California State Controller in Statewide, California

2026 Primary Election

• Malia M. Cohen — Incumbent California State Controller in San Francisco, California

  Malia M. Cohen is the 33rd and current Controller of California, having assumed office on January 2, 2023. Born and raised in San Francisco, she graduated from public schools before earning a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Fisk University and a Master's degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. Her career in public service includes serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2011 to 2019, where she was President of the Board. Following that, she was elected to the California State Board of Equalization, representing the 2nd district from 2019 to 2023 and serving as its chair. She is the first African American woman to serve as California State Controller.

• Herb Morgan — Chief Investment Officer, Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors in San Diego, California

  Herb Morgan is a lifelong Californian who grew up in Westminster and Oceanside. He graduated with honors from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a degree in Economics. He has nearly four decades of experience in financial markets. Morgan founded Efficient Market Advisors (EMA), an early ETF-based investment firm, which he grew to manage $1.5 billion in assets before it was acquired by Cantor Fitzgerald in 2017. He currently serves as Chief Investment Officer for the Managed ETF Portfolios division at Cantor Fitzgerald. Previously, he was the President of the Board of Administration for the San Diego City Employees Retirement System from 2009 to 2013. He has been married for 34 years and has two adult children.

• Meghann Adams — California State Controller in Sacramento, California

  Meghann Adams is a union leader, anti-war activist, and community organizer based in the Bay Area. She serves as the President of the SMART 1741 union, which represents San Francisco and San Mateo school bus drivers and staff. Adams has nearly a decade of experience in the fiscal management of her union. She earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology from Beloit College in Wisconsin. An officer of the Peace and Freedom Party, she has a 20-year history of organizing with the ANSWER Coalition and has been involved with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. She previously ran for California State Treasurer in 2022. Adams lives in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood.