Inside California Politics: Steyer Pitches His Plans to Tackle California’s Biggest Challenges
SACRAMENTO — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer sat down with Nikki Laurenzo this week on Inside California Politics to discuss his plans to fight for working Californians, saying his “campaign is based on the idea that working Californians can’t afford to live in California.”
The following are excerpts from the conversation. You can view the full conversation here.
On his record taking on corporate special interests:
“I have a long history of taking on corporate special interests, and I've been willing to do it when the legislature and politicians haven't been able to do it. I took on the oil companies in 2010 and beat them. I took on out-of-state corporations and beat them. I took on the tobacco companies in 2016 and beat them. Every time I raised billions of dollars for California without charging Californians a penny. The reason I can do that is I don't owe anyone anything.”
On standing with unions and working people:
“This system is rigged against working people. [...] Corporations have doubled their percentage of the income and working people's has gone down 12 percent over the last 25 years. That's an incredible change. This system has absolutely been captured by corporate special interests. Unions are representing people and trying to stand up for them.
On his plan to build 1 million homes in four years:
“The thing to know about housing is there is no silver bullet. I call it a silver buckshot. There are a number of things that are preventing us from building housing and they have to be addressed individually. There's the permitting process… And it's absolutely clear that we have too many people regulating.”
On the importance of closing corporate tax loopholes:
“Cities and counties don't have enough money. They're required to deliver health services and education services for anybody where they build. So they're pushing back against that because they don’t have the money to do that. They want to charge a lot of fees to get ahead of the game. I'm talking about raising 15 to 20 billion dollars a year by passing a proposition to undo a corporate tax loophole.”
On why he’s the best candidate in a crowded field:
“I am the person who has a plan. I am the only person talking about generating revenue. We have a structural deficit, and no one else is talking about revenue. Matt Mahan is saying we are going to be able to fund ourselves by saving money through waste and fraud. That’s a Republican talking point that’s never been true. It’s just a way of saying, no new taxes on any particularly rich people, billionaires, or big corporations. [...]Eric Swalwell isn’t talking about revenue. No one has a revenue plan. I’ve done it before, and I’ve never lost.”
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