Cal Gov Frontrunner Xavier Becerra: Ready to Fight

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

Bleep! with Ana Navarro
Episode: Cal Gov Frontrunner Xavier Becerra: Ready to Fight
Date: May 25, 2026

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Overview

In this episode, Ana Navarro sits down for an in-depth conversation with Xavier Becerra, the frontrunner in California’s gubernatorial race and former Secretary of Health and Human Services, to discuss his upbringing, political philosophy, experience, and his plans for California. The conversation covers immigration, homelessness, health care, education, economic challenges, Becerra’s approach to leadership, and his perspective on combating Trump-era policies. The episode provides a nuanced look at Becerra’s formative experiences, values, and vision for California, as well as candid reflections on policy, bipartisanship, and political leadership.

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1. Xavier Becerra’s Background and Family Experience

Key Discussion Points:

• The interview opens with Ana and Xavier reflecting on 32 years of personal and professional history (03:18–04:31).
• Personal anecdotes from Becerra’s time as a young Congressman juggling family and legislative duties (03:36–04:31).
• The influence of Becerra’s immigrant parents and their work ethic:
  • “[My father] would tell me, ‘mijos, si me puedo levantar en la mañana y ir a trabajar va a ser un buen día.’” (06:52)
  • Parents arrived in the U.S. with $12; his father was a construction worker, mother a clerical worker (07:22–08:05).
  • Becerra’s first realization of his working-class background upon arriving at Stanford (08:05).

Notable Quotes:

• "I thought I was middle class. Then I saw Palo Alto and I saw I'm not middle class." – Xavier Becerra (08:05)

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2. Overcoming Barriers: Access to Education

Key Discussion Points:

• The non-linear, "by chance" way Becerra applied to Stanford after a friend nearly discarded his application (08:38–09:35).
• The evolution in cost of higher education, with tuition having jumped from under $7,000 in his day to over $70,000 now (09:36–10:02).
• Becerra advocates making the first two years of college free in California to improve access and affordability (10:08–10:27).

Notable Quotes:

• “People shouldn't have to go in debt just to go to college.” – Xavier Becerra (10:10)

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3. Political Evolution, Bipartisanship, and Immigration

Key Discussion Points:

• Ana and Xavier reflect on an era of bipartisan work on immigration, despite strong ideological differences (11:40–12:30).
• Discourse around the 1996 Nacara legislation and the respectful disagreements they had.
• Discussion on today’s political climate, challenges to effective bipartisanship, and the lost “art of compromise.”

Timestamps:

• Reflection on past debates and bipartisanship: (11:40–12:30)
• The change in Congress’ ability to “go to a place together”: (12:08–12:30)

Notable Quotes:

• “We could go to a place together. It's very difficult today to see members in Congress going to a place together.” – Xavier Becerra (12:27)

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4. Dealing with Trump, Immigration Raids, and State Autonomy

Key Discussion Points:

• Concerns about renewed government raids targeting immigrants—what would Becerra do as governor? (12:45–13:37)
• Strategies: Use of litigation, protective local policies, restricting law enforcement without warrants at schools and hospitals (13:37–15:02).
• State versus federal authority regarding public safety (14:30).

Notable Quotes:

• “Litigation, as I did as Attorney General...over 120 times we took them [Trump administration] on toe to toe. Most of the time, we beat them.” – Xavier Becerra (13:44)
• "What we see on the streets today, in Trump's eyes, is not a true law enforcement agency. It's Trump's personal mercenary force." – Xavier Becerra (14:16)

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5. Managing Crisis: HHS, Migrant Children, and Media Attacks

Key Discussion Points:

• Addressing the controversy over “85,000 missing migrant children” under his tenure at HHS (16:21–19:54).
• Clarifies that the number refers to unreturned follow-up calls, not missing children; care for children ends after release to sponsors (19:08–19:54).
• Lessons learned about communication, transparency, and system rebuilding after the Trump administration dismantled infrastructure for child migrants (20:40–21:51).
• Responds to anonymous criticisms from former Biden officials, noting endorsements from named senior staff (24:59–26:19).

Notable Quotes:

• “We voluntarily took [follow-up calls] upon ourselves to try to help make sure the transition went well…that became distorted into lost children.” – Xavier Becerra (20:40)
• “You have to telegraph better what you’re doing.” – Xavier Becerra (20:40)

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6. Health Care Agenda

Key Discussion Points:

• Commitment to making California a leader in healthcare, ensuring coverage is accessible and affordable (28:29–29:15).
• Discusses impact of unions: his own family benefitted from union-provided health insurance (29:17).

