Antonio Villaraigosa

June 2, 2026 Primary Election

• Office: Governor
• Election Date: June 2, 2026
• Candidate: Antonio Villaraigosa
• Due Date: March 4, 2026
• Printable Version

Thank you for seeking GrowSF's endorsement for the June 2, 2026 primary election! GrowSF believes in a growing, vibrant, healthy, safe, and prosperous city via common sense solutions and effective government.

As a candidate for state office, your day-to-day responsibilities in office will affect not just San Francisco, but California as a whole. As a representative of the people of California and of San Francisco, the policies you bring to Sacramento should reflect the best of what we have to offer.

The GrowSF endorsement committee will review all completed questionnaires and seek consensus on which candidates best align with our vision for San Francisco and have the expertise to enact meaningful policy changes.

We ask that you please complete this questionnaire by March 4, 2026 so we have enough time to adequately review and discuss your answers.

• Your Policy Goals
• Your Leadership
• The Issues
• Personal
• Thank you

Your Policy Goals

We’d like to get some details about your high-level goals and how you intend to use your elected office to achieve them.

What policies do you hope to change or preserve by running for Governor? Please be specific, and list them in order of priority.

1. Make California affordable by dramatically increasing housing supply and lowering costs, making sure schools do a better job of preparing students for college and careers, expanding vocational education, making college more affordable, and supporting businesses to boost job creation and increase investment in California.

2. Stand up for California’s communities and values. Implement my plan to hold ICE accountable, protect immigrant families and witnesses who help law enforcement, and defend California from federal policies that threaten our economy, environment, and civil rights.

3. Keep Californians safe by fully funding public safety, including Prop 36, partnering with law enforcement, and investing in proven crime-prevention strategies — the kind I successfully championed as Los Angeles Mayor

4. Protect and preserve California’s future by modernizing infrastructure, strengthening education, retaining and attracting businesses and creating good-paying jobs.

5. Increase energy production. We need an “All of the Above” energy policy, with renewables like solar and wind, but also nuclear, natural gas, and yes, gas-powered cars. We must keep our commitment to tackling climate change, but we can’t do it at the expense of good-paying jobs; and we can’t just have energy mandates that unfairly burden working families.

Why those policies?

California remains one of the most dynamic places in the world, but the rising cost of living and slow government processes are pushing families and businesses out. Housing shortages, homelessness, infrastructure delays, and regulatory complexity are all connected to the same challenge: our government has not kept pace with the scale of California’s growth.

By increasing housing production, improving public safety and treatment systems, and modernizing how government works, we can restore affordability while preserving California’s leadership in innovation, climate policy, and economic opportunity.

Explain why your #1 goal is your #1 goal.

Affordability is the defining challenge facing California today. Families across the state are struggling with the rising cost of housing, energy, transportation, childcare, and basic necessities. When people feel like they can no longer afford to live in the communities
where they work, California risks losing the middle class that built our economy and our neighborhoods.

Housing is a central part of this crisis because it drives so many other costs. When housing is scarce, rents rise, workers are forced into long commutes, businesses struggle to hire employees, and homelessness increases. But affordability is bigger than housing alone — it requires building more infrastructure, expanding energy supply, modernizing transit, and making it easier to start and grow businesses so wages can rise.

As Governor, my top priority will be restoring California’s promise that working families can build a life here. That means increasing housing supply, lowering the cost of living, and ensuring that California remains a place of opportunity, innovation, and economic mobility.

How will you build the coalition and political capital to enact your #1 goal? What obstacles will you face, and how will you overcome them? Will the power of the office of Governor be enough to achieve this goal?

California now has a broad coalition that supports lowering the cost of living, particularly by increasing housing production. That coalition included labor unions, environmental leaders, business organizations, housing advocates, and younger Californians who want the opportunity to live in the communities where they work.

I have been supported by all of these groups as Assembly Speaker, Los Angeles Mayor, and I am proud to have endorsements from many of them in my campaign for Governor.

I will also use the tools available to the Governor—budget incentives, housing law enforcement, and appointments to key regulatory agencies to ensure these policies are actually implemented and appoint people to my administration who will help me do it.

Will the power of the office of Governor be enough to achieve the other goals?

The Governor can shape the state budget, appoint key people to a huge number of positions, enforce housing law in tandem with the Attorney General, build legislative coalitions to pass additional reforms, and use the budget process to include must-pass legislation that is a top priority. So yes, but only if the Governor has the experience and fortitude to do it.

