California Governor Debate (CBS and SF Examiner)

The ballots are out, but many voters are still undecided. Tonight, seven candidates all vying to become the next [music] governor of the Golden State. Making their final case on the issues that matter to Californians the most.

>> This is the scariest [music] part of my trip. Looking at that price. I think we

need more housing. Hosted by CBS [music] California and the San Francisco Examiner, this is the California

Debate. Exchange building inside the Julia Morgan Ballroom here in San Francisco. I'm Ryan Yamamoto with CBS News Bay Area. I'm joined by Tom Wait with CBS Los Angeles and Skyler Hudak Piones, editor-in-chief of the San Francisco

Examiner. With less than 3 weeks until election day, many voters are watching tonight's debate at home with their ballots in front of them. This is your final chance candidates to speak to them directly and tell them why you are the one they should

for. And tonight we're going to bring you stories of real Californians and the issues that they face. We've got a several different themes to show you housing affordability and climate and each of these topics will be introduced by Juliet Goodrich in our KPIX studios here in San Francisco. San Francisco.

Well, some ground rules. Each candidate will get 1 minute to answer our questions, 30 seconds for follow-ups and 30 seconds to respond to a challenge from another candidate at the moderator's discretion. We will also try to get some lightning round questions if time

And now, let's get to our candidates. In the spirit of getting your message across directly to voters, we've asked candidates to prepare opening remarks. We begin with Ms. Porter. Please let our viewers know a little more about you and also your top priority if elected governor. You

Californians, when you fill out your ballot, I want you to think of one word, trust. Who can you trust to fight for your family, to look out for your best interests, to actually deliver a more affordable life? I'm not a billionaire. I push a shopping cart. I pay the bills and I fill up my minivan. Unlike others on this stage who have cashed corporate checks from big oil and big pharma, I'm the only candidate who has rejected corporate contributions. When you think about trust, think about our track records. I'll put my track record of delivering for families and putting them first up against anyone. My record includes keeping Californians in their homes during the foreclosure crisis, going toe-to-toe with the wealthiest CEOs in this country to push them on how workers cannot afford to make ends meet, and pushing Trump to deliver free COVID testing for all. Californians, you can trust me to fight for you.

Thank you, Ms. Porter. Mr. Bianco, you have 1

Thank you. So, I'm the Sheriff of Riverside County, Southern California. I'm the fourth largest Sheriff's Office in the entire country. 4,500 employees, five jails, contract cities, I have 17 of them. I'm the Chief of Police of 17 cities, 17 city councils, mayors, all of those things. So, I run a $1.3 billion budget per year in the black because I believe that government should not be spending more money than what it has. I am the only person on this stage that has 33 years of proven public service based on integrity, honesty, character, transparency, and most importantly, proven leadership. California does not deserve, or should we have, another career politician promising you pie in the sky ideas. What we need is a proven problem solver, a leader who will combat the policies that have ruined most of your lives and make California the dream that we all had

Thank you, Mr. Bianco. Mr.

Villaraigosa. First of all, I want to thank you all for having us today and all of you for being here, for caring enough about this state to to sit for an hour and a half and hear us. This is a great state, a state that's given me more than I could have ever imagined growing up on the East Side in a single-family household with a mother who struggled to make ends meet. But let's be clear. Uh this is a state with big challenges, the challenge of affordability, the challenge of health care, homelessness, and uh dirty streets and crime-filled streets. The fact is, I'm the only candidate on this stage who, in addition to hitting Donald Trump, uh which I do, have challenged us, challenged this party, and said, "Hold it. A lot of the problems that we face as come from Sacramento policies. We need someone with the courage to take on Donald Trump, but also take on our friends when they're wrong." I've had a record of doing that as mayor and speaker. I'd be honored to have

support. Thank you,

Villaraigosa. Mr. Becerra, you have

1 minute. My parents came to California with $12 in their pocket. They worked really hard. They never had a chance to go to college, but they gave my three sisters and I that very opportunity. And as a result, we got to live the dream. But too many families today don't believe that the California exists today for them. That's why I've been fighting all my public life to make sure that people get to experience what a construction worker and a clerical worker without a college degree had a a to do. That's why I fought to protect the Affordable Care Act when Donald Trump tried to eliminate it the first time he was president, and I took him all the way to the Supreme Court and we beat him. That's why I had to go at him toe-to-toe over and over more than 120 times when I was attorney general, and we beat him whether it was saving the DACA program or whether it was making sure that we protected our families against ICE. We fought and we won. We're going to do the same thing again because today it's housing, it's healthcare. People want a fighter, people want someone with experience. I hope to

vote. Thank you, Mr.

Mahan. California, I want to speak to you directly. We need change. Everything is too expensive and our state isn't working for families. The change we need is rooted in accountability for results. It's not the change billionaire Tom Steyer's offering, which is higher taxes and bigger government. It's not the change Fox News talking head Steve Hilton's offering, fear, division, and more Donald Trump. And let's be honest, Xavier Becerra is not offering change. He's the embodiment of As mayor of San Jose, I have led us to reduce homelessness by 1/3. We've made our city the safest big city in the nation. We're building thousands of homes for working families. That's the kind of change we need. Real results, challenging the establishment to make government deliver for working people. I'm asking for your vote, not for me, for our kids and our grandkids who deserve a

Mr. Mahan,

thank you. Mr. Hilton, you

have 1 minute. The change we need is away from the policies that have brought us to the situation that all the people on this stage describe. There's a difference, though. Only two of us here actually represent real change away from that. Like millions of people before me, I came to this state in search of a dream, like my parents who left communist Hungary to England in search of freedom. I was brought up in a working-class immigrant family. I made it to Oxford University, worked in 10 Downing Street, came here in 2012 with my wife and my two sons, taught at Stanford, started a business, and now leading the race for governor. I want every single one of you to know I believe in you. I won't accept that the California dream is something we talk about in the past tense. Wherever you want to go, I want to clear the barriers away. More money in your pocket, your first 100 grand tax-free. Enough with the bureaucracy and the nonsense. We will restore the California

dream. Thank you, Mr. Hilton. Mr. Steuer, you have

minute. I'm running for governor because Californians can't afford to live in California anymore. 15 years ago, I walked away from my business and dedicated my life to fighting for working Californians. In that time, I've taken on corporate interests over and over, and I've never lost. And that's exactly what I expect to do as governor. I'm going to take on the special interests and lower costs for working Californians. I'll build a million homes Californians can afford. I will get single-payer healthcare because it's not right that families have to choose between food on the table and seeing a doctor. And I'll break up the electric monopolies and reduce electricity costs by 25%. This is the richest state in the richest country in the history of the world. It is unacceptable that so many Californians are struggling to make ends meet. And let me say, the powers the corporate powers that be are spending tens of millions of dollars against me because they know I'm the only one who's threatening their profits. If you want real change in California, I'd be honored to have your vote tomorrow tonight, and let's get this done together.

Thank you, Mr. Steuer, and thank you, candidates. Let's go back to Juliet inside our KPIX studios with our first topic

of Ryan, thank you. So California has the highest gas prices in the nation by far. Add in increasing grocery prices, utilities, and the cost really add up. Len Ramirez introduces us to a working mother who's making some tough choices

meet. Behind the wheel and with one of her little ones riding in the back, Grace is doing the math before she even reaches

the gas station. This is insane. Like I

>> And so for this single mother of two, her plan at the pump changed with the

surging prices. I don't fill up my car anymore am lucky if I put like a quarter to a

half tank. Grace works at a substance abuse recovery center, and she's a full-time student at San Jose City College. She hopes to transfer to San Jose State University and earn a degree in

social work. I want my kids to look up to me and that is doing everything she can to try to

them. But on trips to the grocery store like this, her finances dictate that every purchase is calculated.

>> Skip this one and I go for one cuz it's

a little cheaper. Then she comes to the meat counter.

