Meet your candidate: Steve Hilton is running for governor of California

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif.—The race to November's election is on, and California voters will soon decide who they want to lead the state as the next governor. Republican nominee Steve Hilton is focused on what he says are the state's biggest issues.

High on the list of issues that voters want the candidates to address include affordability, water usage, homelessness, and data centers.

When it comes to Lithium Valley, Hilton says he has a plan to ensure local communities will benefit. Hilton previously toured the site with local elected officials and supervisors.

"It's something we should really encourage, but because of rules about power stations and so on that make no sense, the actual scale of what's being done in Imperial counties and in Lithium Valley is just nothing like what it could be. So first of all, I want to expand that," Hilton explained.

Hilton promises that the local community will benefit with economic growth and job opportunities in Lithium Valley.

Affordability is on everyone's mind, with the cost of housing, fuel, and food rising. Hilton says he will lower property and income taxes if he's elected, noting the high poverty rate in Imperial County.

Hilton notes the high number of people leaving the state due to the economy.

"It's the number one reason people are leaving our state, and you've got to ask how. How have we got to a point where people are leaving a place as amazing and beautiful and wonderful in so many ways as California? They're being driven out by these high costs," he said.

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, over 200,000 people moved out of the state from 2023 to 2024.

"I want to cut state income tax on your first hundred grand tax-free. That'll help millions of Californians with thousands of dollars more each year," Hilton said.

"The quickest and easiest way to get more money into people's pockets is for the government to take less out in the first place. It sounds really simple. That's actually the truth," he said.

When it comes to data centers, Hilton says he supports their development and calls the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) paperwork a "nightmare" process.

"It's a nightmare bureaucratic process that's one of the reasons housing is so expensive is because of CEQA, and it's just become very process-focused and bureaucratic," he said.

However, he is conscious of the placement of the data centers near homes and schools. Hilton describes all of the unused and undeveloped areas of the state as possible locations.

"The specific location we've got to be really thoughtful about, because we've got a lot of space in our state. We're a very big state, physically, as well as in terms of population and the size of our economy," he said.

"I drive around California all the time, and when you actually look at the numbers, the actual proportion. Of our land area that is developed in California, it's tiny; it's 6%."

When it comes to immigration and border protection, Hilton said his approach will be very different than the current administration.

"What you're going to see from me is a completely different attitude: constructive cooperation with federal authorities and law enforcement and the immigration control and border patrol in order to make sure that we have the kind of security that we need," he said.

Hilton said he wants to bridge the divisive gap between Republicans and Democrats in Sacramento, and he has a way to do that.

"It's not ideological. It's not divisive. It's common sense things that people can get behind. That's how I've designed it. I actually think that we will have the chance to do that when I'm elected," he said.