What is an "out there" change that you would make to state or local government policy, if you could? For the purpose of this question, you are not constrained to the office of Governor.

Your Leadership

We’d like to learn more about your leadership style and plan to execute effectively once you assume office.

Why are you running for Governor?

California is at an inflection point. Working families are being priced out, students are paying more for less, public institutions are stretched thin, and inequality is deepening. I am running to restore affordability, strengthen public education, rebuild trust in government, and deliver results for working people. I have governed through crisis before and know how to bring together labor, educators, communities, and public institutions to make systemic change.

I have spent my career fighting for working families and building coalitions to get things done, even during divided government. In 2018, I ran for Governor of California and finished 3rd in the statewide vote. I previously served as Speaker of the California State Assembly and as Mayor of Los Angeles, where I led during periods of fiscal crisis, expanded transportation and infrastructure investment, reduced crime, and improved access to education and housing. I am running for Governor to bring that same results driven leadership to the entire state.

In your own words, what are the core constitutional and statutory responsibilities of the Governor?

The Governor is California’s chief executive officer, responsible for implementing state law, proposing and signing the state budget, appointing agency leadership, and ensuring that the vast machinery of state government actually works. But beyond the formal powers, the Governor’s most important job is managing government effectively — setting priorities, coordinating departments, and delivering results for Californians.

That’s why executive experience matters. As Mayor of Los Angeles, I ran a city of nearly four million people and managed one of the largest municipal governments in the country. I’m the only candidate in this race who has served as a chief executive of a major government, responsible for public safety, infrastructure, housing, and economic growth.

What makes you uniquely qualified for this position?

I’ve spent my career governing at the highest levels of California government. As Speaker of the California Assembly, I negotiated and passed major legislation during a period of divided government, working through difficult fights to deliver results. As Mayor of Los Angeles, I served as the chief executive of a city of nearly four million people, managing a multibillion-dollar budget and leading on public safety, transportation, housing, and
economic development. I’ve taken on tough battles, built coalitions, and delivered major wins for the people I served.

I’m the only candidate in this race who has both led the Legislature and run one of the largest cities in America. I’ve done the job of negotiating big legislation and I’ve done the job of running a large government. That experience — combined with my independence and willingness to stand up to special interests — is what uniquely prepares me to lead California.

What three measurable outcomes should Californians use to evaluate your success after your first two years in office?

1. Housing production increased by at least 50 percent statewide.

2. 7,500 new mental-health and addiction treatment beds brought online across the state.

3. California enters the top ten states in terms of reading and math scores again.

The Issues

Next, we will cover the issues that voters tell us they care about. We hope to gain a better understanding of your policy positions, and we hope that you use this opportunity to communicate with voters.

California housing production remains far below need. What are the three most important levers a Governor can use to increase housing production at all price levels? For each, specify a measurable target you would aim to reach by 2030.

1. Enforce state housing law aggressively

Target: cities and counties zone for 2.5 million additional units in the next housing cycle.

2. Streamline housing approvals for infill development

Target: legislation passed that completely exempts CEQA for infill development.

3. Align state funding with housing production

Target: jurisdictions lose funding if they don’t reach housing production goals.

State laws require cities to plan for housing, but enforcement has been inconsistent. How would you ensure cities — including politically resistant ones — comply with state
housing law? Please describe the enforcement tools you would use, when you would use them, and the indicators you would track for compliance.

Tie funding to it. In the answer to the previous question, I said that if cities don’t follow the law, they should lose state funding. I mean it. It cannot simply be up to the courts to enforce housing law. It takes too long, and we know that justice delayed is justice denied.

Disrupting fentanyl trafficking requires cooperation between state law enforcement, the Attorney General, local prosecutors, and federal authorities. How would you use the Governor’s authority - CHP, CalGuard where appropriate, state DOJ coordination, federal partnerships, etc. - to disrupt fentanyl trafficking networks? What metrics (e.g., multi-agency task force actions, repeat-offender removal, trafficking network disruptions, seizures) will you publicly track to evaluate progress?

