Election 2026 · State of California

California Secretary of State

Published September 29, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026

Donald P. (Don) Wagner and Shirley N. Weber (incumbent) are the candidates for California Secretary of State on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

The Secretary of State is California's chief elections officer. The office oversees statewide elections and gives the public access to campaign and lobbying finance records. It also keeps certain business filings, authenticates trademarks, regulates notaries public and preserves state historical records.

Summary by CityHallPass, not the official text or legal advice. The official text controls: LA County's official election information.

What it means for the City of LA

City of Los Angeles voters cast ballots in statewide elections this office oversees. After each election the Secretary of State compiles and certifies the official results for statewide offices, Assembly, State Senate, Congress, the Board of Equalization, appellate justices and statewide measures, including the votes cast in Los Angeles (Elections Code section 15501). Campaign finance reports for state candidates who represent Los Angeles are filed with this office.

Primary results, June 2, 2026

Four candidates. Statewide offices always go to a November runoff between the top two. Total votes for Secretary of State: 8,675,198. In Los Angeles County, Weber had 65.9% and Wagner 28.5%. Certified by the Secretary of State in the Statement of Vote. Certified results

The candidates

The job

Powers. The Secretary of State is the state’s chief elections officer. The office certifies candidates and initiatives for statewide ballots, publishes the voter guide, and compiles and certifies the official results (LAist; Elections Code 15501). It also registers corporations and LLCs, commissions notaries, runs the State Archives and the Safe at Home address program, and is the filing officer for campaign and lobbying reports (2026-27 state budget).

Budget and staff. The 2026-27 budget is $244.1 million with 782 positions (2026-27 state budget). Business filings and registrations are the largest unit, with 332 positions and $103.5 million. The elections division has 122 positions and $105.7 million. Spending on elections was $362.5 million in 2025-26, the year of the November 2025 special election (2026-27 state budget).

What the office does not do. Counties run elections. Los Angeles County’s Registrar-Recorder counts LA ballots. State law gives county officials 30 days to count and audit before certifying (KPBS/CalMatters).

Facts that shape the job now.

• Los Angeles voters. On May 18, 2026, Los Angeles County had 5,898,798 registered voters, about a quarter of the state’s 23,155,447 (SOS registration report). In the June 2 primary, 37.8% of registered LA County voters cast ballots, against 40.8% statewide. In LA County, 81.8% voted by mail (SOS participation report).
• Counting speed. Results are often slow enough that legislators are sworn in before the Secretary of State certifies their races, CalMatters reported. Critics, including Wagner, say this hurts trust (KPBS/CalMatters). Two days after the June 2 primary, an estimated 62% of City of Los Angeles ballots had been counted, the LA Times reported (LA Times).
• Federal demand for voter data. In 2025 the U.S. Justice Department demanded the full statewide voter list, including each voter’s date of birth and address. Weber refused and offered in-person inspection instead (Democracy Docket case page).
• Voter ID on the ballot. Proposition 39 would require government ID to vote. Under current law, ID is required to register but not to cast a ballot (LA Times). The two candidates take opposite sides (Weber questionnaire; Wagner questionnaire).

Records

Shirley Weber

Offices. San Diego Board of Education; State Assembly for eight years, including chair of the Elections and Redistricting Committee and of the Legislative Black Caucus; Secretary of State since January 2021 (LA Times; campaign bio).

Legislation. In the Assembly she wrote the bills that created the state reparations task force, restricted police use of deadly force, and made ethnic studies a graduation requirement at CSU (LA Times). Her campaign says she wrote the law restoring voting rights to people on parole, affecting more than 50,000 Californians (campaign bio).

As Secretary of State.

• She oversaw the permanent move to mailing a ballot to every voter, the 2021 recall election against Gov. Newsom, and the November 2025 congressional redistricting election (LAist; KPBS/CalMatters).
• She sued local governments over election law, including Huntington Beach’s voter ID measure. An appeals court struck that measure down in November 2025 (Orange County Register).
• She refused the Justice Department’s demand for the unredacted voter list, offering in-person inspection instead (Democracy Docket). She said that handing over data “like candy” would cost voters’ trust (KPBS/CalMatters).
• She says she refused Newsom special treatment in the recall after he missed a paperwork deadline, and refused to place a measure she supported on the ballot (Orange County Register questionnaire).
• Her office launched a new online business filing portal, Bizfile Online (Orange County Register questionnaire).

Criticism. Wagner says Weber “failed to provide a robust CalACCESS system” for campaign filings and wasted “tens of millions of dollars” (Orange County Register questionnaire).

Ethics and enforcement records.

