California’s most ambitious climate goals could be up for negotiation under a Becerra administration — and the Democratic front-runner is being pulled in two different directions.
If he coasts to victory in November, as expected, Xavier Becerra will face competing pressures: delivering on the affordability message that propelled him through the primary while fending off President Donald Trump’s relentless attacks on California’s climate agenda.
How well he strikes that balance could determine if the state remains a climate policy leader — a reputation built over the past decade by Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown — or if that mantle falls by the wayside.
During the primary, Becerra cast himself as a pragmatic, affordability-minded alternative to billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, who spent millions blasting his Democratic rival for accepting oil donations. Becerra went as far as to say “you need Chevron, I need Chevron,” during an April candidate forum, drawing backlash from environmental groups.
