Steve Hilton calls for end to California's 'nightmare'

“Imagine how much worse it would be if we have another four years of this nightmare,” Hilton, a former Fox News Channel commentator, told The Center Square during an interview Thursday.

Xavier Becerra, the Democratic candidate, was unavailable for an interview. Becerra served as a congressman and the California attorney general before working as secretary of health and human services during the Biden administration.

Like most candidates running for office, Hilton has plans for core policies such as housing, energy, healthcare and taxes. For example, Hilton advocates for expanding homeownership and single-family starter homes rather than high-density apartment developments.

The Hilton housing plan addresses four major areas: capping impact fees, streamlining building codes to match costs in other states, supporting Proposition 45 to limit California Environmental Quality Act litigation, rolling back high-density zoning mandates like Senate Bill 79 and reforming landlord regulations to free up vacant rental properties.

“Impact fees, which started out as being small local fees to help with local amenities, now can add up to 20% onto the cost of a new home,” said Hilton, an entrepreneur and former director of strategy for British Prime Minister David Cameron. “It’s a complete scam, and no one knows about it.”

In terms of limiting CEQA litigation, Hilton said roughly 70% of lawsuits filed under the act are used to block housing development.

“Most of those are filed by unions in order to leverage project labor agreements and favors for them,” said Hilton.

As for rolling back high-density zoning mandates, Hilton criticized what he called an ideology forcing housing into communities regardless of local preference.

“Barely 6% of land is developed,” said Hilton. “We could expand that to 7%. We’d still be in the midpoint of density for the country.”

In addition to housing, energy costs remain a key campaign issue. AAA lists the statewide California average for a gallon of regular gasoline at $5.58, compared to the national average of $4.10. Hilton envisions a California where gas prices drop to $3 per gallon by expanding in-state energy production.

“We used to produce most of the oil that we use in the state,” said Hilton. “Now we’re importing nearly 80%.”

Hilton called that reliance “insane,” adding that it harms the environment due to emissions from oil tankers and overseas shipping.

Healthcare costs are another central concern. While some candidates have advocated for a single-payer system where government pays for care, Hilton argued against government-run systems, pointing to his background living in the United Kingdom.

He cited long wait times for procedures and poor conditions inside hospitals as warning signs.

“That’s the inevitable consequence of government-rationed healthcare,” said Hilton, who became a U.S. citizen in 2021.

When asked about tax credits for Hollywood, Hilton proposed creating globally competitive tax incentives covering above-the-line costs and post-production to retain TV and movie productions in California rather than competing states or countries.

“Our entertainment industry is on the brink of collapse,” said Hilton. “The hostility and the negligence of Democrats in their 16 years of one-party rule have driven it out of the state.”

The Center Square interview also touched on data centers — a topic generating debate nationwide as local and state governments weigh economic benefits against water and electricity demands.

Hilton said data centers should yield net positives for host communities, though he suggested they ideally shouldn't sit adjacent to residential areas.

"We need the full stack of AI and technology jobs, as we're the AI leader in the world,” said Hilton. “I want that to continue, but it's not good enough just to be building the software. We need to build all the infrastructure as well, including high-end manufacturing."

Hilton also reiterated calls for aggressive forest management, building on themes from earlier debates. His proposal includes clearing brush, establishing firebreaks and revitalizing the state’s timber industry.

“We're going to have fires,” said Hilton. “That's the natural part of the forest ecosystem, but what you don't want is these mega wildfires that burn out of control, and so we need to get back to what we used to do, which is competent forest management."

He noted that California currently imports much of its timber from Oregon and Canada, calling the dynamic a missed economic opportunity for rural California counties.

The general election in California and the rest of the nation is Nov. 3.