Notable Quotes:

• “If you deny someone insurance…that doesn’t stop them from getting healthcare. The difficulty is, when you’re uninsured…you’ve waited so long, the condition is probably so grave…you’re not going to be able to afford the cost. And so taxpayers will pay.” – Xavier Becerra (28:38)

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7. Tackling Homelessness and Housing Crisis

Key Discussion Points:

• Framing homelessness as fundamentally a mental health and addiction crisis, as well as a shelter crisis (29:43–31:23).
• Accountability for results—cities/countries must show outcomes to receive state money; “If you can’t show me…we close your door. If you are, we scale your program.” (29:58–32:07)
• On the housing crisis: On day one, Becerra would declare a state of emergency to fast-track affordable housing construction (32:39–34:05).

Notable Quotes:

• “With the billions that we’re giving, we have to see outcomes. We have to see accountability.” – Xavier Becerra (32:07)
• “This housing crisis is a crisis of confidence that they don’t believe that we’re going to build enough. Yeah. And I got to win the confidence of the people.” – Javier Becerra (34:14)

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8. Economic and Industrial Policy (Hollywood, Tourism, Jobs)

Key Discussion Points:

• The importance of keeping the entertainment industry (Hollywood) in California and combatting runaway productions with incentives, tax credits, and “fighting fire with fire” (36:43–38:44).
• Describes the ripple effect on unions, blue-collar jobs, local economies, and the tourism industry.
• Promises policies that provide strong returns—“so long as I am getting more than a dollar back for every dollar I spend, it’s worth it” (38:18).

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9. Education and California’s Future Generations

Key Discussion Points:

• The state’s poor education statistic and the need to invest in “growing our own” talent, particularly for Latino and disadvantaged students (39:07–40:10).
• Personal story of being the first in his family to attend college, emphasizing replicable pathways for social mobility.

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10. Character, Leadership, and Personal Values

Key Discussion Points:

• Throughout his career, Becerra has avoided personal scandal, crediting family and humility for keeping him grounded (47:06–49:31).
• The importance of integrity in politics and awareness of the temptations of power (48:00–49:04).
• Commitment to pragmatic problem-solving and compromise over dogmatism (35:09–35:29).
• Discusses his wife Carolina’s potential as a First Lady and her record as a high-risk OB-GYN and health advocate (49:34–49:59).

Notable Quotes:

• “I’ve got a wife who keeps me very grounded. I got three daughters that…I respect them, they respect me. At the end of the day, the way I look at it is I want to go home to something. And if I ruin what I have at home, what will I go home to?” – Xavier Becerra (49:04)

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11. Making History and Representation

Key Discussion Points:

• On being the first Latino governor: Becerra emphasizes the importance of opening doors for others and sees his candidacy as a testament to the American and Californian promise (51:13–52:02).

Notable Quotes:

• “Sometimes it gets kind of tiring being the first. You want to make sure there are many more that come after you.” – Xavier Becerra (51:35)
• “I think of this as the kid who was the son of immigrants who had never been to college, who people would look at and say, ‘that kid’s going to be governor?’ Nah. That’s what I really appreciate.” – Xavier Becerra (51:48)

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12. Style and Approach to Trump & Opposition

Key Discussion Points:

• Contrasting his approach to Trump with that of Gavin Newsom: Becerra says he will "speak softly, but carry a big stick," focusing on action over bombast (42:31–43:42).
• Values pragmatism and partnership where possible, firmness when challenged.
• Returns to the idea that compromise and relationships across the aisle are essential for working government (12:30, 35:09).

Notable Quotes:

• “Speak softly, but carry a big stick. It's not in my nature [to be loud]. But you try to cross the line, and I pull out the big stick.” – Xavier Becerra (42:31)

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13. Optimism and Closing Reflections

Key Discussion Points:

• On restoring public faith in democracy and optimism: “Everyone around the world still believes in the US…that should give us inspiration to know we still have a better day.” (53:32)
• Hopes to inspire confidence through action and leadership, believing better days are ahead for California and the country (53:32–54:28).

