The seven leading candidates to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom were back on the debate stage for the second time this week tonight as they continue their quest to differentiate themselves ahead of the June 2 primary.
Wednesday night’s debate was hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo 52 and came less than 24 hours after CNN’s Tuesday night debate.
A proposed tax on the state’s billionaires that will likely be on the November ballot and single-payer healthcare continued to show sharp contrasts between the five Democratic candidates — former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer, former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Meanwhile, the two Republicans on stage — former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — frequently aligned with one another, focusing their attacks on the Democrats and at times complimenting one another.
The top two vote-getters, regardless of political party, will move onto the November runoff.
Here are a few key takeaways:
Homelessness continues to be a hot button issue in the race
With California having spent tens of billions of dollars trying to solve the state’s homelessness crisis in recent years, moderators asked the candidates whether encampments taking over sidewalks and parks is becoming the “new norm.”
Many of the Democratic candidates, like Steyer, Porter and Becerra, agreed about the need to invest in prevention efforts.
“Rental assistance is much cheaper and more humane than letting someone go on the street,” Steyer said.
Porter, Villaraigosa and Becerra talked about the need for accountability for the money being spent on the problem.
Mahan said that San Jose has “created a model for the rest of the state,” touting the city’s push to invest in interim housing as it sweeps its last major encampment.
While Democrats, like Porter, pointed to the root of homelessness being the state’s high cost of living, Bianco said that it has “never been about homes.”
“This is about drug and alcohol addiction,” he said. “This is about mental illness and a combination of both. Until we start calling it what it is and treating it for what it is. We are never going to get out of it.”
Hilton agreed with his Republican contender, saying that “Chad’s plan is exactly right.”
Becerra continues facing attacks
As Becerra continues to gain momentum in the polls, his newfound position as one of the frontrunners has made him a target for opponents.
Becerra was the recipient of the bulk of attacks in both debates this week. His competitors criticized his record as health secretary over his handling of migrant children at the border, and made insinuations about his knowledge of a Sacramento corruption scandal involving his former chief of staff and an advisor. Becerra has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case.
He faced the most heat this week from Villaraigosa, a fellow Los Angeles Democrat, who launched an attack ad today featuring a clip of former Biden administration official Xochitl Hinojosa telling CNN this week that Becerra “was not effective in governing.”
In one heated exchange between Villaraigosa and Becerra, the former secretary told his opponent “cálmate, Antonio, cálmate,” which translates to “calm down.”
Handling California’s insurance crisis
As insurance companies have pulled out of the state or stopped writing policies for homeowners altogether amid California’s worsening wildfires, the next governor will be tasked with solving a growing insurance crisis.
Becerra was the only candidate who said he would freeze insurance rates — a power that some experts have said the governor doesn’t have. Many of his Democratic opponents said that freezing rates would likely worsen the problem.
“We can’t afford to freeze rates because what will happen is every insurer remaining in this state will leave,” Porter said. “If people cannot get insurance, they will not build more houses.”
Porter said that the solution to bring insurers back to the market is to allow “premiums to be written to the risk.”
Villaraigosa said that they need to make the state’s FAIR plan, which is an insurer of last resort, work for more people until the state is able to bring insurers back.
Hilton said he would ensure that the state is enforcing Proposition 103, which requires insurance companies to get approval for rate changes from the elected insurance commissioner and make sure those are being done in the required time frame.
Bianco said the “insurance companies are not going to come back if another Democrat is elected,” blaming their exodus on “failed Democrat policies.”