This is the scariest part of my trip. I'm looking at that price, $18. I'd probably go with more something on this line because this will last me

probably. At the checkout counter, just these few items add up to a price she can afford, but it's not much for $41.

I want to improve for my children's sake because everything. That's why it's hard in this economy. It's really to balance. A lot of balancing.

you.

Say hi. Ms. Porter, for many like Grace, the California dream can feel completely out of reach. How will you lower costs across the state? You have

I have four concrete policies to lower costs. The first is less expensive housing. That takes the biggest bite out of most people's paychecks, so it has to be our governor's top priority. If we build faster, the same speed as our competitor states, then housing costs here will be 10 to 20% cheaper. Second, if housing isn't your biggest expense, it might be because you have young children. Free child care will make our entire economy grow. It's not just something we do for kids, it's something we do for everyone to help our economy boom. Third, free tuition at our state universities. This is something California used to have. It's putting money right back in the pocket of young families that we want to stay here in our state. And last, an idea that I took from Republican Steve Hilton cuz I'll take good ideas even if they come from that guy, is eliminating California state income taxes on those earning less than

Thank you, Ms. Porter. Mr. Steyer, the cost of tariffs are hitting Californians at the kitchen table. As governor, what would you do to offset the impact of federal

So, as I said, the biggest problem in California is affordability, and it goes to every part of this economy. It goes starting with housing. It goes directly to health care. It goes to or the cost of gasoline at the pump, the electricity that you pay in your house, and it very much goes to food. And in every one of those, there is a special interest that is killing it by driving up costs for Californians. And in every one of those, we're not going to get an answer unless we make structural change and we take on those special interests. And I am the person on this stage in every one of those areas who is taking them on. I am the person who will tax the billionaires like me and the big corporations so we can afford to make the changes, so we can pay for health care, so we can pay for great education. We need structural changes. We need to break the monopolies and get lower costs across the board for

Californians. Thank you, Mr. Steyer. Mr. Mahan, as Ms. Porter stated, child care costs have risen dramatically around the state, and many Californians pay more for child care than they do for housing. What steps would you take as governor to lower child care costs? You have 1

minute. Thanks, Skyler. The answer is to lower costs across the board starting with the issues we have the most control over. I've called for suspending the gas tax and reforming it so that EV owners pay their fair share for maintaining our roads. In San Jose, we've removed one-time fees that make housing more expensive than it should be and reformed permitting, which got has gotten thousands of homes under construction. So, the answer is to put more money in people's pockets by bringing down costs. Tom Steyer's structural change sounds to me more like socialism. His plan literally would double the size of state government. That's not going to drive affordability. Steve Hilton is touting his Donald Trump endorsements. You've got tariffs and wars driving up costs. Nobody's talking about how they're going to pay for anything. Let's bring down costs by building housing, making energy more abundant, reforming the gas tax, pulling down the unnecessary costs that we've imposed through failed policies. That's the

answer. Mr. Steyer, you have 30 seconds, and I will

So, let me say if he thinks that the oil companies are the good guys, that's news to me. I've been fighting the oil companies, and they are taking advantage and ripping us off at the pump as a result of this war in Iran and that's a buck 50 a gallon that they are costing up a penny. If you think the electricity of the electric monopolies are doing us a favor and we should be nice to them, let me say this. They're charging us twice as much as everybody else in the United States of America. Those are the people who I'm going to be taking on, the people who are using their market power to rip off Californians and make our costs go through the

roof. >> Thank you, Mr. Steyer. Mr. Holden, you have

30 seconds. Thank you very much. I love the way Matt talked about how he's going to lower costs when his city was recently rated the most expensive, the least affordable for housing in the world.

>> That's why we're fixing it. That's why we're building That's why we're building housing, Steve. That's how it works.

>> not fixing it because [laughter] He's not fixing it because >> We're building housing. are as high this year as they ever were. All the plans he talks about have not actually reduced the cost of housing because fundamentally he supports the policies that have made housing and gas the most expensive in the country. We need a change from those policies, not more of

the same. I mean, Steve, you came to San Jose to see our success on interim housing. Now you're against it because I'm in the race. I mean, come on. You're talking out of both sides of your mouth.

>>

Mr. Villaraigosa, people are leaving California. Our population has been dropping over the course of the last several years and many of the people who are leaving are making north of $200,000 a year. How do you reverse that trend?

You have 1 minute. Let's be clear. Sacramento's too expensive. This is the toughest state to do business in the United States of America, including for small business. Uh that we have the highest gas prices, uh on average $2 a gallon more and the fact is it's not Iran uh that's the only reason because that's picked it up another dollar. Uh the fact is it's Sacramento policies. You know, we've made it impossible for refineries to exist. Some of you know Valero just down the way. They're closing. They're all closing. A dozen of them have closed. They They produce the cleanest fuel in the United States of America. The fact is we've got to address this affordability issue and look in the mirror and say what have we done wrong? What do we need to do to address that affordability?

That's right. Thank you, Mr. Viergosa. Mr. Bianco. Cuts in Washington have resulted in healthcare premiums for programs like Covered California to skyrocket. Many people are dropping their plans and are just uninsured. What will you do to bring people back into insurance plans and how will you lower premium costs to help keep Californians covered? You have

1 minute. Yeah, I'll get into that, but the first thing that we have to realize and we've seen from the last three debates and this is I can already see this is going to be the fourth. When your 3-year-old writes on the wall with a marker, you don't give him a gallon of paint and let him We are in this position because every single person up here and the decisions and the the the policy decisions and the policy directions that they have supported throughout their careers that have put us here. And you're listening to the same things. You're listening to 30 years of more tax, regulation, and free stuff and you think that the cost of living is going to go down. You think the cost of health insurance is going to go down. That is why all of these costs are going up. So, when you eliminate the regulation, you eliminate the excessive business taxes that are forcing people out of this state, then you can fix government. You do not fix a government with the same tired old policies of bribing you with free things for an election and then 4 years later we're going through the same conversation because nothing changes. You've got to vote for something

different. Mr. Bianco, could you explain how you would keep people on their insurance plans with healthcare You have 30

>> Number one, >> we wouldn't have to worry about health care insurances going up because of Washington if California managed its finances. We are We want to blame everything about California. Donald Trump was named 10 times in the opening statements. We want to bring blame one year of Donald Trump on 30

people on their insurance plan.

>> We are going to fix the financial problem in California caused by all of these, the waste, the fraud, the abuse, the excessive fraud, embezzlement, and abuse in our medical system that allows that to happen in the first place.

You've had a 60% increase in your budget

>> Let me give you some beer and a gun,

sir. Right. Mr. Nice comment. Mr. Becerra, the Trump administration announced just yesterday it will withhold 1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California over hospice fraud. As governor, how would you crack down on health care fraud in the state? You

Right, in the same way I did it when I was attorney general. We established a bureau that dealt with Medi-Cal fraud working with the federal government. Unfortunately, Trump is a problem because Trump took a trillion dollars out of the health care system, out of the Medicare or the excuse me, the Medicaid and the Medi-Cal system. Trump is now trying to deprive California of another billion dollars in health care for Medi-Cal. He doesn't have the right to do that. You still have to prove that there's been fraud and abuse. He is in advance taking money even though he hasn't proven in court what he's done. So, we should go after him the way I had to do over 120 times when I was attorney general. We will fight to get those tax subsidies under the Affordable Care Act back for California families. We will fight to make sure we get the money that we sent to the federal treasury for Medi-Cal in California because otherwise 3 million Californians are in jeopardy of losing their health care. We won't let Trump get in our way. And whether it's the Trump gas tax because he's increased the fi- uh the price by going to war in Iran, or whether it's the tariffs that are attacks, we're going to fight against Trump.

