Several California gubernatorial candidates attended two forums in Sacramento Tuesday where they discussed issues affecting Latino and Hispanic communities throughout the state. While one forum heavily discussed the Swalwell scandal, the other left him out of the discussion entirely.
Seven Democratic candidates for governor took the stage in Sacramento Tuesday night at Nuestra Voz ’26, just hours after Congressman Eric Swalwell’s official resignation — though his name didn’t come up during the discussion, as KTVU reports. However, the Swalwall scandal was discussed between a panel of six candidates earlier in the day at another event in Sacramento, hosted by the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, according to KPIX.
Swalwell’s absence reportedly gave the remaining candidates the opportunity to win over his former supporters Tuesday.
Per KTVU, Nuestra Voz's discussion centered on immigration, voting rights, housing, and the growing role of artificial intelligence. Moderators questioned candidates on cooperation with federal authorities versus state protections, as well as how they would address barriers to voting and prepare younger Californians for an AI-driven workforce.
In response to cooperating with the federal government, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said that the line starts with constitutional protections, arguing warrants should be required for enforcement actions in homes, workplaces, hospitals, and schools.
Former Congresswoman Katie Porter said California must protect voting systems from political interference, while San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan pointed to legal challenges and media pressure as tools to counter federal overreach, according to KTVU.
On affordable housing, former Health and Human Services Secretary Javier Becerra called for expanded homeownership access and stronger rent protections.
Entrepreneur Tom Steyer proposed taxing the AI industry to fund job retraining programs, and former State Controller Betty Yee emphasized introducing students to technology and digital skills at an early age.
As KPIX reports, six of the candidates also attended a panel at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce earlier in the day in Sacramento, where they discussed California's budget deficit and affordable health care and childcare — in addition to the Swalwall fallout.
Steyer voiced support for a single-payer healthcare system, and Mahan highlighted efforts to expand childcare by helping local workers open home-based daycare centers.
The Swalwall scandal was repeatedly mentioned at the Chamber of Commerce forum in relation to accountability in upper levels of government.
Yee said the moment calls for new leadership, noting that the public is now paying closer attention to the governor’s race due to the scandal, per KPIX.
Becerra called the news of Swalwell's resignation a chance for a new beginning.
"It's really day one, really, for this campaign for everyone," he said.
The trouble is, it isn't day one, and the primary is fast approaching on June 2. Even prior to Swalwell bowing out, state Democratic Party leaders were expressing anxiety at there being too many candidates still in race, dividing the Democrat electorate to the point that the two Republicans in the race could end up getting the most votes in the primary.
State Democratic party chair Rusty Hicks vowed last month to spend money on weekly polling in order to shame the lowest-polling candidates into dropping out of the race. "I would simply say if people are afraid of information, you have to ask why," Hicks said.
Swalwell had been leading the pack in recent polls, but Steyer and Porter were close behind and the only other candidates polling in double digits.
Election officials are set to start mailing out primary ballots in less than three weeks.
Top image: California Immigrant Policy Center/Facebook
