Malia Cohen seeks re-election as California controller

Malia Cohen, the Democratic incumbent, is running for re-election as California state controller in the Nov. 3 general election. She faces Republican Herb W. Morgan.

The controller oversees the state's financial reporting, payroll systems and unclaimed property programs. Cohen is the first African American elected to the office, according to Carnegie Mellon University. She said in the California Secretary of State voter guide that she is running to ensure taxpayer dollars are managed with transparency, accountability and fairness.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: California state controller
Born: Dec. 16, 1977, in San Francisco
Hometown: Richmond District, San Francisco; graduated from Lowell High School
Education: Bachelor's in political science, Fisk University (2000); master's in public policy and management, Carnegie Mellon University (2008)

Experience and public service

Cohen has held several public and private roles, according to her state controller biography and BallotReady profile data. She served as a San Francisco Board of Supervisors member representing District 10 and was board president from 2018 to 2019.

She chaired the California State Board of Equalization starting in 2019, before becoming controller in 2023. She also served as president of the San Francisco Employees' Retirement System.

Earlier in her career, Cohen worked as a field organizer on Gavin Newsom's 2003 San Francisco mayoral campaign and later served as a confidential secretary in the mayor's office. She was a legislative aide to Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Cohen's campaign website and her statement in the official California voter guide. They reflect the candidate's own claims.

Fiscal accountability: Cohen said she has expanded public access to financial and payroll data. She said she released timely monthly cash reports and reunited all 58 counties with millions in unclaimed property. She also said she advanced modernization of California's payroll system. Cohen said budgets "are moral documents that should reflect our shared values and invest in people, not special interests."

Economy: Cohen said she will focus on job creation and job training, prioritizing communities of color and low-income communities, her campaign site says.

Housing: Cohen said she is working to expand housing availability at all income levels so that California residents can build their future in the state, according to her campaign website.

Healthcare: Cohen wrote on her campaign site that she is fighting to expand access and demand greater accountability around prescription drug prices.

Environment: Cohen said she supports action on climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and wants to hold polluters accountable, according to her campaign website.