The main candidates for California governorship participated in a meeting organized by CBS News and San Francisco Examiner, where they answered questions from voters on some of the most urgent issues for the state, including housing, public security, climate change, education and access to health.

The event, a question-and-answer session with citizens and moderators, brought together Democrats Xavier Becerra, Matt Mahan, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer and Antonio Villaraigosa, as well as Republicans Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton.

One of the central issues was the high cost of living in California. Katie Porter proposed, as in her debates, eliminating the state income tax for those earning less than $10 $0,000 annually, in addition to offering childcare and free college tuition. “Our policies should make life more affordable for all Californians,” he stated.

For his part, Matt Mahan assured that he will seek to unite Californians around results,” by bragging that during his ge stion in San José the crime rates and homeless people decreased, while housing construction increased.

In housing matters, Antonio Villaraigosa defended the creation of a more agile permitting system to accelerate construction. Xavier Becerra co He stressed the need to “unblock the process” and simplify regulations to increase the housing supply. “It’s not space science,” he declared.

Republican Steve Hilton rejected imposing sanctions on cities that don't meet housing goals and defended developing new residential areas it's outside the large urban centers. Chad Bianco, meanwhile,attributed the housing crisis and homelessness to “years of democratic policies.”

Climate change triggers debate

Climate change also generated strong differences. Chad Bianco questioned human influence on global warming by noting that he doesn't believe people can “control the climate”, despite the scientific consensus on the topic. Steve Hilton recognised the existence of climate change, although he criticized the environmental policies promoted by democrats.

Tom Steyer argued that California must accelerate the transition toward renewable energy. “Clean energy is cheaper than fossil fuels,” he stated. In addition, he criticized Becerra for accepting a contribution from Chevron during the campaign.

On artificial intelligence and data centers, Katie Porter noted that tech companies must cover environmental costs It is derived from their operations. “Those costs should come out of their profits, not from the pockets of Californian families,” he said.

Education and abortion make a difference

In education, the candidates debated about low academic results despite high state spending. Antonio Villaraigosa said that he promoted reforms exit osas during his time as mayor of Los Ángeles, while Xavier Becerra asked to strengthen early education and demand greater accountability.

Tom Steyer proposed increasing teacher salaries by closing tax loopholes for large corporations. Steve Hilton, for his part, proposed reforming the pension system for teachers and facilitating access for working class students to public universities.

Another notable moment occurred when the candidates were questioned about whether they would allow the extradition of California doctors accused in states with almost total bans on the drug. rto, like Louisiana. Hilton and Bianco responded that they would do it, while the Democratic candidates rejected that possibility, aligning with Governor Gavin Newsom's policies.

During the close of the meeting, participants also answered which rival they would support if they don't advance to the general election. Matt Mahan said he would consider resp aldar Villaraigosa because “mayors make things happen”, while Porter assured that he could vote for any of the “democrats”on the stage”.