Overview
- Seven candidates — Xavier Becerra, Antonio Villaraigosa, Betty Yee, Tony Thurmond, Tom Steyer, Matt Mahan and Steve Hilton — debated in San Francisco in a forum aired by KTVU and KTTV across the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
- Rep. Eric Swalwell, former Rep. Katie Porter and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco did not participate, with organizers citing scheduling conflicts.
- Immigration drew sharp contrasts as Steyer urged abolishing ICE, Thurmond vowed to pursue abolition and keep agents out of schools and hospitals, Villaraigosa promised to resist ICE operations, Becerra said he would "police the immigration police," and Yee defended the state’s sanctuary posture.
- Housing, homelessness and crime dominated, featuring a back-and-forth between Hilton and Mahan over housing taxes and calls from multiple candidates to fund treatment under Prop. 36-style approaches rather than emphasize incarceration.
- Post-debate analysis highlighted Mahan’s strong showing for a new entrant who drew fire from rivals, and a mid-event audio issue prevented Hilton from answering the ICE question.