Becerra says he needs to get in office before making any ‘commitments’

Xavier Becerra made it through his campaign for governor by not making “inflated promises.” Instead, he told voters to look at his record to know what he’s about. Now, as governor-elect, he seems to be taking a similar approach. 

At his first press conference since being elected governor, Becerra was flanked by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón — the three having met privately on Thursday to discuss their legislative priorities. Becerra told reporters that their immediate priority is to tackle cost of living and other top issues, and that “everything is on the table” to address those issues. But he still avoided giving concrete policy ideas. 

When CALÓ News asked the three leaders if they will commit to reversing Medi-Cal cuts for undocumented immigrants before they go into effect next July, Becerra shot back that he won’t “play [that] game.”

“Don't play this game about asking me to commit; I didn't get elected doing that,” Becerra said. “A lot of other folks make these wild promises and they're not the governor-elect. I ran on my record on what I've done.”

The governor-elect continued, saying he can’t make a commitment without knowing the budget landscape or how the votes would land. He pointed to his record as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary and California attorney general, where he helped to defend and expand healthcare access, and said he intends to do that again.

“I don’t think any Californian wants to have a governor who’s still acting like a politician,” Becerra closed before his staff ended the conference.

As the leaders of both the executive and legislative branches, Becerra, Limón and Rivas have influence over the budget and possible legislation to reverse the cuts, which came about last year in response to California’s budget deficit.

Starting July 1, 2027, undocumented adults will pay new $30 premiums, have restricted dental benefits and will be moved to a different coverage model with reduced services. These cuts are on top of the Medi-Cal enrollment freeze that went into effect at the beginning of this year.

Healthcare is about to be hit even harder nationwide, as the effects of last year’s H.R. 1 budget bills are due to begin on Jan. 1. The bill is expected to have a massive impact on both undocumented immigrants and those with a lawful immigration status.

During his campaign, Becerra often said he would be a “healthcare governor” and said during interviews that he was against these cuts. Becerra’s campaign website says he would “protect existing coverage from federal rollbacks and chart a clear path to ensuring that no Californian is left without care, regardless of income, zip code or immigration status.”

Aside from healthcare, the three leaders said their top priorities are bringing down the cost of living and energy, utility and gas prices. 

All three leaders agreed they will also need to tackle housing and further regulate artificial intelligence, but didn’t go into many specifics on how these issues would be tackled, instead opting for Becerra’s "everything is on the table” approach.

A few months ago, Becerra unveiled his “power hour” proposal, a program that he says would provide two free hours of electricity to low-income households.

Rivas said there could “possibly” be some alignment on the idea, but that he doesn’t “know enough about it.”

Limón said there was opportunity for both short and long-term solutions to energy costs.

Standing together during Thursday’s press conference, it was the first time California’s three most powerful elected leaders are all Latino. Becerra took multiple questions in Spanish and told reporters they should “get used to” seeing all three leaders together.