• FPPC fine and warning, 2021. As an Assembly member she filed a behested payment report on a $107,275 SeaWorld payment (sponsoring a recognition ceremony) about 11 weeks late and paid a $600 penalty (FPPC stipulation, No. 21/333). In the same case the FPPC issued a warning for a late report on a $15,000 payment Salesforce made at her request on Oct. 29, 2020 (FPPC warning letter).
• FPPC fine, 2018. A Franchise Tax Board audit of her 2014 Assembly committee found, and FPPC staff confirmed, that she, the committee and its treasurer failed to file a $5,000 report and five 24-hour reports on time. The FPPC found no evidence of “intentional concealment or deception,” and they paid $4,000 (FPPC stipulation, No. 16/038).
• Nothing else found. No Los Angeles City Ethics Commission or FEC enforcement records name her, and she is not a lawyer on the State Bar’s rolls (City Ethics enforcement orders; FEC legal search; State Bar search). Searched Sept. 30, 2026.

Don Wagner

Offices. South Orange County Community College District trustee, 1998-2010; State Assembly, 2010-2016; Irvine mayor, 2016-2019; Orange County Supervisor since 2019, board chair 2023-January 2025 (campaign bio; LA Times). He says he passed more bills than any other Republican in his second and third Assembly terms (Orange County Register).

Voter records and the Justice Department. On August 26, 2025, Wagner and Supervisor Janet Nguyen asked the board to direct the county registrar to give the Justice Department unredacted records on 17 people removed from the rolls as non-citizens, and to settle the department’s lawsuit. The board voted 3-2 against the request. Wagner said: “This material should be turned over, and we should get out of this litigation immediately” (Orange County Register). District Attorney Todd Spitzer told the board there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the county (Orange County Register).

Other county record. LAist reported that as supervisor he criticized the state’s COVID-19 response and questioned county spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs (LAist). His campaign cites funding to clear a backlog of more than 1,500 sexual assault evidence kits and work toward a veterans cemetery in Orange County (campaign bio).

Voter ID campaign. He helped gather signatures and raise money for the Proposition 39 voter ID initiative (LA Times).

Ethics and enforcement records.

• FPPC, Assembly committee. His committee Wagner for Assembly 2014 paid a $400 penalty in 2015 for late $50 annual fees (FPPC stipulation, No. 15/1099). In 2016 the FPPC warned him and the committee for not filing a paper copy of a semi-annual report due Feb. 2, 2015; the electronic version was filed (FPPC warning letter, No. 16/261). The FPPC’s case portal lists one more warning, in July 2018, for a campaign non-filer referral on the same committee (FPPC case search).
• Nothing else found. No Los Angeles City Ethics Commission or FEC enforcement records name him (City Ethics enforcement orders; FEC legal search). The State Bar lists Donald Paul Wagner, licensee 131364, admitted December 1987, now inactive, with no discipline (State Bar profile). Searched Sept. 30, 2026.

Where they stand

Issues come from the Southern California News Group questionnaire, May 2026 (Weber; Wagner), CalMatters’ reporting on ballot counting (KPBS/CalMatters), and the LA Times race guide.

On the other ballot measures

The Secretary of State certifies which measures qualify and publishes the voter guide (LAist). That is a legal duty, not a position. City of Los Angeles and County measures on the same ballot are left out; no position on them by either candidate was found.

Source: the SCNG questionnaires, the LA Times race guide and both campaign sites linked above. “No stated position” means none was found there.

Endorsements

Shirley Weber

From her campaign’s endorsement page (drshirleyweber.com, checked Sept 30, 2026) unless another source is linked.

• Party: California Democratic Party (LAist; party’s Aug 2, 2026 list); Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley and more than 15 Democratic clubs, including Antelope Valley Democrats for Change and Westside Young Democrats (endorsement page).
• Statewide officials: Attorney General Rob Bonta, Treasurer Fiona Ma, Controller Malia Cohen, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Superintendent Tony Thurmond (endorsement page).
• Legislators and local officials: Assemblymembers Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Blanca Rubio, LaShae Sharp-Collins and Buffy Wicks; Sen. Akilah Weber; LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell; San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee (endorsement page).
• Unions: AFSCME and AFSCME District Council 36, SEIU State Council, SEIU Local 1000, California Professional Firefighters, State Council of Laborers, California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, California Nurses Association, ILWU Southern California District Council, IBEW and Communications Workers of America (endorsement page).
• Organizations: Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, California YIMBY, California Women’s List, California Black Women’s Collective PAC, Armenian National Committee of America Western Region and Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund (endorsement page).
• Newspapers: The San Francisco Examiner editorial board endorsed her in May 2026: “This is not a close call” (SF Examiner, archived).

Don Wagner

From his campaign’s endorsement page (wagnerforcalifornia.com, checked Sept 30, 2026) unless another source is linked.

• Party: California Republican Party and California Republican Assembly (LAist; party’s endorsement page).
• Campaign chairs: former Gov. Pete Wilson and former Secretaries of State Bruce McPherson and Bill Jones (endorsement page).
• Elected officials: Rep. Ken Calvert; Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones and Sens. Shannon Grove, Kelly Seyarto and Tony Strickland; Assemblymembers Phil Chen, Diane Dixon, Natasha Johnson, Tom Lackey and Alexandra Macedo; Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes; Supervisors Janet Nguyen (Orange), Jim Desmond and Joel Anderson (San Diego) and Karen Spiegel (Riverside); Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig; and mayors of Orange, Lake Forest, Indio and Villa Park (endorsement page).
• Former officials: former LA County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, former Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle, and former Reps. Mimi Walters, Michelle Steel and Connie Conway (endorsement page).
• Newspapers: None found.

