“They invested in Xavier Becerra because they expect to return…They think I’m a threat to their profits, which is true. But the thing they know for sure is he isn’t.” 

SACRAMENTO — Yesterday, Tom Steyer called on Xavier Becerra to return the maximum contribution he accepted to Chevron, while calling on the end of corporate interests that continue to keep costs high for California families, all while Big Oil, the utility monopoly, and other special interests continue to spend over $20 million against Steyer. 

The Big Oil check joins a long tab of special interest dollars that have been donated to prop up Becerra’s career as a politician – and the first check they’ve cut to a gubernatorial campaign in over a decade. 

“Mr. Becerra, you should return that contribution,” said Tom Steyer at yesterday’s press conference.  “You should be willing to stand up for Californians in multiple ways where big oil is taking advantage of them.”

As Attorney General, Becerra failed to prosecute oil companies for polluting California’s air and water, after taking contributions from Big Oil and other corporate special interests.

And a new report from POLITICO noted Becerra’s long history of accepting donations from the fossil fuel industry, highlighting climate activists who urged him to take action against oil and gas companies. Climate Action California CEO Janet Cox called Becerra’s inaction “super disappointing.”

At the press conference, Steyer was joined at the podium by Assemblymember Gregg Hart, Assemblymember Ash Kalra, California Environmental Voters, and Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, who all hit at Big Oil’s attempt to undermine California's landmark clean air program, Cap-and-Invest. 

Steyer also yesterday submitted public comment to the California Air Resources Board, where he criticized the proposed rollbacks to the state's most effective pollution-fighting tool. He warned that these changes would jeopardize billions in vital funding for infrastructure, social services, and education, noting that allowing oil companies to succeed would result in a "direct transfer of wealth from California’s communities and families to the pockets of oil lobbyists and the executives who pay them."

Steyer’s message is reflected in local TV coverage: 

FOX40:  “They know I'm not going to let them off the hook because we can't afford to let them off the hook…”

KPIX: “'I’m not going to back down. It's absolutely important that California leads the way, builds these big companies, does our share, and that the cap and invest system reflects the fact that polluters must pay.”

KRON4: “It’s critical that we end big oil’s control of our politics and really move to a much more independent renewable system that’s cheaper. This is really a question about the future.” 

Eyewitness47: Steyer’s is also urging fellow Democrat Xavier Becerra to return campaign donations from the Chevron corporation

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