California Governor's Debate: FULL DEBATE

[0:00] Ruth Williams Bayview Opera House in San Francisco, Fox Local presents The Race for [0:06] California Governor, the first statewide debate. Good evening and welcome to tonight's [0:16] editorial debate. Tonight we're broadcasting live from the historic Ruth Williams Bayview Opera [0:22] House in San Francisco on Fox stations around the state and on the Fox Local app. I'm Greg Lee, [0:27] joined on the moderator desk by Marla Tevez and Andre Sr. Tonight's debate is hosted by the Black [0:32] Action Alliance and its sponsors and presented exclusively by KTVU, Fox 2, Fox 11 Los Angeles [0:38] and the Fox Local streaming app. Tonight we're joined on stage by seven of the top candidates [0:44] in the hotly contested race for California Governor. Let's meet those candidates. We ask the audience [0:49] to please hold your applause until everyone's been introduced. Democrat and former U.S. Secretary of [0:54] Health and Human Services Javier Becerra, Republican political commentator Steve Hilton, Democratic [0:59] Mayor of San Jose, Matt Mahan, entrepreneur and activist Democrat Tom Steyer, State Superintendent [1:05] of Public Instruction Democrat Tony Thurman, former Los Angeles Mayor Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa [1:11] and former California State Comptroller Betty Yee, a Democrat. We'd like to note here Democrat [1:17] Congressman Eric Swalwell was scheduled to attend tonight but had to cancel due to ongoing [1:21] votes in Washington, D.C. Please let's give our candidates a round of applause. [1:25] The head of the debate, the Black Action Alliance reached out to 14 of the top candidates in [1:39] this crowded field. Based on BAA's criteria and the candidates' schedules, it was narrowed [1:44] down to the people you see here on this stage right now. Let's go over the rules for our [1:48] audience that candidates agree to backstage. Each person will have one minute for an opening [1:54] statement and one minute for a closing statement. Candidates will have one minute to answer questions [2:00] and 30 seconds if their names are invoked at the moderator's discretion. Now, if you go [2:05] over your time limit, you'll receive a verbal warning, then we'll mute your mic if needed. [2:11] We will also take a 15 minute intermission during the debate. For our audience at home and in [2:18] this theater, thank you so much for watching. Thank you for being here tonight. We want you [2:22] to be a part of this debate. What does that mean? We want to hear from you during this debate. [2:27] So we hope that you will take the time to respond to our poll questions. You can do so by scanning [2:33] the QR code that will appear on your screen occasionally through this debate. And we will share your answers, [2:39] those results during the intermission and also at the end of the debate. Now tonight on the agenda, [2:46] we have a whole lot to get to. We will cover a wide range of topics, everything from immigration, cost [2:52] of living, wildfires, to gas prices. Our candidates, we have positioned them on the stage tonight in [2:59] alphabetical order from Becerra to Yee. And in that spirit, we begin tonight with our opening statements. [3:07] Are we ready, candidates? California has the fourth largest economy in the world. It remains the most [3:17] populous, most diverse state with some of the most innovative companies in the nation, yet it has its [3:25] fair share of issues as well. Why should voters hand the keys to you? Secretary Becerra, you have one [3:33] minute. So I am Javier Becerra. I am the son of immigrants. I was raised in the home that my father [3:41] built. I am the first in my family to have a chance to graduate from a university. Right now, we need [3:47] leadership that knows how to govern through crises, whether it's the man-made crises coming out of [3:53] Washington, D.C., or if it's the affordability crises that we see here at home. As your AG, I did [4:01] exactly that. I governed through crises. I defended the Affordable Care Act and the DACA program for [4:05] DREAMers all the way to the Supreme Court and beat Donald Trump in the Supreme Court. I took on [4:11] Donald Trump over and over. How many times? Over 120 court actions against Donald Trump, and we kept [4:19] winning. As your Secretary of Health and Human Services, I protected you during the global pandemic. [4:25] I made sure that we negotiated lower prescription drug prices for the first time in history, [4:30] and I balanced a budget five times larger than the state of California. That's what I bring to the [4:35] table as your next governor. Mr. Hilton, why should voters send you to Sacramento? [4:43] California needs an outsider to shake up a system that is obviously not working. I love California, [4:51] but after 16 years of one-party rule by these Democrats, we've got the highest poverty, the [4:57] highest unemployment, the highest cost of living in America. It is time for some balance. I was raised [5:04] in a working-class family. I worked construction, started businesses of my own. For the last three [5:10] years, I've been traveling our state listening to Californians. I understand what needs to change. We need [5:17] to end the Democrats' climate crusade so we can have $3 gas and cut your electric bills in half. We need to end the [5:25] fraud and waste in government so we can cut taxes, your first hundred grand tax-free. We need to end the [5:33] insane regulations that make it so expensive to own your own home. You're going to hear a lot of promises [5:39] tonight, but remember these are the people who got us into this mess. It is time for an outsider with [5:45] positive, practical plans for change, not more of the same. Mayor Mahan, why should you be the one to head [5:52] up the state of California? Well, good evening. Thank you all for being here. I want to thank the Black Action [5:59] Alliance and KTVU for gathering us in this historic hall. We're all here tonight to earn your votes, [6:07] but we need California leaders to do something much harder, restore your trust. Whether you agree with me [6:17] or not, I want you to know that my vision for getting California back to basics isn't driven by a need to [6:24] win-win election. It's driven by my passion for creating the change that we need to make all [6:31] of our lives better. In this campaign, I'm going to show you the respect of telling you the truth, [6:38] as I see it, for how we can actually lower costs, end unsheltered homelessness, make all of our [6:44] communities safer, and expand economic opportunity for everyone. That's why I'm in this campaign, [6:53] because you deserve real answers, not the easy ones. Mr. Steyer, why should voters hand the keys to you? [7:01] Well, I want to start by thanking the Black Action Alliance for getting us here [7:06] on the 100th anniversary of Black History Month. I'm running because the number one problem in [7:15] California is that Californians can't afford to live here anymore, and I'm going to go after those [7:20] costs aggressively, and I have a history of getting results. I come from a family that believes in [7:25] service. My mom was a teacher. My dad was a Navy vet. I started a business. It went really well, and I [7:33] walked away from it 14 years ago to give back. I took the giving pledge to guarantee that I'd give [7:40] the bulk of my money away before I died. And during those 14 years, I took on the special interests in [7:47] California on behalf of working families. I delivered billions of dollars to this state [7:52] without charging Californians a penny. I'll continue to do that as your governor. In a world where politicians [8:01] routinely serve special interests, I can't be bought. Superintendent Thurman, why should you be [8:09] the 41st governor? Good evening, everyone. For the last 18 years, it's been my honor to serve you [8:15] as your council member, school board member, state assembly member, and twice as your state superintendent. [8:20] Together, we provided free preschool for every four-year-old in our state, free meals for every [8:26] hungry student, $4 billion in mental health programs, and $6 billion to make sure we close the digital [8:34] divide in this state once and for all. As your governor, I'm going to build 2 million housing [8:39] units and provide housing for the homeless. I'm going to provide you with a tax credit so you have [8:44] more money in your pocket every month to pay for the rising costs of gas, of groceries, and housing. [8:50] And as your governor, I'm going to continue to fight against this Trump administration, as I've done [8:55] with my legislation that keeps ICE out of our schools and out of our hospitals, and my new legislation [9:02] that says any company that operates or supports an ICE detention center will be taxed. I will work [9:10] Congress until we abolish ICE and we create a pathway to citizenship. A better California is possible, [9:17] and together we will build it. Mayor Villaraigosa, why should voters choose you? [9:25] They should choose me because I'm here today because there's a Civil Rights Act and a Voting Rights Act. [9:32] I grew up in a tough neighborhood with a single mother who struggled to make ends meet. I understood [9:39] growing up back then that to whom much is given, much is expected. My entire life I have fought for [9:45] justice, fought to open up the door. I've said many times that the role of the first is not to bang on your [9:52] chest and say how great I am. The role of the first is to bring in the rest, and I've done that. [9:58] I was a civil rights leader, president of the ACLU, labor leader. You forgot to mention, I was speaker [10:06] of the California State Assembly before I became mayor. Balanced two budgets with a surplus, more money [10:12] for education. As mayor, crime went down 50 percent, graduation rates went up 60 percent, put 275,000 [10:23] people to work in the worst recession. I'd be honored to be your mayor. You're a governor. And you're mayor. [10:32] Miss Yee, why should voters hand the keys to you? Good evening. It's good to be home and to stand in [10:38] this historic landmark theater. I grew up with my five siblings and immigrant parents in a studio [10:44] apartment. I went to public school here and made my way through UC Berkeley and built a career as an [10:50] expert in California's finances. I went on to win two statewide elections and became California's state [10:55] controller as the underdog candidate and was reelected with the highest number of votes of any [11:00] statewide candidate in California history. Although as controller I manage hundreds of billions of dollars, [11:06] I never forget from where I come and how hard it is for people to earn every single dollar. [11:13] Small businesses are still the heart of our economy and as at eight years old I did the bookkeeping for [11:18] my parents' dry cleaning business. I remember the weeks when we didn't have enough money for milk [11:22] on the table. Some say I'm an underdog now, but that fuels me. I've exceeded expectations all my life [11:30] and I'm not stopping here. If you feel like an underdog, exhausted, worn out, and counted out, know that I [11:37] see you as your governor. I will fix the state budget so it works for all of our hard-working [11:42] Californians. Thank you. Candidates, thank you so much and thank you for sticking within your 60 [11:49] seconds. Well done. Andre? A topic that I'm sure you'll be surprised we're going to be talking about, [11:55] immigration, of course. We've seen the crackdowns that are happening across the country, [11:59] protests, deadly violence in places like Minnesota. My question to all the candidates on the stage tonight [12:05] is what is your message to those who are in this country legally, those who are undocumented, [12:10] and California families in general? Mr. Hilton, I'd like to start with you. Before we go on, [12:17] I really think I need to address the elephant in the room or perhaps, as some might say, [12:21] the rhino who's not in the room. My Republican colleague, Chad Bianco, is not here tonight to face [12:29] these Democrats or his record. In 2020, during the Black Lives Matter riots, he took a knee when told [12:38] to by BLM. Now, he says he was praying. Well, watch the video for yourself at blmbianco.org. That is [12:49] blmbianco.org. We cannot risk splitting the Republican vote and letting the Democrats in. [12:58] Chad Bianco has got more baggage than LAX. We cannot have BLM Bianco, the shifty sheriff, [13:08] as our candidate. Chad Bianco, he needs to drop out of this race just as he dropped out of tonight's [13:15] debate. On the question of immigration, it's very clear. I'm a legal immigrant. I am here for the [13:21] legal immigrant community so they can have the California dream. And I will make sure that all [13:27] laws, including our immigration laws, are peacefully enforced. Mr. Hilton, thank you so much. [13:33] Mayor Mahan, I'd like to get your answer to the question. What is your message to Californians, [13:37] including immigrant communities? Well, the way that the Trump administration is enforcing immigration law [13:45] is dividing us, creating fear. And now we're seeing cases where residents, rights, civil liberties are [13:55] being threatened. San Jose, we've sued the administration to defend our civil liberties. [14:01] We've passed rules around law enforcement not unnecessarily wearing masks. We've ensured that [14:06] the federal government can't commandeer public space for these activities. But the reality on immigration is [14:13] both parties have failed us. The truth is, it makes sense to have a secure border and know who and [14:19] what comes into the country, to have orderly immigration. But we should not be demonizing [14:25] people who are here to do the most American thing, which is work hard and create a better future for [14:29] their kids. But we need to create a legal path for people who want to be here and are as American in [14:35] their desires and actions as any of us. And we should come together, get the partisan politics out of the [14:40] way and create a compromise path forward that respects our values as Americans. [14:47] Mr. Steyer, if you become the state's next top lawmaker, immigrant families are going to be [14:52] looking to you. What is your message to them and to Californians? [14:56] This country was built by immigrants. This state doesn't work without immigration. [15:02] Of course, we need to have a fair, just system. But this is the exact opposite of that. [15:09] I'm very straightforward about this. ICE should be abolished. [15:12] You really can't reform an organization which is absolutely wrong and criminal from top to bottom. [15:22] But I think we have to look at this ICE example as just the start of what the Trump administration [15:28] is very clearly trying to do. They are trying to use terror. They are trying to use violence. [15:35] And they are starting with immigration, but they're not going to end with immigration. [15:40] I started a grassroots effort to impeach Mr. Trump in 2017 because I could see he had a criminal [15:46] administration. That hasn't changed. It's accelerated. It's gotten bigger, and it's not going to stop. [15:52] The governor of California needs to stand up for the values of Californians, immigrants and non-immigrants [15:58] alike. Superintendent Thurman, we heard you mention about schools. Talk to us about what you would tell [16:05] immigrant communities here in California and California families in general. [16:08] My maternal grandparents were immigrants. They came here from Colombia, from Jamaica. My mother [16:15] born in Panama, a teacher here in California. On my dad's side, they were immigrants too. The [16:21] descendants of slaves, by way of Detroit and Mississippi, all coming here for a better life. [16:28] My grandparents cleaned bathrooms for a living. And we have to create a real path for citizenship for [16:33] those who want nothing more than to work hard and pay taxes and contribute to the American dream, [16:40] for all of us. And that's why I passed the legislation that keeps ICE out of our schools [16:45] and out of our hospitals. I mean, people are afraid to even see a doctor. And when I am governor, [16:51] I will restore universal health care for all, including undocumented immigrants in the state of [16:57] California, because we know that health care is a right. We will abolish ICE. We will create a pathway to [17:03] citizenship. And right now I have legislation that puts a tax on any single company in California that [17:10] does business with ICE and ICE detention centers. Mayor Garosa, your message to immigrant communities [17:18] in California. I've never in my life seen ICE agents dressed from head to toe, all covered up like the Ku Klux Klan, [17:29] with assault weapons, flashbang grenades, beating up on women, children, and innocents, arresting 170 U.S. [17:42] citizens, killing two people in the last two weeks. We will stop ICE. We will stand up for America's [17:49] Constitution. We will stand up for civil liberties in this state when I'm governor. And what I've said, [17:55] yes, we will pass those laws, all of them, to protect our civil liberties in this state. But we [18:02] would do more. We will use the courts. We will use the ballot box. I come out of the movement, [18:07] and I'll tell you what, we're going to build a mass, peaceful movement in support of our rights and [18:13] in support of our democracy. We've got to say no to ICE, and we've got to take on Trump wherever he [18:20] raises his ugly head. Mayor Villaraigosa, thank you so much. Ms. Yee, your response. [18:29] Thank you. First of all, as a proud daughter of immigrants, what I want to say to our immigrant [18:33] communities, I see you, I know you, and I hear you. And we're going to do everything we can to keep [18:39] you safe. We're going to be sure that our communities are standing up for you. Everyone [18:44] should be taking a Know Your Rights training to be sure that we know how to stand up for you and to keep [18:48] you safe. But here's what we need to do in addition to. We need to build economic power in our immigrant [18:54] communities to be sure that we can resist against this mass immigration enforcement when people [19:00] understand that immigrants are such a contributor to our economy and to our society here in California. [19:05] And that's what we're going to build together. We are a sanctuary state. We're going to lean in more [19:09] to that and be sure that we are making