Canto CDXLI: How to Do a California Gubernatorial Candidate Forum

Gentle cabrones:

As many of ustedes know, I talk a lot.

Speeches to K-Phd students. Lectures before civic groups. Radio and television segments. Moderator for panels. Panelist at said panels.

But for whatever reason, I had never been asked to participate in a political candidate’s forum until last week.

I suspect I know the answer: I’m political heresy.

Registered Democrat — but only because I lost a bet in 2018 (have I written about that, NelCYN?). Get into fights with Democratic politicos WAY more than Republicans, who know better than to mess with me. Rancho libertarian at heart, so kinda politically homeless — and that’s before the whole journalism thing.

Not sure, at the end, namely because I never thought of the topic until right now. And the only reason I’m even talking about a political candidate forum is because you’re going to see A LOT of gubernatorial ones in California through the June primary because for the first time since Gray Davis won in 1998, there’s no presumed favorite.

Oh, and also because I just participated in my first political candidate forum, as I hinted above — and what a place to debut!

The Empowerment Congress, the annual civic and social justice gathering in South L.A. that happens every MLK weekend. A gubernatorial forum, no less, featuring eight of the top candidates (sorry Greens, Libertarians, Peace and Freedom and any rando parties). I got to ask questions alongside LAist legend Frank Stoltze and Lisa Collins, founder and publisher of L.A. Focus.

What the hell to do?

If you’ve invited me to talk in one form or another, you know I always say I deliberately underplan. I have no written questions or points I unspool during my time, that’s true (or rather, very rarely). But I do imagine in my mind what I may say or ask and I definitely research either the people I’ll be talking to or the topic I’ll be addressing.

But not too much.

I purposefully underprepare because I want the audience to feel my vulnerability and curiosity. I let the events of that morning — that hour! that second! — influence what I’m about to say. I also don’t like to prepare because I want to listen to what my guests are saying, what the audience is feeling, so I can pivot accordingly.

It’s one thing to do that when you’re talking to second-graders. But in front of the people who might be the next leader of California? In front of people who do the ground work?

The forum was held at the California Science Center in Exposition Park, which I had never visited but was already filling up with attendees and families there to see the exhibit by the time I arrived last Saturday morning. VIP breakfast was shrimp and grits, waffles, homestyle potatoes, and your choice of pork bacon, beef bacon or chicken sausage — all delicious, but I could only eat so much before I speak because I’ll get a sore stomach if I speak on a full one.

Packed house — 500 people easily. Mark Ridley Thomas, the legendary South LA politician and co-founder of the Empowerment Congress, came in clapping to Stevie’s “Higher Ground” and to a standing ovation, damn the corruption convictions against him that MRT is appealing.

Moderating us all was Tavis Smiley, longtime media personality and owner of KBLA Talk 1580, which would be broadcasting the forum live. “Such hope in the room!” he cracked in the green room, where all the candidates gathered for a photo op and a drawing to see which candidate would give their opening remarks first (they were on stage in alphabetical order from stage right to stage left).

Before the crowd, Tavis set the rules: Each candidate got a minute and thirty seconds to offer opening remarks, a minute to answer our questions, and a minute to offer a concluding statement. About an hour and a half, total.

Show time.

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We were asked to prepare six questions. I was the only person allowed to ask three questions: an obvious one (what to do about ICE?), an expected one (water policy) and a random one: which Californian of the past would you feature in your governor’s office to signal to everyone your beliefs?

I didn’t write out my questions, so if you hear the broadcast I shared below, those nerves were real. I got shouts of approval for mentioning Keith Porter, Jr., the U.S. citizen killed by an off-duty ICE agent in Northridge, and laughs when I noted that Joe Biden kept a bust of Cesar Chavez in the Oval Office, which Trump replaced with a portrait of Andrew Jackson.

Frank and Lisa asked better questions. Overall, I don’t think any of the candidates flopped and I actually came away feeling better that one of the candidates I heard most likely would become the next governor of California — although I’m now for the elimination of the jungle primary more than ever, too, because I want to here Dems and Republicans get challenged by rando candidates, you know?

My heart will always be with randos above power, but I digress.

Leading Republican candidates Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco weren’t there for reasons known only to them. Former O.C. congressmember Katie Porter pulled out at the last moment due to a personal matter (I’m not sharing it, but it was a legitimate reason). So here is my ranking of the morning’s performances, from worst to…well, most not-worst, along with random observations. Take none of this as an endorsement of anyone, because I don’t endorse candidates and getting my endorsement is a death sentence.