The fentanyl crisis demands coordinated enforcement across every level of government. As Governor, I will expand multi-agency task forces involving the CHP, the California Department of Justice, local law enforcement, and federal partners to target trafficking networks and disrupt supply chains. We must focus not just on street-level enforcement but on dismantling the organized criminal networks responsible for distributing these drugs. My administration will track measurable outcomes including network disruptions, fentanyl seizures, repeat-offender prosecutions, and reductions in overdose deaths so that Californians can see real progress.

California’s mental-health treatment system is strained by severe bed shortages, long waitlists, and insufficient state hospital capacity — limiting counties’ ability to place people in treatment rather than leaving them on the street. What is your plan to expand California’s state and county mental-health treatment capacity (including locked, inpatient, and sub-acute beds)? Please specify the number of beds or facilities you believe California needs to add by 2030, how you would fund and deliver that expansion, and how you would hold counties and states accountable.

California must dramatically expand treatment capacity so that people suffering from severe mental illness or addiction receive care instead of being left on the streets. My goal is to add at least 7,500 new treatment beds statewide by 2029, including inpatient psychiatric beds, sub-acute treatment beds, and residential recovery facilities. Funding will come through a combination of state capital investments, Medi-Cal reforms, and partnerships with counties and nonprofit providers.

California’s transit systems face structural deficits, declining ridership, safety concerns, and fragmented governance. What is your plan to ensure that California’s major metro transit systems become financially stable, safe, and reliable by 2029? Please identify one
funding reform, one safety or service-quality reform, and one governance reform you would champion — and the measurable outcomes you expect from each.

California’s transit systems must become safer, more reliable, and financially sustainable. I support establishing a stable long-term funding formula tied to ridership recovery so agencies can plan for the future. At the same time, riders need to feel safe and confident using transit, which means expanding visible safety presence and deploying mental health response teams where appropriate. Finally, we must improve coordination between transit agencies and housing policy so that housing growth occurs near transit corridors. The success of these reforms will be measured by increased ridership, improved service reliability, and stronger public confidence in our transit systems.

California faces intense competition for jobs, investment, and talent. What three reforms — regulatory, tax, or permitting — will you prioritize to improve California’s business climate? How will you measure the success of your strategy by 2029?

California must remain the best place in the world to innovate, build companies, and create jobs. My administration will prioritize permitting reform to reduce approval timelines for major projects, regulatory modernization to eliminate duplicative reviews across state agencies, and strategic investment in industries such as clean energy, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies like blockchain. We should welcome innovation while ensuring strong consumer protections and financial transparency. Success will be measured by job growth, increased business investment, and stronger rates of new company formation across the state.

California faces recurring structural deficits and heavy reliance on capital-gains revenues. How would you address the structural deficit without undermining long-term investments? Please identify the indicators you’ll track.

California’s fiscal challenges are driven largely by volatile revenue streams, particularly capital gains. As Governor, I will work to stabilize state finances while protecting long-term investments in education, infrastructure, and public safety. That means maintaining strong rainy-day reserves, planning budgets across multiple years, and exercising discipline when revenues spike during economic booms. Our goal must be to ensure that California remains fiscally responsible while continuing to invest in the future. And we must not balance the budget on the backs of working people.

You appoint key UC, CSU, and Community College board members. What would be your priorities for your higher-education appointments, and what outcomes would you expect those boards to deliver (e.g., transfer throughput, tuition stability, time-to-degree)?

As Governor, my appointments to the UC, CSU, and Community College governing boards will prioritize access, affordability, and workforce preparation. California’s higher education system should make it easier for students to transfer between institutions, complete degrees on time, and enter careers in emerging industries. I will expect measurable improvements in transfer rates, tuition stability, and time-to-degree while strengthening partnerships between universities and the industries that drive California’s economy.

California must triple its grid capacity by 2045 for electrification goals. What is your strategy for accelerating renewable generation, storage, and transmission? Please identify one bottleneck you will prioritize and a measurable target you would set (e.g., gigawatts added, interconnection timelines reduced).

California’s transition to clean energy won’t succeed unless we build the infrastructure to support it. That means expanding the electric grid and dramatically increasing the number of electric vehicle charging stations across the state. Right now we simply do not have enough capacity or charging infrastructure to support the transition Californians are being asked to make. President Biden understood that electrification requires major investments in building the grid first. In California, our grid is already under strain, and we need to fix that before we can fully transition our transportation system. As Governor, I will focus on expanding grid capacity, accelerating transmission projects, and rapidly deploying EV charging infrastructure so that California can lead the clean energy transition in a way that actually works for families and businesses.

