Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco Debate California’s Cost Of Living, Housing After Eric Swalwell Exit

California’s gubernatorial race took center stage on Wednesday, April 22, when the leading candidates stepped onto the debate floor for the first time since Eric Swalwell’s departure from the gubernatorial race, according to The Desert Sun.

“Four Democrats and two Republicans vying to become California’s next governor exchanged occasional barbs in a debate Wednesday night”

CNN

The Desert Sun described a 5-takeaways format focused on “the cost of living and housing” and said the two Republican candidates, former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, argued that “one-party Democratic rule” and “government overreach” have driven problems including “cost of living, housing, and homelessness.”

CNN

The Hill similarly framed the Wednesday forum as a 90-minute debate hosted by The Hill’s parent company NewsNation and Nexstar, occurring just weeks after Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) dropped out and resigned from Congress after sexual assault allegations surfaced, which he denied.

CNN reported that the debate, hosted by Nexstar, came “two weeks after the race was upended” when Swalwell exited after being accused of sexual misconduct, and CNN said Swalwell has denied what he described as “flat false” allegations.

Across the three outlets, the debate’s structure and timing were tied to the June 2 primary, with CNN stating that “All candidates will be listed on the same ballot on June 2, and the top two finishers regardless of party will advance to a head-to-head matchup this fall.”

The Hill added that “The top two vote-getters on the June 2 primary ballot will advance to the general, regardless of party affiliation,” and CNN said county elections officials begin sending ballots to voters on May 4.

The Desert Sun also anchored the debate’s policy focus by saying moderators opened by asking whether candidates would cut California’s gas tax, with the discussion tied to infrastructure and transportation funding.

The debate’s most concrete policy clash centered on whether to cut California’s gas tax, with The Desert Sun saying moderators opened by asking whether candidates would cut the tax that helps fund “the upkeep of roadways and public transportation.”

The Desert Sun provided a specific benchmark, stating that “As of July 1, 2025, California's state gasoline excise tax increased to 61.2 cents per gallon,” and it reported that candidates split on whether to eliminate it, suspend it, or replace it with other funding.

The Desert Sun

Becerra, described by The Desert Sun as an attorney who most recently served as the “25th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services,” “strongly opposed eliminating the state's gas tax,” arguing that “Californians need the funds to support the roadway infrastructure they use daily.”

The Desert Sun also said Becerra pointed to the war in Iran as a reason for high gas prices, quoting him: “Let's make sure Donald Trump is not starting reckless wars to keep the prices of gasoline down by up to $2 a gallon.”

Steyer, described as a climate activist, echoed that framing and said, “The reason gasoline is so expensive is that our president, Donald Trump, has started an insane war in Iran and driven up the cost of gasoline for everybody.”

On the Republican side, The Desert Sun reported that Bianco called for “the complete elimination of the gas tax,” arguing he would fund infrastructure maintenance by cutting “government waste and fraud,” and it quoted him: “Don't say gas tax is funding our roads, because we have the worst roads in the entire country.”

The Desert Sun added that Hilton said he would look to producing oil in California to cut gas prices, while Porter offered a different approach by saying she would focus on “moving away from a gas tax and replacing that with general fund taxes.”

Homelessness and housing became another major point of contention, with The Desert Sun reporting that Porter argued homelessness is “a direct correlate of our housing problems” and said she would focus on “homeless prevention.”

“byJulia MuellerandCaroline Vakil04/23/26 12:39 AM ET Six candidates running for California governorsquared off on the debate stageWednesday, yet the forum may have created more questions than answers for politcal observers, as Democratsstruggle to coalescearound a candidate ahead of the June primary The debate came just weeks after Rep”

The Hill

The Desert Sun quoted Porter saying, “It is so much more cost-effective and so much more humane to prevent families from becoming homeless in the first place,” and it said Becerra similarly argued the state should help people “before they become homeless.”

The Desert Sun described Bianco’s approach as fundamentally different, saying homelessness “has nothing to do with homes,” and it quoted him directly: “This is a drug and alcohol induced psychosis, mental illness ... These people are suffering from drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness ... This has nothing to do with the home until we actually start caring about these people.”

