SAN DIEGO — I've said the 2026 California governor's race is "cursed." What I mean is there is a weird vibe surrounding the contest to see who should become the top executive of the nation's most populous state.

New York Magazine recently co-signed the observation that something is amiss by calling the race "an unholy mess."

The California curse starts with candidates who give new meaning to the term "mediocre." The eight at the top of the heap — six Democrats, two Republicans — spend much of their time attacking one another.

With the June 2 primary just a few weeks away, Californians want solutions, not bickering. Otherwise, people might conclude candidates have nothing to offer other than snark and sarcasm.

Most of the frontrunners seem more interested in adding another title to their resumes than they are in restoring the luster of the Golden State or improving the lives of hard-working Californians who are trying to make ends meet in one of the most expensive places in the world.

We'll get to those shortsighted underachievers in a bit. There is no escaping the fact that a lot of this loco aura surrounding the race is on them.

But first, part of the California curse has to do with a question that has been bouncing around political circles for at least a decade: Is this magnificent state — which is filled with natural beauty and creative energy and which now boasts, due to the Democratic Party rule that Republicans badmouth, the world's fourth largest economy — ungovernable?

Some political observers say the state is just too massive and unwieldy. In fact, California often feels like it's really 10-to-12 states in one, depending on location and geography. Do the interests and concerns of someone living in Eureka resemble those of someone living 767 miles away in San Diego? On the East Coast, that's roughly the distance between Philadelphia and Atlanta — two cities that sometimes seem like they're on different planets?

Meanwhile, the candidates vying for governor of this state — which is home to nearly 40 million people, and which has gross domestic product exceeding $4 trillion — seem like they've come from another planet.

The answer to California's problem is not either of the top two Republicans on the ballot.

Riverside Co. Sheriff Chad Bianco likes to talk about how he has spent a career in law enforcement upholding the rule of law. He is less eager to explain how he squares his life's work with his support for a president with 34 felony convictions who incited a riot on Jan. 6, 2021, in which more than 140 police officers were injured by violent pro-Trump insurrectionists.

Former Fox News Host Steve Hilton often mentions that he is a legal immigrant from Great Britain who came to the United States in 2012. He contrasts that to undocumented immigrants, whom he says should be deported. But many who come illegally do so because they're morally deficient but because — unlike Hilton — they didn't have a path to come legally. In pursuit of the American Dream, Hilton started on third base. He should be more humble and less entitled.

Yet, voters don't seem to be any more inspired by the Democrats who are vying to be the state's chief executive.

Former Rep. Katie Porter — who lost a 2023 race for U.S. Senate — finds it difficult to hide the contempt she has for opponents. An incident caught on tape where she bullied and berated a member of her staff helped make her unlikable.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan sounds like a Republican, which may be why he is bankrolled by Rick Caruso, a Southern California developer who was a lifelong Republican until 2022, when he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Los Angeles.

Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have butted heads for more than 25 years. But now their mutual disrespect has become a stain on a race to lead a state which is 40% Latino.

And billionaire Tom Steyer came along at the wrong time. With Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Google's Sergey Brin, and Tesla's Elon Musk having pulled up stakes after this state made them rich, Californians hate billionaires so much that they're considering a special tax just for them.

The California curse is a real thing. National reporters who are getting ready to parachute in to cover this story should take heed. Besides notebooks and cameras, they should also pack rosary beads and holy water.

To find out more about Ruben Navarrette and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Cedric Letsch at Unsplash