{"id":30959,"date":"2026-05-28T06:47:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T06:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/28\/tom-steyers-closing-pitch-at-kqed-takes-on-affordability-crisis-corporate-enemies\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T06:47:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T06:47:36","slug":"tom-steyers-closing-pitch-at-kqed-takes-on-affordability-crisis-corporate-enemies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/28\/tom-steyers-closing-pitch-at-kqed-takes-on-affordability-crisis-corporate-enemies\/","title":{"rendered":"Tom Steyer\u2019s Closing Pitch at KQED Takes on Affordability Crisis, Corporate \u2018Enemies\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>Steyer fielded questions from both the audience and KQED\u2019s Guy Marzorati. It was the third in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kqed.org\/news\/12084065\/chad-bianco-pitches-deregulation-and-a-focus-on-fraud-at-kqed-govern\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of town hall events KQED hosted with top-polling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kqed.org\/news\/12082254\/porter-focuses-on-california-housing-costs-ai-plans-at-kqed-town-hall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">candidates<\/a> for governor this election season.<\/p>\n<p>Here are three takeaways from the hourlong conversation.<\/p>\n<h2>Steyer\u2019s \u2018enemies\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Part of Steyer\u2019s closing pitch to voters: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DYxnu_QSnFc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Judge me by those who oppose my candidacy<\/a>. He lists off big oil companies, investor-owned utilities and tech companies that have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kqed.org\/news\/12083747\/pge-spends-millions-against-tom-steyer-whats-behind-clash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">all spent big to defeat him<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube\"><br \/>\n          <span class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside\"><br \/>\n            <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Steyer&#039;s &#039;Enemies&#039; | Political Breakdown\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gj3WP7MknWk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n          <\/span><br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<p>So, how would he work with those companies to actually govern?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would start by not using the word \u2018enemy,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t look at them as doing something evil. I look at them as following their interests rigorously against the interests of working people, and I\u2019m on that side of working people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Steyer, who made his fortune making bets on high-risk assets, said a company like PG&amp;E is simply following the rules California has set up. But he said those rules have resulted in Californians paying double what residents in other states pay for their electricity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>\u201cSo I\u2019m going to change the rules to the extent I can so we drive down prices,\u201d he said. \u201c I don\u2019t believe in monopolies\u2026. When there\u2019s competition in the world, that\u2019s how we keep prices down and that\u2019s how we take advantage of new innovation and the ability of people to do things cheaper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Steyer cast the company\u2019s opposition to his campaign as a badge of honor \u2014 but one that\u2019s not personal, just political. He said he just wants corporations to pay \u201ctheir fair share.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNone of these corporations invest because they like someone, they spend money because they don\u2019t like what I am going to do,\u201d he said, adding that the companies backing his competitors in the governor\u2019s race are doing so because they \u201cbelieve for sure [those candidates] are going to do their bidding.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Taxes and affordability<\/h2>\n<p>Steyer has promised that one of his first acts as governor would be to call a special election asking voters to increase taxes on commercially held properties in California.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube\"><br \/>\n          <span class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside\"><br \/>\n            <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Taxes &amp; Affordability | Political Breakdown\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hukSxP2tqgs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n          <\/span><br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<p>The state\u2019s landmark property tax law, Proposition 13, was passed in 1978 and, since then, has severely limited annual increases to all property taxes, whether they are owned by individuals or corporations. Steyer wants to split off commercially owned properties from Proposition 13 protections, a change <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomsteyer.com\/issues\/tax-loopholes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he said would bring up to $20 billion a year <\/a>into state coffers.<\/p>\n<p>Voters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2020-11-10\/proposition-15-commercial-property-tax-defeated\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rejected a similar proposal in 2020<\/a>, but Steyer thinks the timing is right and has indicated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/02\/18\/tom-steyer-wants-a-special-election-to-hike-corporate-taxes-in-2027-00786876\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he would help fund <\/a>a 2027 campaign on the matter.<\/p>\n<p>When asked by audience member Bathsheba Turnage how he will balance keeping businesses in the state while raising their taxes to bring in more resources for housing and education, Steyer leaned on his experience in the private sector and as a political activist.<\/p>\n<p>Steyer said he\u2019s been on the other side of oil and tobacco companies in numerous ballot measure fights over the past 15 years, and said none of those initiatives have hurt California\u2019s economy. He rejected the argument that increasing commercial property taxes would push businesses to move elsewhere, reframing it as a tax loophole that is allowing businesses to avoid paying their fair share.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNobody is moving Disneyland to Austin, Texas, or Miami, Florida, or Reno, Nevada,\u201d he said. \u201cI went to Stanford Business School, I built a business from zero to $38 billion. I think I know something about business. And so I\u2019m going to be very intent on making sure that we do this in a way that works and works for business. \u2026 I\u2019m for shared prosperity. And you know what? You can\u2019t share prosperity if there\u2019s no prosperity.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Artificial intelligence<\/h2>\n<p>Steyer was also asked about another balancing act: which specific policies he would implement to protect workers while ensuring California remains a leader in the development of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube\"><br \/>\n          <span class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside\"><br \/>\n            <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Artificial Intelligence | Political Breakdown\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kFpglgavFeA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n          <\/span><br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<p>He started by noting what he called \u201cone of the biggest policy failures of my lifetime\u201d: The decimation of Midwest industrial jobs because of globalization and mechanization. Steyer said that era should offer lessons as AI rises.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s something we cannot let happen in the state of California,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to protect workers\u2026. We want [AI] to be a tool for workers, not a replacement of workers. We have to have a huge government effort to make sure we have training for people to get good jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Steyer said he would create a \u201cgigantic\u201d training program at community colleges in a collaboration between government and the private sector. It should be paid for, he said, by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomsteyer.com\/issues\/ai-policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">small fee imposed on every calculation done by an AI company<\/a> \u2014 an idea he joked that he \u201cshamelessly\u201d stole from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.<\/p>\n<p>Noting that Pope Leo XIV just issued an encyclical about artificial intelligence, Steyer associated himself with the religious leader\u2019s approach to the profound moral and existential questions the technology poses. He dismissed an idea pushed by billionaire Elon Musk that the federal government should cut checks to counter unemployment caused by AI.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to come out on the side of the pope instead of on the side of Elon Musk. The pope is talking about the dignity of human beings, the dignity of work, the meaning of purpose, supporting people in having a meaningful life. And that\u2019s what I\u2019m in favor of,\u201d he said. \u201cHealthy societies have people participating, building things together \u2026 that\u2019s what California\u2019s always been about.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin='anonymous' src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Steyer fielded questions from both the audience and KQED\u2019s Guy Marzorati. It was the third in a series of town<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_animmysite_disable_animation":false,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cdn.kqed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/05\/20260526-SteyerTownHall-JY-11_qed.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[212],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trending-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}