How do Gavin Newsom and Xavier Becerra differ on certain issues?

After serving two terms, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) will leave Sacramento in January 2027 to let Gov.-elect Xavier Becerra (D-CA) take his place.Becerra’s election victory marks his official return to California politics. He served as the state’s attorney general from 2017 to 2021, overlapping with Newsom’s first two years in office, before resigning to lead the Department of Health and Human Services under the Biden administration. Becerra’s decadeslong political career also includes his time as a congressman representing three different districts in California between 1993 and 2017.While Newsom and Becerra are largely similar in terms of their political ideology and policy direction, there are some distinctions worth noting before the latter assumes office next year. Here is how the two mainstream California Democrats differ on certain issues.High-speed rail service California’s high-speed rail project is one of the more notorious topics that overshadowed the state’s gubernatorial race.While Newsom and Becerra support continuing the project, their stances diverge when it comes to the high-speed rail service’s future direction. Becerra called for a more substantial overhaul of the project’s leadership than the one Newsom oversaw.Joe Stephenshaw, a Newsom administration official, was appointed to serve as interim CEO of the embattled California High-Speed Rail Authority in late October following his predecessor’s resignation.The project is particularly controversial because of how long it has taken California officials to get the plan approved and start building the high-speed rail. Construction started in 2015 and remains ongoing to this day. Costs for the project are estimated to be between $126 billion and $231 billion, far more than the initial $33 billion estimate in 2008.During Newsom’s two-term tenure, construction was primarily focused on a 171-mile segment between Merced and Bakersfield in the Central Valley. Becerra proposed scrapping the project’s current configuration to finish the project on time and on budget. He has not provided a detailed plan yet.Newsom defended the state’s investment in the project. Becerra also supports that commitment, but he says he wants more accountability.“We’re going to have to scrub a lot. High-speed rail has got to look really different if we’re going to continue this project,” Becerra said in October. “I need the faith of the public in order to make these projects go. I think the public is quickly losing faith, if they haven’t already, in High-Speed Rail.”Before the general election, Republican candidate Steve Hilton campaigned on canceling the project and reallocating its funds toward other state priorities. Becerra ultimately defeated Hilton by over 31 points on Election Day.Hollywood tax credit One day before the midterm elections, Newsom proposed expanding California’s film and television tax credit from $750 million to at least $1 billion annually. Becerra, though he did not directly respond to the announcement, is supportive of incentivizing Hollywood productions to stay in the Golden State.The incoming governor has pledged to defend and expand the $750 million tax credit, but he hasn’t laid out a specific plan for how he would do that. The only inkling of a plan is that he wants to expand funding in areas where California is losing production, such as visual effects and episodic television.This suggests Becerra is taking a more cautious approach than Newsom, who wants to lift the annual tax credit cap, with much of the additional tax credits going to above-the-line salaries. Above-the-line talent refers to actors, directors, writers, and producers, whereas below-the-line talent generally includes behind-the-scenes crew members. Becerra has not specified his position on Newsom’s above-the-line provision yet.Under the outgoing governor’s proposal, the $1 billion tax credit would be extended through 2040. The existing tax credit is set to last through 2030.California first implemented the $750 million tax credit last year, replacing the outdated $330 million allocation. Newsom has been a champion of the entertainment industry during his time in office, and his latest announcement indicates he wants his legacy to be partly defined by his work to save Hollywood.Becerra will be the one to follow through on Newsom’s vision come next year. The proposal, which is separate from the federal film and television tax credit in Congress right now, needs approval from California’s state legislature before it can be enacted.Billionaire tax Newsom and Becerra equally opposed the wealth tax on billionaires, but for slightly different reasons.Newsom stood against Proposition 40, arguing that billionaires could simply relocate to other states and, as a result, California would lose substantial revenue from income taxes. His alternative was a federal approach to taxing people with net worth exceeding $100 million.NEWSOM TO DECIDE WHETHER HE’S RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN ‘EARLY JANUARY’Meanwhile, Becerra made the case that a one-time tax is not sustainable because it doesn’t create a steady stream of revenue for the state. While he supports the idea of billionaires paying more in taxes, Becerra favors broader, structural tax reform and changes to corporate taxation policy.Proposition 40 would have imposed a one-time 5% tax on California billionaires, but more than 52% of voters rejected the proposal in the election.