California Gov.-elect Xavier Becerra said no policy option should be ruled out as he works to make the state more affordable, offering his first public remarks since election night before pushing back against demands for specific promises.
“I’m no longer a candidate; I’m now the governor-elect. So I will take this very seriously,” Becerra said.
“But, guys, don’t play this game about asking me to commit, because I didn’t get elected doing that.”
The Democrat defeated Republican Steve Hilton in Tuesday’s election to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom. The victory extended Democratic control of California’s governor’s mansion to a fifth consecutive term, following a campaign shaped by the state’s soaring living costs and resistance to President Donald Trump.
Appearing with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón, Becerra pledged to work closely with legislative leaders and said details about his transition team would be released soon.
The three Democrats struck a unified tone on the affordability crisis, although Becerra provided few concrete details on how his administration would reduce costs for housing, health care and energy.
“The public made it very clear we should be focused on job one, two, and three, and that is cost of living, cost of living, cost of living,” he said.
When asked whether tax cuts could be part of that effort, Becerra did not rule them out. At the same time, he indicated that higher-income Californians may need to pay a larger share than they do now.
“I think everything should be on the table,” Becerra said. “By the way, you’re probably going to be hearing me say that a lot, whether it’s on energy, whether it’s on revenue and tax policy, whether it’s on healthcare, why should we take anything off the table?”
His broad approach became more guarded when reporters pressed him about specific commitments to make health insurance and medical care more affordable.
“You want me to make a commitment to families without knowing what the budget will be, without knowing where the votes are, and that’s just playing politics the wrong way,” Becerra said.
He cited his history of expanding health care access and reducing costs, saying those priorities would remain central when he takes office.
“A lot of other folks make these wild promises, and they’re not the governor-elect,” Becerra said.
On tax policy, Becerra said his first goal would be to determine who is contributing their “fair share,” pointing to the state Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office for guidance.
He also said Proposition 40 — the billionaire tax proposal opposed by both him and Newsom — reflected public concern about disparities in the tax system.
“If you’re paying at a tax rate in California that’s lower than the tax rate of a teacher, a firefighter, a nurse, a police officer, and you’re making way more money than they are, in my book, you’re not paying your fair share,” Becerra said.
Rivas warned that the election results should not be interpreted as an unconditional endorsement of the Democratic Party’s record in Sacramento.
“Our mandate is to do things differently,” Rivas said. “People want change.”
Becerra congratulated Nithya Raman on her victory in the Los Angeles mayoral race and responded to several questions in Spanish. He discussed affordability and protections for immigrants while acknowledging that California cannot supersede federal law.
Asked how he would select a finance director, Becerra offered an awkward joke, saying he wanted “someone [who] can pull money off of trees.”
“Since I suspect that’ll be tough to find, we will look for someone who knows their numbers, who can do this well, has experience in balancing a budget as large as the budget of the state of California.”
Becerra closed by signaling that he would approach the process without political theatrics.
“I ran on my record of what I’ve done, and I have expanded access to healthcare. I have lowered healthcare costs, and that’s what I intend to do again,” Becerra said.
“But I can’t make a commitment without knowing what exactly I face, because I don’t think any voter, any taxpayer, any Californian wants to have a governor who’s still acting like a politician.”