our own communities safe. ICE has no business coming in and [19:14] tearing up communities, tearing up families. And we're going to help bring you back into the fold. [19:19] You pay taxes. What I want to say to you, all of the immigrants out there, thank you. [19:23] Mr. Yee, thank you so much. Secretary Becerra, your message to Californians and immigrant communities. [19:33] California wants people who work hard and play by the rules. Full stop. If that's an immigrant, [19:39] we welcome you. That was my parents. They worked hard. They came to this state with $12 in their pocket, [19:46] yet they figured out how to somehow save enough money as a construction worker and a clerical worker [19:51] to actually buy a house, to send my three sisters and I to college or the military, [19:55] and then to retire, not in Idaho or Arizona, but here in California. That's what we have to be about. [20:01] As attorney general, I defended against Trump's attack when he tried to coerce our state and [20:06] local law enforcement to actually do ICE raids. We beat him there. He tried to deny us community [20:12] policing dollars, $57 million, because we wouldn't do ICE raids with them. We'd be back on that as [20:18] well. Here's what I will tell you. As governor, we will police the immigration police. We will arrest [20:24] violators. All right. We are having some technical difficulties with the audio as you are watching [22:01] the debate for the race for California governor. We have our teams working on fixing those problems, [22:07] and we'll bring that audio to you and we'll bring you back to the debate as soon as we can. Stick with [22:12] us. We have our teams working on this, and we'll get you right back to this debate as soon as possible. [22:16] Mike check. Mike check. Check. And we're back. Let me know when we're ready, Jeff. [23:35] All right. Welcome back. We are fixing our audio issue and we are back to our debate with our [23:42] candidates and candidates. Let me repeat this question here for you here on the issue of [23:47] affordability. The vast majority of the questions that we received ahead of this from viewers was about [23:51] the cost of living in California, rising prices of things like groceries, child care and health care [23:57] utilities, consistently polling as the number one issue for voters in the state and nationwide. [24:02] If elected, what specific plans do you have to give people relief on day one? Mayor Mayhem, [24:07] we'll start with you one minute. Thank you. I grew up in a household where we were [24:55] Thank you. Mr. Steyer. So affordability is the key issue in California right now, [25:16] and it does start with housing. And you should know I'm in favor of rent control, [25:21] because right now people can't make rent at the end of the month. But I'm also in favor of building [25:26] a million houses. And the ability to do that is not just there's no silver bullet. It's silver [25:32] buckshot. We need to deal with permitting. We need to deal with zoning. And we also need to build houses [25:38] much cheaper on a per square foot basis, which we can do with new technology. But the other thing [25:45] I'm going to do is I'm going to go after the electric monopolies that charge us twice as much for [25:50] electricity as the average in the United States of America. Monopolies always overcharge and [25:56] underproduce. And lastly, I'm going to bring money to the table, revenue to the table. I'm going to [26:03] close two corporate tax loopholes, a real estate loophole and a place where they declare their income [26:09] and bring 15 to 20 billion dollars to Californians every year. That goes to health care, that goes to [26:16] child care, and that goes to education. We need revenues and I'm going to bring them. I've done this [26:21] before. I'll do it as government. Thank you, Mr. Steyer. Mr. Thurman, your plan on day one to lower [26:26] prices. You know, I grew up in a household where we often didn't have food. I grew up on the free [26:31] lunch program. I grew up on food stamps and a whole lot of government cheese. We ate so much government [26:38] cheese that I thought that USDA was a brand name. These programs help my family to overcome poverty. [26:44] And I know what it is for those who are struggling. Many are working two jobs just to make ends meet. [26:49] On day one, I'm going to give all of you a tax credit. So you have a few hundred dollars a month [26:55] more in your pocket to help you pay for the high costs of groceries, of gas, and housing. And how [27:02] are we going to accomplish this? I will be clear and direct about it. We're not going to tax you. [27:07] We're going to tax billionaires who've earned so much off of everything that this state has to offer [27:12] to make sure we have more revenue for you, for our schools, and for health care. And so we're prepared to [27:18] get this done on day one. And I'm going to build two million housing units so that we have affordable [27:24] housing all across our state. Thank you, sir. Mayor Villaraigosa, your plan on affordability, [27:31] sir? I grew up in a home with a single mom who struggled to make ends meet raising four kids on [27:38] her own. I know affordability. That's why I've been saying for a long time now, politicians love to [27:46] acknowledge and celebrate the fact that we have the fourth largest economy in the world. What they [27:52] don't say is we have the highest poverty rate in the United States of America. So what do we do with [27:57] housing? We cut red tape. We streamline our environmental rules. We make zone changes and [28:04] we invest in a first-time buyer program. Utilities. We've got to stop over-relying on electricity. [28:11] The notion, and by the way, when I was mayor, number one American city in reducing carbon emissions, [28:16] number five in the world. The port, which is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the United [28:22] States of America, is the greenest port. We've got to acknowledge we're going to have an all-of-the-above [28:28] strategy when it comes to energy. And finally, gas prices, the way to end them to be so high is to [28:35] address the fact that we over-regulate refineries who produce the cleanest fuel in the United States of [28:40] America. That's your time, sir. Thank you. Missy, your answer on affordability. Sure. So first we've [28:46] got to be sure that we are bringing new housing units online much more quickly. So this means [28:51] expediting approval processes, but also looking at where we can build, how we can build, using our [28:56] financial tools a lot better. I do want to bring back redevelopment because we know in every [29:00] jurisdiction there are places where we can build quickly, where we are talking about rehab and reuse, [29:05] adaptive reuse, and we can bring some units online much more quickly and not have to think about the [29:10] underlying cost of the land. With respect to energy, look, immediate relief. I know many of [29:16] you have been just really shouldering a lot of rate increases from your utilities, just one after [29:21] another after another. They need to be audited to be sure that they have really raised just what they [29:26] needed rather than probably owing you a refund. So I would say if CPUC, get to your auditing job and be [29:33] sure that you're giving us the oversight that consumers deserve. And then healthcare. We have so [29:38] many that are on the fringe of losing their healthcare. We have to grow this economy and [29:42] really center it on growing our healthcare workforce throughout the state of California. That's how we [29:46] grow the economy, generate our revenue, and also be able to keep those that are on health coverage [29:52] insured. Thank you, Missy. Secretary Becerra, your answer on affordability, sir. [29:58] So let's start by focusing on working families because some folks can afford whatever California gives, [30:04] but some people work hard like my parents did, and it's always tough. And so first and foremost, working [30:10] families, the hardest working, the lowest paid. We have to make sure we're there for them. That means [30:15] I will, once I am in office, I will move to freeze utility rates and home insurance costs, the premiums [30:22] you pay, until we find out why they keep going up by so much money. You're entitled to know that. I will make [30:27] sure we're building, as everyone has said. I'll increase supply. I will trim regulations where it's [30:32] smart. I will make sure our construction goes up where there are transit hubs. I will stabilize rent [30:38] so renters aren't being gouged. I'll make sure, as a former Secretary of HHS, that we protect everyone's [30:45] healthcare. We will not go backwards regardless of what happens in Washington, D.C. And we will stabilize [30:50] our clean energy transition so we don't leave working families behind who can't afford an electric vehicle. [30:56] And finally, childcare. We have to fight to make childcare affordable for every family. [31:01] Secretary Becerra, thank you. Mr. Hilton, one minute to you, sir. [31:06] The biggest driver of the high cost of living is Democrat policies. They've been in power for 16 [31:13] years. Who else is there to blame? If you add up the average budget for the rest of the country and [31:21] compare it to the average household budget here in California, here's the difference. $35,000 a year. [31:27] That is how much the average Californian is paying extra just for Democrat policies. You can look up [31:33] your own if you like. We did a website just so you can calculate it. CaliforniaDemTax.com. See how [31:40] much they're charging you. Here's what I'll do on day one. I announced the first one last week. Vehicle [31:45] registration. Everywhere else in the country, pretty much, it's under $100 a year to renew your registration. [31:51] Here, $600, $700, $1,000. Some people paying over $2,000. That's because they're charging all these [31:58] extra fees that go into their bottomless money pit. On day one, I will cap vehicle registration [32:04] at the flat fee of $71. Mr. Hilton, thank you. Candidates, thank you. Marla. [32:11] Okay, now we all are going to tackle with specifics, housing. The median home price in California, [32:18] it is almost a million dollars. In addition, this state, it is one of the most expensive states in [32:24] which to build. What is your plan to increase housing while also increasing accessibility, [32:32] particularly to those marginalized black and brown communities? Mr. Steyer, you have one minute. [32:38] So I started by saying that driving down housing costs is not a silver bullet, it's silver buckshot. [32:45] So let's start with permitting. We do multiple regulations that take an amazing amount of time [32:51] and that run up the costs of the house. Zoning. We have to make it possible for people to build [32:58] concentrated around public transportation and build within cities, not sprawl. Third, we have technology [33:08] now to manufacture housing as opposed to building housing on site. That drops the cost per square [33:15] foot right now by about a third. And we believe it can get it down to a half. So the ability to drive [33:21] down the cost of building houses is within our power if we're willing to make changes. And I've pushed for [33:27] these changes. And the last thing I'll say is this. My wife and I started a bank to do low income housing [33:34] finance. We need to finance low income housing across this state aggressively. We need to do it at [33:39] the state level. Our bank has done it for over 20 years. And having the money in the hands of people [33:45] who need to buy houses is a first step to actually getting... [33:49] Mr. Steyer's time is up. Thank you. Superintendent Thurmond, your housing plan. [33:56] You know, disproportionately black and brown people have been displaced from this very community where we [34:00] stand here tonight. We have to reverse that immediately. We have to recognize that being [34:06] able to own a home is the American dream. And that's why you hear me always lead with my plan to build 2 [34:11] million housing units on land that we already have that doesn't need any additional permitting. [34:18] School districts have surplus property in our state in every county to the tune of 75,000 acres of land [34:23] that are ready for development right now. We can build affordable housing for teachers and staff [34:28] who work in schools for first responders and others who want to have a chance. As governor, [34:33] I'm going to put more money into our budget to have down payment assistance programs for those [34:37] who want to be able to buy a home. Just like we give scholarships to those who say they'll become [34:42] teachers in our communities who work in health care, we have to invest in you and those of you who [34:48] want to be able to buy a home. My legislation that I'm supporting right now will provide us with 10 [34:52] billion dollars to build affordable housing and we will provide down payment assistance to those [34:58] and make the American dream possible for everyone again to own a home. Superintendent Thurman, [35:04] thank you. Mayor Villaraigosa, your housing plan? Most of my time growing up, we didn't own a home, [35:09] we rented. When I bought a home at 25 years old, I was working at a non-profit. I didn't have a rich [35:15] father to help me buy that home. But that's not true for the vast majority of Californians. We have the [35:23] second highest housing price in the United States. When I was mayor, I built three times the permanent [35:30] supportive homeless housing than the 12 years before me. When I was mayor, I built more housing [35:36] than the 20 years before me. Downtown had 20,000 people living there when I became mayor. When I left, [35:44] it was 60,000. We didn't just focus on market rate, though we focused on that. We focused on workforce. [35:50] We focused on affordable and important homeless housing. The next governor is going to have to do that [35:57] as well. We need all of the above strategy when it comes to housing. I've mentioned some of the [36:02] things that we need to do to expedite that, and I will. I have a record doing that, not just talking [36:07] about it. Thank you, Mayor. Ms. Yee, one minute. Thank you. So we do have to bring housing, new housing [36:16] stock online much more quickly. And there are ways to do that and more affordable ways to do that. And as [36:22] I mentioned, redevelopment earlier. But we're missing something here because housing is not the only [36:26] question here. It's about how do we build economically sustainable communities? [36:31] How does the state incentivize business development that comes into where we're building housing? [36:35] How does the state become a better partner with our local government on financing infrastructure? [36:39] We can build the housing, but if people are still commuting two hours to their job, [36:43] what have we done? And so this is about how we strengthen communities so that we have [36:47] economically sustainable communities for the long term. We have different models of home ownership we can [36:52] rely on. And for our young people, they actually like the idea of co-ownership. They like the idea [36:58] of actually living in housing that's built on a community land trust. And so all these models can be [37:03] put to work on day one. But we also have to think long term, how do we bring that business development [37:08] into these communities so that these communities can continue to thrive for the long term? Thank you, [37:13] Ms. Yee. Secretary Becerra, your housing plan. I've already mentioned what we have to do to increase the [37:20] supply. So I won't go into that too much. But you have to remember that in California, nearly 200,000 [37:26] Californians live outdoors. They live in their car. They are homeless. And we have to tackle that [37:33] immediately. We cannot let our brothers and sisters go without. And more and more we're finding they [37:38] are our sisters and they are sisters with children. And so we must tackle that immediately. But here's what [37:44] I would do with regard to housing. Aside from doing more building, which increases supply, which [37:50] brings down the pressures of demand. We have to be smart, as I said before. But here's the real key. [37:55] How many of you rent? You're paying probably in your rent the equivalent of what someone is paying [38:01] on their mortgage. The difference between you and that person who owns a home and pays a mortgage? [38:06] They had money for a capital down payment. If we gave people access to capital so they could put down [38:13] the down payment, we would have far more people housed. And so in the black and brown community, we're [38:18] going to make down payments available so you can become homeowners as well and create wealth. [38:23] Thank you, Secretary. And we will be talking homelessness in just a moment. Mr. Hilton, [38:28] your housing plan. So my parents were refugees from communism in Hungary. My stepfather worked [38:34] construction. My first job was project manager for a construction company. I remember starting my [38:41] first business and made enough money just to buy a small home back in London. And that feeling of [38:46] walking across the threshold. I achieved this. I earned this. We are stealing that from this [38:52] generation. That is a crime. The very first issue I worked on many years ago when I wanted to develop [39:00] solutions for California and our problems was housing. I developed a plan to end the lawsuits that [39:06] block housing, but also to stop the taxes on housing. I actually talked to Matt about it. He didn't agree with me [39:13] about capping taxes on housing. He likes taxes, apparently, unless they're on billionaires. [39:19] We've got to end the taxes on housing and we've got to end the war on single family homes. They call [39:27] it sprawl. I call it the California dream. I want everyone to have that dream of a single family home [39:33] of your own that you can afford to buy. All right, Mr. Hilton, thank you. And this brings us to our first [39:39] rebuttal. You have 30 seconds. Mayor Mahan, I think things are about to get interesting. [39:44] I'm glad we'll get to clear this up. I'm a little confused because you must have been talking to a [39:49] different mayor because actually in San Jose, when we were seeing that we were approving housing and [39:55] it wasn't getting built, in fact, what we did was we looked at those fees and taxes and we reduced them [40:02] substantially. We actually eliminated construction taxes. Last year, we got over 2,000 new homes under [40:08] construction that had been stuck in the pipeline for years. This year, we'll see another 2,000 homes [40:14] break ground. Do you want me to continue with my one minute for the rest of the answer? You now have [40:18] one minute to go over your housing plan. So, Steve, help me start with my answer, which is we have to [40:24] acknowledge when government is in the way and when one-time fees that are nice to have are preventing us [40:28] from having something we need to have, which is housing for working families, we have to be willing to [40:34] change. That's what we've been doing in San Jose and it's working. But Tom's right, we also need [40:40] to innovate. I was just down in Long Beach checking out a modular construction factory where they have [40:46] these high-quality union-built units flying off an assembly line. They can stack them 28 stories high [40:52] and they can build these projects now 50 percent faster, 20 percent lower cost. And if the state would [40:59] actually incentivize this innovation, we'll get greater economies of scale and see costs actually [41:05] come down even further. And then finally, if we want to help marginalized communities break into the [41:12] middle class and beyond and thrive, we have to get rid of regulatory capture. California doesn't even [41:18] build condos anymore, the most accessible form of home ownership, because of overly aggressive [41:24] liability laws in Sacramento. We have to get the special interest out of the way and start building [41:29] housing for working families again in California. Mayor Mayhem, thank you. Thank you candidates. [41:34] Candidates, homelessness remains a vexing issue for the state. A 2024 state audit showed the state [41:40] spent $24 billion during a five-year period ending in 2023 on combating homelessness, but failed to [41:47] adequately track the outcomes of those programs. It also showed the problem got worse despite those [41:52] efforts. What are your solutions for monitoring what we're spending and ensuring effectiveness? [41:57] Superintendent Thurman, we begin with you. One minute, sir. No doubt we have to get rid of waste [42:01] and abuse wherever it exists. But we also have to acknowledge that 40 percent of those who are [42:06] homeless are older Californians who are making the choice between paying for rent, paying for food, [42:15] or medication. As I mentioned, the legislation I'm supporting this year will provide us with $10 [42:20] billion to build affordable housing. I spent the last five years, every year, getting $500 million [42:27] in the low-income housing tax credit that we can use to build housing for those who are older. We also [42:34] have 10,000 young people in our state who are under the age of 18 unaccompanied and homeless. If we don't [42:42] help them today, they will become homeless adults. And my legislation would provide them with subsidized [42:48] housing and supports to help them get into job training programs to get a formal education as [42:52] we move forward. We have to be serious about the homelessness programs that we build. I don't think [42:58] that the answer is arresting the homeless or just moving them with nowhere to go, but putting them into [43:03] subsidized housing that have mental health and substance abuse supports in it. And that's what I'll [43:08] do as governor. Thank you, Mr. Thurman. Mayor Villaraigosa, your answer on homelessness, sir. [43:12] And you can call me Antonio. Okay, Antonio. Just me. Does that go for all three of us? All three of [43:21] you can call me Antonio. I'm not—well, let me just say, we spent $24 billion at the state, [43:31] along with billions more from the counties and the cities throughout the state, and homelessness went [43:36] on. We've got to acknowledge that, everybody. We cannot be afraid to look in the mirror. The fact is, [43:43] when they did that audit, they couldn't say whether the vast majority of those programs worked. There [43:50] were only two home—Renter Assistance Programs to prevent you from going homeless in the first place, [43:56] and I think the Home Safe Program. So we've got to acknowledge that. We've got to put dashboards on [44:01] the money that we have, because we've got—we don't have unlimited money. I've been a chief executive. [44:07] I left L.A. on a sound financial footing, and when I was speaker, balanced two budgets with a surplus with [44:15] a Republican and a Democratic governor. So the next governor's going to have to look at the bottom line, [44:21] because you're right. We can't criminalize homelessness. We should be compassionate, [44:26] but we've got to invest in what works. That's your time, Antonio. 750,000 units don't— [44:32] uh, thank you. San Antonio. Ms. Yee. It's called accountability. We need to [44:42] invite strict accountability over every dollar that we spend on our programs. And as I like to say, [44:47] when I was state controller, it's not our money. It's your money. Where are we investing that money? [44:52] Where are we getting outcomes? Where are we getting results? That $24 billion, there wasn't even a [44:57] conversation between the state and the counties and the cities that all had a hand on that money. So how [45:03] do we even coordinate? How do we even talk about how the needs are different from jurisdiction to [45:07] jurisdiction? And how do we make accountability not a dirty word? It's not about throwing somebody [45:12] under the bus. It's about how do we do better with the resources that we have? And so we should not [45:16] be afraid of inviting strict accountability. All of you should be inviting strict accountability of [45:22] your elected officials at all levels of government. We put the money where it works best. We offer [45:26] flexibility where we know jurisdictions need it. When we pull back what we know doesn't work so that we can [45:32] actually pilot some things that could work more effectively to finally make a dent into the [45:37] numbers that are going unhoused. Thank you, Ms. Yee. Secretary Becerra, your answer on homelessness. [45:44] First, expand emergency shelters so that we can get people off the streets. Second, reform our zoning and [45:50] permitting laws so we can move faster to find the housing that we need for all Californians. Then, as a [45:57] government, we must make sure that hardworking families, and this is my commitment as governor, [46:02] hardworking families. You're working. You're working, but you're living on the edge. You're [46:06] a paycheck away from becoming homeless. That's where I want to step in. I want to make sure the [46:11] state says, hey, you're working hard. There is no reason why you should become homeless. [46:15] I understand we have to work to get folks who are on the streets off, but if you're in your own home, [46:19] you have shelter, and you're working, no, I got to come in. The state will take that responsibility. [46:25] Then we will make sure that there are statewide standards so we get those shirking [46:29] cities that aren't doing their share of housing to step up. And finally, accountability. When we [46:34] give billions of dollars to the cities and counties, we need to see results. People have to be housed, [46:39] and so we have to be on top of it. I say that not just as governor, but as a former attorney general. [46:45] Secretary, thank you. Mr. Hilton, your answer on homelessness. [46:50] How have we put up with this for so long? We would never allow someone, we would never tolerate [46:56] someone we love to live in the conditions we see all over our state. So why should we accept it [47:01] for anyone else? I won't accept it. Here's my plan. Four points. Number one, we have to stop the fraud. [47:08] The fraud in the homeless system is stealing from the people who need our help. Number two, [47:13] we have to enforce the law. It is illegal to camp on the streets. If local leaders won't enforce the law, [47:21] as governor, I will make sure from the state level that we do. After that, we need to get people into [47:27] the treatment that they need. It is shameful that Gavin Newsom just vetoed a sober housing bill. Shame [47:34] on him for doing that. We have to provide people the mental health treatment that they need. We have [47:40] to implement Prop 36 that we all voted for in California. And then finally, I have to say, [47:45] sorry to keep picking on that. But he just said in an interview that the thing he most admires about [47:51] Gavin Newsom is his record on homelessness. You've got to be kidding, Matt. That's your time, Mr. Hilton. [47:58] Mayor Mahan, 30 seconds to respond to Mr. Hilton. Well, first, first, I'll just note that, [48:07] Steve, you came to San Jose just a week ago to see what's working in San Jose, because we've been [48:13] reducing unsheltered homelessness faster. We've been reducing unsheltered homelessness faster than [48:21] any other city in the state. And last week, Steve came to see what's working in our interim housing [48:25] communities and with our outreach model. And I don't know what's changed in the last week, but it, [48:30] you know, it seems that it's the fact that I jumped into this race. And frankly, that's exactly wrong with [48:35] our politics in all seriousness, is that an idea is good one day until the other side. Time on your [48:41] rebuttal, sir. Go ahead on your answer. I'll have a minute. So I'll just thank you. I'll continue [48:46] with the point, which is what's wrong with our politics is when we denigrate ideas because of [48:51] who had them. And the truth is, there are there are gaps on all sides of this issue. I ran for office [49:00] because of the same concerns that were raised in that audit. I saw spending a million dollars a door [49:06] taking six years to build housing for people on our streets. We don't have that kind of time to wait. [49:11] We have thousands of people literally out on our streets, many dying, thousands dying, [49:16] per year. In San Jose, what we've done is we've gotten back to basics. We've built basic, [49:20] dignified shelter. We do thoughtful outreach. When shelter is available, make every effort to require [49:26] that people come indoors to connect them to services. We created those dashboards that track [49:31] utilization, cost per outcome, and create greater accountability for spending our precious dollars [49:37] to help people turn their lives around. And we could do a lot more if the state got every city [49:42] and county to do the same. Thank you, Mayor. Mr. Shire, homelessness. [49:47] So I think one of the things people forget sometimes about homelessness is that only about one in seven [49:56] people who hit the street and are unhoused have some serious form of mental health condition, [50:02] either substance abuse or bipolar or whatever. But being on the street itself [50:08] is so stressful. It's so destructive. It's so dangerous that it puts everybody in a position [50:15] of developing serious mental health problems. And that leads me to a very straightforward, [50:22] you know, answer to this question is we need to keep people off the street. It's most important to [50:27] keep people off the street. And if they end up on the street to get them off the street as fast as [50:32] possible. And that's why I do support the kinds of things like emergency interim housing, not trying to get [50:38] people to go to shelters they don't want to go to the places they do want to go, because waiting six [50:43] years is just too long. And the last thing I want to say is the reason these housing is so expensive [50:49] is partially the fees that everyone keeps talking about. But those fees are because the cities can't [50:55] afford the health and education costs. That's your time moving there. And I will solve that with revenues. [51:00] Thank you, candidates. Andre. Let's talk about the issue of public safety, which crime falls under. [51:07] Two years ago, California voters approved Prop 36, increasing penalties for repeat theft and drug [51:14] offenses. As governor, would you fund Prop 36? If so, how? And would you include and incorporate here [51:21] incorporate prevention and restorative justice efforts? Biraigosa, we will start with you on this one. [51:28] You know, I grew up in a pretty violent neighborhood. And when I became mayor of Los Angeles, [51:35] LA was the most violent big city in America. We grew the police department, [51:41] we dramatically expanded after school programs and summer youth jobs. We developed innovative [51:47] prevention and intervention programs that Obama took to Central America. We have to address the [51:53] fact that in our cities, we've had too much crime, and particularly in neighborhoods, communities of [52:00] color. But we need a policy that focuses on redemption, a policy on restorative justice. And as governor, [52:11] I'll do that. Yes, we have to fund the drug treatment in Prop 36. And I will as governor. [52:17] Yes, we have to look at juvenile justice, as I did when I was speaker and passed the most far-reaching [52:23] juvenile justice program in the United States of America. And yes, we got to get the guns off the [52:29] streets of California cities. Mayor, thank you so much. Ms. Yee, what are your thoughts? Would you fund Prop 36 [52:36] and incorporate restorative justice efforts? Ms. Yes, we definitely should be increasing our drug [52:42] treatment capacity. If we have a provision for felony mandated treatment, we should have the treatment [52:48] available in every jurisdiction. So I do support that. But I also want to know that when that treatment [52:54] ends and offenders have completed their sentence, they have the ability to return to their communities. [53:00] And so this is also an economic issue. We have to be sure that they have opportunities to return [53:05] back to. And so when I think about public safety, it's a partnership. It's a partnership between law [53:10] enforcement and the community about how we're going to deal with some of the underlying determinants of [53:15] what leads people to actually commit crimes. And so restorative justice is a big piece of this, [53:20] but let's be sure that we have the treatment that we promised through Prop 36 built throughout the [53:24] state. Secretary Becerra, would you fund Prop 36? How? And would you incorporate restorative justice? [53:34] I voted for Prop 36. I will make sure we fund Prop 36. The people of California spoke clearly. [53:40] They want us to take this on and they want us to fund the services that Prop 36 calls for. Otherwise, [53:47] we are going backwards. We are just treating those offenders as people we're going to incarcerate. [53:51] And so here's what we will do. We will find the revenue. And if we don't have it, [53:55] then we will go get it because we cannot afford to shortchange this program. We want to give those [54:00] individuals who are caught in this trap a chance to get to the right place in community. And so we [54:06] must fund mental health services. We must fund addiction treatment. I started when I was secretary [54:12] of health and human services, a program called 988. It is the line that you can call for suicide and [54:19] mental health challenges. And it is working. Tens of millions of people have now come to that line [54:26] in the last three or four years. I started a program under Medi-Cal, which allows those who are offenders [54:32] who are on the verge of being released to actually have health care through Medi-Cal before they're [54:37] released. So when they reenter, they're not without their health care. Those are the things that make [54:42] it possible for people to land well. Thank you so much. Mr. Hilton, would you fund Prop 36 and would [54:49] you include restorative justice in pushing it forward? I would very much fund Prop 36. In fact, one of the [54:55] authors of Prop 36, Jeff Reisig, the DA of Yolo County, is a strong supporter of my campaign. And [55:01] we've spoken in detail about what's going wrong and what needs to be fixed on that. And I agree with [55:06] Antonio, by the way, on everything he said about prevention programs. It's incredibly important. [55:11] I've worked on those kinds of programs for many, many years, written about them in my books. He's [55:16] absolutely right about that. But we also have to make something clear when it comes to this question of [55:21] public safety. We have to enforce the law in California. They're very good, it seems, at passing [55:26] laws, not so good at enforcing them. And there's one big thing that the next governor needs to do. We [55:32] have to stop this destructive prison closure program where we've had tens of thousands of dangerous, [55:40] violent criminals released into the community or transferred to county jails that are completely [55:45] overwhelmed, can't cope. That means law enforcement are undermined. They know that there's going to [55:51] be no accountability for crime. All that needs to change. It's very simple. More prisons, less crime. [55:57] That's what we're going to do. Mr. Hilton, thank you so much. Mayor Mahan, [56:01] your thoughts on Prop 36 funding it and restorative justice efforts? Prop 36 was supported by nearly 70% [56:09] of Californians. If we want to protect our democracy, we need to practice it here at home by implementing [56:16] it, but implementing it thoughtfully and with restorative justice. You know, in our attempt to [56:23] end the era of mass incarceration, we unintentionally left thousands of people to suffer and die [56:28] on our streets. Prop 36 gives us a middle path, an opportunity to usher in an era of mass treatment. [56:36] I've had a family member who was on the streets because of addiction. I know that it takes real [56:42] intervention and the threat of consequences to help people recover. There is no recovery without [56:49] accountability. And we will implement Prop 36 so that it saves lives and helps people turn [56:56] their life around by connecting them to critical services. Mayor Mahan, thank you so much. Mr. Steyer, [57:03] your thoughts on Prop 36 funding it and restorative justice efforts? I think it's important to remember [57:08] where we've come from because we came from a place of mass incarceration. We've added 24 state prisons [57:16] since 1965 when we've added four UCs. In fact, we are coming back from a place where we were absolutely [57:26] in the wrong. And in fact, the California Department of Corrections did not even have the word rehabilitation [57:33] in its name for