2026 in California

← 2025 2024 2023 2026 in California → 2027 2028 2029
Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	History of California Historical outline of California List of years in California 2026 in the United States

The year 2026 in California involved the following events.

Incumbents

• Governor: Gavin Newsom
• Lieutenant Governor: Eleni Kounalakis (D)
• Chief Justice: Patricia Guerrero (D)
• Senate president pro tempore: Monique Limón (D)
• Speaker of the Assembly: Robert A. Rivas (D)

Events

January

• January 1 – 2026 Rose Bowl: The Indiana Hoosiers defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide 38–3, advancing to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. ^[1]
• January 2 – A federal appeals court rules that California's ban on open-carry in most parts of the state is unconstitutional. ^[2]
• January 6
  • Representative Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) dies at age 65. ^[3]
  • The Department of Health and Human Services announces it is halting $10 billion in social service programs to California and four other Democratic states. ^[4]
  • For the first time since December 2000, no regions of California are listed as being in active drought by the United States Drought Monitor. ^[5]
• January 9 – The 9th Astra Film Awards are held at the Sofitel Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, honoring movies released in 2025. Ryan Coogler's film Sinners wins six awards, including Best Picture – Drama. ^[6]
• January 11
  • The 83rd Golden Globe Awards are held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. ^[7]
  • A U-Haul truck is driven into a crowd of protesters gathered to support Iranian anti-government protesters in Westwood, Los Angeles. Two people are injured. ^[8]
• January 13 – The city council of San Jose votes to ban Immigration and Customs Enforcement from using city property for federal operations. ^[9]
• January 15 – Antoine Watson is convicted of involuntary manslaughter and assault in the killing of Vicha Ratanapakdee, who Watson shoved to the ground in San Francisco in 2021. He is acquitted of murder. ^[10]
• January 23 – Governor Newsom announces the state of California will join the World Health Organization's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network. The announcement is made one day after President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the WHO. ^[11]
• January 29 – Journalist and former CNN anchor Don Lemon is arrested in Los Angeles in connection to a protest he had reported on at a Saint Paul, Minnesota church on January 18. ^[12]

February

• February 1 – The 68th Annual Grammy Awards are held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA wins Record of the Year, while Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny wins Album of the Year, the first Spanish language album to do so. ^[13]
• February 5 – Three people are killed and six injured after a car crashes into a 99 Ranch Market in Westwood, Los Angeles. ^[14]

Scheduled events

• February 8 – Super Bowl LX is scheduled to be played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. ^[15]
• March 15 – The 98th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
• June 2 – 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election will be held. Incumbent mayor Karen Bass will be running for re-election. ^{[16] [17]}
• June 11 to July 19 – The United States will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, with a number of games being played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
• November 3 – Statewide elections are scheduled to be held in California. Governor Gavin Newsom is term-limited, leaving the gubernatorial election open.

See also

• 2026 in the United States

References

1. Flick, Daniel (January 1, 2026). "'We Broke Them': Indiana Football Slays First SEC Dragon in Rose Bowl Dominance". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved January 2, 2026.
2. Raymond, Nate (January 2, 2026). "California ban on openly carrying guns is unconstitutional, court rules". Reuters. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
3. Wong, Scott; Stewart, Kyle (January 6, 2026). "GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa dies at 65". NBC News. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
4. Cook, Sara; Quinn, Melissa (January 6, 2026). "Trump administration halting $10 billion in social service funding to 5 Democratic states". CBS News. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
5. Chow, Denise (January 9, 2026). "California is completely free of drought for the first time in 25 years". NBC News. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
6. Davidson, Denton (January 9, 2026). "Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners' sweeps Astra Film Awards; Warner Bros. dominates with 11 wins". Gold Derby. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
7. Rodriguez-Feo Vileira, Luea; Sen, Mallika (January 11, 2026). "Golden Globes live updates: KPop Demon Hunters takes home best original song". The Associated Press. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
8. Sarnoff, Leah (January 11, 2026). "U-Haul drives into crowd at Los Angeles anti-Iranian regime protest". ABC News. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
9. Chu, Joyce (January 15, 2026). "San Jose bans ICE from using its properties". The Associated Press. The San Jose Spotlight. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
10. "Man found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in 2021 death of San Francisco Thai grandfather". The Associated Press. January 16, 2026. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
11. Choi, Joseph (January 23, 2026). "California becomes first state to join WHO disease network after US exit". The Hill. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
12. Reilly, Ryan J.; Melas, Chloe; Lavietes, Matt (January 30, 2026). "Don Lemon arrested by federal authorities, his attorney says". NBC News. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
13. Luna, Itzel (February 1, 2026). "Kendrick Lamar overtakes Jay-Z as most-awarded rapper in Grammys history". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 3, 2026.
14. Hylton, Chelsea (February 6, 2026). "At least 3 dead, 6 injured when car crashes into Los Angeles supermarket". CBS News. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
15. Baca, Michael (May 22, 2023). "Niners' Levi's Stadium approved as site for Super Bowl LX in 2026". NFL.com . Retrieved July 1, 2025.
16. "Dates and Deadlines". Close the Gap California. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
17. "L.A. Mayor Karen Bass launches her reelection bid, saying, 'We cannot afford to stop our momentum'". Los Angeles Times. July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2025.