I’m also including who each candidate said they’d put in their office. And awayyyyyy we go:

#8 Jon Slavet: Tall guy! Republican. Greeted me before the forum in the green room. Preached kindness but also said he’d cut a deal with Trump to stop the ICE invasion of the state by getting rid of sanctuary policies and vowing to turn over only criminals — that’ll stop it! At least he shouted out Hiram Johnson, whom Jon said he’d put in his office.

#7 Ian Calderon: Former assemblymember. Youngest person on the stage by far — 40. Greeted me before the forum in the green room. Type of guy who thinks flashing a smile gets you far — it has! From the non-corrupt branch of California’s Calderon political dynasty. Didn’t say anything particularly memorable. Chose his father, former assemblymember and state senator Charles Calderon.

#6 Betty Yee: California state controller. Greeted me before the forum. I admired her focus on taxes and staying within budgets but not an exciting speaker. We don’t need another Newsom — but given California’s next governor is going to have to tussle with Trump for at least two years, voters will seek more of a fire breather. Chose Rev. James Lawson for her office.

#5 Tony Thurmond: California state superintendent of public education. Oratorical master. Has a personal story — both of his biological parents died early, has Panamanian, Jamaican and Detroit heritage — that needs more broadcasting. But he lost me by supporting desalination — did he never hear about the proposed Poseidon plant? Said he grew up so poor that he thought FDA was a brand. But also the last candidate to enter the green room — I told a fellow reporter to watch who comes in last and at what time because that signals…something…about them. Chose Kamala Harris and former Oakland mayor/congressmember Ron Dellums.

#4 Tom Steyer: Billionaire — he points it out all the time. Just like his ubiquitous commercials: pugnacious, gravelly voiced, dressed in Sun Valley chic of Nike sneakers, coat, quarter-zip, white collared shirt with no tie. Talks a good talk but sorry: I wouldn’t want a billionaire to run California even if he was Rick Caruso. Tom chose Dolores Huerta, who’s very much alive and in her 90s, not 80s as he asserted.

#3 Xavier Becerra: Greeted me in the green room. State assemblymember turned congressmember turned California attorney general turned U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. A good 15 years ago, I interviewed him in front of an audience as part of an MTV en Español (or whatever the hell it was called back then) special about illegal immigration and I was impressed by his candor and sharp answers then. Was again impressed — only candidate to regularly stay within the allotted one-minute response time (although in fairness, none of the candidates ever went more than five seconds over) and was thorough in his thoughts and plans. I liked his answers, but his entire political career has been spent in Sacramento or DC, and I think a good California governor needs some local experience. He also said Rodney King was beaten “a few blocks” from the California Science Center. Yeah, no. Rattled off a list of Californians for his office instead of just one.

#2 Antonio Villaraigosa: Former California Speaker of the Assembly turned Los Angeles Mayor turned Antonio Villaraigosa, the politico everyone has an opinion of. Greeted me in the green room and told me about journalism, “Like I’ve told Frank before, be critical but not cynical.” Only candidate who popped a breath mint before the show. Like Todd Spitzer, a guy I can’t hate. More than once, he reminded the Empowerment Congress crowd that he had been with them from the start and had walked the walk with Black L.A. — an absolutely true fact that no other candidate could’ve said. Mechista turned…centrist? Critics say Villaraigosa is eight years too late to the seat and I asked him about that for a columna last year — but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about him, it’s to not underestimate the man. He chose what he had in his mayor’s office: A bust of Cesar Chavez.

#1 Eric Swalwell: Gotta admit, I knew nothing about him other than his name. Had no idea his family was part of the Great Iowa Migration to California, although most Hawkeyes ended up in Southern California, not the East Bay. That he served on the Dublin city council for all of two years before winning his congressional race a few weeks before his 32nd birthday by beating a long-time incumbent. Or even that he ran in the 2020 presidential race. Looks like a lawyer I know.

In his opening statement, he bragged that he was the only candidate on stage that Trump particularly hated. Later on, said he would take away the driver’s licenses of ICE agents, saying “Good luck walking to work, assholes.” That earned a rebuke from Smiley, who reminded him they were live on radio. Swalwell joke that he would pay the fine; Smiley didn’t smile.

Lot of bragadoccio — like, how the hell is taking someone’s driver’s license constitutional based on their profession? — BUT the rest of his answers landed. Right amount of personal story, vision, humor and passion a California governor needs. I don’t have a choice yet, but Swalwell impressed and I’m going to start looking into him more. (He chose what he has in his congressional office: a badge of his late father, who was fired as a small-town Iowa police chief for, among other things, issuing parking tickets to local politicos. That forced the family to move to Northern California). Said Dublin used to go by “Scrublin” — and I LOVE city nicknames.

