Jesse Alberti
Jesse Alberti (No party preference) is running for election for Governor of California. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.
Alberti completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Jesse Alberti was born in Catskill, New York. He earned a high school diploma from Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School and attended Mission College. Alberti's career experience includes working as an assistant director, newspaper boy, dishwasher, clown, environmentalist, babysitter, chess coach, football coach, bank teller, bartender, security guard, cook, chef, waiter, housekeeper, restaurant manager, building manager, and maintenance manager.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: California gubernatorial election, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Governor of California
The following candidates are running in the general election for Governor of California on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
Ethan Agarwal (D) | ||
![]() | Xavier Becerra (D) | |
![]() | Ian Charles Calderon (D) | |
![]() | Katie Porter (D) | |
![]() | Raji Rab (D) | |
![]() | Tony Thurmond (D) | |
![]() | Antonio Villaraigosa (D) | |
![]() | Betty Yee (D) | |
![]() | Michael Younger (D) | |
![]() | Chad Bianco (R) | |
![]() | Sharifah Hardie (R) ![]() | |
![]() | Steve Hilton (R) | |
![]() | Brandon Jones (R) ![]() | |
![]() | Kyle Langford (R) ![]() | |
![]() | Daniel Mercuri (R) ![]() | |
![]() | Leo Zacky (R) | |
![]() | Nicholas Thompson (L) ![]() | |
![]() | Jesse Alberti (No party preference) ![]() | |
Tony Fitzpatrick (No party preference) ![]() |
![]() | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Toni Atkins (D)
- Eleni Kounalakis (D)
- Javen Allen (No party preference)
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
Jesse Alberti completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Alberti's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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|Here are a few words I identify with: • White – A label I’ve wrestled with. Not because I reject it, but because I know how much it can say before I open my mouth. I’ve worried that, by sight alone, people might assume I’m not safe—or not a friend. • Male – Same feeling. It’s not shame exactly, but awareness. I want people to know I don’t carry harm in my posture. • Age: 52 – Proud of it. I’m old enough to help, young enough to remember what needs fixing. (My children asked me to tone down the “old man wisdom” jokes. Fair enough.) • Cis – I had to look up the proper usage, and I’m not ashamed to say that. We grow by learning, not by pretending to know it all. No shade to my LGBTQ+ family. I have no enemies. • Married – Happily, for 16 years. And yes, my daughter is also 16. Math tells stories. ________________________________________ From Windham to California I was born in the Catskill Mountains of New York. My parents were just teenagers—16 and 17—and we lived in a little town called Windham, which I’ve always thought sounded like the hometown of a video game hero. I grew up in the tri-state area: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. My mom moved around a lot, chasing work, housing, and sometimes relationships, trying to hold it all together. That came at a cost. When I was 16, she passed away after her third battle with cancer. She was only 32.
At the time, she was in the hospital and I was l- Immigration policy in America has always been about control, not fairness. We took land through eminent domain, killed or displaced its original people, then welcomed those who looked like us. Slavery brought in others by force. Immigration wasn’t a problem when newcomers were white—or profitable. But as civil rights grew and demographics shifted, the white male power structure needed a new tool. Immigration replaced eminent domain: a legal means to restrict who enters and who threatens the status quo. Fear was the message, not truth. If jobs are undercut, blame capitalism, not the people just trying to live.
- Healthcare should be free. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s right. We already pay—through taxes, bankruptcies, lost wages, and early deaths. The only difference is who profits. Other nations provide care as a human right; we treat it like a subscription service, managed by insurance CEOs. We don’t ask firefighters to check your credit before saving your house. We don’t bill victims for police response. Why is your body any different? Profit-based healthcare doesn’t make us safer or healthier—it makes us sicker and more scared. A healthy population is a strong one. Free care isn't radical. Charging for survival is.
- Religion has no place in government. Believe what you want, but no one should be forced to live by another group’s faith. This country was founded on freedom from religious rule—not under it. Yet lawmakers push policies based on doctrine, not data, shaping laws for millions who don’t share their beliefs. That’s not democracy. That’s theocracy. Faith is personal. Government is public. If your god has power, let it persuade people—not legislate them. Eternal salvation isn’t the government’s job. Equal rights, safety, and freedom are. Keep the pulpit out of policy.
This arc echoes my own belief: “I have no enemies.” Thorfinn learns that real strength comes not from weapons or hate, but from choosing forgiveness, growth, and rebuilding—exactly what I mean when I say conflict must end with peaceful resolution. He becomes a “blue collar technocrat” of the Viking world—grounded in hardship, driven by data (his own conscience), and guided by a measurable goal: to build a peaceful settlement in Vinland where diverse peoples can live together without violence.
By contrast, Prince Canute becomes a ruler who believes he can impose a utopia by force—vying for power and reshaping England through authoritarian measures after divine betrayal. His path shows how power without empathy or checks becomes tyranny. That clash—Thorfinn’s pacifist community building vs. Canute’s top down control—mirrors my sense of politics. Real governance is rooted in service, not dominance.
If someone asked me to recommend something that captures my political philosophy, Vinland Saga is it. It contrasts revenge and forgiveness, power and service, control and community building. It embodies humility—understanding that even the most violent person must rebuild from scratch if real peace is to exist. It frames ambition through accountability—the same way I want our leaders judged: by what they build, not what they conquer.
Integrity – No backroom deals. No lying. No self-enrichment. Their word should mean something.
