Gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan pitches energy, housing at Monterey County forum
I don’t think that we need to be drilling oil out of the Monterey Bay to achieve our energy goals and certainly not to achieve our climate goals. The answer here is innovation. I’ll invest in clean energy that doesn’t force us to have the highest energy costs in the country. We need to be investing in. Storage. We need to incentivize EV owners to charge their vehicles in the middle of the day when we have an excess of solar power and then plug into the grid and charge it at night when the sun goes down. There are smarter ways to have cheaper power and the clean energy that we all want and need. I think that given the marine sanctuary we have, our reliance on tourism, fishing, our active coastline, I think it’s best that we invest in the kind of energy innovation that we need *** smarter grid, more storage, geothermal, hydrogen. There are *** lot of new tools at our disposal, but we need to do it in *** way that’s smart, that doesn’t drive up costs. Right now, working families are really hurting because of the cost of energy. Gasoline prices. Trump’s war in Iran has led to gas prices going up by about $1 just this week. I’m proposing that California, that has the highest gas prices and the highest gas taxes, temporarily suspend our gas tax as long as this war is going on and gas prices are as high as they are. We could shave about $1 per gallon off of the cost at the pump by temporarily suspending California’s gas tax. I think so. As governor, I would support leaders here in Santa Cruz and Monterey County to protect our coastline, our marine sanctuary, our beautiful natural environment, the fishing industry, tourism. And invest in energy innovation. The only way to have cheaper energy without sacrificing our environment is to invest in innovation. That means storage. It means geothermal, really thinking about what the future of low cost abundant energy is. It also means that we can’t push. All of our natural gas plants out of the state prematurely. We still rely on oil and gas, and the way to get to the better future that we want without bankrupting middle class families is to invest in innovation and bring down the cost of GH-free energy over time. That really is about investing in research, *** smarter grid, and new technology. Smart growth strategy for California. We have to build up in our downtowns in transit, make our transit better. I just released *** housing plan based on what we’ve done in San Jose to unblock thousands of new homes that are now under construction. The truth is, in government, we are often in the way, making housing more expensive. Local impact fees in cities can cost 10 to 20% of the total cost of building *** new home. So when we Speed up our permitting timelines, reduce our fees, make the building code less complicated. We can build housing more cost effectively. It really isn’t right that in Colorado they can build the exact same home for half the cost of what it takes to build here in Northern California. That really is about regulation and bureaucracy. I will cut the red tape, speed up permitting, bring down fees, and make sure that we’re building housing that middle class families can afford. We can bring down housing costs for working families by building more housing, but also building it more affordably. California is the most overregulated state in the country. We have high fees, long approval processes, *** really complicated building code, far more complicated than any other state in the country. If we can simplify what it takes to build housing. And bring down our fees, we can build more affordably. We also need an industrial policy for housing. I’ve been visiting factories where the components of houses are being built on an assembly line dramatically more cost effectively and more quickly without lowering labor standards or the quality of the finished product. So innovation again is our path to having the things that we want at *** more affordable price. Yeah, I mean, I, I grew up here in Watsonville. I know what it’s like to be in ***, in *** rural community that’s overlooked by the state that doesn’t have the level of public services that people here deserve. Working families in counties like Santa Cruz, San Benino, and Monterey Counties deserve the same shot at the American dream as families in our big cities, and that really is about investing in public education. Infrastructure, more affordable housing and energy, and those are all policy decisions that we make. As governor, I will always keep in mind the families like the one I grew up in, the working class communities where people are just struggling to make ends meet, but they’re working hard and they’re paying taxes too, and they deserve high quality public services. And then the last question. My promise to the people of Watsonville and the broader Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito County area is that we will make California less expensive. We’re going to do it by building more housing where it makes sense in places like our downtown and near our transit hubs. We’re going to invest in innovation in the energy space so that we don’t keep. Driving up the cost of energy as we try to achieve our climate goals. We’ll reduce our gas taxes, and maybe most importantly, we’re going to improve our public schools so that our young people get the educations they need to take advantage of the good high paying jobs that are created in so many of our industries. We’re going to bring down unemployment, increase incomes, and make life more affordable and more full of opportunity for our families. Awesome. Look, I, I grew up in this community and I’m running for governor to make sure that our government works for working people. I think that we’ve taken our eye off the ball. Too many of our politicians have forgotten the really hard trade-offs that working families have to make. We have *** lot of policies that sound. Good in theory but aren’t delivering in real life. I want to make California less expensive, improve our public education, improve public safety, make sure we’re building the housing that working families need, and make sure that anyone in California can achieve the American dream.
Gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan pitches energy, housing at Monterey County forum
Updated: 1:35 PM PDT Mar 18, 2026
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a candidate for California governor, discussed his plans for energy innovation and housing development at the Monterey County gubernatorial candidate forum.”As governor, I would support leaders here in Santa Cruz and Monterey County to protect our coastline, our marine sanctuary, our beautiful natural environment, the fishing industry, tourism, and invest in energy innovation,” Mahan said. “The only way to have cheaper energy without sacrificing our environment is to invest in innovation. That means storage. It means geothermal. Really thinking about what the future of low cost, abundant energy is.”Housing is a major issue facing California and the Central Coast, and Mahan said he would implement his San Jose policy statewide. “We need a smart growth strategy for California. We have to build up and our downtowns near transit make our transit better,” he said. “I just released a housing plan based on what we’ve done in San Jose, to unblock thousands of new homes that are now under construction. The truth is, in government, we are often in the way making housing more expensive.”The forum will continue with appearances from other candidates, including Tom Steyer and Antonio Villaraigosa, who will discuss drilling off the coast of California and housing.
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. —
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a candidate for California governor, discussed his plans for energy innovation and housing development at the Monterey County gubernatorial candidate forum.
“As governor, I would support leaders here in Santa Cruz and Monterey County to protect our coastline, our marine sanctuary, our beautiful natural environment, the fishing industry, tourism, and invest in energy innovation,” Mahan said. “The only way to have cheaper energy without sacrificing our environment is to invest in innovation. That means storage. It means geothermal. Really thinking about what the future of low cost, abundant energy is.”
Housing is a major issue facing California and the Central Coast, and Mahan said he would implement his San Jose policy statewide. “We need a smart growth strategy for California. We have to build up and our downtowns near transit make our transit better,” he said. “I just released a housing plan based on what we’ve done in San Jose, to unblock thousands of new homes that are now under construction. The truth is, in government, we are often in the way making housing more expensive.”
The forum will continue with appearances from other candidates, including Tom Steyer and Antonio Villaraigosa, who will discuss drilling off the coast of California and housing.