Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra’s campaign strategy is to say as little as possible—and when he does talk, it’s usually a gaffe or a set of failed, uninspiring policy ideas.
Recently, Becerra told voters not to expect many big promises, which is a refreshing departure from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who made endless promises and delivered on nearly none of them.
“I can make some really big promises,” the former state Attorney General said at an event in Sacramento last week. “But that doesn’t get us anywhere—it may get us elected, but I would prefer not to run on inflated promises that I can’t deliver on.”
But he should promise something, right? After all, he might be the next governor, and voters deserve to have some sense of what he plans to do.
Sure, Becerra’s website lists a few policy positions and ideas. He recently held his first press availability since June, and that seemed to happen only because he caught so much flak for running from reporters the week prior.
It’s a bad sign when awkward silence is preferable to the alternative. Speaking at a conference in late July, Becerra went to war with brick-and-mortar taco vendors because, apparently, they can’t possibly serve “real” street tacos.
“There’s real food in California and there are real street tacos, and you don’t get them in some establishment that’s been around for a long time,” Becerra said. “You get it from the street, from the guy who’s been making it for a long time in his little cart.”
In a very literal sense, he’s right. Definitionally, street tacos have to be served on the street. But is this really the hill he wanted to die on? The crowd of Latino activists and policymakers he was addressing undoubtedly knew that street-style tacos can be served anywhere.
It was really just Becerra’s clunky attempt to draw a contrast with his Republican opponent, Steve Hilton, who made a campaign stop at a Del Taco months ago. Taking a shot at your opponent is fine, but if you can’t do it without making a gaffe, it just looks amateurish.
Becerra also “mansplained” the concept of a profile story to a young, female KTLA reporter. He clearly just wanted softball questions and was hoping the reporter would play along.
Becerra isn’t much better when discussing actual policy. His plans to address real problems in California carry about as much depth and weight as someone tossing out random suggestions for places to eat.
For instance, Becerra recently called for giving low-income ratepayers a few free hours of electricity per day during off-peak hours. That means they would get free electricity at a time when few people are home to use it (hence the term: off-peak hours).
Didn’t voters learn in middle-school class elections that promises of a free lunch are never feasible—or actually free? Ratepayers will simply end up paying more at other times. None of this addresses the underlying issue: California’s grid struggles to support the state’s aggressive push to eliminate fossil fuels.
Becerra says he wants to uphold Newsom’s mandate banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. However, because the policy itself is widely unpopular among California voters, Becerra is trying to keep his options open. He later added that he might not meet the deadline and could push it back if voters demand it.
In light of federal funding cuts, Becerra said he would do everything to ensure universal healthcare coverage. That sounds noble, but someone has to foot the bill. Becerra suggested placing a heavy tax on businesses—the exact brand of policy thinking that helped make California a national leader in unemployment.
By driving up the cost of employing people, funds that could otherwise go toward worker compensation are instead funneled into government mandates and taxes. California businesses are already required to provide health insurance to their employees—why force them to fund healthcare for non-employees as well?
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Meanwhile, California’s home insurance market is in crisis, and Becerra promised to impose rate freezes. That might sound appealing on the surface, but economists widely agree that price controls are disastrous policy because they create severe shortages. In fact, price controls are a major reason the insurance market became so broken in the first place. Furthermore, the proposal is likely unconstitutional.
Becerra is no Newsom. Newsom craves headlines and will say whatever it takes to get them. Whether it was promising to end family homelessness in five years or build 3.5 million new housing units by 2025, Newsom made grand announcements—and failed to deliver.
However, running as a Becerra—someone who alternates between staying silent and saying something regrettable—hardly offers a better alternative.
Matt Fleming is a columnist for the Southern California News Group. Write to him at flemingwords@gmail.com and follow him on X @FlemingWords