There’s a strong case for a second gubernatorial debate, as long as it follows one rule: No Trump.
The first debate, hosted by KQED, was far more about the president than about California. And it told Californians what anyone paying attention already knew: Gavin Newsom righteously opposes Trump and John Cox is an ally of a president.
That’s an important distinction, and it’s politically and morally disqualifying for Cox. But that shouldn’t be the end of the gubernatorial conversation. Because the KQED debate offered so little time – barely an hour – and covered so little that it failed to meet the basic tests of a gubernatorial debate.
What are the basics? The answer to the question lies in the three essential functions of a state: Educate. Medicate. Incarcerate. The KQED debate got into criminal justice (albeit with a Trumpian angle), but ignored the core of the governor’s responsibilities around education and health. Schools and the health care are the two biggest spending items in California. They are also the two most important things that the state does.
But they were ignored by the KQED debate. A second debate would focus on the two of them. Gov. Brown has created a new architecture (that’s charitable—it’s really more of a Potemkin Village) around education in the state. What of that would the new governor keep? And what would a new governor do differently to close achievement gaps and provide more instructional time and higher-quality education?
Medi-Cal—which now covers one-third of all Californians and half of California children—also needs discussion. Coverage hasn’t produce the levels of access and health outcomes that the state needs. And how will we continue to pay for it, particularly given our underfunded pension and retiree health obligations for public employees?
That shouldn’t be all. A proper debate should focus not just on the state as a whole but break it down by the state’s major regions. What would and could a new governor do for the North State, the Central Valley, the Central Coast (which has our highest rates of child poverty), the Bay Area, L.A., the Inland Empire and San Diego? California is really a confederation of regions, and a governor needs to do different things in different places.
If you cut the Trump out of the debates, you could cover these topics in detail. How about it, Gavin?