Becerra, Hilton face off in first head-to-head debate for California governor's race, tell me about this news in (https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/xavier-becerra-steve-hilton-california-governor-debate/)
01-10-2026
Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra and Republican candidate Steve Hilton met for their first head-to-head debate ahead of the California gubernatorial election. Both candidates aimed to win over the 47.4% of voters who supported other candidates during the primary.
Key highlights from the debate covered several major issues:
Affordability and Taxes: Hilton promoted his proposal to cut taxes on the first $150,000 of income and repeal the state gas tax, arguing that leaving more money in people’s pockets is the fastest way to relieve financial pressure. Becerra opposed this, arguing the cuts would harm state services and working families.
Housing: Hilton proposed capping fees on new home builds and incorporating 10 new cities where counties would bid to host construction, criticizing top-down state mandates. Becerra focused on increasing housing supply by cutting red tape, expanding down-payment assistance, curbing institutional investor bidding, and enforcing local construction mandates.
Technology and Artificial Intelligence: Hilton criticized Becerra over political donations from tech corporations. Becerra responded by citing his record of suing major tech giants like Meta, Google, and Amazon, adding that he supports placing limits on data centers to protect local power and water resources.
Immigration: Hilton emphasized removing undocumented immigrants who have committed violent crimes while securing the border. Becerra referenced Hilton’s background as an immigrant from the United Kingdom, criticizing his rhetoric and alignment with aggressive federal immigration enforcement.
Entertainment Industry: Both candidates agreed on keeping film and television production in California rather than losing it to out-of-state or international locations. However, Hilton blamed 16 years of Democratic governance for driving production jobs out of the state.
Recent polling leading up to the debate showed Becerra holding a substantial lead over Hilton, with surveys from both the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and the Public Policy Institute of California placing Becerra ahead by roughly 20 to 25 percentage points among likely voters.