Gubernatorial hopefuls Katie Porter, Chad Bianco and Tom Steyer will each engage with a live KQED audience as part of a town hall-style series of conversations in May with the Political Breakdown team.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – KQED will be hosting a series of town hall-style conversations with three of the leading candidates to become the state’s next governor. Former U.S. Representative Katie Porter (May 4), Sheriff Chad Bianco (May 18) and Tom Steyer (May 26) will each present their visions for California’s future under their leadership, guided by questions from a live audience at KQED’s San Francisco studios. Each town hall will be streamlined live and will be broadcast on KQED Public Television and KQED Public Radio in days following each event.
KQED initially set up a series of gubernatorial town halls that included former candidate Eric Swalwell. In the wake of his recent departure from the campaign, KQED rescinded previous invitations to each of the participants and extended new ones based on updated criteria. Invitations were extended once again to the top four polling campaigns still in the race based on the independent public polls in March, specifically those from Emerson College Polling and Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. The four candidates who received invitations consistently led in the average of the polls and in each poll individually; they included Steve Hilton, former U.S. Representative Katie Porter, Sheriff Chad Bianco, and Tom Steyer. Candidate Steve Hilton again declined KQED’s invitation to participate.
Hosted by KQED’s Political Breakdown team, each town hall will address the key issues on voters’ minds – from housing, the economy and tech to climate, immigration and the state’s relationship with the Trump administration. Attendance is limited to KQED members and invited civic and community organizations, creating a substantive forum for voter-driven dialogue.
The town halls will be livestreamed on the KQED News and KQED Live YouTube channels and aired on KQED 9 Public Television and KQED Public Radio in the days following each event, as well as on KQED’s Political Breakdown podcast feeds.
KQED Gubernatorial Election Town Halls
Former U.S. Representative Katie Porter
May 4 | 6:30pm
The Commons at KQED
Free for KQED Members
Sheriff Chad Bianco
May 18 | 7pm
The Commons at KQED
Free for KQED Members
Tom Steyer
May 26 | 6pm
The Commons at KQED
Free for KQED Members
KQED Members can register for tickets at kqed.org/live.
About KQED
KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. An NPR and PBS member station based in San Francisco, KQED is home to one of the most-listened-to public radio stations in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services and an award-winning education program helping students and educators thrive in 21st-century classrooms. A trusted news source and leader and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas. kqed.org