Betty Yee aims to make history as California's first woman governor

The Democratic former state controller is running to lead the state through economic challenges.

Apr. 12, 2026 at 3:25pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A serene, painterly image of the California state capitol building in Sacramento, its grand architecture and dome rendered in muted tones and dramatic lighting, conveying a sense of quiet contemplation and civic responsibility.As California faces economic headwinds, a former state controller aims to bring a data-driven, accountable approach to governing from the state capitol.Today in Sacramento

Betty Yee, the Democratic former state controller, is running to become the first woman elected governor of California. Yee says she is running to help struggling families and workers, and to address the state's structural budget deficit through a combination of spending cuts and revenue increases. She supports keeping California's healthcare coverage for undocumented immigrants and wants to take a more granular approach to improving public education and the state's transition to clean energy.

Why it matters

As a former state controller, Yee has experience managing California's finances and says she can bring a data-driven, accountable approach to governing. Her campaign focuses on addressing the state's wealth gap, cost-of-living challenges, and the need for more coordinated, effective policies on issues like homelessness and climate change.

The details

Yee says she would look to grow the economy by investing in workforce development, especially in high-demand sectors like healthcare and clean energy. She wants to streamline government services and use technology to improve efficiency. On taxes, Yee supports having the wealthy and corporations pay more, including potentially a wealth tax, but acknowledges the challenges of implementing such policies. She also wants to increase oversight and auditing of state spending to root out waste and fraud.

  • Yee served as California State Controller from 2015 to 2023.
  • She is running for governor in the 2026 election.

The players

Betty Yee

The Democratic former California State Controller who is running to become the state's next governor.

Gavin Newsom

The current Democratic governor of California whose performance Yee evaluates as 'OK' overall.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“As a native Californian, first generation Californian, and, uh, you know, and I had a tough upbringing being a daughter of immigrants, uh, but I see so many families that are struggling right now and, um, you know, the people who work so hard, and they're people we know, you know, they're the people who are in our classrooms, you know, teaching our kids, our healthcare workers, our farm workers, I mean, everyone is just really trying to stay afloat right now.”

— Betty Yee, Democratic candidate for California governor

“We have to do both. We have to do both. We have a structural deficit. We've been spending more than what we bring in for quite a few years now, and a lot of it is also, you know, the governor and the legislature deciding that maybe the revenue outlook is a little rosier than what it actually has intended to be, so I think the need is going to be for both, um, but in terms of cutting spending, I want to just be sure that we are also doing everything to bring out all the inefficiencies in government as well, and there's a lot of it.”

— Betty Yee, Democratic candidate for California governor

The takeaway

Yee's campaign focuses on addressing California's structural budget challenges, wealth inequality, and cost-of-living pressures through a data-driven, accountable approach to governing. As a former state controller, she brings experience managing state finances and wants to take a more granular, regional approach to issues like healthcare, education, and the transition to clean energy.