SACRAMENTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Like millions of Californians, I haven\u2019t voted yet in the primary election. That\u2019s because I can\u2019t decide who should be our governor. Here\u2019s what I\u2019m thinking:<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an underwhelming field. But one of these Democratic contenders will very likely replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in January.<\/p>\n
Based on the latest polling<\/a>, a Democrat \u2014 probably Xavier Becerra \u2014 will qualify for the November general election ballot. That Democrat will face a Republican \u2014 very likely Steve Hilton.<\/p>\n It\u2019s inconceivable that a Democratic gubernatorial candidate would lose to a Republican in this polarized, deep blue state. That means we\u2019ll actually be choosing the governor in next Tuesday\u2019s primary. You can dismiss the November face-off as essentially moot.<\/p>\n You’re reading the L.A. Times Politics newsletter <\/p>\n George Skelton and Michael Wilner cover the insights, legislation, players and politics you need to know. In your inbox Monday and Thursday mornings. <\/p>\n By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a>, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our Privacy Policy<\/a> such as personalizing your experience and ads. <\/p>\n My mail ballot, like millions of others in California, has been sitting on the kitchen table for weeks.<\/p>\n As of this writing, I only know who I\u2019m not voting for. And that\u2019s either of the two Republicans: former Fox News host Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco<\/a>. That\u2019s not because they\u2019re Republicans. I\u2019ve voted for plenty of Republicans \u2014 for governor, senator and president.<\/p>\n But Hilton<\/a> won\u2019t acknowledge that President Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020. And anyone who doesn\u2019t have the backbone to stand up to Trump and recognize a basic fact of our democracy shouldn\u2019t be trusted as our governor.<\/p>\n Bianco disqualified himself by buying into Trump\u2019s persistent lies about election fraud and seizing 650,000 ballots from last November\u2019s Proposition 50 voting. <\/a>The sheriff wasted taxpayer resources and, moreover, doesn\u2019t have any vote-counting expertise.<\/p>\n Now for the Democrats:<\/p>\n It has been a disappointing campaign \u2014 a missed opportunity to seriously discuss crucial issues such as the need to become more self-sufficient locally on water supply, significantly improve wildfire prevention and regulate the coming AI menace.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve winced during televised debates and TV ads at ugly attacks against opponents.<\/p>\n For a while, I considered casting my vote for the Democrat ranking highest in the polls. I thought that in a large Democratic field, the vote could be splintered and only two Republicans would qualify for November. But that now seems inconceivable because three Democrats dropped out.<\/p>\n Anyway, an individual\u2019s vote is too precious not to be used for the candidate considered best for the job.<\/p>\n These are my thoughts on who that might be:<\/p>\n Becerra, 68.<\/a> He\u2019s the Democratic front-runner and seemingly the safe choice. Not a huge risk taker. He probably wouldn\u2019t screw up and make things worse. He might even marginally improve some stuff.<\/p>\n Calm and understated. Decent. Likable. He brings an impressive resume with the experience and knowledge to handle the job: a former U.S. health secretary, California attorney general, longtime congressman from Los Angeles and a state assemblyman.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, he has often been too vague about what he\u2019d do as governor. That\u2019s largely because he\u2019s not the sort who rushes into things. He wants to first \u201cscrub\u201d the matter. Not a bad trait.<\/p>\n He should have better answers, however, for accusations that he was derelict in Washington for releasing thousands of undocumented immigrant children to sponsors who exploited them as laborers \u2014 and also for a scandal involving his top aide who pilfered Becerra\u2019s campaign account. Becerra said he didn\u2019t know about it. But he should have.<\/p>\n Becerra would be California\u2019s first elected Latino governor. Like many California Latinos, he\u2019s the son of hardworking Mexican immigrants who took advantage of their opportunity to seek the California Dream.<\/p>\n Tom Steyer, 68. Here\u2019s the liberal firebrand who wants to shake up Sacramento.<\/p>\n The question is whether he has the ability and knowledge to pull it off. Steyer wants to split up the private utility monopolies and lower consumers\u2019 electricity bills. And how\u2019s he going to do that? We really haven\u2019t heard.<\/p>\n He\u2019s a billionaire who has never held public office<\/a> and is trying to start at the top by spending $200 million of his own money to buy into the governor\u2019s suite. California voters have always rejected such candidates.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve got nothing against billionaires. In fact, I think it\u2019s a noble use of their money to participate in democracy and try to fix the state.<\/p>\n But in Steyer\u2019s case, his recent unrelenting attack ads against surging Becerra \u2014 now his chief campaign rival \u2014 are disturbing and seem like overkill. He\u2019d be better off telling us how he plans to improve our daily lives.<\/p>\n Katie Porter, 52. I find her refreshing, despite a feisty personality that grates on many voters.<\/a> <\/p>\n She\u2019s a former Orange County congresswoman and longtime professor of consumer law who\u2019s plenty smart.<\/p>\n What I like is she has done her homework, is very conversant on most issues and is specific about what she\u2019d do as governor.<\/p>\n OK, some of her goals are probably beyond financial reach: single-payer healthcare, free college tuition and free child care.<\/p>\n But she\u2019d shake up Sacramento and that\u2019s needed. She\u2019d stand up to special interests. And she\u2019d be California\u2019s first female governor.<\/p>\n Could she work well with the Legislature? Probably well enough, given a governor\u2019s immense power to reward and punish.<\/p>\n Matt Mahan, 43. The centrist San Jos\u00e9 mayor<\/a> hasn\u2019t spent enough time in his current job to prove himself to voters beyond the San Francisco Peninsula. And he entered the race too late.<\/p>\n He\u2019s not quite ready. Knock again in a few years.<\/p>\n Antonio Villaraigosa, 73. He might be the best potential governor of the lot.<\/p>\n He understands Sacramento as a former Assembly speaker and urban problems as an ex-Los Angeles mayor.<\/a> He\u2019s a no-nonsense guy who has been leveling with voters..<\/p>\n But age discrimination is a problem, although he\u2019s only five years older than Becerra and Steyer. And he hasn\u2019t held office in many years. His time is past.<\/p>\n For me, it\u2019s time to pick up my ballot and decide who should be California\u2019s next governor.<\/p>\n What else you should be reading<\/p>\n The must-read: Voter guide to the 2026 California primary election<\/a> Until next week,
Money, it\u2019s a gas: Billionaire Tom Steyer\u2019s $192.4-million self-funded California gubernatorial bid shatters records<\/a>
The L.A. Times Special: Steve Hilton and Spencer Pratt need Latinos, not Trump<\/a> <\/p>\n
George Skelton<\/p>\n