GOP frontrunners for governor scrap about immigration

Good morning, it’s Monday, April 6 and you can expect pervasive sunshine (high 70s), punctuated by a few clouds. 

In today’s newsletter, we have the downtown office tenants who became landlords, a Sex and the City auction and your Monday rundown of the week ahead. But first, a dispatch from a Republican gubernatorial brawl. 

There was an air of triumph in a Rancho Mirage hotel ballroom on Saturday when the top two Republican candidates for governor — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton — met for their first debate.

That’s because the top two GOP candidates are also currently polling as the top candidates period, even though California is as blue a state as it gets. The Democratic field is big, and includes many prominent-but-not-dominant candidates; none has yet broken away from the pack. And because California has an open primary, the top two candidates in June’s vote will advance, regardless of party, as long as no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the electorate — which means Democrats could be shut out of the general election.

As the debate began, the candidates appeared to revel in the strange state of the race. Name-checking Democratic candidates Katie Porter, Eric Swalwell and Tom Steyer, Hilton said, “These are not impressive people.” He later added: “We love California, and we hate what these Democrats have done to ruin our state.”

The two also expressed strong agreement on a number of other issues. They each wanted to eliminate regulations on the oil industry, slash the gas tax, trim regulations for environment and air quality, curb the Coastal Commission, root out fraud (a prominent Trump talking point at the moment), and otherwise bring an end to the era of Democrats dominating state government, they said.

The audience relished it, frequently bursting into applause for both men. The event, hosted by the Lincoln Club of Coachella Valley with a starting ticket price of $150, was structured as a friendly encounter. Both men sat in cozy upholstered chairs with the moderator, Trump appointee and recently-replaced Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell, holding court. Rather than strict time-keeping, Grenell opted for a “gentleman’s agreement” to play fair.

At first it seemed like the biggest clash between the two men might be sartorial. Bianco, the sheriff, wore snug jeans, a blazer and cowboy boots, while Hilton, the former Fox News host, wore a navy suit with yellow socks. But then the topic turned to immigration. 

Hilton, himself an immigrant from the United Kingdom, said that he would cooperate with the Trump administration on federal immigration enforcement. He also claimed Bianco opposes that effort, and in fact wants amnesty for millions of undocumented people living in California. Hilton even trumpeted a website, amnestychad.com, which features a photo of Bianco and a screaming text box: “Chad Bianco wants amnesty.”

Bianco responded that that was “100 percent an absolute lie.” He said he opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants, despises sanctuary laws, and cooperates with ICE and Border Patrol. But he said he “cannot have deputies running around the streets doing immigration enforcement,” explaining that his deputies encounter all sorts of people, including tourists, legal immigrants and others and that public safety depends on keeping police focused on crime. “All we care about is if you are a victim or a suspect.”

Thank you for reading L.A. Material. We’re brand new, and reader-supported. If you like what we’re up to, pass this along to a friend and consider upgrading your subscription.

MONDAY OR TUESDAY: Opening arguments are expected Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning in a lawsuit filed by the parents of Valentina Orellana-Peralta, a 14-year-old girl who was fatally shot by an LAPD officer in 2021 while she was in a North Hollywood department store dressing room. The officer inadvertently shot the teenage girl while firing at an assailant in the store. Orellana-Peralta’s parents sued the city in 2022 and jury selection in the case began last week. 

THURSDAY: Housing Action Coalition will host a virtual forum for Council District 13 candidates, with incumbent Hugo Soto-Martínez and challengers Rich Sarian and Dylan Kendall. The district includes Atwater Village, Hollywood, Silver Lake, Larchmont Village and other neighborhoods. 

FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY: The California Republican Party will hold their annual organizing convention this weekend in San Diego. 

ALSO THIS WEEKEND: The first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will be held in Indio, with Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G headlining. 

We’ll be doing a week-ahead rundown every Monday morning. If there’s something that should be on our radar, please send it to [email protected].

EVALUATING INSIDE SAFE: The city of Los Angeles has spent more than $300 million on Inside Safe, Mayor Karen Bass’ signature homelessness program. But an analysis by the L.A. Times’ David Zahniser finds that even as the mayor’s initiative brings more people indoors, finding them permanent housing remains difficult, and a growing number are winding up back on the street.

A HOLLYWOOD SIGH OF RELIEF: The Writers Guild of America and entertainment studios reached a tentative deal on their contract over the weekend. If ratified, the contract would last four years — a year longer than normal.

NATTY ICED: For the first time ever, the UCLA Women’s Basketball team has won the NCAA national championship trophy, dominating 79-51 in Sunday’s final against a favored South Carolina squad. Two of the best Bruin players, center Lauren Betts and point guard Kiki Rice, are expected to be high picks in next week’s WNBA Draft.

BUYING THE PLACE: As downtown L.A. office building vacancy rates continue to soar, some major tenants are purchasing the buildings they’ve been renting. The L.A. Times’ Roger Vincent has a fascinating look at the trend, and what it says about the broader market. 

I COULDN’T HELP BUT WONDER… Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That… may be no more. But Warner Bros. Discovery has handed their set castoffs to Julien’s Auctions, so diehard fans can now bid on weirdly specific memorabilia, like a tennis ensemble worn by Charlotte York Goldenblatt’s stunt double (current bid: $75), the place cards from Mr. Big’s funeral (current bid: $250) and the prop script’s for Che Diaz’s failed pilot “Che Pasa” (current bid: $500). 

For today’s peek inside our subscriber-only Discord server, a ringing salad endorsement from @Melissa Lo in #i-was-here:

AND FINALLY… A poem to pair with your morning coffee: “April” by Alicia Ostriker. 

Enjoying this newsletter? Forward it to a friend. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. Want to help make this work possible? Upgrade your subscription.