By G. A. McNeeley
May 1, 2026 (Pomona College, Claremont) — Eight candidates appeared at Pomona College on Tuesday, April 28, during the most recent debate for the 2026 California governor’s race. The debate provided a chance for voters to consider the perspectives of these candidates on various important topics.
It should be noted that the moderator did not give every candidate a chance to answer every question.
Eric Swalwell and Betty Yee both previously suspended their campaigns, and are no longer running for Governor of California.
Get To Know The Eight Candidates
Xavier Becerra (Democrat) served as President Joe Biden’s Health & Human Services Secretary from 2021 to 2025. He also served as California’s Attorney General from 2017 to 2021, a member of the House of Representatives from 1993 to 2017, and a member of California’s State Assembly from 1990 to 1992.
Chad Bianco (Republican) has been Riverside County’s Sheriff since 2019, and he’s currently serving his second term.
Steve HIlton (Republican) is a former Fox News host, who also served as the Director of Strategy for former English Prime Minister David Cameron from 2010 to 2012.
Matt Mahan (Democrat) has been mayor of San Jose since 2023. He previously served as a member of the San Jose City Council from 2021 to 2023, and he taught English & History at Alum Rock Middle School from 2006 to 2008.
Katie Porter (Democrat) is a former member of the House of Representatives, who served from 2019 to 2025. She also has a long career as a law professor, which includes being a tenured professor at UCI’s law school.
Tom Steyer (Democrat) is a billionaire, who founded Fallon Capital Management, a multi-strategy hedge fund, in 1986.
Tony Thurmond (Democrat) has been California’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2019. He previously served as a member of the California State Assembly from 2014 to 2018, a member of the Richmond City Council (prior to 2014), and he was elected to the West Contra Costa School Board in 2008.
Antonio Villaraigosa (Democrat) previously served as mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013, a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 2003 to 2005, and the Speaker of the California State Assembly from 1998 to 2000.
How Would They Increase Affordability & Restore The ‘California Dream’?
Towards the start of the debate, moderators cited a YouGov poll that asked registered voters about whether or not the “California Dream” is attainable today, and they noted how 64% of the people who answered said that they weren’t confident.
Hilton said that he wanted to have “$3-per-gallon gas”, while Bianco said that the “California super majority legislature” would have to respond to him (not the other way around), and that “regulations and taxes have to go.” Hilton and Bianco didn’t elaborate on their ideas.
Becerra said he wanted to reduce prescription drug costs, and make housing more affordable.
Mahan talked about how he’s “the only candidate on this stage who has pledged to suspend and reform the gas tax,” and referred to that gas tax as “regressive.”
What Would They Do To Meet Housing Goals?
Thurmond said he wanted to provide “down payment assistance grants” to first time home buyers, and that having “2.3 million units by 2030” was his goal. Steyer said he wanted to shorten and reduce the cost of permitting, and also drop the cost of construction by using industrial offsite building.
Villaraigosa said he wanted to provide first time buyer assistance, have a “25 billion dollar initiative at no cost to tax payers”, and “build up to 150,000 units.” Porter said she wanted to see faster building, because, on average, it takes two years longer for California to build apartments and single family homes, and that costs rise 10-20% during that time.
How Do They Plan To Protect The State From Future Cuts To Healthcare?
Becerra said that “we need to fight” Donald Trump and “not agree with him,” because Trump’s $1 Trillion cut to Medicaid caused 3 million Californians to lose MediCal. Hilton said we need to stop blaming Trump, however, he didn’t answer whether or not he supports Trump’s cuts to Medicaid. Hilton added that he wants to deregulate healthcare in California.
Steyer said a single payer healthcare system is “the only way we solve this,” and Porter said a single payer healthcare system would have “the most healthcare at the lowest administrative cost.” Porter also said that 25% percent of hospitals are projected to close, because of Trump’s cuts to Medicaid.
