SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 3 (Our California Times) — California governor candidates Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton clashed over immigration in their sole televised debate as county election officials prepared to send ballots to voters.
The hourlong matchup aired on CNN, according to the Associated Press. The Los Angeles Times reported that the candidates debated Wednesday night on a soundstage in Burbank.
The exchanges put immigration and homelessness before California voters choosing their next governor. Here is what the candidates said and where the contest stands.
What was the immigration dispute?
Becerra accused Hilton of treating immigrants differently based on their appearance.
“You seem to welcome immigrants who look like you, but deport immigrants who look like me,” Becerra said during the debate.
Hilton called that accusation “disgraceful” and said he wanted “to lower the temperature on this whole question.”
The candidates also disputed the handling of unaccompanied immigrant children — children who arrive without a parent or guardian. Hilton accused Becerra of dismantling vetting for their sponsors. Vetting means checking the people who would take responsibility for the children.
Becerra disputed Hilton’s account. The exchange was an allegation by Hilton and a denial by Becerra, rather than an established finding about how sponsor checks were handled.
What did they say about homelessness?
Becerra pledged to clear encampments, saying: “We will make sure the encampments are cleared.”
Hilton condemned the state’s homelessness problem: “This absolute scandal shames our state.”
Those remarks addressed another issue in the governor’s contest alongside the immigration dispute.
Where does the race stand?
A September poll by the University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Governmental Studies put Becerra ahead, according to the Associated Press’s debate preview. That polling snapshot was taken before the debate; it was not an election result.
The Associated Press identified Nov. 3 as the general election date and reported that mail ballots were expected to begin reaching homes ahead of the election. The Los Angeles Times reported that county election officials were preparing to mail ballots to California’s 23.2 million registered voters.
