Read The Tribune’s complete list of endorsements | Opinion

With just a little over a week to go before primary election day, we’re in the final stretch of what has been a long and crazy campaign season, at least as far as the governor’s race is concerned.

Locally, attention has focused on two hard-fought county supervisor races. With only two candidates in each race, those will be decided on June 2.

Here is our full list of endorsements — a compilation of recommendations for statewide offices from the McClatchy Media’s California editorial board, which includes The Tribune, and The Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for county elections.

Governor: Katie Porter*

Porter has the intellect, the understanding of the issues, the ability to communicate and the boldness to fight the monied interests who need to be fought. We also believe that it is time that California elects its first woman governor, after nearly 180 years of electing men. Age is also a factor: In a political party desperately clinging to gerontocracy — and a regrettable history of protecting politicians who serve long enough to die in office — Porter, 52, represents the new guard.

*The McClatchy California editorial board also notes the importance of coalescing behind a Democrat to prevent a Republican sweep of the primary. In view of Porter’s declining poll numbers, the SLO Tribune believes voting for a leading Democrat is a valid defensive strategy.

Lieutenant governor: Josh Fryday

Fryday, the chief service officer of California, stands out from the crowd not only by his numerous accomplishments, but also by his demeanor; he is a genuinely likeable candidate who can easily pass the ‘beer test’ of authenticity among voters.

Attorney general: Incumbent Rob Bonta

Bonta, the incumbent, is the only candidate qualified for the office. He has been aggressive in defending California against attacks by the Trump administration and has a strong record of enforcing state housing regulations and renter protections, investigating reports of civil rights abuses and taking on antitrust cases.

Secretary of state: Incumbent Shirley Weber

Weber, a former professor and California State Assembly member, has already made tremendous strides on building back trust in the state’s election systems, including by talking to voters and asking them if they think an election system is working fairly and as it should.

Treasurer: Eleni Kounalakis

While virtually every candidate at every level of government vows to cut red tape, speed up projects and increase affordable housing revenue, Kounalakis has firsthand knowledge of what it takes to get projects built. She’s hard-working, detail-oriented and as lieutenant governor, she’s been effective at working behind the scenes to build coalitions.

Controller: Herb Morgan

Morgan has been a Wall Street heavyweight and helped the city of San Diego two decades ago to crawl out of a pension scandal, cleaning up the mess afterward on the city’s retirement system board.

Morgan has in mind something so ambitious that only a seasoned expert would dare to contemplate. He wants to automate government so that all its transactions are fed daily into a giant database.

Insurance commissioner: Patrick Wolff

Wolff brings more than 25 years of business and financial experience, much of it rooted in insurance and financial markets. He has excelled as a financial analyst, scrutinizing industry trends, including those specific to the insurance sector. This blend of operational and analytical expertise closely aligns with the technical demands of the insurance commissioner’s job.

Superintendent of public instruction: Richard Barrera

We like that Barrera is running on results as a longtime leader on the San Diego Unified School District board. With 112,250 students, SDUSD is the second-largest public school district in California. . San Diego now ranks first among large districts in reading and math, with graduation rates exceeding 90%.

Board of Equalization, District 2: Incumbent Sally Lieber

The Tribune Editorial Board strongly recommends Lieber, the incumbent. She is easily the most experienced candidate, and we’re impressed by her strong commitment to constituent services. Plus, as a former assemblymember, she is in an excellent position to work with legislators on solving problems. The valuation of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant is a prime example.

SLO County supervisor, District 2: Michael Erin Woody

He has a long history of political and social activism that includes representing his Salinan Tribe of Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties before various state and federal agencies.

And as a politically unaffiliated candidate, his nonpartisan perspective is refreshing in an era when politics at the most local of levels — we’re talking school boards, city councils and boards of supervisors — has become a red vs. blue battleground. We believe Woody could help bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans that has loomed so large in San Luis Obispo County.

SLO County supervisor, District 4: Incumbent Jimmy Paulding

We endorse Jimmy Paulding not only because he helped reverse a string of bad policy decisions by the previous board, but also for the notable progress he’s made in other areas.

He successfully pushed for funding for a sheriff’s substation in Nipomo; was instrumental in passing a countywide noise ordinance; and helped develop policies in response to the presence of federal immigration officers on our streets. He’s been tenacious, hard-working, and he knows the county inside and out.

County clerk-recorder: Incumbent Elaina Cano

Cano has spent 21 years working in clerk-recorder offices in the cities of San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach, as well as Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

It is no exaggeration to say that the other two candidates are shockingly unfit for this office — neither has relevant experience and one is due to stand trial for felony election and voter fraud.