{"id":319890,"date":"2026-05-17T10:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T10:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/319890\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T10:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T10:32:13","slug":"voter-voices-from-the-san-gabriel-valley-on-california-governors-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/319890\/","title":{"rendered":"Voter voices from the San Gabriel Valley on California governor’s race"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eddie Martinez can\u2019t stand Donald Trump<\/a>. So when Eric Swalwell entered the race<\/a> for California governor, Martinez had his candidate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI liked the way he took Trump on, the impeachment thing in Congress,\u201d Martinez said of the former Bay Area congressman, a Trump nemesis who served as one of the House prosecutors in 2021 when Democrats held the wayward president to account<\/a> for the second time.<\/p>\n

Then, suddenly, Swalwell\u2019s campaign collapsed<\/a> under the weight of allegations of abuse, including charges he sexually assaulted <\/a>a former aide. With Martinez\u2019s choice out of the running, the Democrat turned to the candidate who\u2019d been his second pick all along, Xavier Becerra<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Martinez has been familiar with Becerra for decades, going back to when the former congressman<\/a>, state attorney general <\/a>and Biden Cabinet member<\/a> was in the state Assembly. To his credit, said the 65-year-old retired public relations strategist, Becerra has largely kept clear of controversy and there\u2019s never been a whiff of personal scandal \u2014 an important consideration after Swalwell\u2019s spectacular self-destruction.<\/p>\n

On top of all that, Martinez said as he prepared to drop his mail ballot at a post office in Alhambra<\/a>, it would be nice for California to elect its first Latino governor in modern times. It\u2019s been, Martinez observed, more than 150 years.<\/p>\n

With the gubernatorial primary entering its final two weeks, a contest that had been stubbornly formless has finally gained coherence. Becerra, who\u2019d been widely given up for dead<\/a> as he foundered near the bottom of polls, has unexpectedly emerged as the Democrat to beat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has the most experience,\u201d said Ruben Avita, a 57-year-old actor who leans Democratic and is tilting toward Becerra over hedge-fund billionaire Tom Steyer<\/a>. \u201cAt this point,\u201d Avita said as he waited to catch a double feature at a cineplex in Monterey Park<\/a>, \u201cI want someone with a proven track record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the Republicans running, Trump\u2019s pick \u2014 conservative commentator Steve Hilton<\/a> \u2014 seems firmly ensconced atop the GOP field.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got a lot more common-sense approach than any of these other idiots,\u201d said Wayne The Flame \u2014 yes, he explained, that\u2019s his legal name \u2014which, while not exactly a ringing endorsement, still counts as a vote. <\/p>\n

The Claremont independent, retired at 73 after a career selling motorcycles and hot rods, described Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco<\/a>, the other major GOP contestant, as a racist and dismissed the entire Democratic field<\/a> with a string of epithets. \u201cDumb\u2014,\u201d he said of the voters who keep putting the likes of them in power.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Peaches, a chihuahua\/boxer rescue, stands alongside her owner, Wayne The Flame <\/p>\n

If not terribly enthused, at least The Flame has made up his mind. Many voters remain undecided \u2014 or, at least, not entirely wed to a candidate.<\/p>\n

Some are holding on to their ballots longer than usual, awaiting any last-minute developments and weighing the election odds as though wagering in a high-stakes game of poker.<\/p>\n

Like many Democrats, Bryce Dwyer\u2019s concern is that Hilton and Bianco will seize both spots in June\u2019s top-two primary<\/a>, advancing to a November runoff and giving California its first Republican governor in 16 years<\/a>. <\/p>\n

A 40-year-old project manager at the Getty Research Institute<\/a>, Dwyer held his 2-year-old daughter as his son, 6, romped on a pleasant afternoon in Sierra Madre\u2019s Memorial Park. Across the street, the bells of Christ Church chimed the hour. <\/p>\n

\u201cNone of the Democrats are putting forth anything that is making me excited,\u201d said Dwyer, who\u2019s ruled out Becerra (he doesn\u2019t see much there) and is deciding between Steyer and former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter<\/a>. He\u2019s trying to cast his ballot strategically, the East Pasadena resident said, and \u201cit\u2019s the first time in a while I haven\u2019t really had a clue who I\u2019m going to vote for so close to election day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Democrat Priscilla Vega of Monrovia has yet to settle on her candidate for governor<\/p>\n

This is a deeply unsettled season in California, with precious little hope the next governor \u2014 whoever he or she turns out to be \u2014 will make things better anytime soon. That mix of discouragement and discontent surfaced repeatedly, like a dull ache, in conversations with dozens of voters across the San Gabriel Valley<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The region\u2019s ethnic and economic diversity \u2014 from the working-class neighborhoods of Pomona through the Asian-majority suburbs to the mountainside mansions of San Dimas and Pasadena \u2014 make the valley a prime battleground in the race for governor.<\/p>\n

Alana H., who asked not to use her last name, said she wasn\u2019t even bothering to vote.<\/p>\n

