EDITORIAL: Michael Tubbs, California lieutenant governor candidate, answers Bay Area News Group's primary questionnaire

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Ahead of the June primary election, the Bay Area News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates for lieutenant governor. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and clarity.

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Name: Michael TubbsCurrent job title: Nonprofit founder/directorDate of birth: August 2, 1990

Political party affiliation: DemocratOther political positions held: Stockton city councilmember, Stockton mayorCity where you reside: Los Angeles

What are the top three problems you're seeking to solve if elected?

1. Higher education affordability: The lieutenant governor should be the state's higher education czar. I'll advocate for things like making it easier for students to enroll in CalFresh and finding unused land and using (it) to build housing for students, faculty and staff.

2. Housing affordability: The housing shortage is a problem all over our state. What needs to change? One answer is: permitting.

3. Economic mobility: There are a lot of good things that we've started that need to be continued and expanded. I want to take the baton from Gov. Newsom and be one of the leaders who continues this work.

Why are you uniquely qualified to solve these problems?

Out of all the candidates for lieutenant governor, I'm the only one who has served as an executive during Trump's first term. I fought Jeff Sessions and Trump's administration as mayor of Stockton and plan to continue that fight as lieutenant governor. Beyond that, I'm the only one who had to navigate a city council with three Republicans and three Democrats. We did the first-ever guaranteed basic income program in this country's history. We brought down homicides by 40%. And we made Stockton the second-most fiscally sound city in the state.

What differentiates you from your most serious competitors for this seat?

I'm proud of my track record of accomplishments in local government, including raising more than $20 million to create the Stockton Scholars, a scholarship and mentorship program for Stockton students. Operating on the local level, my track record of results back my rhetoric. My main competitors have put in many years of noble service in Sacramento, but it's time for new leadership that can sell fresh ideas that California desperately needs.

What did Eleni Kounalakis do right as California's lieutenant governor?

Lt. Gov. Kounalakis has been right to oppose tuition increases at the Universities of California, California State Universities and community colleges. Higher education already costs too much, and we cannot continue putting the brunt of those costs on struggling students.

In what ways did Eleni Kounalakis fail as California's lieutenant governor?

We are very different people who will bring different perspectives to the job. I grew up in poverty with a single mom, so the challenges that working people in this state face are urgent to me. I will use every lever available to the lieutenant governor to lower costs, and use the bully pulpit of the job to advocate for the big, structural changes needed to make California a more affordable state for all to live in.

The lieutenant governor sits on bodies including the California State Lands Commission and the University of California Board of Regents, and can influence land-use policy. How would you use those roles to help address California's housing shortage - particularly on state-owned land or university property?

I plan to use the lieutenant governor's position to unlock public land for public good. I think California should explore land leasing as a revenue stream, especially as it pertains to public higher education. We could additionally develop faculty and staff workforce housing through that framework. Through revenue-sharing leases, we could monetize without privatizing. A portion of lease payments would flow back into student aid, scholarships, campus maintenance and innovation funds, which would in turn keep tuition down.

California continues to face concerns about business costs and outmigration. What specific policies would you advocate to improve the state's economic competitiveness while still maintaining California's labor and environmental standards?

California must compete with not just other states, but other countries for our economic standing. Unfortunately, the Trump administration's reckless tariffs and wars have diminished America's global standing and made our trade and economic prospects more challenging. I plan to be a lieutenant governor at the frontlines of California's economic competitiveness, including reactivating the California Commission for Economic Development, and constantly serving as an ambassador and spokesperson for why companies around the world should be investing here.

The lieutenant governor serves on the UC Board of Regents, which helps shape policy for one of the largest public university systems in the world. What reforms would you support to improve affordability, expand access for California students and align higher education with workforce needs?

I'll be advocating for making it easier for students to enroll in CalFresh by connecting it to the financial aid system, as well as finding any unused land owned by the UC/CSU/community college systems and using (it) to build housing for students, faculty and staff. I support the effort to add a second student member on the UC governing board. Finally, I will never vote for a tuition increase. We need to be creative about raising revenue and ensure that increased costs do not rely on the backs of students and working families.

Through the State Lands Commission and other boards, the lieutenant governor has influence over coastal policy, offshore energy and conservation. What role should California play in developing offshore wind and other renewable energy projects while protecting coastal ecosystems and communities?

The lieutenant governor serves as the chair of the State Lands Commission, which would provide me the opportunity to advocate for the acceleration of offshore wind and wetlands restoration, as well as stand up against polluters that want to drill for oil off California's coastline. On the Coastal Commission, I'd support adapting standards in accordance with sea-level rise to ensure Californians have living shorelines. Lastly, I'd support leveraging land assets on these campuses for renewable energy that we know is needed to transition from fossil fuels that drive the climate crisis.

Critics sometimes argue the lieutenant governor's role is largely ceremonial. If elected, what initiatives would you personally lead to make the office more influential in solving California's biggest challenges?

People said the same about the mayor of Stockton and doubted that we would get anything done. But we proved everyone wrong by doing bold things, thinking bigger and engaging people both in and outside of the city. The lieutenant governor role is similar. There are the official duties (UC, CSU, community colleges, State Lands), but so much more can be done by effectively using the bully pulpit of the lieutenant governor's office and by acting as a coalition-builder.

While serving as lieutenant governor and acting as governor when Jerry Brown was in China, Gavin Newsom declared the avocado as California's official state fruit. What's the first thing you're doing as acting governor in the governor's absence?

I would pursue any executive authorities to green-light affordable housing projects on state-owned land, rather than letting red tape continue to stall projects that we desperately need.

To the extent you haven't already addressed this, in what ways would you use this office to benefit the Bay Area?

Even though I grew up in Stockton and now live in Los Angeles, some of my most formative memories come from attending Stanford in the Bay Area. The Bay Area is the heart of the state's economic growth, but also where we see some of the worst inequality. My job as lieutenant governor will be to make sure the region's prosperity is felt by all - whether that's making higher education accessible and affordable to all people who want to pursue it, or building enough housing so people who love living in this state can afford to stay here.

Please tell us anything else we should know about why you're the best candidate for California lieutenant governor.

I'm proud of my work in Stockton, where we had the nation's first universal basic income pilot program, and as senior advisor to Gov. Newsom, we established $1 billion worth of child savings accounts for every first-grader. In partnership with the Building Trades Council of San Joaquin County, I created a scholarship fund to support local trade students with tuition and the tools they needed to advance their education. We also worked with the state to be part of a pilot program for a first-of-its-kind climate action service model.

Lastly, name your favorite California restaurant.

Zeni Ethiopian in San Jose. I used to go there all the time as a college student. Some of my first dates with my wife were there, too!

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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 5:43 PM.