{"id":282507,"date":"2026-04-23T19:49:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/282507\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T19:49:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:49:08","slug":"commentary-90-minutes-6-gubernatorial-candidates-zero-big-moments-but-some-differences-that-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/282507\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary: 90 minutes, 6 gubernatorial candidates, zero big moments \u2014 but some differences that matter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two of our esteemed gubernatorial candidates, the cowboy and the dilettante, apparently could not find ties for the first debate Wednesday night<\/a>, showing up with dress shirts casually unbuttoned. <\/p>\n

Mr. Middleground sported a scruffy sorta-beard, apparently unable to pay for a razor in the midst of California\u2019s affordability crisis. It\u2019s a trademark look that always makes me think if this doesn\u2019t work out, he\u2019ll opt to live on a boat in some not-too-expensive slip by the Bay. <\/p>\n

The billionaire wore Nikes instead of dress shoes, a sartorial nod perhaps to his bid to be the outsider-fighter. Or maybe his feet just hurt. <\/p>\n

The last two contenders were remarkably unremarkable. <\/p>\n

Why start with fashion? Honestly, it might be the most interesting, and telling, bit of insight that came from this first (of three) chances for our next governor to let us know who they are<\/a> and what they\u2019re made of. If the debate showed us anything, it\u2019s that none of these candidates are hiding follow-me charisma or an excitement-inducing political vision for our collective future. <\/p>\n

Yes, there were a few decent jabs here and there about Tom Steyer\u2019s money, Katie Porter\u2019s temper, Matt Mahan\u2019s tech ties and Chad Bianco\u2019s far-right world view. But even those were predictable. <\/p>\n

Still, in between the yawns, there were a couple of answers worth noting, ones that might actually give us insight into how the Democratic candidates differ (Despite all the hype, it seems increasingly unlikely<\/a> that two Republicans will come out of the primary, and even more unlikely that in a Democratic vs. Republican race, the Democrat would lose in blue California.) <\/p>\n

I\u2019ll start with a surprising place where I agreed with Steve Hilton, the Republican endorsed by President Trump. <\/p>\n

The candidates were asked if they would support a ban on social media for kids under age 16. This is a quickly accelerating idea not beloved by tech companies. Australia and Indonesia already have bans in place. Other countries, including France and Portugal, have them in the works. Florida banned children under 14 from opening social media accounts on their own last year.<\/p>\n

And a Los Angeles jury last month<\/a> dealt a blow to Meta and YouTube when it found the platforms had damaged the mental health of a young woman with their addictive features. <\/p>\n

Hilton took the ban question a step further, saying it \u201cmisses the point.\u201d He has long argued that it isn\u2019t just social media that is the problem, but having kids staring at a digital device for hours a day instead of interacting in the real world. It was one of the most genuine answers of the night. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get to the heart of the problem, and that\u2019s the devices and the screens,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that every parent in their heart knows that it\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Steyer and Xavier Becerra, the former California attorney general, both said they would support such a ban, the remaining three candidates hedged or said they would not. Porter said no to a ban under age 16, but said she \u201cmight consider a different ban,\u201d without being specific. <\/p>\n

Mahan, who is backed by significant tech money, and Bianco both said they believed requiring parental consent was the way to go (though Mahan said he would ban devices in schools). <\/p>\n

As Becerra pointed out, \u201ckids have died as a result of their use of social media,\u201d so it\u2019s a place where policy matters. And if a candidate doesn\u2019t see government\u2019s role in controlling the dangers of social media, what will happen with artificial intelligence?<\/p>\n

The candidates also had differences in how they would handle homelessness and the related crisis of housing affordability, though the devil was often buried in the details. <\/p>\n

