1. What do you say to the millions of Californians who polls show are unhappy about the higher cost of living and their perception that quality of life has been declining in their communities?
They’re right.
After 16 years of one-party rule, the cost of living has been driven out of reach for working families, and quality of life has declined in too many communities. We pay the highest taxes in the country and get some of the worst results.
This didn’t just happen. It’s the result of political choices that made it harder and more expensive to build, hire, and live in California. Endless regulations, fees, and delays have driven up the cost of housing, energy, and everyday life.
California isn’t unaffordable because it has to be. It’s unaffordable because of bad policy.
That is why I’ve put forward my CALIFORDABLE plan: $3 gas, electric bills cut in half, your first $100,000 tax-free and a home you can actually afford to buy. That means cutting taxes, clearing out red tape, and letting California build again.
When you fix the system, costs come down and opportunity comes back.
2. Do you support a bill before the Legislature that would kill the key provision of the 2012 pension reforms championed by Gov. Jerry Brown: the requirement that public employees must pay at least 50% of the “normal cost” of their pension benefits?
No, I do not support that bill.
Public employees should continue to pay at least 50% of the normal cost of their pension benefits. Rolling that back would shift more of the burden onto taxpayers at a time when Californians are already paying some of the highest taxes in the country.
We already face major long-term pension liabilities and budget pressures. Weakening the reforms that were put in place to improve sustainability would move us in the wrong direction.
We need to strengthen fiscal responsibility, not undo it, and make sure the system is fair to both workers and taxpayers.
3. Do you support the “billionaires tax” or any other specific proposed tax hikes? Why?
No.
California doesn’t have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem.
In just a few years, the state budget nearly doubled, and outcomes got worse. Higher taxes have not delivered better results. They’ve made it harder for people to get ahead and pushed jobs and investment out of the state.
A “billionaires tax” would accelerate that trend. When you make it more expensive to live and invest here, people leave. That ultimately hurts workers, small businesses, and the broader economy.
The answer isn’t more taxes. It’s a stronger economy and a government that actually works, starting with cutting waste, fraud, and bureaucracy.
4. Is there a specific issue that you feel does not get enough attention?
The insurance crisis.
For too many Californians, homeowners insurance is becoming unaffordable or unavailable altogether. Families are losing coverage, facing huge premium increases, or being pushed onto the FAIR Plan, where they pay more for less protection. What was supposed to be a last-resort safety net is now covering hundreds of thousands of households.
This is not just a wildfire issue. It is the result of bad policy.
Rate approvals that should follow a clear legal timeline drag on for months or years, creating uncertainty that drives insurers out of the state. Excessive regulation and permitting delays make rebuilding far more expensive, which pushes premiums even higher. Rising property crime also increases claims and costs that get passed on to consumers.
The answer is to make the market work again. Enforce the law on rate approvals, reduce rebuilding costs by cutting red tape, crack down on litigation abuse and property crime, and create a stable environment where insurers actually want to do business in California.
If we restore competition and predictability, we bring insurers back, expand coverage, and lower costs for homeowners.
Go to stevehiltonforgovernor.com for more information about the candidate.