The contenders in the race to become California’s next governor will meet on stage Tuesday night for the second of three planned debates ahead of the June 2 primary.
Last week’s meeting in San Francisco didn’t provide the fireworks or memorable moments the candidates and many voters had hoped for — but it managed to remind us all that ballots will be arriving in mailboxes in the coming days and decisions must be made.
Ahead of the forum at Pomona College in Claremont, our trio of Times columnists — Gustavo Arellano, Mark Z. Barabuck and Anita Chabria — are coming up with a cheat sheet on what to look for, what to expect and why it matters.
Chabariya: I’ll start with the obvious – let’s hope Tuesday gives us at least one successful candidate who brings some passion and vision.
After last week’s debate, there was a lot of discussion on social media about who won and who trolled who the best. But as one of six people who actually watched, I can tell you that it was mostly dull and there was no clear winner.
This is largely because there is only a daylight difference between the policies of many Democrats, and the same is the case for two Republicans.
So my hope is that at least one candidate will step up their game and come to voters not just with attacks, but with something that will inspire, something that will differentiate them. This far into the race, there’s little hope, but I’m keeping it alive.
What are your hopes and dreams – and maybe fears – going into this?
Barack: I know I sound like a broken record. (Kids, Google it.) Anita, you and I, especially, have gone over this again and again. But I don’t feel a particular need for inspiration from the guys and gals who are running for governor. If I need inspiration, I’ll go back and read Rev. Will re-read Martin Luther King Jr.’s book.letter from birmingham jail” Or listen to the Grateful Dead show from May ’77.
President Trump, give me someone who can work with the legislature and get the job done, no matter how difficult it is.
To borrow a phrase, follow a “California First” agenda. Put voters and their interests above ego, careerism and personal ambition. If elected, begin by pledging to serve a full four-year term and not run for president while they are serving as governor.
Of course, that kind of promise can be broken. (See then-Governor Pete Wilson, who made this pledge when seeking reelection in 1994, then turned around and – unsuccessfully – sought the White House in 1995.)
At least we will put them on record.
Arellano: I am in favor of this plight of democracy. A small part of me wants two Republicans to run in the general election because the California Democratic Party deserves an extinction event like a meteorite. There has been no GOP statewide elected official since Schwarzenegger. Supermajority in Sacramento for more than a decade.
And what do they have to show for their one-party rule? it.
But then I hear Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton meowing, and I’m suddenly hoping with Anita that someone will defeat their enemies with an invincible vision. The problem is that I think all the candidates have reached their limit. The only guy who has any chance of showing us something new is Xavier Becerra, who needs to drop his Dudley do-right shtick for a second and channel that inner Cholo we all know he has inside.
Instead, he was at a fundraiser in Fullerton over the weekend with professional Latinos – you should have been hitting it up with my cousins ​​in Anaheim watching their Dodgers slaughter the Cubs, railway engineBecause they are the ones who will make or break you.
Chabariya: How the first potential Latino governor is failing to excite Latino voters is exactly what I’m talking about. If you don’t give voters something to get excited about, they don’t vote, and our fragile democracy needs every voter turnout it can get.
But if we are forced to vote on specifics, let’s make it known. Here are some questions I hope these candidates can answer:
For San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, it’s not enough to promise to regulate artificial intelligence, or billionaire influence in this case, funded to the tune of millions by tech giants. Tell us what those rules look like and tell us how you reconcile your politics with big donors like Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, who has called Gen Z “Lost Generation.”
As for billionaire investor Tom Steyer, who has said he would reform Proposition 13 (which limits property taxes) for corporate landowners: What assurances do homeowners have that they won’t be next?
For former Rep. Katie Porter, polling in third place among Democrats, the clock is ticking — is there a point where you’ll drop out and support a fellow candidate if you can’t get ahead? The same is true for state schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond and former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who are also involved in the debate but are polling in the single digits.
And I agree with you, Gustavo, Becerra is looking absolutely nerdy, but speaking of Mark, he’s using this to position himself as drama-free and experienced. So in an era when fraud and abuse are the words of the day, how does Becerra not explain Catching fraud in your own office?
Mark and Gustavo, what are the topics you expect candidates to be questioned about?
Arellano: Slight correction, Anita – California already had a Latino governor: Romualdo Pacheco, the lieutenant governor who replaced Newton Booth in 1875 when he became a U.S. senator. Pacheco – A Latino Republican! – Served for full 10 months before becoming a Congress member.
Look, Californians? Political musical chairs are as much a part of our state as free-spending oligarchs – but that’s enough about Steyer.
issues? Of course, immigration. I want everyone to address the state’s undocumented immigrants for 90 seconds, no matter what case they choose. Water: Believe it or not in climate change, our supply is dwindling faster than Thurmond’s gubernatorial prospects. And because I believe the more random the question, the more you’ll know who the candidate really is: What’s the best song about California and why? Anyone who says “California Girls” or “California Girls” deserves disqualification, even though both songs are awesome.
Barack: Not really an issue. What I’d like to see is a little bit of backbone.
The next governor will have to make some tough decisions, particularly regarding spending priorities and/or cuts to the state budget. Inevitably, the next governor is going to make some people unhappy. And I’m not just talking about members of the opposite party or people who didn’t vote for him.
So I want each of them to name one issue where, for the good of the state, they are willing to take on their friends and colleagues, even knowing that they will be outraged. If you’re a Democrat, name something you would do to, say, eliminate organized labor. And for Republicans Bianco and Hilton, what is one area where you want to say to Trump, “Sir” – the President imagines everyone bowing to him and calling him Sir – “you are absolutely wrong about this and California needs to go its own way, whether you like it or not.”
Arellano: It is a privilege to see any candidate leaving his bosses behind. I think we need to lower our expectations in every way possible. So a simple question to conclude: Who needs the most work tonight besides Mahan’s beard? I think it’s my fellow Orange Countian, Katie Porter. She is now to the right of Steyer and to the left of Becerra, meaning she will have to alienate supporters from both of them and hold on to indecision if she wants to move forward. Not sure how she can pull it off – but if anyone can bring the needed fire, it’s her.
Chabariya: Porter certainly has a lot at stake.
An extraordinary moment for him, Steyer or Becerra – for better or worse – could tilt this very undecided race – not because people will be watching, but because it will prompt social media and advertising to surely follow. These next two debates are high-stakes, not just to avoid Biden’s performance, but to deliver something that will swing the momentum.
Politics ain’t beanbags, as the old saying goes, and it’s time to bring the heat. So in the spirit of Gustavo’s song request, I’ll leave it with these songs from the Riveras (or Ramones, if you prefer): We’re out there having fun in the hot California sun.
Barack: : There should be no ruckus in the party, but I think we should not exaggerate the importance of tonight’s debate. For one thing, as Anita suggested, the audience will be extremely small – very small even relative to the state’s 23 million registered voters.
We know from experience that most people take what we do not on the basis of debate, but on the basis of its coverage and the soundbites, memes, chatter and advertising it generates – and that is only to the extent that people are paying attention.
So, yes, what is said and done in Pomona will matter. But we’re still five weeks away from Election Day, and I suspect many people will wait at least another week or three to focus on the race and finally make up their minds.
I’ll end with a song by Jerry Garcia: all good things in all good times.
