Candidates for California governor mostly agree as they face off two years before the election

If the early days — very, very early days — of the campaign are any indication, choosing California’s next governor could be a matter of splitting hairs and parsing degrees of difference between the candidates.

At a forum today hosted by the National Union of Healthcare Workers and the Los Angeles Times — the first in a race where no votes will be cast until 2026 — four top Democratic hopefuls sounded nearly indistinguishable in their positions on the progressive priorities and unresolved problems likely to define the election in this liberal state.

Create a publicly-funded universal health care system, a key platform for the union? Check. Raise the minimum wage and allow striking workers to collect unemployment benefits, which organized labor has lobbied for in recent years? Check and check. Maintain Gov. Gavin Newsom’s death penalty moratorium and commitment to phasing out sales of new gas-powered cars? Check again.

The accord was so thorough that the participants often began their answers throughout the 90-minute event by noting their agreement with what their colleagues had just said. That left primarily biography as a means for them to carve out their own lanes.

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis pointed to her background as a housing developer as uniquely preparing her to help California build its way out of an affordability crisis. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who grew up relying on public assistance, said he would fight for working people. Former Controller Betty Yee asked voters to consider her nearly 40 years in public service taking on big interests and solving problems. Former state Senate leader Toni Atkins said she was the candidate most ready to hit the ground running on day one, because of her record of accomplishment on all these issues in the Legislature.

Notably, the most moderate major Democrat to jump into the race so far — former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who tried tacking to the center in an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid against Newsom in 2018 — was not present. Villaraigosa was invited, but a spokesperson said he was unavailable to attend, which may have robbed the forum of some clearer differentiation.

One of the few issues raised where the foursome did not sound in total lockstep was Proposition 36, a measure on the November ballot to increase the penalties for repeat theft and drug crimes that voters rolled back a decade ago, making them felonies again.

While Newsom has been a vocal opponent of the initiative, voters appear poised to pass it overwhelmingly amid ongoing frustrations about crime rates. That puts Democratic officials, who have worked to lessen harsh sentencing policies that they believe contributed to over-incarceration in California, in a political bind — especially those who will be on the ballot in less than two years.

Only Yee definitively said she would vote no on Proposition 36. She said more money for community supervision and supportive services for people leaving prison would be a better investment.

“We have successful, holistic reentry programs that can be helpful here,” she said. “This is an economic issue. For many who are committing crimes, they are doing it because they’re just trying to put food on the table for their families.”

Atkins said she preferred a package of legislation passed this year to deal with retail theft, so she would likely not support Prop 36. The state should focus on penalties for those who commit violent crimes, she added.

“I do not want the pendulum to swing back and incarcerate more people. We’ve been there, we’ve done that, it doesn’t work,” she said.

Both Thurmond and Kounalakis said they were undecided on Prop. 36. Thurmond took issue with provisions of the measure dealing with drug crimes and called for expanding programs that aim to keep young people out of the criminal justice system in the first place.

“It is proven just by locking up more people in this state is not going to prevent crime,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to put people in jail who have a substance abuse problem.”

Kounalakis acknowledged concerns about “deteriorating public safety” and said California has “to send the message that it’s not okay to steal,” but she worried that “this initiative is complicated and it is probably not going to do what people want.” She said wanted to keep her vote private.

Californians won’t vote for their next governor for another year and a half — the primary election is in June 2026 — but the race has already long been underway.

Kounalakis formally kicked off the campaign last year in April, just months after she was sworn into her second term as the state’s second in command. A parade of prominent Democratic officials has followed, including Thurmond, Atkins, Yee and Villaraigosa — many of whom would make history by winning the governorship.

Atkins, Kounalakis or Yee would be California’s first woman governor. Atkins would also be the first openly LGBTQ+ person to lead the state, while Thurmond would be the first Black person and Yee would be the first Asian American.

Though voters are more focused these days on a maddeningly tight presidential contest in November, the early start gives gubernatorial hopefuls an opportunity to raise the tremendous financial resources needed to run a statewide race in California and to curry favor with influential groups whose endorsements and volunteers could augment the candidates’ own efforts.

That’s what so many major players were doing Sunday at the National Union of Healthcare Workers’ candidate forum, held in San Francisco during its annual leadership conference. 

Though the union is not issuing an official endorsement yet, members held a non-binding straw poll, the results of which were expected later today and could create a sense of momentum for candidates in a crowded and unsettled field. At least two top Democrats are reportedly still considering whether to enter the race at a later date: Attorney General Rob Bonta and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.