California Governor-elect Xavier Becerra said “everything should be on the table” to make the state more affordable in his first public statement since election night — before bristling with questions about what he will actually do.
“I’m no longer a candidate, I’m now a governor-elect. So I’m going to take this very seriously,” Becerra said.
“But guys, don’t play this game by asking me to sign up, because I didn’t get elected by doing that.”
The Democrat defeated Republican Steve Hilton in Tuesday’s election to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, extending his party’s control of the governor’s office to a fifth term after a campaign dominated by California’s high costs and anger at President Donald Trump.
Becerra, who appeared alongside Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón, promised a close partnership with legislative leaders and said announcements about his transition team would be made soon.
The three Democrats presented a united front on affordability, although Becerra offered few details on how he would provide assistance on housing, health care and energy.
“The public has made it clear that we should focus on tasks one, two and three, which is cost of living, cost of living, cost of living,” he said.
When asked if that might include lower taxes, Becerra left the door open — but he also suggested that wealthy residents should pay a higher tax rate than they currently do.
“I think everything should be on the table,” Becerra said. “By the way, you’ll probably hear me say this a lot, whether it’s energy, revenue and tax policy, or health care, why should we take anything off the table?
This open-mindedness gave way to a defensive posture when asked about his commitments to making health coverage more affordable.
“You want me to commit to families without knowing what the budget is going to be, without knowing where the votes are, and that’s just bad politics,” Becerra said.
He highlighted his record of expanding access and reducing health care costs, saying he intends to continue that work as governor.
“A lot of other people are making wild promises, and they are not the elected governors,” Becerra said.
On taxes, Becerra said he wants to determine who pays their “fair share,” pointing to the state Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office as sources of expertise.
He said Proposition 40 — the billionaire tax measure he and Newsom both opposed — sent a signal about concerns about unequal taxation.
“If you’re paying a lower California tax rate than a teacher, a firefighter, a nurse, a police officer, and you’re making a lot more money than them, in my opinion you’re not paying your fair share,” Becerra said.
Rivas cautioned that Tuesday’s results should not be confused with general support for Democratic leadership.
“Our mandate is to do things differently,” Rivas said. “People want change.”
Becerra, who congratulated Nithya Raman on her Los Angeles mayoral victory, also answered several questions in Spanish, discussing affordability and immigrant protections while acknowledging that California cannot override federal law.
Asked about choosing a CFO, he made an awkward attempt at humor, saying he would like “someone (who) can pull money out of trees.”
“Since I think it’s going to be hard to find, we’ll be looking for someone who knows their numbers, who can do it well, who has experience balancing a budget as large as the state of California’s.”
Becerra ended by suggesting that he would not engage in grandstanding in this process.
“I’ve reported on what I’ve done and I’ve expanded access to health care. I’ve lowered health care costs, and that’s what I intend to do again,” Becerra said.
“But I can’t make a commitment without knowing exactly what I’m up against, because I think no voter, no taxpayer, no Californian wants to have a governor who always acts like a politician.”
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