SACRAMENTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0 Xavier Becerra seems like the type of steady, trustworthy fellow you\u2019d like your daughter to marry. But she\u2019s attracted to a charming party animal.<\/p>\n
Then the flashy dude does something really stupid and repulsive. Daughter is jarred into her senses and decides to size up the unexciting but reliable guy.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how I\u2019m seeing the suddenly captivating contest to succeed termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom.<\/p>\n
OK, it\u2019s not a perfect analogy. Becerra is 68, been happily married for 37 years and the couple have three grown children. But the principle\u2019s the same: He\u2019s the safe choice. <\/a>The hot other character merely fooled lots of people for a while.<\/p>\n You’re reading the L.A. Times Politics newsletter <\/p>\n George Skelton and Michael Wilner cover the insights, legislation, players and politics you need to know. In your inbox Monday and Thursday mornings. <\/p>\n By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a>, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our Privacy Policy<\/a> such as personalizing your experience and ads. <\/p>\n Becerra is suddenly getting a hard look<\/a> because the fast-stepping, front-running Democrat Eric Swalwell revealed himself to be totally unworthy of public office.<\/a> <\/p>\n Five women accused the married Bay Area congressman of sexual misconduct<\/a>, including rape. He denied the allegations but apologized to his wife for past \u201cmistakes in judgment.\u201d Donors, endorsers, staffers and voters immediately fled his campaign. And he quickly slunk away.<\/p>\n And Becerra surged.<\/a> <\/p>\n Why?<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are looking for something stable,\u201d Becerra answered when I asked. \u201cEverybody likes pizzazz and glitter. Then all of a sudden their hero falls from grace. And they look for who they can trust.\u201d<\/p>\n Dan Schnur, who teaches political communications at USC, UC Berkeley and Pepperdine, says: \u201cDemocrats had a near-death experience with Swalwell. They don\u2019t seem to be in the mood to take more risks.\u201d<\/p>\n Schnur calls Becerra \u201cthis year\u2019s version of Joe Biden\u2019s 2020 campaign.\u201d He\u2019s the safe choice. \u201cSometimes being \u2018none of the above\u2019 is good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n Since Swalwell\u2019s collapse, the once-floundering Becerra has had a meteoric rise in the polls.<\/p>\n A survey conducted for the state Democratic Party showed Becerra rising by 10 points from single digits to tying Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund founder turned climate warrior. Close behind was former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter.<\/p>\n Those three are now the leading Democratic competitors for a slot on the November ballot.<\/a> The top two vote-getters in the June 2 primary, regardless of party, will advance to the general election.<\/p>\n Republican former Fox News host Steve Hilton was leading the entire field in the poll<\/a>, followed closely by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.<\/p>\n Steyer and Porter are both liberals in their ideology and personalities. Neither are flamethrowers, but they\u2018re fiery. In contrast, Becerra also is an ideological liberal, but with a low-key demeanor that might cause one to mistake him for a political moderate.<\/p>\n San Jos\u00e9 Mayor Matt Mahan is clearly a Democratic centrist. But in this era of intense polarization, moderation may be a hard sale. At least, it has been so far for Mahan.<\/p>\n Among those six Democratic and Republican candidates, Becerra boasts by far the most outstanding political resume.<\/p>\n He was U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services under President Biden. Before that as state attorney general, California\u2019s mild-mannered \u201ctop cop\u201d showed his aggressiveness by suing the first Trump administration 123 times and winning the vast majority of cases. He also served 12 terms in Congress from Los Angeles and became part of the Democratic leadership. And he served one term in the state Assembly.<\/p>\n That\u2019s an impressive list. But Schnur says Becerra was \u201cthe least impressive\u201d candidate in a 90-minute televised debate last week.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHe talked in very vague generalities,\u201d the former political operative says, but adds: \u201cIn the middle of the other candidates\u2019 drama and emotional outbursts, he seemed very calm and safe.\u201d<\/p>\n Some pundits and pols have been calling on Becerra to show more fire. But that\u2019s not him. He\u2019s guarded and understated. It\u2019s how he\u2019s wired. If he attempted a personality change, it probably wouldn\u2019t work. There\u2019s a risk of it seeming contrived and phony.<\/p>\n But Becerra should be more specific on issues. Exactly how would he make life better for Californians?<\/p>\n His basic answer when asked how he\u2019d solve a given problem pestering California is essentially: Trust me. I\u2019ll meet with all sides and figure it out.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not just a cop-out. It\u2019s his pragmatic modus operandi.<\/p>\n That reserved style prompted this shot during the debate from Porter, who tends toward specificity:<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Becerra, you have all these lovely plans. But there are never any numbers, any revenue plan, any details. … The how, the why and how much, it\u2019s all missing.\u201d<\/p>\n Becerra responded with some rare emotion: \u201cThat\u2019s very rich to hear from someone who\u2019s never had to actually run a government.\u201d The former Cabinet secretary said he\u2019d balanced four federal HHS budgets that were larger than the California state budget.<\/p>\n I asked Becerra about some issues last week. Here\u2019s partly what he said:<\/p>\n Housing costs: Expedite building by streamlining more regulations. \u201cWe\u2019ll continue to have rules, but let\u2019s make them smart rules.\u201d<\/p>\n Gas prices: Keep more refineries from closing. \u201cLet them know they can operate and produce and not lose money. That\u2019s an easy one.\u201d<\/p>\n High-speed rail: \u201dWe\u2019re going to build the bullet train, but not this bullet train. It\u2019s too expensive. Sit everybody down and come out with a position.\u201d<\/p>\n Banning new gas cars by 2035: Is Newsom\u2019s goal realistic? \u201cSeeing what I see, no. We can\u2019t make it by \u201835, but we can make it.\u201d<\/p>\n But let\u2019s be honest. Elections usually turn more on likability than policy positions.<\/p>\n \u201cDecency may be a quality that goes a long way\u201d in the governor\u2019s race, says longtime Democratic strategist Darry Sragow. \u201cIn part that\u2019s because of the Swalwell revelations and also because of Trump, who\u2019s not decent. Decency may be what people are looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n But Democrats are riled up by Trump and they\u2019re also demanding backbone and fight.<\/p>\n Many are eyeing Becerra as someone perhaps worth partnering up with. A bit more passion from him could help sustain their interest.<\/p>\n What else you should be reading<\/p>\n The must-read: <\/b> The congressional landmine stirring fears about the midterm election \u2014 and a Trump power grab<\/a> Until next week,
Brace yourself:<\/b> Voter ID controversy headed for California with initiative on November ballot<\/a>
The L.A. Times Special<\/b>: How a Trump-endorsed Republican could become California\u2019s next governor<\/a> <\/p>\n
George Skelton<\/p>\n