Xavier Becerra, the candidate most likely to win the Democratic nomination for governor of California, according to polls, said that his mission to win the election is to ensure that those who work hard can buy a house, send their children to college and retire in this state.

“I want to restore that faith, rekindle that dream and give people back the ability to believe, and you should know that you will have a governor who will fight for you,” Becerra said at a recent meeting with community media, organized by American Community Media (ACoM).

Becerra, who has been a state legislator, congressman, California prosecutor and secretary of health and human services, relies on his experience to deliver for Californians.

“You won't get that from someone who has never had to cast difficult votes, who has never had to run a government agency with a budget as vast as the state of California itself or declared a state of emergency.

"I have declared states of emergency in my capacity as Secretary of Health and Human Services. I have managed to balance a budget that exceeded that of the state of California in magnitude."

He added: “I have stood up to the biggest threats, suing Donald Trump more than 120 times and winning more than 80% of those lawsuits.”

Becerra considers himself very lucky to be the son of hard-working immigrants.

“I am the son of a man who did not go beyond sixth grade, and a mother who came to this country at the age of 18; a couple who arrived in the state of California with just $12 dollars in their pockets,” he said.

"I understand what it means to be the first in your family to have the real opportunity to attend college and earn an academic degree. Therefore, as governor, I will use all the tools of government to protect families like my parents' who work tirelessly, who never demand too much and only hope that their efforts will open doors to opportunity, if not for themselves, at least for their children."

Below are some fragments of the interview with Xavier Becerra.

How do you respond to voters who are concerned that big corporate interests could exert outsized influence on California politics?

I am totally independent of them, because I have no relationship with those committees.

My career speaks for itself. When I was Attorney General, I sued the fossil fuel industry. I stood up to the Trump administration when they tried to dismantle some of our environmental protections.

I was the Attorney General who spoke up and protected clean vehicle standards, which allow cars equipped with clean-burning engines to circulate in California.

I was the one who protected the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

Therefore, it is easy for a billionaire to distort the truth about another candidate; What he cannot distort is the truth about his own career.

Tom Steyer amassed billions investing in coal and oil, from the same industries he now criticizes, without ever having returned those profits, and now uses them to finance his own campaign for a sum greater than $200 million.

How will you navigate policy disputes when the federal administration is controlled by an opposition party?

Where possible, we will establish collaboration with the federal government but we will not bend; When I was Attorney General, the Trump Administration attempted to force our law enforcement to join ICE in conducting immigration raids; and I said we wouldn't do it.

They sued us. We defeated them in court and after our judicial victory, Donald Trump decided to withdraw $57 million in resources from our law enforcement agencies, in retaliation for their refusal to participate. We fought them in court and got our $57 million back.

What plans do you have regarding providing undocumented immigrants the opportunity to access health care?

When I am governor, the guiding principle of my health policy is that if you work hard, you deserve access to health care through the MediCal program.

Even though Donald Trump cut $1 billion from the Medicaid program, which is what we call MediCal here in California, I don't want to leave three million people off MediCal because the moment we leave them without coverage, they'll go to the emergency room, the most expensive place to get medical care, and guess who pays? California taxpayers.

We will ensure that families have peace of mind knowing they will have the care they need; and it is a fiscally responsible measure, since doctors, hospitals and community health centers, knowing that the person who walks through their doors has insurance, will know that they will be reimbursed for the care provided.

What is your plan to house the homeless?

We will continue to work with our cities and counties to ensure that services for homeless people are expanded to include shelter, health care, and job training.

We will demand accountability to ensure that when a program is launched, it actually delivers results. If they do not present clear results, I will demand that these programs be closed; On the contrary, those programs that successfully transfer people to housing and health services will be expanded.

What I will focus on as governor, however, is helping ensure that people do not become homeless. This is because it is much more expensive to pick up someone off the street, help them recover, provide them with the medical services they need, and find them temporary shelter, than it is to try to support someone who is on the verge of losing their home.

The two candidates with the highest number of votes in the primary election on June 2 will face each other in the general election for governor on November 3.

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