State of California · Statewide General Election
State Board of Equalization, District 2
Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.
This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.
On the ballot
- John Pimentel — Democratic
- Sally J. Lieber — Democratic · Incumbent
This person is one of four elected members of the board overseeing property-tax assessment equalization.
Both November candidates are Democrats: Sally J. Lieber took 56.8% of the June 2 vote and John Pimentel took 15.8%. The district covers the Bay Area and much of northern California.
The Board of Equalization is much smaller than it used to be. Until 2017 it administered most of California's sales and excise taxes; the Legislature stripped those duties after audits found serious mismanagement, and moved them to two new departments. What remains is oversight of how counties assess property for tax purposes, plus assessment of certain utility and railroad property. It is a four-year term on a five-member board.
With two Democrats on the ballot, party is not the axis, and the board's remit is narrow enough that ideology matters less here than in most contests. The gap in June was 41 points. Weigh who you want on a body that reviews county property assessment, and note that both campaigns are similar in size despite the very different vote shares.
Sally J. Lieber
Democrat, who led the June primary decisively with 56.8% of the vote. Her campaign reports $352,865 in contributions, including funding from PACs and committees, $5,300 from individuals and $813 from small donors.
Strengths
An outright majority in a multi-candidate primary, 41 points clear of her nearest rival.
Trade-offs
Very little of her reported funding came from individuals — $5,300 out of more than $350,000.
Keep in mind
Coverage of Board of Equalization races is thin across the board; what we can document is the result and the funding, not detailed platforms.
John Pimentel
Democrat, who advanced with 15.8% of the June vote. He raised $325,250, including $71,600 from individuals and $245 from small donors.
Strengths
He raised nearly as much as the leading candidate and drew substantially more from individuals than she did.
Trade-offs
He finished 41 points behind despite comparable resources.
Keep in mind
Coverage of Board of Equalization races is thin across the board; what we can document is the result and the funding, not detailed platforms.
Financial info
- Small donors
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Party
- Businesses & other orgs
- Self-funding
John Pimentel
$325,250 raised
- Small donors$245<1%
- Individuals$71,60022%
- PACs & committees$2,0001%
- Businesses & other orgs$1,100<1%
- Self-funding$250,00077%
Sally J. Lieber
$352,865 raised
- Small donors$813<1%
- Individuals$5,3001%
- PACs & committees$46,50210%
- Party$250<1%
- Self-funding$400,00088%
1Figures are CA Form 460 filings through June 30, 2026 by committees controlled by each candidate, and can include transfers from a candidate's earlier committees. Semi-annual reports covering January–June 2026 were due July 31, 2026, so some totals lag a period behind. Per the California Secretary of State's Cal-Access raw data export, retrieved 2026-08-22.
June 2 primary — how they advanced
Source review: Very strong (94/100) · 3 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.
- sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)CA Secretary of State — Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-07-10)
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary
- sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)Cal-Access raw data export — California Secretary of State
Last updated August 10, 2026.