LA Progressive Voter Guide 2026: Nov. 3 Ballot Picks

If you are searching for an LA progressive voter guide 2026, you have probably noticed the problem: there is no single guide. Several progressive organizations publish their own recommendations, and they do not always match. This article pulls the main picks together, shows where the guides disagree, and explains what is actually on a Los Angeles ballot, so you can decide for yourself before Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Quick Answers: LA Progressive Voter Guide 2026 at a Glance

• Governor: The major progressive guides reviewed here point to Xavier Becerra.
• Los Angeles mayor: The guides split. LA Progressive recommends Karen Bass, while Courage California gives no recommendation and calls the race competitive between Bass and Nithya Raman.
• LA City Attorney: Marissa Roy is the progressive pick in the guides reviewed.
• LA County Sheriff: Robert Luna.
• LA County Measure E (ethics reform): Yes.
• Statewide propositions: Most guides back Props 1 through 5 and Prop 40, and oppose Props 38, 39 and 41 through 45. Prop 37 is the main place they differ.

These are the recommendations of advocacy groups, not neutral facts. Treat them as a starting point, not a substitute for reading your own sample ballot.

Which Progressive Voter Guides Cover Los Angeles in 2026?

Three guides come up most often in Los Angeles searches, and each has a different style:

• Progressive Voters Guide (powered by Courage California) is the most detailed on legislative races. It scores incumbents on voting records, flags donors from police, oil, real estate and corporate PACs, and sometimes issues a “no recommendation” instead of picking a side.
• LA Forward publishes a countywide guide that covers the state, the county, the city of Los Angeles, dozens of smaller cities, and many school boards and special districts. It says its local endorsements come from a multi-step process and that campaigns cannot pay for favorable treatment.
• LA Progressive publishes a short, printable list of picks and says openly that it sometimes recommends the “least harmful” Democrat rather than a perfect progressive.

Because their methods differ, their answers can differ too. That is useful: where all three agree, the signal is strong; where they split, it is worth reading more.

LA Mayor 2026: Bass vs. Raman

The mayor’s race is the headline contest on the city ballot. In the June 2 primary, Karen Bass finished first with 34%, Nithya Raman second with 29%, and Spencer Pratt third with 26%, sending Bass and Raman to the November runoff.

Progressive guides disagree on this one, and the disagreement is instructive:

• Supporters of Bass point to her work on homelessness through the Inside Safe program, falling homicide numbers, her public opposition to immigration raids, and a new infrastructure plan and climate action plan.
• Supporters of Raman point to her record on tenant protections, street safety and housing production, and her authorship of the city’s sanctuary ordinance.
• Critics of Bass focus on the Palisades fire response and on how many Inside Safe participants returned to the street. Critics of Raman focus on her push, with the mayor’s support, to loosen parts of Measure ULA.

If you are weighing this race, our breakdown in LA mayor race 2026 explained goes through both records in more detail.

Other Key Los Angeles City and County Races

City Attorney. Marissa Roy, a deputy attorney general, won 43% in the primary and faces John McKinney in the runoff. She is the pick in the progressive guides reviewed, which also highlight that she is running without corporate money.

City Council District 9. Estuardo Mazariegos, a tenant organizer, faces Jose Ugarte after the primary. The progressive guides back Mazariegos.

County Sheriff. The guides back Robert Luna.

County Measure E. Measure E bundles two things in one charter amendment: it strengthens the county’s Ethics Commission and Office of Ethics Compliance, and it guarantees the ethics office at least $14.3 million a year starting in fiscal year 2027-28. Progressive guides recommend a Yes vote.

County Measure A. Measure A would let unresolved pay and benefits disputes for certain public-safety employees go to binding arbitration. LA Progressive recommends No.

City of Los Angeles Ballot Measures

Los Angeles voters also see a long list of charter amendments and two stand-alone measures. Here is how LA Progressive recommends voting, with a plain-language summary of each:

Measure	What it does	LA Progressive pick
Charter Amendment LA	Overhauls public works, moves toward two-year budgeting, requires long-term infrastructure planning	Yes
Charter Amendment PL	Replaces seven Area Planning Commissions with one citywide appeals body	Yes
Charter Amendment EE	Ethics and governance package, but cuts minimum Council meetings and raises the referendum signature threshold	No
Charter Amendment PRK	Gradually doubles the minimum guaranteed funding for Recreation and Parks	Yes
Charter Amendment PRT	Changes governance of LAX, Van Nuys Airport, the Port and DWP	Yes
Charter Amendment SC	Folds LAUSD Board candidates into the city campaign-finance framework	No
Proposition TE	Temporary Measure ULA exemption for homes damaged or destroyed in the January 2025 fires	No
Initiative Ordinance FD	Raises the city sales tax by 0.5 points to fund the Fire Department	Yes

Measure TE is worth a closer look because it touches Measure ULA, the “mansion tax” voters approved in 2022. Supporters of an exemption argue it helps fire survivors rebuild; opponents argue it chips away at a major source of affordable-housing money.