>> Thank you, Mr. Becerra. On the issue of healthcare, do you believe in single-payer

healthcare? I absolutely have said over and over, yes, I do. Yes, I Let me just be consistent. I I have uh Medi-Cal for all is a form of single-payer. For more than 30 years, I have been a proponent and author of legislation for Medicare for all, which is a form of single-payer, and I've done that over and over. Now, what I will tell you is this, Ryan, what we have to do, because people in California don't care what you call it. At the end of the day, what they want is access to a doctor when they need it, and a a bill that they can afford to pay. And that's what we'll do. And when I was secretary, I advanced more coverage for more Americans than ever before, and we lowered prices.

Thank you, Mr. Becerra. Mr. Hilton, as someone who has lived in UK under a single-payer healthcare system, you've been highly critical of it and said as governor, the only way to bring healthcare costs down is to stop covering illegal immigrants. What do you say to voters who believe healthcare is a right and not a privilege? You have 1

minute. Well, I don't think it's fair that California taxpayers who can barely afford their own health coverage should be paying for the healthcare of citizens of other countries. And if you look at the um record of Xavier, it's exactly what Chad was just saying, that you cannot believe that any change will come from these people. He, as health secretary, dismantled the unit at HHS that was supposed to crack down on fraud. Billions of dollars of fraud as a result of his rule as HHS secretary. And there's another point I think we have to acknowledge. We learned today that Xavier, implicated in this corruption today we learned that he knew about illegal and improper payments from his campaign account to his former chief of staff. Honestly, and it pains me to say it because I like you personally, Xavier, but you shouldn't be on this stage. You shouldn't be in this race. You should be preparing your criminal

defense. Thank you, Mr. Hilton. Mr. Becerra, you'd like to respond? You have

30 seconds. Sure. With with with friends like that, who First, it's hard to respond to lies. We did not dismantle. We actually increased oversight.

>> In fact, what we did was we increased oversight over nursing homes because nursing homes had been the place where more deaths occurred as a result of COVID. So, we actually increased oversight. And what I will tell you is this, the record speaks for itself. Steve, under my watch, we went to more than 300 million Americans who had health care coverage. That was far beyond what Donald Trump, your daddy, uh gave us. And we are going to continue to move forward in California.

>> Mr. Becerra, would you like to respond to the the federal charges that he had brought up? If you're elected into the top two uh election run-off in November, can you guarantee that will not be a

distraction? Uh I can because as I've said from day one, I was not involved in the wrongdoing. Uh I had nothing to do with that. I did nothing wrong. And don't take my words for it. Take the words of the uh US attorney who said no candidate running for governor has been implicated in this particular matter. So, Steve, you may not want to accept it, but the truth is what it is. You don't get to make up the facts. The facts >> chief of staff who

said it, Xavier.

Let's let's let's talk about >> chief of staff who said that you knew about these payments. Let's talk

about >> If I can respond to that If I can respond to that, the the district uh the prosecuting attorney in the US Attorney's Office is the one that handled this case. Steve, unless you've tell me otherwise, I don't think you've gone to law school. But, the US attorney

And Katie, to your point then, the the US attorney has said no candidate, including me, uh running for governor has been implicated in this case. And they looked at all the facts and decided that there was no involvement on my part. They want to continue to repeat saying that, I get it because it's a campaign, except the facts.

>> We'll go to Mr. Becerra. We'll go to Mr. Steuerwalt first and then Mr. Becerra.

>> let let Javier, you're saying accept the facts. Let's go to the videotape. Let's trust the people who it. When it comes to single-payer, you went and talked to the largest lobbying group against single-payer in the state of California. And the head of that group the next day said you very clearly indicated you were against single-payer. They didn't just say it. They didn't just say it. They endorsed you and they gave you the maximum amount of money that they can give a candidate. So, are they lying? They clearly gave you the money. They clearly gave you the endorsement. And they clearly stated that's what you said.

quarter. So, respectfully, Mr. Becerra, you your quote at the end drifted off a little bit from the words. What the quote was that you had not been mentioned in the charging documents. That is in the indictment of Dana Williamson, your long-term chief of staff Shawn McClusky, or Greg Campbell. But as you know, that does not preclude, because you are also a trained attorney, you know that does not preclude an indictment from being issued against you. We do not what Dana Williamson said about your involvement and the government will will >> thank you Mr. Steuerwalt. We'll go to Mr. Mayhew first and then Mr. Becerra

Yeah, I mean look, I'll I'll let the lawyers battle that one out, but there's also a lot of fraud that happened under Javier's watch that we know about. Let's just stick to the facts. As attorney general for the state of California, >> Exactly. >> as HHS secretary, Javier Becerra oversaw a growing bureaucracy that we now know put out 32 billion dollars worth of fraudulent unemployment claims, billions of dollars of fraudulent hospice claims. He wasn't minding the shop. I mean, the Biden administration had to sideline him during COVID. This is not the leadership

we need. >> Thank you, sir. Mr. Becerra, your final

This is what happens when you take the lead in the polls and you're ahead of everyone else. They all come at you. So,

I get it. I get it.

I get it. So, they have to try to bring you down. This is a great Trump tactic that's used. I didn't expect it to come from fellow Democrats, but it's coming. But, here's what I will Katie, I will quote to you what the US attorney said. No candidate running for governor has been implicated in this case. You may not like that, but that's what the US attorney said.

>> Thank you, Mr. Becerra. Thank you, candidates. We're going to take a very quick break. We'll be right back with more issues including housing, climate,

>> Welcome back to the governor's debate. We want to get to our next topic, housing. Owning a home may be the American dream, but for many people, like the couple you're about to meet, it is simply out of reach. Max Darrow has

On a walk along San Francisco's Embarcadero, Joe Mortimer and Kate Yuding are grateful they've found a home in the Bay Area. But to them, that word home is synonymous with renting.

We are told somewhat regularly that renting is a waste of money. Uh and homeownership is

better. Like long-term just feels impossible.

Our mortgage, taxes, HOA, everything else would be twice what we pay in rent right

now. They're both working professionals and their experience of homeownership seeming unattainable isn't unique.

We need more supply no matter the supply.

In 2022, California set a statewide goal of hitting 2.5 million new housing units by 2030. Governor Newsom has made changes to CEQA and streamlined permitting and approval processes. But according to a Public Policy Institute of California analysis, 677,000 new housing units have been constructed in the Golden State over the past 6

years. The whole process has been oversimplified.

San Mateo resident Lori Heater thinks there is a better way to approach the

situation. >> Just building more has not brought the prices down. I just want to see thoughtful planning and the city taking action to save some of the remnants of the history of San

Mateo. Paving the way for a sustainable future while keeping

intact. Mr. Becerra, more housing supply could help people like Katie and Joe reach their goal and their dream of owning a home here in California. We've been falling short in the state of building as much housing as we need. What is your specific target for new housing units per

Realistically given that we've seen about a hundred little more than a hundred thousand units built over the last few years, if we can double triple that, get it to about 300,000, that would be a pretty good achievement. We have to go beyond that, but let's start to unstick the process. Let's streamline the regulatory process so that we can get developers through the process much quicker. Let's ask our local governments to stop imposing so many impact fees. Let's Let's to make sure that we're working with the local governments to have a statewide coordinated housing policy so it makes sense where we build, how we build. Let's make sure where it's densely populated, we go up, we build by transit. Let's make sure in newer communities, we take into account fire hazards, and let's make sure that we take into account what property insurance costs because it's hard to buy a house if you can't afford the property insurance for it. And so we will do a number of things. That's why I've said I will declare a state of emergency when I become a governor to make sure we have the ability, the authorities of the governor's office to move this as quickly as

possible. Thank you, Mr. Becerra. Mr. Villaraigosa, what would you do in your first 100 days in terms of concrete steps to increase housing supply?

minute. Well, let me tell you what I did as speaker. Uh I got the CBIA uh building industry uh legislator of the year for capping fees uh because we were charging fees that made it impossible to build. When I was mayor of Los Angeles, I built more market-rate, workforce, affordable, and homeless housing in 8 years in the middle of a recession than I did than they did in the 12 years before me. The next governor's going to have to do the following. Uh we've got to streamline permitting. Uh we've got to put, like in NEPA, a standing rule that it has to be on the environment, not anything you want. Today, you can sue from Richmond, Virginia for a project in Richmond, California. That's unacceptable. We've got to fix our broken uh zoning laws, and we've got to put a one-stop permitting uh all across the board, not just for the state, but require the cities and counties do the

same thing. Thank you, Mr. Villaraigosa. Over to you, Mr. Hilton. Republicans typically and traditionally defend local control. As governor, what would you do to cities? Would you punish them if they fail to meet housing production targets?

