California Workers Don’t Need a Coronation. We Need a Contender.

California Workers Don’t Need a Coronation. We Need a Contender.

By Jim Araby

For working people who believe in progress, inclusion, and a better future for the next generation, the past few years have tested us. The 2024 election hit especially hard. Kamala Harris — California’s own daughter, a multiracial woman from the state of innovation and reinvention — was supposed to represent what’s next. But when her candidacy was defeated, it wasn’t just personal. It felt like a rejection of the future we believed in.

But let’s be clear: voters didn’t reject the future. They rejected the status quo. And in 2024, Kamala Harris was painted — rightly or wrongly — as its symbol. That’s a lesson we can’t afford to ignore.

Now, in California, there’s chatter that Harris might run for governor. The whispers in party circles suggest the path should be cleared, that she’s the inevitable choice. But for those of us in the labor movement — those of us who’ve been in the streets, on the picket lines, and at the bargaining table — we know better than to accept leadership by default. Working Californians don’t need another anointed candidate. We need someone who will fight for us, side by side.

Because the truth is, California isn’t just the “state of the future.” It’s also the state of deep contradiction. We have the highest rate of homelessness in the country. We lead in inequality. Our housing, utility, and grocery costs are pushing working families to the brink. And who’s been in charge? Democrats — since 2010.

So, when we’re told to fall in line behind a candidate who hasn’t yet entered the race, who hasn’t made the case to working families, who hasn’t stepped up to own this moment — that’s not leadership. That’s entitlement.

Let’s not forget: Kamala Harris hasn’t had to run the kind of tough, accountable campaign that forces a candidate to answer to working people. If she wants to be the governor of the most complex, most economically divided, and most labor-driven state in the country, she should tell us. Now. Not when the consultants say the time is right. Not after backroom deals are made. Right now.

And if she’s serious about leading the state through this new era — one where Trumpism, corporate greed, and anti-union politics are on the rise — then she should be prepared to show how she’ll partner with workers, not just donors.

Because maybe Kamala Harris is the right leader for this moment. Maybe she can unite labor, inspire businesses to stay, and push Sacramento to deliver results. But the labor movement — and the people of California — deserve a campaign, not a coronation.

The choice is hers. The stakes are ours.