a long time. So when you ask about Prop 36, the opportunity to provide treatment as [57:41] opposed to incarceration. Of course, we have to keep our streets and communities safe. But the fact is, [57:48] we need to have step down facilities. We need treatment, not incarceration where it's available. [57:53] We need to treat people as if they can be rehabilitated, to train them so that when they come back, [57:59] they can be productive members of society. That's what Prop 36 can do if we fund it, [58:04] and that's what we have to do. Mr. Steyer, thank you for your response. [58:08] Superintendent Thurman, your thoughts on funding Prop 36 and restorative justice efforts? [58:12] To be clear, I voted to ban private prisons in our state because they have over-criminalized [58:18] black and brown people in the state of California. And let me just say, no one should have to go to [58:24] prison to get substance abuse treatment. And by the way, in the prisons, guess what they have? [58:30] Access to drugs and alcohol in rampant ways. And so let me be clear, I voted against Prop 36, [58:38] okay, because I don't support the over-criminalization of black people and brown people. But we have to be [58:44] smart about how we approach crime, not just trying to be tough on someone. We have the opportunity to add [58:52] more police in our communities to keep our communities safe. They should be community [58:56] police officers and dispatchers and folks who come from our community who want the help in our [59:01] community. I launched a program last year in Oakland that gives a paid job training program to young [59:06] people to learn about STEAM careers. Let's give young people an alternative to ending up in the [59:11] criminal justice system. Put money in their pockets, give them an opportunity to make change. I'll [59:17] implement Prop 36 with diversion programs and community policing alike. That's your time. [59:23] All right, that concludes the first half of our debate. Thank you candidates for our viewers at [59:28] home and in the audience. Please scan the QR code on your screen to weigh in on the topics we've [59:32] discussed so far. Coming up after the break, Mike Meebeck and Claudine Wong are standing by with [59:37] analysts, one from the Bay Area, one from Southern California to break down what we have heard. [59:41] We'll be back for part two of our debate in about 15 minutes. We have much more to discuss [59:45] about the biggest issues facing California. Stay with us. Thanks to Black Action Alliance and [1:00:00] eight sponsors. All right, welcome back to Fox Local as we give you a live look at the stage at [1:00:13] the historic Bayview Opera House in the city by the bay, the city of San Francisco as we take [1:00:17] an intermission during tonight's gubernatorial debate. Good evening everyone. I'm Mike Meebeck [1:00:22] here at the KTVU studios in Jack London Square in Oakland. And I'm Claudine Wong. So while we take a break [1:00:28] from the debate, we want to ask how are each of the candidates doing? So we have assembled a panel [1:00:33] of experts tonight joining us this evening for this intermission for a half hour after the debate as [1:00:39] well in studio in Oakland. We do have Melissa Michelson, the dean of arts and sciences and political [1:00:44] science professor at Menlo College in Atherton. And in Los Angeles, we have Jasmine Kanik, a political [1:00:49] strategist and delegate for the LA County Democratic Party. We've also been asking you questions about how [1:00:56] you think the debate is going and we're showing some of those results to you to those surveys at the [1:01:01] bottom of your screen there. So let's talk about it. Let's go. Jasmine, I'm going to begin with you. [1:01:07] We've got a lot of good content out there, but we also have a lot of one-liners too. Melissa, Jasmine, [1:01:13] Jasmine, your thoughts. Who came out swinging here? No one just yet. Not for me. I think [1:01:21] there have been a lot of non-answers. I think voters want a little bit more plain language and not a [1:01:26] TED talk. I think that there's been a lot of leaning on growing up in poverty, but having been [1:01:33] so far removed from that for at least 20, 30 years for a lot of these candidates that I don't think [1:01:38] that that's working for them every time they say, I grew up poor, I was on food stamps. So I've been [1:01:44] hearing a lot of that and just as a voter, that's not connecting with me. I think voters want to hear more [1:01:49] about my rent, my groceries, public safety, education, but not so much what you grew up in. [1:02:00] Because we know that a lot of these candidates are very wealthy. They're very far removed from [1:02:06] poverty and from those days. And I heard that almost out of every single candidate's mouth up [1:02:12] there repeatedly. And I was just like, really? Yeah, I mean, this has been a effort to try to [1:02:20] define each candidate for the voters. So Melissa, what was your take on this in terms of how's it [1:02:26] going and are the candidates doing what they need to do? Some of them definitely. I thought it was [1:02:31] notable that Steve Hilton right away put himself out there as I'm one of the two Republicans and you [1:02:37] all shouldn't vote for Chad Bianco. You should vote for me. So very much understanding that in a top two [1:02:42] primary with a lot of Democrats and two Republicans, he needs to solidify his Republican support. And of [1:02:47] course, Chad Bianco isn't there to defend himself. So that's probably going to help him a lot. We saw [1:02:53] Tony Thurman come out right away talking about abolish ICE, which other people mentioned as well [1:02:59] when asked about immigration, but he had it as part of his opening statement, right? So I thought [1:03:05] several of the candidates came out really clearly right away saying, here's the lane I'm in. [1:03:10] Here's who I'm here for and made some pretty strong statements that are going to help define them [1:03:15] for Californians. Jasmine, as we move forward, not just in the debate, but as we make our way [1:03:21] toward June in the primary, what issue, what's your top issue? What do they need to nail on [1:03:27] to convince California voters to go vote for me? I think that that they're going to fight President [1:03:35] Trump, that they're going to stand up, not just for us here in California, but for folks [1:03:41] around the country, because as you know, California is a leader. We're a leader state. What happens here [1:03:47] tends to happen other places. So I think, you know, all of the candidates, particularly, [1:03:52] let me rephrase that, the Democratic candidates are going to need to be able to get their message [1:03:58] across that. Yes, they can lead the state, but they're also willing to stand up to Trump. And [1:04:03] that is going to be very, very important. We have a group of candidates, many of whom come off as [1:04:10] moderate Democrats. And so that's another sort of struggle within the Democratic Party, moderate [1:04:16] versus progressive. Yes, we heard a few candidates so far tonight seem to lean a little bit more towards [1:04:23] the progressive in, but most of the Democratic candidates sound like moderates. And I think [1:04:27] what a lot of voters want to know is that when our current governor leaves, we are replacing that [1:04:33] governor with someone who is going to stand up to what is going on in Washington, D.C. Well, [1:04:38] certainly and and certainly Newsom has made a name for himself by being very vocal and outspoken [1:04:44] against Trump. And I actually took note of that when it's listening to the opening statements about [1:04:48] who actually was going to go in that direction, who was going to stick with maybe affordability, [1:04:54] Becerra talked about all the lawsuits against Trump and Thurman talked about fighting Trump. [1:04:59] Everyone else kind of stayed in a more even lane, at least just in open statements. As it went through, [1:05:05] people, you know, individually kind of went in and took to it. But I thought it was interesting [1:05:10] that out of the gate, especially given all of the events that we've been following, [1:05:16] that not all of them did. Melissa, did you expect more swings really initially and maybe more forcefully? [1:05:23] I did expect more people to speak about Trump. But I think there's maybe an assumption by many [1:05:29] people that whichever Democrat in particular would be the nominee, would be the next governor, [1:05:34] of course, that they would be standing up to Trump, that that's a given. And that if you make your whole [1:05:38] campaign or most of your campaign about how I'm going to stand up to Trump, then what are you giving [1:05:43] voters to vote for? And so every Democratic candidate can say, I'm against Trump. I'm going [1:05:49] to fight Trump. But in order to distinguish themselves from the field, they have to say, [1:05:53] and here's what I'm going to do. [1:05:54] Are they doing that, though? There's so many of them, right, for voters. And that's the problem, [1:05:59] right? Like that for voters is how do you distinguish and how do you have a front runner? [1:06:03] Are they doing that for you? [1:06:04] I think they are. I think on housing, they're giving different answers. Some of them are talking more [1:06:09] about regulation. Some of them are talking more about single family homes. Some of them are talking [1:06:14] about focusing more on keeping people from becoming homeless. And some people are talking about how [1:06:19] do we get more unhoused people off of the street? So the distinctions are maybe minor because, you know, [1:06:25] they're most of them are Democrats. And apart from Steve Hilton, they are going to say similar things, [1:06:30] but they're not all progressive as we just heard, right? Some of them are more moderate. Some of them are [1:06:35] more progressive. And I think folks can hear distinctions if they're paying attention. [1:06:40] Jasmine, how hard is it for someone like a Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose, Northern California? [1:06:44] How hard is it for him to get votes down in Southern California, you think? [1:06:48] I think it's going to be very hard for him. And he's going to have to get down here and start talking [1:06:56] to voters. You know, California is an extremely large state. And, you know, campaigning from one [1:07:03] into the other takes a lot of time. And so that is really the big challenge as well for all of these [1:07:09] candidates. I mean, obviously we have debates like this, which help them be able to connect [1:07:14] to voters, but everyone's not watching the debate tonight. And so it'll be really on them to hit the [1:07:19] road and make sure that they go to a whole bunch of different communities, not just the wealthy [1:07:24] communities, not just the well-known communities, but go to as many communities in California as they [1:07:31] possibly can to hear what the issues are from everyone. You know, we've got this, we've got [1:07:36] this interaction from earlier. We want to play a clip real quick between him and Hilton. Let's, [1:07:39] let's run it. Sorry to keep picking on Matt, but he just said in an interview that the thing he [1:07:46] most admires about Gavin Newsom is his record on homelessness. You've got to be kidding, Matt. [1:07:52] That's your time, Mr. Hilton. Mayor Mahan, 30 seconds to respond to Mr. Hilton. [1:08:01] First, first I'll just note that Steve, you came to San Jose just a week ago to see what's working [1:08:06] in San Jose because we've been reducing unsheltered homelessness faster. We've been reducing unsheltered [1:08:15] homelessness faster than any other city. What do you think, Melissa, did something like that grab [1:08:20] votes for Southern Californians, right? I think it absolutely does. And the no tie, by the way. [1:08:25] No tie, Matt. Well, then the no tie is notable because I think it's part of the image he's trying to [1:08:30] present is he's new. He just announced. And so he wants people to see this is who he is. And it [1:08:35] probably resonates with the Silicon Valley donors that he's going to be raising money from. But I [1:08:39] think that he's the one that Steve Hilton attacked and that he had an answer and said, hey, check out [1:08:44] my record. I've been getting things done. That's what people want to hear. It's one thing when, you know, [1:08:49] Antonio Villaragosa says that he hasn't been a mayor for 20 years, but Matt Mahan is saying, well, [1:08:53] I'm doing it. I'm doing it now. And so that's, I think that's going to catch people's attention, [1:08:58] even if they're not from the San Jose area. Jasmine, did it surprise you that Steve Hilton [1:09:02] really did focus on Matt Mahan? He's the newest candidate. He's from Northern California and [1:09:07] he did put his attention on him. It was the first rebuttal came, you know, from Matt Mahan. [1:09:13] It didn't surprise me, but look, this is a debate. We're going to have spicy moments. I hope we have [1:09:19] more of them because it gives us a chance. It gives us a chance to see what these candidates are made of [1:09:26] in the moment on the spot, giving a direct response to maybe a question or an accusation [1:09:35] that they weren't ready for. And I like seeing that. I like to see how candidates respond in those [1:09:42] moments. What do you guys hope for the back half of this debate? Well, I hope that we get more of the [1:09:49] interactions, I think, especially on the issues that we've heard. The candidates knew these questions [1:09:53] were coming, right? If you didn't know these questions were coming, you should not be governor. [1:09:58] But maybe if we get into some back and forth and into some smaller issues that maybe haven't been [1:10:03] the headline yet, I think we'll really see what these candidates are made of and how good are they [1:10:07] at thinking on the fly and how deep is their knowledge? To Jasmine's point, I think people like [1:10:11] that. They like off script. Yeah. Yeah. I want to hear more about people who are not in the middle class. [1:10:18] I want to hear more about renters. I want to hear more about what they're going to do to help [1:10:24] folks who are considered poor. I want to hear more from them about people that tend to get left [1:10:34] out of these conversations. Everybody talks about, oh, we want to save people from falling out of the [1:10:38] middle class. And it's like, well, when they fall out of the middle class, where do they fall into? [1:10:41] Can we talk about those people? All right. Let's hope for a great second half. Jasmine, Melissa, [1:10:46] thank you both. That is all the time we do have for now. The debate is about to resume in just [1:10:51] about two minutes from now. But be sure to stick around after the debate at 730 for a half hour [1:10:56] post-debate analysis. We'll have a reaction from the candidates as they walk off the stage. And we'll [1:11:00] also be back with our panel for a full discussion. We'll see you then. Thanks to Black Action Alliance [1:11:13] and these debate sponsors. Welcome back to tonight's gubernatorial debate presented by Fox Local [1:11:32] and the Black Action Alliance. Let's jump right in, candidates. We want to turn to our audience now. [1:11:37] And allow one member to ask the candidates a question. Good evening, candidates. My name is [1:11:47] Michael Johnson. I'm an attorney in Alameda County and a parent. And this question is about education. [1:11:53] Is that better? Great. The 2024-2025 California statewide assessment results show continued progress [1:12:16] across all student groups, including among Black students and other minority groups. But data reported [1:12:22] by EdSource showed that Black students were completing and passing transfer-level coursework [1:12:29] 30 points behind their counterparts. My question is, why is a specific demographic doing so poorly? [1:12:39] And what is your plan to fix it? Ms. Yee, we'll begin with you on this question. One minute. [1:12:44] Okay. So public education is underinvested in. And when we look at progress with assessments, [1:12:53] it just can't be a point in time. It requires a consistent investment, particularly in our communities [1:12:58] that are under-resourced. And we know what works in terms of investments in education, but it has to be [1:13:03] consistent investment. And we want to bring the best practices into these communities as well, [1:13:07] in terms of why the progress is not being made as quickly in these communities. [1:13:11] So it's not just all about funding. It's about how we direct our focused attention in these communities. [1:13:17] It's about how we meet learners where they are, in terms of how they're able to learn. Our learners learn [1:13:23] in all different ways. And as we've talked about earlier, we're a state of immigrants, and so people [1:13:28] have different ways of learning. And so we have to recognize those uniqueness, the uniqueness of our [1:13:32] learners, but also understand that that commitment of funding and just focused attention on these [1:13:38] communities has to be consistent. It can't be there one year and gone the next year to where then progress [1:13:43] can't be sustained. Thank you. Secretary Becerra, why is this specific demographic doing so poorly, [1:13:49] and what is your plan to fix it? Here is where we get into the systemic challenges that people of [1:13:56] color have always faced. And certainly in the black community, it's obviously very clear that when you [1:14:02] have fewer resources, when you don't even have good grocery stores, let alone good schools, when you have [1:14:09] less of an opportunity to buy a house because it's so tough for you with your lower wage to be able [1:14:14] to save enough to build down the money you need for a down payment. That's what makes it tough. [1:14:19] But here's what we have to do. We cannot accept that the systemic challenges and the systemic racism [1:14:26] will stop us from educating all of our kids. That's why when I was attorney general, I took on the [1:14:32] Stockton Unified School District because they were using the police to deal with disciplinary challenges [1:14:37] way more than they should have. That's why South Salido, not far from here, guess what? I filed the [1:14:42] first desegregation case in 50 years against South Salido Marin School District because they were [1:14:47] violating people's rights and their kids. We can deal with this, but we got to resource communities [1:14:53] with the same type of resources we give to rich communities. Secretary, thank you. Mr. Hilton, why is [1:14:59] this specific demographic doing so poorly? What is your plan to fix it if elected? I just want to thank [1:15:03] you for the question. It's an incredibly important question. And it's at the heart of something that [1:15:08] really is a massive problem that's gone on for so long, the racial wealth gap. If you don't have [1:15:14] that educational opportunity, you're never going to close that racial wealth gap. Education is the engine [1:15:21] of opportunity. I know that as the son of refugees who ended up at Oxford University working in 10 Downing [1:15:26] Street, moving here with my wife and sons in 2012, teaching at Stanford, all because of a great [1:15:31] education. Every child, especially the black kids who've been left behind and the Latino kids who've [1:15:37] been left behind after 16 years of Democrat one party rule, we've got to do better. Here's my plan. [1:15:43] Number one, look what's happened in Mississippi. Mississippi overtaking California by simple things [1:15:48] like making sure that every child reads in third grade. If they can't, they don't move to fourth grade. [1:15:53] We need to have phonics in every school. We need to have accountability, a grade for every school, [1:15:58] a grade for every teacher, so we can reward the good teachers and remove the bad ones. That's how [1:16:02] we address this very, very serious problem. Mr. Hilton, thank you. Mayor, may I hand your [1:16:07] question of education to you, sir? I served as a public school teacher in Eastside San Jose, [1:16:13] teaching English and history in a middle school serving first-generation and low-income students. [1:16:19] And it used to be that we simply just didn't invest enough in education. What I've seen, [1:16:24] though, is that there's also a lack of accountability. The truth is we need to have [1:16:30] high expectations for our kids. We need to assess their learning and we need to intervene in ways [1:16:37] that work. High dosage tutoring, summer programs, youth jobs to build confidence, ensuring every kid [1:16:44] has a pathway to participating in our economy and thriving in our society. We need to hold the adults [1:16:52] in the system accountable because the lack of focus and accountability is disproportionately borne by [1:17:00] our most vulnerable children. So it's not just about spending more. It's about using those dollars [1:17:06] better and increasing accountability for outcomes, especially for our black and brown children. [1:17:12] Mayor, thank you. Mr. Steyer, education to you, sir. One minute. [1:17:16] So California, on a cost-adjusted basis, spends the 31st most out of the 50 U.S. states. And lo and [1:17:26] behold, we're about the 31st best state in terms of education. And that is not nearly good enough. [1:17:32] Because I agree with Mr. Hilton that education is the opportunity for people to move up in America. [1:17:38] But let me say, I am the person who wants to bring 15 to 20 billion dollars a year of new revenue to the [1:17:46] state of California for health care and specifically for education. Because we all know teachers, all the [1:17:53] teachers I know, take money out of their pocket to spend for school supplies in their classroom, [1:17:59] even though they're not anything like very well paid. That's the first thing. We need more money. [1:18:04] Second of all, the community schools that have been tried over the last four or five years have worked [1:18:09] incredibly well. And that is a place where the school becomes a center. And the last thing, accountability. [1:18:15] We need accountability standards done with teachers, done with the community and done with experts to [1:18:20] make sure we're holding people accountable and getting the kids the education they need and deserve. [1:18:25] Mr. Steyer, thank you. Superintendent Thurman, question to you, sir. [1:18:28] Big shout out to all the teachers and educators who've been working so hard to help our kids. [1:18:33] You know, for all 57 years of my life, we've been talking about closing this so-called achievement gap. [1:18:43] You know, if we can send the person to the moon, we can close the achievement gap. We have to have [1:18:47] the political will to do it and then back it up. It's not an achievement gap. Our kids can achieve, [1:18:52] but there are barriers in their way and we have to remove those barriers. And so I too have launched [1:18:57] a five-year plan to make sure that every child in our state can read by third grade because we know [1:19:03] that is the difference between them graduating and maybe ending up in the criminal justice system. [1:19:08] If we do the right things, we can educate and not incarcerate our kids in the great state of [1:19:13] California. This year I'm going to make kindergarten a requirement because many of our kids show up to [1:19:20] first grade not ready to learn. We've watched our graduation rates improve and other areas improve, [1:19:26] but it's not enough. We've got to keep going and give them career training. I passed a law to give [1:19:31] them personal finance to help prepare them for the future so they can be without debt and go on to [1:19:36] college. That's your time, superintendent. Thank you. Mayor Villaraigosa. We're number one in teacher [1:19:43] pay. We're 21st in per pupil spending. We're in the mid-30s and reading and math in fourth grade, [1:19:50] and we're dead last in graduation. That's a fact. I've been fighting for public schools my entire life, [1:19:59] even though, as I've often said, it was a Catholic school that gave me a foundation and a public school [1:20:04] that gave me a second chance. When I was mayor, one out of three schools were failing. One out of three in [1:20:10] the second biggest school district in the country. By the time I left, it was one out of 10, a 60% [1:20:16] increase in the graduation rate. We focused on the achievement gap. I have about 20 schools in Watts, [1:20:24] downtown, and on the east side. Those schools were the lowest performing. They had a 36% graduation rate. [1:20:31] Today, those schools have a 92% graduation rate. We've got to set high expectations for our kids. We've got to [1:20:38] have expand pre-kindergarten. We've got to focus on this achievement gap and expand the local control [1:20:46] funding formula, which will do that. Mayor, thank you. Candidates, thank you, and thank you to your [1:20:51] audience member for that question. Thank you. Our next topic is that of wildfires. January 7th, [1:20:58] of course, we just marked one year since the start of the devastating and deadly Los Angeles County [1:21:04] wildfires. I was out there personally in the Pacific Palisades. I've seen it firsthand myself. [1:21:09] Recovery has been slow with the state's unstable insurance market remaining one of the largest [1:21:15] barriers to recovery. How do you prioritize recovery for those who've lost everything? And there are [1:21:23] thousands of those people watching tonight while also addressing wildfire prevention. Secretary Becerra, [1:21:30] start with you with one minute. Well, that's why I began this debate by mentioning that I would freeze [1:21:37] home insurance costs because some people are paying premiums and they still haven't received [1:21:43] anything from their insurance company. That is not just wrong. It's criminal. And we have to make sure [1:21:49] we protect people. The second thing is we have to push back on this corporate takeover of properties [1:21:54] that's going on. Wall Street is trying to gobble up all these places, but they're going to try to [1:21:58] increase the cost. We have to support home ownership retention programs so that people who lost their [1:22:06] home want to stay but are going to find it really tough to rebuild. We support them. We don't want [1:22:10] them to become homeless. And at the same time, we have to crack down on that price gouging that we know [1:22:15] is going on. Oversight of those insurance claims. If I'm governor in January 2027 and these claims have not been [1:22:24] resolved, we will, in the first 100 days, make sure that everyone gets their payment and the date [1:22:30] certain when they're going to get it. It is not fair for people to pay their fair share to the insurance [1:22:34] industry and then not get anything back when it's time for them to collect. Secretary Becerra, thank you. [1:22:40] Mr. Hilton, your plan for prioritizing recovery and wildfire prevention? Look, what's going on in [1:22:46] the Palisades and Altadena, it's an absolute scandal. It's more than a year now. And that place, [1:22:51] I've been there many, many times. I talk to people there. I listen to what they're saying. [1:22:55] They are furious. I spoke at the rally on the one-year anniversary. You know what they called [1:23:00] that rally? They let us burn. Just think about the intensity of how that community feels. They let us [1:23:07] burn. You know who they mean by they? Gavin Newsom, Karen Bass. It is outrageous. Gavin Newsom promised [1:23:12] a year ago a Marshall plan to rebuild LA. Where is it? Nothing's been done. I will remove the bureaucracy [1:23:19] that is stopping recovery and rebuild. On prevention, the very first policy paper I published [1:23:26] in my policy organization, Golden Together, was this. Reducing Californians, California's carbon [1:23:32] emissions to modern forest management. That's what we have to do. We can revive our timber industry [1:23:38] so that we sell the trees that we need to thin the forest so wildfires don't burn out of control, [1:23:44] creating jobs and opportunity in rural areas and reducing wildfire risk and lowering the cost [1:23:51] of construction materials. That's my plan. Mr. Hilton, thank you very much. Mayor Mahan, [1:23:56] your wildfire recovery and prevention plan. Well, first, I just want to thank the first responders who [1:24:03] put their lives on the line to fight these fires. We were proud in San Jose to send teams down to the [1:24:08] Palisades and Altadena to protect people. And I'm grateful to them. In terms of how we address where [1:24:16] we are today, number one, there is no excuse for slow permitting in rebuilding this housing. And we have [1:24:23] got to let people get back into their homes, into their neighborhoods. Number two, we have to be [1:24:27] accountable for investing in prevention. If we prevent catastrophic fires, we will save lives. And over time, [1:24:36] we bring back our insurance market by reducing costs for everyone because we're all paying the cost [1:24:42] of recovery from these catastrophic fires. And on that final note, the insurance market in California [1:24:48] is broken. We have to bring back private insurers. We have to properly price risk and help people reduce [1:24:54] risk around their homes and bring back competition to that market. We can't have it all fall on the backs [1:25:00] of California taxpayers. Thank you, Mayor. Mr. Steyer, one minute. Look, it's the job of the [1:25:07] governor to stand up for Californian citizens when they're being screwed. And frankly, a year in the [1:25:14] insurance companies not paying people their insurance and FEMA owing people $34 billion is [1:25:20] absolutely unacceptable. So it's absolutely important for the governor of the state of [1:25:25] California when Californian citizens are being taken advantage of to step up. That's the first thing that [1:25:31] has to happen. The second thing is this. We can control fire risk. California has had fires for thousands [1:25:38] of years. We're trying to avoid catastrophic fires in places where there are buildings and houses. We [1:25:44] can do that with prescribed burns on a macro level, which we're doing. And we can harden houses so that, [1:25:50] in fact, they can resist fires. And then it's the job of the governor to go to those insurance companies [1:25:57] and insist they charge fair rates. Because when we've taken care of the risk, we should be charged based [1:26:04] on that. And the governor should step up and force them to take into account the data and support [1:26:09] California cities. I feel like I was just watching your commercial. I've seen it a lot these days. [1:26:14] Mr. Steyer, thank you so much. I couldn't let that one go. Superintendent Thurman, your plan to [1:26:20] prioritize recovery while addressing wildfire prevention? You know, again, you know, our hearts go [1:26:26] out to the folks in the Palisades and Pasadena and Altadena. You know, I was out, I've been to every [1:26:33] community that has experienced fire disaster in the last seven years because school communities have [1:26:38] been deeply impacted. We've raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help the victims of those [1:26:42] fires get money for temporary housing, gas cards, food, books, water, clothes, you name it. And [1:26:52] as we think about it, we cannot let Altadena was one of the first places in this state where black [1:26:57] families can buy a home and today where Latino families buy a home. This can't turn into a reason for [1:27:02] there to be gentrification. We can't let people sit on re on re-permitting the rebuilding of those [1:27:08] homes so that people lose their American dream. Let's expedite the permitting. Let's get those [1:27:14] folks back in there. You know what? The homeowner's insurance industry, they failed us. They said no to [1:27:20] everyone and we're not going to insure you. And then after these fires, they got a rate increase. [1:27:24] Where I come from, you don't get a raise when you do a bad job. We're going to hold the homeowner's [1:27:28] insurance industry accountable to the people of this state. Thank you, Superintendent. Antonio, [1:27:34] your plan. That's my name, everybody. I'm just a regular guy. [1:27:42] Let me just say, we're the only state that didn't do cat with respect to insurance. The only state that [1:27:48] didn't do only state that didn't do catastrophic models in a time of climate change. The only state [1:27:53] state that took more than a year to pass a rate hike. The only state where we didn't have reinsurance. [1:28:02] So the entire market left. We got to bring them back. We got to set limits, but we got to make sure [1:28:08] we have an insurance market or nobody's going to be able to build a home. We've got hardened assets [1:28:13] around homes. That means they're going to be sprinklers. There's going to be grates and screens on [1:28:19] parts of your home. We're going to reduce fire risk by supporting our firefighters and growing Cal Fire. [1:28:27] We're going to expand prescribed burns. We've got to make fires an absolute priority with the next [1:28:35] governor in the state. Ms. Yee? Thank you very much, Antonio. Ms. Yee? Well, as governor, we have to [1:28:43] prioritize getting these communities rebuilt. The wait has been too long. And with respect to [1:28:51] just what we can help them do that, the way we can help them do that, expedite the approval processes. [1:28:57] We have the know-how in terms of how to help local governments do that. We have the technology [1:29:02] in terms of how we can look at applications and be able to expedite those being approved. But having [1:29:07] said that, we want to be sure we're building back smarter as well. Climate change is real. And this is [1:29:13] what we are living with. And we're not going to be telling people you can't rebuild where you had your home, [1:29:20] even though it may burn again. We're going to do everything we can to be sure that we are prepared. [1:29:25] And we want to be sure that we have a cultural preparedness from all parties involved. And with [1:29:29] respect to the insurance companies, start to really pay attention to what your shareholders really [1:29:34] want you to do. The right thing to understand how you value risk in this new era of climate change. [1:29:39] There are risk models and catastrophic models you should be looking at. And we're going to be sure [1:29:42] that would compel them to do that. Ms. Yee, thank you. Thank you, candidates. [1:29:48] Andre? All right, let's talk about gas prices. You know, if you travel anywhere outside of California, [1:29:52] I pay $2.79. Obviously not in California, recently on a trip out of the state. Drivers also pay a 54-cent tax, [1:30:01] a gallon to cover the cost of complying with the state's environmental regulations to reduce health [1:30:06] disparities in communities near refineries. Yet, high gas prices disproportionately burden low-income [1:30:13] households. Mr. Hilton, you have promised $3 gas prices. You blame Democrats and environmental [1:30:18] programs. What is your plan to provide relief at the pump? We have to end the Democrat climate [1:30:25] crusade that has led to these astronomical gas prices that are particularly hurting working [1:30:31] families who drive their cars and trucks two, three, four, five hours a day. It's not the climate [1:30:37] warriors in Marin County tapping away at their MacBooks that are hurt by high gas prices. It's [1:30:43] working-class Californians. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to stop the insane importing of [1:30:49] oil and gas from halfway around the world on giant supertankers, spewing out carbon emissions while [1:30:55] shutting down oil production right here in California. That makes no sense. We're going to end [1:31:01] these environmental regulations on the refineries that are causing them to shut down with zero [1:31:07] environmental benefits. That's how we get to $3 gas. That's going to help every single working [1:31:15] family and small business in California. We will reduce our costs overall. We've got to get it done. [1:31:21] Thank you, Mr. Hilton. Mayor Mahan, what is your plan at $0.54 extra burdening low-income families? [1:31:30] What is your plan to provide relief for those families? Yeah, thank you, Andre Senior. You know, [1:31:35] there's a lot of talk of holding the utilities accountable that we hear, but in San Jose we're [1:31:40] actually doing it. We set up a community choice aggregator to compete with them on buying energy [1:31:46] that's cleaner and cheaper. We set our rates lower and we've been innovating. We held them accountable, [1:31:51] got them to the table, and set an agreement that requires them to provide better, faster service to [1:31:57] our customers and to invest in upgrades to the grid to improve reliability. We also have to be honest [1:32:04] with Californians. We cannot simply demonize and push all other forms of energy out of the state [1:32:11] before we've innovated enough to fully transition to a clean future. Right now, we need both. It's a [1:32:17] process. And if we are overly idealistic and we simply push all other sources out of the state other [1:32:23] than solar and wind, we are driving up costs for working people. We have to be balanced, innovative, [1:32:28] and have a long-term course to that clean energy future that's affordable for working families. [1:32:35] Mayor Mahan, thank you so much. Mr. Steyer, what is your plan to help [1:32:39] unlift the burden of gas prices on these low-income families here in California? [1:32:43] So one of the things that drives me crazy is monopolies and small combinations of businesses [1:32:50] that control price. And in the case of gasoline, we're held hostage by a very small group of companies [1:32:56] that can control refineries and push these prices up all the time. That's where we are. They have us by [1:33:03] the throat. For us to get lower gas prices, we need to find competition. We need to import gasoline, [1:33:10] either from neighboring states like Washington, or we need to buy it, regardless of what Mr. Hilton [1:33:16] says, from Asia and have them ship, refine it there and ship it to us. But that's all the short-term [1:33:23] Why don't we use California gas? That's all the short-term questions. Long-term, what we need to do [1:33:31] is move to electric vehicles. And that is something which is cheaper to fuel, cheaper to maintain, and we [1:33:38] need to get them into hands of working families. And that means cash for clunkers. It means doing [1:33:45] whatever we can to drive down the upfront cost of EVs so that in fact that transition happens as fast as [1:33:51] possible. Mr. Hilton, you have 30 seconds to respond. There's a very simple common sense principle. As long [1:33:58] as we are using oil and gas in California, let's use California oil and gas instead of importing it [1:34:06] from halfway around the world. Did you know that not that long ago, we actually produced most of the [1:34:11] oil and gas we use in California right here in state. Now we import 80 percent. You know, [1:34:16] our number one provider, Iraq. We are shipping oil across the ocean, spewing out carbon emissions. [1:34:23] It makes no sense. Let's use California oil and gas while we can. [1:34:31] Superintendent Thurmond, my question to you. You scrutinize the supply chain here and you [1:34:37] support Transition to Cleaner Energy. Talk about your plan to help release the burden on low-income [1:34:43] Californians dealing with these gas prices. Thank you, Andre. You're claiming my time here. [1:34:48] No, you're good. As I mentioned earlier, I'm going to give a tax credit, a tax break [1:34:55] to working Californians to have a couple hundred dollars a month more in your pocket every month [1:35:00] for rising costs of gas. Let's face it, the cost of gas is high. The reality is this climate change [1:35:05] is real, but we do have to shift to alternative energy. We have to have a plan and a timeline for [1:35:10] how to do that, and we have to build out the infrastructure that allows us to get there. [1:35:14] And so while we are working to get there, two things can be true at the same time. We can keep the [1:35:19] refineries open that keep us from having to buy gas from outside of the country, which will drive up the cost. That's all [1:35:25] California has a very special plan that we use for better emissions, and we can build a million [1:35:32] charging stations to move closer to electric vehicles. Those two things have to be true [1:35:38] at the same time. We have to move with climate change in mind, use the barrels of oil that we [1:35:43] have until they're used up, and move to alternative energy as quickly as we can. [1:35:47] Superintendent Thurmond, thank you so much. Mayor Ragosa, what is your plan here to help [1:35:53] families here? You want to slow down regulations on refineries. Tell us more about your plan. [1:35:57] Look, everybody, we're talking about going green. And by the way, 100 percent record in six years [1:36:04] I was in the legislature, the author of the Karl Moyer Act, the biggest effort to clean up the air [1:36:09] since the Clean Air Act until AB 32 and SB 32. Number one American city in reducing carbon emissions, [1:36:14] number five in the world. When I say that we over-regulate the refineries, actually Steve is right, [1:36:19] and that is we import 75 percent of our oil and gas from Iraq, Ecuador, and other places. [1:36:33] The next governor is going to admit the fact, yes, we do need to go electric, but we built 167,000 [1:36:39] charging stations in the last 10 years. We need 2 million more in the next 10 years, and if we built [1:36:44] them, we don't have the grid. And by the way, we're the last in the western states in building [1:36:50] that grid. So the next governor's got to focus on expanding ethanol. If we do expand ethanol by 15 [1:36:58] percent, we'll increase or reduce the tax on that by 30 cents. And we've got to focus on bringing it [1:37:06] down. Ms. Yee, you have one minute to answer the question. Thank you. So with respect to helping [1:37:14] just hardworking Californians pocketbooks, I also would propose a tax credit. Looking at expanding [1:37:20] the income tax credit so that they can actually be able to get to work every day. But let me just [1:37:26] say this in terms of where we're headed. California has been on the leading edge of the environmental [1:37:31] movement, and we should not feel ashamed of that. What we should feel ashamed of is the impacts to [1:37:36] low-income communities that have not felt the benefits of our transition. So here's what we need to [1:37:43] do. And just right across the bay here in Rodeo, this is not a transition that's going to happen [1:37:49] overnight. We don't flip a switch to get to green and clean. We actually need to have transitional [1:37:54] fuels. So in Rodeo, we have renewable diesel that's being refined at the expense of the company, [1:38:00] by the way. Nobody's subsidizing them because they're trying to be responsible. But this is a [1:38:04] transition. So we have to be sure that communities, all communities, particularly low-income communities, [1:38:10] particularly our black and brown communities, are part of the transition, can share in having cleaner air [1:38:15] and more healthier communities. Thank you so much. Secretary Becerra, your plan to help [1:38:22] communities that are burdened by these gas prices? Well, first, we can't ignore what's going on, [1:38:28] the climate change that's occurring, not just in our state and around the world. The extreme heat, [1:38:34] the wildfires, the landslides that are occurring, these atmospheric rivers that are dumping rain in [1:38:40] in huge amounts. We have to be prepared for what's coming. That's why we have to have an energy [1:38:46] transition. But that energy transition has to be stable. We cannot move faster than our working class [1:38:54] families can because we'll leave them behind. And if we leave them behind, they'll stop being the [1:38:59] environmentalists and the conservationists that they already are. We want them to join us in having [1:39:04] clean energy, which means we have to fight Donald Trump and the cuts he made to wind and solar. And we have [1:39:10] to have a policy that says all sources of energy have to be on the table because we have to make [1:39:15] this transition smooth for the folks who work really hard but don't make a lot of money. We want to make [1:39:21] sure they come and join us. And that means moving towards clean energy like electricity, but doing it [1:39:26] at the pace of our working class. Secretary Becerra, thank you so much. Greg? Candidates, as we said earlier, [1:39:32] we asked viewers ahead of this debate to weigh in on the questions they wanted to see asked tonight. This is a [1:39:37] question from Henry in San Bernardino. He says, Governor Newsom made several high profile commitments [1:39:42] such as addressing housing affordability, reducing homelessness and improving public safety that some [1:39:47] Californians feel remain unmet or insufficiently delivered. What concrete accountability mechanisms [1:39:53] would you put in place to ensure that your own commitments are not just announced but measurably [1:39:58] delivered within a defined timeline? Mayor Mahan, you've been a vocal critic of the governor. We begin with [1:40:03] you. One minute. Look, I think the governor's done many important things for our state. I think he's [1:40:09] focused on the right issues. The next governor is going to have to build on initiatives like care [1:40:15] court and sequel reform and things the governor's championed. But I agree that in government at all [1:40:21] levels, state, county, cities, some of the federal government, there's not been enough accountability for [1:40:26] outcomes. When I ran for mayor of San Jose, I ran on a simple premise. We're going to focus on fewer [1:40:31] things. We're going to focus on the things that are most important for our residents. We're going to [1:40:36] set public goals. And yes, we're going to put them up in dashboards. We're going to show you where every [1:40:41] dollar goes. And we will measure the performance of those dollars, the programs and the policies [1:40:48] that we pass, that we say are our best hypotheses for delivering better outcomes. And the truth is, [1:40:54] if the things we're spending your money on aren't delivering better outcomes, we need to be held [1:40:58] accountable. We need to see that in the data and be willing to change what we're doing. In San Jose, [1:41:03] we've done that. We've become the safest big city. We've reduced homelessness faster. We've gotten [1:41:07] thousands of new homes under construction by thinking differently. Mayor, thank you. Mr. Steyer, [1:41:14] how do you deliver on your commitments if elected? Look, there's an old saying, if you can't measure it, [1:41:19] you can't manage it. And so I think as governor, it's going to be incredibly important to set forward [1:41:26] what you're trying to do to make your goals public, to be transparent, and then continually measure [1:41:32] yourself against what you've promised to do. That is what I'm going to do. And that's the only way [1:41:38] that I understand how to build results. So for instance, I say, I want us to be a top 10 education [1:41:45] state in the United States. Okay, there has to be a plan explicitly how to get there. It's not hope. [1:41:52] It's actually a plan. But then you have to measure exactly what the results are in the schools in [1:41:58] California. When we talk about building a million homes, that's a specific promise. And that means [1:42:04] I've got to live up to it and measure it so that at every point we can see, am I living up to it? [1:42:10] Will I drive, take on the electric monopolies and drive down costs by 25%? That's specific. I promise [1:42:17] to be transparent and hold myself to account because that's what Californians need and deserve. [1:42:22] Thank you, Mr. Steyer. Superintendent Thurman, how do you deliver on your promises? [1:42:26] I've been very explicit. I've said I put a timeline on my housing plan. For example, [1:42:32] I have said that we will build 2 million housing units, affordable housing by the year 2030. That [1:42:40] means if we, on average, for every surplus property parcel that exists, built on average 12 units, [1:42:49] we will get to 2.3 million units by the year 2030. As a candidate, I'm here giving it to you as [1:42:58] explicitly and direct as I can. We have the capacity and the know-how to deliver. And it's why I have a [1:43:05] bill in the legislature that would get money to our school districts to give them the startup funds [1:43:11] and the technical assistance on how to value the land, on how to build. Remember, these are units [1:43:16] that can be built without any additional permitting. There is surplus property in each of the 58 counties [1:43:23] in our state. If we simply just built 12 on each parcel, we get to 2.3 million by the year 2030. [1:43:30] Superintendent, thank you. Antonio, how do you deliver on your promises? [1:43:35] I'll tell you what I did. I put dashboards by everything. I put metrics and people on every goal [1:43:42] that I had set out, every campaign promise. Someone said it was about 100. And that's how crime went down [1:43:49] nearly 50%. Graduation rates went up 60%. Greenhouse gases went down higher than any other [1:43:57] city in the country, number five in the world. So putting metrics that are transparent, that are on [1:44:05] you know, the computer so that you can come and look at it and see where the progress is, holding people [1:44:10] accountable. That's what you have to do. And I'm the only one on this stage that's actually had a job [1:44:16] like that. You know, 50,000 employees. Yeah, 50,000 employees. And importantly, I made those decisions, [1:44:25] not a city manager. It was the mayor that made those decisions. And I can tell you, it's about [1:44:30] accountability. And I intend to focus on that as governor. Antonio, thank you. Ms. Yee? [1:44:38] As governor, I am going to set the tone for accountability for the state of California. Look, [1:44:43] all of these plans that my colleagues have talked about, they're great until we deliver, unless we [1:44:49] can't, we got to deliver on them. How do we deliver on them? To make sure that the appropriations [1:44:54] are there. Make sure that the money is actually getting the outcomes that we want. We work with [1:44:58] the legislature to have them be able to provide scrutiny over every dollar during their budget [1:45:02] hearings. You know, we have not been accountable or transparent with our dollars for a long time. [1:45:07] Why are we right now, in succession years, spending more than we're bringing in? This is where we are. [1:45:15] So accountability has to be a tone set from the top through the legislature that we work with. [1:45:20] Budget hearings, you're going to scrutinize every department in my executive branch to be sure [1:45:24] that we're delivering on every dollar that you appropriated to us. And are we talking to the [1:45:28] communities that are affected? Because if they're not seeing the results, something's wrong. You know, [1:45:33] when we talk about accountability, it's just not to the voters. It's to the people we deliver to. [1:45:38] It's to the different branches of government. And I also want to have a more robust [1:45:41] relationship with our cities and counties as well as partners in accountability. [1:45:45] Thank you. Secretary Becerra, how do you remain accountable to your promises? [1:45:50] By suing Donald Trump over 120 times, making sure that every time he tried to violate the law and [1:45:59] hurt our people, we stood up and we held him accountable by making sure that as attorney general, [1:46:05] we went out and took action against police departments that were profiling, that were going [1:46:10] after people in a non-official legal policing way. And that's why we began investigations, what are [1:46:18] called pattern and practice investigations against LA County Sheriff's Department, Kern County Sheriff's [1:46:23] Department and the Bakersfield Police Department. You hold people accountable. That's why I issued the [1:46:29] regulations that put in place the racial profiling parameters under how a police stop can be conducted, [1:46:36] and you hold everyone accountable. And finally, I should mention as HHS Secretary, when I established [1:46:42] 988, the program for suicide and mental health assistance, I said one thing, our goal when we [1:46:47] launch is to make sure that no one is put on hold and no one gets a busy signal because people have [1:46:53] to know that service will be delivered. You hold yourself accountable. You hold your deputies accountable. [1:46:58] Thank you, Secretary. Mr. Hilton. [1:47:00] So this is exactly why we need an outsider to shake things up in California. Unlike my Democrat friends here, [1:47:06] I've never run for office before. All my life, I've had to focus on results, starting and running [1:47:12] businesses, working inside of a government, fighting the bureaucracy, trying to make change happen. [1:47:17] I'll give you a little story that shows exactly what's gone wrong in California. It's Mayor Karen [1:47:22] Bass in LA claiming that she's streamlined permitting for rebuilding. And here's what she actually said. [1:47:28] I remember it exactly. I have just signed an executive order tasking agency heads with developing [1:47:35] paths forward to streamlining permitting. These are the things you get from career politicians [1:47:42] who don't know how to deliver results. It's all about process. When I get to Sacramento, [1:47:47] I will take a sledgehammer to our bloated bureaucratic nanny state, and I will enjoy doing it. [1:47:53] Mr. Hilton, thank you. Candidates, thank you. Arla. [1:47:58] All right, now we have made it to our rapid fire portion of the debate. We have a few rapid fire [1:48:06] questions for you lined up. Please only answer with a simple yes or no, or the options we provide. [1:48:14] First question, as governor, a simple yes or no, would you support a billionaire's tax? We will go [1:48:21] down the stage and begin with Secretary Becerra. No, if we're talking about the initiative that's on, [1:48:26] maybe on the ballot. Okay. Mr. Hilton. No. Mr. Mahan. We should close loopholes billionaires use to not [1:48:40] pay taxes. Okay, so do we get an opportunity to give more than a yes or no? Beclaiming my time. [1:48:53] Mr. Sire. I believe that billionaires have to pay their fair share. Oh my God. So that's a yes. [1:49:02] You were asking me if we're going to tax billionaires more, and I'm saying billionaires [1:49:05] have to pay their fair share. Yes. Okay. Superintendent Thurmond. Yes. [1:49:13] No. Yes. Andre. Next rapid fire question. You guys remember that [1:49:23] train high-speed rail? I want to start with you. Would you complete it, shrink it, or end it? [1:49:31] High-speed rail. Japan has it. Europe has it. China has it. We're going to have it too. We're just going [1:49:35] to do it smart. We're not going to have these cost overruns, and we'll make sure it runs efficiently, [1:49:40] because Californians need to have access to high-speed rail. Mr. Hilton, would you [1:49:43] shrink it, complete it, or end it? They're not even talking about [1:49:47] completing it for another decade or so. No, of course not. We can't send