Interview
CA Governor Candidate Steve Hilton on Why California is Destroying Itself & How a Republican Can Win
- Aiming to secure a spot in the primary top two candidates by early May through intense campaigning over the next month, with potential matchups against Tom Steyer, Katie Porter, or Javier Becerra.
- Projects a California budget returning to pre-pandemic levels via an 18.5% revenue reduction and $60 billion in cuts, contingent on implementing specific tax and spending measures validated by economists from the Hoover Institution, Stanford, and the d-school approximately one year ago.
- Estimates identifying $425 billion in fraud, waste, and abuse over the last five years (averaging $80 billion annually) through the "CalDoge" team, representing roughly 20% of the state budget.
- Anticipates doubling California oil production within approximately two years via a pro-energy regulatory framework and streamlined permit approvals.
- Plans to increase prison capacity by 72,000 places (from 93,000 to 165,000) within the next two years by reversing the prison closure program that peaked in 2006.
- Envisions a legislative environment loosening under a Republican governor, driven by Democratic legislators feeling constrained and acknowledging that current policies have "gone too far."
- Forecasts a "complete disaster" for the tech ecosystem and an acceleration of business exodus and job loss in Silicon Valley if the billionaire's tax proposal is enacted.
- Predicts a halt in high-end manufacturing and semiconductor investment, citing specific corporate relocations like HVAC firms moving, if current regulatory pressures on businesses continue.
- Believes a "majority for change" exists with "wrong track" sentiment reaching the mid-to-high 50s, supported by a potential 6.1 million vote base from the presidential election and a November vote ID measure expected to boost Republican turnout.
- Outlines plans to enforce a 100% sober requirement for state homelessness services and utilize the "Grants Pass v. Oregon" (2024) Supreme Court ruling to remove homeless encampments, including state intervention if local compliance is insufficient.
- Plans to utilize the "IMD waiver" from the first Trump administration to bypass the 16-bed cap established by mid-60s federal Medicaid regulations, enabling funding for modern, large-scale mental health facilities.
- Seeks to reduce gas prices to $3 per gallon and halve electric bills through the "Cal Affordable" plan to aid the working class.
- Targets blocking 70% of CEQA lawsuits currently used by unions to enforce project labor agreements and prevailing wage rates two to three times market rate via a private right of action.
- Critiques the "top two" election system for driving the state further left despite its original intent to foster moderate politics.