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"title": "Xavier Becerra Wins Governor's Race",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, November 4, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>The blue wave that many had predicted came true on Tuesday, with Democrats taking control of both the House and Senate. And in California, it was much the same, with Democrats flipping House seats that were under new maps following the passage of Proposition 50. As anticipated, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107022/xavier-becerra-wins-california-governors-race\">Democrat Xavier Becerra was also victorious\u003c/a> in the governor’s race, defeating Republican Steve Hilton. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Proposition 40 – the billionaire tax, looks like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107038/california-billionaire-tax-trails-in-early-results\">it could be headed for defeat.\u003c/a> The measure would have imposed a one-time 5% tax on individuals with assets valued over $1 billion, who lived in the state as of the first of the year. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/11/california-election-2026-prop-39/\">Voters rejected Proposition 39\u003c/a>, a GOP-backed voter ID measure. About 60% of voters rebuffed the measure, which Democratic leaders opposed.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107022/xavier-becerra-wins-california-governors-race\">Xavier Becerra is first elected Latino governor in California\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/xavier-becerra\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a>, a Democrat whose deep experience and steady demeanor helped him navigate a tumultuous primary and chart a safe course in the general election, will be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/governor\">California’s next governor\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Associated Press called a victory for Becerra over Republican \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/steve-hilton\">Steve Hilton\u003c/a> a minute after polls closed. He will be the first Latino person elected to serve as California governor. Taking the stage at his election night party in Sacramento on Tuesday night to chants of “Sí, se puede,” Becerra delivered triumphant remarks amid a Democratic surge in races nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What a great night to be a Californian,” Becerra said. “What a great night to be an American. To be the son of immigrants from a union household. To be standing in victory with all of you. Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. These past two years have been tough. Higher prices, more wars, corruption, and lawlessness. But we hung in there, fought back.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra is a familiar face in state politics, having represented Los Angeles in Congress for years before serving as California attorney general and the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services under former President Joe Biden. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hilton, by contrast, was a political outsider. Born in Britain, he served as an adviser to former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and hosted a show on Fox News after moving to the U.S. An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078793/trump-endorses-steve-hilton-for-california-governor-giving-gop-a-front-runner\">endorsement from President Donald Trump\u003c/a> rallied the Republican vote around Hilton in the June primary and boosted him into the general election. He campaigned tirelessly through the summer and fall, holding regular events and media appearances and running ads that made direct appeals to Californians who disliked the president. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It made little difference in a state where 3 in 4 voters disapprove of Trump and where Republicans have not won a statewide office in two decades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102344/california-governor-debate-takeaways-and-how-gas-prices-are-shaping-swing-house-races\">lone debate\u003c/a> between the candidates, hosted by CNN, Becerra relentlessly reminded viewers of Trump’s endorsement, while Hilton took few steps to decisively \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098202/republican-steve-hilton-finds-some-distance-between-himself-and-trump\">break from the president\u003c/a>. It was perhaps the only high-profile moment of an otherwise sleepy general election. Becerra largely stayed out of sight until the final weeks of the race, when he barnstormed the state and promised to look at changes to the tax code or tax increases in order to offset federal health cuts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107038/california-billionaire-tax-trails-in-early-results\">California billionaire tax trails in early results\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A proposal to impose a wealth tax on California’s billionaires to fund healthcare was trailing Tuesday night, though it remains too early to call the result for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/proposition-40\">Proposition 40\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two competing measures placed on the ballot by billionaires opposed to the wealth tax were mixed. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/proposition-41\">Proposition 41\u003c/a> was behind in a neck-and-neck race, while \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/proposition-42\">Proposition 42\u003c/a> was leading. Both measures contain language aimed at undermining Proposition 40, making it impossible for the state to enforce the wealth tax if they pass with more votes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Proposition 40 asked voters whether to assess a 5% tax on the overall wealth of anyone who lived in California as of Jan. 1 of this year and had assets topping $1 billion, which would apply to about 200 people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The money raised by the tax — some $100 billion over five years, according to supporters — would backfill healthcare cuts imposed by President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress under last year’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It’s a type of tax that’s never been attempted in the U.S. and one that aimed to get at the vast wealth of the state’s billionaires by taxing their overall assets, not just their income or capital gains. That overall wealth \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/05/26/opinion/wealth-tax-california-billionaire.html\">grew\u003c/a> by an estimated 15% per year from 2019 to 2025. The measure was placed on the ballot \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093303/the-union-man-taking-on-the-democratic-establishment-with-a-billionaire-tax\">by SEIU-UHW West\u003c/a>, a union representing more than 120,000 healthcare workers in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But after spending more than $20 million to qualify the measure, the union was vastly outspent by billionaires opposed to Proposition 40 and in support of Propositions 41 and 42. Google co-founder Sergey Brin alone donated more than $100 million, and the campaign raised more than $330 million overall. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12106033/the-political-calculus-behind-newsoms-opposition-to-californias-billionaire-tax\">Some surprising allies\u003c/a>, including Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Teachers Association and Planned Parenthood, buoyed the no side. They all argued that the measure would ultimately hurt California’s budget and economy by driving wealthy executives and businesses out of state.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/11/california-election-2026-prop-39/\">California voters reject conservative voter ID proposal\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democratic Party leaders are breathing a sigh of relief after voters rejected \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2026/proposition-39-voter-id/\">Proposition 39,\u003c/a> a GOP-backed voter ID measure that drew interest — and millions of dollars — from Republican megadonors across the country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About 60% of voters rebuffed the measure, which Democratic leaders opposed in unison and heavily campaigned against, arguing it would amount to voter suppression. Republican Party leaders and other supporters of the initiative characterized Prop. 39 as a common-sense idea that has precedence in more than two dozen states. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The measure would have required voters to show a government ID at polling places or write the last four digits of a Social Security or other government-issued number on mail ballots. Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein, the campaign’s biggest donor, helped proponents amass $37 million in support from Republicans nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It was an absolutely unnecessary ballot measure,” said David Trujillo, executive director of American Civil Liberties Union California Action Tuesday night. “California voters saw it for what it was, which was an attempt to disenfranchise voters in this state.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GOP headwinds nationwide appeared to trickle down-ballot in California, spelling bad news for the Republican-endorsed measure as returns quickly showed overwhelming opposition.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>The blue wave that many had predicted came true on Tuesday, with Democrats taking control of both the House and Senate. And in California, it was much the same, with Democrats flipping House seats that were under new maps following the passage of Proposition 50. As anticipated, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107022/xavier-becerra-wins-california-governors-race\">Democrat Xavier Becerra was also victorious\u003c/a> in the governor’s race, defeating Republican Steve Hilton. \u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>The blue wave that many had predicted came true on Tuesday, with Democrats taking control of both the House and Senate. And in California, it was much the same, with Democrats flipping House seats that were under new maps following the passage of Proposition 50. As anticipated, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107022/xavier-becerra-wins-california-governors-race\">Democrat Xavier Becerra was also victorious\u003c/a> in the governor’s race, defeating Republican Steve Hilton. \u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Proposition 40 – the billionaire tax, looks like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107038/california-billionaire-tax-trails-in-early-results\">it could be headed for defeat.\u003c/a> The measure would have imposed a one-time 5% tax on individuals with assets valued over $1 billion, who lived in the state as of the first of the year. \u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>Proposition 40 – the billionaire tax, looks like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107038/california-billionaire-tax-trails-in-early-results\">it could be headed for defeat.\u003c/a> The measure would have imposed a one-time 5% tax on individuals with assets valued over $1 billion, who lived in the state as of the first of the year. \u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/11/california-election-2026-prop-39/\">Voters rejected Proposition 39\u003c/a>, a GOP-backed voter ID measure. About 60% of voters rebuffed the measure, which Democratic leaders opposed.\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/11/california-election-2026-prop-39/\">Voters rejected Proposition 39\u003c/a>, a GOP-backed voter ID measure. About 60% of voters rebuffed the measure, which Democratic leaders opposed.\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/xavier-becerra\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a>, a Democrat whose deep experience and steady demeanor helped him navigate a tumultuous primary and chart a safe course in the general election, will be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/governor\">California’s next governor\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/xavier-becerra\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a>, a Democrat whose deep experience and steady demeanor helped him navigate a tumultuous primary and chart a safe course in the general election, will be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/governor\">California’s next governor\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Associated Press called a victory for Becerra over Republican \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/steve-hilton\">Steve Hilton\u003c/a> a minute after polls closed. He will be the first Latino person elected to serve as California governor. Taking the stage at his election night party in Sacramento on Tuesday night to chants of “Sí, se puede,” Becerra delivered triumphant remarks amid a Democratic surge in races nationwide.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Associated Press called a victory for Becerra over Republican \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/steve-hilton\">Steve Hilton\u003c/a> a minute after polls closed. He will be the first Latino person elected to serve as California governor. Taking the stage at his election night party in Sacramento on Tuesday night to chants of “Sí, se puede,” Becerra delivered triumphant remarks amid a Democratic surge in races nationwide.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What a great night to be a Californian,” Becerra said. “What a great night to be an American. To be the son of immigrants from a union household. To be standing in victory with all of you. Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. These past two years have been tough. Higher prices, more wars, corruption, and lawlessness. But we hung in there, fought back.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What a great night to be a Californian,” Becerra said. “What a great night to be an American. To be the son of immigrants from a union household. To be standing in victory with all of you. Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. These past two years have been tough. Higher prices, more wars, corruption, and lawlessness. But we hung in there, fought back.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Becerra is a familiar face in state politics, having represented Los Angeles in Congress for years before serving as California attorney general and the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services under former President Joe Biden. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Becerra is a familiar face in state politics, having represented Los Angeles in Congress for years before serving as California attorney general and the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services under former President Joe Biden. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hilton, by contrast, was a political outsider. Born in Britain, he served as an adviser to former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and hosted a show on Fox News after moving to the U.S. An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078793/trump-endorses-steve-hilton-for-california-governor-giving-gop-a-front-runner\">endorsement from President Donald Trump\u003c/a> rallied the Republican vote around Hilton in the June primary and boosted him into the general election. He campaigned tirelessly through the summer and fall, holding regular events and media appearances and running ads that made direct appeals to Californians who disliked the president. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hilton, by contrast, was a political outsider. Born in Britain, he served as an adviser to former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and hosted a show on Fox News after moving to the U.S. An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078793/trump-endorses-steve-hilton-for-california-governor-giving-gop-a-front-runner\">endorsement from President Donald Trump\u003c/a> rallied the Republican vote around Hilton in the June primary and boosted him into the general election. He campaigned tirelessly through the summer and fall, holding regular events and media appearances and running ads that made direct appeals to Californians who disliked the president. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It made little difference in a state where 3 in 4 voters disapprove of Trump and where Republicans have not won a statewide office in two decades. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It made little difference in a state where 3 in 4 voters disapprove of Trump and where Republicans have not won a statewide office in two decades. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102344/california-governor-debate-takeaways-and-how-gas-prices-are-shaping-swing-house-races\">lone debate\u003c/a> between the candidates, hosted by CNN, Becerra relentlessly reminded viewers of Trump’s endorsement, while Hilton took few steps to decisively \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098202/republican-steve-hilton-finds-some-distance-between-himself-and-trump\">break from the president\u003c/a>. It was perhaps the only high-profile moment of an otherwise sleepy general election. Becerra largely stayed out of sight until the final weeks of the race, when he barnstormed the state and promised to look at changes to the tax code or tax increases in order to offset federal health cuts.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102344/california-governor-debate-takeaways-and-how-gas-prices-are-shaping-swing-house-races\">lone debate\u003c/a> between the candidates, hosted by CNN, Becerra relentlessly reminded viewers of Trump’s endorsement, while Hilton took few steps to decisively \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098202/republican-steve-hilton-finds-some-distance-between-himself-and-trump\">break from the president\u003c/a>. It was perhaps the only high-profile moment of an otherwise sleepy general election. Becerra largely stayed out of sight until the final weeks of the race, when he barnstormed the state and promised to look at changes to the tax code or tax increases in order to offset federal health cuts.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "California billionaire tax trails in early results",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A proposal to impose a wealth tax on California’s billionaires to fund healthcare was trailing Tuesday night, though it remains too early to call the result for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/proposition-40\">Proposition 40\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A proposal to impose a wealth tax on California’s billionaires to fund healthcare was trailing Tuesday night, though it remains too early to call the result for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/proposition-40\">Proposition 40\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two competing measures placed on the ballot by billionaires opposed to the wealth tax were mixed. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/proposition-41\">Proposition 41\u003c/a> was behind in a neck-and-neck race, while \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/proposition-42\">Proposition 42\u003c/a> was leading. Both measures contain language aimed at undermining Proposition 40, making it impossible for the state to enforce the wealth tax if they pass with more votes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Two competing measures placed on the ballot by billionaires opposed to the wealth tax were mixed. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/proposition-41\">Proposition 41\u003c/a> was behind in a neck-and-neck race, while \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/proposition-42\">Proposition 42\u003c/a> was leading. Both measures contain language aimed at undermining Proposition 40, making it impossible for the state to enforce the wealth tax if they pass with more votes.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Proposition 40 asked voters whether to assess a 5% tax on the overall wealth of anyone who lived in California as of Jan. 1 of this year and had assets topping $1 billion, which would apply to about 200 people.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Proposition 40 asked voters whether to assess a 5% tax on the overall wealth of anyone who lived in California as of Jan. 1 of this year and had assets topping $1 billion, which would apply to about 200 people.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The money raised by the tax — some $100 billion over five years, according to supporters — would backfill healthcare cuts imposed by President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress under last year’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The money raised by the tax — some $100 billion over five years, according to supporters — would backfill healthcare cuts imposed by President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress under last year’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s a type of tax that’s never been attempted in the U.S. and one that aimed to get at the vast wealth of the state’s billionaires by taxing their overall assets, not just their income or capital gains. That overall wealth \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/05/26/opinion/wealth-tax-california-billionaire.html\">grew\u003c/a> by an estimated 15% per year from 2019 to 2025. The measure was placed on the ballot \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093303/the-union-man-taking-on-the-democratic-establishment-with-a-billionaire-tax\">by SEIU-UHW West\u003c/a>, a union representing more than 120,000 healthcare workers in California.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It’s a type of tax that’s never been attempted in the U.S. and one that aimed to get at the vast wealth of the state’s billionaires by taxing their overall assets, not just their income or capital gains. That overall wealth \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/05/26/opinion/wealth-tax-california-billionaire.html\">grew\u003c/a> by an estimated 15% per year from 2019 to 2025. The measure was placed on the ballot \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093303/the-union-man-taking-on-the-democratic-establishment-with-a-billionaire-tax\">by SEIU-UHW West\u003c/a>, a union representing more than 120,000 healthcare workers in California.