{"id":11969,"date":"2025-09-28T19:14:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T19:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/bitcoin-advocate-ian-calderon-runs-for-california-governor\/"},"modified":"2025-09-28T19:14:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T19:14:13","slug":"bitcoin-advocate-ian-calderon-runs-for-california-governor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/bitcoin-advocate-ian-calderon-runs-for-california-governor\/","title":{"rendered":"Bitcoin advocate Ian Calderon runs for California governor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-detail__content blocks\">\n<p class=\"is-style-lead\">On September 23, Ian Calderon joined the Gubernatorial Elections in California. He vowed to ensure that Bitcoin would be on the state\u2019s balance sheet if he were elected. However, many in the Bitcoin community are skeptical. <\/p>\n<div id=\"cn-block-summary-block_ab78dfc8f54f851e5f8cf8a6b1dc9446\" class=\"cn-block-summary\">\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__nav tabs\">\n        <span class=\"tabs__item is-selected\">Summary<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Calderon has a multi-year track record of advocating for crypto and Bitcoin in the California legislature.<\/li>\n<li>Calderon is trying to appeal to both Republicans and Democrats.<\/li>\n<li>The announcement of his gubernatorial campaign sparked mixed reactions from the crypto community.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- .cn-block-summary --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who is Calderon?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">Calderon, a Democrat, drew scrutiny last week with his pro-crypto stance. Critics say his Bitcoin narrative is a PR stunt. Yet, others found Calderon\u2019s bid noteworthy, as it signifies the rising bipartisan support for Bitcoin.<\/p>\n<p>Calderon served three terms in the California Legislature before quitting in 2020. He was the first millennial elected to the Legislature and the youngest majority leader in the history of the California State Assembly.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Among his Bitcoin-related initiatives is one aimed at pulling crypto out of the gray zone. After all, Calderon is the author of the 2018 bill <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org\/bills\/ca_201720180ab2658\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">AB 2658<\/a>, which created California\u2019s Blockchain Working Group. It aimed to explore the potential use of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, collaborate with policymakers to define the legal status of cryptocurrencies, and assess possible risks. <\/p>\n<p>Between 2020 and 2022, he contributed to the Blockchain Working Group\u2019s roadmap and began working on a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB2689\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">bill<\/a> aimed at making Bitcoin a legal tender in California.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Together, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Dennis_Porter_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">@Dennis_Porter_<\/a>  and I are working on a bi-partisan effort to legislatively explore <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Bitcoin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">#Bitcoin<\/a> as legal tender in the State of California. More to come. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FlcFHRr9B1\">https:\/\/t.co\/FlcFHRr9B1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ian Calderon (@IanCalderon) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IanCalderon\/status\/1495201224978624516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">February 20, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Calderon saw the bill as groundbreaking legislation for the entire country. He <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/california-seeks-to-lead-nation-with-legal-cryptocurrency-4332638\" rel=\"nofollow\">said<\/a> in 2022:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s important that we\u2019re making this effort in California because of the national implications it will have. The goal here is to have a national model piece of legislation that can work anywhere in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>It\u2019s worth saying that despite Calderon\u2019s claim about Bitcoin as legal tender, the bill doesn\u2019t contain the words \u201cBitcoin\u201d or \u201ccryptocurrency.\u201d Instead, it provides a pretty vague definition of \u201cvirtual currency\u201d meant as a means of payment for goods and services. Calderon offered to launch pilot programs to tackle the bill\u2019s legal ambiguity for the local cities. The bill has not seen much progress since November 2022.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Calderon\u2019s platform<\/h2>\n<p>Calderon\u2019s announcement was accompanied by a video clip in which he outlined the problems he plans to tackle as governor. He mentions growing gas and grocery prices and the housing crisis:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cChildcare costs are out of control, paychecks aren\u2019t keeping up with the cost of living, gas prices are the highest in the nation, and now, buying a home is becoming out of reach.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It\u2019s time for a new generation of leadership in California. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WmXIJcC1j1\">pic.twitter.com\/WmXIJcC1j1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ian Calderon (@IanCalderon) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IanCalderon\/status\/1970489858201448541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Additionally, Calderon notes that too many homes in California are owned by corporations and foreign investors, \u201cpreventing local families from attaining full ownership opportunities.