Xavier Becerra

CalMatters' nonpartisan 2026 voter guide page for governor, describing both candidates' backgrounds and positions issue by issue (economy, taxes, housing, homelessness, climate, Trump, justice, health care, tech and AI, education), with endorsements and links to candidate profiles.

• Background: two decades in Congress, AG from 2017 leading suits against the first Trump administration, and HHS Secretary under Biden, where he steered the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and drew criticism for the care of migrant children in HHS custody.
• Cost of living and housing: declare a state of emergency to freeze insurance and utility rates and fund 40,000 already-approved affordable units; push cities to zone more housing; expand down-payment assistance; limit bulk corporate home purchases.
• Taxes: supports a progressive income tax and extending a higher rate on high earners for schools; opposes Proposition 40 (billionaire wealth tax); has not ruled out raising taxes.
• Climate: supports clean-energy goals but is open to revising them, including the 2035 gas-car sales ban, if they make fuel unaffordable.
• Justice: voted for Proposition 36 and would fully fund it; supports the sanctuary law, which he defended in court.
• Health care: moved from single payer to expanding coverage to as many residents as possible; proposes cutting insurer administrative spending, more telehealth coverage, and a health-workforce fund.
• Education: CalMatters says he has not released any major education policy proposals.
• Hilton's contrasting positions are summarized side by side on each issue.

The home page of Becerra's 2026 campaign website ("Build, Protect, and Lead California"). It presents the campaign's case for Becerra, centered on his record of litigating against the Trump administration as attorney general and his record as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, and lists recent campaign press releases.

• The campaign says he is running "to make sure that California keeps rising" by building the economy and protecting rights and freedoms.
• The campaign says that as attorney general he sued the Trump administration more than 120 times and won victories protecting Obamacare, workers and Dreamers.
• The campaign says that as HHS Secretary he expanded health coverage to more than 24 million Americans and stood up to drug companies on prescription costs.
• Recent releases listed: a Sept. 30, 2026 post-debate statement, a Sept. 17, 2026 fire-safety affordability plan announced in Altadena, and an Aug. 11, 2026 free "Power Hour" proposal to cut utility bills.

A short California Department of Justice release announcing that, in the DACA litigation led by Attorney General Becerra, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration's rescission of DACA pending a final decision. It links video of Becerra's press conference.

• The federal district court in Northern California issued a preliminary injunction against the DACA rescission.
• The injunction blocks implementation until a final decision in the litigation.
• The Attorney General's office continued to urge Congress to pass a permanent solution.

A California Department of Justice press release in which then-Attorney General Becerra announced he was prepared to sue the Trump administration over its rescission of the DACA program, with a statement from Becerra.

• Becerra said terminating DACA "violated the Constitution and federal law."
• He said nearly 80 percent of voters want to protect Dreamers' legal status and that California businesses would lose more than a billion dollars in turnover costs.
• The release says roughly a quarter of DACA grantees, more than 220,000 young people, live in California.
• In July 2017 Becerra led 20 attorneys general in a letter urging President Trump to maintain DACA.

The "Priorities" index page of Becerra's 2026 campaign website, with one-paragraph statements on health care, fighting Donald Trump, housing, affordability, energy and utilities, disaster preparedness, artificial intelligence, homelessness and wildfire protection. Each links to a longer issue page.

• Health care: "as California's Health Care Governor I will deliver affordable care without debt or delays, strengthen Medi-Cal, close racial and economic gaps, and build toward a universal single-payer system."
• Trump: he cites "a proven record of facing and winning against Donald Trump, 122 times in fact as California's Attorney General."
• Housing: "I will treat housing like the essential infrastructure it is."
• Affordability: standing up to price gouging and unjustified rate hikes, expanding childcare help, and "using the power of the state to lower prices where the market has failed."
• Homelessness: "We have spent billions, and the results are not good enough."
• AI: "AI should broaden opportunity, not concentrate it."