California Propositions 2026: The Progressive Recommendations

The statewide ballot is crowded, with Propositions 1 through 5 and 37 through 45. Based on the guides reviewed:

• Yes: Prop 1 (housing bonds), Prop 2 (rainy day fund), Prop 3 (extends a high-income tax for schools and health care), Prop 4 (allows public campaign financing), Prop 5 (recall process changes), and Prop 40 (billionaire tax).
• No: Prop 38 (immunology research bonds), Prop 39 (voter ID), Prop 41 (state spending limit), Prop 42 (property and retroactive taxes), Prop 43 (local revenue limits), Prop 44 (community health clinic spending rules), and Prop 45 (environmental review changes).
• Split: Prop 37 (middle-income homebuyer loans). LA Progressive says Yes, while the Courage-powered guide tells voters to vote their values rather than giving a firm answer.

Prop 40, the billionaire tax

Prop 40 is the most debated item. It would impose a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of California residents with more than $1 billion, with most of the money going to health care. Supporters say it offsets federal cuts to health and nutrition programs. Opponents, including Governor Gavin Newsom and some labor unions, say a one-time tax is a short-term fix and could push wealthy residents to leave. The California Democratic Party’s executive board endorsed it in August, so the party itself is not uniformly opposed.

Two details matter for how you vote. Props 41 and 42 were placed on the ballot by Prop 40’s opponents as countermeasures. The Legislative Analyst’s Office has warned that if either gets more yes votes than Prop 40, a court could block the billionaire tax even if Prop 40 wins a majority. Polls this summer showed a close race. For a full walkthrough, see Prop 40 billionaire tax explained.

Progressive Picks for Governor and Statewide Offices

The progressive guides reviewed line up on most statewide offices: Xavier Becerra for governor, Fiona Ma for lieutenant governor, Rob Bonta for attorney general, Shirley Weber for secretary of state, Eleni Kounalakis for treasurer, Malia Cohen for controller, and Richard Barrera for superintendent of public instruction. Insurance commissioner is the exception: LA Progressive recommends Jane Kim, while Courage California gives no recommendation.

One wrinkle for readers who care about consistency: Becerra is the guides’ governor pick, but he has publicly opposed Prop 40, which the same guides support. Endorsing a candidate does not mean agreeing with them on every measure.

Congress and the Legislature

Los Angeles County voters will see a long run of congressional, state Senate and Assembly races. This is where the guides diverge most in approach. The Courage-powered guide scores incumbents on their voting records and sometimes tells voters to hold a Democratic incumbent accountable instead of endorsing, while LA Progressive generally offers a pick in every race. Use your district number on your sample ballot to find the right section in each guide.

How to Use Any Progressive Voter Guide Wisely

1. Start with your sample ballot. Find your exact races first, because no guide covers every district.
2. Compare at least two guides. Agreement across groups is a stronger signal than any single endorsement.
3. Read the reasoning, not just the pick. A “no recommendation” is information too.
4. Check the other side. Progressive guides are advocacy documents. Read the official arguments for and against each measure in the California Secretary of State’s voter guide, and look at nonpartisan explainers from outlets such as LAist, CalMatters and NPR, which explain choices without telling you how to vote.
5. Vote your own values. If a guide’s pick conflicts with your priorities, your priorities win.

How and Where to Vote in Los Angeles County

In Los Angeles County you can return a mail ballot at an official drop box or vote center, or vote in person at a vote center. Hours, locations and mail-ballot deadlines can change, so confirm them directly with the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk at lavote.gov before you head out. For step-by-step help, see our guide to how to vote in Los Angeles County.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a progressive voter guide? It is a set of voting recommendations from organizations that share progressive priorities such as tenant protections, labor rights, climate action and criminal justice reform.

Who publishes an LA progressive voter guide for 2026? Common sources include Courage California’s Progressive Voters Guide, LA Forward, and LA Progressive. Each uses its own endorsement process.

Do all progressive guides agree on the LA mayor’s race? No. LA Progressive recommends Karen Bass, while Courage California gives no recommendation and describes the race as competitive.

Where can I find neutral information about my ballot? Use the official sample ballot and voter information from lavote.gov and the California Secretary of State, plus nonpartisan explainers from local and statewide news outlets.

Is this guide an endorsement? No. This article reports and compares the recommendations of other organizations and summarizes the arguments around them. It does not tell you how to vote.