Matt Mahan pushes to make California governor race about waste

A prime Democrat working to switch Gov. Gavin Newsom blasted entrenched politicians afraid of change as he pledged to focus the 2026 California gubernatorial election on “waste, fraud and abuse.”

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who’s positioning himself as a reasonable antidote to radical progressive politics, argued California is fixated on a proposed billionaire tax whereas fraud within the state goes unchecked.

“I don’t get politicians who defend the established order and faux that authorities couldn’t probably be extra environment friendly, more practical, extra technology-enabled,” Mahan, 43, advised the Wall Road Journal.

Mahan warned in opposition to the proposal to put the billionaire tax on election ballots this 12 months, asking voters if the state ought to impose a one-time 5% tax — a debate that has rich Golden State residents like Larry Ellison fleeing for different states.

“It’s enjoying with hearth,” Mahan advised the WSJ. “You possibly can have a really critical snowball impact that might threaten Silicon Valley’s primacy.”

Mahan, who joins the governor race with simply 4 months to the first, mentioned he prefers an property tax somewhat than a wealth and asset tax that might goal practically 300 billionaires within the Golden State.

“I don’t imagine that high-net-worth people ought to be capable of borrow in opposition to appreciated property endlessly as a option to keep away from paying capital beneficial properties,” he defined.

Mahan says launching a state property tax may assist steadiness California’s budgets by requiring estates or heirs to pay taxes on unrealized capital beneficial properties at demise,

The reasonable Democrat additionally mentioned California ought to comply with the mannequin of “law-abiding metropolis” San Jose as a substitute of being an outright “sanctuary metropolis.”

“In case you’re committing a critical crime, deportation is a probable consequence and a sound consequence,” he mentioned, including that he helps authorized pathways to citizenship.

Whereas Mahan aligns with Newsom on the controversial billionaire tax, he has damaged with the governor on his stance on sanctuary cities, together with a number of different hard-line positions.

That has made the San Jose mayor one of many sitting governor’s most outspoken critics throughout the celebration as Newsom is broadly seen as a probable 2028 presidential contender.

“I’m a reasonable,” Mahan advised the WSJ. “And I’m not frightened of any curiosity group.”

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