The best candidate for California governor is the one prepared for the job | Opinion

Democrat Xavier Becerra does not receive our endorsement by default, but because he shows the potential to lead this state well into an uncertain future, and offers a steadier, more substantive style of leadership that California has long — and desperately — needed.

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Being in one office or another for more than three decades doesn’t automatically qualify anyone for chief executive of the state, but it certainly helps. Becerra will need to consider his legislative background in Washington and Sacramento as building blocks for a job that doesn’t remotely approach anything he has attempted in the past.

Earlier this year, Becerra suddenly shot from the backwaters of a crowded field to the front of the governor’s race after former East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out amid revelations of his alleged sexual misconduct.

In stark contrast to his main party opponent, billionaire Tom Steyer, Becerra ran a clean and positive race. And at times, he was the only one on the podium to talk straight with the public, particularly on the idea of temporarily eliminating state gas taxes. Most other Democrats played to the public’s anger at the pump, but Becerra rightfully said motorists would suffer in the long run without the road maintenance funded by the taxes.

Steve Hilton is Becerra’s opponent in the November runoff, but the Republican’s candidacy has been doomed from the beginning with his steadfast support of President Donald Trump. Trump has sought to punish California in innumerable ways, including by denying Los Angeles disaster aid after wildfires. Trump has also threatened California universities and weakened the state economy with mass deportations that often target essential workers.

It’s Hilton’s unfaltering allegiance to Trump that will usher in a Becerra administration and thus deprive California of a truly impactful election season, one in which candidates could debate the issues that truly matter to voters. But Becerra at least has plenty of time to prepare for his governorship and to begin mastering those policy areas where he appears weak, particularly insurance.

Becerra will need that time.

First and foremost for Becerra is the state budget. Newsom and the “leadership” of the California Legislature worked horribly together and exhibited no discipline. He needs to force his fellow Democrats in Sacramento to better manage the budget gyrations caused by the state’s dependence on unpredictable stock market profits.

Becerra won’t chase the cameras, like Newsom did, as a strategy to confront Washington, D.C. His personality is naturally more understated, and he is accustomed to prosecuting policy cases as a former attorney general. This personality trait will serve California’s interests better than trying to match Trump’s decibels.

It’s clear Becerra needs to stabilize state funding for homelessness, allowing cities to experiment with new shelter solutions while holding them accountable for outcomes. He faces unresolved crises in gasoline, electricity, housing and insurance. California’s health care system will erode as looming Medi-Cal cuts from Washington pay for federal tax breaks that will go disproportionately to the wealthy. And he could face new crises when disaster strikes, whether it’s a reawakening of the San Andreas Fault or floods fueled by climate change that experts predict.

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That Becerra comes from Sacramento and clearly loves his hometown may be his secret weapon: Unlike Newsom, Becerra isn’t going to periodically roll into town in a motorcade from a mansion in Marin.

California awaits its first Latino governor since Romualdo Pacheco, who was appointed to the office and served for ten months in 1875. Becerra would be the first Latino elected governor by California voters — a historic milestone amid federal attacks on immigrants that threaten the state’s very fabric.

Xavier Becerra, one way or the other, is on a path to make history.