<\/p>\n
From left, California governor candidates Tony\u00a0Thurmond, Chad Bianco, Tom Steyer, Steve Hilton, Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, Matt Mahan and Antonio Villaraigosa debate\u00a0in Claremont (Los Angeles County) in April.<\/p>\n
Jae C. Hong\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
Across California, blank ballots are sitting on kitchen tables, staring back at Democratic voters undecided about whom to back for governor. Many voters remain stumped, days before the June 2 primary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The dilemma for Democrats debating between their party\u2019s two top-polling candidates, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who has spent much of career holding elected office, or former San Francisco hedge fund manager Tom\u00a0Steyer, a billionaire who has never held elected office: \u201cDo I vote for the career politician with the record that\u2019s being criticized or the billionaire who made his fortune in part by investing in nefarious things and has no experience in public office whatsoever?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Meanwhile, others not enamored by either candidate might fear throwing away their vote by backing one of the lower-polling Democrats. If I vote with my heart for a lower-polling candidate, the thinking goes, will that risk sending one or two Republicans to the general election?<\/p>\n
The lack of a consensus around a candidate in this crazier-than-usual<\/a> campaign reflects why many Democrats are still searching. Some are hesitant to commit after seeing former Rep. Eric Swalwell implode after the Chronicle\u2019s bombshell investigation<\/a> revealed allegations that he sexually assaulted a female staffer. That hesitancy\u00a0\u2014 and the lack of compelling candidates\u00a0\u2014 may explain why 13% of Democrats\u00a0remain undecided<\/a>.<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The two Democrats closest to advancing to the general election, according to most polls<\/a>, are Steyer and Becerra.\u00a0<\/p>\n Experience-wise, they couldn\u2019t be more different. Voters seeking an experienced hand might gravitate toward Becerra\u2019s many years in public office, in a variety of state and federal roles. Those seeking a nonpolitician\u2019s perspective on California\u2019s problems might be impressed with Steyer\u2019s business and advocacy background. Both come with pitfalls: Becerra\u2019s long r\u00e9sum\u00e9 means there is plenty to criticize when it comes to the choices he\u2019s made as a public official.\u00a0Steyer\u2019s non-r\u00e9sum\u00e9 in public office means it\u2019s hard to predict how he might approach problems that arise in government leadership roles.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Progressive groups and icons including Sen. Bernie Sanders, independent-Vt., and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich have endorsed Steyer, who pledges<\/a> to be the \u201cbillionaire who can take on the billionaires.\u201d Meanwhile, Becerra, the former state legislator, House member and state attorney general, is corralling institutional support while cultivating an image as \u201cTio Xavier,\u201d as the audience chanted at a recent labor rally in San Francisco, the even-keeled uncle who knows how to get stuff done by working inside the system.<\/p>\n It is an underwhelming choice for many Democrats in the nation\u2019s bluest state. For those pondering whether to support Becerra, Steyer or someone else, here are some answers that may lead you to a decision.<\/p>\n If I vote with my heart for a lower-polling candidate, will that risk sending one or two Republicans to the general election?<\/p>\n \u201cVote for whoever you want to vote for,\u201d data guru Paul Mitchell advised. \u201cIn my first election, I voted for Jesse Jackson and I was so proud 10 years later when I met him for the first time and got to tell him that I voted for him. I would\u2019ve felt like a total loser if I had voted for (Michael) Dukakis in that primary just because he was the \u2018right\u2019 Democrat to vote for.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But Mitchell said he understands that viability might be a big decision maker for some voters.<\/p>\n \u201cIf that\u2019s what\u2019s gonna make you feel proud about your vote, then I would never stop someone from just voting for the person who\u2019s leading in the polls or something,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n And for those deciding between the two top-polling Democrats, here are some differentiators.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n What are the biggest differences between Becerra and Steyer?\u00a0<\/p>\n Because they\u2019re both Democrats, Becerra and Steyer agree on many big issues. Their differences are more evident in how they\u2019d tackle them.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Becerra, the career politician, is more of an incrementalist who would work within the existing system and build coalitions among lawmakers. Steyer, in his attempt to reinvent himself as a progressive champion, would attempt to work around the system\u00a0\u2014 for example, by passing ballot measures and replacing members of the Public Utilities Commission to fulfill sweeping sound-byte promises like \u201cI\u2019ll cut electricity rates 25%.\u201d<\/p>\n How do they differ on bringing down the cost of housing?