She ticked off some reasons: The soaring price of gas<\/a> and rising cost of, essentially, everything else<\/a>. The fear her college-age daughter will never be able to buy a home in California. Worse, is her loss of faith. She no longer believes in the promise, once taken for granted, that each generation will improve its lot over the last. And, Alana said, she\u2019s not alone: \u201cAnyone who\u2019s an average person is in the same boat, we\u2019re all just trying to stay afloat.\u201d Standing in front of the post office in Alhambra, the 52-year-old paddled her arms as though to keep from sinking. <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Jaunenito Pavon, in his Glendora wine and chocolate bar, would like California to elect a governor who could unify the state. He\u2019s still deciding on a candidate<\/p>\n

The politicians in both parties are \u201cso out of touch,\u201d she said, \u201call they\u2019re doing is fighting over this and that, when everyone I know doesn\u2019t care what party you\u2019re in. They just want to put food on their table. They want their kids to have a better life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shelby Moore has some of the same concerns. Forget about ever buying a home, said the 30-year-old California native, a Democratic-leaning independent. It\u2019s no small feat scraping up money for rent. \u201cI\u2019ve lost almost every single friend that I went to high school or college with,\u201d Moore said between waiting tables at a Mediterranean restaurant in Glendora. \u201cThey\u2019ve all moved out of state<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Shelby Moore, 30, a waitress in Glendora, said all her friends from high school and college have left California because it\u2019s so expensive.<\/p>\n

She\u2019ll definitely vote, Moore said, though she doesn\u2019t know for whom. One of the Democrats. Someone who\u2019ll work to make California more affordable and keep people like her friends from being priced out.<\/p>\n

In Claremont, Eric Hurley was another undecided Democrat. He attended last month\u2019s gubernatorial debate at Pomona College<\/a>, where the 56-year-old professor teaches psychological science and Africana studies. Otherwise, he\u2019s been too busy to pay much attention to the race.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s important, Hurley said, that whoever wins \u201ckeep fighting the good fight and standing by our liberal principles. I would hate to see someone in the governor\u2019s office start capitulating to what the current administration is asking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Democrat Eric Hurley is undecided in the governor\u2019s race. But he wants someone who\u2019ll stand up to the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

Others seconded that notion, that California needs to stand as a bulwark against Trump and his excesses, such as the draconian crackdown<\/a> that has terrorized the state\u2019s large immigrant population<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s not a great appetite for the sort of performative pushback<\/a> that\u2019s won the current governor a wide audience on social media and boosted Gavin Newsom\u2019s political stock as he positions himself<\/a> ahead of the 2028 presidential campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Harris, 56, is a single mom in Monrovia<\/a> who oversees payroll at a food manufacturing company. She has to stretch each of her dollars to make ends meet; soon she\u2019ll be shelling out $30,000 a year for her daughter to go to college. Buying a home, Harris said, is out of the question.<\/p>\n

She confessed to chuckling at the governor\u2019s memes<\/a> \u2014 an over-the-top oeuvre that includes Newsom as super hero, Newsom as religious beacon, Newsom as romance-novel hunk \u2014 and his other cheeky jabs at the president. \u201cBut that\u2019s not an adult way to handle it,\u201d Harris said between errands in Monrovia\u2019s quaint shopping district. \u201cIt\u2019s not solving any problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Better, she said, for the next governor \u2014 she hasn\u2019t decided whom she\u2019ll support \u2014 to focus on practicalities: improving the economy, making housing and healthcare more affordable, dealing with homelessness<\/a> and the underlying mental health issues.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Jennifer Harris said Gov. Newsom\u2019s over-the-top social media presence is amusing. But she wants the next governor to focus on more practical things.<\/p>\n

Britnee Foreman echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n

The 41-year-old, who lives in Azusa and works in the music business, was meeting a friend, Priscilla Vega, 43, for lunch in Monrovia. Along with a meal, the two Democrats shared their concerns about inflation and income inequality.<\/p>\n

\u201cMemes are great for publicity,\u201d said Foreman, who\u2019s deciding between Becerra and Porter, based on their policy experience. (Vega, a lifestyle marketer, has yet to narrow down her choice.)<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Britnee Foreman says the next governor needs policies \u201cwith teeth,\u201d not an active social media presence.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I prefer policy,\u201d Foreman went on. \u201cI don\u2019t want them just to be the popular person out there on social media. It\u2019s great if they\u2019re tweeting and have a cute little Insta-story. But I need their policies to have teeth and actively move us forward. And not just look like it\u2019s moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

After nearly eight years, amid widespread unease, California seems ready to put the Newsom era in the past. It\u2019s just not clear what path voters will choose, or which candidate they\u2019ll prefer to steer the state toward, hopefully, a better place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Eddie Martinez can\u2019t stand Donald Trump. So when Eric Swalwell entered the race for California governor, Martinez had…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":319891,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[133503,7,2926,9,8,13540,1815,3413,1751,536,50594,24115,457,23283,2211,133504,3707,72],"class_list":["post-319890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-bryce-dwyer","tag-california","tag-california-governor","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-candidate","tag-college","tag-concern","tag-democrats","tag-donald-trump","tag-eddie-martinez","tag-eric-swalwell","tag-gavin-newsom","tag-monrovia","tag-race","tag-single-friend","tag-xavier-becerra","tag-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319890","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=319890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}