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As the Republican candidate for governor of California, Steve Hilton has a steep mountain to climb. Democratic voters outnumber Republicans nearly two to one, and a majority of California voters disapprove of President Donald Trump, who endorsed Hilton.
Regardless, Hilton hopes to be the first Republican to hold office in the state in 20 years. But who is Hilton and what does he believe?
In speaking with Hilton, reviewing past press releases and reading Hilton’s own writings, CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang describes a candidate whose beliefs don’t align neatly with a single political ideology.
Born in the United Kingdom to Hungarian immigrants, Hilton later made a name for himself as a central figure in reviving the image of Britain’s Conservative Party under Prime Minister David Cameron. In London, he pushed to cut welfare benefits, reduce government employment and privatize public services.
After moving to Silicon Valley in 2012, Hilton landed a Fox News show where she joined Trump. He called for an audit of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost, and accused America’s colleges of being “woke.”
But over the years, Hilton has also championed ideas that run counter to the policies of the Republican Party and the deregulation campaign it promotes. In 2015, he wrote a book endorsing a higher national living wage in the UK, generous family leave policies and forcing production farms to pay the environmental and health costs of their operations. He also criticized the right for often blaming China and immigration for US inequality
Giles Gibbons, Hilton’s friend and former business partner, described Hilton as an “adversary” who “challenged orthodoxy”.
But Hilton simply sees himself as a pragmatist – someone who is not bound by ideology.
- Hilton: “I don’t like to be told what to do and I don’t want to tell anybody else what to do with their life, and I think that’s a very California attitude.”
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Other stories you should know
CA Chevron stations charge higher prices
As gasoline prices in California run above the national average, testimony from a state watchdog revealed that Chevron charge consumers higher prices compared to other major brands, writes CalMatters’ Alejandro Lazo.
In June, a subdivision of the state Energy Commission told lawmakers that branded stations were charging more than unbranded ones in California by a margin that was wider than the rest of the country. When the post-Iran war price spike was near its peak in late May, for example, Chevron’s California stations were charging an average of $6.34 a gallon. That’s the highest of any brand tracked in the state, and 44 cents above the average gas station that sells gas without the logo of a major oil company.
Part of the reason for this, according to the watchdog, is that California has a high share of fuel sales in which refiners sell fuel directly to branded retailers at prices set by the refiners. These agreements lock in branded operators to pay more than non-branded ones for the same fuel – and these higher prices are then passed on to customers.
A Chevron spokesman blamed California’s energy policy, not Chevron’s pricing, for the state’s high gas prices.
Judge rules CA Attorney General overstepped his authority
In the latest setback for California Indian tribes that own casinos, a San Francisco judge ruled that the state’s attorney general doesn’t have the power to severely restrict blackjack and other table games in card rooms throughout the state.
As CalMatters’ Ryan Sabalow explains, for years tribal casinos have sought to prevent card rooms from offering blackjack, arguing that they have exclusive rights to host it and other lucrative games. Attorney General Rob Bonta sided with tribal casinos and moved to ban gambling in private card rooms earlier this year by changing rules under the state’s Bureau of Gambling Control.
But Supreme Court Justice Richard Darwin ruled the bureau did not have the legal authority to do what it did, winning over card room operators who say the decision once again proves their business model is legal.
And finally: Trump loses again in his attempt to renew funding for the homeless
Last week, a judge rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to divert funds intended to provide permanent housing to homeless people. The ruling gave California a victory in its battle to tackle homelessness, but the judge did not bar the administration from making similar changes in the future. Read more by Marissa Kendall of CalMatters.
California voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: One event that encapsulates this country’s unique place in history is World War II, when Americans saved the world during one of the darkest periods.
California’s Voluntary Bus Transportation Programs are designed to achieve racial integration in schools, but these programs change nothing while allowing the state to appear to be addressing inequalities, writes Vesta Kasayanstudent at Menlo-Atherton High School in San Mateo County.
With a union survey saying most California teachers can’t afford it to live near the schools where they teach, the state can’t fund their way to great schools without building the affordable housing those schools require, writes Sam Finnexecutive director of the California Newcomer Network.
Other things worth your time:
AT&T wins early approval to end terrestrial service for 184K CA households // The Mercury News
A battle between a CA farmer and a food distributor over fruit patent // AP news
Los Angeles is turning the “most polluting” World Cup into an Olympic rehearsal in the race for climate heritage // Grist
CA’s ban on Native American themed mascots sparks dialogue in schools // EdSource
California’s outdoor paradise has a high suicide rate. Locals are determined to turn things around // The Guardian
AI-edited images are a real concern over a mountain lion in Sacramento County // Abbreviated
Fresno was a cheap place to live. Now the evictions are piling up // Fresnoland
Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi’s husband, apologizes for hit and run in Napa County // The Sacramento Bee
