The candidates for California governor are currently scheduled to meet in just one debate, on Wednesday night, September 30. Steve Hilton told our editorial board that eight debates were offered by different media outlets and organizations, and that he accepted all of them but Xavier Becerra accepted only one, a debate on CNN with no California journalists asking questions.
We were unable to ask Becerra about it. He refused to meet with our editorial board.
Hilton readily answered our questions, explaining his ideas for policy changes that would help Californians economically by reducing taxes. He proposes exempting the first $150,000 from income tax and instituting a flat 8% tax on income above that level. He correctly points out that California currently imposes a sky-high 9.3% tax rate on earnings that are barely above the median income.
An earlier version of his tax-cut plan drew the support of Democrat Katie Porter, a rare bipartisan agreement that taxes are taking too much of the money Californians earn. Hilton observed that the state budget has doubled in ten years. He said he would return the workforce to its pre-Newsom size and stop the funding for high-speed rail.
Hilton has also taken aim at the state’s high vehicle registration fees. He is proposing a cap on those fees of $73 per vehicle, per year. He said he would pay for it by abolishing the Department of Motor Vehicles, noting that many states get by without one.
On housing, Hilton said he is “proudly pro-sprawl,” ready to sweep away unnecessary regulations that are adding an average government cost of $132,000 to the price of a new home. While not opposed to apartment construction, he said, accurately, that the state government has been blocking the development of single-family homes in places that want them.
Hilton also spoke about the need to reform the state’s costly regulations relating to electricity, where four different bureaucracies have jurisdiction.
Finally, Hilton told our editorial board that he would veto any bill passed by the Legislature that raises costs for California residents or businesses. Even though the Legislature would likely have the votes to override any veto, Hilton said the last veto override was in 1979. “They can’t justify what’s in these bills,” he said. “If forced to justify it, much of the opposition will fall away.”
In contrast to Hilton’s specific plans and ideas to make California more affordable for the people who still live here, Becerra has offered little in the way of details about how he would govern the state. He announced a plan to give two hours of free electricity per day to qualifying low-income families. He said he would “issue an executive order declaring California’s housing shortage a state of emergency” on his first day in office.
The home page of Becerra’s website states “The Case for Xavier Becerra” in two paragraphs that focus on fighting the man in the White House. “Californians know all about disasters, but Donald Trump is a man-made natural disaster attacking Californians every day,” Becerra’s website declares.
The rest of the website is mostly generalities and platitudes interrupted by the occasional terrible idea. Becerra’s two-paragraph “Economy & Affordability” plan includes “using the power of the state to lower prices where the market has failed.” The last time that was tried, major insurance companies stopped writing policies in California.
Hilton told our editorial board that the idea of bringing “balance” to California’s political system is resonating with many voters. How many remains to be seen, but at least one candidate for governor is actually bringing energy and ideas to the race.