California Voter Guide: Complete Candidate Resumes

LOS ANGELES, CA — If the polls can be trusted, the outcome of the California governor’s race is a near certainty as is the senate race. On the other hand, there is nothing certain about the battle for control of Congress, largely thanks to about seven closely contested races in California.

But don’t let the seeming certainty at the top of the ticket fool you, and don’t think these midterms are just about President Donald Trump or the battle for Congress. There are hard times ahead for California, and the candidates voters choose on Tuesday will likely decide how we get through a housing slowdown, budget cuts, and a changing climate bearing more droughts, wildfires and rising seas.

So take a good hard look at these candidates and decide if they have the mettle to be your leaders in challenging times. To help you choose, CALmatters, the nonprofit devoted to explanatory journalism, put together a series of resumes for every candidate running in the major races along with background research on the hotly contested races up and down the ballots. They even put together scouting reports on each of the statewide ballot measures.

Outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown warns that California is due for a slowdown, so check out Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom’s resume to see if he has the chops to handle tough budget decisions during a financial downturn. Does would-be governor John Cox have the kind of experience needed to wrangle a Democratic legislature to support his Republican agenda? What about those Congressional candidates? Which candidates support Universal healthcare? Who has a checkered personal past that I should know about? Who went to Berkeley and who went to UCLA?

CALmatters has you covered. A candidate's typical resume includes work history, contact information and letters of recommendation (endorsements). They even include a note from H.R. with tidbits a candidate might wish a potential employer didn't know about. For example, Newsom's Note From H.R. includes this bit, "While mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom had an affair with his appointments secretary (and the wife of his campaign manager), who subsequently sought out treatment for alcohol and drug abuse. When the news broke in 2007, Newsom said that he was "deeply sorry.'"

So what qualifications should a candidate for governor have? According to CalMatters, the right candidate for the job should have the ability to cajole, flatter, and goad 120 stubborn assembly members and senators into advancing a policy agenda,” and a “Familiarity with the following issues: how to prepare for the next recession, how to manage the state’s burgeoning pension liabilities, whether to support bail reform, whether to support a state-run, single-payer health insurance program, how to respond to possible cuts in federal Medicaid spending, how to increase transparency and close achievement gaps in public education, how to encourage more housing development, whether to stick with the current governor’s climate change policies, and how to prepare for next year’s fire season. Among other things."

Photos: SAN DIEGO, CA-MAY 5: California GOP Gubernatorial Candidate John Cox (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

JUNE 05: Democratic California gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)