Is It Time To Talk About Water Yet?

California’s water agencies are trying to force their way onto the 2026 gubernatorial campaign agenda.

Water is one of California’s most consequential governing problems and one of its least attractive campaign issues: it’s technical, regionally specific and easy to get wrong. Water matters intensely in the red-leaning Central Valley, the thirsty, agricultural heart of the state, but that rarely translates into votes for Democrats; in fact, the Democratic gubernatorial contenders barely mentioned it in the June primary.