It’s supposed to be a race for governor, but candidates and voters seem disengaged
Dan Walters
March 20, 2026
The shortage and costs of housing are, by any rational standard, one of California’s most pressing issues, which is why several thousand advocates of affordable shelter gathered in Sacramento this week to ponder potential solutions.
Housing California, the event’s sponsor, invited candidates for governor to participate in a panel discussion of how they would approach the housing crisis.
Neither of the two Republican candidates, Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, appeared, which was not surprising given the left-leaning tenor of the event.
It was, however, odd that only four of the eight Democratic candidates showed up, since it was a terrific opportunity for them to impress a large audience of political activists, with just a few weeks remaining before voters begin marking and mailing their ballots for the June 2 primary election.