Editorial boards not yet found: no LA Times, Daily News or Sacramento Bee endorsement in this race was found as of Sept 30, 2026.

Polls

No public poll of this race was found.

Money

Source: Form 460 reports for Shirley Weber for Secretary of State 2026 and Wagner for Secretary of State 2026, from the Cal-Access raw data export downloaded Sep 29, 2026. Independent spending: the committees linked under Outside spending. Contributions include in-kind gifts ($15,996 for Weber, $34,260 for Wagner). The limit is $9,800 per election from a person and $19,600 from a small contributor committee (FPPC).

Who is giving

Method: itemized contributions (Schedules A and C) plus late-contribution reports after Sep 19, from Cal-Access (Weber; Wagner). A donor is a normalized name plus ZIP code. “Maximum” means at least one gift at the $9,800 per-election limit. A ZIP counts as City of Los Angeles if at least half its area is inside the City.

Source: itemized contributions on Cal-Access (Weber; Wagner).

Shirley Weber

Most of Weber’s money came from unions: 34 union and public-employee committees gave $363,357 (59.4%) (Cal-Access). The largest were United Domestic Workers of America Action Fund ($39,200), the Carpenters’ Building a Stronger Future PAC ($29,400), the California Federation of Teachers ($20,000) and $19,600 each from the State Building Trades, AFSCME, the California Teachers Association, Northern California Carpenters and the SEIU State Council. SEIU Local 721 gave $11,800. The Toni Atkins for Governor 2026 committee gave $19,600, and the California Democratic Party gave $12,661. Four tribes gave $26,600. Individual donors gave 22.4%. The largest individual gifts were $5,000 each, from two donors. Real estate and development donors gave 0.7%. No same-employer donor groups were found.

Don Wagner

Two thirds of Wagner’s money (67.2%) came from individuals (Cal-Access). Businesses gave 16.5% directly, and business and trade PACs 10.6%. The largest donors, at $19,600 each, were ACI Jet, the Building Industry Association of Southern California PAC, the Lincoln Club of Orange County State PAC, the Orange County Professional Firefighters Local 3631 PAC and three individual donors. Real estate and development donors gave 7.5% in all. The Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs PAC gave $9,800. About 26% of his itemized dollars came from donors whose industry could not be assigned. No same-employer donor groups were found.

Outside spending

Source: Form 460 Schedule D and Form 496 reports on Cal-Access: GrowSF Voter Guide; United Domestic Workers IE PAC; LA County Democratic Party issues committee; LA County Democratic Party candidate committee; Reform Local Government PAC; San Diego County Gun Owners PAC; Santa Clara County Republican Party. The seven other pro-Weber spenders are the San Diego Labor Coalition, the Contra Costa and Orange County Democratic parties, two Democratic clubs, and CTA and CFT committees.

Funders, from each committee’s Form 460 reports since January 2025: GrowSF raised $1.84 million (Cal-Access), led by Jeremy Liew (Lightspeed Venture Partners) and Christian Larsen (Ripple) at $500,000 each. Nearly all of the United Domestic Workers IE PAC’s $2.21 million is unitemized member money (Cal-Access). Reform Local Government PAC raised $558,254 (Cal-Access), including $113,793 unitemized, La Playa LLC $49,000 and one individual $40,000. The San Diego County Gun Owners PAC raised $134,412, mostly small donors (Cal-Access).

Key moments

Debates and forums

No debate between Weber and Wagner was found. Both answered the Southern California News Group questionnaire (Weber; Wagner).

Events

• Slow ballot counting (April-June 2026).

  • What happened: CalMatters reported criticism that California counts so slowly that winners are sworn in before certification (KPBS/CalMatters). After the June primary, the LA Times reported on the wait for LA results (LA Times).
  • Weber: “I know the value of being fast for some folks. For me, accuracy is far more important” (KPBS/CalMatters).
  • Wagner: “Rather than wait 30 days, let’s make these changes” (KPBS/CalMatters).

• Justice Department demand for voter data (2025-2026).

  • What happened: the department demanded the statewide voter file and Weber refused, offering in-person inspection instead (Democracy Docket).
  • Weber: the administration was trying “to intimidate California officials into giving up the private and personal information of 23 million California voters” (LA Times).
  • Wagner: “If the Department of Justice wants to come in and help us clean our rolls, we should say thank you and take the help” (LA Times).

• Voter ID qualifies (April 2026).

  • What happened: the Prop 39 initiative qualified for the November ballot after backers submitted 1.3 million signatures (Orange County Register; Democracy Docket; KPBS/CalMatters).
  • Weber: “Voter ID is a smoke screen for trying to create the idea that this is a corrupt system” (LA Times).
  • Wagner: “I am not one of those Republicans who is going to be out there telling you that unless a Republican wins, the election got stolen” (KPBS/CalMatters).