Xavier Becerra, California's gubernatorial candidate and the architect behind efforts to cap the price of insulin at $35 and expand health coverage for more than 24 million Americans, aims to restore families' faith in the opportunities for advancement the Golden State offers to those who strive and strive.

Becerra was leading the race for the June 2 election with 23% support among likely voters, according to the survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

In an interview, Becerra, 68, criticized federal immigration policies and promised to protect immigrants' rights, including access to health care.

“I think California is hungry for a governor who can rekindle a sense of possibility,” he said. “This campaign has always focused on a single belief: that hard work should be enough to help you build something that lasts.”

And the Sacramento-born man detailed with reference to his political achievements: “It could be through the work done to help limit the price of medications such as insulin to $35 or to negotiate better drug prices for Medicare for the first time in history, or by providing medical coverage to more than 24 million Americans through the Obamacare program.”

He made that possibility a reality as secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Joe Biden administration.

"I'm running because California families want to see a concrete reality. Right now, the momentum behind this campaign is genuine. We're leading the polls and we're raising funds," he points out. The average donations received from people for his campaign throughout the state are around $59 dollars.

“This is not about a billionaire [Tom Steyer] writing himself a check; it is about people like teachers, nurses and union workers who are supporting this campaign and helping us propel us to victory,” he says.

– How should California respond if federal immigration crackdowns resume? And do you believe, at this moment, that ICE's excesses can be stopped?

I will make sure to use all the tools I had at my disposal when I was attorney general, during Donald Trump's first time as president. I will certainly work closely with Attorney General Rob Bonta to protect the interests of our immigrant families and ensure that we do not allow Donald Trump to get away with illegal conduct, like what we see with his mercenary ICE force, which is violating the laws that protect both American citizens and residents throughout the state of California and across the country.

We will stand firm, just as we have done in the past; And I will do it not only because I have done it in my capacity as attorney general, but because I know what it feels like - as a child of immigrants - when your rights are not respected, when you feel threatened, and when it is difficult for you, despite how hard you try, to believe that your government is there for you.

Therefore, we will make sure to hold ICE accountable; to remember that, although it is a federal agency, it must obey the Constitution. You must follow state laws when it exceeds your jurisdiction; We will ensure that, whether it is immigration enforcement or access to services in the state of California, our immigrant families know they are protected.

– As governor, what steps would you take to address the inhumane conditions and treatment suffered by migrant children and adults currently held in for-profit detention centers located in California?

We would take every step in our power to stop California from hosting any privately owned detention facilities. Our authority in this regard is limited, since the federal government can impose its will on us; However, we will do our best to ensure that if there is a facility in California, it meets the state's standards, standards that we can hold the federal government to meet.

On the other hand, we will continue to oppose the federal government's efforts to detain immigrant families who have not committed crimes and who are not the subject of criminal proceedings; Likewise, we will do everything possible to demonstrate to the federal government that we do not participate in their raids or ICE operations.

– Why did you back down, if this is true, and stop supporting a single-payer healthcare system? And what will you do to help rural communities residing in areas designated as primary health care professional shortage areas?

I never turned back. That is not an accurate representation of the position I have held. This is a distortion that some of my opponents have been spreading for some time. I have maintained a consistent position throughout my entire career in public service.

In 1993 I was a major cosponsor of legislation called “Medicare for All.” Medicare is a form of single-payer system, and from that day to this day, I have maintained a consistent stance. I am convinced that the most efficient way to provide medical care is to eliminate as many intermediaries as possible and those unnecessary cogs in the health system that consume huge sums of money.

I have always advocated for ensuring that we have an efficient healthcare system; and as we strive to achieve that goal, a task that has been arduous over these more than three decades, we must continue to move toward one of the fundamental objectives of “Medicare for All”: ensuring that absolutely all people have access to the health care they need.

(Xavier Becerra participated in the drafting and passage of the Affordable Care Act; defended it before the Supreme Court when he served as attorney general; and, as secretary of HHS, helped consolidate Obamacare into the successful program it is today, providing coverage to more than 24.5 million people through the private markets and facilitating the expansion of the Medicaid program.)

– If you are elected governor of California, what would be your first executive order immediately after taking the oath of office?

I have stated that upon taking office, I will declare a state of urgency or emergency in the state regarding housing, and will take steps to implement actions that will allow us to begin building more housing as quickly as possible. Currently there are nearly 40,000 housing units that are ready to be built. They only need the necessary financing to begin construction. Therefore, I will immediately work with the legislature to see if we can find the resources to allow those projects to move forward, putting the shovel in the ground, so that we can give Californians real certainty that we will actually build the housing units that we need.

I have also said that, during this state of housing emergency, I would seek to freeze utility rates and home and property insurance premiums, as I firmly believe that the majority of families in California fail to understand the spiraling prices of utilities and home insurance premiums; In addition, they have the right to know what they are paying or, as is the case in many cases, why they are losing their policies without sufficient notice. Therefore, I believe that there are certain actions that we can take very quickly that will help the public better understand how we will begin to reduce the price of so many things in California.

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