Becerra: “I need Chevron”
Becerra Doubles Down on Big Oil Money While CA Families Pay the Price
SAN FRANCISCO — During yesterday’s League of California Cities forum, Xavier Becerra embraced the Big Oil money that is fueling his campaign.
“You need Chevron. I need Chevron. My People of the State of California need Chevron,” Becerra said.
“Chevron wants to give me a check. That's their prerogative,” Becerra added.
The Steyer for Governor campaign responded, noting Becerra’s inaction to investigate polluters as Attorney General.
“You can’t fight Big Oil while cashing their checks. Xavier Becerra has been cashing Big Oil’s checks his entire career — and they’re getting exactly what they paid for,” Steyer for Governor spokesperson Kevin Liao said. “He refused to investigate Exxon for deceiving the public on climate change, and now Chevron is funding his run for governor. You don’t have to wonder what side he’s on.”
This comes as the Center of Biological Diversity Action Fund gave Becerra a D for “Making Polluters Pay” and a C+ overall for his environmental score.
Background
Becerra accepted the maximum donation of $39,200 from Chevron for his gubernatorial campaign, which is the first Chevron donation to a California gubernatorial campaign in over a decade.
In his campaigns for Congress and Attorney General, Becerra consistently took hundreds of thousands of dollars from fossil fuel and utility companies, including Phillips 66, Southern California Edison, and Edison International.
Becerra Failed to Investigate Exxon Mobil: In 2017, 18 Congressional democrats sent a letter to Attorney General Becerra asking him to continue former AG Kamala Harris’s investigation into ExxonMobil into whether they misled the public about global warming. Becerra never opened an investigation.
Activists called on Becerra again to investigate Exxon and accused him of “undercut[ting] California’s vaunted leadership in global efforts to combat climate change.”
As a candidate for governor, Becerra has also not signed the No Fossil Fuel pledge, in which signers pledge not to take contributions of over $200 from oil, gas & coal industry executives, lobbyists, and political action committees.
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