What's On Pleasanton's June 2 Ballot

Pleasanton’s June 2 ballot is basically a California primary ballot with one especially confusing local angle. You are voting for statewide offices like governor, plus your regular U.S. House and state legislative races. But the catch is that Pleasanton is also in the middle of a weird congressional handoff, so one House seat shows up in two different elections this month. That matters because if you only half-follow Bay Area politics, it is very easy to think the June 2 ballot is about city measures when it mostly is not. ### Is there a Pleasanton city measure on this ballot? Not from what the official election materials show. Pleasanton’s city elections page says regular municipal elections happen in even-numbered years, but city revenue-measure discussion has been aimed at November 2026, not this June primary. The old Measure PP page still exists because it was a prior ballot measure, not a new June 2 item. ### So what are Pleasanton voters actually deciding? First, the statewide primary. That includes governor and other state offices on California’s June 2, 2026 ballot. The state mailed ballots starting May 4, the registration deadline is May 18, early in-person voting starts in Voter’s Choice Act counties on May 23, and June 2 is the deadline to vote in person or return a ballot by 8 p.m. ### Why is the governor race a big deal? Because this is a genuinely open race. California has not had a wide-open gubernatorial primary like this since 1998, and the next governor inherits a projected structural budget deficit, high housing costs, wildfire risk, and constant fights with Washington. The most prominent candidates include Xavier Becerra, K Bianco. ### What’s the congressional race Pleasanton sees? Pleasanton is in California’s 14th Congressional District. KQED’s voter guide says the district covers all of Livermore, Pleasanton, Union City and Hayward, plus parts of Fremont and Dublin. The regular June 2 primary will send the top two finishers — regardless of party — to the November general election for the next full House term. ### Why is there extra confusion in District 14? Because Eric Swalwell’s exit scrambled the calendar. He had been running for governor, then resigned from Congress in April after misconduct accusations. That triggered a separate special primary on June 16 to fill the rest of the current term, on top of the regular June 2 primary for the next term. So Pleasanton voters are dealing with two District 14 elections, not one. ### Who are the main District 14 candidates? The better-known names include Aisha Wahab, Melissa Hernandez, Carin Elam, Suzanne Chenault, Wendy Huang, Dena Maldonado, Matt Ortega, and Rakhi Israni Singh. Pleasanton Weekly described the field as a nine-candidate contest for the two November spots. That is the race most likely to feel locally relevant in Pleasanton, because the district directly includes the city. ### What about Assembly and other down-ballot races? Those are on the ballot too, even if they get less attention. The Secretary of State’s guide makes clear the June 2 primary includes legislative offices such as State Assembly and other partisan contests, and Alameda County’s candidate system lists the full direct primary ballot for local voters. In practice, that means Congress" shorthand suggests. ### Bottom line Pleasanton’s June 2 ballot is mostly about statewide and district-level power — not a new city tax or service measure. The real thing to watch is the District 14 mess, because June 2 picks finalists for November, and June 16 separately starts filling the seat right away.