Who Will Become California’s Next Governor? Candidate Antonio Villaraigosa Sits Down with Your News Channel

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) — In his first television ad in the governor’s race, Antonio Villaragosa promises to tackle gas prices and groceries and to veto tax increases.
 
“We've got to make housing affordable, provide health care and educate, keep our neighborhood safe. I don't know if that's a middle position, but it's my position,” said the former Los Angeles Mayor and Speaker of the California Assembly.
 
The goal? To make CalIfornia more affordable for everyone.
 
“It’s not just workers. I mean, the middle class can't afford Santa Barbara. They can't afford Los Angeles. And so increasing the supply helps to lower the cost for rents and home prices,” said Villaraigosa.
 
Villaraigosa says when it comes to housing, Californians need more than just affordable housing. They need workforce housing and housing for the homeless.
 
He also mentioned that California has the highest gas prices in the country, but he plans to invest in infrastructure that makes developing renewable energy like wind, solar, and geothermal energy feasible while still gradually phasing out old ways of doing things.
 
“We have a goal of getting to all electric cars by 2035, right? We've built 167,000 charging stations in the last ten years. We need 2 million in the next ten years. And if we built that 2 million, we don't have the grid for it,” said Villaraigosa.
 
The former mayor says the solution is to not only supercharge building charging stations, but also the transmission lines.
 
We also asked him about Trump’s decision to ramp up immigration and customs enforcement.
 
“When you federalize the National Guard and bring them in here the way that they do, yeah, it's a public safety issue. These people come in to work. These people are working in jobs that the vast majority of us won't work in,” said Villaraigosa.
 
He says he plans to push back against the ICE raids up and down the coast peacefully by using the courts to hold trump accountable.
 
“He's racially profiling going into primarily Latino neighborhoods. Latinos aren't the only undocumented. There are Canadians. There are Brits. He’s specifically targeting people at Home Depots, hospitals, schools, courtHouses. That is not the way to do this.”  
 
Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass endorsed Villaraigosa.
 
Right now, several candidates are running for California governor including Katie Porter, Xavier Beccera, Toni Atkins, Betty Yee, Butch Ware, Chad Bianco, Steve Hilton, and Daniel Mercuri.

The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With the Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.