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But after spending more than $20 million to qualify the measure, the union was vastly outspent by billionaires opposed to Proposition 40 and in support of Propositions 41 and 42. Google co-founder Sergey Brin alone donated more than $100 million, and the campaign raised more than $330 million overall. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12106033/the-political-calculus-behind-newsoms-opposition-to-californias-billionaire-tax\">Some surprising allies\u003c/a>, including Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Teachers Association and Planned Parenthood, buoyed the no side. They all argued that the measure would ultimately hurt California’s budget and economy by driving wealthy executives and businesses out of state.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But after spending more than $20 million to qualify the measure, the union was vastly outspent by billionaires opposed to Proposition 40 and in support of Propositions 41 and 42. Google co-founder Sergey Brin alone donated more than $100 million, and the campaign raised more than $330 million overall. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12106033/the-political-calculus-behind-newsoms-opposition-to-californias-billionaire-tax\">Some surprising allies\u003c/a>, including Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Teachers Association and Planned Parenthood, buoyed the no side. They all argued that the measure would ultimately hurt California’s budget and economy by driving wealthy executives and businesses out of state.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Democratic Party leaders are breathing a sigh of relief after voters rejected \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2026/proposition-39-voter-id/\">Proposition 39,\u003c/a> a GOP-backed voter ID measure that drew interest — and millions of dollars — from Republican megadonors across the country.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>About 60% of voters rebuffed the measure, which Democratic leaders opposed in unison and heavily campaigned against, arguing it would amount to voter suppression. Republican Party leaders and other supporters of the initiative characterized Prop. 39 as a common-sense idea that has precedence in more than two dozen states. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>About 60% of voters rebuffed the measure, which Democratic leaders opposed in unison and heavily campaigned against, arguing it would amount to voter suppression. Republican Party leaders and other supporters of the initiative characterized Prop. 39 as a common-sense idea that has precedence in more than two dozen states. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure would have required voters to show a government ID at polling places or write the last four digits of a Social Security or other government-issued number on mail ballots. Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein, the campaign’s biggest donor, helped proponents amass $37 million in support from Republicans nationwide.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The measure would have required voters to show a government ID at polling places or write the last four digits of a Social Security or other government-issued number on mail ballots. Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein, the campaign’s biggest donor, helped proponents amass $37 million in support from Republicans nationwide.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It was an absolutely unnecessary ballot measure,” said David Trujillo, executive director of American Civil Liberties Union California Action Tuesday night. “California voters saw it for what it was, which was an attempt to disenfranchise voters in this state.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It was an absolutely unnecessary ballot measure,” said David Trujillo, executive director of American Civil Liberties Union California Action Tuesday night. “California voters saw it for what it was, which was an attempt to disenfranchise voters in this state.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The GOP headwinds nationwide appeared to trickle down-ballot in California, spelling bad news for the Republican-endorsed measure as returns quickly showed overwhelming opposition.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The GOP headwinds nationwide appeared to trickle down-ballot in California, spelling bad news for the Republican-endorsed measure as returns quickly showed overwhelming opposition.\u003c/p>\n"
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, November 4, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>The blue wave that many had predicted came true on Tuesday, with Democrats taking control of both the House and Senate. And in California, it was much the same, with Democrats flipping House seats that were under new maps following the passage of Proposition 50. As anticipated, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107022/xavier-becerra-wins-california-governors-race\">Democrat Xavier Becerra was also victorious\u003c/a> in the governor’s race, defeating Republican Steve Hilton. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Proposition 40 – the billionaire tax, looks like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107038/california-billionaire-tax-trails-in-early-results\">it could be headed for defeat.\u003c/a> The measure would have imposed a one-time 5% tax on individuals with assets valued over $1 billion, who lived in the state as of the first of the year. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/11/california-election-2026-prop-39/\">Voters rejected Proposition 39\u003c/a>, a GOP-backed voter ID measure. About 60% of voters rebuffed the measure, which Democratic leaders opposed.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107022/xavier-becerra-wins-california-governors-race\">Xavier Becerra is first elected Latino governor in California\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/xavier-becerra\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a>, a Democrat whose deep experience and steady demeanor helped him navigate a tumultuous primary and chart a safe course in the general election, will be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/governor\">California’s next governor\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Associated Press called a victory for Becerra over Republican \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/steve-hilton\">Steve Hilton\u003c/a> a minute after polls closed. He will be the first Latino person elected to serve as California governor. Taking the stage at his election night party in Sacramento on Tuesday night to chants of “Sí, se puede,” Becerra delivered triumphant remarks amid a Democratic surge in races nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What a great night to be a Californian,” Becerra said. “What a great night to be an American. To be the son of immigrants from a union household. To be standing in victory with all of you. Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. These past two years have been tough. Higher prices, more wars, corruption, and lawlessness. But we hung in there, fought back.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra is a familiar face in state politics, having represented Los Angeles in Congress for years before serving as California attorney general and the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services under former President Joe Biden. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hilton, by contrast, was a political outsider. Born in Britain, he served as an adviser to former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and hosted a show on Fox News after moving to the U.S. An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078793/trump-endorses-steve-hilton-for-california-governor-giving-gop-a-front-runner\">endorsement from President Donald Trump\u003c/a> rallied the Republican vote around Hilton in the June primary and boosted him into the general election. He campaigned tirelessly through the summer and fall, holding regular events and media appearances and running ads that made direct appeals to Californians who disliked the president. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It made little difference in a state where 3 in 4 voters disapprove of Trump and where Republicans have not won a statewide office in two decades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102344/california-governor-debate-takeaways-and-how-gas-prices-are-shaping-swing-house-races\">lone debate\u003c/a> between the candidates, hosted by CNN, Becerra relentlessly reminded viewers of Trump’s endorsement, while Hilton took few steps to decisively \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098202/republican-steve-hilton-finds-some-distance-between-himself-and-trump\">break from the president\u003c/a>. It was perhaps the only high-profile moment of an otherwise sleepy general election. Becerra largely stayed out of sight until the final weeks of the race, when he barnstormed the state and promised to look at changes to the tax code or tax increases in order to offset federal health cuts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107038/california-billionaire-tax-trails-in-early-results\">California billionaire tax trails in early results\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A proposal to impose a wealth tax on California’s billionaires to fund healthcare was trailing Tuesday night, though it remains too early to call the result for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/proposition-40\">Proposition 40\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two competing measures placed on the ballot by billionaires opposed to the wealth tax were mixed. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/proposition-41\">Proposition 41\u003c/a> was behind in a neck-and-neck race, while \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/proposition-42\">Proposition 42\u003c/a> was leading. Both measures contain language aimed at undermining Proposition 40, making it impossible for the state to enforce the wealth tax if they pass with more votes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Proposition 40 asked voters whether to assess a 5% tax on the overall wealth of anyone who lived in California as of Jan. 1 of this year and had assets topping $1 billion, which would apply to about 200 people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The money raised by the tax — some $100 billion over five years, according to supporters — would backfill healthcare cuts imposed by President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress under last year’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It’s a type of tax that’s never been attempted in the U.S. and one that aimed to get at the vast wealth of the state’s billionaires by taxing their overall assets, not just their income or capital gains. That overall wealth \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/05/26/opinion/wealth-tax-california-billionaire.html\">grew\u003c/a> by an estimated 15% per year from 2019 to 2025. The measure was placed on the ballot \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093303/the-union-man-taking-on-the-democratic-establishment-with-a-billionaire-tax\">by SEIU-UHW West\u003c/a>, a union representing more than 120,000 healthcare workers in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But after spending more than $20 million to qualify the measure, the union was vastly outspent by billionaires opposed to Proposition 40 and in support of Propositions 41 and 42. Google co-founder Sergey Brin alone donated more than $100 million, and the campaign raised more than $330 million overall. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12106033/the-political-calculus-behind-newsoms-opposition-to-californias-billionaire-tax\">Some surprising allies\u003c/a>, including Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Teachers Association and Planned Parenthood, buoyed the no side. They all argued that the measure would ultimately hurt California’s budget and economy by driving wealthy executives and businesses out of state.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/11/california-election-2026-prop-39/\">California voters reject conservative voter ID proposal\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democratic Party leaders are breathing a sigh of relief after voters rejected \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2026/proposition-39-voter-id/\">Proposition 39,\u003c/a> a GOP-backed voter ID measure that drew interest — and millions of dollars — from Republican megadonors across the country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About 60% of voters rebuffed the measure, which Democratic leaders opposed in unison and heavily campaigned against, arguing it would amount to voter suppression. Republican Party leaders and other supporters of the initiative characterized Prop. 39 as a common-sense idea that has precedence in more than two dozen states. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The measure would have required voters to show a government ID at polling places or write the last four digits of a Social Security or other government-issued number on mail ballots. Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein, the campaign’s biggest donor, helped proponents amass $37 million in support from Republicans nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It was an absolutely unnecessary ballot measure,” said David Trujillo, executive director of American Civil Liberties Union California Action Tuesday night. “California voters saw it for what it was, which was an attempt to disenfranchise voters in this state.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GOP headwinds nationwide appeared to trickle down-ballot in California, spelling bad news for the Republican-endorsed measure as returns quickly showed overwhelming opposition.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/xavier-becerra\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a>, a Democrat whose deep experience and steady demeanor helped him navigate a tumultuous primary and chart a safe course in the general election, will be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/governor\">California’s next governor\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Associated Press called a victory for Becerra over Republican \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/steve-hilton\">Steve Hilton\u003c/a> a minute after polls closed. He will be the first Latino person elected to serve as California governor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taking the stage at his election night party in Sacramento on Tuesday night to chants of “Sí, se puede,” Becerra delivered triumphant remarks amid a Democratic surge in races nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What a great night to be a Californian,” Becerra said. “What a great night to be an American. To be the son of immigrants from a union household. To be standing in victory with all of you. Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. These past two years have been tough. Higher prices, more wars, corruption, and lawlessness. But we hung in there, fought back.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081063\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra is a familiar face in state politics, having represented Los Angeles in Congress for years before serving as California attorney general and the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services under former President Joe Biden. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hilton, by contrast, was a political outsider. Born in Britain, he served as an adviser to former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and hosted a show on Fox News after moving to the U.S. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078793/trump-endorses-steve-hilton-for-california-governor-giving-gop-a-front-runner\">endorsement from President Donald Trump\u003c/a> rallied the Republican vote around Hilton in the June primary and boosted him into the general election. He campaigned tirelessly through the summer and fall, holding regular events and media appearances and running ads that made direct appeals to Californians who disliked the president. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It made little difference in a state where 3 in 4 voters disapprove of Trump and where Republicans have not won a statewide office in two decades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102344/california-governor-debate-takeaways-and-how-gas-prices-are-shaping-swing-house-races\">lone debate\u003c/a> between the candidates, hosted by CNN, Becerra relentlessly reminded viewers of Trump’s endorsement, while Hilton took few steps to decisively \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098202/republican-steve-hilton-finds-some-distance-between-himself-and-trump\">break from the president\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was perhaps the only high-profile moment of an otherwise sleepy general election. Becerra largely stayed out of sight until the final weeks of the race, when he barnstormed the state and promised to look at changes to the tax code or tax increases in order to offset federal health cuts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“There are breaks that we give people who have money, who know how to come up with these loopholes,” Becerra told KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107546/what-would-democrat-xavier-becerra-prioritize-if-elected-governor\">Political Breakdown\u003c/a>. “We have to take a look because right now we have a whole bunch of Californians, millions of Californians, who may lose their healthcare.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra’s plan for governing the nation’s largest state remains somewhat of an enigma. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-TOMSTEYERELECTION01106_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085999\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-TOMSTEYERELECTION01106_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-TOMSTEYERELECTION01106_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-TOMSTEYERELECTION01106_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tom Steyer speaks at his election watch party on Election Day during the California gubernatorial primary at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on June 2, 2026. Candidates for California governor are Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton,Tom Steyer, Chad Bianco, Katie Porter, Matt Mahan, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He kept a low profile for much of the primary election, when his campaign lagged in single digits, and some party leaders pressured him to drop out of the race. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After then-Rep. Eric Swalwell \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079583/eric-swalwell-ends-california-governor-campaign-after-sexual-assault-allegations\">ended his campaign\u003c/a> in the face of sexual assault allegations, leaving the race without its emerging front-runner, Becerra vaulted up the polls. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He eventually edged out his top Democratic rival, investor Tom Steyer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the months since, he has revealed only a handful of specific plans for his governorship, including a free daily hour of electricity for low-income residents and a boost in state funding to fireproof homes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But big issues await him in Sacramento. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Legislature adjourned without resolving a debate over how utilities and insurance companies should \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097752/deal-on-california-wildfire-liability-collapses-in-legislature\">share the cost of destructive wildfires\u003c/a>. And Becerra’s administration faces a March deadline to present options for having corporations shoulder more of the cost of Medi-Cal, the state’s healthcare safety net program that was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12106304/medi-cal-cuts-could-push-seniors-and-people-with-disabilities-off-of-coverage\">slashed by the federal government\u003c/a> last year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/GETTYIMAGES-2302756560-KQED-7a3c51d3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108021\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/GETTYIMAGES-2302756560-KQED-7a3c51d3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/GETTYIMAGES-2302756560-KQED-7a3c51d3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/GETTYIMAGES-2302756560-KQED-7a3c51d3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Candidate for Governor of California and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra attends a campaign event at Homegirl Cafe on Nov. 2, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Despite all our fortune, economic security is slipping out of reach for too many of our families. Despite our shared values, not everyone who builds and harvests the Californian success story gets to enjoy its fruit,” Becerra said at his election night party. “As governor, my mission is straightforward, but not simple. Deliver a California we can afford, and defend a California that we can’t afford to lose.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra’s election signifies “an extraordinary demographic change and transformation,” said political strategist Mike Madrid. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The governor-elect will take office alongside a Latina president pro tem of the state Senate, Sen. Monique Limon, and a Latino speaker of the state Assembly, Robert Rivas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“All of this changes the perspective and I believe the priorities — a focus more on blue-collar, economic issues that have always taken a back seat in the last 30 years in California,” Madrid said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Associated Press called a victory for Becerra over Republican \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/steve-hilton\">Steve Hilton\u003c/a> a minute after polls closed. He will be the first Latino person elected to serve as California governor.