May 2026
California 2026 Primary Elections - Statewide Candidates
May 14 2026
Other than governor I'm choosing the statewide candidates based on what's in the Voter Information Guide found at Secretary of State web site.
Lieutenant Governor: Fiona Ma (D) - currently CA Treasurer
Secretary of State: Shirley N Weber (D) - incumbent
Controller: Malia M Cohen (D) - incumbent
Treasurer: Eleni Kounalakis (D) - currently Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General: Marjorie Mikels (Green) - attorney/justice advocate
Insurance Commissioner: Jane Kim (D) - currently member of SF Board of Supervisors
State Board of Equalization, District 2: Sally J Lieber (D) - incumbent
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Sonja Shaw - school district president
Lieutenant Governor: Fiona Ma (D) - currently CA Treasurer
Secretary of State: Shirley N Weber (D) - incumbent
Controller: Malia M Cohen (D) - incumbent
Treasurer: Eleni Kounalakis (D) - currently Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General: Marjorie Mikels (Green) - attorney/justice advocate
Insurance Commissioner: Jane Kim (D) - currently member of SF Board of Supervisors
State Board of Equalization, District 2: Sally J Lieber (D) - incumbent
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Sonja Shaw - school district president
Favorite Apple Arcade Games of 2023
May 12 2026
Finally finished playing all the Apple Arcade games of 2023 (2024 and 2025 have way less games I guess since by then the library is fairly well built up). Nine good games which equals 2021 (2019 has 2, 2020 has 0, 2022 has 4). My favorite three:
Slay the Spire+ - A good card-based fantasy rogue-like where you can play one of four distinctly different characters.
Episode XOXO - I love the goofy romance semi-choose-your-own-adventure stories. Haven't played this much lately as I've been playing the Netflix version which has different (and for the most part spicier) stories.
Very Little Nightmares+ - Cutesy puzzle game with a bit of thriller/horror. For the most part not hard puzzles and not that long a game.
All these are available as normal apps: Slay the Spire ($10), Episode - Choose Your Story (free but rather expensive in-apps if you want to finish one story with the best choices), Very Little Nightmares ($7).
Slay the Spire+ - A good card-based fantasy rogue-like where you can play one of four distinctly different characters.
Episode XOXO - I love the goofy romance semi-choose-your-own-adventure stories. Haven't played this much lately as I've been playing the Netflix version which has different (and for the most part spicier) stories.
Very Little Nightmares+ - Cutesy puzzle game with a bit of thriller/horror. For the most part not hard puzzles and not that long a game.
All these are available as normal apps: Slay the Spire ($10), Episode - Choose Your Story (free but rather expensive in-apps if you want to finish one story with the best choices), Very Little Nightmares ($7).
Diary - May 02 to May 08 2026
May 09 2026
Sat May 02 2026
Sleep 0245 to 0800, 0815 to 1200 (9 hours)
Sun May 03 2026
Sleep 0400 to 1200 (8 hours)
Mon May 04 2026
Sleep 0245 to 1145 (9 hours)
Tue May 05 2026
Sleep 0400 to 1100 (7 hours)
Wed May 06 2026
Sleep 0345 to 1200 (8-1/4 hours)
Thu May 07 2026
Sleep 0245 to 0945 (7 hours)
Fri May 08 2026
Sleep 0000 to 0800 (8 hours)
Sleep 0245 to 0800, 0815 to 1200 (9 hours)
- DDO: CSr is camping so just DW and I for two nights. We did Legendary Slice of Life on Friday and xxx.
Sun May 03 2026
Sleep 0400 to 1200 (8 hours)
- Every month I go to my iPhone to get my Apple Card and Apple Savings statements and then send them to my MBP so I can store them. This month I thought can't I get them on my Mac? You can go to https://card.apple.com and download your Apple Card statements but I don't see a way to get Apple Savings statements so guess I'll have to keep using my iPhone.
- Miami Grand Prix. Franco Colapinto at 7th (+6 points = 7), Oliver Bearman at 11th (+0 points = 17). 24 total points is barely 5th place.
Mon May 04 2026
Sleep 0245 to 1145 (9 hours)
- I started getting tired of Notes math results (where if you have an equation and then an = sign it'll calculate and insert the result). Used to be results came faster than you can type. Now they come in a second or two slow so I've already typed past and then it tries to insert a result. I found a support note (Solve math in Notes on Mac) and turns out you can turn it off in Notes > Format > Math Results but as you have probably already seen since it is in the Format menu it's a per Note setting (and if you select multiple Notes that is not a setting you can change). Oh well, at least I can turn it off in my TODO note where it occurs the most.
