlines clean and protect our water from pollution.
3. Health care: Access to quality, affordable health care is something every Californian deserves, regardless of their zip code or income level.
Romero:
1. End one-party monopoly rule in Sacramento in order to bring common sense and affordability back to California. By providing for "mixed" government and a multiplicity of political points of view in Sacramento, a new era of bipartisanship and working across the aisle can be achieved.
2. End the disconnect between K-12 and higher education by establishing an educational pipeline under the auspices of the lieutenant governor's office.
3. I will lead a sex and human trafficking division under my jurisdiction to combat California - and Los Angeles in particular - being the epicenter of trafficking of young girls and women.
Tubbs:
1. Higher education affordability: The lieutenant governor should be the state's higher education czar. I'll advocate for things like making it easier for students to enroll in CalFresh and finding unused land and using (it) to build housing for students, faculty and staff.
2. Housing affordability: The housing shortage is a problem all over our state. What needs to change? One answer is: permitting.
3. Economic mobility: There are a lot of good things that we've started that need to be continued and expanded. I want to take the baton from Gov. Newsom and be one of the leaders who continues this work.
Why are you uniquely qualified to solve these problems?
Fryday:
Housing: I grew up with it. My family moved 17 times before I graduated high school because every time a landlord raised the rent, we had to move.
Education: I built the College Corps and the Climate Action Corps from scratch and grew California Volunteers into a service force larger than the Peace Corps. I also ran Golden State Opportunity, connecting millions of working families with the earned income tax credit.
Protecting California: I served as a Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps officer at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where I saw firsthand what happens when the rule of law is abandoned.
Ma:
Because I have actually done it before.
On housing: I have a deep understanding of how to work with universities and community colleges, having already built relationships with these institutions throughout my career.
On the environment: I have authored and passed legislation protecting our environment and clean water.
On health care: I have spent my entire career fighting to expand access to quality care for all Californians, from my early days in the assembly where I passed landmark health care legislation, to my work as state treasurer financing critical health care infrastructure across the state.
Romero:
I am a former Democrat who tried for years to reform and bring change to the Democratic Party, particularly on issues pertaining to our educational system and lack of school choice options. My understanding of the educational crises we face in California will bring about a more robust and successful public education system.
My service in the field of public safety and longstanding activism for the rights of women in the criminal justice system give me a unique understanding of why we need to end the shameful modern-day enslavement and selling of girls and women in California.
Tubbs:
Out of all the candidates for lieutenant governor, I'm the only one who has served as an executive during Trump's first term. I fought Jeff Sessions and Trump's administration as mayor of Stockton and plan to continue that fight as lieutenant governor. Beyond that, I'm the only one who had to navigate a city council with three Republicans and three Democrats. We did the first-ever guaranteed basic income program in this country's history. We brought down homicides by 40%. And we made Stockton the second-most fiscally sound city in the state.
What differentiates you from your most serious competitors for this seat?
Fryday:
I am the only military veteran in the race. I am the only candidate married to a public school teacher and the only candidate with children in public schools. I am the only candidate with a serious track record of climate leadership. I am the only candidate who has delivered results at the local, state, national and international levels.
Ma:
I am the only candidate in this race who has served in statewide office, having been California's state treasurer for over six years. I am also the only candidate who has balanced a statewide budget. But what truly sets me apart is the broad coalition of support I have built over more than two decades of public service. I have earned the endorsement of the California Labor Federation and over 50 labor unions. I have the support of 75% of the state legislature and over 600 local officials across California.
Romero:
I worked in the real world and after a long period of time chose to return to the electoral arena given the severe financial, political and moral challenges facing California and an out-of-touch political ruling class. I have shown my tenacity and backbone in challenging the status quo and while not being beholden to powerful special influences that dominate Sacramento. I am a representative of significant communities in California - being a former Democrat and a Latina - both of which are amongst the largest sectors walking away from one-party rule in California and seeking alternative choices for representation.
Tubbs:
I'm proud of my track record of accomplishments in local government, including raising more than $20 million to create the Stockton Scholars, a scholarship and mentorship program for Stockton students. Operating on the local level, my track record of results back my rhetoric. My main competitors have put in many years of noble service in Sacramento, but it's time for new leadership that can sell fresh ideas that California desperately needs.
What did Eleni Kounalakis do right as California's lieutenant governor?
