California’s 11th District House Race Heads Toward 2026 Showdown

The contest to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco has become a proxy fight over housing policy between two Democrats who each claim the progressive mantle. State Sen. Scott Wiener, an "abundance" and YIMBY advocate who authored permit-streamlining legislation, faces San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, who has Pelosi's endorsement and has opposed several major development and zoning changes in her district, citing tenant displacement and small-business concerns. Median one-bedroom rents in the city have topped $4,000, intensifying the debate over whether state intervention or local control best addresses the shortage.

The race also touches on Gaza policy, corporate PAC money, and campaign conduct, including a now-defunct AI chatbot mocking Chan that Wiener's campaign disavowed after backlash from Pelosi and other Democrats. Voters who backed a third primary candidate, Saikat Chakrabarti, remain a swing bloc heading into November, with the outcome likely to signal how San Francisco Democrats balance progressive identity against pro-housing "abundance" politics nationally.

San Francisco's roughly 400 Flock automated license plate readers have become a key issue in city elections after a June SFPD audit found federal and out-of-state agencies searched local plate data hundreds of times, raising immigration enforcement and privacy concerns. Mayor Daniel Lurie responded by tightening restrictions, including a 30-day data retention limit.

Candidates are split. In the race to succeed Nancy Pelosi, Connie Chan wants to end federal funding for Flock, while Scott Wiener backs plate readers with privacy safeguards but hasn't committed on renewing the city's contract. Board of Supervisors incumbents are similarly divided: Matt Dorsey wants to renew and expand the program, Stephen Sherrill supports it conditionally, and Alan Wong backs crime-fighting tech generally without a specific Flock stance. In District 8, Gary McCoy, Darshini Patel, and Michael Nguyen all oppose the cameras, while District 10 candidates range from opposition to conditional support with added oversight.

The debate centers less on whether Flock cameras help solve crimes and more on whether new safeguards adequately address surveillance and data-sharing risks.

Several California congressional primaries pit establishment Democrats against insurgent challengers, a dynamic that could complicate Hakeem Jeffries' hold on House Democratic leadership if he seeks the speakership in a future majority. Under California's top-two primary system, some races feature Democrat-vs-Democrat matchups between incumbents and younger, further-left or anti-establishment rivals.

Rep. Mike Thompson faces venture capitalist Eric Jones, who says he wouldn't commit to backing Jeffries as speaker. Rep. Doris Matsui, who trailed in the June primary, faces progressive Sacramento Councilmember Mai Vang, who has said she won't support Jeffries. In the race to succeed Nancy Pelosi, state Sen. Scott Wiener backs Jeffries while rival Connie Chan says any speaker candidate must "earn" her vote. Rep. Aisha Wahab, who already defied party leadership once, faces Melissa Hernandez in a rematch. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, under a House Ethics Committee investigation he denies, faces progressive challenger Angela Gonzales-Torres. Many challengers are aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, signaling a potential bloc of leadership skeptics if elected.

California State Senator Scott Wiener responded to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's essay "We Must Pace the Future," which called for government intervention to slow AI development until adequate safeguards exist. Wiener said AI labs bear responsibility but argued that government inaction allows an unchecked "AI arms race" to continue.

Wiener also pushed back on President Donald Trump's remarks dismissing AI safety concerns as "things that won't happen," with Trump emphasizing U.S. leadership over China and declaring "whoever wins with AI, wins." Wiener countered that federal policy is needed to ensure AI benefits humanity while also fostering collaboration with China to manage shared risks. Wiener, currently campaigning for California's 11th Congressional District seat against Connie Chan and Saikat Chakrabarti to succeed Nancy Pelosi, has been a prominent voice in state-level AI regulation debates.

Jury selection began this week in the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, her partner Andre Jones, and recycling contractor executives David Duong and Andy Duong. Prosecutors allege the four, along with political operative Mario Juarez, orchestrated a scheme in which the Duongs financed a $75,000 campaign mailer to help elect Thao in 2022 and arranged a lucrative no-show job for Jones at Evolutionary Homes, a startup housing company. In return, Thao allegedly promised to steer city contracts to the Duongs' firm, California Waste Solutions, extend its recycling contract, and help the housing company secure a deal to sell units to the city.

All four defendants face bribery and honest services fraud conspiracy charges, with maximum sentences up to 20 years. They have pleaded not guilty. Juarez has already pleaded guilty and is expected to testify as the prosecution's star witness, along with former San Leandro councilman Bryan Azevedo, who also pleaded guilty. The case follows FBI raids in June 2024 and Thao's recall by Oakland voters that November. Prosecutors expect to present their case through mid-November.