Tue May 05 2026
Sleep 0400 to 1100 (7 hours)
- Got charged for Alien 7-Film Collection (bought 10 days ago) and Viki monthly (which would be charged today). So I guess the rule is if you buy something from a store Apple won't charge for 10 days hoping you'll buy something else then it can charge both and save on the credit card charge. I remember this being a thing when iTunes Music purchases were about the only thing you could buy and a $1 song would have a fairly high credit card fee if charged individually.
Wed May 06 2026
Sleep 0345 to 1200 (8-1/4 hours)
- C3+S Dinner. Deliver from Joy Sushi. CJr had us do a couple of Mad Libs and he also wanted to play a game but I was tired and it was getting late for him. Maybe I should do a different night since Wed CJr has Jiu-Jitsu and he gets back at 1900.
Thu May 07 2026
Sleep 0245 to 0945 (7 hours)
- I finally caught up and listened to the last episode of The Sackhoff Show podcast. Starting this year the show pivoted to a BSG rewatch/react show and I think the episodes are only on Patreon.
Fri May 08 2026
Sleep 0000 to 0800 (8 hours)
- Since I was up early today went to Safeway and they had 8-piece fried chicken for $5.
CA Gubernatorial Debate - Apr 28 2026
May 07 2026
The second debate, on Apr 28 2026, had the same six candidates as the first and adding two more:
Tony Thurmond (D) - California State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Antonio Villaraigosa (D) - former Mayor of Los Angeles.
Unfortunately 8 candidates is too many and they were resorting to quick YES/NO questions or asking a question to four candidates and then a variation to the other four. And sometimes people would get skipped. I think Thurmond and Villaraigosa along with Chad Bianco were skipped the most.
Final point totals
My notes in PDF: 2026-04-28 CA gubernatorial debate.pdf
Tony Thurmond (D) - California State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Antonio Villaraigosa (D) - former Mayor of Los Angeles.
Unfortunately 8 candidates is too many and they were resorting to quick YES/NO questions or asking a question to four candidates and then a variation to the other four. And sometimes people would get skipped. I think Thurmond and Villaraigosa along with Chad Bianco were skipped the most.
Final point totals
- Tom Steyer (7 points)
- Katie Porter (6)
- Matt Mahan (6)
- Steve Hilton (4)
- Antonio Villaraigosa (4)
- Xavier Becerra (4)
- Tony Thurmond (3)
- Chad Bianco (-1)
My notes in PDF: 2026-04-28 CA gubernatorial debate.pdf
CA Gubernatorial Debate - Apr 22 2026
May 05 2026
I watched the first debate on Apr 22 2026 which had six candidates. I did not know them previously -- maybe heard Katie Porter and Xavier Becerra from previous elections. The candidates and my thoughts after watching the debate.
Steve Hilton (R) - political commentator. Kind of (just a bit) reminds me of Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy (because I just read a book about the Ukraine's presidents) who was a tv entertainer tending towards political humor and was initially a fairly bad president because of his political inexperience and it took an invasion to rally his government.
Chad Bianco (R) - sheriff of Riverside. Comes off as the typical rural Californian. I particularly dislike the argument that you can magically make more money appear by cutting fraud and abuse in government. Politicians say it, it's never done, and it becomes a code word for "cut government programs I don't like".
Tom Steyer (D) - billionaire. Surprisingly came in second and he had a lot of good answers. But the dude is 68 years old and after Biden and Trump I'm not sure I'm up for having an aged head of state government.
Katie Porter (D) - US Representative. Rather vague answering questions. Other candidates would say one or two plans of action and she didn't have any.
Xavier Becerra (D) - former US Secretary of Health and Human Services. I guess the most politically experienced of the group as he kept saying it over and over. For state governor I'd rather have someone with too much experience than no experience.
Matt Mahan (D) - Mayor of San Jose. Well spoken and had a lot of good replies though maybe too much "this is how we fixed it in San Jose" which might work for the 12th biggest city in the US but might not work at the state level.
I took notes and scored based on best = 3 points, 2nd best = 1 (or if two best then both = 2), 3 to 5 = 0, 6th = -1 (or 0 if it's about the same as 3-5).
My notes in PDF: 2026-04-22 CA gubernatorial debate
Final rankings
That was a lot of work and there are two more debates to do. Not sure I'll do them.
