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Janelle Kellman
Janelle Kellman (Democratic Party) is running for election for Lieutenant Governor of California. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.
Kellman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Janelle Kellman was born in Hartford, Connecticut. She earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1995 and a law degree from Stanford Law School in 1998. Her career experience includes roles as a nonprofit founder, environmental attorney, climate risk expert, and small business owner. She previously held positions as both mayor and planning commissioner in Sausalito, California.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: California lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Lieutenant Governor of California
The following candidates are running in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of California on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Steven Bradford (D) | |
 | Josh Fryday (D) | |
 | Janelle Kellman (D)  | |
 | Fiona Ma (D) | |
 | Oliver Ma (D) | |
 | Tim Myers (D) | |
 | Mike Schaefer (D) | |
 | Michael Tubbs (D) | |
 | Brian Jones (R) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Toni Atkins (D)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Janelle Kellman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kellman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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A global climate leader, Janelle founded the Center for Sea Rise Solutions to address coastal resilience, workforce development, and ocean health. The nonprofit launched an international blue economy job creation program in partnership with the City and Port of Barcelona and the World Ocean Council. As Mayor, Janelle also launched a blue economy task force to revitalize Sausalito's Marinship area, one of the nation's last remaining working waterfronts. She is working with local, state, and federal partners to connect key players in workforce development and ocean health to catalyze job creation and on-shore micro-manufacturing in the maritime industry.
Janelle holds an undergraduate degree in History from Yale, a Master's in Environmental Management from Oxford, and a J.D. from Stanford Law. Janelle is a proud member of the Jewish and LGBTQ communities. She currently lives in the Bay Area.- California’s economy, housing crisis, and climate risks aren’t isolated—they’re interconnected. As a climate risk expert and former mayor, I’ll tackle homelessness and public safety by expanding housing access, strengthening mental health support, and partnering with local leaders. I’ll also work to stabilize the insurance market and ensure our communities are resilient to wildfires, floods, and other climate-driven threats. I will bring an integrated vision where economic growth fuels local resilience, environmental protection reduces financial risk, and innovation drives down costs. By supporting workforce development, small businesses, and clean energy jobs, we can build a climate-smart economy that restores affordability across CA.
- The Lieutenant Governor holds significant power to shape our future. From serving as a voting member of the state's university and college system boards to participating on the CA Ocean Protection Council and Coastal Commission, to alternating as Chair of the CA State Lands Commission and representing our economic interests globally — this office has incredible potential to drive meaningful action on housing, safety, economic resilience, and mental health. I'm running because, like many of us, I'm frustrated by politics-as-usual. I'm a fresh, dynamic leader who's not afraid to have the hard conversations and turn good ideas into action. I'm committed to practical, common-sense solutions that will make a difference.
- I've spent the last two decades tackling the defining challenges of the 21st century, including climate change, housing, homelessness, reproductive rights, and equity and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community. As Mayor, I wasn't just operating at a high level, creating policy. I was dealing with real, on-the-ground issues that impacted our community. I worked to make sure that all people felt seen. I helped develop our first PRIDE festival, which is now celebrated yearly. I believe our state needs leaders who understand resilience not just as a buzzword, but as a lived experience. Leaders who know how to connect climate action with equity, innovation with inclusion, and policy with place. I'm running for a future where CA leads for all.
Despite years of Democratic supermajority, the CA Dream is slipping out of reach for too many. We face a crisis of affordability, rising homelessness, growing climate risk, and economic instability—and it's clear that business as usual isn't working. It’s time for common-sense, results-driven solutions:
More housing, backed by mental health and addiction services.
Strong public safety policies that restore trust and protect communities.
Bold action on climate risk and insurance to keep our homes livable and insurable.
Support for small businesses and job training to strengthen local economies.
1. Infuse climate and economic resilience into land use and coastal access policies that affect port infrastructure, agriculture, and business expansion.
2. Promote university-industry partnerships to commercialize innovation, and support measures to make California's public higher education accessible for all.
Assemblymember Damon Connolly
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate Lieutenant Governor of California |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 24, 2025
