(Inside California Politics) \u2014 California is ready for a new generation of leadership, Ian Calderon told Inside California Politics host Nikki Laurenzo in a one-on-one interview this week.<\/p>\n
Calderon, a millennial who served as the state\u2019s youngest Assembly majority leader, is running for governor as a Democrat. He said his generation believes civic institutions have failed them and that the modern tendency toward political extremes is a form of \u201cperformative politics.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy is it that our politics are trending towards the most extreme versions of ourselves?\u201d Calderon said. \u201cWe all are suffering the same challenges; we all basically want the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Californians want a serious governor who\u2019s ready to do the job on day one, he said.<\/p>\n
Laurenzo asked Calderon about the influence that special interest groups hold over Sacramento and whether they impede the ability to get things done.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re doing their job. That\u2019s what they\u2019re supposed to do,\u201d Calderon said. \u201cThey\u2019re supposed to lobby the Legislature and create a certain set of circumstances that get a legislator to agree with them. But at the end of the day, if you\u2019re the legislator or you\u2019re the governor, it\u2019s up to you to discern whether or not that argument holds water or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
It shouldn\u2019t matter how much a group contributes or how large an organization is, Calderon said, adding that elected officials should prioritize people, not political relationships.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre there groups that hold a lot of influence? Yeah, there are,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I think the problem and the frustration that voters have is, \u2018Why is it that they win out and they get what they want and it always seems to land on my lap, on my shoulders \u2014 my expenses go up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calderon said that what makes him different from his many rivals in the gubernatorial race is that he left office at the height of his power to be with family. The former lawmaker got married and had three of his four children while in office.<\/p>\n
A generational shift in leadership is underway across the country, Calderon said, pointing to Zohran Mamdani\u2019s victory over Andrew Cuomo in New York City.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Mamdani] was able to galvanize generations of people to believe that, yeah, we can work on affordability,\u201d Calderon said. \u201cWe have the power to change these things, but it\u2019s going to take a new generation of leadership to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calderon told Laurenzo he supports fees on corporate-owned homes \u2014 similar to restrictions that Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump surprisingly agree on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI welcome them to this party. I started this party 10 years ago when I was in the Legislature.\u201d<\/p>\n