Becerra, Mahan, Thurmond, and Yee to appear at livestreamed and onstage Cities Gubernatorial Candidate Forum
By Cal Cities Staff
Join Cal Cities online or in Sacramento on April 23 for a conversation with gubernatorial candidates as part of the City Leaders Summit. City officials can hear directly from the candidates about issues most important to cities, including housing and homelessness, public safety, climate change, and more.
Scott Shafer, senior politics and government editor at KQED and co-host of the award-winning podcast Political Breakdown, will moderate the conversation. Shafer will also delve into leadership, values, and the person behind each candidate, offering a deeper understanding of their potential partnership with cities.
Who will be there?
Cal Cities invited the top 10 candidates to the forum: Xavier Becerra, Matt Mahan, Tony Thurmond, and Betty Yee agreed to attend; confirmations from two other candidates are pending.
Xavier Becerra, the son of Mexican American immigrants, has spent 35 years serving California — from the State Assembly to the U.S. Congress, as California’s Attorney General, and the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. He is best known for his work on the Affordable Care Act, high-profile fights with the Trump administration, and successful efforts to lower prescription drug prices.
Matt Mahan is the mayor of San José. After serving on several neighborhood and civic boards, he decided to run for city council in 2020. During his time in office, he has focused on making city hall more responsive and accountable, especially on the issues of public safety, homelessness, and housing. He was also one of the main proponents of Proposition 36 in 2024 and continues to advocate new approaches to the state’s problems.
Tony Thurmond is the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. In the role, he helped secure funding for both universal preschool and universal meals for every student. Thurmond has also served on the West Contra Costa School Board, the Richmond City Council, and the California State Assembly, where he fought for legislation to make higher education more affordable, expand grant programs for foster youth, and invest in housing programs.
Betty Yee was elected as California’s Controller in 2014, following two terms on the California Board of Equalization (BOE). As state controller, she and her team uncovered $7.5 billion in misspending. Her work on the BOE resulted in Amazon collecting and remitting sales tax and the recognition of marriage equality. Yee has also held key positions in other statewide organizations, including the Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Finance.
City Leaders Summit registration information
Registration for the entire City Leaders Summit starts at $650 for city officials from any Cal Cities member city. Summit registration includes admission to all educational sessions, the Wednesday reception, Thursday breakfast and lunch, and Friday breakfast. The deadline to register is April 15, after which officials must register on-site if space is available.
The City Leaders Summit will be at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, located in the heart of downtown Sacramento across from the Capitol. The SAFE Credit Union Convention Center is just 15 minutes away from Sacramento International Airport.
For more information, visit the City Leaders Summit webpage.