California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer brought heavy pockets and progressive policies to Santa Barbara in a town hall on April 15. The billionaire promised to pass single-payer health care, build homes and fight corporate interests if elected as governor.
Tom Steyer is running for California Governor in the 2026 gubernatorial election. Sherine John / Daily Nexus
Hundreds were in attendance at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History to hear the campaign’s message of “shared prosperity.” A hundred more people were turned away at the door as the venue reached capacity.
Steyer spoke to the overflowing crowd standing on a bench. He spoke against corporate spending in the race and President Donald Trump’s recent comments about him before heading inside, promising “bigger venues” in the future.
Indoors, Texan influencer Carlos Eduardo Espina and local Assemblymember Gregg Hart spoke in support of Steyer. Espina shared his previous skepticism of Steyer and what brought him to his current support.
“I started talking to him and I realized, this is a guy who can be doing literally anything with his life. He could be in the Carribean, he could be traveling all over the world, he could be comfortable at home, but his life mission is to serve others,” Espina said.
As a billionaire, Steyer has drawn criticism for representing the very inequality he says he will address. Steyer’s billions come from the Bay Area hedge fund Farallon Capital, which he founded and managed before selling his shares in 2012. A year later, he started a progressive Political Action Committee (PAC), and in 2019, he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Critics have also questioned the sincerity of his positions, pointing to Farallon Capital’s investments in fossil fuels and the private prison industry, which plays a crucial role in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) detention.
In his opening remarks, Steyer doubled down on his progressive message, criticizing inequality and the high cost of living in the state, the Trump administration and corporate control of politics. He also spoke about his family history of giving back to the community.
“We need change in California for working people and we’re gonna have to take on the interests that are profiting from the status quo,” Steyer said. “We can create the greatest state right now, right here, in the history of the planet Earth, if actually we get shared prosperity.”
The town hall follows Steyer leading in a number of polls, following the withdrawal of now former California Congressman Eric Swalwell. Swalwell was leading the crowded field until accusations of rape and sexual misconduct led him to withdraw his candidacy.
Steyer is facing seven other Democratic candidates and two Republicans in the primary. Trump-endorsed candidate and Fox News contributor Steve Hilton, has led Republicans in polling with 18% of likely voters compared to Steyer’s 21% according to a SurveyUSA poll. The race is still taking shape, with another 18% of voters undecided.
Microphones were passed around the audience as Steyer fielded questions on a variety of topics including housing, climate change and artificial intelligence (AI) policy. One attendee asked Steyer how he would protect in-home care and child care from constant cuts.
“The kind of inflation in healthcare that we’ve seen and we continue to see … it’s just gonna chew us up, and that’s why I’m for single payer,” Steyer said. “Californians have changed the world a bunch of times. We have to get over the idea that we can’t make change.”
Another attendee asked, “As governor … what can you do to help us stop the kidnappings of our neighbors,” referring to federal immigration policy under the Trump administration.
Steyer responded by calling I.C.E. a “criminal, violent, corrupt” organization that should be abolished. He also pledged to make racial profiling illegal in California and arrest those who violate the law, including Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown who has been collaborating with federal agents.
Some asked about U.S. foreign policy, which is beyond the scope of a governor. A younger attendee mentioned leftist political commentator Hasan Piker before asking Steyer to clarify his position on ending all military aid to Israel, which the attendee views as a “litmus test” for progressive candidates.
Piker, who has a large audience of young viewers, has been making waves in political circles. A number of moderate Democrats have condemned candidates like Zohran Mamdani and Abdul El-Sayed, who appear on his platform. Steyer was interviewed by Piker in March.
Steyer responded to the question by condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and supporting a two-state solution. He said he does not support ending all military aid.
Finally, a recent college graduate asked the billionaire what he would do to help college graduates find employment and build their adult lives.
Steyer responded by pointing to the impact of AI on the entry-level jobs that typically attract recent graduates, “nobody else running for Governor, if you can believe it, has a policy about [AI]. That is nuts,” Steyer said.
He pledged to tax AI companies on each calculation and protect workers from being replaced.
“We own the beach, we need to own this,” Steyer said, as he described AI companies taking the “experience, knowledge and data” from workers to train their AI replacements.
After the final question, Steyer shook hands with attendees.
“Californians have changed the world a bunch of times,” Steyer said. “We have to get over the idea that we can’t make change. We’re gonna have to make change or we’re gonna go bust.”
A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the April 23, 2026 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
