From left: Antonio Villaraigosa, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Steve Hilton, Chad Bianco, Xavier Becerra and Matt Mahan participate in a California gubernatorial debate hosted by CNN at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park on May 5.
Ethan Swope/Associated Press
Regarding “Endorsement: Two California governor candidates stand far above the field. Here’s our pick” (Editorials, SFChronicle.com, May 16):
Back Becerra
If Democrats follow the editorial board’s recommendation and select Katie Porter, a candidate who has no chance of winning, they will once again show why the party is failing across our country.
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Instead of picking a leader that has broad support with liberals, moderates and, most importantly, Latino voters, the editorial board chose what it viewed as the “best” candidate.
Democrats risk repeating the damage done in 2016 with the Bernie Sanders candidacy, which locked out a great candidate from becoming a great president by splitting the party.
Let’s consolidate in support of a great candidate with a high probability of winning, Xavier Becerra, rather than splitting our vote.
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David Rentschler, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County
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Mahan will take stand
The editorial board dislikes Matt Mahan because he is backed by wealthy Californians, which is regrettable.
Mahan is the only moderate in the race who is willing to take on the entrenched interests in California. His positions are similar to San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, and we need more people like them in public service.
Go green, go Steyer
Climate change is the No. 1 threat to human health in California. The best candidate is the one who has the best plan to stand up to the oil and gas industry and truly lead the transition to renewable energy.
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Tom Steyer has years of experience fighting climate change, has deep knowledge of effective strategies to combat it, and the courage to stand up to the utilities and Big Oil.
People who care about health and healthcare costs must vote for Steyer.
Wendy Bernstein, Berkeley
Former Rep. Katie Porter’s experience puts her in the best position to be a governor who would pursue evidence-based solutions to California’s problems, the editorial board says in its endorsement.
Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle
Poor word choice
The editorial board critiqued Xavier Becerra for not being “particularly fluent in several key policy arenas” while praising another candidate as “a policy savant with data-driven ideas.” It is worth examining what was said — and what was not.
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Becerra is a Stanford Law graduate. He was a member of the House for over two decades, California’s attorney general and U.S. secretary of health and human services.
The endorsement said Becerra “has the best resume.” And yet — the “fluency” qualifier arrives, doing its quiet work. Applying the word “fluency” to a Latino candidate’s command of policy is, at best, an unfortunate choice. At worst, it is a familiar and insidious one.
This is a pattern that Latino professionals in California know intimately. It is the colleague who leans in after a presentation and offers, with a generous smile, “Your English is really good.”
To be clear: Editorial boards should rigorously evaluate candidates on the merits. But when the language chosen to describe a deficiency in a Latino candidate happens to be the same historically used to question the belonging of Latinos, the burden falls on the editorial board to examine its framing.
The message, intended or not, came across loud and clear.
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Perhaps what the editorial board needs is a bit of work on its cultural fluency; in California, that skill is not optional. It is the job.
Fred Alvarez, San Francisco
Weak stance
I had to read the editorial twice to figure out who was being endorsed. If there isn’t a strong endorsement, say that. If it is strong, then say who, clearly.
The lukewarm and verbose editorial simply adds to the confusion and indecision of this election.
If a Republican ends up in the top two, it will be because of wishy-washy opinions like those of the editorial board.
Rory Little, San Francisco
Porter all the way
Katie Porter was my first choice, but I had to put aside the viral video of staff verbal abuse in favor of her forthright, fearless approach to combating idiocy and corruption. She is also one of the few candidates with viable ideas.
My fear is having smooth-talking, empty-shell Republican Steve Hilton and bull-headed MAGA candidate Chad Bianco as my only choices in November.
Porter’s standing in the polls is both disappointing and concerning. Her treatment of staff is a concern to many. I do not condone it. However, she has taken ownership of it, apologized, and hopefully will strive to do better — even if it is because she is now being scrutinized.
I hope that the endorsement compels more people to take a second look at her platform, especially the housing plan. Thank you for the thoughtful editorial.
Rosana Cimolino, Fort Bragg
Wrong experience
I was shocked to see the endorsement of Katie Porter. She lacks the experience and character to govern a state with the fourth-largest economy in the world.
Porter disqualified herself in my view when she made questionable accusations and claims about Xavier Becerra. We need leaders with character. She — and Tom Steyer — demonstrated that they lack that in their ongoing attacks against Becerra.
We have seen what happens when a person with no relevant experience running a large government and a lack of character takes over. We should do everything possible to avoid repeating that disaster.
Porter is not the right candidate, and she should step aside. By staying in the race, she is helping the Republicans.
Kristina Veaco, San Francisco
Change direction of Dems
Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership.
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The endorsement of Katie Porter will not move the needle on her floundering campaign, and it is a gift to status quo politics, the kind that gave us the anger that produced MAGA and America’s version of fascism.
This endorsement was a gift to Xavier Becerra, corporate-accommodating do-nothing Democrats and opponents of the only viable change-agent candidate — Tom Steyer