California Treasurer Fiona Ma’s tenure has been tumultuous. Does she deserve another shot?

California faces an uncertain economic future. With experts all but guaranteeing that a recession is on the horizon, the State Treasurer’s Office will need a steady hand to guide us through whatever economic realities await. That makes California Treasurer Fiona Ma the only reasonable choice for voters.

Over the past four years, Ma has managed just over $3 trillion through a global pandemic; overseen the allocation of $27 billion in federal COVID relief funds; spearheaded bond programs that fund housing for homeless and low-income Californians; sponsored myriad bills; and served on numerous boards, including the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS).

Ma has a track record of pushing for environmental protections and mitigating climate change. As a former state assemblywoman, she authored successful legislation to ban toxic chemicals in baby products. As treasurer, she has funded clean energy projects and worked to secure additional investments in mass transit to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

But Ma has also exhibited poor judgment on several fronts. She received her COVID vaccine in December 2020, when state guidelines allowed only frontline health care workers, long-term-care facility residents and first responders to get vaccinated, raising questions about whether she cut the line. In October of that year, during a surge of infections, Ma encouraged her staff to go to the office even as other state employees were working remotely to curb transmission rates.

Ma is also involved in a lawsuit filed by one of her former top aides alleging sexual harassment, wrongful termination and racial discrimination. The former aide claims that while she was sharing a hotel room with Ma, the state treasurer exposed herself and climbed into the staffer’s bed. Ma has said that she shares hotel and Airbnb rooms with staff members to save public money — a flimsy excuse given that Ma and her staff could have trekked back to their residences in the Bay Area rather than charge taxpayers to stay in Sacramento.

“This is a disgruntled employee who was released for performance (issues),” Ma said in a recent interview with McClatchy’s California editorial boards. “We are going to go to court, and justice will prevail.”

Ma’s lapses of judgment do raise questions about her fitness to serve in public office. But she is a better candidate than her Republican opponent, Jack Guerrero, an accountant and city councilman in the small Los Angeles area city of Cudahy. Guerrero dangerously catastrophizes the state of California’s economy, claiming that the pension debt owed to CalPERS and CalSTRS retirees will soon lead to total collapse. That’s a gross exaggeration of the systems’ weaknesses.

That wasn’t the only tall tale Guerrero peddled during his interview. Asked whether the 2020 presidential election was legitimate, he launched into a nonsensical rant.

“If you’re asking ... whether the 2020 election was free of fraud, there’s room for debate,” Guerrero said. “Very clearly there were instances of fraud across the country.”

Despite his best efforts, there’s a reason Guerrero has lost every one of his bids for higher office: He’s just not cut out for the job.

California voters should reelect Fiona Ma. Despite her ethical pratfalls, she understands the responsibilities of her office and can guide the state through whatever economic tumult lies ahead.

This story was originally published October 6, 2022 at 7:00 AM.