Candidates for California Governor: What are Their Priorities?

The lengthy list of candidates running for California Governor are making all kinds of promises, but what is real, what is rubbish, what is possible, and what is outrageous?

Who just announced he’d empty all of the prisons if elected?

Who wants to blow up Proposition 13?

Who says “healthcare is a human right?”

Who wants no tax on income under $100K?

Who wants to abolish ICE, fund free child care, and “protect health care from Trump?”

Who vows to evict ICE from city infrastructure  and unmask federal ICE officers “to protect the immigrant communities that Donald Trump is threatening?”

Who “has never been afraid to stand up to bullies, and that includes Donald Trump?”

And most of the Democrats are actually running against Donald Trump, so what does that do for you?

Let us begin.

Tom Steyer: “California is too expensive, and the problem won’t be solved by the same politicians who got us here. Tom Steyer knows what it will take to lower costs, and has a history of delivering results for California — even when the real politicians couldn’t get it done.”

“As Governor, I’ll take on the housing crisis, build one million homes over four years, and make building houses cheaper, faster, and better, so those who call California home can afford to live here.”

“California has created a two-tiered tax system. While working people pay their fair share, the wealthiest people and corporations exploit tax loopholes to skip out on paying billions of dollars every year. Tom is going to close these corporate loopholes, and raise $20 billion of new revenue each year to fund things like education, healthcare, childcare, and home care, all without charging working people a penny.”

Steyer claims:

“Big Oil is holding California hostage, manufacturing supply shortages and rigging gas prices at the expense of working families.”

“Oil companies use global crises, like the current war in Iran, to panic the market and justify predatory pricing at home. As governor, I won’t let them use international conflicts.”

“I’ll stop Big Oil’s war profiteering and return money from windfall profits directly to Californians.”

Tom Steyer is campaigning on blowing up Proposition 13, one of the very few protections that California taxpayers have.

Steyer proposes free education from pre-K to college. He says in order to fix the reason teachers have to strike in the first place is because our public schools are “starved of funding.”

“I’ll do that by changing Prop 13 so that corporations pay real estate taxes based on their property’s true value, not its value from the 1970s.”

However, Steyer is not telling the truth: California spends substantially more per K-12 student today in real (inflation-adjusted) terms than it did around the time Proposition 13 passed in 1978. California is set to spend nearly $150 billion on K–12 education, more than $27,000 per student, and a majority of the state’s kids can’t read at grade level or do basic math.

Steyer’s priorities do not include any policies to help California businesses – except the movie industry. But even that is skewed as Steyer talks about “jobs” and not about helping the companies which provide these jobs.

These are Steyer’s priorities:

Xavier Becerra: “I’m running for governor to make sure that California keeps rising – that we’re building our economy while working hard to protect your rights and freedoms in the state we love.”

That statement is meaningless.

Becerra vows to fight Donald Trump:

“I vow to protect and lead our state against Trump and his attacks. When Trump and his administration threaten access to healthcare, affordable housing, fair wages, or protections for immigrants and marginalized communities, the state has a responsibility to step in and fight. I am that fighter, and have a proven record facing and winning against Donald Trump, having sued him 122 times in fact as California’s Attorney General. From defending Dreamers, to protecting California’s authority and autonomy to move towards progress rather than backwards in environmental justice and reproductive rights, I had the privilege to represent and defend California when Trump attacked our laws or values, and I am ready to get back in the ring again as Governor.”

Becerra says “Health care is a human right.” He says “In Congress, I fought for the Affordable Care Act,” and has “been an advocate for single payer, and California is on its way there.” Becerra says this is possible by “implementing cost-containment strategies and working to eliminate racial, economic, and geographic disparities in accessing care for every Californian.”

Becerra is running on beefing up California’s massive welfare system, and has not one word about helping California’s business owners, most of who are small business owners. These are Xavier Becerra’s priorities:

Tony Thurmond: “Tony knows that working families across California are facing so many challenges that require our entire state government, working together, to solve.”

There is no tab on Thurmond’s website on priorities, issues or policy.

But this post on X is telling: “I believe that the only way that we can end prisons, yes I will close prisons…”

California Democrat Gubernatorial candidate Tony Thurmond says he will close all prisons in California.
 
THURMOND: “I believe that the only way that we can end prisons, yes I will close prisons…” pic.twitter.com/50iYafFFCv

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 30, 2026

Thurmond does have a “Labor Accomplishments Memo” in which he conflates “working families” with labor unions. But according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2025, union members accounted for approximately 14.9% of wage and salary workers in California. What about the other 85.1% of California workers who are non-union?