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Calderon presents himself as a Democrat who believes in common-sense solutions and does not always agree with his party. The complete list of his initiatives is <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ianforgovernor.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">available<\/a> on his campaign\u2019s website, Ian For Governor.<\/p>\n<p>He barely mentions Bitcoin in the video; however, on the day when he announced his governor bid, Calderon took to an X to state that it\u2019s time to make California an undisputed leader on Bitcoin.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">California has always been a leader on technology. It&#8217;s time for us to get back to our roots and make California the undisputed leader on Bitcoin.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ian Calderon (@IanCalderon) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IanCalderon\/status\/1970509138804576683?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reaction <\/h2>\n<p>A long-time ally, Dennis Porter, the Satoshi Act Fund CEO, has been teasing his 200,000-plus follower base with an important announcement for days. <\/p>\n<p>When it turned out that he just wanted to inform his followers that Calderon is running for governor of California, many of his followers said the announcement wasn\u2019t worth the hype.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I can tell you one thing, I&#8217;ll be voting against this guy because of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Dennis_Porter_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">@Dennis_Porter_<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 shaquille o&#8217;atmeal (@crypt0e) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/crypt0e\/status\/1970505105788092731?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Some of them equate Democrats with a war on crypto and don\u2019t believe Calderon is a genuine Bitcoin supporter. <\/p>\n<p>Most of them are unaware of Calderon\u2019s track record as a Bitcoin advocate. Seemingly, the fact that the biggest crypto bills of 2025 were bipartisan doesn\u2019t matter to them either.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Is this really &#8220;it&#8221;? Dennis\u2026.  I love what you do, but the hype was uncalled for.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 G$ (@Gendog52) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Gendog52\/status\/1970508394550440124?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Other critics recalled Calderon\u2019s uncles, Ron and Tom, who were <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/california-governor-candidate-ian-calderon-newsom-7fda245c2872e8c9a8b19c6b0f278016\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">involved<\/a> in California political life. In 2016, they were convicted on public corruption charges.<\/p>\n<p>The adverse reactions stemming from Porter\u2019s announcement spread on the comment sections of the announcements made by Calderon himself and several crypto influencers. <\/p>\n<p>The latter includes The Wolf of All Streets podcast host Scott Melker and Wendy O, who is the host of the biggest female-run Bitcoin YouTube show, \u201cThe O Show.\u201d Some expressed support for Calderon\u2019s ambitions but urged him to stop his affiliation with Porter.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Dude\u2026 If you want to be serious drop working with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Dennis_Porter_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">@Dennis_Porter_<\/a> you might be a good guy but this guy hyped everyone up over a big announcement.  It wasn&#8217;t a political announcement\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \u00b2\u00b9\u00b2Johyo | CroCrash (@Johyo_cro) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Johyo_cro\/status\/1970511463790923846?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Nevertheless, many other people greeted an openly pro-Bitcoin candidate from the Democratic Party, hoping that Calderon could oppose fellow Democrats who go against Bitcoin.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is the point of the announcement.  Democratic pro-bitcoin voices can push back on the elizabeth warren camp in ways the GOP can&#8217;t.  As bitcoiners isn&#8217;t this what we want?<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gordon Perkins (@peconicgp) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/peconicgp\/status\/1970531968245784835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Competition<\/h2>\n<p>The fight for a governor\u2019s seat in 2026 is already considered a tough contest. Calderon is facing several noteworthy candidates, including Congresswoman Katie Porter from the Democratic Party and Republican Fox News contributor Steve Hilton. <\/p>\n<p>Given that the election will take place on Nov. 5, Calderon may approve himself at some point. Yet, it is hard to say if his participation in the race makes a difference.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On September 23, Ian Calderon joined the Gubernatorial Elections in California. He vowed to ensure that Bitcoin would be on the state\u2019s balance sheet if he were elected. However, many&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10892,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11969"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11970,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11969\/revisions\/11970"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}