Three Candidates for California Governor Agree on Immigrant Support at CCF-Backed Forum
Three candidates vying to become the next governor of California pledged to fight federal attacks on the state and backed full support for immigrants, including health care for all regardless of legal status.
At a Jan. 22 gubernatorial forum, the candidates sought to distinguish themselves by their varied experiences: Xavier Becerra, former U.S. congressman, state attorney general and U.S. secretary of health and human services; Antonio Villaraigosa, former Los Angeles mayor and state Assembly speaker; and Betty Yee, former state controller and Board of Equalization member.
The nonpartisan forum was hosted by the California Community Foundation and CA4US, a statewide coalition of civic, business, labor, philanthropic and community leaders working for a humane immigration policy. The Inland Empire Community Foundation and Sierra Health Foundation also hosted the discussion, in partnership with Univision, at a day-long immigration and democracy summit in Los Angeles.
Five other candidates eligible to participate declined to appear, citing scheduling conflicts.
Becerra, Villaraigosa and Yee largely agreed on policies in response to questions by Gabriela Teissier, news anchor for N+ Univision 34 Los Angeles. They all backed funding for community legal services and said health care was a right, not a privilege, with access to it for all Californians regardless of immigration status. Becerra said he fought for the Affordable Care Act as attorney general and during his time as health secretary helped greatly increase the number of those enrolled.
“No one will be excluded, because it is time to recognize…if we don’t give people access to the front door, they’re still going to come in the back door – the emergency room – and cost you and me as taxpayers and as private insurance holders even more money,” he said.
Asked how they would use state authority to protect civil rights and due process from federal overreach in immigration enforcement, Villaraigosa drew on his background as a community organizer and said he would build a movement to fight back, including voter mobilization.
“Power is not given, it’s taken, and we need to build that movement,” he said. “We’ve got to fight for a change in this government.”
Yee said she would work with law enforcement to make sure communities feel safe. Becerra said he would “police the immigration police” and seek prosecutions for those who violate the law.
The three candidates also agreed that health care and education would be top priorities as governor, along with climate change for Yee and homelessness for Villaraigosa. The former L.A. mayor said he increased graduation rates by 60% – although other factors also contributed to an improvement – during his tenure, which was marked by education reform and an initiative that focused on underperforming schools. Becerra pledged to increase funding for schools to lower class sizes.
Asked to name specific actions they would take to protect family stability and keep students in school, Yee said she would promote civics education, including “know your rights” training, and build economic power, incentivizing business development to make sure “everybody has a fair shot going forward.”
Becerra cited his record as state attorney general who sued the federal government more than 120 times and said he would continue to take on those who violate California laws – including limits on how federal immigration agents operate in schools, health facilities and other sensitive areas. Villaraigosa pledged to start a revolving fund to give financial support to children through such nonprofits as the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.
No one offered specific policy ideas when asked how they would address the economic disruptions caused by immigration enforcement and federal actions. Villaraigosa and Becerra said they would focus on affordability so Californians could manage to buy homes and Yee said she would work to bring people together.
In opening and closing statements, the candidates reiterated their experiences as most suited to steer Californians through these fraught times. Becerra said he could “land the plane” through turbulence, saying he helped bring Californians through the worst pandemic ever, widened health care access and successfully sued the federal government to protect the Affordable Care Act and a program to grant work permits and protection from deportation to certain youth who were brought to the United States as children and are in the country without legal status.
“It’s not just a matter of fighting, it’s winning,” he said.
Villaraigosa touted his ties to the area as a third-generation Angeleno who joined the Chicano movement as a high school student and became L.A. mayor who brought crime rates down and graduation rates up.
“I’m a proven problem solver,” Villaraigosa said.
Yee said Californians like her know how to be resilient and fight. She noted that many audience members were wearing black t-shirts bearing the words, “Am I Next?” – part of a CCF campaign to protest abusive federal immigration enforcement – and said she she would work for mutual protection. As a woman, she added, “We know how to build and we know how to take care of one another…and we know how to take care of money.”
Audience members said they appreciated the forum. Eric Payne, executive director of the Central Valley Urban Institute in Fresno, said it was “incredible” to listen to perspectives from candidates with such diverse life experiences as a lawyer, community organizer and chief financial officer.
“The diversity of the candidates, the experience of the candidates – it truly is representative of the state of California, and we could very well have an incredible leader in any of them,” Payne said.
– Teresa Watanabe