You have 1 minute. No, instead of trying to force housing into places that don't want it, we need to build housing in the places that do want it. And I'm afraid all this conversation around housing, we're not thinking big enough. It's all just fiddling around the edges. It's a crisis here in California. So many young people I see, they've given up on the idea that they could ever own their own home. We need to build outwards, not just upwards with apartment buildings shoved into suburban neighbors. You know that only 6% of our land is developed in California. We could increase that to 7% and there would be room for 10 million households and single-family homes so that young families could see their kids play outside in California. We need to think big again. Back to the days when we used to build amazing things in California, the suburbs of Southern California, the State Water Project. We should be thinking about how we restore the ambition, the abundance of California.

Mr.

thank you. Ms. Porter, some of your opponents have stated homelessness is not a housing issue, but instead a drug, alcohol, and mental health issue. As governor, what do you do to get people off the streets who refuse service and do you disagree with that statement? You have

minute. So, homelessness comes in a variety of forms. Homelessness includes families that are crowded together, three and four into a one-bedroom apartment. We heard those stories during COVID. Those people didn't go away. They're still overcrowded. Includes foster youth who are aging out of foster care and often couch surfing. Students on our dorm our campuses who are living in their cars. But yes, people who are chronically unsheltered who live on the streets very often have severe health, mental health, and substance use issues. Being on the street is a big risk factor for developing those things if you didn't have those problems already. We need to provide treatment for people and we need to provide a process. Simply putting someone in jail and holding them for a day or two does not give them any meaningful treatment. Sure, they're not there tomorrow when you drive by, but they'll be there 2 days later. You need to have a pathway into treatment. I think we should revise the CARE Court to be much more effective than it's

been. Thank you, Ms. Porter. Mr. Bianco in Riverside County, you've actually recently seen the number of unsheltered drop 19% and many credit a collaboration of the county and the 5,000 active nonprofits in your region, but you have said as governor, quote, "Every single bit of money going to nonprofits and NGOs for homelessness ends the day I take over." So, the question is how would that impact your county? You have

minute. It will impact them for a few minutes while they reach out and say, "This is what we're doing and you're going to cause all of these people to be put back on the street." And then we will give them their money back. And then the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of NGOs and nonprofits that don't come asking for their money back and showing us how many people are going to be affected, we'll arrest all of those because that's where the waste, the fraud, and the abuse is happening in the homeless industrial complex. This is not about homes, it's never been about homes. We take a different approach in Riverside County. We actually offer them the mental health and the drug treatment that they need and the alcohol treatment that they need. We do it very different and it involves arrest. We put them in the jail. I don't want them there, but that's the first start. And then we get them into the housing, the transitional housing. We get them into the care that they need. We get them into mental health treatment. We get them into drug and alcohol treatment so we can help them get rid of their addiction, get rid of their mental illness state that they find themselves in to get them back to the homes and family that they already

have. Thank

you, Mr. Bianco. Mr. Styer, CARE Court conservatorship and involuntary treatment reforms have produced uneven results across counties. Would you sign a law expanding involuntary

So, let me say this. Nobody gets well on The people who show up on the street only one in seven of them have a serious mental health issue. So, my job, as far as I'm concerned, would be to keep people off the street by giving them rental assistance, by getting them off the street as fast as possible into emergency interim housing, to places they want to go. And after repeated addresses, yes, I would ask people to get up I would force people to go into treatment. But, let me say this. I want to talk about housing cuz housing is the biggest problem in in the state of California, and people aren't being realistic about it. Yeah, we need permit reform, and I'm going to do that, too. Yes, we need zoning reform. I've pushed for both of those. We need to construct houses differently because it's far too expensive. We have tens of thousands of permitted zone units we're not building. And mostly, I will call a special election to close a corporate real estate tax loophole so we can use that money to get the cities to actually agree to build housing. That is the big problem. They are dragging their feet, and they don't want it cuz they can't afford the people who are going to live in those houses. And anyone who's not talking about that isn't talking realistically about how we're going to build a million houses in the next 4

years. >> Thank you, Mr. Styer. Mr. Mahan, Californians are frustrated about how intractable a problem homelessness has been. What is the quiet part that politicians aren't saying out loud about why this problem has been so

intractable? Look, San Jose has created the model that the entire state needs to adopt. And as governor, I'll hold every city and every county accountable for doing its part. In fact, half of the candidates on this stage have come to San Jose to see our success with interim housing. We're investing in prevention, so fewer people become homeless. We're building shelter and interim housing. We're building treatment capacity. And when it's available, we are requiring that people come indoors. And we don't have to throw everybody in jail like the sheriff would do. We actually petition to get them into drug courts, mental health courts. And Katie's right, the CARE courts need to be more robust and get more people into treatment. But just back on housing, I have to disagree with Javier Becerra again. His big plan on housing costs is to cap insurance, which is how we lost the insurance companies in the first place. That's not going to work. And he didn't have a housing plan until a week ago that he couldn't explain at the forum with the New York Times how it wouldn't actually raise costs. It's not a credible plan for bringing down

costs. Mr. Becerra, I want to give you a minute to answer, but we also want to follow up on that and ask

what the revenue So, once again, it's uh it's amazing how people don't read plans and they they try to interpret what other people are saying. What I will say to to you Matt is this. We know what we need to do to try to construct. We have to reduce the regulations that are keeping developers from being able to pencil out projects. We know that local governments are very afraid of trying to move too quickly. Javier, your party increased those regulations. >> If I could just finish this. And so, what we have to do is Do you believe a

word he's saying? His party increased those regulations.

>>

Hilton Mr. Becerra,

please finish. Yeah. So, it's not rocket science. What we do have to do is take advantage of what we know can be done quickly. There are 40,000 shovel-ready projects, affordable units ready to go if we could just help find the financing. When I declare that uh emergency state of emergency when I get in, we will find the money to get those projects on the way. And I will tell you this, if you don't believe that we can deal with high home insurance rates, Matt, then you shouldn't be running for governor. >> We're we're actually bringing down I'm

going

to actually really quickly >> He didn't answer the question. I'm sorry. The point I was I'm going to

turn

California voters, gentlemen, California

voters want

to hear everyone's perspective. >>

had

to ask him four

times

>> I to actually give Mr. Villaraigosa an

opportunity. to respond. But what

>> What

is his revenue plan?

Raise your hand if you want to hear his

plan.

It'd be easy to respond if I didn't get interrupted every time I was trying. You

have the floor.

Go ahead and finish and

I'm going to go to Mr. Villaraigosa and then we

will move on. Thank you. So I I think it's unfortunate for people for candidates who believe that home insurance costs casualty insurance costs are okay and not try to take this head on, grab that bull by the horns because too many families are not able to afford their places their homes because how home insurance rates have gone sky high. I will tackle

that and watch. Mr.

It Thank you, Mr. Becerra. Mr. Villaraigosa, I want to give you 30

Well, first of all, let me be clear. We've spent $24 billion on homelessness and from Sacramento and homelessness went up, everybody. The fact is there is waste and fraud. The fact is we've got to do something about it. Yes, we can streamline permitting and uh do some of the things that you said, Mr. Steyer, but at the end of the day, it takes leadership, everybody. There's no one on this stage that has the record and and uh both as mayor and speaker to do a lot of this. Just pie in the

Mr. Steyer, we're going to give you 10 seconds.