GrowSF, a San Francisco advocacy group, recommends voting for Xavier Becerra for governor in its November 2026 guide (last updated Sept. 24, 2026). It praises his experience and housing and public-safety record while criticizing his low-profile campaign, and criticizes Steve Hilton's record and tax plan. Neither candidate returned GrowSF's questionnaire.

• GrowSF recommends Becerra.
• On Becerra: as AG he sued the first Trump administration 120 times, filed the state's first lawsuit against a city over housing planning, broke with Newsom to vote for Prop 36, opposes the billionaire tax, and says he would declare a housing emergency on day one and fund nearly 40,000 approved subsidized homes.
• GrowSF says Becerra has treated his poll lead "as a reason to say as little as possible" and quotes him: "I would prefer not to run on inflated promises. I will run on my record."
• On Hilton: GrowSF says he called for an audit of the 2020 election, promoted a theory blaming Dr. Anthony Fauci for the pandemic, was endorsed by Trump in April, would repeal the sanctuary law, and would roll back climate rules.
• GrowSF says Hilton's plan to end state income tax on the first $150,000 with a flat 8% above it has no stated offsetting cuts, a gap a Chapman University economist put at almost a third of the state budget.

LAist account of the Sept. 30, 2026 CNN debate in Burbank between Becerra and Steve Hilton, moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. It reports that Becerra mentioned Trump more than a dozen times and tied Hilton to Trump on taxes, AI, drilling, immigration and housing, while Hilton accused Becerra of offering no concrete solutions. The article is a CalMatters story by Jeanne Kuang, republished.

• Becerra: "You're going to end up with Trump results if you follow Steve Hilton's plans," criticizing Hilton's tax plan as also cutting taxes for the wealthiest.
• On AI, Becerra said he would limit AI data centers in communities that oppose them; Hilton noted Becerra's campaign received donations from Anthropic and OpenAI.
• On immigration, Becerra said Hilton "seem[s] to welcome immigrants who look like you, but deport immigrants who look like me"; Hilton called it "disgraceful."
• On housing, Becerra proposed reducing permit hurdles, boosting down-payment assistance, and stopping Wall Street investors from competing with homebuyers, citing his AG lawsuit against Huntington Beach.
• Hilton noted Becerra once graded Newsom an "A for effort" on homelessness; Becerra said Trump has blocked federal homelessness funding.
• Hilton: "All you ever say is 'Trump, Trump, Trump,'" calling it "an insult to every Californian who is desperate for something to change."
• Hilton proposed building 10 new cities and allowing more construction on undeveloped land: "We have got so much space that we could be building in."
• Both support expanding the state film tax credit; asked who was in charge as film jobs left, Becerra said "Donald Trump" and Hilton said "The Democrats."

KQED account of the Sept. 30, 2026 CNN debate in Burbank between Becerra and Steve Hilton, moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. It reports that Becerra mentioned Trump more than a dozen times and tied Hilton to Trump on taxes, AI, drilling, immigration and housing, while Hilton accused Becerra of offering no concrete solutions. The article is a CalMatters story by Jeanne Kuang, republished.

• Becerra: "You're going to end up with Trump results if you follow Steve Hilton's plans," criticizing Hilton's tax plan as also cutting taxes for the wealthiest.
• On AI, Becerra said he would limit AI data centers in communities that oppose them; Hilton noted Becerra's campaign received donations from Anthropic and OpenAI.
• On immigration, Becerra said Hilton "seem[s] to welcome immigrants who look like you, but deport immigrants who look like me"; Hilton called it "disgraceful."
• On housing, Becerra proposed reducing permit hurdles, boosting down-payment assistance, and stopping Wall Street investors from competing with homebuyers, citing his AG lawsuit against Huntington Beach.
• Hilton noted Becerra once graded Newsom an "A for effort" on homelessness; Becerra said Trump has blocked federal homelessness funding.
• Hilton: "All you ever say is 'Trump, Trump, Trump,'" calling it "an insult to every Californian who is desperate for something to change."
• Hilton proposed building 10 new cities and allowing more construction on undeveloped land: "We have got so much space that we could be building in."
• Both support expanding the state film tax credit; asked who was in charge as film jobs left, Becerra said "Donald Trump" and Hilton said "The Democrats."

