{"id":80426,"date":"2026-05-01T21:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T04:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=80426"},"modified":"2026-05-01T21:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T04:54:00","slug":"tony-thurmond-stakes-out-progressive-flank-of-california-gubernatorial-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=80426","title":{"rendered":"Tony Thurmond Stakes Out Progressive Flank of California Gubernatorial Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_65 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_65\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span><a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/author\/selen-ozturk\/\">Selen Ozturk<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_66 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_66\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><i class=\"tdb-date-icon tdc-font-fa tdc-font-fa-calendar\"><\/i><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T14:16:29-07:00\">May 1, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_67 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_67\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Tony Thurmond, seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, laid out an expansive progressive platform in a briefing with community media reporters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_68 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_68\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"wpb_video_wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget2\" class=\"td-youtube-player\" title=\"California Gubernatorial Race Series: Interview with Tony Thurmond | Briefing | 4\/30\/26\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Au6JpuW1j4o?enablejsapi=1&amp;feature=oembed&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;vq=hd720&amp;&amp;&amp;\" width=\"100%\" height=\"560\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-18=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_69 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_69\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Tony Thurmond, seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, laid out an expansive progressive platform in a briefing with community media reporters.<\/p>\n<p>The 57-year-old state superintendent of public instruction has staked out progressive policy terrain \u2014 including a push to institute single-payer healthcare, build two million housing units by 2030 and abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) \u2014 positioning himself as a public servant shaped by immigrant roots, poverty and public service.<\/p>\n<p>Born at Fort Ord to a Panamanian immigrant mother who died of cancer when he was six, Thurmond and his younger brother were separated from their two siblings to live with an older cousin in Philadelphia they had never met, subsisting there on food stamps and government assistance. He went on to restaurant and social work before serving the last 18 years in elected office as a city council member, school board member, state legislator and twice as state superintendent.<\/p>\n<p>In the April 30 briefing hosted by American Community Media, he made his case as a candidate for California\u2019s governor.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-patients-over-profits\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Patients over profits\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>On healthcare, Thurmond cited a personal loss to demonstrate the public need for single-payer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had a brother who lost his job and lost his insurance right at the time that he developed a very rare liver disorder,\u201d he said. \u201cMy brother didn\u2019t drink or smoke, and because he didn\u2019t have insurance, he couldn\u2019t see a doctor, and his condition worsened to the point that he lost his life. He was only 35 years old. No person should lose their life simply because they don\u2019t have health insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He described the Republican budget reconciliation act known as the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-bill\/1\/text\">One Big Beautiful Bill<\/a>\u201d \u2014 which he called \u201cthe big ugly bill\u201d \u2014 as devastating for the Medi-Cal enrollment and Affordable Care Act premiums.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMedi-Cal is a federal entitlement, and that means if you qualify, you get it,\u201d he said, pledging to work toward flipping congressional control toward a Democratic majority to reverse the bill\u2019s effects and \u201cto build out a healthcare system that places the emphasis on patients over profits.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-housing-and-affordability\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Housing and affordability<\/h2>\n<p>Affordable housing drew Thurmond\u2019s most detailed proposals.<\/p>\n<p>He described a plan to unlock surplus school district land across every California county to build 2 million housing units by 2030, with the state providing startup funds for pre-development work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis doesn\u2019t mean that if you\u2019re a school district employee, your employer is going to be your landlord,\u201d he said. \u201cIt just means that districts will now have resources to work with developers who can build housing for teachers and classified staff\u201d \u2014 including, he said, nurses, public safety workers and city and county employees.<\/p>\n<p>Thurmond is backing a voter-decided $10 billion affordable housing bond and calling for down payment assistance grants for first-time buyers.<\/p>\n<p>On rent control, he said he supports statewide expansion while allowing property owners a reasonable annual increase to cover maintenance costs. He called for reviving urban redevelopment agencies and pressed for low- or no-interest loans for urban small businesses navigating permitting burdens.<\/p>\n<p>He also floated a more unorthodox proposal: allowing students from municipalities in Mexico close to the border to dually enroll in California high schools and community colleges, arguing it would help address school district revenue gaps due to declining enrollment, bolster community college numbers and fill workforce gaps in currently understaffed sectors.