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Taking the stage at his election night party in Sacramento on Tuesday night to chants of “Sí, se puede,” Becerra delivered triumphant remarks amid a Democratic surge in races nationwide.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What a great night to be a Californian,” Becerra said. “What a great night to be an American. To be the son of immigrants from a union household. To be standing in victory with all of you. Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. These past two years have been tough. Higher prices, more wars, corruption, and lawlessness. But we hung in there, fought back.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What a great night to be a Californian,” Becerra said. “What a great night to be an American. To be the son of immigrants from a union household. To be standing in victory with all of you. Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. These past two years have been tough. Higher prices, more wars, corruption, and lawlessness. But we hung in there, fought back.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081063\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Becerra is a familiar face in state politics, having represented Los Angeles in Congress for years before serving as California attorney general and the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services under former President Joe Biden. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Becerra is a familiar face in state politics, having represented Los Angeles in Congress for years before serving as California attorney general and the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services under former President Joe Biden. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hilton, by contrast, was a political outsider. Born in Britain, he served as an adviser to former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and hosted a show on Fox News after moving to the U.S. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078793/trump-endorses-steve-hilton-for-california-governor-giving-gop-a-front-runner\">endorsement from President Donald Trump\u003c/a> rallied the Republican vote around Hilton in the June primary and boosted him into the general election. He campaigned tirelessly through the summer and fall, holding regular events and media appearances and running ads that made direct appeals to Californians who disliked the president. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078793/trump-endorses-steve-hilton-for-california-governor-giving-gop-a-front-runner\">endorsement from President Donald Trump\u003c/a> rallied the Republican vote around Hilton in the June primary and boosted him into the general election. He campaigned tirelessly through the summer and fall, holding regular events and media appearances and running ads that made direct appeals to Californians who disliked the president. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It made little difference in a state where 3 in 4 voters disapprove of Trump and where Republicans have not won a statewide office in two decades. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102344/california-governor-debate-takeaways-and-how-gas-prices-are-shaping-swing-house-races\">lone debate\u003c/a> between the candidates, hosted by CNN, Becerra relentlessly reminded viewers of Trump’s endorsement, while Hilton took few steps to decisively \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098202/republican-steve-hilton-finds-some-distance-between-himself-and-trump\">break from the president\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102344/california-governor-debate-takeaways-and-how-gas-prices-are-shaping-swing-house-races\">lone debate\u003c/a> between the candidates, hosted by CNN, Becerra relentlessly reminded viewers of Trump’s endorsement, while Hilton took few steps to decisively \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098202/republican-steve-hilton-finds-some-distance-between-himself-and-trump\">break from the president\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It was perhaps the only high-profile moment of an otherwise sleepy general election. Becerra largely stayed out of sight until the final weeks of the race, when he barnstormed the state and promised to look at changes to the tax code or tax increases in order to offset federal health cuts.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It was perhaps the only high-profile moment of an otherwise sleepy general election. Becerra largely stayed out of sight until the final weeks of the race, when he barnstormed the state and promised to look at changes to the tax code or tax increases in order to offset federal health cuts.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There are breaks that we give people who have money, who know how to come up with these loopholes,” Becerra told KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107546/what-would-democrat-xavier-becerra-prioritize-if-elected-governor\">Political Breakdown\u003c/a>. “We have to take a look because right now we have a whole bunch of Californians, millions of Californians, who may lose their healthcare.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There are breaks that we give people who have money, who know how to come up with these loopholes,” Becerra told KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107546/what-would-democrat-xavier-becerra-prioritize-if-elected-governor\">Political Breakdown\u003c/a>. “We have to take a look because right now we have a whole bunch of Californians, millions of Californians, who may lose their healthcare.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Becerra’s plan for governing the nation’s largest state remains somewhat of an enigma. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-TOMSTEYERELECTION01106_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085999\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-TOMSTEYERELECTION01106_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-TOMSTEYERELECTION01106_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-TOMSTEYERELECTION01106_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tom Steyer speaks at his election watch party on Election Day during the California gubernatorial primary at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on June 2, 2026. Candidates for California governor are Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton,Tom Steyer, Chad Bianco, Katie Porter, Matt Mahan, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-TOMSTEYERELECTION01106_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085999\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tom Steyer speaks at his election watch party on Election Day during the California gubernatorial primary at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on June 2, 2026. Candidates for California governor are Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton,Tom Steyer, Chad Bianco, Katie Porter, Matt Mahan, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He kept a low profile for much of the primary election, when his campaign lagged in single digits, and some party leaders pressured him to drop out of the race. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After then-Rep. Eric Swalwell \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079583/eric-swalwell-ends-california-governor-campaign-after-sexual-assault-allegations\">ended his campaign\u003c/a> in the face of sexual assault allegations, leaving the race without its emerging front-runner, Becerra vaulted up the polls. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Despite all our fortune, economic security is slipping out of reach for too many of our families. Despite our shared values, not everyone who builds and harvests the Californian success story gets to enjoy its fruit,” Becerra said at his election night party. “As governor, my mission is straightforward, but not simple. Deliver a California we can afford, and defend a California that we can’t afford to lose.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/xavier-becerra\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a>, a Democrat whose deep experience and steady demeanor helped him navigate a tumultuous primary and chart a safe course in the general election, will be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/governor\">California’s next governor\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Associated Press called a victory for Becerra over Republican \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/steve-hilton\">Steve Hilton\u003c/a> a minute after polls closed. He will be the first Latino person elected to serve as California governor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taking the stage at his election night party in Sacramento on Tuesday night to chants of “Sí, se puede,” Becerra delivered triumphant remarks amid a Democratic surge in races nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What a great night to be a Californian,” Becerra said. “What a great night to be an American. To be the son of immigrants from a union household. To be standing in victory with all of you. Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. These past two years have been tough. Higher prices, more wars, corruption, and lawlessness. But we hung in there, fought back.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081063\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra is a familiar face in state politics, having represented Los Angeles in Congress for years before serving as California attorney general and the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services under former President Joe Biden. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hilton, by contrast, was a political outsider. Born in Britain, he served as an adviser to former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and hosted a show on Fox News after moving to the U.S. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078793/trump-endorses-steve-hilton-for-california-governor-giving-gop-a-front-runner\">endorsement from President Donald Trump\u003c/a> rallied the Republican vote around Hilton in the June primary and boosted him into the general election. He campaigned tirelessly through the summer and fall, holding regular events and media appearances and running ads that made direct appeals to Californians who disliked the president. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It made little difference in a state where 3 in 4 voters disapprove of Trump and where Republicans have not won a statewide office in two decades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102344/california-governor-debate-takeaways-and-how-gas-prices-are-shaping-swing-house-races\">lone debate\u003c/a> between the candidates, hosted by CNN, Becerra relentlessly reminded viewers of Trump’s endorsement, while Hilton took few steps to decisively \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098202/republican-steve-hilton-finds-some-distance-between-himself-and-trump\">break from the president\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was perhaps the only high-profile moment of an otherwise sleepy general election. Becerra largely stayed out of sight until the final weeks of the race, when he barnstormed the state and promised to look at changes to the tax code or tax increases in order to offset federal health cuts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“There are breaks that we give people who have money, who know how to come up with these loopholes,” Becerra told KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107546/what-would-democrat-xavier-becerra-prioritize-if-elected-governor\">Political Breakdown\u003c/a>. “We have to take a look because right now we have a whole bunch of Californians, millions of Californians, who may lose their healthcare.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra’s plan for governing the nation’s largest state remains somewhat of an enigma. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-TOMSTEYERELECTION01106_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085999\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-TOMSTEYERELECTION01106_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-TOMSTEYERELECTION01106_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-TOMSTEYERELECTION01106_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tom Steyer speaks at his election watch party on Election Day during the California gubernatorial primary at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on June 2, 2026. Candidates for California governor are Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton,Tom Steyer, Chad Bianco, Katie Porter, Matt Mahan, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He kept a low profile for much of the primary election, when his campaign lagged in single digits, and some party leaders pressured him to drop out of the race. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After then-Rep. Eric Swalwell \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079583/eric-swalwell-ends-california-governor-campaign-after-sexual-assault-allegations\">ended his campaign\u003c/a> in the face of sexual assault allegations, leaving the race without its emerging front-runner, Becerra vaulted up the polls. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He eventually edged out his top Democratic rival, investor Tom Steyer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the months since, he has revealed only a handful of specific plans for his governorship, including a free daily hour of electricity for low-income residents and a boost in state funding to fireproof homes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But big issues await him in Sacramento. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Legislature adjourned without resolving a debate over how utilities and insurance companies should \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097752/deal-on-california-wildfire-liability-collapses-in-legislature\">share the cost of destructive wildfires\u003c/a>. And Becerra’s administration faces a March deadline to present options for having corporations shoulder more of the cost of Medi-Cal, the state’s healthcare safety net program that was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12106304/medi-cal-cuts-could-push-seniors-and-people-with-disabilities-off-of-coverage\">slashed by the federal government\u003c/a> last year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/GETTYIMAGES-2302756560-KQED-7a3c51d3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108021\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/GETTYIMAGES-2302756560-KQED-7a3c51d3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/GETTYIMAGES-2302756560-KQED-7a3c51d3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/GETTYIMAGES-2302756560-KQED-7a3c51d3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Candidate for Governor of California and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra attends a campaign event at Homegirl Cafe on Nov. 2, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Despite all our fortune, economic security is slipping out of reach for too many of our families. Despite our shared values, not everyone who builds and harvests the Californian success story gets to enjoy its fruit,” Becerra said at his election night party. “As governor, my mission is straightforward, but not simple. Deliver a California we can afford, and defend a California that we can’t afford to lose.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra’s election signifies “an extraordinary demographic change and transformation,” said political strategist Mike Madrid. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The governor-elect will take office alongside a Latina president pro tem of the state Senate, Sen. Monique Limon, and a Latino speaker of the state Assembly, Robert Rivas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“All of this changes the perspective and I believe the priorities — a focus more on blue-collar, economic issues that have always taken a back seat in the last 30 years in California,” Madrid said.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Xavier Becerra is poised to become California’s next governor. The former Health and Human Services Secretary emerged victorious from a messy primary that pitted him against a long list of fellow Democrats. He was stuck in single digits but surged after former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since June, Becerra has had an easy sprint to the Nov. 3 election, with recent polls showing him at least 25 points ahead of his opponent, Republican Steve Hilton.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra joins Marisa and Scott in studio to discuss his plan for the state if he is elected next week.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don’t forget to use \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">KQED’s voter guide\u003c/a> when filling out your ballot!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plus, check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/political-breakdown\">Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter\u003c/a>, delivered straight to your inbox.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Xavier Becerra is poised to become California’s next governor. The former Health and Human Services Secretary emerged victorious from a messy primary that pitted him against a long list of fellow Democrats. He was stuck in single digits but surged after former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Xavier Becerra is poised to become California’s next governor. The former Health and Human Services Secretary emerged victorious from a messy primary that pitted him against a long list of fellow Democrats. He was stuck in single digits but surged after former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since June, Becerra has had an easy sprint to the Nov. 3 election, with recent polls showing him at least 25 points ahead of his opponent, Republican Steve Hilton.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Democrat Xavier Becerra walks through his day one priorities if elected governor. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Xavier Becerra is poised to become California’s next governor. The former Health and Human Services Secretary emerged victorious from a messy primary that pitted him against a long list of fellow Democrats. He was stuck in single digits but surged after former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since June, Becerra has had an easy sprint to the Nov. 3 election, with recent polls showing him at least 25 points ahead of his opponent, Republican Steve Hilton.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra joins Marisa and Scott in studio to discuss his plan for the state if he is elected next week.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don’t forget to use \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">KQED’s voter guide\u003c/a> when filling out your ballot!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plus, check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/political-breakdown\">Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter\u003c/a>, delivered straight to your inbox.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "could-democratic-momentum-lead-to-change-in-huntington-beach",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Monday, October 5, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Huntington Beach is famous far beyond Southern California – as Surf City. And for its MAGA policies. All seven city council members are strong supporters of President Trump. But this year, with his poll numbers down, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/shows/kcrw-reports/stories/huntington-beach-maga-city-council-faces-democratic-momentum\">Democrats sense an opportunity.\u003c/a> \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Xavier Becerra, the Democratic candidate for governor, made a rare public appearance in Riverside on Friday.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/10/sanders-villegas-rally-bakersfield-cd-22/\">made a stop at Bakersfield High School Sunday\u003c/a> night for a political rally. He was there to campaign for progressive Democrat Randy Villegas, who’s trying to unseat Republican Congressman David Valadao in the District 22 race.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/shows/kcrw-reports/stories/huntington-beach-maga-city-council-faces-democratic-momentum\">Huntington Beach MAGA City Council faces Democratic momentum\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Erin Spivey used to work at the public library in Huntington Beach, and tells KCRW, “I wanted to be a librarian for the rest of my life.” But that changed after the all-Republican City Council started taking on social issues: declaring Huntington Beach a non-sanctuary city, banning Pride flags on city buildings. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Finally, when council members wanted to restrict books in the library, Spivey’s fight against them became personal. She quit. Now Spivey is one of the so-called “Surf City Four”—four Democrats running for City Council who want to take over the council’s majority.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One reason Spivey is hopeful? Huntington Beach isn’t actually majority Republican. Nearly 60% of the city’s voters are either Democrats or independents. Jon Gould is Dean of UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology. “There are a number of residents who feel like the city council has just gone too far to the right. That has a tendency to lead to a backlash,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Republicans are working hard to get out the vote too. Current Huntington Beach Mayor Casey McKeon rejects allegations of extreme partisan politics and said the City Council just represents the values of a traditionally conservative town. “Very strong patriotism in Huntington Beach, strong family values, core conservative values,” McKeon said. “And so the community just really embraced our conservative beliefs, and it’s just representing what the people want.