Behind the scenes in our interviews with governor candidates

What was it like interviewing eight candidates for governor in a wild-west primary battle? I posed that question to CalMatters Capitol reporter Jeanne Kuang, who was the lead reporter on the voter guide that features bite-sized videos of what the candidates said on major topics, such as taxes and homelessness. Jeanne and I also discussed what went on behind the scenes, a candidate’s surprising answer and her approach to crafting questions.

How did you come up with your questions?

The voter guide was a place to ask everyone the same question and be able to compare answers side by side. 

We came up with questions that were more ideological, bigger picture. Many of the candidates default to traditional policy answers, but we were trying to ask questions that were getting at who this person is, and how they were thinking about this issue.

Was it tough to get any of the candidates to answer candidly?

We were limited by time more than anything. If we had more time I would ask them followups. 

Like homelessness, where almost everyone agrees that it’s not appropriate to just criminalize the act of being homeless. But we wanted to get to the heart of the debate that’s happening across cities and counties: What if someone refuses shelter, what then? There were times I had to press people on that. 

Were there any answers that surprised you?

Steve Hilton basically said he didn’t know what the right answer would be for fixing the state’s healthcare system. Most other candidates have a default policy answer, and he is someone who has apparently thought a lot about and written a lot about big bureaucratic systems like healthcare. He’s not a fan of the British system nor the American system. But he told me that he didn’t really have an answer about California, and I thought that was interesting.

How many friends and family have asked you for voting advice?

Many! I have sent the guide to my parents. In the past, my dad has been a fan of the campaign finance data being included, so shoutout to (our data team). I have received questions from many people asking, ‘Who should I vote for?’ and my answer is, I cannot make that decision for you.

What non-political question do you wish you could ask?

I would ask them about the food region meme that was going around a few months ago. 

We’ve had off-the-charts readership on our voter guide since it published last week, so we know Californians are still making up their minds. Check out the full presentation here.

Let’s dig into some news at California State University:

• Three-year degrees: Cal State trustees voted last week to allow campuses to create three new types of bachelor’s degrees that can be completed in as little as three years: One for aspiring teachers, another targeting employees pursuing managerial positions and a third geared toward students with vocational or technical training. The move comes at a time when Cal State is trying to boost student enrollment, particularly among working-age adults who may want a degree to further their careers. The university system must also compete with online colleges that offer quicker academic certificates. Read more from CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn.

• Native remains: Cal State campuses are still stowing away the remains of more than 2,000 Native Americans and more than 1.57 million artifacts — despite federal and state laws requiring campuses to return the items to tribes. That’s according to an updated catalogue that Cal State released, which underscores the long and complex process of repatriation. Though campuses are supportive about returning items, differing federal and state rules regarding non-federally recognized tribes complicate the process, say multiple tribal leaders. Read more from CalMatters’ Brittany Oceguera.

Leaders helming California’s retirement funds for the state’s public employees and teachers are facing pressure to divest from companies associated with President Donald Trump, reports CalMatters’ Adam Ashton.

Various groups are pushing the state’s two largest public pension funds to pull money out of companies including Tesla and the surveillance company Palantir. They argue that while these companies are lucrative for now, their ties with the Trump administration could carry reputational risks that backfire on the funds.

The two systems — California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System — hold a combined $1 trillion in assets.

But despite the pension funds divesting from controversial industries in the past, both remain underfunded and staff at CalPERS and CalSTRS oppose divestment.

• Richard Costigan, a Republican who served on the CalPERS board from 2011 to 2019: “When you look at Palantir and Tesla, it’s driven by politics. Seriously, why would you not invest in Palantir?”

Read more.

• GM pays up: In the largest settlement to date over violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act, General Motors has agreed to pay $12.75 million related to allegations that it sold the data of hundreds of thousands of California drivers without their consent. The car company made about $20 million between 2020 and 2024 by selling driver names, location information and driving behavior data, according to the state’s justice department. Read more from CalMatters’ Khari Johnson.

• Tijuana River: Sewage pollution from the Tijuana River sickens swimmers and is linked to health ailments in neighboring communities. Now experts from the Tijuana River Coalition are providing updates on the cleanup efforts. Those include earmarking $2.5 million to fix a pollution “hot spot” in south San Diego County and county officials’ distributing thousands of air purifiers to nearby households. Read more from CalMatters’ Deborah Brennan.