Long document: only the first 9,000 characters were summarized.

ABC30 Fresno account of the Sept. 30, 2026 CNN debate, with quotes from both candidates on government, experience, taxes, AI data centers and gas prices.

• Hilton: California's spirit "is being crushed by this bloated, badly-run, bureaucratic government that Xavier has been a part of."
• Becerra: "you can't do it with someone who's never served, with someone who's never balanced a budget."
• Hilton opened by thanking CNN "for bringing Xavier out of hiding."
• Hilton said tax relief would come from "Canceling high-speed rail."
• Becerra (per ABC30) said data centers that only "rob their energy and electricity, and their water" are "not a good deal"; Hilton said safety should be AI companies' priority, "whether that's done by them or we need regulations."
• On gas, Hilton pressed Becerra for the national average price; Becerra answered "Two dollars more than it was when Donald Trump started the war in Iran."

CalMatters account of the Sept. 30, 2026 CNN debate in Burbank between Becerra and Steve Hilton, moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. It reports that Becerra mentioned Trump more than a dozen times and tied Hilton to Trump on taxes, AI, drilling, immigration and housing, while Hilton accused Becerra of offering no concrete solutions.

• Becerra: "You're going to end up with Trump results if you follow Steve Hilton's plans," criticizing Hilton's tax plan as also cutting taxes for the wealthiest.
• On AI, Becerra said he would limit AI data centers in communities that oppose them; Hilton noted Becerra's campaign received donations from Anthropic and OpenAI.
• On immigration, Becerra said Hilton "seem[s] to welcome immigrants who look like you, but deport immigrants who look like me"; Hilton called it "disgraceful."
• On housing, Becerra proposed reducing permit hurdles, boosting down-payment assistance, and stopping Wall Street investors from competing with homebuyers, citing his AG lawsuit against Huntington Beach.
• Hilton noted Becerra once graded Newsom an "A for effort" on homelessness; Becerra said Trump has blocked federal homelessness funding.
• Hilton: "All you ever say is 'Trump, Trump, Trump,'" calling it "an insult to every Californian who is desperate for something to change."
• Hilton proposed building 10 new cities and allowing more construction on undeveloped land: "We have got so much space that we could be building in."
• Both support expanding the state film tax credit; asked who was in charge as film jobs left, Becerra said "Donald Trump" and Hilton said "The Democrats."

ABC7 San Francisco story on a brief interview with Becerra one week before the June 2026 primary, centered on his closing message of experience and competence, with quotes on housing, permitting, oil-industry contributions, Tom Steyer's self-funding and health care.

• Becerra: "competence is cool... Having experience is hot," and the state should not have someone "who needs training wheels."
• Responding to criticism over Chevron contributions, he said "I took on the oil industry as attorney general. The record speaks for itself."
• On housing he said "There are 40,000 affordable housing units that are ready to go" lacking final funding.
• His "magic wand" issue is the slow permitting process.
• ABC7 reports he reiterated support for "Medicare for All" while expanding coverage incrementally.

CalMatters takeaways (republished by LAist) from the May 14, 2026 final primary debate in San Francisco, where rivals focused attacks on frontrunner Becerra and Hilton declined to answer yes or no on stricter regulation of AI chatbots for children.

