There were 17,346 California National Guard members at the end of 2025.

Frederic C. Schultz believes there are 900.

And he wants to increase the Guard’s ranks to 2 million.

Who is Frederic C. Schultz and why does he want 1 out of every 20 Californians wearing National Guard uniforms?

Schultz is running for Governor of California. He’s one of 62 candidates that paid a $4,918.58 filing fee to appear on the June 2 ballot.

The odd amount is based on a requirement in the California constitution that those wanting to be governor must pay 2% of the first year’s salary to qualify for the ballot or else submit 7,000 signatures of registered state voters.

Schultz, and other candidates, have the option of submitting up to a 250-word statement for inclusion to the State of California voters information pamphlet mailed to all state voters at $25 per word or a $6,250 maximum for 250 words.

That is why we know Schultz wants those 2,000,000 Guard members to have “one per classroom, stopping most murders, including by ICE nationwide, preventing martial law, closing slavery/death camps, pardoning innocent slaves.”

Schultz is also campaigning on the promise of “free utilities/gasoline” and “no sales taxes or income taxes under $100,000.”

For the record, Schultz lists no party preference.

And based on his campaign statement, he’ll fit right into the craziness in Sacramento.

The odds are many people don’t read the official voter information guide they received in the mail from the Secretary of State’s office.

It’s a shame given it’s a lot cheaper than spending $5.99 for the latest Mad Magazine.

Margaret Trowe is one of the 62 hopefuls.

She stands against “rising Jew hatred” and is “a supporter of the Cuban Revolution that brought working people to power.”

But when it comes to California issues per se she doesn’t have much to say in the cheap forum that’s partially subsidized by taxpayers.

Max Fomin, also one of the 62, is a man of few words.

His complete candidate statement is as follows, “Will veto mileage tax, suffocate homelessness, assassinate unemployment crime, house the unhoused, prosecute corruption, generate $, like my coffee iced out.”

Naomi Bar-Lev promises “phones and devices will be recalled, past services refunded.”

She also states “no sales, income, or property tax. Parking fees and permit fees will be eliminated.”

In her voter pamphlet statement, Bar-Lev notes she has a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in economics from UCLA. Given how she apparently believes she can run California without revenue, you’ve got to wonder how she graduated from UCLA, let alone earn an economics degree.

Don L. Grundmann, another one of the 62 that wants to replace Gavin Newsom, leads off his statement with “(Charlie) Kirk murdered by shapes-charge bomb Israel used. . . Israel ‘art students’ wired Twin Towers for 9/11 demolition. Planes did not destroy towers. Israel did.”

Perhaps Israel is also to blame for California’s housing crisis and high price of gasoline.

Ramsey Robinson, running as a Peace and Freedom candidate, states “our socialist campaign demands guaranteed housing capped at 20 percent of income, free healthcare, free childcare, and union jobs at minimum $30/hour with a guaranteed dignified retirement.

Perhaps Robinson audited the UCLA economics Bar-Lev took.

Then there is LivingForGod AndCountry DeMott.

No kidding. That is his legal name.

DeMott, or is that LivingForGod, touts being a successful business man that “built Big Time Pest Control from the ground up, then sold it trading upper management to serve as a chaplain.”

His most articulated position is being “100% against the miles-driven tax.”

The mentioned candidates, and a number others have no prayer in Sacramento of getting elected let along more than 1 percent of the vote with perhaps the exception of Robinson at least when it comes to reaching at least single digits in the final tally thanks to his Peace and Freedom candidacy.

Yet they are all on the ballot.

It goes without saying they are unlikely to pull enough votes to even make a “peep” in the finally tally let alone assume the role of a spoiler.

As such, there’s no harm in humoring them by allowing them to buy their way into the ballot and then outlay a minuscule amount to get their “message” into the mailbox of every registered California voter with a big subsidy from state taxpayers to do so.

Say what you want about the “leading” candidates, but we can do worse as the June 2 ballot demonstrates.

That said, the official election process needs to be taken seriously.

Marian B. Dawson, a 2022 gubernatorial candidate spent all of $75 so every Californian could see the three words “F all politicians” along with her smiling face and social media contacts in the official state voters pamphlet.