2026 California – With the June 2 primary approaching, candidates in California’s 2026 governor’s race have sharpened their fights over immigration enforcement, the state’s housing shortage, and what affordability should mean for everyday residents. The contrast between candida
The television debates started in April, but by May the candidates were no longer just trading plans—they were trading accusations about who would protect California’s most vulnerable and who would control a crisis that has outgrown ordinary politics.
On immigration, California’s race is being fought over the fallout from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that began in California last summer. and over what state and local leaders should do—or refuse to do—when federal agents come calling. Xavier Becerra, a former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services leading the Democratic field. vowed to protect and lead the state against the Trump administration’s attacks on immigrants and marginalized communities. His rivals have accused him of failing to protect migrant children when he served as Health and Human Services secretary under the Biden administration.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. a Republican contender. opposes “sanctuary city” laws that block local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration agents. He calls for the deportation of criminal illegal immigrants. says the border must be secured. and has faced criticism from fellow Republicans for supporting a pathway to citizenship for lawful. working undocumented people and for telling his constituents that his deputies were not taking part in Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
Steve Hilton. a former Fox News commentator endorsed by President Trump. opposes California’s state and local sanctuary policies and argues the state must cooperate with the federal government because the governor’s job is to enforce laws “whether the governor agrees with immigration enforcement activity or not.” San José Mayor Matt Mahan says he plans to demand ICE officers be unmasked and vows to go after agents and immigration agency leadership when they violate the constitution and shield communities from unwarranted harassment.
Former Congresswoman Katie Porter argues for state enforcement of sanctuary laws statewide. saying. “so we don’t have crazy cowboys taking the law into their own hands.” Billionaire hedge fund founder Tom Steyer wants California to strengthen its laws so that law enforcement agents can’t profile Californians based on their race. ethnicity. language. occupation or location. and he supports giving the state attorney general authority to hold ICE agents accountable for violent and illegal acts on
the job. Steyer supports abolishing ICE. He has also faced heat on the campaign trail tied to his former hedge fund’s investment in the Corrections Corp. of America—now known as CoreCivic—which operates private prisons around the nation housing people picked up by federal immigration agents. Steyer has repeatedly expressed remorse about his former firm’s ties and said he personally ordered the divestment from private prisons before he sold his stake in the hedge fund.
State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond says he plans to levy a new tax on companies that operate ICE detention centers. fight to abolish ICE. protect California’s sanctuary laws. and work with Congress to establish a pathway to citizenship. Former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa supports helping law-abiding immigrants and says violent criminals have been deported under the state’s sanctuary laws. despite claims to the contrary by Republican candidates.
The immigration fight bleeds into housing and homelessness, where every candidate is promising speed, money, and control—sometimes by expanding state support, sometimes by stripping away oversight.
Becerra says he will cut “unnecessary red tape” and speed up approvals for projects that meet affordability and environmental standards. For homelessness, he wants a $150-million annual homelessness prevention fund to pay rents and fight eviction or foreclosure.
Bianco frames the housing crunch as a product of regulation and proposes eliminating the California Environmental Quality Act. the California Coastal Commission. and the California Air Resources Board. On homelessness. he wants cities to clear encampments and prioritize mental health and substance abuse treatment. and he wants to force people to accept drug treatment “when necessary.”.
Hilton proposes reforming the California Environmental Quality Act so that only government prosecutors can sue. preventing private individuals and organizations from stopping or delaying new housing projects. He also says rent control measures reduce the incentive to build housing and wants to restructure or eliminate them. On homelessness, Hilton wants to build more low-cost group shelters instead of permanent housing.
Mahan. who also argues for a faster route to new housing. says he wants to lower developer fees and taxes for infill housing and build more homes off-site in California-based factories so they are cheaper than building on site. On homelessness. he wants to make the state’s Homeless Housing. Assistance and Prevention grant permanent and fund it at $1 billion a year.
Porter says she would “greenlight innovative building strategies, shred unnecessary red tape and create incentives” to build needed housing, and she wants more interim housing, emergency rental assistance, and rapid rehousing programs.
Steyer is pledging to make it harder for large corporations to buy up the state’s housing stock and wants to encourage cheaper methods of home construction. On homelessness, he wants to expand interim housing options and homeless services.
Thurmond says he wants to build 2 million new homes for “working Californians,” on 75,000 acres of surplus land that local school districts own, and he wants to increase housing units that include mental health and substance abuse services.
Villaraigosa wants to cut development fees and reform CEQA to speed housing development, particularly for infill housing, and he wants to double the state’s investment in Newsom’s Homekey program to build an additional 10,000 units of permanent supportive housing over five years.
Affordability arguments in the campaign echo the same split: some candidates stress state intervention against price pressure; others stress taxes, permitting, and energy.
Becerra says he will stand up to price gouging and unjustified rate hikes and use the power of the state to lower prices “where the market has failed.” Bianco wants to cut taxes for working families and businesses. stop the “over-regulation on California’s economy. ” support job growth. and unleash the state’s energy resources to lower the price of gas and utilities.
Hilton proposes eliminating income taxes on people who earn less than $100,000 and on the first $100,000 for Californians who earn more than that, and he wants to end California’s current tax on tips so tipped workers keep more of their earnings.
Mahan supports a “Gas Tax Holiday” that ends or reduces the tax on gas, and he wants to cap fees charged for new housing construction.
Porter supports single-payer healthcare, providing free child care and college tuition, and making wealthy corporations pay their “fair share” in taxes through a progressive corporate tax. She also supports ending income taxes for those who earn less than $100,000.
Steyer calls himself the only candidate willing to take on corporate special interests that drive up the cost of living, and he supports lowering gas prices while streamlining permitting, reforming zoning, and enforcing laws to build affordable homes faster. He also supports single-payer healthcare.
Thurmond wants a tax credit to help Californians pay for rising cost of gas, groceries, and housing. He plans a universal childcare program and low-cost loans for small businesses to make improvements. while Villaraigosa supports a California Fuel Affordability Guarantee to cap gas prices for working families.
Even as the race plays out across major issues like immigration, housing, and homelessness, the campaign remains grounded in the specifics of what candidates say they’ll do once in office—down to how film and television productions move through state rules.
Becerra supports state requirements that mandate productions disclose how AI is being used, cutting the “bureaucratic friction” of getting a filming location permit, and upholding a state requirement that ensures digital platforms share meaningful performance data with cast, writers, and directors.
Hilton wants to restore California’s competitive edge by creating financial incentives for film productions, covering initial and technical costs associated with developing a film or television project, and reserving funding for independent and mid-budget projects.
Mahan says he plans to expand and modernize production incentives and make them more competitive, and he says protections should apply to everyone who works on a film or television project—from the technical crew to writers, directors, and actors.
Steyer says he wants to block corporate mergers in entertainment, defend and expand film tax credits, and eliminate regulations and hurdles for permitting and logistics that “slow down productions.”
The June 2 primary is now the focal point for voters deciding who can replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Recent polls have shown the leading Democratic candidate is Xavier Becerra. whose campaign is focusing on affordability and housing for what he calls “working Californians.” Vying for one of the top two spots are Republican contender Steve Hilton. a former Fox News commentator endorsed by President Trump. and Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer. a hedge fund founder turned environmental warrior.
Times staff writers Seema Mehta, Nicole Nixon and Andrew Khouri contributed to this report.
2026 California governor's race immigration ICE raids sanctuary laws housing shortage homelessness Xavier Becerra Steve Hilton Tom Steyer Chad Bianco Matt Mahan Katie Porter Tony Thurmond Antonio Villaraigosa