Steve Hilton has announced that, should he be elected governor of California, his inaugural task will be to launch an investigation into Gavin Newsom for allegations of fraud.
According to the California Post, the Republican candidate’s first executive order will focus on Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, accusing them of being linked to $425 billion in fraudulent activities.
Hilton described the situation as a major breach of public trust, stating, “The potential loss of hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars through fraud, waste, abuse, corruption, and mismanagement stands as one of California’s most significant public integrity failures.” This statement is part of his proposed executive order, which The Post has obtained.
Hilton intends to allocate $100 million to create the California Taxpayer Fraud Strike Force, a comprehensive initiative aimed at investigating financial mismanagement in areas such as homelessness programs, Medi-Cal, public assistance, and state contracts. The initiative will also act on findings from the state auditor and other oversight bodies.
The Strike Force’s immediate priority will be assessing whether actions or inactions by current or former state officials, including former Governor Gavin Newsom and former Attorney General Rob Bonta, have perpetuated fraud, waste, or misuse of funds, despite repeated alerts from auditors and oversight agencies.
This investigation aims to establish whether the conduct of Newsom and Bonta over the past five years amounts to “criminal negligence,” as indicated in the proposed executive order.
Hilton’s announcement comes just days before the state’s primary election, as candidates make their final pitch to voters.
In addition to tackling fraud, the Republican candidate outlined how he intends to bring down the state’s cost of living, while putting more money in people’s pockets.
Hilton sat down with Billy Bush on over the weekend to discuss his plan dubbed Cal-Affordable, which the Republican candidate says will revolutionize the state’s cost of living.
“Your first $100,00 tax free, $3 gas, electric bills cut in half, a home you can afford to buy. All of those things have policy reforms attached,” Hilton said Sunday on Hot Mics with Billy Bush.
Californians pay roughly 33 cents per kilowatt-hour, nearly double the national average, according to federal energy data.
The Trump endorsed candidate blamed the state’s clean energy policies, including the Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) for driving up prices.
Hilton promised to end the wind and solar mandates and subsidies, while prioritizing natural gas and nuclear energy — claiming those reforms alone will drastically reduce electric bills, according to his campaign website.
When it comes to $3 gas, Hilton detailed a four-point plan that includes eliminating the environmental programs like the cap-and-trade system, suspend the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, reduce the 60 cents per gallon gas tax in half, and expand domestic oil production.
The sentiment surrounding unaffordable housing is also a key issue for voters.
Hilton blamed Democratic policies for making homebuilding too costly, and vowed reduce the red tape and entry fees to encourage construction. He also plans to fast-track the approval process for starter home projects, according to his campaign website.
Here is the latest on the 2026 California governors race
“So there’s all these specific changes, very practical things, we’re going to put it in the budget, send it to the legislature say let’s get it done,” Hilton said on the podcast. “Let’s help people directly cut their costs. That’s the quickest, simplest thing that we can do to help people is take less from them.”
The latest poll from the California Post shows Hilton tied for the lead with Democrat Tom Steyer at 25%, while Xavier Becerra, the former Health and Human Services secretary under the Biden administration is in third, with 19% support.
However, other polls list Becerra as the frontrunner, with Hilton and Steyer trailing.
Voters will decide on Tuesday whether California remains a Democratic stronghold, or if a Republican will take the state’s top position for the first time in more than two decades.