I’m three minutes past deadline — UGH…! Time to send this out. Let’s see if I’m invited to do another forum…HA! Who do YOU like in the gubernatorial primary so far?

**

Enough rambling. This was the semana that was:

IMAGE OF THE WEEK: Self-portrat at Pantaleón & Co. in Highland Park, a barber shop-cum-vintage store

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Those who try to overcome in spite of all link us to survival, to hope, to ourselves. And so we must keep on telling the stories of our heroes and heroines, sung and unsung, as best we can. Because it is they who urge us to hang on, to join hands, to move relentlessly toward greater understanding among all people, to move toward justice and toward love.” — Ruby Dee

LISTENING: “Take It On the Run,” REO Speedwagon. I hadn’t heard this song until last year, when Howard played it on on his acoustic guitar and Robin sang a soulful version and the lyrics and structure were so interesting that I had to find the original…and here it is! Whiny, overwrought ‘80s schlock rock…but it’s anthemic, has a small-town perspective and is one of those songs that ends with the beginning — always a bold move. Hence included in Gustavo Arellano’s Weekly Radiola of Randomness YouTube songlist, where I’ve included every song I’ve ever featured in a canto — give it a spin!

READING: “Draft Punk”: Peter Murrieta IS The Most Important Chicano in Hollywood You Don’t Know® but what you probably know even less is that he’s a hell of a newsletter writer, weaving in and out like Willy Pep. Take this one, where he connects a late comedian, Daft Punk, AI, a walk near the Paramount lot, AI and the past AND the future — and then ends with the start like Tom Wolfe did with “The Pump House Gang.” He will be a future Random Cool People I Know…once I do his podcast!

Gustavo Events  

Feb. 5, 7 p.m.: I'll be in conversation with El Martillo Press author David A. Romero about his debut novel, The Enemy Sleeps at the venerable Vroman's in Pasadena, 695 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena. Lecture, FREE; books, BARATO.

Gustavo in the News

“Are grocery stores charging you more than your neighbor?”: I get a shoutout in the Good Food with Evan Kleiman newsletter.

“An L.A. publication founded to cover tacos and weed is now a major source for ICE raid news”: I don’t think I caught this CBC mention of me last year…

Gustavo Stories 

“Grítale a Guti”: Latest edition of my Tuesday night IG Live free-for-all.

“Report says hate crimes are up in Orange County”: My latest KCRW “Orange County Line” commentary talks about a disturbing, unsurprising trend.

"FOOD 2050 Panel: Nutrition, Equity, and Global Food Leadership”: I moderated a panel for Food Tank with people fighting the good fight in food just before a documentary produced and narrated by Viola Davis.

“Gustavo Arellano LA Times writer, talks Costa Mesa food culture 1.11.26”: The remarks for the speech that you missed a couple of weeks ago.

“Rebel Kitchens: Heritage Barbecue by Chef Daniel Castillo”: In which I appear at the very end of a great profile about the compa Danny.

“The Chicano Kennedys of San Diego County put out a photo book”: My latest L.A. Times Essential California newsletter talks about an important publication by San Diego State University Press via the Inzunza family. KEY QUOTE: “From 1971 to 1974 he took nearly 1,800 photos of a crucial era in the Chicano movement, when young activists realized they needed to run for political office to effect true change and also began to embrace the undocumented immigrants their elders once shunned.”

“The Chicano Kennedys of San Diego County put out a photo book”: My latest L.A. Times Essential California newsletter talks about the Inzunza dynasty. KEY QUOTE: ““Movimiento en la Sangre” is a much-needed addition to Latino, San Diego, Southern California and civil rights histories that too often overlook the book’s subject matter.”

“A walk through promising, problem-plagued MacArthur Park with its council member”: My latest L.A. Times columna finds me hanging with Eunisses Hernandez. KEY QUOTE: “So much to see, so much to consider in a place that has transformed into a Rorschach test for how some people see the challenges of Los Angeles.”

“A walk through promising, problem-plagued MacArthur Park”: The video version of the above columna.

You made it this far down? Gracias! Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram while you’re down here by clicking on their logos down below. Don’t forget to forward this newsletter to your compadres y comadres! You can’t get me tacos anymore, but you sure as hell can give them — and more — to the O.C. Catholic Worker!