California candidates for governor square off in San Jose forum

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The race for who will be California’s next governor is heating up. At least 10 candidates have formally declared they are in the race with the top two front-runners moving on to the general election.  On Friday, six of the candidates took part in a forum sponsored by the California State Association of Counties.

Candidates square off 

While the forum largely focused on issues specific to the relationship between state government and county governments, such as funding for health care services and how to best manage the issue of unhoused residents, some candidates took aim at one another.

Steve Hilton, the only Republican who attended the forum, accused Democrat Tom Steyer of "climate extremism" which has only hurt California. 

Hilton said: "It is time to reverse the climate extremism, so we get three-dollar gas in California. End the obsession with wind and solar for electricity so we can cut your bills in half," Hilton said at the forum.

Steyer was offered the opportunity to respond directly.  

Steyer said of Hilton’s comments: "When you talk about the cost of oil and gas versus renewables – just so you know – renewables are much cheaper.  The fact that he doesn’t know that is scary," Steyer said.

Affordability & health care top issues

Another top issue: affordability. 

Katie Porter, a former member of Congress from Orange County, said she personally understands the issues Californians are facing with affordability.  

Porter said: "Affordability is not a new issue for me. As a single mom, I am the person who pushes the shopping cart and has to pay all the bills.  So I don’t need affordability talking points from a billionaire," Porter said.

Tony Thurmond, the current State Superintendent of Public Instruction, said he has a plan to put more money into the pockets of residents. Thurmond said: "I intend to provide a tax credit to all of you – to working people in our state – to have more money, every month, to pay for the high cost of gas, groceries and housing," Thurmond said.

Two other candidates, former California attorney general and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former California state controller Betty Yee both emphasized their hands-on experience and knowledge of California and managing large budgets.   

Becerra said: "The last thing we can afford to do is go backwards just because there is chaos in Washington DC. I have already said I am going to be the health care governor for the state of California. We will not go backwards on health care," Becerra said.

Yee said it is critical to grow the California economy in order to generate more revenue to pay for services.  

"We have innovation happening all throughout the state. And that we ought to harness that so we can grow our economy and become more resilient against any federal actions or federal cuts in the future," Yee said.

Working with Santa Clara County

The debate was of critical importance to county leaders and supervisors in attendance at the event held at the San Jose McEnrey Convention Center because the political leanings and actions of governors often result in what are called "unfunded mandates" – where Sacramento requires counties to take specific actions, but does not provide any money to do so.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Betty Duong, who represents District 2, said:  "I need a governor who will work with us. I understand that the state also has a budget deficit. They need to keep that in mind when they tell us what to do and how to operate as a county organization," Duong said.  Duong said that about 6% of California’s hospitals are public, most run by counties, yet they provide a majority of the trauma and critical care. Losing funding from state and federal sources can have devastating consequences in local communities, Duong said.