Fryday:
Lt. Gov. Kounalakis successfully advocated for adding the Community Colleges Board of Governors to the lieutenant governor's portfolio. That was a significant expansion of the office's reach, and it means the next lieutenant governor will have a vote across all three of California's public higher education systems, not just the Universities of California and California State Universities. This is significant for a state where community colleges serve the largest share of students and are the primary pathway to workforce credentials and four-year degrees for millions of Californians.
Ma:
Eleni Kounalakis was a tireless advocate for housing, education and the environment, and she used the office to its fullest potential by actively engaging with the university and community college systems to expand access to higher education. She fought to protect California's natural resources and represented our state with distinction on the national and international stage. She also worked hard to strengthen California's economic relationships abroad and was a champion for working families throughout her tenure. I am proud to have Eleni's endorsement.
Romero:
Her record is slim, uneventful and has few accomplishments. What she will be remembered for is choosing not to run for Governor - but only because she thought that Kamala Harris would be running instead.
Tubbs:
Lt. Gov. Kounalakis has been right to oppose tuition increases at the Universities of California, California State Universities and community colleges. Higher education already costs too much, and we cannot continue putting the brunt of those costs on struggling students.
In what ways did Eleni Kounalakis fail as California's lieutenant governor?
Fryday:
California's higher education systems still operate too much in silos, and the gap between what our colleges and universities produce and what our economy actually needs has not closed. The lieutenant governor is uniquely positioned to bring together UC, CSU, community colleges, employers and labor to align education with workforce demand in sectors like health care, clean energy and construction. That convening work didn't happen at the scale it should have, and it's something I plan to prioritize.
Ma:
Eleni Kounalakis took office just before a global pandemic that created unprecedented challenges for California's economy, higher education system and health care infrastructure. While there are clear limits on the authority of the lieutenant governor position, I do believe that she could have utilized her position as president of the California State Senate to influence legislation to a greater degree. California continues to struggle with affordability and homelessness, which are deeply structural problems that require sustained, long-term solutions. And our coastlines and water systems continue to face serious threats that demand even greater attention and action.
Romero:
She had the opportunity - and the responsibility - to lead as a regent of the University of California system. She failed to speak out for girls and women's sports and defend Title IX. She failed to defend Jewish students after the assaults on them due to antisemitism following October 7. She failed to call out the gross incompetence and mismanagement by Governor Newsom and the Democrats in dealing with fire prevention, mitigation and mismanagement. She could have been a leading voice to change course from just rubber-stamping what Gavin Newsom was doing and letting the people of California burn to death.
Tubbs:
We are very different people who will bring different perspectives to the job. I grew up in poverty with a single mom, so the challenges that working people in this state face are urgent to me. I will use every lever available to the lieutenant governor to lower costs, and use the bully pulpit of the job to advocate for the big, structural changes needed to make California a more affordable state for all to live in.
The lieutenant governor sits on bodies including the California State Lands Commission and the UC Board of Regents, and can influence land use policy. How would you use those roles to help address California's housing shortage - particularly on state-owned land or university property?
Fryday:
Before I turned 18, I lived in 17 different homes. I was a Pell Grant student at UC Berkeley. I understand the severity and the pain of the housing crisis. I will use those seats to push every campus to inventory its surplus and underutilized land, develop concrete housing plans and move projects forward on a timeline that matches the urgency of this crisis. On the State Lands Commission, I will work to make sure public land decisions prioritize housing and clean energy development rather than letting those parcels sit idle.
Ma:
On the State Lands Commission: I will push to identify and prioritize state-owned parcels that are suitable for housing development, particularly affordable and workforce housing, and I will work to cut through the bureaucratic red tape that too often slows these projects down.
On the UC Board of Regents: I will push the University of California system (as well as the California State University and California Community College systems) to do more to house its students, faculty and staff on or near campus. When students have to commute long distances, it impacts their academic performance, mental health and financial stability.
Romero:
Given the crisis of homelessness in California, there have been many proposals to utilize state-owned land, including university property, to house and provide treatment services for the unhoused. I would want our commissions and boards to examine this. We have numerous policy institutes, and I would like to collaborate with them in each of our systems to not only develop and share their ideas and perspectives, but also engage in audits and examinations of waste, fraud and abuse, which is rampant. California is paying for its housing industrial complex, but not benefiting from its outcomes.
