California Gubernatorial Election Town Hall: Former U.S. Representative Katie Porter
Join KQED for a series of timely town hall events ahead of the 2026 California governor’s race primary, featuring one of the top four polling primary candidates, who were invited for intimate onstage conversations.
Hosted by KQED’s Political Breakdown, this evening with former U.S. Representative Katie Porter will address the issues shaping California’s future — including everything from housing and the economy, and tech, to climate, immigration, and the state’s fraught relationship with the Trump administration — guided by questions from a live studio audience.
Attendance is limited to KQED members and invited civic and community organizations, creating a substantive forum for voter-driven dialogue.
Each town hall event will also stream live on the KQED Live YouTube channel. It will also be recorded for later broadcast on television on KQED 9 and on radio at KQED 88.5FM, as well as for podcast feeds as special episodes of KQED’s Political Breakdown.
Reserving KQED Member Tickets
KQED members can access tickets starting Thursday, April 8. Access codes will be sent directly from KQED Member Services to you by email that day.
KQED events are ticketed by TIXR. Your KQED member login credentials will not work to sign in. You will either need to enter your TIXR account or create one. We do not recommend logging in through Facebook.
If you have not received the access code by email or if you have trouble, reach out to KQED Member Services to help reserve your tickets. By phone: 415-553-2150. By email: member@kqed.org.
Not yet a member? You can join by supporting KQED and enjoy benefits like this exclusive preview screening!
Note on Participation Criteria: Due to limited event production capacity, KQED is not able to host every candidate running for governor for an in-person town hall event. KQED established objective selection criteria in advance to limit the number of candidates invited to participate.
KQED notified invited the top four candidates leading in recent independent public polls in March, specifically those from Emerson College Polling and Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. The four candidates who received invitations consistently led in the average of the polls and in each poll individually; they included Steve Hilton, former U.S. Representative Katie Porter, Sheriff Chad Bianco, and Tom Steyer. Candidate Steve Hilton declined the invitation.
