CA Governor Candidate Steve Hilton on Why California is Destroying Itself & How a Republican Can Win
In a Nutshell
Steve Hilton, a British-born Republican leading polls for California governor, blames the state's decline on union dominance, excessive regulations like CEQA, climate dogma inflating costs, unchecked spending fraud ($425B in 5 years), failing education, high crime from prison closures, and ineffective homelessness policies. His fixes include no state income tax under $100k with a 7.5% flat rate above (funded by $60B spending cuts via Cal DOGE), slashing housing/building fees, enforcing encampment clearances with mandatory rehab/jail and new mental health facilities, boosting in-state oil for $3 gas, and school reforms like phonics and accountability. Republicans can win in 2026 via top-two system, leveraging voter frustration (60-40 Dem-Rep vote split historically), Trump's endorsement, and a pro-worker platform targeting multi-racial working-class voters hit by high costs.
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Steve Hilton, Republican and British-born candidate for California governor, leads polls among five or six candidates. Democrats will narrow field via convention, possibly picked by Nancy Pelosi.
Steve Hilton introduces himself: parents Hungarian refugees from communism, grew up in Brighton, England in working-class immigrant family. Parents split young; stepfather Hungarian refugee who at 14 in 1956 fled Soviet invasion, ran across border through barbed wire, minefields, got shot at (half companions killed), ended in Austrian refugee camp, then England. Instills deep appreciation for freedom and opportunity. Worked hard, Oxford University, first job project manager for construction company to earn money. Post-Oxford: Conservative Party, big ad agency worldwide, started businesses including restaurants. Helped friend David Cameron win Conservative leadership, then 2010 election as PM; senior adviser in 10 Downing Street implementing reform program. 2012 moved to Silicon Valley (wife Rachel Whetstone at Google then Facebook/Uber); naturalized US citizen, renounced UK citizenship to be all-in American.
Rachel Whetstone ran comms/public policy for Google worldwide; move due to her travel/time differences after second son born.
Child of Hungarian immigrants fleeing communism shapes view of state vs. family/individual role. UK upbringing during Margaret Thatcher's rise after 1970s disaster: stagnant economy, sclerotic unions dominated, Winter of Discontent 1979 (strikes, dead unburied, trash piled in streets). Thatcher fixed it, stood against communism, focused on business/enterprise/hard work. Stepfather said: > "Mrs. Thatcher's for the workers and labor are for the layabouts."
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