Transparency – Open records, clear decisions, honest communication. If it’s done in our name, we deserve to see it.
Service-First Mindset – They’re there to work for us, not for a legacy, a book deal, or their donors.
Courage – The willingness to take hard stands, not just safe votes. To do what’s right, not what’s easy.
Competence – Knowing how to do the job: policy, budgeting, negotiation, leadership.
Empathy – Understanding how decisions impact people, especially those without wealth or access.
Humility – Knowing they don’t have all the answers—and seeking out those who do.
Consistency – Saying what you believe and sticking to it, even when the cameras are off.
Not because of the powers. But because of the restraint.
Superman has the strength to crush cities, vaporize armies, or force peace through fear. And yet he chooses patience. Dialogue. Mercy. He holds himself back because he knows that having enemies while being invulnerable is meaningless. You don’t need to destroy what can’t harm you. That’s not strength. That’s ego. Real strength is knowing you could act violently—and choosing not to.
That’s the essence of my political philosophy: I have no enemies. And if I had Superman’s abilities, I’d live by that tenfold. When you’re untouchable, the true challenge becomes moral, not physical. The question isn’t “Can I stop this?” It’s “Can I help change it without becoming what I hate?”
Superman is often criticized for being too idealistic. But in a world driven by division and reactivity, I think that kind of idealism is exactly what we’re missing. He doesn’t fight for personal gain. He doesn’t lead for profit. He listens before he acts. And when he does act, it’s with the knowledge that every life—even a villain’s—has value.
It’s easy to use fear to gain power. It’s harder to build trust, to make peace, to lead by example. Superman isn’t just powerful—he’s responsible. He understands that his presence alone can change the world, so he’s careful what message he sends with every move.
In that way, he’s who I try to be as a leader. I want to serve, not control. Speak truth, not impose it. And leave space for people to grow—not be crushed by the weight of my authority.
Last year, I canceled my daughter Catalina’s Sweet 16 party. Her grades were slipping, and in my opinion, she wasn’t taking the steps needed to turn things around. It wasn’t an easy call. The venue and catering were already booked. We’d put down nearly $10,000. Walking away from that wasn’t just a financial hit—it was an emotional one. But I wasn’t willing to trade a life lesson for a party.
Instead, I asked everyone—friends, family, people who love her—to record messages. I stitched them all together into a video birthday card, and I kicked it off with “My Girl”. Thank you, Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, for giving the world that song.
It played in my head for a month—part melody, part mantra. Every time I heard it, I was reminded why I made the choice I did. Not to punish her, but to prioritize her growth. Not to give in to pressure, but to hold a boundary with love. That song became a soundtrack for something bigger than a birthday. It became the beat behind a decision to put long-term values over short-term optics.
Los Angeles—my city—is the kind of place where you can sit on a city bench next to someone who speaks a language you don’t understand and still feel safe. You can walk through a neighborhood where ten different cultures are cooking dinner at the same time and nobody has to apologize for who they are. That’s not an accident. That’s policy. It’s legacy. It’s identity. We made LA a sanctuary city because we understand that humanity comes before paperwork.
I love the wealth of this state—not just the money, though we are the fourth-largest economy in the world—but the wealth of imagination, drive, and grit. From agricultural fields to Silicon Valley, from immigrant-run food trucks to aerospace labs, this state is built by workers who innovate because they have to, and dream because no one’s told them to stop yet.
And most of all, I love our diversity. Not just in race or language or tradition—but in perspective. There is no “normal” here. No single lifestyle. No one path to success. That means our politics are tougher—but it also means our solutions, when we find them, are stronger.
Too many politicians treat elections like auditions and their terms like blank checks. They take millions in campaign donations—often from special interests—and then operate behind closed doors, protected by vague reporting laws and buried disclosures. That’s not public service. That’s privatized governance.
I support strict donation caps, quarterly public report cards, and mandatory performance tracking for elected officials. I propose two-year terms with up to four extensions—but only if the candidate meets minimum service benchmarks platform delivery, legislative participation, and a clean ethics record. Miss the mark? You're done. No bailouts. No excuses.
As for financial gain—public office should not be a stock portfolio. I support banning elected officials from trading stocks, profiting from insider knowledge, or cashing in on board seats and speaking fees while in office. No outside investments. No revolving-door lobbying. If you're here to serve, serve. Make your money after the job is done—not because of the job.
This isn’t about punishing success—it’s about re-centering government around results, not relationships. I believe public office should reflect public values, and the clearest way to do that is by putting sunlight on everything. If a regular employee had to meet goals, show work, and stay out of conflict-of-interest territory to keep their job, why shouldn’t politicians?
To me, being governor means understanding that every decision you make affects real lives. It means not treating politics like a career ladder or a media game. I don’t want to play chess with people’s housing, their rights, their health, or their safety. I want to fix what’s broken—and call out who’s breaking it.
That includes standing up to federal overreach, political bullies, and big-money interests, regardless of party. I’ve watched the back-and-forth between Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump and thought: this isn’t leadership—it’s a playground shouting match while real people are suffering. California doesn’t need another personality war. We need someone grounded in service, accountability, and actual results.
Being governor should mean you’re the first to take the hit, the last to leave the room, and the only one in power who isn’t afraid to lose it doing the right thing. You are the employee of 39 million people. That’s not a promotion—it’s a job. And it should be treated with the seriousness of someone who knows lives are at stake every single day.
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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
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 3, 2025