\u00a0<\/p>\n Becerra promises to direct every state agency to make sure that housing is a top priority, a way to get an estimated 40,000 \u201cshovel-ready\u201d affordable units finally built, he told the Chronicle<\/a>. He doesn\u2019t typically mention that building those units would also require $5 billion in additional state funding, according to a March analysis<\/a> from the housing nonprofit Enterprise. He advocates for zoning reform to make it easier to approve housing near jobs and transit.\u00a0<\/p>\n All sound good, but it\u2019s nothing that hasn\u2019t been discussed\u00a0\u2014 and approved <\/a>in some cases\u00a0\u2014 in Sacramento before. Becerra also promises to use the state\u2019s legal power to \u201cto make sure cities follow through on commitments they\u2019ve made\u201d to build housing. That is a continuation of what Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta have been\u00a0doing for several years<\/a>.<\/p>\n But Becerra doesn\u2019t offer much to bring down the costs that drive the high price of housing, as Ezra Klein noted in a recent forum he moderated on housing. In fact, Becerra also wants to make sure that workers are paid prevailing wages. A 2024 analysis<\/a> from UC Berkeley\u2019s Terner Center found that \u201cprojects indicating that they would pay prevailing wage cost approximately $94,000 more per unit.\u201d Becerra proposes expanding down payment assistance for first-time buyers and enforcing the California Tenant Protection Act to stop \u201cexcessive rent increases.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Steyer, meanwhile, said he would advocate for a special election to close a loophole in Proposition 13 that enables commercial building owners to avoid paying property tax increases. Under the law, property taxes can rise no more than 2% each year unless more than half of ownership is sold or new construction occurs. But Californians were asked to close this same loophole in 2020 when it appeared on the ballot as Proposition 15, and 52% rejected the idea.\u00a0<\/p>\n Governing by ballot initiative is a risky proposition<\/a>. Prop 15 was supposed to win in a presidential election year where there was a ton of Democratic energy going toward voting Donald Trump out after his first term, and it still lost.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n How would they lower electricity prices?\u00a0<\/p>\n Steyer vows to lower electricity rates by 25%\u00a0\u2014 a compelling promise, especially in a state that has the nation\u2019s second-highest rates, but difficult to accomplish. He wants to do that by appointing different people to the state\u2019s Public Utilities Commission and introducing more competition to the state\u2019s monopolistic investor-owned utilities. But upon closer inspection, Steyer doesn\u2019t actually want to bust up utilities. \u201cMy issue is we are not regulating them right,\u201d Steyer\u00a0told KQED<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Severin Borenstein, director of UC Berkeley\u2019s Energy Institute at Haas, told CalMatters<\/a> that increasing competition isn\u2019t going to drive down costs as much as Steyer promises. \u201cThat just isn\u2019t a big part of the bill in California,\u201d Borenstein said. Other factors, including fireproofing transmission lines, are driving up costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Becerra proposes freezing electricity rates, which is a temporary solution. He said in a recent debate that \u201cit is time that Californians had an understanding of why so many of them are paying so much for \u2026 those charges.\u201d But he hasn\u2019t offered specifics beyond that.<\/p>\n Who supports single-payer health care?\u00a0<\/p>\n Both have waffled, and both have acknowledged that creating such a system would be extraordinarily difficult.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Steyer didn\u2019t back single-payer when he ran for president in 2020, but now he does. The switch is what is endearing him to many progressives. But he offers several caveats. \u201cA state can\u2019t just say we\u2019re single payer,\u201d\u00a0Steyer told me in February<\/a>. \u201cIt takes several years and the cooperation of the national government. It\u2019s a process. We\u2019ll start the process on Day 1, but it\u2019s a process that takes a lot of work.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Becerra has supported single payer since 1994, when he was in Congress.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Rene Bravo, president of the California Medical Association, a leading opponent of single payer, told KQED<\/a> that when Becerra appeared before the organization, \u201che said very clearly that, at this point, he wasn\u2019t supportive of single payer.\u201d The organization endorsed\u00a0Becerra and its political action committee contributed the maximum amount, $39,200, to his campaign.<\/p>\n On his campaign website, Becerra now says his healthcare plan would allow the state to \u201cbuild toward universal coverage,\u201d but stops short of saying he\u2019d advocate for a single-payer system.<\/p>\n Who supports a possible state tax on billionaires?<\/p>\n Steyer, the billionaire, says he\u2019ll vote for the measure it qualifies for the ballot. Becerra opposes it. \u201cEveryone needs to pay their fair share, but this specific proposal is not the right vehicle,\u201d Becerra wrote in response to a Chronicle questionnaire<\/a>.<\/p>\n What is the campaign finance scandal that Becerra\u2019s opponents keep bringing up?\u00a0<\/p>\n