By Stephen Oduntan
Contributing Writer
LOS ANGELES — In Watts, where residents say they have yet to see a single gubernatorial candidate, California’s 2026 governor’s race feels distant — almost invisible.
“There’s no representation in Watts,” said William Taylor, a longtime resident and neighborhood council member. “Nobody’s coming out here, nobody’s asking what we need.”
As candidates begin to campaign across the state, Taylor said his community has seen no outreach — no visits, no events, not even campaign flyers.
“If they say they talked to South L.A., you can bet it wasn’t Watts,” he said. “They go to Crenshaw, they go to more affluent areas — but not here.”
He argued that the issue is compounded by how the city and state define the region.
“When they took the designation ‘South Central L.A.’ away, they took away what made us unique,” Taylor said. “Now they can say they were in South L.A. without ever coming to Watts.”
He added that resources often follow the same pattern.
“They say money is going to South L.A., but it doesn’t trickle down to us,” Taylor said. “We don’t see any of that in our community.”
For Taylor, the lack of visibility translates into a deeper sense of exclusion.
“It makes me feel disenfranchised,” he said. “Like we’ve been pushed aside.”
Letha, a longtime South Los Angeles resident, said she has not been closely following the race and remains unfamiliar with many of the candidates.
“I am not completely satisfied with what the powers that be are doing,” she said. “They talk about what they’re going to do, but they never do what they said they’re going to do.”
She added that political engagement often feels tied to election cycles rather than consistent community presence.
“They don’t think about serving the people until they want the people to vote for them,” she said.
That sense of disconnection isn’t felt exclusively in Watts.
A few miles away in Baldwin Hills, residents expressed similar frustration with both political parties.
“I don’t trust either party right now,” said Cash Lee, a Baldwin Hills resident who identifies as a Foundational Black American. “It feels like neither side is really addressing what’s happening in our community.”
Lee said he has not been closely following the race and remains unsure which candidates are running.
He added that issues like reparations are central to how he evaluates candidates.
“Any candidate that’s not talking about reparations is already eliminated for me,” he said.
That sentiment is not unique.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable and a political analyst, said that sense of disconnection reflects a broader pattern across communities.
“There is a total lack of name identification of the candidates,” Hutchinson said. “Voters don’t know who they are, what their background and experience is, or what kind of political track record they have.”
He added that the race has yet to generate strong engagement.
“None of the candidates has really laid out a hard-hitting agenda that tackles the state’s problems,” Hutchinson said. “In other words, it’s a lackluster race.”
While some residents say they feel overlooked, others point to signs of engagement.
“You do see candidates engaging in South Los Angeles, especially visiting churches and community spaces,” said Pastor William Smart, president and CEO at Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California. “But the field is so crowded, it’s hard for people to keep track of who’s running.”
He added that candidates need to expand their outreach beyond select appearances.
“They have to really get out there all over the state,” he said. “Right now, there are just too many candidates, and that could affect the outcome.”
“We need a governor who can stand up to what’s coming from the federal level,” he said.
Katie Porter, Antonio Villaraigosa and Chad Bianco did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
A debate scheduled at USC March 24 was canceled less than 24 hours before it was to be held after four candidates — all minorities — complained they were being left out unfairly.
The four, former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Attorney General and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Beccrra, current state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former state Controller Betty Yee, failed to meet parameters based on campaign fundraising polling, debate organizers said.
For Taylor, the silence raises a deeper question about who candidates are prioritizing.
“Why would they come to a place like Watts?” he said. “They don’t think they’re going to get many votes out of here.”
As the race continues to take shape, residents like Taylor say they are watching — and waiting — to see whether that changes.
Stephen Oduntan is a freelance writer for Wave Newspapers.