Tubbs:
I plan to use the lieutenant governor's position to unlock public land for public good. I think California should explore land leasing as a revenue stream, especially as it pertains to public higher education. We could additionally develop faculty and staff workforce housing through that framework. Through revenue-sharing leases, we could monetize without privatizing. A portion of lease payments would flow back into student aid, scholarships, campus maintenance and innovation funds, which would in turn keep tuition down.
California continues to face concerns about business costs and outmigration. What specific policies would you advocate to improve the state's economic competitiveness while still maintaining California's labor and environmental standards?
Fryday:
I will use the State Lands Commission to push for faster, more predictable permitting timelines for renewable energy projects on public land, particularly offshore wind, so that developers can plan and investors can commit with confidence. And I will use the lieutenant governor's international trade platform to position California as the global leader in clean energy investment and innovation. We also have to reimagine and relaunch the California Commission for Economic Development to send a message to businesses that they are welcomed and needed to make our state thrive.
Ma:
First, I will advocate for streamlining the permitting and regulatory process for businesses, particularly small and mid-sized businesses.
Second, I will use my seat on the Commission for Economic Development to target investments in industries where California has a natural competitive advantage - clean energy, technology, agriculture and health care.
Third, my commitment to building affordable housing around college campuses and on state-owned land is not just a housing policy - it's an economic development strategy.
And finally, I will work every single day to ensure that we keep good-paying union jobs here while creating innovative opportunities for small businesses to thrive.
Romero:
The lack of affordability in housing is largely attributable to misplaced priorities and overregulation of building, zoning and running a business. Many of these boards and commissions should be reevaluated - including California Air Resources Board, the California Coastal Commission and laws that have only deteriorated the quality of life for most Californians, including California Environmental Quality Act. They have only contributed to hardships for everyday Californians seeking to build, rebuild or start businesses. Not all current labor and environmental standards should be maintained, including Project Labor Agreements that have driven up the costs of housing and business.
Tubbs:
California must compete with not just other states, but other countries for our economic standing. Unfortunately, the Trump administration's reckless tariffs and wars have diminished America's global standing and made our trade and economic prospects more challenging. I plan to be a lieutenant governor at the frontlines of California's economic competitiveness, including reactivating the California Commission for Economic Development, and constantly serving as an ambassador and spokesperson for why companies around the world should be investing here.
The lieutenant governor serves on the UC Board of Regents, which helps shape policy for one of the largest public university systems in the world. What reforms would you support to improve affordability, expand access for California students and align higher education with workforce needs?
Fryday:
I will push the Regents to treat housing as core infrastructure and set concrete targets for student and workforce housing units on every campus. I want to strengthen the pipeline between community colleges and UC so transfer students complete degrees at the same rate as students who start as freshmen. I will push UC and CSU to integrate service pathways into financial aid and degree planning so more students can graduate with less debt and real work experience. I also want to see degree and credential programs aligned with actual workforce demand.
Ma:
On affordability: I will push to hold down tuition increases and expand financial aid for middle and lower income students. And I will work to strengthen California's state grant system.
On access: I will fight to ensure that California students, particularly those from underserved and low-income communities, have a clear and affordable pathway into the UC system.
On housing: I have long championed building affordable housing units.
On workforce alignment: I will be a strong advocate for expanding apprenticeship programs and creating clear career pathways that start in high school, move through community college and connect directly to good-paying careers.
Romero:
I want to be a regent who will advocate for and lead on meritocracy at all levels and hold all levels of our educational pipeline accountable. Hence, as lieutenant governor, I will initiate and lead a K-16 education pipeline to ensure we move towards implementing recommendations from previous Master Plans of Education and ensure that students are learning as they progress through the system.
Tubbs:
I'll be advocating for making it easier for students to enroll in CalFresh by connecting it to the financial aid system, as well as finding any unused land owned by the UC/CSU/community college systems and using (it) to build housing for students, faculty and staff. I support the effort to add a second student member on the UC governing board. Finally, I will never vote for a tuition increase. We need to be creative about raising revenue and ensure that increased costs do not rely on the backs of students and working families.
Through the State Lands Commission and other boards, the lieutenant governor has influence over coastal policy, offshore energy and conservation. What role should California play in developing offshore wind and other renewable energy projects while protecting coastal ecosystems and communities?
