Unlike the other contests on this ballot, the Controller's race has several highly qualified candidates. Ultimately, Cohen edged out her competitors for our endorsement, but you might come to a different conclusion than we did.

The four most qualified candidates are:

• Malia Cohen (D), a Lowell High School grad, former SF Supervisor, and current member of California's Board of Equalization
• Ron Galperin (D), the current Los Angeles Controller
• Lanhee Chen (R), a Harvard grad, former Social Security Advisory Board member under Obama, and professor of public policy at Stanford
• Steve Glazer (D), a California State Senator and accountant

Malia Cohen (D) currently serves as the chair of the California Board of Equalization and is a former San Francisco Supervisor for District 10. If elected, she would be California's first Black controller. She holds a BA in political science from Fisk University, and a Masters of Science in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. In her role on the Board of Equalization, she is involved in limited oversight of California's finances, though the office has been largely stripped of its former duties:

After being reduced to its constitutional responsibilities in 2017, the Board retained almost none of its tax and fee responsibilities. The only property taxes it actively administers in its entirety are state-assessed properties and the Private Railroad Car Tax; the Board acts only in an appellate role in collecting the Alcoholic Beverage Tax and Insurance Tax, reviewing appeals of denials of claims for refund.

However, the Board does continue to appraise and audit public utilities, railroad companies and properties owned by counties outside of their own jurisdictions, known as 'state-assessed properties', and hear appeals from its own staff appraisals.

— Wikipedia

Both Malia Cohen (D) and Ron Galperin (D) are endorsed by the current controller, Betty Yee. But only Cohen has secured the endorsements of Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Lee, and other top Democratic figures and top labor unions. So, if you make your decisions based on a combination of endorsements, experience, and education, you'll probably want to vote for Malia Cohen.

Ron Galperin (D) brings real-world experience as Controller of California's largest city: Los Angeles. Galperin is the first gay man to be elected citywide in LA, and as controller oversaw an $11.2 billion budget and over 40,000 employees. If you want someone with the real-world experience for the job, you'll probably want to vote for Ron Galperin.

Lanhee Chen (R) would bring a political outsider's perspective to a vital government oversight office. Chen graduated with degrees in law and political science from Harvard, served on the Social Security Advisory Board under President Obama, and currently teaches public policy at Stanford. Chen was endorsed by the LA Times, which described him as a fiscal watchdog that is "independent from the party in power." So, if you value an outsider's tenacity and eagerness to investigate the party in power, then you'll probably want to vote for Lanhee Chen.

Finally, Steve Glazer (D) is a sitting California State Senator with decades of political experience. He served on the Senate Budget Committee and the Legislative Audit Committee, and currently serves on the Agriculture Committee, Education Committee, Governmental Organization Committee, and Insurance Committee while chairing the Elections and Constitutional Amendment Committee. Ultimately, your political capital and experience matter when taking on such an important position, and if that's what is important to you then you'll probably want to vote for Steve Glazer.

Again, we landed on Malia Cohen, but we hope we've given you enough information to make an informed decision for yourself.