>> 10 quick seconds. Let me say this. There's no one else on this stage who actually has a plan to get the cities and counties on their side. There's no one on this stage who has a plan for finance. My wife and I have financed 17,000 low-income housing units and there's no one on this stage who knows how to build houses for a third less, which we do. >> Thank you,

Mr. Steyer.

Thank you, candidates. Let's get back to Juliet in the studio with our next topic, climate and the environment.

>> All right, thank you. So, California has been a leader when it comes to investing in green energy and preventing climate change. But at what costs? Max Darrow

look. Whether on the coast, in the mountains, in the valley, or on the bay, where Emma Greenbaum takes a

stroll. I think anyone living in California can kind of see the changes to our

climate. She's the project director for climate and landscapes at the Exploratorium.

Our whole way of life here would change if nothing is done about sea level rise and nothing is done about climate change.

An educator, she says California is looked at as a leader globally with its approach to climate

change. Really, the world does look to us. Not everywhere in the country are, you know, states acknowledging climate change or really asking communities to plan or supporting those communities in doing

so. According to a 2025 survey from the Public Policy Institute of California, most Californians think that the effects of climate change have already begun and view climate change as a serious threat to California's future economy and quality of life. Six in 10 support the state goal of zero greenhouse gas emissions and 100% renewable energy by 2045. In recent years, some refineries have shifted towards producing renewable fuels, but others have shut down or threatened to leave the Golden State. When it comes to shaping and planning

for the future, we have a tremendous opportunity um and it's here for us to

it. And Mr. Bianchi, many Californians, like Emma, believe climate change is real and already impacting the state. So, my question is, do you believe climate change is happening and as governor, how would you approach California's current environmental policies? You have 1

minute. Well, unfortunately for her, there are no other states in the country that are doing what California is because they looked at us and they said, "Hey, they're destroying their state. We're not going to do that." is the reason why we can no longer Do I believe in climate change? Of course, we can say that temperatures are increasing. Is Are we going We've been threatened since I was a little kid of being in an California being nonexistent because our oceans was were going to rise. It's not going to happen. Am I naive enough to believe that human beings can affect it? No. What California has done in the last 30 years in climate change and and taking care of the environment with CO2 and everything that they're doing was eliminated with the Palisades fire. We have to be realistic about what we are doing, how we are going to compensate for the Earth's environment changing, and stop destroying California with unbelievable excessive regulations that are truly environmental activist related that are destroying our state's ability to do everything including housing.

>> Thank you, Mr. Bianco. Mr. Hilton, as advisor then Prime Minister David Cameron, you're credited as the mastermind of his green campaign, but you said if elected, you would dismantle California's climate policy. So, I'll ask you, do you believe in climate change? You have

1 minute. Yeah, and we need to have common sense on climate change, not ideology that ends up being counterproductive and exactly as Chad said, hurting every small business and family and everyone in California. Um I'm an environmentalist. We love our beautiful natural landscapes, our climate here in California. We've got to protect that. Clean air, clean water, of course, that's right. But look at some of the things that we're doing in the name of climate change. The wildfires that occurred in the Sierras in 2020 because the forests weren't managed properly, the CO2 emissions from that one year of mega wildfires wiped out all the savings from climate policy in the previous 20 years. Look at what's going on with our gas prices, the highest in the country because instead of getting oil and gas from our own oil production here in California, We are shipping it 7,500 miles in giant supertankers spewing out carbon emissions in the name of climate, we are increasing carbon emissions. We need some common

here. Thank you, Mr. Hilton. Mr. Mayhan, California households face rising utility bills while the state pushes for more electricity to power the state. How do you make clean energy transition affordable? You have 1 minute.

>> Yeah, this is the key question. It's why I find it such a head-scratcher that Steven talks about protecting the environment and then his housing plan is let's just build out as far as we can. That's going to be great for the climate, for fire risk, for our daily commutes. It's going to be just wonderful. I think Thank you. Have you actually traveled across

California?

Thank you for admitting why we don't

build houses. Exactly. Why when he I hope I get this extra time. It's probably why when he got pushed out of government in in Britain, he said the country was ungovernable. I'm looking forward to what he does in California. Um I'm going to correct the mistakes There's a lot of to correct the mistakes There's a lot of

There's a

lot of talk. on this stage. I've actually taken action. I held our utility PG&E accountable for harnessing the investment of big tech companies to hold them accountable for paying for grid upgrades. So, if they want to build a new R&D lab or data center, we ensure that they pay the full cost of modernizing the grid. And we can be even smarter. Right now, in the middle of the day, California dumps extra solar I get extra time, I hope, because I talked about 10 times. This is the insanity of our current policies. The middle of the day, the cost of power because of abundant solar drops to zero. We pay Arizona to take our extra power. What we should be doing is paying EV owners to charge in the middle of the day, plug in at night, and power the grid. We need smarter policies that don't put the burden of achieving our climate goals on the backs of working families.

>> you, Mr. Mayhan. Mr. Hilton, I'm going to give you

I don't know if you know how many EVs are on the roads in California, the proportion. The idea that that's going to Actually, half

of the vehicles purchased in Santa Clara County are EVs. You've got millions on the road.

>> know the number, man. Statewide.

Yeah, how

many, Steve? Do you know?

>> What's about

a million? It's No, the percentage of our vehicles on the road.

>> 10%. Yeah, and

and growing. It's 7% and he wants to power our power grid with that. >> It's a lot of batteries, Steve. >> is what you get from people who don't understand This is what you get from idealogues who are not practical. It's actually Steve, it's actually called

innovation, Steve. Innovation.

>> Gentlemen, thank

you very much. >> have the power. They don't understand how to make things

I'm going to move on to Ms. Porter. move on

>> Should California introduce climate impact standards specifically for AI and cloud computing infrastructure, similar to building or vehicle emission

standards? We should have climate standards for everything we're building. has climate effects. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't build. If you're building green energy, that has climate effects, but they're net positive in my opinion. So, it is important to look ahead to get ahead of things that are coming into our economy and to try to have climate thoughts about it. We need to think of it This is going to take a lot more energy, which we know it will. Electric vehicles are also projected to take a lot more energy in the future. We need to be putting more green energy and more battery storage and grid transmission in the ground. So, yes, it's absolutely important. Look, if you're going to pollute, if what you're going to do is going to pollute, it's going to take water, it's going to use energy, then you should be prepared to pay for it. That Those costs should come out of your profits, not out of California families' pocketbooks. I just want to use my remaining 9 What is Mr. Becerra's revenue plan?

Sure, I'll I I'm actually moving to Mr. Becerra next. >> No, excuse me. And and I will come to you,

Mr. Good. Because the last one I got 30 seconds. I want like

a minute. >> Mr. Becerra, I was about to ask you how you plan to regulate AI energy throughout the state and the specific steps, but I also invite you to respond to Ms. Porter's question.

>> So, I get a minute to respond to the question in a 30 seconds to respond to

Ms. Porter? Let's start with a minute.

>> Okay, I'll So, I'll respond to your question and if you give me 30 seconds, I'll respond to Katie's question. >> So, on artificial intelligence, we want to make sure that when artificial intelligence is based here, and it should be based here because this is the home of artificial intelligence, that it is doing more than just taking care of its own needs. It is helping take care of the needs of communities that are in California because it is an industry that is going to offer us great opportunity. At the same time, we want to make sure we're offering the protections that our families need, our children, our workers. We have to make sure that as we harness AI, we do it before AI harnesses us. And so, that means taking advantage of working with them to establish a clear set of rules on how they will operate. They will provide resources to have the infrastructure that they need, but also expand that to provide the California people with a little extra. And we'll do this without imposing the type of regulation that would move them over to places like

China. Mr. Becerra, you have 30 seconds to respond to Ms. Porter and then we will come to

Mr. Villaraigosa. Absolutely. As the only person who's actually done tax policy, because I sat on the Ways and Means Committee for 20 years in the House of Representatives, I can tell you what we will do, Katie. We will make sure that we change the tax code so we don't just tax doctors and nurses and firefighters and teachers at rates that are higher than billionaires like Tom Steyer. What we will do is make sure that everyone pays their fair share. That won't be so difficult. If you look at the gov- uh governor's budget from this uh that from today, in fact, he actually calls for getting rid of some of the corporate welfare loopholes that are allowing corporations to pay less. We have the resources to go out and create the revenue we need, and we'll make sure that everyone is paying their fair share.

