Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra outlined his priorities for housing, health care, education and civil rights during an Oct. 15 meeting with Black elected officials and community leaders in South Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell introduced Becerra, citing his experience in the Legislature, Congress and federal government.
“We need people who have walked where we have walked and understand the communities that we all live in, come from, and represent,” Mitchell said.
Becerra pledged to defend diversity, equity and inclusion programs against federal opposition and criticized voter identification requirements as barriers to voting.
“If there’s a fight for that diversity, that strength, that inclusion, that equity, count me in, and let me use the governor’s office to make it clear,” he said.
Identifying housing and health care as immediate priorities, Becerra said more than 40,000 housing units are awaiting financing. He cited Proposition 1, a housing bond measure on November’s ballot, as a potential funding source.
“Prop 1 would give us the money to help start getting those moving,” he said. “And the more you build, the more you relieve the pressure, the demand for housing, which means you can probably see the price stabilize as well.”
On homelessness, he demanded measurable results from cities and counties receiving state funding.
“We will demand accountability when it comes to homelessness,” he said. “I’m not willing to let $1 from the state, from taxpayers, go to a city or a county unless they can show me how they’re going to use the dollar and what the results will be.”
He advocated temporary shelter, mental health and substance use treatment, and intervention before families lose their homes.
Becerra warned that federal Medicaid cuts could leave millions without coverage and threaten hospitals and clinics.
“If these families lose their insurance and still go in for care, now the doctors and the hospitals won’t get paid,” he said. “I want to make sure neither the patients nor the providers feel like Trump’s cuts are going to undermine our health care system.”
He said he is consulting providers and insurers but offered no financing plan.
Addressing surveillance and artificial intelligence, Becerra urged safeguards against discriminatory tracking and dangerous technology, including possible government authority to shut down unsafe AI systems.
“Once you give up your privacy, you can’t get it back,” he said.
He also criticized federal immigration enforcement and advocated comprehensive immigration reform, citing uncertainty for families and employers dependent on immigrant labor.
On education, Becerra supported expanded early childhood learning, tutoring, stronger academic standards and experienced teachers in underperforming schools. He opposed directing public education funding toward for-profit private schools.
“Keep your taxpayer dollars in our public community schools,” he said. “Don’t let those tax dollars go to for-profit private schools first, because it’s already tough enough as it is.”
He said schools must address learning gaps early rather than advancing students without grade-level skills.
“Too many of our kids are starting even kindergarten, and they’re not ready to learn,” he said. “And is it surprising that by the third grade they’re not reading or doing math at grade level?”
He also urged districts to assign skilled teachers to schools with the greatest needs, working with unions to address compensation.