good money after bad. [1:49:52] We need to invest that money in real things to help families expand the road. [1:49:57] Rapid fire here, Canada. Yes, local rail working. [1:49:59] Mayor Mayhem, would you shrink it, complete it, or end it? [1:50:03] Need to complete it with a different mindset and greater accountability for getting it done. [1:50:08] Thank you, Mayor. Mr. Steyer, would you complete it, shrink it, or end it? [1:50:11] Who isn't for high-speed public transportation, but we can't pay any price for it. [1:50:16] All right. That is actually right. [1:50:18] Thank you, Mr. Steyer. We have to do it in a new way. [1:50:20] Mr. Thurman, would you complete it, shrink it, or end it? [1:50:22] Complete it. All right. Thank you, Mr. [1:50:24] Villaraigosa, would you? Complete it. [1:50:27] All right. Ms. Yee? Complete it. [1:50:29] Thank you. Candidates, last rapid fire remind you, yes or no. [1:50:33] Would you continue Governor Newsom's fight to phase out the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035? [1:50:38] Secretary Becerra, yes or no? We're going to do it in a stable transition period, [1:50:43] so that we can make sure everyone can- Hey, come on. [1:50:46] Our working family's going to be able to afford it. That's my point. [1:50:49] Mr. Hilton. Working family's going to afford it. We're there. [1:50:51] No. We're sick of being bust around. Mayor Mayhem. [1:50:54] I want you to drive the car that you want to drive. [1:50:56] Moving on. Mayor Mayhem, yes or no? [1:50:58] Look, only if the technology's there so it doesn't increase costs for middle class. [1:51:04] Mr. Steyer. I wrote a book on this called Cheaper, Faster, Better, [1:51:08] how we win the climate war. If it's better for the people of California, I'm for it. [1:51:12] Okay. Superintendent Thurman, yes or no? [1:51:14] Yes. [1:51:17] Antonio, yes or no? [1:51:18] No. [1:51:20] Ms. Yee? [1:51:20] Yes. [1:51:23] Candidates, thank you. We are four months from the June primary. Polls show most voters in this [1:51:29] state are undecided in this race. As you well know, this is a crowded field. It is time for our [1:51:34] closing statements. For that, we ask you, what sets you apart? We'll go in reverse order from our [1:51:40] opening statements. Ms. Yee, you have one minute for your closing statement. [1:51:43] Great. Well, thank you to our moderators, to Black Action Alliance, KTVU, Fox 11, [1:51:49] and everyone watching. It's important that we're here tonight because as you just heard, [1:51:55] all the polls show that this race is wide open. You know, I think voters have had enough. I've been [1:52:01] around the state. I've spoken to thousands of them. Enough of the lies, the broken campaign promises, [1:52:07] the billionaires trying to run the world. You know, look, I'm the adult in the room. I'm a no gimmicks, [1:52:13] no nonsense, straight shooter, and a woman who gets things done. I'm the only candidate who's ready [1:52:20] to lead now. I don't need on-the-job training. And California can't afford a rookie in the governor's [1:52:26] office. And we certainly can't afford a leader who thinks grandstanding is actually governing. [1:52:31] You know, growing up on the west side of the city, when things got tough, my mom used to always say, [1:52:37] well, you know what we got to do. And we get to work doing it. She's now 102 years old, [1:52:43] and I still take her advice. I'm eager to get to work, to do what we got to do to make California [1:52:49] better for all who call the state home. Thank you, Missy. I'd be honored to earn your vote. [1:52:55] Antonio, one minute. We need a proven problem solver, someone who's done it before. We need [1:53:03] somebody who will take on Trump, fight, restore affordability in this state. But we also need a [1:53:11] uniter. You know, I grew up in the civil rights movement. My entire life, I understood that we [1:53:17] had to bring people together so we could move the country forward. The fact of the matter is, [1:53:22] everybody, that the country is divided evenly. In this state, we're blue. But 25% voted for, [1:53:31] 25% are Republican, 40% voted for Donald Trump, and 48% said, I'm open to a Republican governor. [1:53:39] We need to work with everybody. We need to be able to say to this state, if you want to work hard and [1:53:45] play by the rules, I'm for you. If you want to contribute and pay your taxes, whether you're an [1:53:51] immigrant or you're someone that's been here for a generation, I'm for you. We need a state that [1:53:57] focuses on getting things done. And as your candidate for governor, I'll be that person. [1:54:04] Thank you, Antonio. Superintendent Thurman, your closing statement. [1:54:07] Thank you for this evening. California is going through some very tough times. And as I think [1:54:13] about my own life, you know, I know what it's like to try to overcome tough times. My life has been a [1:54:19] story of overcoming humble beginnings. I told you about my grandparents who were immigrants and [1:54:25] descendants of slaves. You know, I lost both my parents by the time I was six years old, my mom to [1:54:31] cancer, my dad who never returned from the Vietnam War. I met my father after finding him on the internet, [1:54:37] just about my 40th birthday. So I grew up in a household where we went without. [1:54:41] When I finally got a job, it paid $3.35 an hour. I know what it is to have to work two [1:54:47] and three jobs like many Californians are doing right now. So select a candidate who not only has [1:54:54] the experience and the vision, but to live the experience of our Californians who are struggling. [1:55:01] Together, we'll build two million housing units, we'll provide a tax credit for working Californians, [1:55:06] and we will make sure that we provide good paying jobs for all Californians. California can be better. [1:55:11] Let's build it together. Thank you, Superintendent. Mr. Steyer, one minute for your closing statement. [1:55:18] So I want to thank the Black Action Alliance again for having us here. And I want to say that to lower [1:55:23] costs, we're going to have to have a governor who's willing to take on the special interests and raise [1:55:29] revenue. I've always stood up to them. And I've always won. I took on the oil companies and beat [1:55:35] them. I took on the tobacco companies and beat them. I took on multinational companies and beat them. [1:55:41] And in every case, I brought billions of dollars to California without charging Californians a penny. [1:55:48] Right now, the big tech CEOs are terrified about the idea of paying their fair share. Right now, [1:55:56] they're supporting me. That's where they are. Who have I got? I've got the nurses. I've got the bus [1:56:04] drivers. I've got the cafeteria workers. I've got the custodians. I've taken on the special interest [1:56:11] three times, and I've always beaten them. I'm the billionaire who's going to take on the billionaires [1:56:16] for working families. Thank you, Mr. Steyer. A note for our audience. Our candidates agreed to no [1:56:24] rebuttals during openings and closing. One other note. During our tech difficulties, we lost half of Mr. [1:56:29] Mahan's answer when it comes to affordability. So we have agreed. Mayor Mahan, 90 seconds for your [1:56:34] closing, sir. Thank you, Tom. I've got about three billion reasons not to trust your answer on that. [1:56:40] But I'll just say that, look, what sets me apart in this race is I am willing to tell the truth. [1:56:48] And the truth is never as simple as a one-word answer. I oppose the wealth tax because it will send [1:56:55] good, high-paying jobs out of our state and harm working families in the long run. We'll all pay [1:57:01] more taxes for it. On the other hand, I will tell you, the wealthiest amongst us use loopholes in [1:57:07] the tax code to avoid paying certain taxes, and we should close those loopholes, not destroy [1:57:13] middle-class jobs. So the truth is that our politics has been oversimplified. It's become this blood [1:57:19] sport between populists on both sides, and you deserve real answers, not the easy answers. And the way that [1:57:27] we're going to move California forward is by getting our state government back to basics on the issues [1:57:34] that matter most to you, starting with the brutally high cost of housing, the human tragedy of untreated [1:57:44] addiction, the mental illness, the obvious failures of our policies to address homelessness, schools that [1:57:51] are giving up on too many of our kids. And the way we move forward is setting goals, being honest that [1:57:57] there are not simple answers, and holding ourselves more accountable for delivering for you. [1:58:03] Mayor, thank you. Mr. Elton, one minute for your closing statement. [1:58:09] So what sets me apart in this race is that I'm not a Democrat. And after 16 years, after 16 years of [1:58:16] Democrat one-party rule that have given us the highest poverty, the highest unemployment, the highest cost of [1:58:22] living in America, I think it's a very good thing. We don't need another Democrat. We need change. [1:58:26] We've got the plans to make it happen. $3 gas, cut your electric bill in half, your first hundred grand [1:58:34] tax-free, a home you can afford to buy. And that's how we make our state hell affordable. But the other [1:58:39] thing that makes me different, I'm building a team. I'm building a team to get this done. For Lieutenant [1:58:45] Governor running with me, Gloria Romero, she was the former Democrat leader of the state Senate. [1:58:50] Michael Gates running with me for Attorney General to enforce the law. Herb Morgan running with me for [1:58:56] State Controller to end the fraud in our government. That's how we make our state golden again with the [1:59:02] golden ticket and the team I'm putting together. Thank you, Mr. Hilton. To our audience, please [1:59:08] contain your comments. Secretary Becerra, one minute for your closing, sir. I've taken on a reckless [1:59:18] federal government and ruthless corporations. I've defended workers' wages, women's health, immigrant [1:59:27] rights. I launched civil rights investigations, the 988 suicide and mental health lifeline. I've taken [1:59:34] down sex trafficking rings and organized crime operations. I'm deeply in love with the same woman [1:59:41] I married 37 years ago, Carolina Reyes, a high-risk obstetrician gynecologist and our three daughters. [1:59:48] I'm not the richest candidate and I'm not the slickest candidate. And the governor's office is not a place [1:59:56] for on-the-job training or inflated promises. It's a place where you have to know how to fight [2:00:01] to, more importantly, know how to win. I intend to win for the hardest working and lowest paid in [2:00:08] California. I intend to win for young families struggling to figure out how they can do what my [2:00:12] parents did, even though they didn't get an education. And I will fight for California's [2:00:17] seniors who are ready to retire, not in Idaho or Arizona, but here in California. That's what I fight. [2:00:22] Secretary, thank you. And with that, that wraps our debate up for tonight. Thank you to our [2:00:27] candidates, our audience here at the historic Ruth Williams Bayview Opera House. And to you at home, [2:00:32] for more information on the election of the candidates in tonight's debate, you can visit [2:00:41] If you joined us midway, we want to let you know that our teams are currently working [2:00:45] to add this entire debate to our Fox local TV app. Please continue to weigh in on tonight's [2:00:50] debate via that QR code on your screen. With that, let's take it to the KTVU studios in Oakland, [2:00:55] where Mike Meebeck and Claudine Wong are standing by with two political experts for analysis and [2:01:00] reaction. Take it away, guys. All right. Thank you, Greg. And from public safety to housing, [2:01:05] affordability, homelessness, and education, you have just seen and heard from seven of the [2:01:10] gubernatorial candidates on some of the major issues playing a role in this year's election. [2:01:16] Welcome back. I'm Claudine Wong at the KTVU studios in Jack London Square. And I'm Mike Meebeck. So the [2:01:21] debate is over. What are the main takeaways? Who won the debate? We'll get to our panel in just a moment. [2:01:27] We're also asking you at home what you've been thinking of the debate since we began. Yep. Well, [2:01:32] our candidates are just walking off the stage right now, and we're going to check in with them [2:01:35] in just a bit. We've got our own Betty Yu standing by there, and we'll talk to those candidates [2:01:40] as they're coming off. Let's welcome in our panel right now as we get a look at really how this [2:01:45] debate went. We have Melissa Michelson with us here, and of course, we have Jasmine Kanik, who is [2:01:51] down in Los Angeles as well. Both of you here to give us your take really on how this really went for [2:01:59] everyone. Melissa Michelson, you're the Dean of Arts and Sciences and Political Science at Menlo [2:02:03] College. And Jasmine, of course, political strategist and delegate for the LA County Democratic Party. [2:02:09] So, Melissa, let's start with you. How do we think this went? Did the candidates achieve what they [2:02:14] wanted to achieve when they walked onto that stage tonight? I think some of them did. Some of them very [2:02:19] clearly came in with an assignment and delivered, put themselves out there, made a case for themselves, [2:02:25] distinguished themselves, especially for the Democrats from the rest of the field. Is there a [2:02:30] winner for you? Of the folks that were on the stage tonight, I think Matt Mahan did very well, [2:02:36] but I think also Steve Hilton did very well. I think it's going to really hurt Chad Bianco that [2:02:41] he wasn't there tonight. And I think for Republicans who listened to the debate tonight, they might be [2:02:47] thinking, well, maybe Steve Hilton is the one I want. He is not a Democrat, as he said multiple times. [2:02:52] And then among the Democrats, the assignment for all of them was to distinguish themselves. [2:02:57] And, you know, at the end, they were trying to answer that question. How do you distinguish yourself? [2:03:02] And many of them talked about being ready to go on day one. This is no place for job training. [2:03:06] You've got to be a fighter. But if you all say the same thing, you're not distinguishing yourself. [2:03:13] And I felt like Matt Mahan overall did the best at saying, I have a unique vision I'm bringing [2:03:19] forward and one that resonated. Antonio Villaraigosa also had a unique message talking about the balance [2:03:24] between Republicans and Democrats in the state. But I don't know that that's going to help him [2:03:28] distinguish himself among Democrats. All right, let's go to Los Angeles. Jasmine Cannon. Jasmine, [2:03:33] you're a little disappointed at intermission. Your thoughts at the end of the debate. Who do you [2:03:37] think took the W? I don't know if I have a clear winner. But what I will say is I think that, [2:03:45] you know, nearly half of the folks here in the state of California are registered Democrats. And [2:03:50] if you're a Democrat and you were watching the debate tonight, you're trying to figure out which [2:03:55] one of the candidates sort of aligns with your morals and your values and issues that you think are [2:04:00] important. If you want to see ICE abolished, if you tend to lean more progressive, you might have [2:04:08] been feeling Tom Steyer or even Tony Thurman more than some of the other candidates, right? If you [2:04:15] were a little bit, if you're a little bit more moderate and you were looking for someone who was [2:04:21] sort of down the middle, then one of the other candidates probably appealed to you. Hilton definitely [2:04:28] stood out there alone because he was the only Republican there. And so, you know, clearly he [2:04:35] represented for his party. But, you know, almost the majority, almost half of the majority of the [2:04:40] folks here in the state of California are Democrats. And so really, it was up to the Democrats to [2:04:46] distinguish themselves and to not sound like each other. But a lot of them did sound like each other. [2:04:51] And let me just say that because we've been asking viewers at home, your best impression, [2:04:55] and Hilton was getting the majority of it with Mahan right behind, not right behind him, [2:04:59] but behind him in second, mainly because, as we've been talking about, Democrats are just split. [2:05:03] You know, they're taking all the votes, so we'll see what happens. [2:05:05] And so, Jasmine and Melissa, we're going to get to all the issues that we have been talking about [2:05:09] in just a moment. We want to go right now, though, to Betty Yu, who is standing by [2:05:14] at the debate stage with some of the candidates walking off the stage. Betty. [2:05:17] That's right, Claudine. I'm with the candidates, and we are getting their first reactions [2:05:23] right now after the debate just wrapped moments ago. I'm with Mr. Superintendent. [2:05:29] How did it go for you tonight? I thought it went well. This is a great airing for [2:05:33] the voters to be able to see and hear the candidates. And in a very crowded race, [2:05:38] gives them an opportunity to see what differentiates us, like me talking about [2:05:41] building two million housing units over the next four years. And so, [2:05:44] I thought it was a great show and a great opportunity. Thank you [2:05:47] to everyone at the affiliates for hosting tonight's debate. [2:05:50] Mr. Thurman, thank you so much for your time. [2:05:52] Thank you. [2:05:53] And next, I'm joined by Antonio, as you prefer to be called. [2:05:59] Yes. [2:05:59] How are you feeling just moments after this debate wrapped up tonight? [2:06:03] Oh, great. Look, most of us are Democrats. We agree on a whole lot. [2:06:07] But I think it's important to have a different viewpoint. So I was glad that Steve Hilton is here. [2:06:13] We don't have to agree on anything, but I think what we want more and more, [2:06:16] and if you heard some of the people yelling, we want civility in our politics. [2:06:21] We want people that bring us together, that celebrate what we have in common, [2:06:25] and acknowledge that there are differences from time to time. So I enjoyed it. [2:06:29] But I think we all got to remember that civility is important in our body politics. [2:06:35] We certainly saw moments of unity on stage tonight. Thank you so much