At least for Democrats. For Bianco, the difference was stark. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not dealing with homeless. So stop calling it homeless,\u201d he snapped at the moderators. \u201cIt has nothing to do with homes. This is drug- and alcohol-induced psychosis, mental illness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, this is wrong. Last year, the UC San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative<\/a> released the results of the state\u2019s most comprehensive survey of homeless people. It found that for most people living on our streets, \u201cthe cost of housing had simply become unsustainable.\u201d It also found an increasing percentage of those folks were older \u2014 almost half were over the age of 50 \u2014 and had become homeless after a hardship such as an illness or a job loss. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also families who are fleeing intimate partner and domestic violence,\u201d Porter said. \u201cIt\u2019s people who are double and tripled up. It\u2019s people who are living in their cars on our college campuses. Homelessness comes in a lot of different forms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of the Democratic candidates seemed to understand this and embraced the increasingly popular idea of putting more money into helping people stay housed after a hardship, instead of trying to get them housed after they lose their place. <\/p>\n

\u201cHow can I help you keep your home?\u201d Becerra said. \u201cBecause it costs me so much more money to pick you off the streets, provide you with the assistance in the shelter, than it does to keep you in the home.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the issue of homelessness is also where daylight emerged between the candidates. Steyer said he and his wife had helped finance low-barrier homes, not just shelter spaces, where people do not need to be addiction-free and where they can bring pets \u2014 two issues that are common hindrances for moving folks off sidewalks voluntarily. <\/p>\n

Mahan, the mayor of San Jos\u00e9, who often touts his city\u2019s success at moving people indoors, agreed that emergency and interim housing was critical, but also voiced support for forcing folks to accept help. Last year, San Jos\u00e9 passed an ordinance he backed that some say criminalizes homelessness \u2014 a person can be cited twice for refusing shelter, and a third refusal within 18 months can lead to an arrest. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen shelter was available, we required that people come indoors,\u201d Mahan said, adding, \u201cWe have to be able to mandate treatment.\u201d <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a controversial position, but also one that is increasingly popular. Gov. Gavin Newsom has backed mandated treatment, in a lighter form, with his CARE Court (which is technically voluntarily). And the movement to require people to accept a shelter space or face arrest is growing on the right and even the Democratic-middle. <\/p>\n

But there is a fine and dangerous line with mandated treatment and shelter requirements that is often pushed further and further to the side in favor of the clean, safe streets argument. Whenever we start locking folks up \u2014 whether it\u2019s in mental wards or immigration detention centers or jails \u2014 we should be careful that expediency isn\u2019t trumping ethics. <\/p>\n

Of course, the debate would not be complete without the Democratic candidates\u2019 position on our president, speaking of ethics. <\/p>\n

Steyer was gleeful that Trump has come after him on social media, a point of pride that he is a relevant figure in the fight against MAGA. He also said he would abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement if he could, which he can\u2019t. <\/p>\n

Becerra highlighted his many lawsuits as California\u2019s attorney general during Trump\u2019s first term, and pledged to keep fighting. Porter leaned into her time in Congress and her efforts to help Democrats in other races win. <\/p>\n

Mahan took a different route, pledging to fight when necessary, but adding, \u201cWe need a partnership, and we need to find common ground with this administration on certain issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newsom learned the hard way that common ground is what Trump says it is, and shifts without warning or reason. <\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the takeaway from all this? <\/p>\n

Boring dad; feisty mom; rich do-gooder; striving newcomer; MAGA one; MAGA two. <\/p>\n

None of them hit it out of the park, but no one struck out. Maybe next time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two of our esteemed gubernatorial candidates, the cowboy and the dilettante, apparently could not find ties for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":282508,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1401,7,9,8,13540,25074,22001,1073,4422,1493,146,4421,27194,4412,121362,25299,1519,3707],"class_list":{"0":"post-282507","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-ban","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-california-headlines","11":"tag-california-news","12":"tag-candidate","13":"tag-difference","14":"tag-folk","15":"tag-home","16":"tag-homeless-people","17":"tag-homelessness","18":"tag-katie-porter","19":"tag-matt-mahan","20":"tag-shelter","21":"tag-social-medium","22":"tag-surprising-place","23":"tag-tom-steyer","24":"tag-trump","25":"tag-xavier-becerra"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282507\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/282508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}