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Becerra makes rare public campaign appearance in Riverside\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra made a rare campaign appearance in Riverside last week.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Friday, Becerra stood in front of 100-or-so people at the United Domestic Workers Union Hall in Riverside, to stump for Clarissa Cervantes. She’s running for a state assembly seat that represents voters from Riverside to Corona.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cervantes is a Riverside City Councilmember. She ran against the incumbent, Republican Leticia Castillo for the same seat two years ago. Cervantes lost by about 600 votes in a heavily Latino district.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Castillo won in part by riding President Donald Trump’s coattails as Latino voters turned on Democrats. Democrats believe voters have soured on Trump. And Becerra did everything he could to tie this race, and by implication Cervantes’ opponent, to the president.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/10/sanders-villegas-rally-bakersfield-cd-22/\">Will Democrats’ midterm wave reach California’s Central Valley? Bernie Sanders rallies the vote\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even in Bakersfield, the heart of conservative California, insurgent populism is having a moment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Exhibit A: The hundreds of sweaty Californians who braved 105-degree heat on Sunday to hear from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, progressive Democrats’ modern-day Moses. “Anytime he comes to Bakersfield, I always show up,” said local resident Kacie Mills, 34, who said Sunday was her third time seeing Sanders in her hometown. As a progressive in a historically conservative area, Sanders’ visits turn out people and organizations that “don’t get a lot of light,” Mills said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This time, she was more excited to hear from Randy Villegas, a progressive 31-year-old community college professor hoping to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/central-valley-congressional-race-agriculture-concerns/\">unseat Republican incumbent\u003c/a> Rep. David Valadao, who has represented the area for more than 12 years. “He’s someone who wasn’t really on my radar, and it’s nice to have someone who is, like, close to my age, who believes in things that I believe in,” Mills said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sanders held court at the high school alma mater of Republican former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, where he came to rally support for Villegas and other Democratic candidates. The contest in the 22nd Congressional District in central California is one of the most closely watched in the nation. “The good news is that people like Randy Villegas are standing up and running all over this country, taking on the establishment and winning!” Sanders said. “I want you to do everything you can, between now and election day, to make sure that Randy is your next congressman.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villegas earned thunderous cheers as he berated Valadao for supporting cuts to Medicaid and nutrition assistance in Trump’s mega budget bill, refusing to challenge Trump’s recent deals that undercut U.S. ranchers by importing cheap Argentinian beef, and for taking campaign contributions from wealthy corporations such as PG&E and United Healthcare.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Valadao campaign declined CalMatters’ request to interview the congressmember. Villegas’ Sunday event in some ways gave Republicans what they have wanted; campaign operatives have been salivating at the chance to tie Villegas to far-left socialist ideology. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with House Republican leadership, spent more than $100,000 on mailers against Villegas \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/california-congressional-races-republican-fundraising/\">in the primary to elevate\u003c/a> his name ID among Democrats and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/06/22nd-district-primary-villegas/\">push him past\u003c/a> his more moderate Democratic opponent, Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/jasmeet-bains-165424\">Jasmeet Bains\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think it’s not a great idea to have this far left-leaning of a candidate,” said Cathy Abernathy, a Bakersfield-based Republican strategist who supports Valadao, though she does not live in his district. She said Sanders and Villegas woo voters with promises of free government-funded healthcare and other programs, and voters aren’t well educated enough in economics to interrogate how those programs will be funded.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Huntington Beach is famous far beyond Southern California – as Surf City. And for its MAGA policies. All seven city council members are strong supporters of President Trump. But this year, with his poll numbers down, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/shows/kcrw-reports/stories/huntington-beach-maga-city-council-faces-democratic-momentum\">Democrats sense an opportunity.\u003c/a> \u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>Huntington Beach is famous far beyond Southern California – as Surf City. And for its MAGA policies. All seven city council members are strong supporters of President Trump. But this year, with his poll numbers down, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/shows/kcrw-reports/stories/huntington-beach-maga-city-council-faces-democratic-momentum\">Democrats sense an opportunity.\u003c/a> \u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Xavier Becerra, the Democratic candidate for governor, made a rare public appearance in Riverside on Friday.\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/10/sanders-villegas-rally-bakersfield-cd-22/\">made a stop at Bakersfield High School Sunday\u003c/a> night for a political rally. He was there to campaign for progressive Democrat Randy Villegas, who’s trying to unseat Republican Congressman David Valadao in the District 22 race.\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Erin Spivey used to work at the public library in Huntington Beach, and tells KCRW, “I wanted to be a librarian for the rest of my life.” But that changed after the all-Republican City Council started taking on social issues: declaring Huntington Beach a non-sanctuary city, banning Pride flags on city buildings. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Finally, when council members wanted to restrict books in the library, Spivey’s fight against them became personal. She quit. Now Spivey is one of the so-called “Surf City Four”—four Democrats running for City Council who want to take over the council’s majority.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Finally, when council members wanted to restrict books in the library, Spivey’s fight against them became personal. She quit. Now Spivey is one of the so-called “Surf City Four”—four Democrats running for City Council who want to take over the council’s majority.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One reason Spivey is hopeful? Huntington Beach isn’t actually majority Republican. Nearly 60% of the city’s voters are either Democrats or independents. Jon Gould is Dean of UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology. “There are a number of residents who feel like the city council has just gone too far to the right. That has a tendency to lead to a backlash,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One reason Spivey is hopeful? Huntington Beach isn’t actually majority Republican. Nearly 60% of the city’s voters are either Democrats or independents. Jon Gould is Dean of UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology. “There are a number of residents who feel like the city council has just gone too far to the right. That has a tendency to lead to a backlash,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Republicans are working hard to get out the vote too. Current Huntington Beach Mayor Casey McKeon rejects allegations of extreme partisan politics and said the City Council just represents the values of a traditionally conservative town. “Very strong patriotism in Huntington Beach, strong family values, core conservative values,” McKeon said. “And so the community just really embraced our conservative beliefs, and it’s just representing what the people want.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Republicans are working hard to get out the vote too. Current Huntington Beach Mayor Casey McKeon rejects allegations of extreme partisan politics and said the City Council just represents the values of a traditionally conservative town. “Very strong patriotism in Huntington Beach, strong family values, core conservative values,” McKeon said. “And so the community just really embraced our conservative beliefs, and it’s just representing what the people want.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra made a rare campaign appearance in Riverside last week.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Friday, Becerra stood in front of 100-or-so people at the United Domestic Workers Union Hall in Riverside, to stump for Clarissa Cervantes. She’s running for a state assembly seat that represents voters from Riverside to Corona.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On Friday, Becerra stood in front of 100-or-so people at the United Domestic Workers Union Hall in Riverside, to stump for Clarissa Cervantes. She’s running for a state assembly seat that represents voters from Riverside to Corona.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cervantes is a Riverside City Councilmember. She ran against the incumbent, Republican Leticia Castillo for the same seat two years ago. Cervantes lost by about 600 votes in a heavily Latino district.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Cervantes is a Riverside City Councilmember. She ran against the incumbent, Republican Leticia Castillo for the same seat two years ago. Cervantes lost by about 600 votes in a heavily Latino district.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Castillo won in part by riding President Donald Trump’s coattails as Latino voters turned on Democrats. Democrats believe voters have soured on Trump. And Becerra did everything he could to tie this race, and by implication Cervantes’ opponent, to the president.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Castillo won in part by riding President Donald Trump’s coattails as Latino voters turned on Democrats. Democrats believe voters have soured on Trump. And Becerra did everything he could to tie this race, and by implication Cervantes’ opponent, to the president.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Will Democrats’ midterm wave reach California’s Central Valley? Bernie Sanders rallies the vote",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Exhibit A: The hundreds of sweaty Californians who braved 105-degree heat on Sunday to hear from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, progressive Democrats’ modern-day Moses. “Anytime he comes to Bakersfield, I always show up,” said local resident Kacie Mills, 34, who said Sunday was her third time seeing Sanders in her hometown. As a progressive in a historically conservative area, Sanders’ visits turn out people and organizations that “don’t get a lot of light,” Mills said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Exhibit A: The hundreds of sweaty Californians who braved 105-degree heat on Sunday to hear from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, progressive Democrats’ modern-day Moses. “Anytime he comes to Bakersfield, I always show up,” said local resident Kacie Mills, 34, who said Sunday was her third time seeing Sanders in her hometown. As a progressive in a historically conservative area, Sanders’ visits turn out people and organizations that “don’t get a lot of light,” Mills said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This time, she was more excited to hear from Randy Villegas, a progressive 31-year-old community college professor hoping to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/central-valley-congressional-race-agriculture-concerns/\">unseat Republican incumbent\u003c/a> Rep. David Valadao, who has represented the area for more than 12 years. “He’s someone who wasn’t really on my radar, and it’s nice to have someone who is, like, close to my age, who believes in things that I believe in,” Mills said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sanders held court at the high school alma mater of Republican former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, where he came to rally support for Villegas and other Democratic candidates. The contest in the 22nd Congressional District in central California is one of the most closely watched in the nation. “The good news is that people like Randy Villegas are standing up and running all over this country, taking on the establishment and winning!” Sanders said. “I want you to do everything you can, between now and election day, to make sure that Randy is your next congressman.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Valadao campaign declined CalMatters’ request to interview the congressmember. Villegas’ Sunday event in some ways gave Republicans what they have wanted; campaign operatives have been salivating at the chance to tie Villegas to far-left socialist ideology. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with House Republican leadership, spent more than $100,000 on mailers against Villegas \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/california-congressional-races-republican-fundraising/\">in the primary to elevate\u003c/a> his name ID among Democrats and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/06/22nd-district-primary-villegas/\">push him past\u003c/a> his more moderate Democratic opponent, Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/jasmeet-bains-165424\">Jasmeet Bains\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Huntington Beach is aligned with President Trump. Democrats hope to capitalize on his unpopularity.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Monday, October 5, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Huntington Beach is famous far beyond Southern California – as Surf City. And for its MAGA policies. All seven city council members are strong supporters of President Trump. But this year, with his poll numbers down, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/shows/kcrw-reports/stories/huntington-beach-maga-city-council-faces-democratic-momentum\">Democrats sense an opportunity.\u003c/a> \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Xavier Becerra, the Democratic candidate for governor, made a rare public appearance in Riverside on Friday.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/10/sanders-villegas-rally-bakersfield-cd-22/\">made a stop at Bakersfield High School Sunday\u003c/a> night for a political rally. He was there to campaign for progressive Democrat Randy Villegas, who’s trying to unseat Republican Congressman David Valadao in the District 22 race.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/shows/kcrw-reports/stories/huntington-beach-maga-city-council-faces-democratic-momentum\">Huntington Beach MAGA City Council faces Democratic momentum\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Erin Spivey used to work at the public library in Huntington Beach, and tells KCRW, “I wanted to be a librarian for the rest of my life.” But that changed after the all-Republican City Council started taking on social issues: declaring Huntington Beach a non-sanctuary city, banning Pride flags on city buildings. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Finally, when council members wanted to restrict books in the library, Spivey’s fight against them became personal. She quit. Now Spivey is one of the so-called “Surf City Four”—four Democrats running for City Council who want to take over the council’s majority.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One reason Spivey is hopeful? Huntington Beach isn’t actually majority Republican. Nearly 60% of the city’s voters are either Democrats or independents. Jon Gould is Dean of UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology. “There are a number of residents who feel like the city council has just gone too far to the right. That has a tendency to lead to a backlash,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Republicans are working hard to get out the vote too. Current Huntington Beach Mayor Casey McKeon rejects allegations of extreme partisan politics and said the City Council just represents the values of a traditionally conservative town. “Very strong patriotism in Huntington Beach, strong family values, core conservative values,” McKeon said. “And so the community just really embraced our conservative beliefs, and it’s just representing what the people want.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Becerra makes rare public campaign appearance in Riverside\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra made a rare campaign appearance in Riverside last week.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Friday, Becerra stood in front of 100-or-so people at the United Domestic Workers Union Hall in Riverside, to stump for Clarissa Cervantes. She’s running for a state assembly seat that represents voters from Riverside to Corona.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cervantes is a Riverside City Councilmember. She ran against the incumbent, Republican Leticia Castillo for the same seat two years ago. Cervantes lost by about 600 votes in a heavily Latino district.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Castillo won in part by riding President Donald Trump’s coattails as Latino voters turned on Democrats. Democrats believe voters have soured on Trump. And Becerra did everything he could to tie this race, and by implication Cervantes’ opponent, to the president.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/10/sanders-villegas-rally-bakersfield-cd-22/\">Will Democrats’ midterm wave reach California’s Central Valley? Bernie Sanders rallies the vote\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even in Bakersfield, the heart of conservative California, insurgent populism is having a moment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Exhibit A: The hundreds of sweaty Californians who braved 105-degree heat on Sunday to hear from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, progressive Democrats’ modern-day Moses. “Anytime he comes to Bakersfield, I always show up,” said local resident Kacie Mills, 34, who said Sunday was her third time seeing Sanders in her hometown. As a progressive in a historically conservative area, Sanders’ visits turn out people and organizations that “don’t get a lot of light,” Mills said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This time, she was more excited to hear from Randy Villegas, a progressive 31-year-old community college professor hoping to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/central-valley-congressional-race-agriculture-concerns/\">unseat Republican incumbent\u003c/a> Rep. David Valadao, who has represented the area for more than 12 years. “He’s someone who wasn’t really on my radar, and it’s nice to have someone who is, like, close to my age, who believes in things that I believe in,” Mills said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sanders held court at the high school alma mater of Republican former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, where he came to rally support for Villegas and other Democratic candidates. The contest in the 22nd Congressional District in central California is one of the most closely watched in the nation. “The good news is that people like Randy Villegas are standing up and running all over this country, taking on the establishment and winning!” Sanders said. “I want you to do everything you can, between now and election day, to make sure that Randy is your next congressman.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villegas earned thunderous cheers as he berated Valadao for supporting cuts to Medicaid and nutrition assistance in Trump’s mega budget bill, refusing to challenge Trump’s recent deals that undercut U.S. ranchers by importing cheap Argentinian beef, and for taking campaign contributions from wealthy corporations such as PG&E and United Healthcare.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Valadao campaign declined CalMatters’ request to interview the congressmember. Villegas’ Sunday event in some ways gave Republicans what they have wanted; campaign operatives have been salivating at the chance to tie Villegas to far-left socialist ideology. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with House Republican leadership, spent more than $100,000 on mailers against Villegas \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/california-congressional-races-republican-fundraising/\">in the primary to elevate\u003c/a> his name ID among Democrats and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/06/22nd-district-primary-villegas/\">push him past\u003c/a> his more moderate Democratic opponent, Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/jasmeet-bains-165424\">Jasmeet Bains\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think it’s not a great idea to have this far left-leaning of a candidate,” said Cathy Abernathy, a Bakersfield-based Republican strategist who supports Valadao, though she does not live in his district. She said Sanders and Villegas woo voters with promises of free government-funded healthcare and other programs, and voters aren’t well educated enough in economics to interrogate how those programs will be funded.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton used last night’s CNN gubernatorial debate to frame the race as President Trump versus the Democratic establishment. Marisa, Guy and CNN’s Los Angeles anchor and correspondent Elex Michaelson discuss how each candidate performed and whether the debate moved the needle in a race where \u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/08s5x10r\">Becerra leads by 25 points\u003c/a>, according to the latest Berkeley IGS poll. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then, Marisa and Guy turn to California’s most competitive House races. How are the war in Iran and soaring gas prices playing in the few remaining swing districts after last year’s gerrymandering war?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldumw0ev_i8\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/political-breakdown\">Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter\u003c/a>, delivered straight to your inbox.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "In Becerra and Hilton’s Only Scheduled Debate, Trump Was the Main Character",
