I lived in Los Angeles from 2017 until May 2020, when the city had been under shutdown for about two months. By then, it hardly felt like the place I’d moved to for its energy and opportunity. Tent encampments were spreading, and break-ins and violent crime were rising. When COVID arrived, it seemed California’s leaders were more focused on enforcing mask rules at the beach than on keeping streets safe. I eventually moved to Miami, where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was taking a very different approach.
I was fortunate to have the option to leave. Millions of Californians don’t, and they shouldn’t have to.
Six years later, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is offering them a reason to stay and a different vision for the state.
California, once a place of remarkable promise, has become increasingly difficult for many of the people who live there. Families face steep gas and housing costs. Small businesses struggle with fees and regulations, while homelessness, drug use and crime have become part of daily life in communities across the state. After 16 years of one-party rule in Sacramento, it’s fair to ask what that leadership has delivered. The answer, unfortunately, is a state that appears to be losing ground.
I’ve known Hilton since our time at Fox News, and I’ve been impressed by the way he has approached this campaign. He was never especially drawn to cable-news arguments for their own sake. He wanted to discuss practical solutions, and that’s still what he emphasizes as a candidate.
His campaign has been focused on policy, not just slogans. Hilton proposes eliminating state income tax on the first $150,000 a Californian earns. He also says he would bring gas prices down to $3 a gallon by ending the state gas tax, repealing the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and increasing in-state oil production.
On housing, he wants to simplify building codes and curb lawsuits under the California Environmental Quality Act that can be used to block housing projects.
Voters may disagree with parts of his agenda. Still, he has made a serious effort to address the state’s problems.
He has also been more visible on the campaign trail. Since the June primary, Hilton has traveled around California, while Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former Health and Human Services secretary under President Joe Biden, has kept a comparatively low profile. At a Los Angeles Times candidate forum this month, Hilton answered difficult questions about homelessness, housing and climate. Becerra was absent.
Public safety has been the focus of my work for years. Through the Caldwell Institute for Public Safety, I advocate for victims and communities that are too often left to cope when leaders fail to enforce the law. That work is one reason I support Hilton and believe he would be the right choice for California.
Hilton has argued that crime is out of control and that a lack of consequences has worn down both police officers and residents. He supports a tougher response to crime and more backing for law enforcement. On homelessness, his approach would enforce restrictions on street encampments while expanding access to mental health and addiction treatment. People need more than a sidewalk to sleep on; they need meaningful help.
He has also been endorsed by Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, who helped shape Proposition 36. Nearly 70% of California voters backed the measure, which restored penalties for repeat theft and drug offenses. Sacramento has avoided dealing with these issues for years. Hilton says he won’t.
California’s problems don’t fit neatly into a party label. When gas costs $6 a gallon, people are worried about the price, not whether the governor is a Democrat or Republican. The same is true for families shut out of the housing market and business owners worn down by state regulations.
Hilton’s background may help explain his view of government. His parents escaped communism in Hungary, and he has spoken about how government can grow until it no longer serves the people. California, after years of state officials telling residents what to drive, what they can build and what they must pay, could use a different perspective.
California has elected Republican governors before, including Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, when voters wanted a change. Polls currently show Hilton as the underdog, but polls don’t cast ballots. People do.
I left California in 2020 because I didn’t think its leaders would change direction. Hilton has given me some reason to think the state could find its way forward. Californians will have a choice on Tuesday, Nov. 3. I hope they take it seriously.
