Curious Facts About the California Governor's Mansion and the Current Gubernatorial Candidates
- Susan Heavilin
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
California's executive mansion was designed by architect Nathaniel D. Goodell and built in 1877 in Victorian style. It was purchased by the State of California to use as a home for California's first families in 1903 for $32,500. It is located in the Governor's Mansion State Historic Park and is no longer open to the public.
The mansion served as the executive residence for 15 governors. It was occupied by governors between 1903–1967 and 2015–2019.
California Governors Who Lived in the Governor's Mansion
Wikipedia reveals that the mansion was occupied by the following governors from 1903-1967:
George Pardee (First resident, 1903)
James N. Gillett
Hiram W. Johnson
William D. Stephens
Friend William Richardson
C. C. Young
James Rolph, Jr.
Frank F. Merriam
Culbert L. Olson
Earl Warren
Goodwin J. Knight
Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, Sr.
Ronald Reagan (Moved out in 1967 due to safety concerns)
Modern Era (Post 1967)
After renovations, two later governors lived in the mansion.
Jerry Brown (in 2015 after renovations)
Gavin Newsom (briefly in 2019 before moving to a private home in Fair Oaks)
According to the Los Angeles Times, some governors (George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis) did not live in the mansion and Arnold Schwarzenegger lived in a Sacramento hotel.
2026 Gubernatorial Race
In these days, it takes BIG money to run for the office of Governor of California.
That money is donated by people who like your prior work record and think that you'll do a good job. Normally, it is raised from people other than yourself.
The chart below caught my eye because one candidate in the race is nearly all self-funded. Only $180,086 has been donated from others.
According to that number, Thomas Steyer would fall in last place on the list. But Mr. Steyer has skewed the chart by throwing in $143 million of his own moola.
I wonder about a man who funds his own campaign with little support from the people he will represent.
2026 Gubernatorial Candidates' Current Occupations
Below are the eight candidates with the occupation that they listed on their forms.
CANDIDATE (PARTY) | OCCUPATION |
Xavier Becerra (D) | Voting Rights Attorney |
Chad Bianco (R) | Riverside County Sheriff |
Steve Hilton (R) | Small Business Owner |
Matt Mahan (D) | Mayor, San Jose |
Katie Porter (D) | Consumer Protection Advocate |
Tom Steyer (D) | Climate Advocate |
Tony Thurmond (D) | California State Superintendent of Public Instruction |
Antonio Villaraigosa (D) | Housing Affordability Advocate |
Here are your 2026 Gubernatorial Candidates (alphabetically) from left to right: Xavier Becerra, Chad Bianco, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond and Antonio Villaraigosa.
Currently, there are six Democrats in the Primary Race and two Republicans, no Independents are running. It should be interesting to see who will remain standing to run for the Mid-Term Election in November.
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