Takeaways from The Bee’s endorsement interview with CA governor candidate Katie Porter

The Sacramento Bee’s Editorial Board interviewed all the major candidates running for governor to determine who would get the board’s endorsement. Each of the candidates vying to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom for the state’s top office shared their visions for leading California.

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Here is what gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter had to say. She eventually was endorsed by The Bee’s Editorial Board.

The Bee also is publishing videos and key points from the board’s interviews with six other candidates: Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond and Antonio Villaraigosa.

Why run?

Porter says she is running a “future-focused” campaign. She says she wants to govern looking forward rather than re-litigating the past.

The next governor has to be ready for immediate change and shifts, she says, emphasizing that point by using Artificial Intelligence as an example. She says the state doesn’t have eight years to find its footing when it comes to AI and that California needs an administration that is ready to come in and start on day one.

She also says she’s running on “kitchen-table issues.” She highlights that, as a single mother of three teenagers, she uniquely understands the issues impacting California families and the discussions they are having, especially with regard to affordability.

What’s her platform?

Some of the key issues Porter is running on are affordability, housing, homelessness and progressive tax measures.

On her “kitchen-table” issues, she highlights how young Californians are having to decide between staying in California or starting a family. She links housing availability to this issue, citing soaring home prices and a lack of affordable housing options as main contributors to the problem.

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She says there’s a need for more innovation in how homes are being built, too. Innovation in the creation of building materials and construction techniques will help those struggling, she continues.

Porter says she doesn’t support criminalizing homelessness and says the state needs to go beyond simply providing permanent supportive housing. California has done “virtually nothing” when it comes to homelessness prevention, she says.

She describes her tax proposals as “progressive,” and she is proposing a “very moderate” progressive corporate tax that she says could generate enough money to pay certain policy initiatives. She says the currently proposed “onetime” billionaire tax doesn’t go far enough and instead favors a plan that would tax wealthy individuals more proportionately over the long haul.

What she says sets her apart from the rest of the pack?

Porter says the main difference between her and other candidates is campaign finance and independence. She is the only candidate not accepting corporate campaign contributions. She says over 77,000 people have donated to her campaign in small amounts.

This practice of challenging the status quo leads to more public trust and credibility, she says, and will show who a candidate will listen to and govern for.

California’s primary election is on Tuesday, June 2. Be sure to check out The Bee’s Voter Guide for key information and the Editorial Board’s other endorsements before the big day.