Xavier Becerra Keeping Low Profile in CA Gubernatorial Race

Here are the morning’s top stories on Monday, September 28, 2026

• California voters will soon start getting their ballots in the mail. County election offices have until next Monday, October 5th, to begin sending them out. Voters will have lots to decide on, including who will be the next governor, Democrat Xavier Becerra or Republican Steve Hilton. A recent poll puts Becerra in the lead by more than 25 points, and that lead is growing. But is the Democrat taking that lead for granted? 
• Governor Gavin Newsom has signed two new safety laws after a fire at a cold-storage warehouse in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood just east of downtown Los Angeles. He also signed a handful of bills this weekend meant to increase protections for reproductive care and LGBTQ+ communities, and several related to gun safety.

A recent poll shows that Democrat Xavier Becerra has widened his lead over Republican Steve Hilton in the race for governor. The UC Berkeley IGS poll shows that 58% of likely voters prefer Becerra, while Hilton trails with 33% of likely support. That’s a 25-point lead for Becerra, which increased from 18-points in August.

Becerra’s lead is not without concerns. The poll found that 40% of the state’s likely voters view him unfavorably. Despite that, Becerra has for the most part kept a low profile since the June primary. He’s declined most interview requests. But his opponent, Hilton, has taken advantage by making the media rounds. “He’s also poking Becerra and Becerra’s absence,” said KQED Politics Correspondent Marisa Lagos.

Along with avoiding a lot of interviews, Becerra has been fairly noncommittal when it comes to issues the state is dealing with. The vagueness of Becerra’s positions is “textbook political science,” said Melissa Michelson, a political science professor at Menlo College. Because he faces Hilton in the general election, Becerra is likely to win based on Democrats’ voter registration advantage in California alone. He doesn’t have to do much to persuade Democrats to pick him, needing only to excite liberal voters enough to turn out in the last few weeks before November, Michelson said. “He doesn’t have an incentive to go out on a limb” on policies, she said. “You don’t want to mess up, you don’t want to do anything crazy.”

For his part, Becerra said he will be ramping up events and interviews in October.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a number of bills over the weekend. He signed over a dozen bills into law that increase safeguards around LGBTQ+ identity data, change how health insurance companies reimburse for HIV prevention drugs and expand access to medication abortion on certain community college campuses.

“The Trump administration has launched an all-out assault on the LGBTQ community, using medical records to target U.S. servicemembers and civilians alike, hurting countless people and betraying hard-won trust,” Newsom said in a statement. “California will not stand for it.”

The governor also signed a package of bills related to gun safety. Senate Bill 948 would apply to current residents with newly purchased guns starting in 2029. They would need to take a safety class that would need to be at least four hours long. Starting in 2028, people moving to California with guns would need to obtain a firearm safety certificate within 180 days of arrival. Berkeley Democratic Sen. Jesse Arreguín wrote the legislation. It was one of 10 gun safety laws Newsom signed.

Governor Newsom also signed bills aimed at strengthening accountability for cold storage facilities. It comes after a devastating fire this year at the Lineage cold storage facility in Boyle Heights in Los Angeles County. One of the new laws lets local agencies fine companies up to $50,000 per violation when they threaten public health and safety. The other requires cold-storage operators to carry insurance or have emergency funds available to help residents affected by an incident.