Ian Calderon Launches 2026 California Governor Bid with Bold Pro-Bitcoin Platform

California's political landscape just got a crypto shakeup.

POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE

Former Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon throws his hat in the ring with a campaign that reads like a Bitcoin maximalist's wishlist. The Democrat-turned-crypto-evangelist aims to make California the nation's digital asset hub.

BLOCKCHAIN IN THE BEAR FLAG STATE

Calderon's platform proposes tax incentives for Bitcoin mining operations, blockchain integration for state record-keeping, and even explores cryptocurrency options for public pension funds. He's betting that Californians are ready to ditch traditional finance's slow-moving ways.

WALL STREET MEETS SILICON VALLEY

The move positions Calderon as the anti-establishment candidate in a state where tech and finance collide. His campaign directly challenges Sacramento's cautious approach to digital currencies—because nothing says disruption like proposing blockchain solutions while legacy systems still run on COBOL.

California voters now face a choice: stick with traditional politics or ride the lightning of Calderon's crypto crusade. The establishment might call it radical—but in a state that breeds innovation, betting against technological revolution rarely pays off.

Calderon links Bitcoin plan to California’s economy

39-year-old Calderon started his campaign by saying California should use modern tools of money and technology to fix its economy and make life easier for its people. He explained that people handle everyday transactions with their phones and save part of their earnings in bitcoin because they believe it is safer for the future than keeping all of it in cash. However, he noted that government leaders are still holding on to old systems and old ideas that no longer work, which Calderon linked directly to the state’s high prices of homes, food, and gas.

Calderon also said California should keep Bitcoin as part of its own financial savings to send a clear message to the rest of the country and the world that the state is still ready to lead in new ideas. He reminded people that California has always been a place of innovation, and holding Bitcoin WOULD encourage businesses and investors to come to the state. 

He went further in a livestream on X and explained that California should also use Bitcoin to pay for some of the state’s programs and services. By doing this, the government will show people it is serious about moving into the digital age. Calderon said he had been working on the idea for years. He even worked with the CEO of Satoshi Action Fund, Dennis Porter, in 2022 to introduce a bill that explored whether Bitcoin could be used as legal tender in California.

The plan may not have moved forward, but it shows his commitment to finding ways for Bitcoin to become part of the state’s economy.

California builds new laws to support digital assets

California houses many well-known technology and financial companies, including one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, Coinbase, and many other firms that started in Silicon Valley. The long history of innovation gives the state a unique position in building and supporting the future of money and digital assets.

These reasons have been enough for lawmakers to pass new rules that can guide cryptocurrency growth while protecting people and businesses from unfair practices.

The state passed the Digital Financial Assets Law in 2024, which will begin in July 2025, requiring all companies dealing with digital assets in California to apply for licenses. These firms must also register with the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation and keep detailed and accurate records of their activities.

California has also started pilot programs to test how digital assets can work in everyday government life. Assembly Bill 1180 allows people to pay certain state fees with cryptocurrency, and this program will run until 2031.

Assembly Bill 1052 updates the way the state handles unclaimed property and requires the state to keep any unclaimed cryptocurrency in its original form. If someone later comes back to claim their property, they will receive the same kind of asset and not a replacement in cash. The economy of California has the size and influence to set examples that other states and countries may follow.

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