Progressive Candidates in San Francisco, Los Angeles Look to Shake Up Races

Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, May 27, 2026

• New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has become the darling of progressives with his populist platform and his ability to connect with young voters. Here in California, two candidates are trying to take a similar message to voters – in the San Francisco race to replace Nancy Pelosi and the Los Angeles Mayor’s race. 
• All evacuation orders have been lifted  in Orange County after authorities determined that there was no further danger of an explosion, chemical leak or fire at an aerospace manufacturing plant in Garden Grove.

Progressives in San Francisco, Los Angeles races hope to connect with young voters

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has become the darling of progressives with his populist platform and his ability to connect with young voters. Candidates in California are trying to replicate that success.

In San Francisco, Saikat Chakrabarti is running to replace Nancy Pelosi in Congress. He’s a former tech engineer who previously worked as chief of staff for Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “We have to completely change the direction and leadership of the Democratic Party,” he said at a recent rally. Like Mamdani, he’s running an aggressive digital media campaign to target young people. And it appears to be working for some. Nearly 1,500 people, including some notable influencers, packed a night club in the SOMA neighborhood to see him. Shawgun Aulakh was in the crowd. She’s an undecided voter but a fan of Mamdani. “I don’t think that’s what Pelosi and the establishment Democrats have historically done. They speak more to their corporate base, their donor base,” she said.

Chakrabarti isn’t the only progressive running for Pelosi’s seat. There’s also Supervisor Connie Chan. She isn’t as flashy as Chakrabarti, and she’s not as rich. Chakrabarti is pouring millions of dollars into his own campaign, and Chan’s war chest is way smaller. But they have a similar platform. And Chan has an endorsement from Pelosi herself.

Celeste Martinez Hernandez is a recent San Francisco State graduate. She’s supporting Chan because she’s “a working mom and a regular person.” “I don’t think that I can relate to a bunch of millionaires who haven’t struggled with buying groceries or even afford paying their bills,” Martinez Hernandez said. Both Chan and Chakrabarti are trailing front-runner, State Senator Scott Wiener.

In Los Angeles, a progressive Democrat is looking to unseat LA Mayor Karen Bass. Nithya Raman, a current member of the city council, is focusing on younger voters. Raman is an Indian born urban planner who burst onto the LA political scene in 2020 when she ousted an incumbent council member with the help of the Democratic Socialists of America. Like Mamdani, Raman is also a member of the DSA. “I think he and I share a vision of the city that works for all residents,” she said.

On the city council, Raman fought to lower the amount landlords can increase rents, supported a $30 an hour minimum wage for hotel workers, and opposed pay raises for police officers, saying the money should go to social services. The police union and big real estate interests in turn have spent more than a million dollars in attack ads against Raman.

Along with Bass, Raman also faces another opponent in this election. Spencer Pratt is a Republican reality TV personality who jumped into the race after his house burned down in the Palisades Fire last year. While his policies differ from Raman, he’s also shown an ability to appeal to younger voters, mainly through a catchy social media campaign that has gained millions of views.

All evacuations lifted for residents near Garden Grove chemical tank

All evacuations have been lifted for Orange County residents near a Garden Grove tank holding toxic chemicals, according to an announcement from the city’s police chief at a community meeting Tuesday evening. About 16,000 people had remained displaced Tuesday, following earlier evacuations affecting nearly 50,000 people. “I’m happy to report that we are going to be lifting the evacuation in its entirety immediately,” said Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra.  “Everyone can return to their homes.”

The crisis that began Thursday had forced evacuations in and around Garden Grove. A crack that formed by chance on the tank relieved pressure and helped avert a catastrophic explosion, allowing most evacuees to return home over the Memorial Day weekend. Authorities announced they were lifting the final orders after the temperature on the tank remained stable for four hours without intervention from sprinklers.

Angry residents spoke at the special city council meeting Tuesday night after the crisis interrupted Memorial Day plans, graduation ceremonies and daily life in central Orange County, which is made up of a cluster of cities including Garden Grove. Karen Nguyen, a 29-year-old Garden Grove resident, said she will be able to go home now that the evacuation order is being lifted but is concerned about what the chemical might do to her three cats, which already have health issues. She told the city council she wants stricter regulations to ensure nothing like this happens again, and she doesn’t want to see these plants in her community. “They’re not welcome in our neighborhood,” she said.