Steve Hilton (R) - political commentator. Kind of (just a bit) reminds me of Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy (because I just read a book about the Ukraine's presidents) who was a tv entertainer tending towards political humor and was initially a fairly bad president because of his political inexperience and it took an invasion to rally his government.
Chad Bianco (R) - sheriff of Riverside. Comes off as the typical rural Californian. I particularly dislike the argument that you can magically make more money appear by cutting fraud and abuse in government. Politicians say it, it's never done, and it becomes a code word for "cut government programs I don't like".
Tom Steyer (D) - billionaire. Surprisingly came in second and he had a lot of good answers. But the dude is 68 years old and after Biden and Trump I'm not sure I'm up for having an aged head of state government.
Katie Porter (D) - US Representative. Rather vague answering questions. Other candidates would say one or two plans of action and she didn't have any.
Xavier Becerra (D) - former US Secretary of Health and Human Services. I guess the most politically experienced of the group as he kept saying it over and over. For state governor I'd rather have someone with too much experience than no experience.
Matt Mahan (D) - Mayor of San Jose. Well spoken and had a lot of good replies though maybe too much "this is how we fixed it in San Jose" which might work for the 12th biggest city in the US but might not work at the state level.
I took notes and scored based on best = 3 points, 2nd best = 1 (or if two best then both = 2), 3 to 5 = 0, 6th = -1 (or 0 if it's about the same as 3-5).
My notes in PDF: 2026-04-22 CA gubernatorial debate
Final rankings
- Matt Mahan (12 points)
- Tom Steyer (11)
- Xavier Becerra (5)
- Katie Porter (4)
- Steve Hilton (1)
- Chad Bianco (0)
That was a lot of work and there are two more debates to do. Not sure I'll do them.
Diary - Apr 25 to May 01 2026
May 02 2026
Sat Apr 25 2026
Sleep 0400 to 1200 (8 hours)
Sun Apr 26 2026
Sleep 0400 to 1200 (8 hours)
Mon Apr 27 2026
Sleep 0400 to 1200 (8 hours)
Tue Apr 28 2026
Sleep 0330 to 1200 (8-1/2 hours)
Wed Apr 29 2026
Sleep 0500 to 1215 (7-1/4 hours)
Thu Apr 30 2026
Sleep 0045 to 0730, 30m nap (7-1/4 hours)
Fri May 01 2026
Sleep 0045 to 0845, 30m nap (8-1/2 hours)
Sleep 0400 to 1200 (8 hours)
- DDO: A couple more Vecna adventures that went faster.
Sun Apr 26 2026
Sleep 0400 to 1200 (8 hours)
- Apple has a pending charge for D.E.B.S on Apr 29 (I bought it Apr 16). Alien 7-Film Collection is on sale for $30 which is the lowest price they ever set it at according to Cheap Charts, although I guess all the movies are on steep discount right now as I'm only saving an additional $5. There is a question if Apple will change the pending charge and combine the two purchases so this is also a bit of a test.
Mon Apr 27 2026
Sleep 0400 to 1200 (8 hours)
- The building next door is tented for termite fumigation. I guess makes me worried a bit about our building since my confidence in Pacific Coast Termite is not that high. Not that they can't do the job once termites are found or reported but that their inspections are rather brief and I think nowadays they depend on customers reporting termite activity.
Tue Apr 28 2026
Sleep 0330 to 1200 (8-1/2 hours)
- I started watching Running Point on Netflix and it's pretty funny, but when Netflix said their ad-tier plan has less commercials than you'd expect that's because they all run on this show. It's like 1-1/2 minute ads three times in a half-hour dramedy never mind the amount of money Sephora paid to be on the show as a major sponsor to the fictional basketball team with subplots revolving around them.
Wed Apr 29 2026
Sleep 0500 to 1215 (7-1/4 hours)
- C3 dinner.
Thu Apr 30 2026
Sleep 0045 to 0730, 30m nap (7-1/4 hours)
- I think I found Viki's auto play setting. It's not in the user settings. When you are playing a video go to options and there is Auto play there. At least for the one episode I turned it on for it worked. What a weird place to put the setting.
Fri May 01 2026
Sleep 0045 to 0845, 30m nap (8-1/2 hours)
- Dr Fari Barzegar from Habitat Engineering and Forensics came today to examine our garage. Older gentleman and friendly, shared an egg salad sandwich with me and explained some of the things he found. I don't think he found anything really major though he'll recommend some more testing. Some miscommunication as he was expecting a retainer check here (and later I found out it was at Manor office). I ended up giving him $1900 cash and I'll get it back from the HOA later.