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"headTitle": "In Becerra and Hilton’s Only Scheduled Debate, Trump Was the Main Character | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003c!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ -->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Californians watching Wednesday night’s gubernatorial debate would be forgiven for thinking the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2026/governor/\">candidates for governor\u003c/a> are President Donald Trump and the Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trump was the central topic in the debate between Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton, with Becerra repeatedly tying Hilton to Trump’s policies on immigration, taxes, housing, the environment and Big Tech. Hilton also tried to tie Becerra to outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Democrats at large, whom Hilton blames for business and housing regulations that contribute to high costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra mentioned the president, who is widely unpopular in California, more than a dozen times during the hourlong debate on CNN.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re going to end up with Trump results if you follow Steve Hilton’s plans,” Becerra said when asked about Hilton’s proposal to eliminate income taxes for middle-class Californians. He pointed out that Hilton’s plan to drop income taxes on the first $150,000 in earnings also includes a tax cut for the state’s wealthiest earners, comparing it to federal tax cuts enacted by Trump.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082062\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082062\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/XavierBecerra.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/XavierBecerra.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/XavierBecerra-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/XavierBecerra-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Xavier Becerra, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for California, speaks during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. \u003ccite>(Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg Pool via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Similarly, when Hilton said he would wait to assess whether California needs to more aggressively regulate artificial intelligence companies, Becerra linked his response to Trump’s inaction, saying “if you listen closely, you can hear Donald Trump in that response.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra also said he would impose limits on AI data centers in communities that oppose them. Hilton noted that Becerra’s campaign has received donations from the biggest artificial intelligence companies, Anthropic and OpenAI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trump endorsed Hilton during the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/06/california-governor-primary-hilton-advances/\">contested primary election\u003c/a>, but the former Fox News host has since tried to distance himself from both the president and the Republican Party, running ads telling voters they can dislike Trump and still support him. Last week, in an acknowledgement that opposition to Trump is dragging down Republicans’ approval rating, Hilton’s campaign released a poll claiming he was “unscathed from (the) Republican collapse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Hilton’s proposal to expand oil drilling in California, Becerra brought up Trump’s effort to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094648/californians-vow-to-fight-federal-takeover-of-coastline-for-oil-drilling\">expand drilling\u003c/a> off the state’s coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12102105 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260828-SOUTH-BAY-DATA-CENTERS-MD-07-KQED.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On homelessness, Hilton noted Becerra once graded Newsom an “A for effort” on the issue despite homelessness increasing during his terms, while Becerra countered that Trump \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/homelessness/2026/06/lahsa-hud-funding/\">has blocked federal funding\u003c/a> for local homelessness agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a predictable strategy for Becerra, who enjoys a \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-their-government-september-2026/\">double-digit lead\u003c/a> over Hilton in the heavily Democratic-leaning state where voters also disapprove of Trump by wide margins. The Democratic candidate and former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary has laid low since getting the most votes in the crowded all-party primary election in June, making few public appearances and agreeing only to one debate. Hilton criticized Becerra for repeatedly mentioning national politics, arguing the Democrat isn’t offering Californians any concrete solutions to the nation-topping cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All you ever say is ‘Trump, Trump, Trump,’” Hilton said. “And that’s nothing but an insult to every Californian who is desperate for something to change in this state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The candidates traded insults throughout the night. Hilton cited reports that Becerra’s colleagues in President Joe Biden’s cabinet had “described (Becerra) as an idiot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in several testy exchanges over immigration, Becerra, the son of Mexican immigrants, tied Hilton to Trump’s aggressive nationwide immigration raids and mass deportation campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You seem to welcome immigrants who look like you, but deport immigrants who look like me,” Becerra said. Hilton, a British immigrant and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/california-governor-hilton-profile/\">former adviser\u003c/a> to British Prime Minister David Cameron, bristled at the comment, calling it “disgraceful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12098221\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12098221\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-07-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-07-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-07-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-07-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steve Hilton, candidate for California governor, speaks with KQED political reporter Marisa Lagos for Political Breakdown at the KQED studios in San Francisco on Sept. 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hilton \u003ca href=\"https://www.foxnews.com/video/6367836110112\">praised the deportation campaign\u003c/a> last January as “perfect” during an appearance on Fox News. He has previously described himself as “pro-immigration.” On Wednesday night, he dodged questions on whether he would undo the state’s sanctuary law limiting police cooperation with immigration agents and direct California officers to assist in Trump’s campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, he said, he would prefer to “turn down the temperature” on that debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The candidates argued over the best way to increase housing construction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hilton wants to build 10 new cities and allow more new construction on undeveloped land to avoid battles between the state and residents and local governments that are resistant to new development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have got so much space that we could be building in,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra said to address the housing crisis, he would reduce administrative and bureaucratic hurdles to getting construction permits, boost down payment assistance programs and stop Wall Street investors from competing with would-be homeowners. He pointed to the lawsuit he filed as state attorney general against the city of Huntington Beach to force it to approve new housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No locality should have the right to try to stop all of our people in California from having the housing they need,” Becerra said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They found common ground on how to keep the film industry in California amid competition from other states and countries. Los Angeles County has lost about 50,000 film and TV jobs since 2022. But while both candidates support expanding the state’s film tax credit to lower the cost of producing in California, they still each got in a dig over who to blame.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Who’s been in charge when all those jobs have gone?” Hilton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Donald Trump,” Becerra said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Democrats,” Hilton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/09/california-general-election-gubernatorial-debate-cnn/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "In their only debate, Xavier Becerra repeatedly linked Steve Hilton to President Donald Trump — while Hilton accused him of dodging California’s real problems.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ -->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Californians watching Wednesday night’s gubernatorial debate would be forgiven for thinking the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2026/governor/\">candidates for governor\u003c/a> are President Donald Trump and the Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trump was the central topic in the debate between Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton, with Becerra repeatedly tying Hilton to Trump’s policies on immigration, taxes, housing, the environment and Big Tech. Hilton also tried to tie Becerra to outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Democrats at large, whom Hilton blames for business and housing regulations that contribute to high costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra mentioned the president, who is widely unpopular in California, more than a dozen times during the hourlong debate on CNN.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re going to end up with Trump results if you follow Steve Hilton’s plans,” Becerra said when asked about Hilton’s proposal to eliminate income taxes for middle-class Californians. He pointed out that Hilton’s plan to drop income taxes on the first $150,000 in earnings also includes a tax cut for the state’s wealthiest earners, comparing it to federal tax cuts enacted by Trump.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082062\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082062\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/XavierBecerra.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/XavierBecerra.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/XavierBecerra-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/XavierBecerra-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Xavier Becerra, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for California, speaks during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. \u003ccite>(Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg Pool via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Similarly, when Hilton said he would wait to assess whether California needs to more aggressively regulate artificial intelligence companies, Becerra linked his response to Trump’s inaction, saying “if you listen closely, you can hear Donald Trump in that response.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra also said he would impose limits on AI data centers in communities that oppose them. Hilton noted that Becerra’s campaign has received donations from the biggest artificial intelligence companies, Anthropic and OpenAI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trump endorsed Hilton during the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/06/california-governor-primary-hilton-advances/\">contested primary election\u003c/a>, but the former Fox News host has since tried to distance himself from both the president and the Republican Party, running ads telling voters they can dislike Trump and still support him. Last week, in an acknowledgement that opposition to Trump is dragging down Republicans’ approval rating, Hilton’s campaign released a poll claiming he was “unscathed from (the) Republican collapse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Hilton’s proposal to expand oil drilling in California, Becerra brought up Trump’s effort to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094648/californians-vow-to-fight-federal-takeover-of-coastline-for-oil-drilling\">expand drilling\u003c/a> off the state’s coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On homelessness, Hilton noted Becerra once graded Newsom an “A for effort” on the issue despite homelessness increasing during his terms, while Becerra countered that Trump \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/homelessness/2026/06/lahsa-hud-funding/\">has blocked federal funding\u003c/a> for local homelessness agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a predictable strategy for Becerra, who enjoys a \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-their-government-september-2026/\">double-digit lead\u003c/a> over Hilton in the heavily Democratic-leaning state where voters also disapprove of Trump by wide margins. The Democratic candidate and former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary has laid low since getting the most votes in the crowded all-party primary election in June, making few public appearances and agreeing only to one debate. Hilton criticized Becerra for repeatedly mentioning national politics, arguing the Democrat isn’t offering Californians any concrete solutions to the nation-topping cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All you ever say is ‘Trump, Trump, Trump,’” Hilton said. “And that’s nothing but an insult to every Californian who is desperate for something to change in this state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The candidates traded insults throughout the night. Hilton cited reports that Becerra’s colleagues in President Joe Biden’s cabinet had “described (Becerra) as an idiot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in several testy exchanges over immigration, Becerra, the son of Mexican immigrants, tied Hilton to Trump’s aggressive nationwide immigration raids and mass deportation campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You seem to welcome immigrants who look like you, but deport immigrants who look like me,” Becerra said. Hilton, a British immigrant and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/california-governor-hilton-profile/\">former adviser\u003c/a> to British Prime Minister David Cameron, bristled at the comment, calling it “disgraceful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12098221\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12098221\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-07-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-07-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-07-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SteveHiltonPB-07-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steve Hilton, candidate for California governor, speaks with KQED political reporter Marisa Lagos for Political Breakdown at the KQED studios in San Francisco on Sept. 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hilton \u003ca href=\"https://www.foxnews.com/video/6367836110112\">praised the deportation campaign\u003c/a> last January as “perfect” during an appearance on Fox News. He has previously described himself as “pro-immigration.” On Wednesday night, he dodged questions on whether he would undo the state’s sanctuary law limiting police cooperation with immigration agents and direct California officers to assist in Trump’s campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, he said, he would prefer to “turn down the temperature” on that debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The candidates argued over the best way to increase housing construction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hilton wants to build 10 new cities and allow more new construction on undeveloped land to avoid battles between the state and residents and local governments that are resistant to new development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have got so much space that we could be building in,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra said to address the housing crisis, he would reduce administrative and bureaucratic hurdles to getting construction permits, boost down payment assistance programs and stop Wall Street investors from competing with would-be homeowners. He pointed to the lawsuit he filed as state attorney general against the city of Huntington Beach to force it to approve new housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No locality should have the right to try to stop all of our people in California from having the housing they need,” Becerra said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They found common ground on how to keep the film industry in California amid competition from other states and countries. Los Angeles County has lost about 50,000 film and TV jobs since 2022. But while both candidates support expanding the state’s film tax credit to lower the cost of producing in California, they still each got in a dig over who to blame.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Who’s been in charge when all those jobs have gone?” Hilton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Donald Trump,” Becerra said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Democrats,” Hilton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/09/california-general-election-gubernatorial-debate-cnn/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "xavier-becerra-keeping-low-profile-in-ca-gubernatorial-race",
"title": "Xavier Becerra Keeping Low Profile in CA Gubernatorial Race",
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"headTitle": "Xavier Becerra Keeping Low Profile in CA Gubernatorial Race | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Monday, September 28, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>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 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101396/becerra-leads-in-california-governors-race-but-enthusiasm-is-lagging\">recent poll puts Becerra in the lead\u003c/a> by more than 25 points, and that lead is growing. But is the Democrat taking that lead for granted? \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Governor Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/27/governor-newsom-signs-bills-to-strengthen-accountability-for-cold-storage-facilities-following-emergency-in-boyle-heights/\">has signed two new safety laws\u003c/a> 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 \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2026/09/new-gun-laws-safety-class/\">gun safety.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101396/becerra-leads-in-california-governors-race-but-enthusiasm-is-lagging\">Becerra leads in California governor’s race, but enthusiasm is lagging\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/08s5x10r\">A recent poll\u003c/a> 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.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>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.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Along with avoiding a lot of interviews, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/08/california-governor-becerra-profile-promises/\">Becerra has been fairly noncommittal \u003c/a>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.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For his part, Becerra said he will be ramping up events and interviews in October.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Newsom signs a number of bills\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Governor Gavin Newsom signed a number of bills over the weekend. He \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101538/newsom-signs-new-protections-for-lgbtq-reproductive-rights\">signed over a dozen bills into law\u003c/a> 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.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“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.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The governor also signed a package of bills related to gun safety. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb948\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Senate Bill 948\u003c/a> 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. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/jesse-arreguin-156369\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jesse Arreguín\u003c/a> wrote the legislation. It was one of 10 gun safety laws Newsom signed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Governor Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/27/governor-newsom-signs-bills-to-strengthen-accountability-for-cold-storage-facilities-following-emergency-in-boyle-heights/\">also signed bills\u003c/a> 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.\u003c/p>\n",
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"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."