• Rivals attacked Becerra over a Chevron contribution, his performance at a housing forum, hospice fraud during his HHS tenure, and the guilty plea that day of former strategist Dana Williamson in the campaign-account theft case.
• Katie Porter pressed "What is Mr. Becerra's revenue plan?"; Becerra pointed to restricting some corporations' use of tax credits, an idea Newsom proposed that day.
• Becerra: "This is what happens when you take the lead in the polls... They all come at you," and cited a prosecutor's statement that "no candidate running for governor has been implicated."
• Asked if he could guarantee the case would not be a distraction, Becerra said "I can."
• On regulating AI chatbots that interact with children, Hilton refused a yes-or-no: "it's not as simple as that" and "It causes problems that are unintended."
• Hilton said of himself and Chad Bianco: "Only two of us actually represent real change."

LAist's edited transcript of AirTalk host Larry Mantle's interview with Becerra, recorded April 13, 2026, before a live audience at Loyola Marymount University. Becerra answers questions on single-payer health care, health-care fraud, the state's structural deficit, coverage for undocumented residents, labor unions, homelessness spending, gas prices, pandemic response and ICE enforcement, and closes with his family story.

• On single-payer: Becerra says Medicare is "essentially a single-payer healthcare system" and California could move to Medicare for All, but says federal law (including ERISA) would need to change and "I don't think this federal government's gonna help us get to single payer."
• On fraud: he says states and localities administer programs, says California has not done enough against Medi-Cal fraud, and says that as AG he "stood up a separate division to deal with Medi-Cal fraud."
• On the $20–35 billion structural deficit, he answers "Both" to cuts and tax increases, citing his experience balancing the HHS budget, and says savings could come from standardizing health-care billing codes and reducing prior-authorization disputes; he says he is "not talking about cutting the reimbursement."
• On coverage for undocumented residents: "Not only can it, it must," arguing early care costs less than emergency-room care.
• On unions, he defends higher wages, says "I'm not beholden to anybody in particular," and allows that some legislators may be "overly helpful to particular interests."
• On homelessness spending, he promises accountability and enforcement against misuse, as he says he did as AG.
• On gas prices he first says "I'd get rid of President Donald Trump first," then proposes keeping in-state gasoline production, building clean-energy infrastructure, and replacing withdrawn federal clean-energy subsidies.
• On ICE, he says state law enforcement could "investigate," "charge," "prosecute" and "incarcerate" ICE agents who violate state law.

A KQED Political Breakdown episode page for Scott Shafer's Feb. 20, 2026 conversation with Becerra. The page text is a short description, with the interview itself only as an embedded video; it contains no transcript.

• KQED says Becerra calls the race a "break-glass moment" for California.
• The episode covers his upbringing as a son of working-class immigrant parents, his legal fights with the Trump administration, and his management of the HHS budget.

Long document: only the first 3,000 characters were summarized.

FOX 11 Los Angeles write-up of Becerra's first TV interview after announcing his run for governor, on "The Issue Is: with Elex Michaelson." It quotes him on his motivation, his "lane," health care for undocumented Californians, and transgender athletes, and reports that he did not give specific policy changes when asked repeatedly.

• Becerra said he was running because families like his immigrant parents' can no longer afford "the California dream," and because of "what's happening in Washington D.C."
• He described his lane as "Builder" and said as AG he "proved a protector of our values."
• FOX 11 reports that when asked repeatedly for specific policy changes or differences from Gov. Newsom, he did not give a specific answer and described a process of "scrubbing" problems with experts.
• On health care for undocumented Californians he said everyone should have access but "if we can't afford it, we need to be realistic."
• On transgender athletes he said the issue "has been blown way out of proportion" and that schools or athletic bodies should decide.
• He criticized job cuts at HHS under his successor Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Official GPO transcript of the Senate Finance Committee's April 5, 2022 hearing on the President's fiscal 2023 HHS budget, with HHS Secretary Becerra's opening statement and answers on mental-health parity, hearing aids, responsiveness to Congress, Medicare solvency, drug prices, drug shortages and health equity.

