Job Creator, Entrepreneur, Investor, Philanthropist, Activist, and Author

For the past 12 months, Cloobeck has had one mission:

Build a plan to make California affordable, livable, and workable for all. As in his two stints on the hit television series, Undercover Boss, where he awarded the most funding in the show's history, Cloobeck has been in both stealth and open mode within California to fully immerse himself in its vast communities, organizations, critical infrastructures, and political landscape.

During this time, Cloobeck has conducted more than 250 meetings with California business leaders, lawmakers, venture capitalists, inventors, Governors, Senators, Congressmen, Mayors, pollsters, candidates - both Democrat and Republicans, union leaders, farm workers, faith leaders, law enforcement officers, active military officials, veterans, teachers, students, housing officials, top US immigration lawyers, travel and tourism decision-makers, producers, directors, entertainers, and media and influencers.

From hosting events at his home for the California Police Organization of Greater Los Angeles and the Hispanic Journalists Annual Event to meeting with mayors of San Francisco, San Jose, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Compton, Stockton, Huntington Beach, West Hollywood, addressing farm workers at the United Farm Workers Annual Conference to making visits to Lancaster State Prison, Arvin Food Bank, Angelus Church, Amen Brain Health Clinics, the Los Angeles Dream Center, where he is a major donor, and countless meetings and interviews with business leaders, both large and small, and State officials, Cloobeck has been on the job by identifying key areas of concentration in and around California to govern with Respect, Responsibility, and Results that are meaningful and measurable.

A full Stephen J. Cloobeck biography can be found HERE

This is why I'm running for governor of California

The mission of the Stephen J. Cloobeck campaign for Governor is to ensure that California reclaims its national and global stature as a place of prosperity and opportunity, one that is open for business again. His number one priority is to make California affordable, livable, workable for every Californian in every community, and a safe place for all.

Stephen believes it is time to govern with Respect, Responsibility, and Results that are meaningful and measurable. He envisions a California that leads the way in innovation and sustainability, harnessing the state’s economic and creative power as well as its intellectual and environmental potential to create long-term prosperity for future generations, re-energizing travel, tourism, and film and television. As Stephen likes to say as he crisscrosses the state:

“We must breathe life back into the California Dream. It must be obtainable for everyone, regardless of where you came from, who you love or what language you speak.

“If we were a country, California would be the fifth largest economy on the planet. We need to act like it,” added Cloobeck. “We need to be seen once again as an innovative, future-focused, world-class community that is leading the way, always moving forward, not stuck at the end of a cul-de-sac wondering why we hit a dead end.

“It’s going to take honest conversations, tough decisions, and a commitment to work together side-by-side – all of us – to make California the kind of state we want, need and deserve. From education to immigration, from homelessness to healthcare, there are so many critical priorities that must be addressed. It’s time to face the hard truths and get the work done."

“We also need to treat our hardworking taxpayers like customers. From now on, every Californian needs to know and deserves to receive equal or greater value for the taxes they pay. I’m ready, I’m proven, and we’ve got this."

A link to the full Press Release can be found HERE

Upcoming Book

Facing Hard Truths:

How Americans Can Get Real, Pull Together, and Turn Our Country Around

Successful businessman, activist, philanthropist, and 2026 candidate for governor of California Stephen J. Cloobeck applies an unflinching problem- solver’s eye to America’s most pervasive challenges.

Cloobeck built his reputation transforming dysfunctional companies on the brink of ruin into performance powerhouses. In Facing Hard Truths, he focuses this proven business acumen on our most pressing concerns like immigration, crime, the cost of living, and the coarsening of political discourse. He offers sometimes tough—but always sincere—lessons learned over a lifetime of public and private sector experience.

From his first job bussing tables in a small California restaurant, to his time operating a global hospitality juggernaut, to his years helming federal public-private partnerships, state agencies, and local organizations, Cloobeck’s journey propelled him from busboy to boardroom. In this book, he relies on the action-oriented principles that drove his personal success to outline a plan that will take California, and America, from flailing back to flourishing.

In Facing Hard Truths, Cloobeck’s engaging storytelling and straight-shooting proposals leave readers feeling heard, respected, and above all, eager to set aside political differences and get back to what really matters: creating an America that is more affordable, liveable, and opportunity-rich for all. Cloobeck has three core principles that get to the essence of strong, competent leadership—he calls them the three Rs: Respect, Responsibility, and Results.