CA Democratic governor hopefuls not bowing out

Candidates stand at podiums on stage during a televised debate titled “The Race for California Governor,” while moderators sit at a desk to the side and an audience watches from the theater seating.

From CalMatters Capitol reporter Jeanne Kuang:

Ten weeks before the primary election, California Democrats still haven’t narrowed down the field of candidates enough to reduce the chances of splitting the vote so much that two Republicans make it to the ballot in November.

That’s what polling released by the Democratic Party on Tuesday showed, with the two GOP candidates — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton — tied for the lead, and Democrats Rep. Eric Swalwell, billionaire Tom Steyer and former Rep. Katie Porter roughly tied behind them. The results mirrored other recent polls in the race.

It was the first of several polls party chairperson Rusty Hicks intends to release in an effort to nudge some of the candidates to drop out.

Hicks: “If you’re polling at 1 to 2 percent, do you have a path to get to 20? That’s the question. Do you have a path to put you in a position to win the primary election?”

But the lower-polling candidates remain unlikely to bow out. Former controller Betty Yee, polling at 1 to 2 percent, told reporters Tuesday afternoon that she’s “staying the course.” Yee is the former vice chairperson of the party and placed second in a tally of party delegates’ support last month.

Yee: “We’ve had this unprecedented effort to try to limit choice for voters, sidelining candidates and frankly pushing them out of the race. I’m not going to let that happen.”

The primary is June 2. About a quarter of likely voters remain undecided.

A Tuesday debate hosted by the University of Southern California and ABC7 might have been a chance for voters to pick a favorite. But USC canceled it at the last minute over an uproar from candidates who were excluded. All those who failed to make the cut, based on a “viability” formula devised by USC professors, were candidates of color.

Meanwhile, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, polling at just 2 to 3 percent, was included because he’s raised millions of dollars, much of it from Silicon Valley, in a short time — boosting him beyond his polling numbers under USC’s formula.

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Preventive approach to homelessness will get tested elsewhere

Then-Mayor Sam Liccardo takes part in the 2022 point-in-time count for Santa Clara County in San Jose on Feb. 23, 2022. Photo by Aric Crabb, MediaNews Group/East Bay Times via Getty Images

A nearly decades-old homelessness prevention program in Santa Clara County is piloting its model throughout the country, reports CalMatters’ Marisa Kendall.

Run by the nonprofit Destination: Home, the program focuses on giving temporary financial support to people who may be on the brink of losing their housing. This approach is different from what cities, counties and the state typically do, which is using resources to help people who are already unhoused get back on their feet.

Over the past year, Destination: Home has given people an average of about $6,500, most of which went toward rent, security deposits and other housing expenses. But participants can also use the money to address issues that are threatening their housing, such as car repairs, medical expenses or credit card debt.

The program has inspired pilots in 10 other places, including California’s San Mateo County, but also counties in Florida and Texas, and communities in Alaska and Minnesota.

Tussle over taxes

The back of a plane taking off from an airport is seen between runway landing lights, with an out-of-focus fence with barbed wire in the foreground. — A plane lands at Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 6, 2025. Photo by Mario Tama, Getty Images

A dispute that’s been brewing since 2014 between California and the Federal Aviation Administration is coming to a head, as the state answers questions about how it’s spending revenue from an aviation fuel tax.

As CalMatters’ Levi Sumagaysay explains, since the 1980s, the FAA has required states to use money from the fuel tax for airports. The federal agency has disputed whether California is spending the money like it’s supposed to.

The state’s finance department responded March 20 that, essentially, the state has spent over $2 billion on airport infrastructure over the time period in question, and is therefore in compliance with the spirit of the law.

The FAA did not answer CalMatters’ questions as to what form enforcement might take if it finds California in the wrong, but at stake are potentially hundreds of millions of federal dollars.

And lastly: Court rejects Bonta’s attempt to block Bianco

A person with a mustache and a sheriff’s uniform speaks at a podium, saying, “Safety Over Sanctuary.” In the background is a row of people dressed professionally and listening to the speech. — Riverside County Sheriff Bianco speaks at a press conference in San Diego on Feb. 21, 2025. Photo by Mike Blake, Reuters

A state appeals court rejected California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s request to stop an attempt by the Riverside County Sheriff to recount votes from last year’s special election. Bonta argued that Bianco’s seizure of 650,000 ballots is intended to “undermine public confidence in our elections.” But the court ruled Tuesday that the lawsuit should have been filed with the Riverside County court instead. Read more from CalMatters’ Cayla Mihalovich and Jeanne.

California Voices

CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: The race to be California’s governor — marked by the odd fact that two Republicans are currently topping the polls — gets even weirder with the USC debate cancellation.

After artificial intelligence exposed how comfortable I became with waiting for district guidance, I used AI to sharpen my professional judgment, clarify my thinking and create a more focused, student-centered lesson, writes Al Rabanera, math teacher at La Vista High School in Fullerton.