Here’s what these gubernatorial candidates had to say about immigration, the economy and democracy

Three of the candidates running to be California’s next governor participated in a forum on Thursday afternoon, giving their perspectives on multiple areas affecting the quality of life for Californians.

The forum took place at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and was hosted by a myriad of organizations, including CA4US, the California Community Foundation, the Inland Empire Community Foundation and Sierra Health Foundation. Gabriela Teissier, news anchor at N+ Univision 34 Los Angeles, moderated the event.

Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Antonio Villaraigosa, L.A.’s 41st mayor and Betty Yee, former California State Controller participated in the panel. Each candidate had the same amount of time to answer 10 questions; the full forum can be viewed here. Below are their answers to five of those questions.

When children who are U.S. citizens are forced to leave school or take on adult responsibilities because a parent is detained or deported, families are destabilized and futures are put at risk. As governor, what specific actions would you take to protect families stability, keep these students in school and ensure their voices are heard and valued in democracy?

Villaraigosa: “We will put together a revolving fund to help organizations like CHIRLA and many of the organizations here to provide support for those children. We’re gonna create a village around protecting those children … The next governor has got to lead this effort to really challenge them in the streets (with) peaceful, non-violence. We can do a whole lot, but at the end of the day, it’s the people that will put the pressure on this government. So let's use our laws and our courts and the ballot box, and build a massive moment.”

Yee: “I think, in terms of what this is really about, immigration enforcement is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the bigger agenda. And when I think about how we best fight back, it’s really about power. And to me, economic power is what’s been missing.

“I am going to lean in on how we're going to be sure that we are incentivizing this development and being sure that everybody has a fair shot going forward.”

Becerra: “We’re family, those children are our children. They will not go without, we will be there for them … that is our job as family. But I will tell you this: with a guy who is determined to continue to violate the law, we must act.

“We must continue on this path, and I say this not as a candidate but as a former prosecutor that defended families over 120 times in court against Donald Trump… and most of those times, we came out victorious. So that’s what we gotta do, is fight and win.”

What policies would you pursue to address the economic and workforce disruptions associated with immigration enforcement and other federal actions that are excluding large numbers of Californians of a range of legal statuses, from protections and participations?

Becerra: “We have to make sure that the cost of living doesn't drive families out of California the way Donald Trump is trying to do it … But our big fight is to let all those families believe, including those immigrant families, that this is their home, this is their future and we will let them retire here in California.”

Villaraigosa: “The next governor's going to have to focus on this affordability, because … if we don't win that middle, the right is going to win. And so we've got to focus on affordability because too many people who work every single day can't afford to live in this town or in this state.”

Yee: “I think, again, it is about, how do we take care of our families and communities first, being sure we are creating those opportunities, but at the same time … move forward where we are really bringing our communities together, where we understand the hurts and the harms that have been done, and that we're creating an economy and a state that is actually going to be about how we generate opportunities for everyone, and not about putting one community against the other.”

California, after approving it, has recently limited access to MediCal for some immigrants, amid budget pressures. Do you support maintaining or restoring medical access for all undocumented immigrants?

Villaraigosa: “I have said my whole adult life that health care is a right, it's not a privilege. Everyone ought to have it … Now, we're looking at a big deficit… so we're going to have to figure out where there will be cuts. But healthcare is not one place where we should be cutting. It's one place where we should be investing, and I intend to do that as governor.”

Yee: “Yes, I support fully restoring health care for all of our immigrants, regardless of status … I look at this as an opportunity to reimagine what health care can look like, and frankly, if we're not covering our undocumented immigrants, guess what? The emergency room is where they're going to go, and we're all paying for them. And so this is where I think we have an opportunity to finally get that culturally and linguistically appropriate health care.”

Becerra: “As we used to say, when I was a kid, simón (of course.) You know, you got to and not just because it's a right … but because if we don't, we'll be an unhealthy society.

“No one will be excluded, because it is time to recognize, as (Yee) said, if we don't give people access through the front door, they're still going to come in through the back door, the emergency room, and they're going to cost you and me as taxpayers and as private insurance holders even more money. We’ve got to do this and we're going to do it right.”

Given the current economic environment that we are all living in, what state services would you prioritize to protect from budget cuts?