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>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 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101396/becerra-leads-in-california-governors-race-but-enthusiasm-is-lagging\">recent poll puts Becerra in the lead\u003c/a> by more than 25 points, and that lead is growing. But is the Democrat taking that lead for granted? \u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>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 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101396/becerra-leads-in-california-governors-race-but-enthusiasm-is-lagging\">recent poll puts Becerra in the lead\u003c/a> by more than 25 points, and that lead is growing. But is the Democrat taking that lead for granted? \u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Governor Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/27/governor-newsom-signs-bills-to-strengthen-accountability-for-cold-storage-facilities-following-emergency-in-boyle-heights/\">has signed two new safety laws\u003c/a> 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 \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2026/09/new-gun-laws-safety-class/\">gun safety.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>Governor Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/27/governor-newsom-signs-bills-to-strengthen-accountability-for-cold-storage-facilities-following-emergency-in-boyle-heights/\">has signed two new safety laws\u003c/a> 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 \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2026/09/new-gun-laws-safety-class/\">gun safety.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/08s5x10r\">A recent poll\u003c/a> 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.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/08s5x10r\">A recent poll\u003c/a> 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.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>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.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>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.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Along with avoiding a lot of interviews, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/08/california-governor-becerra-profile-promises/\">Becerra has been fairly noncommittal \u003c/a>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.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Along with avoiding a lot of interviews, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/08/california-governor-becerra-profile-promises/\">Becerra has been fairly noncommittal \u003c/a>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.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Monday, September 28, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>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 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101396/becerra-leads-in-california-governors-race-but-enthusiasm-is-lagging\">recent poll puts Becerra in the lead\u003c/a> by more than 25 points, and that lead is growing. But is the Democrat taking that lead for granted? \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Governor Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/27/governor-newsom-signs-bills-to-strengthen-accountability-for-cold-storage-facilities-following-emergency-in-boyle-heights/\">has signed two new safety laws\u003c/a> 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 \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2026/09/new-gun-laws-safety-class/\">gun safety.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101396/becerra-leads-in-california-governors-race-but-enthusiasm-is-lagging\">Becerra leads in California governor’s race, but enthusiasm is lagging\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/08s5x10r\">A recent poll\u003c/a> 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.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>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.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Along with avoiding a lot of interviews, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/08/california-governor-becerra-profile-promises/\">Becerra has been fairly noncommittal \u003c/a>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.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For his part, Becerra said he will be ramping up events and interviews in October.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Newsom signs a number of bills\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Governor Gavin Newsom signed a number of bills over the weekend. He \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101538/newsom-signs-new-protections-for-lgbtq-reproductive-rights\">signed over a dozen bills into law\u003c/a> 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.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“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.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The governor also signed a package of bills related to gun safety. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb948\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Senate Bill 948\u003c/a> 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. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/jesse-arreguin-156369\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jesse Arreguín\u003c/a> wrote the legislation. It was one of 10 gun safety laws Newsom signed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Governor Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/27/governor-newsom-signs-bills-to-strengthen-accountability-for-cold-storage-facilities-following-emergency-in-boyle-heights/\">also signed bills\u003c/a> 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.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Is the California governor’s race finally heating up? New polls show that although Democrat Xavier Becerra is on track to win the November election, voters are lukewarm on him. Marisa, Guy and KQED’s Laura Fitzgerald analyze the polling and look ahead to next week’s debate between Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then they dig into this week’s California Supreme Court ruling against Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. Attorney General Rob Bonta won that case, but he’s taking heat from his left flank for settling with Paramount and clearing the way for its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/political-breakdown\">Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter\u003c/a>, delivered straight to your inbox.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cp>California Supreme Court justices on Monday appeared skeptical of Riverside County Sheriff \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/chad-bianco\">Chad Bianco\u003c/a>’s unprecedented seizure of more than 650,000 ballots cast in last November’s special election. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bianco, a Republican who unsuccessfully ran for governor in this year’s June primary, has said that his actions were part of an investigation into potential voter fraud in the election on California’s redistricting measure. But his move set off \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077491/california-vote-by-mail-faces-legal-political-challenges-from-trump-allies\">alarm bells\u003c/a> among Democratic leaders who worried the ballot seizure was a local outcrop of conservative efforts to undermine vote-by-mail. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During oral arguments in San Francisco, the court’s justices peppered Bianco’s attorney, Bradley Hertz, with questions as to why the sheriff was not bound by state laws that restrict access to ballots during a criminal prosecution. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-23-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096590\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-23-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-23-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-23-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Xavier Becerra, senior adviser to the UCLA VRP and attorney on file in the case, speaks during a press conference following oral arguments in Cervantes et al. v. Bianco, a case challenging Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots cast in the November special election, at the steps of the Earl Warren Building at the California Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It says in no event shall the packet or its content be taken from the custody of the elections official,” Justice Kelli Evans said. “So I’m just not following your argument.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Justice Joshua Groban questioned whether the case presented by Bianco would open the door for the seizure of ballots during an ongoing election. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Under your broad view of the warrant power, pursuant to a lawful warrant, the sheriff could seize ballots even before Election Day, right?” Groban said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hertz said that state law limits access to ballots only during prosecutions — not investigations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It cannot be a universal prohibition against all legal processes,” Hertz said. “If it were, you’d basically have a complete category of documents that might be evidence of a crime that are immunized from investigation.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The showdown comes as California’s expansive system of vote-by-mail \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077846/threats-to-californias-vote-by-mail-mount-before-june-primary\">faces attacks\u003c/a> not only from President Donald Trump, who has labeled mail balloting a form of cheating, but also from local election officials aligned with the president. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bonta and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber have sued Shasta County to block the implementation of a measure passed by voters in June that would curtail vote-by-mail. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And in May, Newsom signed a new law that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/05/california-ballot-seizure-law/\">makes it illegal\u003c/a> for local election officials to hand over ballots to law enforcement agents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state Supreme Court — made up of five justices appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom or his predecessor Jerry Brown, one appointed by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, and one who joined the court temporarily to fill a vacancy — heard two cases challenging Bianco’s move. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the first, a group of Riverside County citizens accused Bianco of violating state election law by taking their ballots and attempting to count them outside of the prescribed chain-of-custody. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-13-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096595\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-13-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-13-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-13-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Clarissa Cervantes, Riverside City Council member and plaintiff, speaks during a press conference following oral arguments in Cervantes et al. v. Bianco, a case challenging Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots cast in the November special election, at the steps of the Earl Warren Building at the California Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California Attorney General Rob Bonta brought a second suit, arguing that Bianco illegally ignored his direction as the state’s top law enforcement official to halt the investigation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Riverside County sheriff’s deputies began seizing boxes of ballots in late February, in response to a complaint from a citizens group.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That group, the Riverside County Election Integrity Team, had conducted an audit of ballot intake forms — sheets filled out by election workers detailing how many ballots had arrived at their vote center. The audit concluded that the ballot intake forms had only detailed 611,426 ballots — 45,896 short of the county’s final count of 657,322 votes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Art Tinoco, the county’s registrar of voters, described the intake forms as an unrefined count that does not provide an apples-to-apples comparison to the final count of ballots. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These are completed in the field by election officers during long workdays — let’s keep that in mind; folks get tired,” Tinoco told the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. “It’s very possible that the staff may not have recorded the numbers accurately on these daily mail intake forms.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bianco said his deputies would be recounting ballot envelopes, but not reviewing the votes inside, in order to determine the reason for the discrepancy with the intake forms. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It looks like well-meaning officers essentially trying to build a vote-counting airplane while they’re flying it,” said Chad Dunn, an attorney for the Riverside County voters who brought the suit against Bianco’s actions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-30-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096592\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-30-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-30-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-30-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Xavier Becerra, senior adviser to the UCLA VRP and attorney on file in the case, center, speaks to Dr. Matt Baretto, faculty director at UCLA VRP, left, and Chad Dunn, legal director at UCLA VRP, right, following a press conference regarding Cervantes et al. v. Bianco, a case challenging Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots cast in the November special election, at the steps of the Earl Warren Building at the California Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In April, the Supreme Court blocked Bianco’s investigation from moving forward while it considered Bonta’s challenge. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Justices questioned California Solicitor General Sam Harbourt, who said the power for Bonta to supervise the actions of county sheriffs “was intended to be expansive.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That to me says if he wants to drop into a particular county and say, ‘Cease this prosecution for shoplifting,’ it shall be done’ … as long as he deems it in the public interest,” Groban said. “That sounds almost unlimited.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hertz said that Bonta’s powers are much more curtailed — that the attorney general has an “advise and consent” relationship with local sheriffs, and can only voice his displeasure with local law enforcement actions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Direct supervision does not mean absolute control, and sheriffs are not employees of the attorney general,” Hertz said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-23-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096590\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-23-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-23-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-23-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Xavier Becerra, senior adviser to the UCLA VRP and attorney on file in the case, speaks during a press conference following oral arguments in Cervantes et al. v. Bianco, a case challenging Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots cast in the November special election, at the steps of the Earl Warren Building at the California Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-23-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096590\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Xavier Becerra, senior adviser to the UCLA VRP and attorney on file in the case, speaks during a press conference following oral arguments in Cervantes et al. v. Bianco, a case challenging Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots cast in the November special election, at the steps of the Earl Warren Building at the California Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It says in no event shall the packet or its content be taken from the custody of the elections official,” Justice Kelli Evans said. “So I’m just not following your argument.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It says in no event shall the packet or its content be taken from the custody of the elections official,” Justice Kelli Evans said. “So I’m just not following your argument.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Justice Joshua Groban questioned whether the case presented by Bianco would open the door for the seizure of ballots during an ongoing election. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Under your broad view of the warrant power, pursuant to a lawful warrant, the sheriff could seize ballots even before Election Day, right?” Groban said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hertz said that state law limits access to ballots only during prosecutions — not investigations.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It cannot be a universal prohibition against all legal processes,” Hertz said. “If it were, you’d basically have a complete category of documents that might be evidence of a crime that are immunized from investigation.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The showdown comes as California’s expansive system of vote-by-mail \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077846/threats-to-californias-vote-by-mail-mount-before-june-primary\">faces attacks\u003c/a> not only from President Donald Trump, who has labeled mail balloting a form of cheating, but also from local election officials aligned with the president. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bonta and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber have sued Shasta County to block the implementation of a measure passed by voters in June that would curtail vote-by-mail. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And in May, Newsom signed a new law that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/05/california-ballot-seizure-law/\">makes it illegal\u003c/a> for local election officials to hand over ballots to law enforcement agents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And in May, Newsom signed a new law that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/05/california-ballot-seizure-law/\">makes it illegal\u003c/a> for local election officials to hand over ballots to law enforcement agents. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The state Supreme Court — made up of five justices appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom or his predecessor Jerry Brown, one appointed by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, and one who joined the court temporarily to fill a vacancy — heard two cases challenging Bianco’s move. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The state Supreme Court — made up of five justices appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom or his predecessor Jerry Brown, one appointed by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, and one who joined the court temporarily to fill a vacancy — heard two cases challenging Bianco’s move. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the first, a group of Riverside County citizens accused Bianco of violating state election law by taking their ballots and attempting to count them outside of the prescribed chain-of-custody. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-13-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096595\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-13-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-13-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-13-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Clarissa Cervantes, Riverside City Council member and plaintiff, speaks during a press conference following oral arguments in Cervantes et al. v. Bianco, a case challenging Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots cast in the November special election, at the steps of the Earl Warren Building at the California Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-13-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096595\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Clarissa Cervantes, Riverside City Council member and plaintiff, speaks during a press conference following oral arguments in Cervantes et al. v. Bianco, a case challenging Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots cast in the November special election, at the steps of the Earl Warren Building at the California Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California Attorney General Rob Bonta brought a second suit, arguing that Bianco illegally ignored his direction as the state’s top law enforcement official to halt the investigation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Riverside County sheriff’s deputies began seizing boxes of ballots in late February, in response to a complaint from a citizens group.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That group, the Riverside County Election Integrity Team, had conducted an audit of ballot intake forms — sheets filled out by election workers detailing how many ballots had arrived at their vote center. The audit concluded that the ballot intake forms had only detailed 611,426 ballots — 45,896 short of the county’s final count of 657,322 votes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That group, the Riverside County Election Integrity Team, had conducted an audit of ballot intake forms — sheets filled out by election workers detailing how many ballots had arrived at their vote center. The audit concluded that the ballot intake forms had only detailed 611,426 ballots — 45,896 short of the county’s final count of 657,322 votes.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Art Tinoco, the county’s registrar of voters, described the intake forms as an unrefined count that does not provide an apples-to-apples comparison to the final count of ballots. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“These are completed in the field by election officers during long workdays — let’s keep that in mind; folks get tired,” Tinoco told the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. “It’s very possible that the staff may not have recorded the numbers accurately on these daily mail intake forms.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bianco said his deputies would be recounting ballot envelopes, but not reviewing the votes inside, in order to determine the reason for the discrepancy with the intake forms. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It looks like well-meaning officers essentially trying to build a vote-counting airplane while they’re flying it,” said Chad Dunn, an attorney for the Riverside County voters who brought the suit against Bianco’s actions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It looks like well-meaning officers essentially trying to build a vote-counting airplane while they’re flying it,” said Chad Dunn, an attorney for the Riverside County voters who brought the suit against Bianco’s actions. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-30-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096592\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-30-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-30-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-30-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Xavier Becerra, senior adviser to the UCLA VRP and attorney on file in the case, center, speaks to Dr. Matt Baretto, faculty director at UCLA VRP, left, and Chad Dunn, legal director at UCLA VRP, right, following a press conference regarding Cervantes et al. v. Bianco, a case challenging Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots cast in the November special election, at the steps of the Earl Warren Building at the California Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Justices questioned California Solicitor General Sam Harbourt, who said the power for Bonta to supervise the actions of county sheriffs “was intended to be expansive.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That to me says if he wants to drop into a particular county and say, ‘Cease this prosecution for shoplifting,’ it shall be done’ … as long as he deems it in the public interest,” Groban said. “That sounds almost unlimited.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hertz said that Bonta’s powers are much more curtailed — that the attorney general has an “advise and consent” relationship with local sheriffs, and can only voice his displeasure with local law enforcement actions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California Supreme Court justices on Monday appeared skeptical of Riverside County Sheriff \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/chad-bianco\">Chad Bianco\u003c/a>’s unprecedented seizure of more than 650,000 ballots cast in last November’s special election. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bianco, a Republican who unsuccessfully ran for governor in this year’s June primary, has said that his actions were part of an investigation into potential voter fraud in the election on California’s redistricting measure. But his move set off \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077491/california-vote-by-mail-faces-legal-political-challenges-from-trump-allies\">alarm bells\u003c/a> among Democratic leaders who worried the ballot seizure was a local outcrop of conservative efforts to undermine vote-by-mail. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During oral arguments in San Francisco, the court’s justices peppered Bianco’s attorney, Bradley Hertz, with questions as to why the sheriff was not bound by state laws that restrict access to ballots during a criminal prosecution. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-23-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096590\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-23-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-23-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-23-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Xavier Becerra, senior adviser to the UCLA VRP and attorney on file in the case, speaks during a press conference following oral arguments in Cervantes et al. v. Bianco, a case challenging Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots cast in the November special election, at the steps of the Earl Warren Building at the California Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It says in no event shall the packet or its content be taken from the custody of the elections official,” Justice Kelli Evans said. “So I’m just not following your argument.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Justice Joshua Groban questioned whether the case presented by Bianco would open the door for the seizure of ballots during an ongoing election. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Under your broad view of the warrant power, pursuant to a lawful warrant, the sheriff could seize ballots even before Election Day, right?” Groban said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hertz said that state law limits access to ballots only during prosecutions — not investigations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It cannot be a universal prohibition against all legal processes,” Hertz said. “If it were, you’d basically have a complete category of documents that might be evidence of a crime that are immunized from investigation.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The showdown comes as California’s expansive system of vote-by-mail \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077846/threats-to-californias-vote-by-mail-mount-before-june-primary\">faces attacks\u003c/a> not only from President Donald Trump, who has labeled mail balloting a form of cheating, but also from local election officials aligned with the president. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bonta and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber have sued Shasta County to block the implementation of a measure passed by voters in June that would curtail vote-by-mail. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And in May, Newsom signed a new law that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/05/california-ballot-seizure-law/\">makes it illegal\u003c/a> for local election officials to hand over ballots to law enforcement agents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state Supreme Court — made up of five justices appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom or his predecessor Jerry Brown, one appointed by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, and one who joined the court temporarily to fill a vacancy — heard two cases challenging Bianco’s move. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the first, a group of Riverside County citizens accused Bianco of violating state election law by taking their ballots and attempting to count them outside of the prescribed chain-of-custody. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-13-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096595\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-13-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-13-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-13-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Clarissa Cervantes, Riverside City Council member and plaintiff, speaks during a press conference following oral arguments in Cervantes et al. v. Bianco, a case challenging Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots cast in the November special election, at the steps of the Earl Warren Building at the California Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California Attorney General Rob Bonta brought a second suit, arguing that Bianco illegally ignored his direction as the state’s top law enforcement official to halt the investigation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Riverside County sheriff’s deputies began seizing boxes of ballots in late February, in response to a complaint from a citizens group.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That group, the Riverside County Election Integrity Team, had conducted an audit of ballot intake forms — sheets filled out by election workers detailing how many ballots had arrived at their vote center. The audit concluded that the ballot intake forms had only detailed 611,426 ballots — 45,896 short of the county’s final count of 657,322 votes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Art Tinoco, the county’s registrar of voters, described the intake forms as an unrefined count that does not provide an apples-to-apples comparison to the final count of ballots. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These are completed in the field by election officers during long workdays — let’s keep that in mind; folks get tired,” Tinoco told the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. “It’s very possible that the staff may not have recorded the numbers accurately on these daily mail intake forms.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bianco said his deputies would be recounting ballot envelopes, but not reviewing the votes inside, in order to determine the reason for the discrepancy with the intake forms. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It looks like well-meaning officers essentially trying to build a vote-counting airplane while they’re flying it,” said Chad Dunn, an attorney for the Riverside County voters who brought the suit against Bianco’s actions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-30-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096592\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-30-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-30-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260824_CASCBIANCOBALLOTS_GC-30-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Xavier Becerra, senior adviser to the UCLA VRP and attorney on file in the case, center, speaks to Dr. Matt Baretto, faculty director at UCLA VRP, left, and Chad Dunn, legal director at UCLA VRP, right, following a press conference regarding Cervantes et al. v. Bianco, a case challenging Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots cast in the November special election, at the steps of the Earl Warren Building at the California Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In April, the Supreme Court blocked Bianco’s investigation from moving forward while it considered Bonta’s challenge. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Justices questioned California Solicitor General Sam Harbourt, who said the power for Bonta to supervise the actions of county sheriffs “was intended to be expansive.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That to me says if he wants to drop into a particular county and say, ‘Cease this prosecution for shoplifting,’ it shall be done’ … as long as he deems it in the public interest,” Groban said. “That sounds almost unlimited.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hertz said that Bonta’s powers are much more curtailed — that the attorney general has an “advise and consent” relationship with local sheriffs, and can only voice his displeasure with local law enforcement actions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Direct supervision does not mean absolute control, and sheriffs are not employees of the attorney general,” Hertz said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Becerra Easily Leading California Governor’s Race Defined by Partisan Split, Poll Shows",
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"headTitle": "Becerra Easily Leading California Governor’s Race Defined by Partisan Split, Poll Shows | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is leading Republican businessman Steve Hilton by a double-digit margin in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/2026-governors-race\">race for California governor\u003c/a>, according to a new poll from UC Berkeley. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Institute of Governmental Studies poll found about 55% of likely voters saying they’ll support Becerra, 37% backing Hilton and just 7% undecided. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becerra’s 18-point lead marks a stark contrast to June’s messy and crowded primary contest, which included numerous serious Democratic candidates and remained \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086501/california-governor-election-steve-hilton-advances\">unsettled until the very end\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081063\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. California will hold its primary election on June 2, where the top two finishers advance to the general election in November regardless of party affiliation. (Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s shaping up to be a pretty traditional Democrat versus Republican general election matchup with strong partisan preferences kind of dominating everything,” poll director Mark DiCamillo said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California’s electorate is largely Democratic — Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats nearly 2 to 1, and independent voters make up more than one-fifth of the electorate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Partisan leanings appear to be driving voter opinions in the governor’s race, DiCamillo said: 88% of Democrats are backing Becerra, while 91% of Republicans are behind Hilton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The poll’s findings overall track with trends in recent statewide races, including the 2024 presidential contest, which former Vice President Kamala Harris won by 20 points over President Donald Trump in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When you ask voters, ‘Why are you supporting Becerra?’ they want a Democrat who takes the positions that Democrats traditionally take — that’s what they’re voting for. Plus they want somebody who’s going to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083992/xavier-becerra-says-he-will-fight-for-california-who-did-he-fight-for-as-ag\">fight Trump\u003c/a>,” DiCamillo said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those partisan, anti-Trump views appear to outweigh Becerra’s history-making potential: If he wins, he would be the first Latino elected governor of California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yet just 1% of poll respondents said his identity as the son of Mexican immigrants is the reason they’re supporting him, the poll shows. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It will be difficult for Hilton to close the gap with Becerra, DiCamillo said, because the survey shows that he’s also struggling among voters not affiliated with one of the two major political parties. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The poll shows Hilton’s favorability rating underwater among independents, with 31% viewing him favorably and 59% unfavorably. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081346\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chad Bianco, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, Xavier Becerra, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for California, and Steve Hilton, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, arrive for a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco on April 22, 2026. (Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In order for Hilton to win, he really has to go after the Democratic constituencies,” DiCamillo said. “If you look at, for example, no party preference voters, sometimes you try to peel those off if you’re a challenger on the Republican side.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But with a strong majority of independents viewing the Republican businessman negatively, “it’s a tall order,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Hilton represents the Republicans. He’s the standard bearer. And the reason people are voting for him is because that’s what they’re voting for,” DiCamillo said. “Unfortunately for Republicans and for Hilton, there’s not enough of them.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9 among 4,207 registered voters; a sample of 2,310 were considered likely voters in the November general election.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Institute of Governmental Studies poll found about 55% of likely voters saying they’ll support Becerra, 37% backing Hilton and just 7% undecided. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Becerra’s 18-point lead marks a stark contrast to June’s messy and crowded primary contest, which included numerous serious Democratic candidates and remained \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086501/california-governor-election-steve-hilton-advances\">unsettled until the very end\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Partisan leanings appear to be driving voter opinions in the governor’s race, DiCamillo said: 88% of Democrats are backing Becerra, while 91% of Republicans are behind Hilton. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Partisan leanings appear to be driving voter opinions in the governor’s race, DiCamillo said: 88% of Democrats are backing Becerra, while 91% of Republicans are behind Hilton. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The poll’s findings overall track with trends in recent statewide races, including the 2024 presidential contest, which former Vice President Kamala Harris won by 20 points over President Donald Trump in California.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When you ask voters, ‘Why are you supporting Becerra?’ they want a Democrat who takes the positions that Democrats traditionally take — that’s what they’re voting for. Plus they want somebody who’s going to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083992/xavier-becerra-says-he-will-fight-for-california-who-did-he-fight-for-as-ag\">fight Trump\u003c/a>,” DiCamillo said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Those partisan, anti-Trump views appear to outweigh Becerra’s history-making potential: If he wins, he would be the first Latino elected governor of California. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yet just 1% of poll respondents said his identity as the son of Mexican immigrants is the reason they’re supporting him, the poll shows. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It will be difficult for Hilton to close the gap with Becerra, DiCamillo said, because the survey shows that he’s also struggling among voters not affiliated with one of the two major political parties. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The poll shows Hilton’s favorability rating underwater among independents, with 31% viewing him favorably and 59% unfavorably. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In order for Hilton to win, he really has to go after the Democratic constituencies,” DiCamillo said. “If you look at, for example, no party preference voters, sometimes you try to peel those off if you’re a challenger on the Republican side.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Hilton represents the Republicans. He’s the standard bearer. And the reason people are voting for him is because that’s what they’re voting for,” DiCamillo said. “Unfortunately for Republicans and for Hilton, there’s not enough of them.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Democrat Xavier Becerra holds an 18-point lead over Republican Steve Hilton among likely voters in the new poll from UC Berkeley, a stark contrast to June’s messy primary contest.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is leading Republican businessman Steve Hilton by a double-digit margin in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/2026-governors-race\">race for California governor\u003c/a>, according to a new poll from UC Berkeley. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Institute of Governmental Studies poll found about 55% of likely voters saying they’ll support Becerra, 37% backing Hilton and just 7% undecided. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becerra’s 18-point lead marks a stark contrast to June’s messy and crowded primary contest, which included numerous serious Democratic candidates and remained \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086501/california-governor-election-steve-hilton-advances\">unsettled until the very end\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081063\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. California will hold its primary election on June 2, where the top two finishers advance to the general election in November regardless of party affiliation. (Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s shaping up to be a pretty traditional Democrat versus Republican general election matchup with strong partisan preferences kind of dominating everything,” poll director Mark DiCamillo said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California’s electorate is largely Democratic — Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats nearly 2 to 1, and independent voters make up more than one-fifth of the electorate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Partisan leanings appear to be driving voter opinions in the governor’s race, DiCamillo said: 88% of Democrats are backing Becerra, while 91% of Republicans are behind Hilton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The poll’s findings overall track with trends in recent statewide races, including the 2024 presidential contest, which former Vice President Kamala Harris won by 20 points over President Donald Trump in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When you ask voters, ‘Why are you supporting Becerra?’ they want a Democrat who takes the positions that Democrats traditionally take — that’s what they’re voting for. Plus they want somebody who’s going to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083992/xavier-becerra-says-he-will-fight-for-california-who-did-he-fight-for-as-ag\">fight Trump\u003c/a>,” DiCamillo said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those partisan, anti-Trump views appear to outweigh Becerra’s history-making potential: If he wins, he would be the first Latino elected governor of California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yet just 1% of poll respondents said his identity as the son of Mexican immigrants is the reason they’re supporting him, the poll shows. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It will be difficult for Hilton to close the gap with Becerra, DiCamillo said, because the survey shows that he’s also struggling among voters not affiliated with one of the two major political parties. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The poll shows Hilton’s favorability rating underwater among independents, with 31% viewing him favorably and 59% unfavorably. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081346\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chad Bianco, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, Xavier Becerra, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for California, and Steve Hilton, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, arrive for a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco on April 22, 2026. (Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In order for Hilton to win, he really has to go after the Democratic constituencies,” DiCamillo said. “If you look at, for example, no party preference voters, sometimes you try to peel those off if you’re a challenger on the Republican side.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But with a strong majority of independents viewing the Republican businessman negatively, “it’s a tall order,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Hilton represents the Republicans. He’s the standard bearer. And the reason people are voting for him is because that’s what they’re voting for,” DiCamillo said. “Unfortunately for Republicans and for Hilton, there’s not enough of them.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9 among 4,207 registered voters; a sample of 2,310 were considered likely voters in the November general election.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "becerra-advances-in-california-governor-race-as-hilton-steyer-battle-for-second-spot",
"title": "Becerra Advances in California Governor Race as Hilton, Steyer Battle for Second Spot",
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"headTitle": "Becerra Advances in California Governor Race as Hilton, Steyer Battle for Second Spot | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Democrat \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/xavier-becerra\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a> will advance to the November ballot for California’s next governor after surging ahead of Republican Steve Hilton in the millions of votes counted after Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Who will claim the second spot in the November runoff remains in limbo: Hilton was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085541/california-governor-race-becerra-hilton-lead-early-with-millions-of-votes-to-be-counted\">leading the pack at the end of election night\u003c/a> and for several days afterward, but as more ballots were counted, billionaire Democratic activist Tom Steyer began closing the gap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The people of the great state of California, in the greatest nation on earth, have spoken — loudly and proudly,” Becerra said in a written statement. “We will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we are never backing down. November, here we come.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An estimated 3 million ballots remain to be counted, and the later ballots were expected to skew more Democratic, according to voter data analysts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under California’s open primary system, the top two vote-getters move on to the runoff, regardless of party affiliation. The state also counts mail-in ballots that arrive up to seven days after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra’s No. 1 finish, called Friday afternoon by the \u003cem>Associated Press\u003c/em>, marks a remarkable political comeback for the former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, who spent much of the primary campaign languishing in the single digits in polls. He was among the lower-tier group of candidates facing pressure from party leaders to drop out of the race earlier this year amid fears that the crowded field of Democrats could split the vote and allow two Republicans to advance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12086026\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12086026\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GETTYIMAGES-2278829413-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GETTYIMAGES-2278829413-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GETTYIMAGES-2278829413-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GETTYIMAGES-2278829413-KQED-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supporters of Democrat California Gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra are seen silhouetted on early election results during an election night event in downtown Los Angeles, on June 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In mid-February, with Becerra \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-their-government-february-2026/\">mired\u003c/a> at around 5% in public polling, his campaign manager Emma Harris published a memo outlining the former attorney general’s path to victory. It harked back to the 1998 primary election, when Lt. Gov. Gray Davis leaned into his resume to pull his campaign out of last place in the polls and claim the nomination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it previewed a comeback theory that rested on a novel statistic: Becerra’s ratio of voters who saw him favorably versus those who were not familiar with him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Becerra’s high net favorability rating (+40 points, 9:1 favorable) as a ratio of the unfamiliarity with him (49% unfamiliar) is the strongest in the upper tier of candidates,” Harris wrote. “The data points towards substantial growth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turned out to be prescient.[aside postID=news_12086288 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-2277856381.jpg']After Rep. Eric Swalwell \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079583/eric-swalwell-ends-california-governor-campaign-after-sexual-assault-allegations\">dropped out of the race\u003c/a> amid shocking sexual misconduct allegations, Becerra leapfrogged ahead of his competitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amanda Renteria, who worked for Becerra when he was California attorney general, said despite Becerra’s slow start in the race, he and his campaign always recognized a narrow path to victory. She said he remained steadfast as the pressure mounted on low-polling candidates to drop out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was kind of like that story of, hey, we’re not at [the] playoffs yet. Our team is looking pretty good. And when the tournament starts, we’re going to be ready for it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that while people tend to underestimate Becerra, his mellow demeanor makes him approachable to voters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He isn’t going to evoke a deep hate,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That shield of likability may have helped Becerra weather an onslaught of attacks once he assumed the mantle of Democratic frontrunner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His rivals tore into his record as Health secretary and needled him over the scandal that engulfed his former top adviser, Sean McCluskie, who pleaded guilty to stealing campaign funds from Becerra’s account. Those attacks were amplified by Steyer, who emerged as the other main Democratic contender as he spent over $200 million on his campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Becerra’s support never waned, and he appeared to grow steadier in later candidate debates. In the closing weeks of the campaign, the cavalry arrived: more than $15 million in pro-Becerra spending from groups including the California Association of Realtors and companies such as Meta, joining a steady drumbeat of anti-Steyer spending \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083747/pge-spends-millions-against-tom-steyer-whats-behind-clash\">funded in large measure by PG&E\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082334\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12082334 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260423_-XAVIERBECERRA_EG_004-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260423_-XAVIERBECERRA_EG_004-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260423_-XAVIERBECERRA_EG_004-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260423_-XAVIERBECERRA_EG_004-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mark Murphy, center left, and friend Kimberley J. Rodler, hold handmade signs in support of Xavier Becerra’s gubernatorial bid during a campaign event at Mount Diablo High School in Concord on April 23, 2026. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Election Day neared, the historic nature of Becerra’s candidacy came into focus: If elected, he would be California’s first Latino governor in modern history. At a campaign stop in San José last weekend, he was greeted by home care workers who chanted “Vivo Latino!” and “Becerra para presidente!” as he entered the room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through it all, Becerra returned to his resume. The path from the attorney general’s office to the governorship has been well trod: by Earl Warren, Pat Brown, George Deukmejian and Jerry Brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m a pretty open book; I’ve been around quite a while, whether you knew me when I was in Congress or when I was attorney general fighting Donald Trump,” he told KQED after the San José campaign stop. “You sort of know who I am.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, the question for Becerra is who he will face this fall. A Hilton win would set him on a glidepath to victory: Winning statewide would be an uphill battle for any Republican, in a state where there are nearly twice as many Democrats as Republicans, and no GOP candidate has won statewide in 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer would present a rockier road for Becerra. If the billionaire former hedge fund manager makes the runoff, it will set up an expensive intraparty fight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Democrat Xavier Becerra surged to the top in the millions of votes counted after Election Day, making a remarkable political comeback after trailing in much of the primary campaign.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Democrat \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/xavier-becerra\">Xavier Becerra\u003c/a> will advance to the November ballot for California’s next governor after surging ahead of Republican Steve Hilton in the millions of votes counted after Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Who will claim the second spot in the November runoff remains in limbo: Hilton was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085541/california-governor-race-becerra-hilton-lead-early-with-millions-of-votes-to-be-counted\">leading the pack at the end of election night\u003c/a> and for several days afterward, but as more ballots were counted, billionaire Democratic activist Tom Steyer began closing the gap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The people of the great state of California, in the greatest nation on earth, have spoken — loudly and proudly,” Becerra said in a written statement. “We will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we are never backing down. November, here we come.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An estimated 3 million ballots remain to be counted, and the later ballots were expected to skew more Democratic, according to voter data analysts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under California’s open primary system, the top two vote-getters move on to the runoff, regardless of party affiliation. The state also counts mail-in ballots that arrive up to seven days after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra’s No. 1 finish, called Friday afternoon by the \u003cem>Associated Press\u003c/em>, marks a remarkable political comeback for the former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, who spent much of the primary campaign languishing in the single digits in polls. He was among the lower-tier group of candidates facing pressure from party leaders to drop out of the race earlier this year amid fears that the crowded field of Democrats could split the vote and allow two Republicans to advance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12086026\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12086026\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GETTYIMAGES-2278829413-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GETTYIMAGES-2278829413-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GETTYIMAGES-2278829413-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GETTYIMAGES-2278829413-KQED-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supporters of Democrat California Gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra are seen silhouetted on early election results during an election night event in downtown Los Angeles, on June 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In mid-February, with Becerra \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-their-government-february-2026/\">mired\u003c/a> at around 5% in public polling, his campaign manager Emma Harris published a memo outlining the former attorney general’s path to victory. It harked back to the 1998 primary election, when Lt. Gov. Gray Davis leaned into his resume to pull his campaign out of last place in the polls and claim the nomination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it previewed a comeback theory that rested on a novel statistic: Becerra’s ratio of voters who saw him favorably versus those who were not familiar with him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Becerra’s high net favorability rating (+40 points, 9:1 favorable) as a ratio of the unfamiliarity with him (49% unfamiliar) is the strongest in the upper tier of candidates,” Harris wrote. “The data points towards substantial growth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turned out to be prescient.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>After Rep. Eric Swalwell \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079583/eric-swalwell-ends-california-governor-campaign-after-sexual-assault-allegations\">dropped out of the race\u003c/a> amid shocking sexual misconduct allegations, Becerra leapfrogged ahead of his competitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amanda Renteria, who worked for Becerra when he was California attorney general, said despite Becerra’s slow start in the race, he and his campaign always recognized a narrow path to victory. She said he remained steadfast as the pressure mounted on low-polling candidates to drop out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was kind of like that story of, hey, we’re not at [the] playoffs yet. Our team is looking pretty good. And when the tournament starts, we’re going to be ready for it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that while people tend to underestimate Becerra, his mellow demeanor makes him approachable to voters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He isn’t going to evoke a deep hate,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That shield of likability may have helped Becerra weather an onslaught of attacks once he assumed the mantle of Democratic frontrunner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His rivals tore into his record as Health secretary and needled him over the scandal that engulfed his former top adviser, Sean McCluskie, who pleaded guilty to stealing campaign funds from Becerra’s account. Those attacks were amplified by Steyer, who emerged as the other main Democratic contender as he spent over $200 million on his campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Becerra’s support never waned, and he appeared to grow steadier in later candidate debates. In the closing weeks of the campaign, the cavalry arrived: more than $15 million in pro-Becerra spending from groups including the California Association of Realtors and companies such as Meta, joining a steady drumbeat of anti-Steyer spending \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083747/pge-spends-millions-against-tom-steyer-whats-behind-clash\">funded in large measure by PG&E\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082334\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12082334 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260423_-XAVIERBECERRA_EG_004-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260423_-XAVIERBECERRA_EG_004-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260423_-XAVIERBECERRA_EG_004-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260423_-XAVIERBECERRA_EG_004-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mark Murphy, center left, and friend Kimberley J. Rodler, hold handmade signs in support of Xavier Becerra’s gubernatorial bid during a campaign event at Mount Diablo High School in Concord on April 23, 2026. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Election Day neared, the historic nature of Becerra’s candidacy came into focus: If elected, he would be California’s first Latino governor in modern history. At a campaign stop in San José last weekend, he was greeted by home care workers who chanted “Vivo Latino!” and “Becerra para presidente!” as he entered the room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through it all, Becerra returned to his resume. The path from the attorney general’s office to the governorship has been well trod: by Earl Warren, Pat Brown, George Deukmejian and Jerry Brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m a pretty open book; I’ve been around quite a while, whether you knew me when I was in Congress or when I was attorney general fighting Donald Trump,” he told KQED after the San José campaign stop. “You sort of know who I am.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, the question for Becerra is who he will face this fall. A Hilton win would set him on a glidepath to victory: Winning statewide would be an uphill battle for any Republican, in a state where there are nearly twice as many Democrats as Republicans, and no GOP candidate has won statewide in 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer would present a rockier road for Becerra. If the billionaire former hedge fund manager makes the runoff, it will set up an expensive intraparty fight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>[This column was reported for Political Breakdown, a bi-monthly newsletter offering analysis and context on Bay Area and California political news. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/political-breakdown\">Click here to subscribe\u003c/a>.]\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was counted out and underestimated by pollsters and pundits, despite having a sterling resume. Vastly outspent by a wealthy opponent, he languished in the polls before sprinting to the finish line near the front of the pack as the votes were counted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No, I’m not talking about this week, but about 1998, when businessman Al Checchi, or “Al Checkbook” as he was called, spent $40 million — an eye-popping amount at the time — to win the Democratic nomination for an open governor’s seat. Lt. Gov. Gray Davis, a decidedly unflashy but steady technocrat, surprisingly won with the slogan, “Experience Money Can’t Buy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were echoes of that earlier campaign in this year’s topsy-turvy, chaotic and unpredictable race for governor, where former Health and Human Services Secretary and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra ignored calls for him to drop out lest Democrats split the vote and let Republicans take the top two spots in November. Timing, luck and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079746/rep-eric-swalwell-says-he-is-resigning-from-congress-amid-sexual-assault-allegations\">sudden implosion of frontrunner Eric Swalwell’s campaign\u003c/a> gave Becerra the oxygen he needed to stay alive and ultimately battle for first place in the preliminary returns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At his victory celebration in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, Becerra, the son of working-class parents from Mexico, reveled in his underdog story, which he called worthy of a Hollywood movie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Almost immediately, he’s counted out. An afterthought. Overlooked by many. Outspent by a ton. Even called along the way to drop out and save us all the trouble,” Becerra said. “Well, guess what? The underdog stayed in the fight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It will be days before we know for sure that Becerra will make the runoff — there’s still a chance Steyer could sneak into the top two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085541/california-governor-race-becerra-hilton-lead-early-with-millions-of-votes-to-be-counted\">when all the ballots are counted\u003c/a>. But for those who said Becerra represents the status quo, play-it-safe, corporate-controlled leadership, remember this: It’s been 150 years since California had a Latino governor — a Republican named \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romualdo_Pacheco\">Romualdo Pacheco\u003c/a> — as voters have chosen one white man after another to lead the state.[aside label=\"Live 2026 Election Results\" link1='https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/california/governor,Learn about the results of the California Governor Election' hero=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/80/2026/04/Aside-California-Governor-2026-Primary-Election-1200x1200@2x.png]Of course Becerra isn’t governor yet, but he’ll be the odds-on favorite if he faces Republican Hilton in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s building a really broad-based, multi-ethnic middle-class coalition,” said Mike Madrid, a Latino Republican political analyst who helped found the anti-Trump Lincoln Project. He noted that while Becerra attracted solid support from Latino voters, it was less than Antonio Villaraigosa did in 2018 when he ran a losing campaign for governor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Madrid sees Becerra’s success as drawing from elements of the historic coalition that has been slipping away from Democrats recently — working-class, noncollege-educated whites, among others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So there’s something very different happening in the redefinition of Democratic politics in California,” Madrid said. “It’s kind of a reemergence of this sort of FDR wing of the party. And it’s not just an ethnic identity thing; it’s really more of a middle-class identity thing. If there’s an identity, it’s no racial or ethnic anymore, it’s class, which is fascinating.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Becerra wins, he’ll become a national figure — a Latino governor of a state often targeted by a president who has made demonizing, demoralizing and deporting immigrants a fundamental priority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is bigger than Trump. Our values are undeniable and undeportable,” Becerra said to supporters on Tuesday night. “To the people and voters of California, this is your state: Este es tu estado. We will not be bought, we will not be bullied, and we are never backing down.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, in a San Francisco congressional race with national implications, another candidate with an immigrant background had a successful night. Supervisor Connie Chan, with a major boost from Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s late endorsement and solid union support, vaulted into second place in the 11th Congressional District with 29% of the vote. She’ll face state Sen. Scott Wiener, who finished first with 41%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12086008\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12086008\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-DISTRICT11CONNIECHAN-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-DISTRICT11CONNIECHAN-03-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-DISTRICT11CONNIECHAN-03-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-DISTRICT11CONNIECHAN-03-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supervisor Connie Chan speaks to supporters during an election night party at El Rio in San Francisco on June 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ironically, in her first election 39 years ago, Pelosi narrowly defeated openly gay Supervisor Harry Britt in a special election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Sala Burton. Now, Wiener is hoping to be the city’s first openly gay member of Congress. Pelosi’s endorsement came with praise for Chan’s immigrant background, being a mother and understanding budgets (Wiener also chaired the state Senate’s budget committee) as reasons for her support. But some saw her determination to derail the candidacy of Saikat Chakrabarti, another Democrat she clashed with when he briefly worked for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Washington.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that she’s accomplished that with Chakrabarti’s distant third-place finish, it remains to be seen how much political capital she’ll spend on what could be an uphill battle to defeat Wiener in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’ll wait for millions of remaining ballots to be counted before we know who will advance to November from the governor’s race to local congressional elections. The state’s top election official knows that can be frustrating, but she’s undaunted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I often hear, not only from the governor but from everyone else who (says) ‘we want you to count faster, Shirley,’” Secretary of State Shirley Weber told KQED this week. “Now what do you want? You want me to go fast, or do you want to be accurate? I choose accurate — (but) we’ll be accurate and fast at the same time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results\">\u003cstrong>Follow our election coverage as additional results come in\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>[This column was reported for Political Breakdown, a bi-monthly newsletter offering analysis and context on Bay Area and California political news. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/political-breakdown\">Click here to subscribe\u003c/a>.]\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was counted out and underestimated by pollsters and pundits, despite having a sterling resume. Vastly outspent by a wealthy opponent, he languished in the polls before sprinting to the finish line near the front of the pack as the votes were counted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No, I’m not talking about this week, but about 1998, when businessman Al Checchi, or “Al Checkbook” as he was called, spent $40 million — an eye-popping amount at the time — to win the Democratic nomination for an open governor’s seat. Lt. Gov. Gray Davis, a decidedly unflashy but steady technocrat, surprisingly won with the slogan, “Experience Money Can’t Buy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were echoes of that earlier campaign in this year’s topsy-turvy, chaotic and unpredictable race for governor, where former Health and Human Services Secretary and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra ignored calls for him to drop out lest Democrats split the vote and let Republicans take the top two spots in November. Timing, luck and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079746/rep-eric-swalwell-says-he-is-resigning-from-congress-amid-sexual-assault-allegations\">sudden implosion of frontrunner Eric Swalwell’s campaign\u003c/a> gave Becerra the oxygen he needed to stay alive and ultimately battle for first place in the preliminary returns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At his victory celebration in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, Becerra, the son of working-class parents from Mexico, reveled in his underdog story, which he called worthy of a Hollywood movie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Almost immediately, he’s counted out. An afterthought. Overlooked by many. Outspent by a ton. Even called along the way to drop out and save us all the trouble,” Becerra said. “Well, guess what? The underdog stayed in the fight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It will be days before we know for sure that Becerra will make the runoff — there’s still a chance Steyer could sneak into the top two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085541/california-governor-race-becerra-hilton-lead-early-with-millions-of-votes-to-be-counted\">when all the ballots are counted\u003c/a>. But for those who said Becerra represents the status quo, play-it-safe, corporate-controlled leadership, remember this: It’s been 150 years since California had a Latino governor — a Republican named \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romualdo_Pacheco\">Romualdo Pacheco\u003c/a> — as voters have chosen one white man after another to lead the state.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Of course Becerra isn’t governor yet, but he’ll be the odds-on favorite if he faces Republican Hilton in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s building a really broad-based, multi-ethnic middle-class coalition,” said Mike Madrid, a Latino Republican political analyst who helped found the anti-Trump Lincoln Project. He noted that while Becerra attracted solid support from Latino voters, it was less than Antonio Villaraigosa did in 2018 when he ran a losing campaign for governor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Madrid sees Becerra’s success as drawing from elements of the historic coalition that has been slipping away from Democrats recently — working-class, noncollege-educated whites, among others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So there’s something very different happening in the redefinition of Democratic politics in California,” Madrid said. “It’s kind of a reemergence of this sort of FDR wing of the party. And it’s not just an ethnic identity thing; it’s really more of a middle-class identity thing. If there’s an identity, it’s no racial or ethnic anymore, it’s class, which is fascinating.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Becerra wins, he’ll become a national figure — a Latino governor of a state often targeted by a president who has made demonizing, demoralizing and deporting immigrants a fundamental priority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is bigger than Trump. Our values are undeniable and undeportable,” Becerra said to supporters on Tuesday night. “To the people and voters of California, this is your state: Este es tu estado. We will not be bought, we will not be bullied, and we are never backing down.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, in a San Francisco congressional race with national implications, another candidate with an immigrant background had a successful night. Supervisor Connie Chan, with a major boost from Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s late endorsement and solid union support, vaulted into second place in the 11th Congressional District with 29% of the vote. She’ll face state Sen. Scott Wiener, who finished first with 41%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12086008\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12086008\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-DISTRICT11CONNIECHAN-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-DISTRICT11CONNIECHAN-03-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-DISTRICT11CONNIECHAN-03-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260602-DISTRICT11CONNIECHAN-03-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supervisor Connie Chan speaks to supporters during an election night party at El Rio in San Francisco on June 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ironically, in her first election 39 years ago, Pelosi narrowly defeated openly gay Supervisor Harry Britt in a special election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Sala Burton. Now, Wiener is hoping to be the city’s first openly gay member of Congress. Pelosi’s endorsement came with praise for Chan’s immigrant background, being a mother and understanding budgets (Wiener also chaired the state Senate’s budget committee) as reasons for her support. But some saw her determination to derail the candidacy of Saikat Chakrabarti, another Democrat she clashed with when he briefly worked for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Washington.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that she’s accomplished that with Chakrabarti’s distant third-place finish, it remains to be seen how much political capital she’ll spend on what could be an uphill battle to defeat Wiener in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’ll wait for millions of remaining ballots to be counted before we know who will advance to November from the governor’s race to local congressional elections. The state’s top election official knows that can be frustrating, but she’s undaunted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I often hear, not only from the governor but from everyone else who (says) ‘we want you to count faster, Shirley,’” Secretary of State Shirley Weber told KQED this week. “Now what do you want? You want me to go fast, or do you want to be accurate? I choose accurate — (but) we’ll be accurate and fast at the same time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results\">\u003cstrong>Follow our election coverage as additional results come in\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
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"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"radiolab": {
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"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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"reveal": {
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
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},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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"science-friday": {
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