Thurmond touts his “100% Pro-Labor Voting Record (2015-2018): Consistently backed labor priorities as Labor Committee Chair.” A “100% Pro-Labor Voting Record” benefits labor unions, but how does this benefit Californians? How does this improve quality of life?

Steve Hilton: “A good job, where you make enough to raise your family in a home of your own in a safe neighborhood with a good school so your kids have a better life than you. Great jobs, great homes, great kids.”

Hilton vows:

• Reduce taxes for workers and end the bureaucratic war on business
• Restore the California Dream of a single family home for every family
• Ensure that 100% of students meet state math and English standards
• No tax on income under $100K
• 7.5% flat tax on earnings over $100k
• No increase in property taxes. Protect Prop.13!

Hilton explains that this will be paid for by returning state spending to pre-pandemic levels, where it would have been if the government had grown in line with the economy, rather than the Democrat approach of growing it so much faster, and so unsustainably. This would take just over half of California households (7.1 million households) out of paying state income tax.

Hilton talks about California’s endless war on business. And he correctly notes that some businesses can’t “just move.”

So how will he end this?

• Sunset our regulatory code, so regulations go away unless explicitly renewed. Idaho did this and managed to reduce regulation by 95%.
• Reduce and simplify California’s administrative state, so we eliminate bureaucratic bloat and duplication of functions.
• Introduce regulatory budgets, so state agencies remove existing regulations before introducing new ones.
• Require ‘permit paybacks’, so agencies that don’t handle permits in a timely manner have to refund their fees.
• Bring change at the top, so the people running government agencies aren’t beholden to special interests and don’t believe the solution to almost every problem is more regulation.

Hilton explains, “After 16 years of one-party Democratic rule, California has built the highest and most punitive state income tax system in America, with top rates reaching 13.3 percent.”

And how Democrats have turned the tax code into a tool for bigger and more bloated government.

Hilton also wants to bring Hollywood jobs back to California, but he outlines a strategic plan that doesn’t demonize the businesses which hire the workers.

He identified why “Production is leaving California for states and countries offering better incentives, lower costs, and more predictable systems,” Hilton says.

California has fallen behind competitors that offer:

• Stronger, more flexible incentives
• Faster approvals
• Greater certainty for producers

While California increased its tax credit program to $750 million annually, the system still has major flaws:

• Rigid application windows
• Complex categories
• Limited access for smaller productions

Other regions operate faster, simpler, and more competitive systems—often without caps.

Hilton’s plan is specific and detailed including Appointing a Governor’s Expediter to cut through bureaucracy. His website is a treasure trove of actual detailed policy, clearly identifying the problems, breaking down how they happened, and how to fix the broken policies.

Katie Porter: “My promise as Governor is to stand up to Donald Trump and to fight for Californians – not big corporations or special interests. Right now, California families cannot keep up with the escalating costs of housing, groceries, utilities, child care, higher education, transportation – not to mention saving for retirement. As a single mom of three kids, I know that everything feels ridiculously expensive right now, and I have seen how the purchasing power of families has gotten worse since the pandemic.”

Those big corporations Porter vows to fight hire a lot of people.

Porter’s priorities include:

• free childcare for all
• tuition free college
• abolish ICE
• protecting health care from Trump
• protecting the planet

“As a single mom of three I understand the challenges families face, and I will deliver free child care for all.”

How will Porter do this?

“To achieve this, first we need to simplify the process. The current system is overly complicated, with 14 different funding sources and excessive hurdles for both providers and families to determine eligibility for subsidized care. I will create a one-stop-shop that simplifies everything – a single, online form for providers to receive payment and for families to easily find the care that meets their needs.”

She does not say how the state will pay for free child care for all.

“The attacks on abortion access and reproductive rights from extremists in Washington must end.”

Porter vows to fight the $30 billion cut annually from Medi-Cal and the Trump administration “coming after reproductive care.”

She does not offer policies that will do this.

How will Porter save the planet?

“In the face of Donald Trump’s endless attacks on our environment, including his illegal use of the Defense Production Act to restart offshore drilling on California’s coast, I will make sure California stays at the forefront of environmental protection, public health, and creating a green economy. I will work to accelerate our transition to clean energy by investing in renewable resources like wind, solar, and geothermal, and expanding the grid to support these technologies. Under my governorship, California will be positioned to become the first state to achieve 100% clean energy output, 365 days a year—which will drive down costs and make energy more affordable for Californians.”

Porter does not say how.

How will Porter Abolish ICE?

Porter says, “ICE makes us less safe, and as Governor, I will treat the protection of every Californian as my most important job. That means rejecting federal overreach and ensuring our infrastructure serves our communities, not a horrific deportation agenda.”