Yee: “I would prioritize health care, education, and I'm going to say something that probably isn't obvious, that we have to continue the fight against the climate crisis … everything that is happening to California right now is tied to the climate crisis, such that if we're not dealing with trying to mitigate risk in the short term, we're going to be paying a lot for the crisis that will crowd out everything else in our state budget, so we have to be smarter about how we use our dollars.”

Becerra: “There's no backsliding on healthcare. We can't,” he said. Next to health care, Becerra said, is education. “It's not just maintaining education. We have to get to the point where we are lowering class size, so I'm going to put more money in … we have to do more for our children.

“If they're working hard and they're living paycheck to paycheck, we have an obligation to help those who are working as hard to build California as you and me, to ensure that they can make it. And so I believe we can make that commitment, that housing will be amid our top priorities.”

Villaraigosa: “Health care, that means access and coverage … number two, education. I've got a record. I took (Los Angeles) schools from one out of three failing schools to one out of ten… Finally, housing and homelessness. Folks, we have a crisis. People can't afford rent, they can't afford housing. We’ve got to build more market rate … and if you want to prevent homelessness, the best way is to help people not to get homeless in the first place.”

Would you support state funding for community legal services to help immigrants navigate immigration proceedings? 

Villaraigosa: “The legislature has already done that, and we need to do more. We need to use the courts as much as we can. We need to defend these people in immigration courts, even though we know that those courts are skewed, they're not obeying due process or anything else. They're actually pulling people out of court when they're there legally.

“So, yes, we will do that, but we’ve got to do much more. At the end of the day, we have to address the fact that we have an economy that's not working for enough people … and the next governor's going to have to focus on that as well. It's not just taking on Trump. It's not just immigration. It's all of the above, educate their kids, provide the healthcare, keep people safe, I got a record on that.”

Yee: “Yes, of course, we need to fund community legal services. But here's what we also have to do. At the same time, we have to just be sure that people understand why this is important to do, why it's a priority: because our economy here in California is going to have setbacks if we can't count on our undocumented workforce. That's in almost every sector of the economy, construction, agriculture and our hospitality in the street. And so this is why we fight, because yes, we're going to fight for all Californians, but frankly, if we’re not taking care of the most vulnerable among us, then everybody else is going to be looking to pitch in to try to be sure that they are still living in a viable way.”

Becerra: “Of course. To not defend them will cost us more because if they can't go to work, California's economy doesn't produce. If they can't send their kids to school, our children will fall behind. It is common sense to give every parent and every family the opportunity to live the life that you want to live. And so if that menace in Washington, D.C. is trying to get in the way, we have to stand up for them.”

Each candidate was given one minute to deliver their final message.

Becerra: “These are turbulent times, man-made disasters coming from Washington, D.C. The affordability crisis that we face. Turbulence everywhere you look for families to be able to survive here in California. Who will be the governor to land that plane? I suggest you get someone who's landed those planes, took us out of the worst pandemic we've ever seen, made sure that the Affordable Care Act, DACA, were still alive because he won in the Supreme Court, made sure that we increased health care to more people in this country than ever before, more than 300,000. Get someone who knows how to land the plane. I ask you for your support as governor.”

Villaraigosa: “I was born and raised here. I'm a third generation Angeleno. I fought at 15 years old as I mentioned, leading the walkouts. I've been involved in this town my whole life … I was everybody's mayor. Latinos were proud that I became mayor but I said, ‘Hold it, I don't want to be a Latino mayor, I want to be everybody's mayor.’ And I united this town, and we need a uniter right now to take on this man, to do what we need to do, to live, to make an economy that works for more people. Thank you very much. I'd be honored to have your support.”

Yee: “Every day we wake up to something new. It seems like there's an onslaught, every single day. But one thing I can say about Californians, we are resilient, and we know how to fight … and this is really the work that we have to do, to come together to know that if we are not protecting each other, we could be next.

“Look, I'm probably the worst person to be a governor under the eyes of this president. A woman and a woman of color. But what I will say is this: we know how to be resilient, we know how to build and we know how to take care of one another. Women do that well, and I can say this, we know how to take care of money, I would be honored to have your support.”