>> sure. Thank you, Mr. Becerra.

Let me I say I want to talk about climate. I'm the person

on this stage

So, I'm not going to let this go without speaking. >>

told that I get the next I have a nuanced thought with 1 second first. You can respond to, but let me ask you a question first. What is the biggest environmental challenge right now facing California, and what steps would you take to alleviate it? You have

a minute. First of all, let me speak to the record, everybody. When I was speaker of the assembly, uh 100% environmental record. I'm the author of the Carmona Act, which was the biggest effort to clean up the air since the Clean Air Act until AB 32 and SB 32. When I was mayor, I said, "Dream with me. We'd make LA the greenest, biggest city in the country." We went number one American city reducing carbon emissions, number five in world. Reduced our water consumption at 1970 levels when we had a million less people. And the port, the biggest port in this state, the biggest in the country, is the greenest port in the world. But, folks, anybody that thinks that that the climate deniers have a you know, a policy that works, or the ones that believe we're just going to go all renewables, that's not going to work. We need an all of the above energy policy. Almost anybody that knows anything about this knows that, and we haven't spoken to it. We built 167,000 charging stations in the last 10 years. We need 2 million in the next 10 years. And if we build it, we don't have the grid or the generation. So, we have to build again. And an all of the above energy

policy. >> Thank you. Mr. Sauer, California water use and allocation have been debated for decades with little built. Name one of the major water infrastructure projects that you would personally fight to break ground on with your within your first term. You have 1 minute.

When I look at water, I look at the ways that we're going to capture water, and I will do all the things to capture water. We're going to have to store water, and we're going to have to use it much more specifically than we do now. It's not going to be the huge projects you're talking about. It's going to be the kinds of things that Los Angeles does. All those things plus reuse. But, I want to talk about climate cuz that's the big question on this stage, and no one is talking about it smartly. Look, this is The cost of clean energy is much lower than the cost of fossil fuel energy. The big risk for California is falling behind the rest of the world who are moving to clean energy, renewable energy, and electric vehicles as fast as they possibly can. This war in Iran only points out how much more expensive and trustworthy untrustworthy fossil fuel energy is. And let me say this. Xavier Becerra has been taking money from these big oil companies. He's been saying we need them. He's been voting for drilling more in California. That is the exact wrong thing to do. We should be moving with the times, leading the electricity revolution. It's cheap.

>> would like to respond. You have 30

seconds. Sure. Tom, just look at my record. When I was Attorney General, I sued the fossil fuel companies over and over. When I was Attorney General, I took on Donald Trump who tried to eliminate California's clean car standards, and we beat him. When I was Attorney General, I sued oil companies who were trying to monopolize an industry, and we beat them. I will stand on my record. I won't have to talk about inflated promises because I can show people what I've done when I was AG, and what I will do as governor to make sure that we continue the move towards a transition to clean

energy. Look, I have been fighting the oil companies for 15 years, and I've

never lost.

Steven is taking money from

them, and he is doing their bidding. We're going to do a quick lightning round question here. It's a yes or no question. We're going to start with Mr. Hilton. As governor, would you increase drilling off the coast of California?

Yes or no? Yes, we have to lower gas

prices. Thank you. Mr.

Mr.

Bianco.

Yes. Mr. Villaraigosa. >> No.

Mr.

Becerra. Absolutely not.

Mr.

Thank you, candidates. Up next, education. The candidates will tackle questions about California's schools.

>> Welcome back to the governor's debate. Our next topic for the candidates is education. Connor McGill heard from two teachers in West Sacramento who want to see more investments in the future of

children. Zack Kaylee's journey into the classroom is different from most first-year teachers. I was in the military for 10 years, used the benefits to go back to school, and kind of fulfilled my lifelong dream being an educator. The former service member now teaches social science at River City High School. This is like a peek inside of what the Hindenburg looked like. >> I wanted something different, and I definitely didn't do it for the money. Uh I do it because it's it it just means so much more to me. But like many teachers in California, Kay Lee says stagnant salaries and higher costs are real concerns. >> It's something I'm very concerned with in terms of what's the long-term plan on reconciling that. Down the stairs and through the courtyard, 15-year teacher veteran Melissa Gautier is opening the door to a very different kind of

classroom. These are going to be part of the decorations for the actual rally.

Her students are preparing for the next school rally and prom, but she worries budget cuts could impact their classes and extracurriculars.

>> If we end up moving into a where cut, the mental health of our students is going to

be at risk. Governor Gavin Newsom's draft budget proposed holding back $5.6 billion earmarked for schools.

>> We are saying that we believe in students, and we're saying that we believe in the state of California, and the access that we want to provide all students, and we have to show that. And the way to show

Mr. Villaraigosa, we're going to start with you. California is spending more on schools, yet many districts are struggling with literacy and math proficiency tests. What specific reforms would you enact to help implement and improve outcomes while dealing with a tighter budget?

As speaker of the California State Assembly, I led the class size initiative to reduce class sizes. I authored the largest school bond in US history at the time, a $9 billion bond to modernize and build new schools. When I was mayor, one out of three schools were failing. By the time I left, it was one out of 10, a 60% increase in the graduation rate. We got to focus on literacy. We're number one in teacher pay, we're 21st in per pupil spending, we're in the mid-30s in reading and math, and we're dead last in graduation. We are failing our kids. I've I've a record of turning around schools in the largest school district in this state and I as governor, I will take on those issues. Literacy, math, the basics, but also, you know, art and science as well.

you, Mr. Villaraigosa. Over to you, Ms. Porter. Reading and math scores fell sharply during the pandemic and we saw a lot of those scores continue to drop. What benchmarks would you put in place and set up to help recover those scores during your first term? You have 1

minute. Yeah, as a public school parent and somebody whose three kids were schooling from home, remote schooling during the pandemic, I saw some of these struggles and it fell particularly on families who didn't have a lot of extra resources, who couldn't supplement with tutoring, whose parents couldn't help them because they were working or because the schooling wasn't something they were comfortable helping with. So, I think the state at the state level, we should really focus on these key gates, these benchmarks where if you do not get there by a certain point, you fall behind permanently. One of those is reading fluently by age seven or eight. The research is really clear. If you don't get there, you have very limited educational opportunities and mobility. If you don't make the jump from algebra one to algebra two, you are cut off from a lot of careers in science, in the building trades. So, really focusing on those things. The third thing I'll add that happened in the pandemic that's also important is mental health and making sure that we're making an investment in getting our kids into the classroom. Those would be the three benchmarks I'd focus on.

Thank you, Ms. Porter. And to Mr. Bianco, California faces persistent teacher shortages, especially especially in special education and other STEM programs. What is your plan to recruit and retain teachers in these special education and STEM programs to keep them here in their districts in California. You have 1 minute.

>> Mostly eliminating the process that's forcing them to go into that profession in the first place. The teachers that they talked to are not telling them to be a teacher. They're telling them that it's an impossible to be a teacher. Our education system has to be completely revamped from the top down. We have teachers that are buying things for their classroom because the school won't buy it. Where we we're laying teachers off. Do you know who's not being laid off? Do you know who's not getting pay cuts? >> Sheriff It's

administrators. No, they are. It's administrators. Administration in our school systems get half of the money. That is why we are failing. We absolutely must remove the ridiculous policies that are in our school systems that do not allow our teachers to teach. And one thing that I will say about our kids that are that are failing, there are plenty, numerous studies out there that say that humans, kids, learn from people. They don't learn from computers, they don't learn from phones, they learn from people. If we do not start investing in more teachers and putting those classrooms to less kids and getting bad kids out of the class so they can learn, we're going to fail another generation

of kids. Right.