• Becerra cites more than 255 million Americans with at least one COVID vaccine dose, 325 million free at-home tests and 270 million free N95 masks.
• He cites 14.5 million ACA enrollees and a rule to fix the "family glitch."
• The FY2023 request: $127 billion discretionary, $1.7 trillion mandatory, and $82 billion for pandemic preparedness.
• On mental-health parity he proposes more state enforcement money and eliminating Medicare's 190-day lifetime limit on psychiatric hospital care.
• Asked by Sen. Grassley whether Biden has a Medicare solvency plan, he said the administration was prepared to work on a bipartisan basis, focusing on costs rather than benefits.
• On drug prices he said the administration would "use whatever available authority we have" while seeking bipartisan legislation.

Long document: only the first 35,760 characters were summarized.

Official GPO transcript of the House Ways and Means Committee's March 28, 2023 hearing on President Biden's fiscal 2024 budget request with HHS Secretary Becerra as sole witness. It includes Becerra's opening statement and his answers to members on drug-price negotiation, Medicare solvency, telehealth waivers, CMMI and implementation of the No Surprises Act.

• Becerra's opening statement cites more than 16 million ACA marketplace enrollees, a $35 monthly insulin cap, and nearly 700 million COVID vaccine shots.
• He describes the FY2024 request as $144 billion discretionary and $1.7 trillion mandatory, framed as moving "from an illness care system to a wellness care system."
• Chairman Jason Smith criticized the budget's Medicare solvency claims as "budgetary sleight of hand"; Becerra said the President proposed "a real plan to deal with Medicare."
• Rep. Adrian Smith raised New York Times reporting on unaccompanied children, sponsor vetting and ORR "losing track of these children" and asked for a response to his letter.
• Rep. Brad Wenstrup accused Becerra of implementing the No Surprises Act against the statute; Becerra said HHS followed court guidance and that arbitrators, not he, called claims frivolous, noting 164,000 disputes in eight months.
• Becerra said HHS would keep the committee informed on drug-price negotiation and supported making telehealth flexibilities permanent through Congress.

Long document: only the first 76,462 characters were summarized.

A California Department of Justice release reprinting excerpts of a VICE profile of then-Attorney General Becerra, reporting he had filed 35 lawsuits against the federal government since Trump's inauguration and quoting him on defending California policies and on his immigrant family background.

• The profile reports 35 lawsuits against the federal government by June 2018, on healthcare, immigration, net neutrality, and student-loan relief, among others.
• Becerra is quoted saying "We're going to do everything we can to defend California's values."
• It mentions suits over fuel-economy rollbacks (leading 16 states) and the 2020 Census citizenship question, and two new suits against the EPA.
• Becerra describes his parents' experience with discrimination and calls their path "the American Dream."

KFF Health News reporting (republished by Times of San Diego) on the candidates' opposing positions on state-funded Medi-Cal coverage for immigrants without legal status, with budget and polling context. Becerra would keep the coverage; Hilton would end it.

• Becerra said in a May debate: "It would be foolish to tell a family that they don't have access to the pediatrician or the family doc."
• Becerra wrote in an Orange County Register questionnaire: "Stop treating coverage as a budget variable that expands in good years and contracts when revenue dips."
• Becerra objected in 2025 when Newsom and legislators froze enrollment for adults without legal status, cut benefits and imposed premiums; he has vowed new revenue such as higher taxes on corporations and the wealthiest.
• Hilton, in a June 2 Facebook video: "Stop taking money from California taxpayers who can barely afford their healthcare to give free healthcare to citizens of other countries who shouldn't even be here."
• Hilton promised to use the savings to lower health costs for others "without detailing how"; neither campaign responded to KFF.

TheWrap reports on Becerra's seven-point plan for entertainment-industry jobs, released 10 days before the June 2026 primary, quoting his press release.

