The candidates

Herb Morgan and Malia Cohen: qualifications compared

Herb Morgan built a career managing investments and running a financial advisory firm. Malia Cohen’s career includes elected government, public policy and service as Controller since 2023. Compare their education, professional responsibilities and plans for the office.

Herb Morgan’s full profile →Malia Cohen’s full profile →

Herb Morgan and Malia Cohen: education, career, financial experience and priorities
Experience & approach	Herb Morgan Republican challenger	Malia Cohen Democratic incumbent
Career foundation	Founded an investment business; worked as CEO, chief investment officer and portfolio manager. [Cantor Fitzgerald][Private Shares Fund]	Elected public office, communications and public policy; local budget, tax-board and pension oversight. [State Controller’s Office]
Education	Economics degree with honors, University of California, Santa Cruz, according to the fund’s trustee biography. [Private Shares Fund]	Political science degree, Fisk University; master’s in public policy and management, Carnegie Mellon University. [State Controller’s Office]
Financial management	CIO of Cantor’s EMA division from the 2017 acquisition; later Cantor Fitzgerald Managed ETF Portfolios. The March 2025 disclosure reports $944.522 million in platform assets. [Cantor Fitzgerald][Cantor Asset Management]	Chaired San Francisco’s budget committee and served as president of its public-employee retirement board. [State Controller’s Office]
Government service	His campaign describes service as a San Diego pension trustee and two terms as board chair. [Herb Morgan campaign]	San Francisco supervisor, 2011–2019; elected Board of Equalization member, 2019–2023; Controller since January 2023. [State Controller’s Office]
2026 transparency approach	Proposes a searchable, transaction-level spending system and near real-time public reporting. [Herb Morgan campaign]	Campaigns on financial transparency, modernization and fairness, alongside housing, equal rights and climate priorities. [Malia Cohen campaign][California Secretary of State]
What voters can examine	The proposed database: implementation cost, data coverage, update frequency and measurable audit targets. [Herb Morgan campaign]	The record in office: financial reporting, claims administration, audit commitments and internal controls. [State Controller’s Office][State Controller’s Office][California State Auditor][CalMatters]