The wide (at least at presently) field of contenders begs the question: Are any of them making tech a policy priority at this juncture? Let’s take a look.
It should come as no surprise that deep blue California’s bench of Democrats is much, much deeper than the Republican bench, which is twice as deep as the Green Party’s bench. Since former presidential candidate Kamala Harris announced in July that she wouldn't run, some big names have been mounting their push for the state’s highest office.
The Democrats
Katie Porter is one of the more prominent challengers in the race for governor, having served in the U.S. Congress between 2019 and 2025. The UC Irvine law professor ran to take over Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat in 2024, but was unsuccessful.
Porter’s policy platform is largely built on social and economic issues, though she does cite the need to continue the sort of technological innovations that the state is known for.
Her stated priorities include health care, cost of living, business and economic issues, addressing the housing crisis, environmental issues and disaster preparedness and response.
Xavier Becerra is another familiar name in politics, having served in the state Assembly, the U.S. Congress, as California’s attorney general and as the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary under the Biden administration.
Becerra is pushing to adopt Newsom’s “health-care governor” moniker, pitching universal coverage for all Californians. His campaign website outlines the need for affordable health care and prescription drugs, to cut red tape for new businesses, to lower prices and to increase investments in public safety. His policy platform does not include any references to technology.
Stephen Cloobeck would be a newcomer to political office as the businessman and entrepreneur behind Diamond Resorts International, which he sold to Hilton Grand Vacations for nearly $2 billion in 2022. Cloobeck, who announced his candidacy on election night 2024, is campaigning to make the state more “affordable, livable and workable.” The gubernatorial hopeful’s website notes that his priority areas of focus include education, immigration, homelessness and health care, as well as building a more solid economic foundation.
Antonio Villaraigosa is another familiar contender in California’s political theater. He served in the State Assembly from 1994 to 2000 and two terms as the mayor of Los Angeles between 2005 and 2013. During his time in the Assembly, he served as both majority leader and speaker.
His policy priorities include more affordable housing, securing the state’s energy future while addressing climate change, and cutting the red tape around the permitting and regulatory process. There were no overt mentions of the role technology might play in these efforts.
Betty Yee also comes with a lengthy political resume that includes two terms as the State Controller starting in 2014. Before that, she served as the chief deputy director for budget within the Gov. Gray Davis administration before he was recalled in 2003. She would go on to serve as a member of the Board of Equalization, where she pushed for e-commerce websites such as Amazon to collect state sales tax through their websites.
Yee’s platform includes addressing affordability, accountability, the climate and inclusivity for all Californians, according to her website. Like many of the other candidates, there is no mention of how technology or the private sector could factor in these efforts.
Toni Atkins' political career dates back to 2000, when she was elected as a San Diego City Council member, at which time she also served as the interim mayor. In 2010, she was elected to the state Assembly and was later tapped to serve as the speaker of the Assembly. In 2016, she was elected to the state Senate, where she served as president pro tempore from 2018 until February of 2024.
Atkins’ platform includes affordable housing, the environment, health care, veterans, women and the LGBTQ+ community. Like many of the other candidates, her approach to technology and the private sector remains to be seen.
Tony Thurmond came to the California State Assembly by way of local government, serving on the West Contra Costa School Board and Richmond City Council before being elected to the state Assembly from 2014 to 2018. In 2018 and again in 2022, he was elected to serve as the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
According to Thurmond’s campaign website, social equity and education; the affordability, housing and climate crises; and child safety are key policy priorities. It’s unclear how technology would be used to meet these ends.
The Republicans
Chad Bianco is the current sheriff of Riverside County, having been elected to the position in 2018 and 2022. Bianco has been with the department for more than 31 years. He has been an outspoken critic of the Newsom administration’s public safety policies, and he was an advocate for Proposition 36, which increased penalties for certain drug and theft crimes.
According to the campaign website, his policy priorities include public safety; affordability; education; immigration; homelessness and housing; agriculture and water; energy; insurance; emergency response; and transportation and infrastructure. Bianco’s suite of policy priorities outlines supporting the state’s technology sector to boost jobs and future innovations and advancements in high-tech firefighting tools.
Steve Hilton is an author and former Fox News contributor. He was born in the U.K. and graduated from New College at Oxford. He served as a senior adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, according to news reports.
Hilton’s campaign platform includes the following priority areas: reduced taxes, sensible spending, a reduction of business-centric regulation, affordability, new student performance standards, parental rights and public safety, among others. Additionally, Hilton’s campaign website notes that he would like to see high-tech manufacturing return to the state.
The Green Party
Former vice presidential candidate Butch Ware is representing the Green Party in the upcoming election. Ware ran as the vice presidential candidate with Jill Stein in 2024. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
According to his campaign website, Ware’s platform is heavily weighted toward social equity issues, including addressing homelessness, the affordability crisis and health-care access. Like many of the other candidates, there was no direct focus on technology in the candidate’s policy outline.
