California labor leaders grill Democrats running for governor on AI, benefits for strikers
SACRAMENTO — In the largest gathering of 2026 gubernatorial candidates to date, seven Democrats vying to lead California courted labor leaders on Monday, vowing to support pro-union agreements on housing and infrastructure projects, regulation of artificial intelligence, and government funding for university research.
Throughout most of the hourlong event, the hundreds of union members inside the Sacramento hotel ballroom embraced the pro-labor pledges and speeches that dominated the candidates' remarks, though some boos rose from the crowd when former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa strayed from the other Democrats on stage.
Villaraigosa was the only candidate to raise objections when asked if he would support providing state unemployment benefits to striking workers, saying it would depend on the nature and length of the labor action. Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2023 vetoed a bill that would have provided that coverage, saying it would make the state's unemployment trust fund 'vulnerable to insolvency.'
The Monday night event was part of a legislative conference held by the California Federation of Labor Unions and the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, two of the most influential labor organizations in the state capital.
Villaraigosa was joined on stage by former state Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine, state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former state Controller Betty Yee. All are running to replace Newsom, who is serving his second and final term as governor.
Throughout most of the event, the candidates were peppered with yes-or-no questions, answering with the wave of a red flag for 'no' or green flag for 'yes.'
The event was not without its frosty moments, including when the candidates were asked whether, as governor, they would be 'pragmatic and stop targeting California's oil and gas industry in ways that jeopardize union jobs and force us to rely on dirtier imported energy.'
Some of the candidates raised their green flags timidly. California's Democratic leaders, including Newsom and top state lawmakers, have been major proponents of transitioning to renewable energy and imposing more restrictions on the state's oil and gas industry.
'We all want a clean environment going forward,' Yee said, 'but it cannot be on the backs of workers.'
Villaraigosa, in remarks after the event, said he challenged the idea of jumping into electrification too quickly, which would affect union jobs and increase the cost of utilities and energy across the state.
'Closing down refineries, telling people to get rid of their gas stove and gas water heater is just poppycock,' he said.
Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Labor Federation, praised the Democratic candidates for showing strong support for unionized workers. She's hopeful that each would be more receptive to some pivotal union concerns than Newsom, such as the regulation of artificial intelligence, a major threat to union jobs, she said.
'When we're talking about things like regulating AI — we can't even get a conversation out of Gavin Newsom about any regulation — I think that was, that was a key thing. They all threw up their green flag,' Gonzalez said.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who is weighing a run for governor, declined an invitation to address the conference.
The State Building and Construction Trades Council represents hundreds of thousands of workers in the state, including bricklayers, ironworkers and painters, among many others.
The Labor Federation is a formidable power in California politics and policy, expected to help coordinate the spending of as much as $40 million by unions in next year's election. The federation is an umbrella group for about 1,300 unions that represent around 2.3 million workers in the public and private sectors.
The organization has backed all of the gubernatorial candidates in various prior races, although it opposed Villaraigosa in the 2005 mayor's race and supported Newsom over Villaraigosa in the 2018 gubernatorial race.
The latter decision was driven by the arc Villaraigosa has taken from his roots as a union leader to a critic of Los Angeles' teachers union and supporter of charter schools and reform of teacher-tenure rules.
Times staff writer Phil Willon contributed to this report.
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