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We, the citizens of California, enter this covenant in the spirit of the founding promise: that government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed, and that those who seek to govern bear an obligation to those they serve. After 250 years, that promise demands renewal, not through speeches, but through a binding declaration of mutual duty. On the occasion of our nation's 250th anniversary, and in recognition of California's responsibility to lead, we offer this covenant as a new standard of civic agreement between those who seek the office of Governor and the citizens who grant it.

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Part I — The Candidate's Obligations

Any candidate who signs this covenant makes the following commitments, binding in the court of public record.

1. Transparency of Governance. I will deliver plain language progress reports to all Californians no less than quarterly, accounting honestly for what is working, what is not, and precisely why. These reports will be published through multiple channels accessible to every resident, including print, public libraries, community bulletin boards, local broadcast, and digital platforms, so that access to information is never conditioned on access to technology. Progress will be measured against specific, pre-stated outcomes, not by the volume of legislation passed or announcements made.
2. Fiscal Accountability and Economic Balance. I will conduct a ground level review of every state department's budget, engaging not only managers and administrators, but the frontline staff who operate the systems daily and who best understand where waste, duplication, and inefficiency actually live. I will pursue this review without threatening the livelihoods of the public servants who depend on these institutions. I will also examine California's tax structure with an honest eye toward balance: ensuring that corporations and the ultra-wealthy who benefit from California's economy and infrastructure contribute equitably, while protecting small businesses and working residents from bearing an undue burden. I commit to rebuilding and advancing California's aging infrastructure through creative, diversified funding strategies, not by defaulting to increased fees, fines, and taxes on the people least able to absorb them.
3. Housing, Land Use, and Affordability. I will prioritize the productive use of existing vacant and underutilized land before burdening communities with unchecked new development. I will distinguish in law and in policy between the abuses of large corporate landlords and the legitimate interests of small, independent property owners, crafting protections that target the former without punishing the latter. I will create meaningful incentives for local small businesses over corporate consolidation in California communities. I will measure progress by actual outcomes for residents cost, availability, and stability of housing, and I will report transparently on what is not working, including the specific legislative, regulatory, or financial obstacles that prevent progress, and what steps are being taken to remove them.
4. Protection of Democratic Institutions and Civil Conduct. I will not take any action, issue any executive order, or support any legislation that weakens the independence of California's courts, undermines the authority of the state legislature, restricts the lawful freedom of the press, or suppresses the right of any citizen to vote, organize, or dissent. I will not use the Office of Governor to deliberately spread false information, selectively edit factual records to deliver a misleading narrative, or misrepresent the actions of other branches of government to serve a political purpose. I commit to conducting the business of this office with civility and respect, toward citizens, toward colleagues across the aisle, and toward those who criticize or oppose my decisions.
5. Equitable Access to Economic Opportunity. I acknowledge that Californians have heard these words many times and seen too little action. Therefore I commit not only to this principle but to its accountability: every major policy decision affecting economic access, taxation, public investment, regulation, and workforce development, will be evaluated and publicly reported on by its measurable impact on working Californians and the middle class, not by its stated intent. Words without outcomes are not governance. I will be judged, and I accept being judged, by what actually changes in the lives of people who are struggling, not by what I proposed, signed, or announced.
6. Civic Trust. I will govern with honesty, including the honest acknowledgment of failure, obstacles, and uncertainty. I will never knowingly mislead the public I serve. I understand that trust, once broken, is the hardest thing in public life to rebuild, and I accept that rebuilding it requires consistency of conduct over time, not declarations of intent. This covenant is my declaration of intent. My conduct in office will be its measure.

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Part II — The Citizens' Obligations

Those citizens who co-sign this covenant accept the following obligations in return.

• We commit to civility and respect as the non-negotiable baseline of civic participation, in how we speak to those who govern, to those who disagree with us, and to each other. Disagreement is a right. Contempt is a choice. We choose differently.
• We will hold this governor to this covenant fairly, by evidence, and by the standards set here, not by the failures of past administrations, not by partisan loyalty, and not by comparison to whoever came before. This office, this term, these commitments.
• We will engage. We will vote, stay informed, and participate in the governance of our communities. We will not outsource our democracy entirely to elected officials and then express only outrage at the result.
• We will extend good faith to a governor who acts with honesty and transparency, even when we disagree with their decisions. Good faith is not blind trust. It is the willingness to evaluate conduct on its merits before rendering judgment.
• We will not demand perfection. We will demand integrity, transparency, and the honest acknowledgment of failure. A governor who tells us the truth about what is not working has earned more of our trust than one who claims everything is fine.