• The plan proposes a California Entertainment Summit of unions, crews, producers, executives and streamers to "produce a public action plan."
• Becerra calls the $750 million film tax credit "the floor" and says he would expand it based on where work is being lost, but does not commit to uncapping it, unlike some rivals.
• It supports a content-performance disclosure requirement for studios and streamers and disclosure of AI use, with performer rights over their likeness.
• It also proposes cutting local permitting red tape, workforce development with guilds, and pushing for a federal production subsidy.

CalMatters reporting (republished by KPBS) on how Becerra responded during the primary to criticism of his record, especially HHS's handling of unaccompanied migrant children and a fraud case involving his dormant state campaign account. It reports that he dismissed or deflected the criticism, and sets out what a 2024 HHS inspector general audit found.

• Becerra called criticism over migrant children a "MAGA talking point" and a "Trump lie"; CalMatters notes the allegations rest on a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times investigation.
• Becerra said: "What employers did after they left our care, after they left our jurisdiction... was not on my watch."
• A 2024 HHS Office of Inspector General audit found missing documentation of sponsor background checks in 16% of cases and late follow-up calls in more than one-fifth of cases.
• In the campaign-account case, strategist Dana Williamson was charged with conspiring to divert $10,000 a month to former chief of staff Sean McCluskie, who pleaded guilty; Becerra is not implicated and prosecutors consider him a victim.
• Becerra says he approved the payments believing they were for account maintenance and legal compliance.

KQED reporting, republished by LAist, that Becerra softened his long-standing support for single-payer health care as the California Medical Association, which opposes single payer, endorsed him on April 28, 2026. It sets his earlier statements beside a campaign spokesperson's current position.

• CMA president Dr. René Bravo says Becerra told doctors "at this point, he wasn't supportive of single payer."
• On March 23, 2026, Becerra posted that he was "ready to go further as Governor and deliver single-payer health care for our state."
• A campaign spokesperson wrote that single payer "is the right goal — but it's not possible under this administration."
• Becerra told the doctors his focus was funding losses from H.R. 1, expected to cost California safety-net programs $9.5 billion a year.
• Assemblymember Ash Kalra says Becerra "knows how to get it done" but endorsed Steyer for his clearer commitment to single payer.

KQED reporting (republished by LAist) comparing primary-season tax proposals of the leading governor candidates in April 2026. It does not describe a Becerra tax plan; it says candidates other than those profiled "have not released detailed tax proposals." It details Steve Hilton's then-current plan.

• Hilton argued the budget has nearly doubled since 2017 and that the cost of doing business drives poverty and higher taxes.
• Hilton's April 2026 plan: no state income tax under $100,000, flat 7.5% above; eliminate the roughly $800 minimum franchise tax; oppose changes to Proposition 13.
• Hilton believes the tax cuts will grow the economy and could raise revenue.
• None of the leading candidates indicated which programs they would cut to offset lost revenue.
• Porter, Steyer, Bianco, Mahan and Thurmond plans are also described; Becerra is not discussed.

The California Secretary of State's Official Voter Information Guide page of governor candidate statements. It lists Xavier Becerra (Democratic) and states "No candidate statement." for him; the other listed candidate also submitted no statement. The page also describes the governor's duties.

• Xavier Becerra is listed as a Democratic candidate for governor.
• No candidate statement was submitted by Xavier Becerra.
• The governor oversees most state departments and agencies, appoints judges, proposes and approves or vetoes legislation, submits the annual budget, and directs state resources in emergencies.

A press release from rival Democrat Tom Steyer's primary campaign attacking Becerra's policy plans as thin, legally questionable, or inconsistent, and contrasting them with Steyer's own plans.

• Says a POLITICO report found Becerra's plan to declare a state of emergency and freeze property insurance is "very likely illegal" according to experts.
• Quotes former Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones calling the proposal "very questionable."
• Says Becerra's single-payer stance "shifts depending on who's in the room."
• Calls Becerra's AI, housing and climate plans sparse, and notes a maximum contribution from Chevron.