Villaraigosa laughed and high-fived Porter. The former congresswoman\u2019s fast thinking offers a hint as to why she is the closest thing to a front-runner in the race for governor. The former Orange County lawmaker has a marginal lead in a race that is only slowly building momentum.<\/p>\n
The five candidates agreed on many big policy questions<\/p>\n
The public personas and personal biographies of the candidates could play an outsized role in the outcome of June\u2019s primary election because \u2014 as their most recent debate demonstrated \u2014 the policy differences between the top Democratic candidates are modest. While the 2026 vote could offer an anomaly, like the state\u2019s first woman governor, the field\u2019s policy proposals don\u2019t set them apart from the liberal orthodoxy of recent decades. <\/p>\n
Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, California Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former state Controller Betty Yee joined Villaraigosa and Porter in the forum. All agreed they would keep building the over-budget bullet train project, pay Medi-Cal benefits to immigrants in the U.S. illegally and support a Prop. 50 redistricting plan to send more Democrats to the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Some distinctions emerged<\/p>\n
Becerra, Porter and Villaraigosa all said they had voted for Proposition 36, the 2024 anti-crime ballot measure that imposed stricter penalties for repeat theft and crimes involving fentanyl. Thurmond set himself apart by sharply criticizing the measure.<\/p>\n
The candidates also diverged on whether they would support a single-payer healthcare system. Porter and Villaraigosa said they would not, while Becerra, Yee and Thurmond said they would. Asked if California should ban gasoline-powered cars (at an unspecified date) only Thurmond and Villaraigosa answered with a clear \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n
Missing from the session was first-time candidate Stephen J. Cloobeck, who cited a scheduling conflict. State Sen. Toni Atkins dropped out of the race Monday<\/a>. Two Republican candidates \u2014 conservative commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco \u2014 did not fill out an endorsement questionnaire from the labor union sponsoring the debate, which was required to participate.<\/p>\n They used their backgrounds to try to distinguish themselves<\/p>\n Becerra<\/b> said his status as the son of immigrants from Mexico influenced his views on granting health insurance to noncitizens. \u201cI know what happens when you feel like you\u2019re excluded, \u201d he said. \u201cThere is money in the system. We will bring everyone together.\u201d<\/p>\n Porter<\/b> talked about being a single mom and a consumer advocate, saying she would attack powerful interests to help average people. She said she supports SB 79, a measure that would allow high-rise apartment construction near transit stops to increase the state\u2019s housing stock. \u201cIt\u2019s really, really important that nobody \u2014 no area, no county, no city \u2014 escapes from being part of the solution of building more housing and bringing down costs,\u201d Porter said.<\/p>\n Thurmond<\/b> said his background as a child of immigrants who grew up on public assistance gave him special empathy for Californians who have less. He pledged he would \u201ccontinue to work to deconstruct the criminal justice society,\u201d disdaining private prisons and jail time for minor offenses.<\/p>\n Villaraigosa<\/b>, who also served as speaker of the Assembly, called himself a \u201cproven problem solver\u201d who would get opposing parties to sit down at the bargaining table and work out solutions to difficult problems.<\/p>\n Yee <\/b>said she was not \u201cgimmicky\u201d or \u201cflashy,\u201d but knew how to balance budgets and get things done. She was alone among the candidates Sunday in focusing on the problem of climate change, insisting she would push forward, as the Trump administration retreats from policies designed to reduce greenhouse gases. \u201cI believe in data and science,\u201d Yee said, \u201cand we are going to continue to be the climate leaders for the rest of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Today\u2019s top stories Sam Hardman of Tehachapi, Calif., holding a sign against the California City Detention Facility housing migrants, waits in line to speak out during public comment at the City Council meeting on Sept. 23 in California City.<\/p>\n (Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Immigrants decry conditions at ICE\u2019s largest detention center in California<\/p>\n Trump again threatens 100% tariff on movies made outside the U.S.<\/p>\n Newsom signs AI transparency bill prioritizing safety<\/p>\n More big storiesCommentary and opinionsThis morning\u2019s must readsOther great readsFor your downtime A rendering of the Star Trek 60 \u201cSpace for Everybody\u201d float that will be in the 2026 Rose Parade. <\/p>\n (Artistic Entertainment Services)<\/p>\n Going outStaying inA question for you: What do other drivers do on the road that frustrates you?<\/p>\n We\u2019re looking for your takes on L.A. driving etiquette. Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.<\/p>\n And finally … the photo of the day (John Froschauer \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n Today\u2019s great photo is from the Associated Press of Clayton Kershaw walking off the mound after he capped off his legendary career with a win<\/a>. <\/p>\n Have a great day, from the Essential California team<\/b><\/p>\n Jim Rainey, staff reporter <\/a> <\/p>\n
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Hugo Mart\u00edn, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters<\/p>\n