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Part III — Covenant Integrity: Failure, Breach, and Consequences

This covenant distinguishes between the unavoidable limits of governance and the deliberate violation of its obligations.

1. The Distinction Between Failure and Breach. Governance is imperfect by nature. Unforeseen crises, legislative deadlock, legal constraints, and the inherited conditions of office may prevent the full achievement of any commitment. Failure is a condition of governing. Breach is a choice. A breach of this covenant occurs when a signatory knowingly and deliberately acts against its stated obligations, not when circumstances make those obligations difficult to fulfill. A governor who acknowledges obstacles publicly and explains them honestly has not breached this covenant. A governor who conceals, deceives, or actively works against its principles has.
2. Layered Accountability. Consequences for breach are civic before they are formal, and proportional to the severity of the conduct. The first layer is public transparency, co-signers, civic organizations, and the press are empowered and encouraged to formally document and publish evidence of breach against the specific standards of this covenant. The second layer is electoral accountability, citizens retain the power of the vote, and a governor who has violated this covenant should expect to face that record at every future election. The third layer is formal removal, the State of California's existing recall process provides a lawful mechanism for citizens to remove an elected governor. This covenant does not create new legal authority; it creates the civic record and the organized citizen will that makes existing authority meaningful.
3. On Signing in Bad Faith. We acknowledge directly the legitimate concern that a candidate may sign this covenant to gain votes, then govern against it. No document can compel integrity in someone who lacks it. What this covenant does is create a public, timestamped record, witnessed by co-signers, against which all future conduct will be measured. A governor who signs this covenant and then betrays it does not escape the covenant. They are defined by it. The record belongs to the citizens.

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Part IV — Additional Obligations of Conduct

The following obligations govern the conduct of both signatories in matters of finance, integrity, and democratic process.

1. Campaign Finance Transparency. I will publish a full, plain-language disclosure of all significant campaign donors and funding sources, beyond what is legally required, so that citizens may judge for themselves whether any relationship between donor and governance exists. I commit that no financial contribution to my campaign will be treated as a claim on my decisions in office. If any donor seeks to exercise such a claim, I commit to disclosing it publicly. Citizens deserve to know who finances those who seek to govern them, and voters, particularly those entering civic life for the first time, deserve a governor who has not been purchased before they take the oath.
2. Conduct in Public Discourse: Slander, Defamation, and Political Attacks. I will not use slander, deliberate misrepresentation, or fabricated allegations as tools of campaign or governance. When I make a claim about an opponent, a colleague, or a citizen, I commit that it will be grounded in verifiable fact. I further commit that when allegations, real or fabricated, are directed at me, I will respond through verified evidence and, where credible, through submission to independent review, not through counterattacks designed to distract from the substance of the allegation. Both signatories to this covenant, candidate and citizen alike, agree that the normalization of defamation in political life corrodes the democratic process for everyone, and both commit to rejecting it regardless of which side it serves.
3. Protection of Election Integrity. I will accept the verified results of any election in which I am a candidate, as determined by the established legal processes of the State of California and its duly authorized election officials. I will not make, promote, or amplify unverified allegations of widespread election fraud, recognizing that such claims, made without evidence, cause direct and lasting harm to public trust in democratic institutions. I will actively support measures that make voting accessible, secure, and verifiable for every eligible Californian. Any person or organization that seeks to seize, suppress, or delegitimize ballots without legal authority or verified cause acts against the foundational rights of every citizen, regardless of party, and regardless of outcome. I will say so plainly, and act accordingly.

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Attestation

This covenant is a public record, not a legal instrument. Its authority rests entirely in the judgment of the citizens who co-sign it and the civic institutions that witness it. It is administered by United States 4 All (US4A), a community cooperative framework, which assumes no partisan affiliation and derives no financial benefit from the use of this document. Any candidate who signs this covenant does so voluntarily and irrevocably for the duration of their term in office. Any citizen who co-signs does so as a declaration of civic participation in the renewal of democratic trust during the 250th year of the American Republic.

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