California has spent billions on homelessness, but results vary widely by region, and nearly 200,000 people remain homeless. What, specifically, has California done wrong to cause this crisis, and what has it done wrong in attempting to solve it?

California’s homelessness crisis has worsened because our response has been fragmented and inconsistent. The state has invested billions of dollars, but we have not always required clear accountability or measurable results. Too often, homelessness has been treated only

as a housing issue when it is also deeply connected to untreated mental illness, addiction, and the high cost of living. Solving this crisis requires building more housing, expanding treatment capacity, and ensuring that public dollars are producing real outcomes.

How will you tie state homelessness funding to measurable outcomes—especially in high-need cities like San Francisco? Specify the metrics you will require (e.g., unsheltered count trend, placements into permanent housing, retention rates, time-to-placement from street to shelter/treatment) and what consequences you’ll apply for persistent underperformance.

State funding for homelessness programs must be tied to measurable outcomes. Jurisdictions receiving state funds should be required to demonstrate reductions in
unsheltered homelessness, successful placements into permanent housing, and strong housing retention rates. We must also track how long it takes individuals to move from the street into shelter, treatment, or permanent housing. Communities that demonstrate progress should receive continued support, while jurisdictions that consistently fail to produce results should face stronger oversight or funding adjustments.

What is your plan to scale up vegetation management, hardening, and utility oversight to reduce wildfire risk? What metrics will you use to track progress?

Reducing wildfire risk requires a sustained statewide effort focused on vegetation management, forest thinning, and infrastructure hardening. My administration will work with federal agencies, utilities, and local governments to dramatically expand the number of acres treated annually and strengthen critical infrastructure in high-risk areas. We will measure progress through acres treated, upgrades to utility infrastructure, and reductions in catastrophic wildfire risk across vulnerable regions.

California faces slow permitting, outdated IT systems, and high project-delivery costs. What is one major modernization initiative you would lead (e.g., permitting reform, state IT overhaul, procurement modernization), and what measurable improvement would you aim for by 2028?

California must modernize how government works if we want to build housing, infrastructure, and energy projects at the scale our state requires. I will lead a statewide permitting modernization initiative that digitizes approvals, coordinates agency reviews, and establishes binding timelines for decisions. By 2028, our goal will be to reduce major project permitting timelines by at least 30 percent while maintaining strong environmental protections.

Personal

Tell us a bit about yourself!

How long have you lived in California? What brought you here and what keeps you here?

I was born and raised in Los Angeles and have lived in California my entire life. I can’t fathom living in any other state.

What do you love most about California and/or your hometown?

What I love most about California is its incredible diversity and energy. Growing up on the Eastside of Los Angeles, I saw firsthand how people from every background come here to build better lives for their families. In Los Angeles alone you can see the entire world — from the small businesses of Boyle Heights to the innovation economy on the Westside, to the ports that connect California to global trade. California has always been a place where creativity, entrepreneurship, and opportunity come together, and that spirit is what makes our state so special.

What do you dislike the most about California and/or your hometown?

What concerns me most today is that too many families feel like California is slipping out of reach. Housing costs are forcing working people to leave communities they grew up in, and young people are questioning whether they can afford to build their future here. When I was mayor of Los Angeles, I saw how the housing shortage and rising costs were beginning to affect every part of the city — from the San Fernando Valley to South Los Angeles. California must once again become a place where teachers, nurses, construction workers, and young families can afford to live and thrive.

Tell us about your current involvement in the community (e.g., volunteer groups, neighborhood associations, civic and professional organizations, etc.)

Public service has always been rooted in my work in the community. Before running for office, I spent nearly two decades as a labor and civil rights leader. I worked as an organizer with United Teachers Los Angeles and SEIU, fighting for working families, and I served as President of the Southern California chapter of the ACLU, advocating for civil liberties and equal justice for racial minorities.

Those experiences shaped my approach to public service. As Mayor of Los Angeles, I worked closely with community organizations, labor leaders, educators, and business groups to improve schools through the Mayor’s Partnership for Los Angeles Schools,

expand transit projects across the region, and modernize the Port of Los Angeles through the Clean Truck Program. Throughout my career, I’ve believed that real progress comes from bringing communities together and building coalitions to solve big problems.

Thank you

Thank you for giving us your time and answering our questionnaire. We look forward to reading your answers and considering your candidacy!