>> Mr. Becerra, declining enrollment has left many districts facing financial instability, forcing staff layoffs and school shutdowns. As governor, how would you balance the influence of the teachers union with demands for greater school accountability? You have 1

We should not let anyone, whether it's a union or whether it's administrator, get in the way of accountability. We have an obligation and we have laws that have require us to make sure that we are enforcing all the obligations that, whether you're a classroom teacher or whether you that principal, you have obligations. As the former law chief law enforcement officer for the state of California, we will make sure that we hold people accountable. But the other thing we have to do is recognize that holding people accountable for getting kids to be ready to go to college is a little late. We have to start early because we're baking in mediocrity by not helping children before they even get into kindergarten. And so we have to start much earlier. Childcare must be somewhere at a place where people actually get their kids to learn because we want them to be ready not just at the third grade or the sixth grade or 12th grade. We want them ready before they start kindergarten. And I believe it's time to start going in the direction of early childhood education. And I believe it's time that we started to reduce class size so that it's manageable. No teacher should be asked to take care of 30, 40 kids in one classroom and expect them to become the next scientists and engineers of our state.

>> Thank you, Mr. Bassera. Mr. Steyer, right now many teachers can barely afford to live in the districts where they work. Some districts across the state are developing housing specifically just for teachers. As governor, would you support providing more educational workforce housing across the state? And how would you pay for >> have

So you should know my mother was a teacher and she taught in some of the most disadvantaged schools where we lived and then she taught in prison. And I know how important it is for a society. That is the escalator for growth. That is the escalator for success. And I want to describe how actually education works. The things that let kids learn are great teachers. And it's very clear from your question that in fact teachers in California can't afford to live in their district. We've heard it's very hard to recruit teachers and that's because on a cost-adjusted basis, we're like 36th in the country in terms of what we pay teachers. I've said on day one, I will call a special election and close a corporate tax loophole and we will get $10 billion because the way we get great outcomes for kids is to attract teachers, train them, and retain them. And we are not attracting them because we can't they won't come for the money. We're not training them. I've had talked to third-year teachers have 1 hour of training and we're not retaining them because they can't afford to hold this job. We need to support the teachers because they're the people who run the classrooms and make the kids learn.

Thank

Styer. Mr. Hilton, admission rates for in-state students at most of the selective UC campuses have fallen as out-of-state enrollment has grown. Would you cap non-resident enrollment at UC campuses even if it means a

We need to make it easier for working-class Californians to get into the UC system as we used to. The costs are so high, the structure of the courses, all of this needs to change. I don't believe in artificial caps and regulation. That's the kind of policy that has got us into this mess and I have to say listening to my Democrat friends here talking about education, it's as if they haven't been in charge for the last 16 years. They They are the policies that they support that have got us to a position where less than half the kids in our schools can read at grade level. For math, it's 35%. We need new management in this state if we're going to turn things around. We can't have more of the same. We need to make sure we use phonics to teach kids to read. Make sure that they can read by third grade and like Mississippi does, not go to fourth grade if that doesn't happen. We need to hold teachers accountable also to make sure that we reform the pensions because right now 10 and a quarter percent of every teacher's salary is going towards their pension. Thank you, Mr. Hilton. Thank you, Mr.

Hilton. Mr. Styer, you

Look, there's an old saying if you keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome, that's insanity. So don't vote Democrat. >> talking about here What we're talking about here is telling teachers how to teach. The whole new idea of phonics, you think they haven't thought of that? What we need to do here is recognize that the classrooms are run by teachers, that great outcomes come from teachers, and that we need to pay teachers, train them, and support them cuz master teachers are an incredible asset to the state of California. And the idea that we don't need to pay them and get them will

That's pie in the sky.

>> Thank you, Mr. Steuer. Mr. Mahan, I I have a question for you as well. The artificial intelligence companies based in California are changing our society, and Californians must prepare our workforce for the future. How will you both regulate and work with the AI companies to ensure a better future for

California? Well, I'm the only candidate on the stage who's actually regulated the use of technology in my own city. When we didn't get guidance from the federal and state government, we created the Gov AI coalition that 900 cities and counties now use to ethically and responsibly to deploy technology. But look, we shouldn't overuse technology and AI in the classroom. People need that human-to-human interaction. One of the most effective interventions that we're investing in in San Jose is high-dosage tutoring. And I need to comment more broadly on education. I was a classroom teacher. I became a teacher after college because education changed my life. I grew up in a working-class community, and it was my pathway to a better future. And I'm going to offer something different, not MAGA and not more of the same. We need the governor to be accountable for educational outcomes. That means moving the Department of Education under the governor. We need to teach phonics. We need to reward teachers whose students show more learning growth. They should become our coaches and

Thank you, Mr. Mahan. We are going to go back to a lightning round question, and this is for all of the candidates to no. The state of Louisiana has asked Governor Newsom to extradite a Sacramento I'm sorry, a California-based physician for sending abortion pills across state lines. Governor Newsom has rejected this request. Would you, as governor, extradite this physician to Louisiana for prosecution, yes or no?

Bianco. Absolutely,

yes. Mr. Buiar

Agosa. No. Mr. [clears throat] Buiar Agosa. >> Louisiana has a ban on abortion without exception for rape and incest, and Mr. Hilton said he would and now Mr. Bianco said they would extradite those physicians. >> This is a state that will We protect the

women of the state 67% voted for a woman's right to choose.

Thank

you,

Agosa. Absolutely no, and when I was AG I protected with reproductive rights here

in California. Thank you, Mr. Bianco. >> about California.

No way. Mr. Hilton. This

is not about abortion rights. This is about one state trying to undermine another state's laws. We have a federal system >> Yes or no,

Mr. Hilton. Sorry? Yes

Yes, I would follow the law, and that's because we have a constitution in this country that we need to

>> The law in this state protects a woman's right to choose,

Mr. Hilton. >> rights. This is about trying to undermine

No, it isn't. undermine democracy in another state. The people in that state chose differently to

California. We heard your answer.

>> interfere in another state's laws in

that way? Why are they interfering with

our I don't want Louisiana dictating our laws. We shouldn't be dictating Louisiana's laws. >> to dictate to Louisiana.

Mr.

Hilton, you've made your You've made yourself

clear, Mr. Steyer.

no.

No. Thank

you. Uh have another lightning round question. This kind of goes back to our question

>> than

one. This [laughter] This question is about AI. Uh we would like to know, yes or no, do you believe the state should impose more AI safeguards on chatbots that interact with young users, yes or no? We'll start

with

Mr. Bianco.

>> Yes. Yes. Mr. Becerra.

>> Yes. Mr. Mayhew.

>> Yes. Mr. Hilton.

I'm afraid it's not as simple as that. It really isn't. No, I'm serious. This is exactly the reason we get >>

this is a yes or no question.

>> a it's it's not the right way to discuss a very important and serious issue. >> think that this is the correct way to address the AI bots that interact with children? >> the It's This is why we get into a problem in >> Okay. All right. Thank you, Mr. Hilton. Mr. Sider, do you have an answer? >> causes problems that are unintended. And we need to have a serious conversation about a very serious issue. We have to protect children, but do it in a sensible way that works. Look at these policies that are being implemented around the world like in Australia. They don't work. It's

not a yes It's yes or no, sir.

>> It's really not.

>> My answer is yes, and you should know that that is something that my brother has been leading to make sure to protect kids. He's a kids advocate for his entire life, and he's been working with the industry to make sure that those safeguards are in place.

