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California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton speaks during a town hall with union film industry workers at Blue Cloud Movie Ranch on Wednesday in Santa Clarita.<\/p>\n
(Justin Sullivan \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
He has promised to slash state regulations and the government workforce to deliver $3 gas, tax-free earnings up to $150,000 and vehicle registration fees capped at $73. <\/p>\n
Becerra, a former secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services, met with survivors of the devastating 2025 Altadena wildfire, first responders and community leaders before outlining his plans to prevent such destruction and to deal with fires when they do inevitably break out. <\/p>\n
Becerra said his first priority is to secure the $30 billion in disaster aid that the federal government has failed to deliver. <\/p>\n
\u201cJob one, if I\u2019m fortunate to become the governor, will be to fight, fight and fight, get that money that people for nearly two years here in Altadena and the Palisades and elsewhere have been waiting for,\u201d he said, speaking to reporters on what used to be the deck of a home belonging to a member of the Altadena Town Council. <\/p>\n
Becerra recalled that during his 24 years in Congress there was widespread, bipartisan support for sending federal assistance to disaster areas, including areas devastated by hurricanes on the Eastern Seaboard or floods in the South. California deserves the same response, he said. <\/p>\n
He said he would seek to leverage tax dollars to help communities better prepare for wildfires, creating buffers and hardening structures because of wildfires that will inevitably occur in certain communities. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a matter of if; it\u2019s a matter of when,\u201d Becerra said. <\/p>\n
Becerra said he would seek to work with local governments to create a functional emergency alert system throughout the state. In the aftermath of 2025 wildfires, there was heavy criticism about delayed emergency notifications and evacuation orders. <\/p>\n
He also said that wildfires now occur year-round, not just during what was once called fire season, and that it was crucial to make sure that firefighters were prepared to respond year-round by not expecting them to work more than 60 or 70 hours per week when a fire breaks out. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe want people to stay in these positions because when the fires hit, we can\u2019t be asking where is the fire force,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When asked about the cost of gas, Becerra blamed the Trump administration for a \u201creckless, illegal war in Iran\u201d and \u201ccrazy, illegal\u201d tariffs that have contributed to higher prices.<\/p>\n
Hilton, who is endorsed by Trump, blamed the state\u2019s high cost of living squarely on state policies, not on fuel prices driven up by the war.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t need to make changes at the federal level to lower people\u2019s costs in California,\u201d Hilton said. \u201cI\u2019m focused on what I can do as governor to lower costs in California, and that is to roll back the Democrat policies that have given us the highest costs. It\u2019s not federal policies that have given us the highest gas prices in the country, it\u2019s Democrat policies in California.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Public Policy Institute of California survey released earlier this week showed Becerra with a 22-point lead over Hilton, driven by Democrats\u2019 large voter registration advantage.<\/p>\n
According to a May report from the Secretary of State\u2019s office, just under 45% of voters were registered as Democrats, 25% Republicans and 22% with no party preference. The remaining 7% were registered with another political party.<\/p>\n