California's Democratic-led Legislature approved a package of bills aimed at limiting federal immigration enforcement tactics in the state. One measure, authored by Assembly member Mark Gonzalez and dubbed the "Get the Feds Out" Act, would bar agents and contractors involved in immigration enforcement from future employment with state and local government agencies, including police departments, with limited exceptions. A related bill from Assemblymember Isaac Bryan would prohibit law enforcement officers from moonlighting as federal immigration contractors. Lawmakers also passed AB 2760, the nation's first law banning law enforcement from using electric-shock gloves, a response to a Trump administration plan to buy the devices for ICE agents; the Department of Homeland Security has said it won't comply, calling the measure unconstitutional.

Additional bills would bar arrests near courthouses, impose a 25% tax on private immigration detention operators' income to fund immigration services, and let individuals sue federal agents over alleged civil rights violations. Republicans and immigration-restriction groups criticized the measures as legally vulnerable and politically motivated. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the bills.

San Francisco's 2026 ballot includes 25 measures alongside contested races for Board of Supervisors, Assessor-Recorder, Public Defender and other local offices. Measures range from government restructuring (Prop A) and a potential public bank (Prop B) to affordable housing funding (Props C and I), signature requirements for citizen initiatives (Prop D), expanded mayoral and city administrator authority (Props E and F), reopening the Upper Great Highway to weekday car traffic (Prop G), a parcel tax for Muni (Prop H), a transfer-tax exemption change for large foreclosed properties (Prop J), and a regional sales tax measure to fund Bay Area transit agencies including Muni and BART (Regional Measure RTM).

Five Board of Supervisors districts have elections, with incumbents Stephen Sherrill, Alan Wong and Matt Dorsey facing challengers, and crowded open-seat races in Districts 8 and 10. Incumbents Joaquín Torres and Mano Raju are seeking reelection to citywide offices. Voters will also fill seats on the Board of Education, City College Board and BART Board.

California voters will decide in November whether to lift a 1988 ban that bars the state and most local governments from using public funds to finance political campaigns. Proposition 4 would authorize the state and most localities to establish public campaign financing systems for state and local races, similar to programs already used by seven charter cities including San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland. Candidates would need to meet qualifying criteria, such as securing small-dollar donors or accepting spending caps, to receive funding as grants, matching funds or vouchers.

Supporters, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, the state Democratic Party and good-government groups, argue public financing counters the influence of big private money and could broaden the pool of candidates. Opponents, including Republican lawmakers and some newspaper editorial boards, say taxpayers shouldn't subsidize campaigns and criticize the measure for lacking enforcement specifics, since it exempts the state's campaign finance watchdog from overseeing local programs. Voters rejected similar measures in 2000 and 2010, and recent polling shows continued public skepticism toward Prop. 4.

Contra Costa County supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a policy restricting county cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, aligning the county with other Bay Area jurisdictions. The policy bars county resources from being used to assist federal immigration operations unless a judicial warrant is presented, and directs staff to route enforcement requests to legal counsel or designated officials. It largely follows a model policy released by state Attorney General Rob Bonta under Senate Bill 580, which requires local governments to adopt similar protections by the start of 2027.

Debate centered on whether to enact the protections as a policy or a stronger ordinance; an ordinance motion failed on a split vote, with supporters arguing it would offer more durable protection and opponents favoring a policy's faster implementation and easier amendment. Other Bay Area counties, cities, and a school district already have comparable measures in place. County employees who violate the policy face disciplinary action.

California's legislature has passed Senate Bill 868, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), which would legalize and set safety standards for plug-in "balcony solar" systems. These portable setups let residents place small solar panels on a balcony or in a backyard and plug them directly into a standard 120-volt outlet, drawing solar power before pulling from the grid. The bill now awaits Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature or veto.

Supporters say the technology, already popular in Europe and sold widely in Germany, could expand solar access to renters and owners of smaller homes who can't install rooftop systems, potentially saving households $400 to $800 a year amid steep California electricity rate increases. Eight other states, starting with Utah in 2025, have already legalized plug-in solar. Opponents, including the California State Association of Electrical Workers, warn that allowing installation without professional oversight or standardized inspection could create fire and shock hazards. The bill permits utilities to require device registration but bars them from charging fees or mandating grid connection.