for your time. [2:06:41] Mr. Steyer. [2:06:42] Let me talk. [2:06:43] Tom, why should voters consider tonight a win for you? [2:06:48] I thought I did something that nobody else did tonight, which I said, [2:06:54] I will bring $15 to $20 billion for education and healthcare to the people of California without [2:07:00] charging them a penny. And I said, I will take on the special interests because nobody can buy me. [2:07:06] I've always taken them on before, and I've always won. And we need a governor who will stand up for [2:07:11] working families across the state. [2:07:13] All right, Tom, thank you so much for sharing your initial thoughts with us. [2:07:16] Thank you very much. [2:07:17] Betty Yee, nice to meet you. [2:07:19] Nice to meet you too. [2:07:20] How are you feeling about tonight's debate? [2:07:23] I feel good. I feel that there was really an engaged audience, certainly here in the theater, [2:07:29] and I hope with the viewers out throughout California as well. It's a wide open race, [2:07:34] and so I'm very happy that people took the time to be here tonight. [2:07:38] Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us. [2:07:40] Yes, sir. Thank you. [2:07:42] And right now we have Mr. Hilton. [2:07:45] Thank you so much for your time. [2:07:47] Great to see you. [2:07:48] You talked a lot about your differences tonight. [2:07:51] What stood out to you the most? [2:07:53] So I was the only non-Democrat on stage tonight, and so I think it was important to show people [2:07:59] that we don't have to put up with things as they are in California. [2:08:03] We need change. It's 16 years of one-party rule by the Democrats. [2:08:07] And I was laying out a positive, practical alternative. [2:08:10] How we can get costs down, $3 gas, cut your electric bills in half, [2:08:14] your first hundred grand tax-free, a home you can afford to buy, [2:08:18] practical things to make life better for Californians. [2:08:21] After these 16 years where we've ended up with the highest poverty in America, [2:08:25] the highest unemployment rate, the highest cost of living, we've got to change. [2:08:29] And my role is an outsider. I've never run for office before. [2:08:33] This is the first debate I've ever done. [2:08:35] I'm pleased to say that the first poll that came out had me winning 75 percent. [2:08:41] So it's going well. We've got some energy and momentum. And I really enjoyed tonight's debate. [2:08:45] Thank you so much for sharing your initial thoughts [2:08:48] and that momentum and participating in the debate tonight. [2:08:51] Happy to meet you. Thank you. [2:08:53] Thank you. Well, there you have it. [2:08:57] We are trying to get Mayor Mahan for his initial thoughts. [2:09:02] Mayor, nice to meet you. We wanted to get your initial thoughts on tonight's debate. [2:09:07] How did it go for you? [2:09:08] Well, I enjoyed being part of the conversation. And look, I'm just going to tell the truth on the [2:09:14] issues. People in politics often give easy answers. I think people deserve real answers about how we [2:09:19] address incredibly high cost of living. We have our crisis of addiction and mental illness and high [2:09:26] energy costs that are nearly twice the cost of bills in the rest of the country. So it's really about [2:09:32] focus and accountability and delivering for people just like we're doing in San Jose. We've been leading [2:09:37] the way on public safety, reducing homelessness. We're building housing again, and the entire state [2:09:42] really needs that kind of vision here. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts tonight and [2:09:46] participating in our debate. Appreciate it. Well, those Mike and Claudine are some initial reactions, [2:09:52] how all the candidates sized up tonight's debate. Of course, we'll have more insight and analysis [2:09:58] on our show later on tonight. All right, Betty you thank you for that quick spin room in terms of how [2:10:04] they are feeling about this. It's interesting and we want to get your take on it. You know, [2:10:09] Steve Hilton's feeling pretty good about he was the only Republican on stage. So a little bit easier, [2:10:15] I think, for him to differentiate himself. We do have a little bit of from actually when he was on the [2:10:21] stage and the person he actually talked most about was the other Republican who wasn't there yet and [2:10:28] or wasn't participating in Chad Bianco, who had a scheduling conflict, couldn't be on there. I wonder [2:10:33] if we can play a little bit of of that and talk about how he focused on that. Let's listen in. [2:10:39] My Republican colleague, Chad Bianco, is not here tonight to face these Democrats or his record. In 2020, [2:10:49] during the Black Lives Matter riots, he took a knee when told to by BLM. Now he says he was praying. [2:11:02] All right, Jasmine, we'll get your thoughts on that. And Melissa, we'll get your thoughts on that [2:11:07] really quickly. We have to go back to Betty you because she has the Sarah with her and we have [2:11:13] the Sarah. We want to make sure we get his thoughts. Mr. Secretary, we just wanted to get your initial [2:11:19] thoughts on how this debate went tonight for you. Anytime you get all the candidates or many of them [2:11:26] together, especially in a community like this, that doesn't always get to see who the next governor [2:11:30] will be. That's great. I think we should do these forms in communities that have always been left [2:11:35] behind because these are the folks who have to believe in their leaders. So great. We all [2:11:41] answered the questions. We were pretty civil. Most importantly, we were in a community that doesn't [2:11:45] always get to see who the next governor of California will be. Thank you so much for being here [2:11:49] tonight. I would agree with largely civil with the exception of a couple of booze during tonight's [2:11:55] debate. Thank you so much for your time. We need that more. And hopefully the public will get a better [2:12:00] understanding who the candidates are, and then we'll make a good choice. Thank you so much. Thank you. [2:12:05] And Claudia and Mike will send it back to you. Those are the first thoughts fresh off the debate [2:12:11] tonight on the stage. All right, Betty. Thank you for that. And when you look at someone like Javier, [2:12:16] Becerra, Jasmine, you see experience, and then you see Steve Hilton. You see the newcomer. [2:12:24] What do you think of Steve Hilton in this race moving forward, especially since we just ran that [2:12:29] sound bite? Okay, so I'm going to go to your sound bite, and this is me and my whole heart and chest. [2:12:36] That is not my problem. I do not care if him and Chad Bianco fight. I'm a Democrat. That is not my [2:12:44] problem. That is not my business. They can fight all they want to. Clearly the man is going to stand [2:12:51] out on a stage full of Democrats, not to mention the fact he has an accent. Okay, so he set himself [2:12:59] apart and he was, you know, he tried to be witty and he spoke to his base, but his base is not my base. [2:13:08] And him arguing with Chad has nothing at all to do with Democrats. We don't care. You know who else [2:13:15] is a newcomer too? When you look at that stage is Matt Mahan. He's 43 years old. He was a city [2:13:21] councilman for two years before becoming mayor. I mean, does he have a chance, you know, to win? [2:13:27] And I know Jasmine, you said it'd be tough for a mayor of San Jose to go down south and campaign and [2:13:31] win votes. But to you, Melissa, can that happen for the mayor of San Jose? Does he have a shot? [2:13:37] He absolutely has a shot. And I think we've seen similar things happen in other races, [2:13:42] maybe not quite on the scale of a governor, but Zoran Mondami just won the mayor's race in New York [2:13:47] City. I think that tells you that somebody with limited experience, fairly young, can get elected [2:13:53] to a big job if people believe in him. And I think we're seeing in the viewer responses to the polls, [2:13:59] a lot of folks are thinking that Matt Mahan did very well tonight. And I agree. So I think that [2:14:04] that shows you that it's possible. And Hilton focused on Bianco, but he also focused on Mahan [2:14:09] and that kind of get back and forth. Steyer and back and forth with Mahan as well. And so [2:14:14] it's an interesting thing that as the newcomer, I mean, he just got in this race literally days [2:14:19] ago. But that's evidence that people know he's a threat. You don't attack people who aren't a threat. [2:14:23] They're not attacking folks who they think, oh, they're going to drop off. I don't have to worry [2:14:27] about them, but I want to make sure I get this guy. Jasmine, what about for those not on the stage? [2:14:32] Eric Swalwell. Look, I know he said he had to be in D.C. on Capitol Hill. Katie Porter. I mean, [2:14:38] are they in the mix? Not being as they watching this closely and it's not being part of that stage. [2:14:45] Of course they're watching it. Their campaigns are watching it. They will probably watch it if [2:14:50] they didn't watch it live. Did it hurt them? Probably, probably because voters got to hear from [2:14:56] a stage full of candidates and they were not in the mix. So yes, it hurt them. I think people will [2:15:03] definitely understand why Eric wasn't there, but I do not think they will understand why [2:15:11] Porter wasn't there. And that will be something that certainly that she might have to address and [2:15:17] say, this is whatever scheduling conflict, this is why I wasn't there. I don't think people care. [2:15:20] I don't think people care. People know Katie Porter. If you're an unknown and you're introducing [2:15:25] yourself to the state of California, then it's going to matter because the first impression is, [2:15:29] well, why wasn't Porter at the debate? But people know who Katie Porter is, right? She just ran for [2:15:34] Senate and people, at least around here, know who Eric Swalwell is. They don't have to introduce [2:15:40] themselves. Swalwell's got a record of being a congressman, of fighting Trump. [2:15:44] But will they look at it negatively if... That they skip the debate? Not at all. People skip [2:15:48] debates all the time. I think, you know, 20 years ago, you couldn't skip a debate. But these days, [2:15:53] it's all about social media and it's, and it's about, you know, secondary coverage. [2:15:57] And if you miss one debate, you're fine. It's about momentum as well, though, and certainly making [2:16:02] sure in this crowded field that your name keeps popping up and that people remember you. Right. [2:16:06] Because certainly decisions are going to have to be made as we get closer, right, to this primary of, [2:16:10] of where you poll and if you stay in. Yes. But of course, Katie Porter's already [2:16:15] doing well in the polls, right? Swalwell's already doing well in the polls. So they've [2:16:17] already got that base. The question is, would the people who have been supporting them switch [2:16:22] now that they've watched the debate? Usually people don't switch, right? The undecideds maybe [2:16:27] wouldn't go for them. And there's a lot of undecideds out there. You talk about momentum. [2:16:31] Well, what about money? Let me ask you about money. And I'll ask you both about this, [2:16:34] because Tom Steyer, I mean, he ran a commercial ad during the debate and he's been running it for a while. [2:16:39] Jasmine, can money win Sacramento here in this race? Money unfortunately still wins political [2:16:48] campaigns. I am a fan of getting rid of the money out of campaigns and leveling the playing field, [2:16:55] but that is not how our elections are won. And so fundraising is taking place probably right [2:17:02] now. You've probably got 20 emails from the candidates in your email saying, [2:17:06] I just got off the stage and I did great. Give me $20. And we will see who who is able to raise the [2:17:14] money. It's a long way from Bennett knee to the altar is what I always like to say. We have a lot [2:17:19] of folks campaigning right now, and it's a long way to election day. And there's a lot of money that [2:17:24] needs to be raised by each candidate in order to be able to travel up and down this state and connect [2:17:31] with voters. Tom Steyer is not even raising money. He's spending his own money out of his own pocket. [2:17:34] So Melissa, I mean, will he be in the mix here come June? Well, we've seen wealthy candidates try and [2:17:41] use that money to become the governor a long time ago. Michael Huffington tried to try to be the [2:17:48] governor. So we've seen other very wealthy candidates try to use their own funding to win races, [2:17:53] and it doesn't work. It didn't work out for them because money is not a substitute for support. [2:17:58] When people are giving you money, it's kind of like voting with money. And so if you're unable to [2:18:03] raise money and especially small donations from a large number of people, it shows that you don't [2:18:08] really have that support. So yeah, you can get your name out there. You can give your message, but [2:18:12] the fundraising is part of it. It's the money primary. Yeah. A lot of those candidates, as you heard [2:18:17] talking to Betty, talked about civility on the stage too. They were saying we need more civility. [2:18:22] Some people were talking about unity, but also people want passion and strong words. It seems [2:18:26] that voters are saying, you know, we need people to stand up and certainly take a stand. And whether [2:18:33] you're talking about President Trump and how Democrats might feel about standing up, and Jasmine, [2:18:38] you referenced standing up as a state of California. Antonio Villaraigosa had some strong words. I want to [2:18:45] play a little bit of that to listen into, certainly when he's talking about ICE and things that are [2:18:50] controversial. Let's listen to that. I've never in my life seen ICE agents dressed from head to toe, [2:19:00] all covered up like the Ku Klux Klan with assault weapons, flashbang grenades, beating up on women, [2:19:09] children and innocents. Okay. So he's pulling in some very strong words, strong imaging and just, [2:19:20] and comparing ICE to the KKK. Is that effective, Jasmine? Do you think that's an effective way to [2:19:26] say, hey, I am serious about what I'm talking about here? I mean, he said he has never seen that in his [2:19:33] life. I think many of us can say the exact same thing. We are in a different time right now. I think [2:19:40] what voters who care about the issue of ICE in our communities and immigration want to hear two words [2:19:50] from a candidate on that issue. They want to hear abolish ICE. If the candidate cannot say that, [2:19:56] they are probably going to lose some folks because the folks who care and are the most passionate about [2:20:01] immigration and ICE in our communities right now, they want to know that the next California governor [2:20:08] is going to be against ICE and will and can say, let's abolish ICE. So who was the most forceful for [2:20:16] you in saying that? I think I heard Superintendent Thurman say it first. I think he might have been [2:20:26] the only one I think I heard say abolish ICE, but I heard he said it in his opening statement, [2:20:31] but Tom Steyer said it right after him. So do you feel those two? So yeah, which is why they, [2:20:36] to me lean to look to be the more, if you're a progressive Democrat, you are probably paying [2:20:44] attention to those two candidates during the debate because they were speaking a lot of progressive [2:20:50] language. Do you agree Melissa? Yeah, absolutely. They're staking out that part of the democratic [2:20:54] continuum. They were definitely more. They're going to say, I'm not going to mince words here. I'm going [2:20:59] to make sure that you know where I stand on those issues. Absolutely. And they gave other very [2:21:03] progressive statements as well. And so especially Tony Thurman, I thought was definitely, you know, [2:21:07] and you saw it again in his closing statement, how I've lived this experience and I'm here with you [2:21:12] and I'm going to come forward with those progressive. Who wouldn't use the word? The cost of living [2:21:17] also was heavily talked about tonight. Jasmine, a big issue for a lot of Californians out there. [2:21:24] Did one of the candidates stand tall tonight on that very issue? Not really, [2:21:29] because when I look at the stage, I see a lot of folks who are, have done quite well for themselves. [2:21:35] And there's a difference between remembering the struggle and governing for the struggle. [2:21:39] And a lot of the people on the stage, while they did talk about how they grew up in their humble [2:21:44] beginnings are quite far removed from the struggle that most Californians are facing right now in terms [2:21:51] of the cost of living, in terms of rent, the cost of gas, the cost of groceries. So I still think they [2:21:58] all have some work to do in that area to be more relatable. Yeah. Melissa, I thought gas actually [2:22:06] got people fired up, climate change. What was the issue that you thought really resonated the most? [2:22:13] There was a lot of stuff that I think people wanted to hear about, not just immigration, [2:22:16] but housing. The housing crisis is, I think, right up there with affordability. The wildfires in [2:22:22] Southern California, that's not something that we see in our faces here in Northern California, [2:22:26] but for most Californians, that's, that's right there. And it does seem like it's taking forever [2:22:32] to rebuild those homes. So I think that, you know, that was resonating with people that the candidates [2:22:36] were speaking to that. And, you know, what do we got to do to get these houses built back up? And [2:22:40] what do we do moving forward to make sure people can get insurance? Because it's not just the cost of gas, [2:22:46] it's the cost of insurance for your home. It's the cost of health care insurance. It's, [2:22:51] so those idea of real answers, real, real answers. Exactly. To actual problems. Melissa, [2:22:59] Jasmine, we appreciate your insight and thank you for joining us tonight for this debate that was in [2:23:05] San Francisco this evening with seven of the candidates on stage. Thank you again, Jasmine. [2:23:10] Yep. And whether you've been watching us on the Fox local app, KTVU in the Bay Area, [2:23:13] Fox 11 in Los Angeles or Fox soul. Thanks so much for joining us. Have a great night.