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When California State University raises tuition, the decision reaches households all around Turlock. Eleni Kounalakis was one of the trustees who voted against the system’s multiyear increase in 2023. Her responsibilities also include international trade, state lands and serving as acting governor when the governor leaves California.
From Sacramento housing to the embassy in Budapest
Kounalakis took office as California’s 50th lieutenant governor on January 7, 2019, becoming the first woman elected to the position. She won a second term in 2022. The office is elected separately from the governor, so Californians make two distinct choices rather than voting for a joint ticket.
Before entering statewide office, Kounalakis spent 18 years as president of Sacramento’s AKT Development and served as the U.S. ambassador to Hungary from 2010 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. Her biography also records a Dartmouth bachelor’s degree and a Berkeley MBA.
That embassy assignment became the subject of her 2015 memoir, Madam Ambassador. It covered diplomatic work in Budapest during a period of democratic backsliding. Back in California, Governor Jerry Brown appointed her to lead an international trade and investment advisory council in 2014. The overseas work continued after her election: Governor Gavin Newsom designated her California’s representative for international affairs and trade.
An office with several separate jobs
The lieutenant governor serves as acting governor when the governor is out of California, and succeeds to the governorship if it becomes vacant. Kounalakis is also president of the state Senate, where she can cast a tie-breaking vote.
- Public colleges: she serves on the University of California Board of Regents, the CSU Board of Trustees and the California Community Colleges Board of Governors. Those boards make systemwide decisions affecting tuition, budgets and administration.
- State lands: she sits on the State Lands Commission, which manages public lands including coastal tidelands. Her term as its chair ended with 2025; she continues as a commissioner.
- International relationships: her office helps arrange trade missions and state-level partnerships. Federal officials retain responsibility for national tariffs and treaties.
The CSU tuition vote that matters in Turlock
On September 13, 2023, CSU trustees approved annual tuition increases of 6 percent for five years, beginning in 2024–25. Kounalakis was one of five trustees who voted no. She argued that students and families already faced rising costs and that repeated increases would make a degree harder to afford.
The majority backed the plan as a way to support the university system’s finances. The increase applies at Stanislaus State. The local university’s tuition information explains that federal Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants do not automatically rise when CSU tuition does. A student’s bill depends on financial aid, enrollment and other charges, so the percentage alone does not describe every household’s cost.
Kounalakis has continued to oppose some higher-education cost increases. In November 2025 she voted against changes to UC’s Tuition Stability Plan, objecting to a higher allowable increase and a smaller share set aside for financial aid. Her January 2026 meeting recap records opposition to certain UC graduate tuition increases and CSU executive compensation increases.
Trade relationships and an agricultural region
Her international affairs work has included delegations to Mexico, India, Japan and Scotland, with agriculture among the sectors represented. For the Central Valley, access to overseas buyers is a practical issue for growers, processors and the businesses that move their goods.
A 2019 California–Mexico agreement called for cooperation in agricultural technology, small business, energy and workforce development, alongside other fields. The agreement established working relationships and exchanges between the two governments.
In April 2025 Kounalakis supported California’s lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s tariffs. Her statement argued that tariffs threatened the state’s export economy.
State lands, ports and offshore wind
In December 2024, while chairing the State Lands Commission, Kounalakis announced a partnership with the ports of Long Beach and Humboldt to prepare for floating offshore wind development. The agreement addressed coordination and the port infrastructure needed to handle large turbine components.
Why she is on the treasurer’s ballot in November
Kounalakis initially entered the 2026 governor’s race, then switched to the state treasurer contest in August 2025. She remains lieutenant governor through the end of her current term.
The Secretary of State’s certified November 3, 2026 candidate list names Eleni Kounalakis, Democrat, and Jennifer Hawks, Republican for treasurer. The lieutenant governor candidates are Fiona Ma, Democrat, and Gloria Romero, Republican. Read Fiona Ma’s record as treasurer. Our 2026 governor’s race guide covers the contest to succeed Newsom.
Contacting the lieutenant governor
The official contact page offers a public message form and instructions for meeting or event requests. The Sacramento office is at 1021 O Street, Suite 8730, Sacramento; telephone 916-445-8994. Call before visiting.
Questions about a Stanislaus State bill, admission decision or student account should begin with the campus office handling that matter. For a statewide tuition policy or board decision, include the specific proposal, meeting date and the effect on your family when writing to Kounalakis’s office.