How? “I will work with our federal partners to Abolish ICE.”

Again, no actual policy details from the Porter camp, and nothing addressing improving quality of life in California.

Chad Bianco: “Chad Bianco is committed to restoring trust, protecting our communities, and creating opportunity for every Californian. From public safety to economic growth, his priorities put families first and focus on building a future where we can all thrive.”

These are Bianco’s priorities:

In the affordability category, Bianco says he will cut taxes, stop overregulation, unleash energy resources, and support the state’s technology sector.  But there are no details on how Bianco will do this. There are no links to click for actual policy.

To improve education, Bianco correctly notes that “California’s school system is failing. He identifies the problems, but does not state what policies he would implement to fix the “Radical policies and social agendas from activists and bureaucrats have harmed our students.”

Addressing the insurance crisis, Bianco says, “California has been experiencing a crisis in the insurance market, soon to be worsened by the fires that have ravaged Southern California. The economic climate in our state has caused a whole host of insurers to pause policy renewals, cancel current policies, or leave the state all together.

The state needs competition back in the marketplace to mitigate risk for natural disaster, and always protect consumers.”

Bianco has no policy details on how to reverse the insurance crisis.

Matt Mahan: “Mayor Matt Mahan knows California can do better. That’s why he’s focused on making life more affordable for working families, on accountability in government, and on building a future that works for all Californians, not just those at the top.”

Matt Mahan’s issues:

On Immigration, Mahan says: Mayor Matt Knows How To Take On ICE and Trump: Evicting ICE from city infrastructure; Demanding “Unmasking” and Mandatory ID policy.

Mahan says, “I haven’t just watched as my neighbors, the people I serve, live in fear of masked men entering our communities. I’ve done something about it. In San Jose, we’ve stood by our immigrant communities and in front of them as Trump’s campaign of terror wages on. Unlike others in this race, I’ve confronted ICE first-hand — and I’ll continue to do so as governor of California.”

He offers no clear “immigration” policy for the state – only what he has done in San Jose.

On  gas taxes, Mahan notes: California families are being squeezed from every direction. Gas prices are surging up to $7 a gallon — the consequence of Trump’s war in the Persian Gulf. But there is one lever Sacramento can pull right now: suspend our state gas taxes.

Rather than stating what his policy is on the gas tax, Mahan avoids saying affirmatively whether or not he will suspend the gas tax. He dances around the issue. Mahan claims, “Other states have suspended gas taxes during price spikes.” And, “Sacramento has the power to give working Californians real, immediate relief at the pump. A temporary gas tax isn’t a political statement – it’s a common sense solution for working families, and I’m willing to fight for it, even if that means standing up to the status quo.”

Mahan is “willing to fight for it,” but never says, “As governor, I will suspend the gas tax.” No commitment that will save you money at the pump.

Antonio Villaraigosa: “I don’t run from tough problem, I solve them. That’s what I will do as governor.”

Villaraigosa leads his issues list with:

• Stand up to Donald Trump
• We need to start building again
• Affordable Energy for All
• Cut Red Tape
• Protecting Consumers and Financial Technology
• Come Together to Lift Californians Up

How will Villaraigosa stand up to Trump? He really does not specify: “As Mayor and Speaker, he took on powerful special interests to deliver results for working families, and he’ll bring that same courage to standing up to Trump’s extreme MAGA agenda.”

“To make California affordable again, we need to start building again… to fast track new home construction, but we also need to jumpstart building up our energy grid, water storage, and transportation infrastructure.”

How?

“By reforming our permitting and regulatory processes, we allow Californians to spend more time building and less time buried in legal battles. We need to reform California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).”

Villaraigosa should run entirely on his reform CEQA policy: “Rather than continuing to make piecemeal exceptions, we need to reform CEQA so it does what it was intended—to minimize the likely environmental effect of development. Instead, CEQA is often abused and used to slow down or stop developments all together. CEQA battles not only delay building projects, they make them more costly. If we are serious about making California affordable, we must streamline CEQA reviews.”

Villaraigosa offers more on policy than any of the other Democrats, but it is limited to CEQA reform.

On his ICE accountability plan, Villaraigosa says, “Donald Trump’s ICE thugs are out of control. On my first day in office, I will sign a series of emergency executive orders launching my ICE Accountability Plan,” but does not specify what or how.

Thus far, the Democrat candidates are not only running against Donald Trump, they are running against the backbone of the state – the middle class. Just about everything they claim to prioritize does nothing to improve the quality of life for the average California resident. And they never address where the funding will come for all of the free childcare and free college.