\u201cThe reality is, the climate crisis is driving an affordability crisis,\u201d said California Environmental Voters CEO Mary Creasman. \u201cThese unnatural disasters are driving up energy costs, insurance costs, grocery bills, water rates and more. Corporate greed and climate impacts are creating an economic crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Creasman\u2019s remarks came during a gubernatorial candidates forum in Pasadena on Wednesday, Jan. 28, where the six top-polling candidates based on recent surveys were invited to participate in person. This included four Democrats: former U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra<\/a>, former Rep. Katie Porter<\/a>, environmentalist Tom Steyer<\/a> and Rep. Eric Swalwell<\/a>.<\/p>\n Journalist Sammy Roth, of Climate-Colored Goggles, takes a selfie after moderating a climate-focused forum with candidates for governor from left, Rep. Eric Swalwell, former U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, environmentalist Tom Steyer and former Rep. Katie Porter, and Mary Creasman, CEO of California Environmental Voters and Louise Bedsworth, executive director of UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at Lineage Performing Arts Center in Pasadena on Wednesday evening, January 28, 2026. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n Louise Bedsworth, executive director of UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & the Environment and journalist Sammy Roth, of Climate-Colored Goggles moderate a climate-focused forum with candidates for governor at Lineage Performing Arts Center in Pasadena on Wednesday evening, January 28, 2026. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1 of 2<\/p>\n Journalist Sammy Roth, of Climate-Colored Goggles, takes a selfie after moderating a climate-focused forum with candidates for governor from left, Rep. Eric Swalwell, former U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, environmentalist Tom Steyer and former Rep. Katie Porter, and Mary Creasman, CEO of California Environmental Voters and Louise Bedsworth, executive director of UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at Lineage Performing Arts Center in Pasadena on Wednesday evening, January 28, 2026. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n Expand<\/a><\/p>\n Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco<\/a> and former Fox News host Steve Hilton<\/a>, both Republicans, were also invited to participate in person. But their campaigns did not respond, according to event organizers.<\/p>\n Related: How California governor candidates say they will tackle homelessness<\/a><\/p>\n Between the recent forum and interviews with candidates, we take a look at nine major gubernatorial contenders\u2019 plans for addressing environmental issues. (Bianco\u2019s campaign did not respond to requests for an interview.)<\/p>\n Xavier Becerra<\/p>\n To accelerate California\u2019s use of clean energy, Becerra said the state must invest in solar and wind energy \u2014 even if the Trump administration wants to slash subsidies and tax credits.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re the fourth-largest economy. We have the resources to make it happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, as more drivers switch to electric vehicles and oil refineries talk about closing down in California, the state must ensure that petroleum remains available for those who continue to drive gas-powered vehicles, Becerra said. Storing and importing gasoline will ensure the supply is there for those who need it, he said.<\/p>\n On the issue of affordability, Becerra said one of the first things he\u2019d do as governor would be to freeze utility rates and insurance premiums on homes because the public deserves a clear answer as to why costs have skyrocketed.<\/p>\n And to help pay for climate resiliency projects to protect against the impacts of wildfires, floods, droughts, pollution and other climate issues, Becerra said he would look at taxing the wealthy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to have folks who are successful, but you need to do your fair share,\u201d he said of wealthy Californians. \u201cWe need revenue. We\u2019ll put it to good use.\u201d<\/p>\n Steve Hilton<\/p>\n For Hilton, a conversation about environmental policy must include conservation. California\u2019s current policies have gone too far in several places, he said, pointing specifically to electric vehicle mandates, a lack of oil production in the state and housing construction regulations, among other things.<\/p>\n \u201cI love our beautiful, open spaces and nature, and we need to protect and preserve our natural environment. It\u2019s one of the most wonderful things about California,\u201d said Hilton, who called himself \u201can incredibly passionate environmentalist.\u201d<\/p>\n Calling California\u2019s effort to phase out gas-powered cars<\/a> in favor of electric vehicles \u201cridiculous,\u201d Hilton railed against \u201cthis forced electrification of everything, regardless of the cost.\u201d The infrastructure isn\u2019t there yet, Hilton said, and in the meantime, he\u2019s concerned about the amount of taxpayer money used for subsidies to help people transition to electric vehicles or equipment and the impact on the grid and energy costs.<\/p>\n As for housing and developments, Hilton said he does not support the push to build more housing with density in mind, meaning massive apartment buildings that provide numerous units as opposed to smaller homes or townhouses; in other words, building upwards instead of outwards.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re trying to force apartments into everything, and they\u2019re trying to make people live a certain way in apartments with no parking so people have to take transit. That\u2019s not how California developed, and it\u2019s actually not at all what they want in California.\u201d<\/p>\n Calling it a war on \u201cfamily homes,\u201d Hilton said he would support developing more land in the state to make way for single-family homes.<\/p>\n Matt Mahan<\/p>\n A recent entry into the gubernatorial race \u2014 the San Jose mayor announced his candidacy<\/a> on Thursday, Jan. 29, a day after the environmental forum \u2014 Mahan has also made affordability a key component of his platform.<\/p>\n Mahan is considered a more moderate Democrat in the race and has said he supports amending CEQA<\/a>, California\u2019s landmark environmental law, to make it easier to build more housing.<\/p>\n And in an interview last year<\/a>, Mahan said he agreed with the Trump administration when it comes to placing a focus on energy dominance to keep up with growing demand.