Bianco didn’t answer the question, blamed “broken Democrat policies,” and even asked “what do we care about cuts to MediCal?” Mahan said “Trump’s tax cuts are cruel,” and that we need to “incentive health” and “make people healthy.” Villaraigosa also said those cuts were wrong, while Thurmond indicated that the only way is “to tax billionaires.”
How Do They Plan To Help Give Insurance To Homeowners Amid Wildfire Risks?
Becerra said he’d declare a state of emergency, call in insurance commissioners, call for a freeze, and plan to review insurance companies. He also said that he’d be “willing to go to court” over this issue.
Mahan said he’d bring back insurers, force them to compete, let them “appropriately price risk”, and then have the government be accountable for maintaining wildlands, in order to prevent wildfires.
Steyer said he’d get rid of dry timber, utilize controlled burns, and harden houses, while Porter said Becerra’s plan was “unconstitutional,” and that Mahan’s plan had already been done before.
Do They Want To Suspend The Gas Tax Or Not?
During a quick “yes” or “no” question from the moderators about whether or not they support suspending the gas tax, Bianco, Hilton, Mahan, and Thurmond said yes, while Becerra, Porter, Steyer, and Villaraigosa said no.
What Are Their Plans For Tackling Gas Prices & Oil Production?
Steyer said that we need the ability to outsource refining to other countries, and added that gas prices are about $1.50 more per gallon, because of the current war in Iran. Porter said that we need to keep all energy sources online, and that refineries in California should stay open.
Hilton said “we just need a bit of common sense in this whole area,” and that we should just use the abundant resources we already have here. Villaraigosa said we could transition from oil and gas to renewables, and that we’ve already built a lot of charging stations for electric vehicles, but that we need to build out the electric grid in order to support them.
How Do They Plan To Raise Academic Achievement Amid School Budget Issues?
Mahan said he’d cut administrative overhead (which he described as all of the staff who aren’t in the classroom), and also coach and train teachers if it was needed. Steyer said we need more money to hire, train, and retain more teachers, while Thurmond said that “education is the greatest equalizer there is,” and that their biggest challenge is declining enrollment.
How Do They Plan To Help California’s Homeless Population?
All eight candidates said that they would support a plan to force homeless people to be in treatment facilities, if they repeatedly refused assistance.
Porter added that she’d only support it with proper “safeguards and provisions,” and Mahan said he supports Prop 36, but also admitted that we don’t currently have enough beds in those facilities to help everyone.
Bianco said Prop 36 has to be funded in order to provide services, and he also said that “giving them a solid roof instead of a tent is not compassion.” Thurmond responded by saying Bianco was blaming victims, that Bianco needed to “stop wasting the public dollars to steal ballots,” and Thurmond even invited Bianco to offer a real solution (Bianco didn’t).
Hilton said “we need to increase mental health provisions, so we can take care of people where they should be — in mental health facilities.”
Becerra said we need to build up treatment facilities and help to “prevent people from losing their home,” while Villaraigosa said “it’s true we need drug rehab. It’s true that we need mental health services. And it’s true we need housing.”
How Do They Plan To Prepare For Natural Disasters?
Becerra said insurance companies needs to be transparent about their pricing models and policies for homeowners, Mahan said he’d set up emergency responders with resources and deploy workers where needed, Villaraigosa said “we’ve got to fix the insurance crisis” because the people affected by the Palisades and Eaton Fires “aren’t able to replace their homes.”
Steyer suggested that he’d hold fossil fuel companies accountable, while Porter said she “had a track record of making polluters pay,” while she worked in Congress. Porter also pushed back against Steyer, asking about how he profited on fossil fuels.
Hilton shared a potential solution, by saying “there’s a very simple, common sense way to do it, which is to have modern forest management.”
He added that if “we don’t have the fuel load in our forests, we can create jobs and opportunity in rural California, and reduce carbon emissions in the process, because we won’t have the mega wildfires.”