Fryday:
California should be leading the world on offshore wind, and I intend to use the role on the State Lands Commission, Coastal Commission and Ocean Protection Council to accelerate clean energy. I will push for clear, predictable permitting timelines so developers can plan and investors can commit. Through the State Lands Commission, the Coastal Commission and the Ocean Protection Council, I will make sure renewable energy projects are sited and built in ways that protect marine habitats, shoreline access and coastal communities while advancing the 30×30 conservation initiative.
Ma:
I will be a strong advocate for developing offshore wind projects in a way that works for our coastal communities, our fishing industries and our marine ecosystems. But development must be done right. The State Lands Commission has a responsibility to ensure that any offshore energy project undergoes rigorous environmental review and that the voices of coastal communities are heard and respected throughout the process. I will work to protect California's coastal ecosystems from pollution, overdevelopment and the growing threats posed by climate change.
Romero:
California must engage in developing renewable energy projects, particularly oil exploration, which can be clean and efficient. It makes no sense that in the name of "climate change" we are transporting oil from Iraq and the Amazon rainforests on diesel-spewing ships bound for California. These are not either-or choices. We must not worship at the environmental altars of the past which have contributed to much death and destruction in California (the wildfires in Paradise, Palisades, Eaton Canyon, etc.)
Tubbs:
The lieutenant governor serves as the chair of the State Lands Commission, which would provide me the opportunity to advocate for the acceleration of offshore wind and wetlands restoration, as well as stand up against polluters that want to drill for oil off California's coastline. On the Coastal Commission, I'd support adapting standards in accordance with sea-level rise to ensure Californians have living shorelines. Lastly, I'd support leveraging land assets on these campuses for renewable energy that we know is needed to transition from fossil fuels that drive the climate crisis.
Critics sometimes argue the lieutenant governor's role is largely ceremonial. If elected, what initiatives would you personally lead to make the office more influential in solving California's biggest challenges?
Fryday:
The lieutenant governor has a real platform to shape public debate. The effort I'm most excited to lead is expanding the California Service Corps. As lieutenant governor, I will use my seats on the UC Board of Regents, CSU Board of Trustees and Community Colleges Board of Governors to build formal pipelines from those campuses into service placements, making it a real workforce and education pathway, not just a program. The goal is to make service a core part of the California experience, something every young person in this state can access.
Ma:
I will personally lead initiatives on affordable housing around college campuses, strengthening our state grant system to protect students from federal funding cuts, expanding apprenticeship programs and career pathways for young Californians, protecting our coastlines from pollution and overdevelopment and growing California's clean energy economy with good-paying union jobs. I will also use the visibility of this office to be a loud and consistent voice for the issues that matter most to Californians, particularly as we navigate an increasingly hostile federal environment.
Romero:
Strong character, a strong backbone, integrity, honesty and a willingness to take on the special interests in Sacramento is what is needed and that is what I have. I will be a strong lieutenant governor who is able to actually function as the president of the Senate because I served there and understand the relationships and rules of that body, particularly with regard to moving nominations to confirmation. I am not running to wait to "fail up." I am genuinely interested in and expertly prepared to do the job of the lieutenant governor.
Tubbs:
People said the same about the mayor of Stockton and doubted that we would get anything done. But we proved everyone wrong by doing bold things, thinking bigger and engaging people both in and outside of the city. The lieutenant governor role is similar. There are the official duties (UC, CSU, community colleges, State Lands), but so much more can be done by effectively using the bully pulpit of the lieutenant governor's office and by acting as a coalition-builder.
While serving as lieutenant governor and acting as governor when Jerry Brown was in China, Gavin Newsom declared the avocado as California's official state fruit. What's the first thing you're doing as acting governor in the governor's absence?
Fryday:
The first thing I'm doing is calling my mom to tell her I got a promotion. After that, I'm signing whatever housing bill is sitting on the governor's desk.
Ma:
The first thing I would do is make sure that the business of California continues without interruption. If there are bills on the desk that need to be signed, I will review them carefully and act on them. If there is a crisis or an emergency that arises, I will be ready to respond immediately and decisively. But if you are asking me what issue I would want to use that platform to elevate and draw attention to, it would be the financial security of California's students.
