Top candidates for California governor spar over wealth, experience and race in fiery debate

SAN FRANCISCO — With the California governor’s race quickly approaching, six candidates fiercely sparred over wealth, experience and race Wednesday evening in the first debate since former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race amid sexual assault and misconduct allegations.

Democrat Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund founder turned climate change activist, was frequently attacked over how he made his wealth, which he is using to fund his gubernatorial bid. Republican Steve Hilton, a former conservative commentator, was painted as a dilettante backed by President Trump. Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, was labeled a D.C. insider whose actions don’t match his words.

“We don’t need a billionaire who made his money in private prisons and oil and gas that he’s now supposedly against, or Trump’s handpicked candidate, or a D.C. insider who the Sacramento establishment is now” embracing, said San José Mayor Matt Mahan.

Becerra, who has surged in the race since Swalwell dropped out, and former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, fellow Democrats, sparred over their resumes during a discussion about housing affordability.

“Mr. Becerra, you have all these lovely plans, but there are never any numbers, any revenue plan, any details, anything that pushes on the status quo,” Porter said. “But the how, the why and how much, it’s all missing.”

Becerra, a politician known for his mild-mannered demeanor, instantly shot back, questioning Porter’s experience.

“That’s very rich to hear from someone who’s never had to actually run a government,” he said, adding that he balanced four federal Health and Human Services budgets that were “larger than the budget of the state of California.”

The debate takes place at a critical moment in the turbulent contest to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom. Ballots will start landing in Californians’ mailboxes in less than two weeks, and voters are split by a crowded field of eight prominent candidates. The debate also takes place after former state Controller Betty Yee ended her campaign because of a lack of resources and support in the polls.

Two Republicans — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and Hilton — and four Democrats — Steyer, Becerra, Porter and Mahan — took the stage at 7 p.m. at Nexstar’s KRON4 studios in San Francisco. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, both Democrats, were not invited to participate because of their low polling numbers.

Two white candidates got into a spat over racism and diversity when candidates were asked about CHP officers reportedly administering English proficiency tests for truck drivers.

Officers who do so must have good reason, Bianco said.

“Let’s stop with this whole racism thing and racial profiling and all of this is garbage. We have to get over this. You either violated the law or you didn’t,” he said.

Porter pounced on the comment, saying she is “stunned that Mr. Bianco would say to Black and brown Californians and immigrants who are being terrorized and racially profiled that you have to get over racism. It’s not something that you get over, it’s something that you fight. And if he doesn’t understand the importance of that, he has no business representing a state with the diversity of California.”

“That’s not even close to what I said,” Bianco retorted, adding that he works with people of all races in his job as a law enforcement official. “Californians are absolutely sick and tired of our politicians making race the basis of everything. It is not, and this racial divide that they are pushing between law enforcement and the public or Democrat and Republican absolutely has to stop.”

The gathering is the first televised debate in the gubernatorial contest since early February. Last month, USC canceled a debate hours before it was set to begin over mounting criticism that its criteria excluded all major candidates of color.

The debate was hosted by Nexstar and moderated by KTXL FOX40 anchor Nikki Laurenzo and KTLA anchor Frank Buckley.