<\/p>\n<p>To fund these housing, healthcare, school and job programs, Thurmond suggested a tax on \u201cpeople who have more than, say, $150 million in assets\u201d in order to resource a tax credit for working- and middle-class Californians; he has also endorsed the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/billionairetaxnow.org\/california-gubernatorial-candidate-tony-thurmond-endorses-california-billionaire-tax\/\">California Billionaire Tax Act<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a one-time 5% tax on the roughly 200 state residents with a net worth over $1 billion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are experiencing a crisis of supply and demand. The state has not invested in affordable housing in over a decade,\u201d he said. \u201cThe governor and the state can\u2019t just make prices go down, but we can create conditions that ultimately will support bringing costs down in two ways. One, immediate relief for Californians in the form of this tax credit \u2026 and two, building more housing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rounding out his domestic platform, Thurmond called for a universal childcare program, which he framed as relieving working parents while supporting the women- and women-of-color-led small businesses that largely provide childcare.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/first5kids.org\/universal-child-care-impact\/\">Research shows<\/a>\u00a0that while such a program could cost up to $21 billion a year to subsidize all families, it could also add up to $23 billion to the state\u2019s economic output, effectively paying for itself \u2014 partly by enabling more than 100,000 mothers to enter the workforce.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-taking-on-ice\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Taking on ICE<\/h2>\n<p>On immigration, Thurmond said he was the first gubernatorial candidate to call for dismantling ICE and showed no sign of backing away, pledging to \u201cwork with Congress to abolish ICE and to create a better system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cICE was supposed to be a way to keep us safe, as they said,\u201d he noted. \u201cBut who are they keeping us safe from? Look at who\u2019s being deported \u2014 people who work as childcare workers and farm workers. Meanwhile, people are losing their lives for speaking out against ICE.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He described the federal immigration enforcement apparatus as driven less by public safety than private profit, pointing to private immigration detention companies GEO Group and CoreCivic, which together donated\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensforethics.org\/reports-investigations\/crew-investigations\/trumps-budget-bill-benefits-private-immigration-detention-companies-that-donated-to-trump\/\">nearly $2.8 million<\/a>\u00a0to President Trump\u2019s 2024 campaign.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/tracreports.org\/reports\/753\/\">As of last year<\/a>, private companies operated all of the top 20 detention centers nationwide and 86% of ICE detainees were held in facilities run by for-profit companies. Eight such centers are in California.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe that the whole purpose behind President Trump\u2019s dangerous and reckless immigration policy is to help his friends make money,\u201d Thurmond said.<\/p>\n<p>He noted that he has already passed\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cde.ca.gov\/nr\/ne\/yr24\/yr24rel52.asp\">legislation<\/a>\u00a0keeping ICE out of California schools and hospitals, has supported legislation\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/CA\/text\/AB43\/id\/1613948\">taxing<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.ca.gov\/2019\/10\/11\/governor-newsom-signs-ab-32-to-halt-private-for-profit-prisons-and-immigration-detention-facilities-in-california\/\">banning<\/a>\u00a0for-profit prisons and is now sponsoring state legislation imposing a 50% tax on any company operating an ICE detention center in California.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCore Civic is already telling its investors that they may have to leave California. Good riddance,\u201d he added. \u201cBecause there is a financial objective to this immigration policy, we have to hit them in their wallet. We have to meet them where they are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said he would direct the California Highway Patrol to arrest ICE agents who violate state law, \u201ccreate a real pathway to citizenship\u201d and restore health coverage to undocumented immigrants.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt will save money,\u201d he said, \u201cas people are not going to emergency rooms for care that could be done in a more preventative way.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-in-the-polls\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">In the polls<\/h2>\n<p>Thurmond was asked directly about his standing in the race, having failed to qualify for the May 5 CNN gubernatorial debate due to polling numbers below the network\u2019s 3% threshold.<\/p>\n<p>Recent polls show Thurmond\u2019s support between\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cadem.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4.20.26-CA-Voter-Index-Tracking-Survey-II-Topline.pdf\">1%<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/f\/?id=0000019d-a825-d182-a9fd-be3d42280000\">2%<\/a>\u00a0among likely voters.<\/p>\n<p>He was unapologetic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just don\u2019t think that polls elect anyone. People do,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been in five elections where I was out-polled, outspent and flat-out told that I would never win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He noted that the Los Angeles Times\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/politics\/newsletter\/2026-04-29\/chabria-arellano-barabak-debate-roundup-governor\">scored<\/a>\u00a0him the winner of an eight-candidate debate two days prior.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy name is on the ballot. I\u2019m in it to the end, and I\u2019m running to win,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to work for another governor. I\u2019m not looking for a job in anybody\u2019s administration. This is the last office I\u2019m ever going to run for.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BySelen Ozturk May 1, 2026 Tony&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ca-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=80426"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80427,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80426\/revisions\/80427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=80426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=80426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=80426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}