The Desert Sun added that Bianco said he would take away funds from nonprofits and NGOs for homeless and put a portion toward “drug and alcohol treatment centers and mental health treatment centers,” while Hilton urged enforcement and quoted, “It is illegal to live and camp on the streets.”

Hilton also called for treatment rather than incarceration, with The Desert Sun quoting him: “instead of the barbaric situation we have right now in California as a result of these Democratic policies, where the main place where we are treating people with mental health problems is jail.”

CNN’s account of the debate echoed the homelessness-and-taxes framing by describing how Republicans “teed off on Newsom” while Democrats offered “at least a tepid defense of the outgoing governor’s record on issues like homelessness.”

The Hill provided a more granular look at how candidates graded Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying Becerra gave Newsom an A-grade “on effort,” Porter gave him “a B-grade,” Steyer gave him “a B-minus,” and Mahan gave him “a B-grade for Newsom on policy and a D-grade for all Democrats on implementation.”

The debate also carried the political fallout from Eric Swalwell’s exit, with CNN and The Hill both emphasizing that Swalwell had denied allegations and had resigned from Congress after sexual misconduct accusations.

CNN reported that Swalwell “exited after being accused of sexual misconduct,” and it said Swalwell has denied what he has described as “flat false” allegations, while also reporting that in resigning his House seat, Swalwell apologized for “mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past.”

CNN

The Hill said Swalwell’s exit “scrambled the field” and noted that he “has denied any wrongdoing,” while adding that Democrat Betty Yee also dropped out of the race this week, narrowing the field amid concerns that Democratic candidates could splinter the party’s vote.

The Hill described how the debate briefly brought up the controversy around Swalwell amid allegations of sexual assault and other sexual misconduct, and it said Becerra was asked what rumors he had heard about Swalwell when he served in the House.

The Hill quoted Becerra’s response: “Rumors are not facts, and the caucus — the Democratic caucus — is not a place that adjudicates those things,” and it added, “It’s law enforcement that does. If someone had come forward, we could then have investigations.”

CNN similarly quoted Becerra’s line about rumors, saying: “Yeah, you hear rumors all the time about all sorts of things. Rumors are not facts, and the Democratic caucus is not a place that adjudicates those things. Law enforcement does,” and CNN added that Becerra credited the women who made sexual misconduct allegations.

The Hill also reported that Becerra praised survivors for coming forward with allegations and said he pursued sex trafficking cases when he served as California attorney general.

The outlets diverged in how they framed the debate’s meaning, even when describing the same event.

“5 takeaways from gubernatorial debate Californians should know - California's gubernatorial candidates debated key issues like the cost of living, housing, and homelessness”

The Desert Sun

The Hill emphasized that the forum was “largely free of fireworks,” noting that “the rivals were largely civil,” and it said the debate may have created “more questions than answers” for political observers as Democrats “struggle to coalesce around a candidate ahead of the June primary.”

The Desert Sun

CNN, by contrast, foregrounded the partisan contrast, saying “mostly, the Democrats took aim at President Donald Trump, and the Republicans criticized the state’s Democratic leadership,” and it described the Republicans “teed off on Newsom” while Democrats offered “at least a tepid defense” of his record.

The Desert Sun focused on policy takeaways, using direct quotes to show the gas tax split and the homelessness divide, including Hilton’s line that “We cannot keep going in this direction with Democrats constantly going for their insatiable appetite for more and more taxes for their bottomless money pit.”

The Hill and CNN both described the race’s structural stakes around the June 2 primary and the possibility of Democrats being shut out of the general election, with CNN saying the party is confronting a “potential nightmare scenario” of being shut out to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom.

CNN also reported that “California elections are conducted largely by mail,” and it said county elections officials begin sending ballots to voters on May 4, while CNN would hold a gubernatorial debate on May 5.

The Hill described how campaigns moved quickly to social media, including Steyer’s team knocking Becerra over “war in Iraq,” and it said a video that “takes off in the hours or days after the debate” could be pivotal.