Romero:
If I am serving at the end of the session when bills are being sent to the governor's desk, then I will not have hesitation to sign or veto them. If this occurs much earlier in the session, then I would not hesitate to call for an Extraordinary Session of the Legislature on Waste, Fraud and Abuse, or an Extraordinary Session on Combatting Human and Sex Trafficking in California. I'll lead, speak up, show up, stand up and deliver in English and Spanish and leave no area of California behind.
Tubbs:
I would pursue any executive authorities to green-light affordable housing projects on state-owned land, rather than letting red tape continue to stall projects that we desperately need.
To the extent you haven't already addressed this, in what ways would you use this office to benefit the Bay Area?
Fryday:
As lieutenant governor, my focus will be on making it possible for people to build a life in the communities they grew up in. That means pushing UC Berkeley, San Francisco State University and every community college in the region to build housing on their own land. It means using the State Lands Commission to unlock public land for housing near jobs and transit. And it means using the bully pulpit to fight for the Bay Area families who are being priced out of the place they call home.
Ma:
The Bay Area is my home and holds a very special place in my heart.
On housing: I will push for more affordable housing development.
On economic development: I will make sure that we are investing in the Bay Area's continued growth and competitiveness.
On the environment: I will fight against pollution, protect our waterways and ensure that development along our coast is done responsibly and sustainably.
On higher education: I will fight for affordability, expand access for Bay Area students and create stronger pathways from our community colleges into four-year universities and good-paying careers.
Romero:
The Bay Area is a significant area of California in terms of trade, innovation, education, tourism and natural beauty. I intend to be very present in the region and work with all for the betterment of the entire state.
Tubbs:
Even though I grew up in Stockton and now live in Los Angeles, some of my most formative memories come from attending Stanford in the Bay Area. The Bay Area is the heart of the state's economic growth, but also where we see some of the worst inequality. My job as lieutenant governor will be to make sure the region's prosperity is felt by all - whether that's making higher education accessible and affordable to all people who want to pursue it, or building enough housing so people who love living in this state can afford to stay here.
Please tell us anything else we should know about why you're the best candidate for California lieutenant governor.
Fryday:
Every answer I've given in this questionnaire comes back to the same thing: I know what this office can do, and I'm ready to use it. I'm not running because the lieutenant governor's title sounds good or I need a job. I'm running because I've spent my career building things to deliver for people, and I see an office full of tools not yet fully utilized.
Ma:
I am polling at 28% while my closest competitors are at 7% and 4%, and that is not an accident. It is a reflection of the trust that Californians have placed in me after more than 20 years of delivering results in public service. I have raised $9 million from everyday Californians - not from special interests, but from real people across this state who believe in this campaign and what we are fighting for. And I have built one of the broadest and most diverse coalitions this race has ever seen.
Romero:
I'm a fighter and independent. I understand politics from both parties now, and I'm extremely well-qualified to serve in this position. I'm not looking to "fail up" to become governor. I'm focused on being number two - and I'll always try harder.
Tubbs:
I'm proud of my work in Stockton, where we had the nation's first universal basic income pilot program, and as senior advisor to Gov. Newsom, we established $1 billion worth of child savings accounts for every first-grader. In partnership with the Building Trades Council of San Joaquin County, I created a scholarship fund to support local trade students with tuition and the tools they needed to advance their education. We also worked with the state to be part of a pilot program for a first-of-its-kind climate action service model.
Lastly, name your favorite California restaurant.
Fryday:
Masa Sushi in the great city of Novato, where I was mayor. After serving in the Navy in Japan, I appreciate great Japanese food, and Novato delivers great Japanese food.
Ma:
My favorite California restaurant is Fermentation Lab in Japantown, San Francisco. It is owned by a Korean woman who was my former assistant pastor many years back, and I am so proud of everything she has built. Supporting women-owned small businesses has always been close to my heart, and this is a perfect example of the kind of entrepreneurial spirit that makes California so special. And if you are asking about my favorite cuisine, that is an easy one - sushi. I could have it anytime, any day. There is nothing better!
Romero:
Hecho en Mexico - a little place in East Los Angeles where I live and where everybody knows your name and the handmade tortillas are the best! It's the best place to just be Gloria from the block.
Tubbs:
Zeni Ethiopian in San Jose. I used to go there all the time as a college student. Some of my first dates with my wife were there, too!
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