Voters across California will vote in the state’s most uncertain gubernatorial jungle primary election. Five candidates sit atop the polls, each with a shot at making it out of the primary. California uses a jungle primary system, meaning every candidate competes in a single primary and the top-two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election.
Leading the Democratic race is former California Attorney General and United States Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Congresswoman Katie Porter and billionaire and climate advocate Tom Steyer. The front-runners for the Republicans are Riverside County Sheriff, Coroner and Public Administrator Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton.
Each of these candidates have their own answers for the variety of issues that have defined this governor’s race, including affordability, a billionaire tax initiative, healthcare, immigration and more.
Three Opinion columnists advocate for and against these candidates in the latest edition of “A Difference of Opinion Columnists.”
In support of Xavier Becerra: Antonia Pinnar, Opinion columnist
Xavier Becerra’s combination of experience and intentional planning makes him stand out as the strongest candidate in the race.
Other candidates lack comparable experience and carry political baggage, such as Tom Steyer’s past investments linked to private prisons that operated as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers, according to the Fresno Bee.
Becerra’s experience as California Attorney General and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, as well as his 12 terms as a California congressmember, prove Becerra knows California law and policy the best.
As the former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Becerra defended the Affordable Care Act and lowered prices on some prescription medications by up to 79%, according to NPR. As governor, he plans to expand healthcare access, lower costs and increase early intervention. Becerra has also made reproductive autonomy a crucial part of his platform, earning an endorsement from Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.
Becerra also has a record of defending civil rights and public interests. As Attorney General, Becerra filed over 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration to uphold Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – which protects undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation – challenged the administration’s ban on transgender individuals serving in the military and pushed back on plans for a wall between the border of the U.S. and Mexico.
With housing, Becerra has focused on both affordability and increasing supply. He proposed declaring a state of emergency to address the housing crisis, lowering construction costs and preventing corporate investors from buying single-family homes.
As for environmental concerns, Becerra prioritizes emission reductions that can be achieved without increasing the financial costs on Californians.
Conversely, Tom Steyer has emphasized plans to increase competition in the electricity industry to cut electrical bills by 25%. But energy researchers and scholars argue this doesn’t address the problem at its core, which is a host of added charges on top of usage costs, according to Forbes.
Critics may raise concerns about Becerra’s acceptance of Political Action Committee contributions. However, voters should ultimately judge candidates by their actions in office. Becerra has consistently aligned with policies that support working Californians over corporate interests.
California’s complex issues require experienced leadership capable of governing across a wide range of situations. Becerra has already proven he can meet that responsibility.
In support of Katie Porter: Alessandra Kahn, Opinion staff
Californians are sick of lies and fake allegiance. It is time for a governor with one clear priority: her constituents.
Katie Porter rejects campaign donations from corporate Political Action Committees and emphasizes her dependence on grassroots funding. In contrast, frontrunner Xavier Becerra has accepted $500,000 from Chevron supporting his candidacy. Unsurprisingly, Becerra also has a troubling history of letting large oil corporations’ crimes slide, according to the Los Angeles Times.
On the other hand, Porter’s track record demonstrates her commitment to climate justice. While in Congress, she led efforts to expose the tactics fossil fuel giants use to spread climate misinformation. She also held the industry accountable for unfair pricing and oil spills.
Katie Porter’s progressive ethos doesn’t stop at environmental issues: Amid rising healthcare premiums, she supports single-payer healthcare. This plan would entail a universal health insurance system in which a public agency funds medical services for all residents.
Most importantly, Porter is unwavering in her defense of communities facing federal persecution. She wants to abolish ICE and protect LGBTQ+ Californians from discrimination.
As a young transgender person, I am confident that Porter has my back. Last year, the hospital that provided my gender-affirming care caved to federal pressure and shuttered its Transyouth healthcare program, forcing me and countless transgender kids to find support elsewhere.
[Related: Opinion: UCLA must uphold promises to protect trans students from government demands]
In response to a question about this very development at California’s LGBTQ+ Gubernatorial Forum, Porter pledged to provide state funding to prevent hospitals from choosing between gender-affirming care and federal funding.
Nonetheless, Katie Porter also has weaknesses. Critics target Porter’s alleged temperament, citing a video of her yelling at a staffer and another of her arguing with a reporter.
But in the face of a hotheaded president, the last thing California needs is dull, uninspiring leadership.
I thus raise the question: Would Porter’s fiery personality be considered a weakness on a male opponent?
A candidate’s likability is, understandably, a crucial factor for voters. But a genuine commitment to the well-being of Californians is more important.
In support of Tom Steyer: Eli Lynch, Opinion columnist
The case for Tom Steyer rests on the inadequacies of his opponents and his policy strengths.
Xavier Becerra and Katie Porter both propose disastrous policies that should disqualify them to voters.
Becerra’s solution to the housing crisis is expanding California’s down payment assistance program and freezing home insurance rates. But subsidizing demand only reinforces the current issue with the housing market: too many buyers, not enough homes. Becerra’s policies may worsen the already dreadful home insurance market and drive up housing prices.
Porter seeks to eliminate the state income tax for families making less than $100,000 annually. While electorally popular, shrinking the tax base in a state already threatened by debt is not forward thinking, but dangerous. It will not curb the affordability crisis.
This leaves Democratic Party voters with one decent option: Tom Steyer.
Steyer is the only candidate in the race who supports the Billionaire Tax Act. He went even further on the debate stage, saying the one-time tax does not go far enough. Steyer also supports a universal healthcare system for California, a policy Becerra abandoned after a donation from a California doctor’s lobby, according to KQED.
Steyer’s housing policy is his biggest strength. He is the only candidate to recognize the true source of California’s housing crisis: Proposition 13.
Passed in 1978, Prop. 13 has constrained California for decades by capping property taxes and restricting property-tax increases when reassessing a home’s value. This has resulted in the government taxing countless buildings at levels below their actual value, something the corporate world has taken advantage of for decades.
Steyer promises to close this loophole and force the wealthiest companies in the world, such as Chevron and Disney, to pay the true value of their properties.
Steyer also remains the best candidate for climate policy. He has an environmental record that traces back 15 years.
Despite being a billionaire, Steyer earned the reluctant support of the Democratic Socialists of America. If that is not enough to convince even the most skeptical voter of Steyer’s potential as a governor for the working class, then nothing will.
Any young, progressive, climate-concerned or just disillusioned voter should choose Tom Steyer.
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