Butch Ware announces campaign for governor of California

by Barry Hermanson

On Feb. 3, Dr. Butch Ware announced his bid to run as a Green Party candidate for the California Governor’s Office. The primary election is in June of 2026. Social justice, grassroots democracy and sustainable environmental practices will be key issues during the campaign. “Dr. Ware calls on all residents of California to join his team to work for a better future for California and the nation” is his campaign’s invitation to join them.

Are you fed up with the corporate and billionaire controlled Democratic and Republican parties? Dr. Ware will be working to create a state government that works for everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected. 

“The American promise is government by and for the people, not by and for the corporations. It’s time to put families, workers, communities and our environment first,” says Dr. Ware.

Some of Dr. Ware’s campaign issues that I will cover in more detail in coming months are: 

Implementing policies to combat climate change and promote renewable energy. I have written in the past about converting my home to all-electric. Today, my PG&E bill is $0 – for heating my home, providing me with hot water and powering all of my electronic appliances. In addition, I received a check last year in the amount of $252 for the excess electricity I put into the grid. I look forward to working with Dr. Ware during his campaign to develop policies to expand what I currently enjoy to many more Californians. 

Advocating for comprehensive healthcare. Universal single-payer healthcare bills passed the California State Assembly and Senate two times when Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, was sure to veto them. Democrat Gavin Newsom, when he was campaigning for governor, said it was a no brainer. I’m tired of politicians saying they support single-payer but that it’s too soon, too expensive or someone else’s problem. I am beyond being tired of Democratic politicians like Newsom who say they support single-payer universal healthcare but then do nothing to move it forward. 

I look forward to Dr. Butch Ware’s campaign. Support for single-payer universal healthcare is a core issue for the Green Party. Dr. Ware will not accept campaign contributions from those who profit from the existing broken healthcare system, unlike most of the Democratic and Republican politicians in Sacramento.

Affordable housing. In 2023, nearly half of renter households paid more than 30% of their income in rent, and in 2021, 25% paid more than 50% of their income in rent. In Sacramento, there has been a remarkable amount of housing legislation introduced and passed over the last few years, much of it authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener from San Francisco. 

Unfortunately, almost all of it makes it easier for market rate housing to be built. For-profit real estate and developer interests have thanked Sen. Wiener by contributing heavily to his political campaigns. Building housing that working class and poor people can afford isn’t profitable for housing developers without public subsidy. 

With the almost exclusive reliance on market rate housing development over the last 40 to 50 years, the country faces a critical shortage of affordable (non-market rate) housing. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “In the United States, the number of homeless people on a given night in January 2024 was more than 770,000,”

Dr. Ware is an advocate for social housing – housing that is not privately owned or bought or sold becomes more affordable over time as inflation in housing prices and speculation by investors is no longer a factor in the cost of housing. Greens believe that housing is a human right.

Quality education for all Californians that is supported by the state. When I graduated from California State University in 1972, I had no student debt. Paying for books and student fees were the only things I had to worry about. Today, students face lifelong debt that severely limits their choices of careers, housing options and even whether or not to begin a family. Dr. Ware is an advocate for the development of resources that will enable every student to more fully contribute to our society and economy by not being encumbered by student debt. 

Dr. Ware also advocates for proportional representation and ranked choice voting to ensure a more democratic and representative political system.

For more information about the campaign, visit butchware4gov.com and contact: 

• Jason Call, campaign manager, [email protected], 425-691-6631
• Juwairia Abbas, press secretary, [email protected], 917-891-0441

Barry Hermanson is a member of the San Francisco Green Party and a former small business

owner. Contact him at [email protected] or 415-255-9494. 

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Source: https://sfbayview.com/2025/03/butch-ware-announces-campaign-for-governor-of-california/