California Governor Candidates Skip Hollywood in Final Debate Before Primaries

The debate was structured by issue, with rapid-fire questions on topics such as affordability, climate change, education, and artificial intelligence. However, film and television production incentives—critical to California’s economy—were not addressed.

Hollywood Production Incentives Absent from Discussion

In the previous debate on NBC4, candidates were asked whether they supported expanding California’s film tax credit program. All seven candidates at that time indicated support for an uncapped expansion.

Since then, bipartisan discussions have emerged at the federal level about increasing film tax incentives to compete with international markets. Despite this national conversation, the moderators did not include production incentives in Thursday’s debate.

Key Moments and Candidate Exchanges

Katie Porter (D) continued to challenge her opponents, including Xavier Becerra (D), for interrupting each other. She later criticized Becerra for not providing a clear revenue plan, prompting Becerra to release his proposal to voters.

Steve Hilton (R) accused Becerra of association with fraud within the Biden administration, referencing the guilty plea of Becerra’s longtime advisor, Sean McCluskie, who stole $225,000 from a Biden campaign account. Becerra has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Hilton, who initially called Becerra a friend, remarked,

"With friends like that who needs enemies."

Matt Mahan (D), mayor of San Jose, emphasized education reform, proposing placing the Department of Education under the governor’s jurisdiction. He highlighted his background as a former teacher.

Tom Steyer (D) argued against government overreach in education, stating,

"The idea that we don’t need to pay [teachers] and we will just do it better — that’s pie in the sky."

Watch the Full CBS California Debate

A video of the debate is available above.