>> Thank you so much, Mr. Sider. Yes

or no questions

are a little

longer

Sometimes

>> uh lightning round

>> It's very simple. >>

We won't make it yes or no. We'll actually let you answer. If If your name does not appear on the November ballot, which candidate on stage voting for and why? Mr. Bianco, we begin with you. 30

Uh the only one I consider would consider is Steve. And the reason is is what we've been discussing here. Failed policies, 16 years of one-party rule that put us

Thank you, Mr. Bianco. Mr. Villaraigosa,

30 seconds. >> all

the Democrats

sitting standing on

Thank you, Mr.

I could not support a candidate who would be endorsed by or be supported by Donald Trump because we would have a Donald Trump uh look-alike in the governor's office and we can't afford to do that. I would support any of the Democrats who are on this

Thank you, Mr.

Manahan. I'd consider Antonio Villaraigosa because mayors get things done. We know what it looks like to be accountable for delivering results every single

day. Thank you, Mr. Manahan. Mr. Hilton.

This state is desperate for change. We cannot have another four years of one party rule. We need some balance. The only choice for change, apart from myself, is

Chad. Thank you, Mr. Hilton. Mr.

Steyer. I would consider any of the Democrats, but I want to say this. I couldn't support one of the candidates who's following a president who's kicking people off Medi-Cal, who's driving up our gas prices, who's withholding money from us in FEMA, and in terms of our health care, unfairly, and who is actively, aggressively attacking California. Any of the Democrats? Absolutely. Thank

you, Mr. Steyer, and Ms. Porter.

I would vote for

dudes.

Thank you, Ms. Porter.

them. Thank you all very much. As evidenced by this evening, we see that we are living in remarkably polarized and divisive times. As we wrap up our debate, we want to give you all an opportunity to make a closing statement, but we also want to ask how, if you became governor, you would bridge the divisions and bring Ms. Porter, we

you. I'm in this race for three reasons, and their names are Luke, Paul, and Betsy. They're my three teenagers. God help me. And the question that I think about is what kind of California are they going to have? Are they going to be able to afford to live here? Am I going to be able to afford to live here when they soon, produce grandchildren? I have a plan to lower housing costs, for free child care, to eliminate tuition in our state universities, and to put money back in your pocket by getting rid of California state taxes. Look at your budget. Look at what's going in and out of your bank account. Look at your pay stub. You can see that my policies will make life more affordable here. That doesn't just help Democrats. That's helps every single Californian. And that's who I'm running to be governor to fight for. And that's why you That's why you can trust me to

forward. Thank you, Ms. Porter.

Look, this I'm a billionaire who's fighting for working people every day. I'm the billionaire who's willing to tax the other billionaires and himself, who's willing to take on the corporate special interests, who's dedicating himself to driving down costs for working people across this I don't think there's any question. I would say, "Follow the money." They are spending tens of millions of dollars against me to try and stop me because they know that I'm the threat to their prosperity. And they're not spending a penny against anyone else on this stage. The truth is, they're backing everyone else on this stage. As I've said, Javier's taking money from oil companies and from people who are desperate not to have single payer. I'm change. And I'm running to make people's lives better. Health care is a right, free great uh homes you can afford to buy. That's what I stand for, but I can't do it alone. We have to do it together. I'm asking you for your vote cuz I need you on June 2 and every day after that.

Thank you, Mr. Steyer. Mr.

Hilton. I think we get it, Tom. You're a billionaire. Congratulations. Um >> [laughter] >> look, um I get on with Tom. I get on with everyone on this stage, and we're all here for the same reason. We love this state, and we want it to be the state that once again offers young people the opportunity to make your life here better than anywhere else in our country. Um the truth is that we've gone off track. We've got one party rule now for 16 years. The results have been such a disappointment. It is time for some balance. We need some balance in our system. No more one party rule. And the reason that I can make the change happen is precisely because I get on with people from all different backgrounds. I'm not an ideologue. I'm pragmatic. I'm a problem solver. Most of my career's been in business, but I have experience working inside of a government. Above all, I know how to work with people to make change happen. That's what we need in California. Common sense, practical ideas to turn things around and restore

Thank you, Mr. Hilton.

I'll bring Californians together around results. Just as I've done in San Jose, as mayor of the third largest city in the state, I ran for an office that's nonpartisan. I'm judged and held accountable every day for the work I do to make people's lives better. We've led the state in reducing homelessness by 1/3. We've led the state in reducing crime and made San Jose the safest big city in the country. We've reduced gun violence by over 70%. We have thousands of homes under construction for working and middle-class families. Those are the results that people are looking for. You've heard a lot of rhetoric up here. We don't need career politicians who never met a crisis they couldn't ignore or divisive MAGA candidates or a billionaire who invested in >> than that. four four It's not for-profit you know, colleges that defrauded students and oil and gas companies and private prisons. Let's get beyond

This is a time that calls for challenging the establishment to deliver real results that make people's lives better. The only candidate who's done

it. Thank

I have taken on reckless governments. I have taken on ruthless corporations. I've defended workers' rights, women's health, immigrant rights. I've launched civil rights investigations. I launched 988, the suicide and mental health prevention lifeline. I have overseen a budget larger than the budget of the state of California four times balancing it. I have declared a state of emergency, the only candidate who can say that at scale. I have taken on those who are ruthlessly trying to stop Californians from having an opportunity to fight. Not just fight, I'm the only person who can tell you that the moment I walk into that office, I've been through a challenge that you face when you become the governor of the fourth largest economy in the world. And what you don't need is someone who needs training wheels the moment they walk into that governor's office. We need an adult in the room, and as you've seen today, oftentimes in these candidates it goes lacking. I hope that what we will do is vote for someone who knows how to manage this crisis on

Thank you, Mr. Becerra. Mr.

I could tell you I'm an adult in the

uh and 20 years ago I said dream with We'd make LA the cleanest, greenest big city in the country. Number one American city in reducing carbon emissions, number five in the world. I said dream with me. We'd build a subway to the sea. That subway, as you all read, just got opened up the first leg. Uh we had been working on it for 40 years. I said dream with me. We'd improve our schools. One out of three schools were failing when I was mayor. By the time I left, a 60% increase in the graduation rate. I said, "Dream with me. We'd make LA a safer big city." It was the most violent big city in America when I started. By the time I left, it was the safest big city in America along with New York. We need a doer, a problem-solver, someone who's willing to take on the other side, work with them, but also take on our side I'd be honored to have your

Thank you, Mr. Villaraigosa.

That's interesting because I'm the only one up here that's working every single day solving the problems that they have caused their entire careers. For 33 years, 33 years, I have dedicated my life to you, to make your lives safer and better every single day. As the sheriff of the fourth largest sheriff's office in the entire country, in a blue county with a 4-1 blue board, I already know how to work together to do what's best for all of you, the constituents. It's not about party. going along with the supermajority of every single one of these career

Do they get things done or is it just because they're in a echo chamber where everybody pats them on the back? Because I can tell you that California is broken and we Not one thing got answered by any of We're sick of being lied to. I'm the only person that can be fired for lying. They should be very, very thankful.

Thank you, Mr.

So, gentlemen, >> stealing ballots, 650,000

of them.

Thank you, candidates.

>> attorney general should be fired for wasting your taxpayer dollars.

>> Supreme Court sided with him on that.

>> No, they didn't. Don't lie. See,

here we go again. It's It's all

Thank Thank you, gentlemen, and Ms. Porter, once again, congratulations. You just wrapped up the final debate of the season as we head into the June 2nd primary. Two of you will move on to the November election, and one of you will indeed become our governor. So, a big congratulations to

our candidates. Thank you.

[applause] >> So, that is it for us from the Merchant Exchange. We want to thank once again our candidates for [applause] being here and taking part in this debate. We also want to thank our partner, the San Francisco Examiner. Big round of applause to the Examiner. >> [applause] >> And a reminder, once again, the California primary election is June 2nd. Stay with us. We will continue to follow all the big updates [music] on the governor's race. We will also bring you live results on election night as soon as they start coming in. Coming up next [music] after this break, Juliet Goodridge will have more analysis on tonight's debate. Hope you have a great night, and once again, candidates, thank you for giving us seven different