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want investment in advanced manufacturing, data centers to happen in San Jose, in California,\u201d Mahan, a former tech entrepreneur, said at the time. \u201cBecause if we don\u2019t have that investment here, we can regulate all we want. The important decisions will be made by innovators in other states and even other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n As mayor, a key component of his agenda is cleaning up dirty streets. \u201cA clean street can contribute to a stronger city in so many ways,\u201d his mayoral website said<\/a>, including by reducing traffic by encouraging people to walk more.<\/p>\n Katie Porter<\/p>\n To get more people driving electric vehicles, Porter said California needs to make EVs cheaper for consumers. An EV often costs $8,000 to $10,000 more than a gas-fueled car, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we want people to choose EVs, we have to close that gap. We have to make sure that electric vehicles are as affordable as gas vehicles at the point of sale,\u201d the Irvine Democrat said.<\/p>\n In terms of public transit, Porter said rail might be the solution in some places, but it won\u2019t work in others, given California\u2019s diverse communities. She suggested micro transit \u2014 a public transportation service<\/a> that picks up passengers on demand, often using shuttles or vans \u2014 as a possible strategy in some communities.<\/p>\n On insurance reforms, Porter said that beyond demanding that insurance companies follow the rules, the state ought to modernize what\u2019s covered under an insurance policy and how the industry processes and pays claims.<\/p>\n To pay for climate resiliency projects, Porter, a former member of Congress, proposed turning to artificial intelligence companies with data centers that require lots of energy, as well as water for cooling, and other companies that use more resources.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they\u2019re going to need much more energy \u2026 they should be footing the bill for building that infrastructure,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Tom Steyer<\/p>\n Like Becerra, Steyer said that as the state transitions to more electric vehicles, it will be important for drivers who still own gas-fueled cars to retain access to affordable gasoline. He suggested it might make sense to turn to Washington state or overseas because shipping gasoline is inexpensive.<\/p>\n That said, Steyer supports having more EVs and said California will need to push to install more charging stations and have them more readily available to alleviate drivers\u2019 fears that their car batteries will die before they reach their destination.<\/p>\n To address sprawling developments, Steyer wants more homes built near public transportation or in walkable communities.<\/p>\n In terms of insurance payouts after climate-related disasters, he said it\u2019s the responsibility of the governor and state attorney general to prevent insurance companies from stonewalling people.<\/p>\n \u201cIt should be brought up in court, and we should be pushing on timing and amount,\u201d Steyer said. \u201cI think that what we\u2019re seeing is corporate power, corporate arrogance and a sense that they don\u2019t have to obey the law. In the state of California, that absolutely can\u2019t be true.\u201d<\/p>\n He proposed closing two corporate loopholes, which he estimates would bring in another $15 billion to $20 billion in revenue to the state each year, to help pay for climate resiliency projects.<\/p>\n Eric Swalwell<\/p>\n Because the Trump administration has pulled funding from California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions<\/a> and deploy green energy technology that would lower costs for Californians, Swalwell proposed standing up a research fund and seeking global investments so that companies in the state can work to bring down greenhouse gases and ultimately use revenues to bring down electricity costs.<\/p>\n In addition, he said the next governor needs to be creative in securing both public and private funding so that regional rail projects can continue even as federal funding for such projects is threatened.<\/p>\n On holding insurance and utility companies accountable when it comes to disasters, Swalwell, a former prosecutor, said he would approach these entities with the mindset that justice must be delivered to disaster victims.<\/p>\n \u201cThe (Southern California) fire victims know that their homes will never come back the way that they knew. But they want to know that the next governor gets it and will fight for them. And that\u2019s what you\u2019re going to get (with) me \u2014 a prosecutor\u2019s sense of justice in the governor\u2019s office,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As far as leveraging his contacts in Washington, Swalwell said he\u2019d work to ensure Democrats \u201cclaw back\u201d a piece of what the Trump administration has taken away \u2014 particularly when it comes to clean energy \u2014 during budget negotiations.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a direct relationship with (House Minority Leader) Hakeem Jeffries, and the speakership that he\u2019s going to take when we (Democrats) take the majority is going to be so important for Californians,\u201d Swalwell said. \u201cAnd my relationship with Hakeem is going to make sure, in every negotiation, we bring back as much as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n Tony Thurmond<\/p>\n To incentivize more people to purchase electric vehicles, Thurmond proposed bringing back a state voucher program to help bring down the cost of such sales. At the same time, he acknowledged that California needs to build far more charging stations to incentivize more people to switch to EVs.<\/p>\n On holding insurance companies accountable, Thurmond said the governor needs to be more forceful. He took issue with insurance companies that were allowed to raise rates<\/a> or otherwise charge their customers more after last year\u2019s Southern California wildfires.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, where I come from, if you do a bad job, you don\u2019t get a raise. And so they (insurance companies) shouldn\u2019t get a rate increase at all unless they\u2019re writing more policies,\u201d Thurmond said.<\/p>\n In terms of helping people with long commutes and addressing sprawling developments, Thurmond said he supports a new law<\/a> allowing taller and denser housing developments near transit stations.<\/p>\n Beyond that, Thurmond said he supports encouraging companies to allow more remote work to help those who must commute long distances. Even just a few days a week of that can cut down on carbon emissions, he said.<\/p>\n![\"Journalist](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LDN-L-GOV-ENVIRO-0131-14-SR.jpg\"\/)
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