Fox News contributor Gianno Caldwell has publicly endorsed Republican Steve Hilton for California governor, arguing in a published opinion piece that Hilton offers voters a reason to stay in a state he himself left in 2020.
Caldwell wrote that he lived in Los Angeles from 2017 until May 2020, leaving two months into the city’s COVID-19 shutdown for Miami. He said that by the time he left, he had watched tent encampments spread across the city and violent crime and break-ins increase, while he felt officials focused more on enforcing mask rules at the beach than policing the streets.
Hilton, who worked alongside Caldwell at Fox News, is running against Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary under President Joe Biden, to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. The election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Hilton’s policy platform
According to Caldwell’s piece, Hilton has proposed eliminating state income tax on the first $150,000 a Californian earns. On gas prices, Hilton says he would work to bring prices down to $3 a gallon by eliminating the state gas tax, repealing the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, and increasing in-state oil production.
On housing, Hilton has proposed streamlining building codes and curbing lawsuits filed under the California Environmental Quality Act, which Caldwell says are routinely used to block housing construction.
On public safety, Hilton has called for a tougher approach to crime, stronger support for law enforcement, and enforcement of laws against street encampments, paired with expanded mental health and addiction treatment for homeless residents.
A Yolo County endorsement
Caldwell noted that Hilton has been endorsed by Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, who helped write Proposition 36, the tough-on-crime ballot measure that nearly 70% of California voters approved to restore stricter consequences for repeat theft and drug offenses.
Caldwell also pointed to campaign activity as a point of contrast, writing that Hilton has campaigned across California since the June primary while Becerra has kept a lower public profile. Caldwell noted Hilton attended a Los Angeles Times candidate forum this month to answer questions on homelessness, housing and climate policy, while Becerra did not attend.
Caldwell, founder of the Caldwell Institute for Public Safety, wrote that his support for Hilton stems from his own work on criminal justice issues. He also referenced Hilton’s family background, noting Hilton’s parents fled communist Hungary.
Caldwell acknowledged that polling shows Hilton as an underdog in the race but argued that past Republican wins in California, including Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, show that voters have changed course before when ready for it.