Notable Quotes:

• “…the glass is still only half full. And for you and me, coming from immigrant backgrounds, it runs in our blood to be optimistic. And so better days still to come. I know for a fact in California, better days still to come.” – Xavier Becerra (54:08)

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14. Memorable Moments / Fun Segment

Key Moments:

• “Latino test” where Ana quizzes Becerra on food and drink preferences (52:05–52:43)
• Becerra’s answers: chilaquiles, tacos, cerveza, Vicente Fernandez—"that's the corazon favorite." (52:09–52:29)
• On cursing: "Really? Neither one. …I’d prefer to do things differently. Again, speak softly, carry a big stick." (54:54)

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15. Final Thoughts

Key Quote:

• “The governor’s job—being governor does not come with training wheels… This is not a place for on-the-job training. You better know what you’re doing, because there are not training wheels waiting for you when you get into the governor’s office.” – Xavier Becerra (56:35)

Ana’s Closing Remarks:
Ana thanks Becerra for his insights and decades of friendship, emphasizing the impact California’s leadership has on the nation and globe.

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Timestamps for Major Topics:

• Upbringing and family: 03:18–08:05
• Education/Stanford: 08:05–10:27
• Political evolution/bipartisanship: 11:40–12:30
• Immigration/Trump: 12:45–15:02
• HHS, migrant children, and media: 16:21–21:51
• Healthcare: 28:29–29:33
• Homelessness/Housing: 29:43–34:22
• Hollywood/Economy: 36:43–39:05
• Education: 39:07–41:08
• Leadership/Character: 47:06–49:31
• Being first Latino governor: 51:13–52:02
• Optimism and closing: 53:08–54:28

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Notable Quotes Index

• “If I could get up in the morning to go to work, it’s gonna be a good day.” – Becerra (06:52)
• “People shouldn’t have to go in debt just to go to college.” – Becerra (10:10)
• “We could go to a place together...very difficult today to see members in Congress going to a place together.” – Becerra (12:27)
• “You try to cross the line, and I pull out the big stick.” – Becerra (42:31)
• “The governor’s job…does not come with training wheels.” – Becerra (56:35)
• “For you and me, coming from immigrant backgrounds, it runs in our blood to be optimistic.” – Becerra (54:08)

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Tone & Language

• Conversational, personal, candid, and colloquial throughout.
• Becerra speaks plainly about challenges, past differences, and his management style.
• Ana’s tone is both friendly and incisive; the episode brims with insider anecdotes and mutual respect.

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For Listeners: Key Takeaways

• Xavier Becerra brings deep experience in government (Congress, AG, HHS Secretary) and a personal history rooted in California immigrant life.
• His approach is pragmatic, focused on collaboration where possible, and firm defense of California’s interests.
• Primary campaign priorities: immigration policy, affordable education, improved healthcare, strong accountability in homelessness and housing, economic stimulus (esp. entertainment industry), and public faith in government.
• His temperament is measured—“speak softly, carry a big stick”—emphasizing integrity, experience, and optimism for California’s future.

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Transcript

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[Ana Navarro]

So welcome to an episode of BLEEP with Ana Navarro from California. And today I have a really special guest, somebody I have known for so long, I barely remember how it was that we met. I am going to sit down today and have a conversation with Javier Becerra, who is running for governor of California. The voting, the primary is June 2. Early voting is already happening. And so let's sit down and get into it. Hola, Javier.

[Javier Becerra]

Ana, good to see you. And I do know how we met.

[Ana Navarro]

Remind me.

[Javier Becerra]

You came to chew me out. You came to tell me how to do my work.

[Ana Navarro]

When you were in Congress.

[Javier Becerra]

When I was in Congress, yeah.

[Ana Navarro]

Okay. But that was, this is really, it blows my mind. We have known each other for something like 32 years.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah.

[Ana Navarro]

And one of the things that I remember distinctly is when you were a young congressman on the Judiciary Committee during immigration markups and you would take one of your baby girls to the judiciary markups and feed them the bottle during the markups because your wife Carolina, who's a Harvard obgyn, you married up.

[Javier Becerra]

Yes, I do.

[Ana Navarro]

She's brilliant. Had to work. And you didn't have money for child care. You had to bring the baby to the office.

[Javier Becerra]

Well, we had money, but it was easy.

[Ana Navarro]

You didn't have much money. I remember you gave me a ride once in a jalop.

[Javier Becerra]

Yes. Well, we, we kept our cars long, but it was easier to take care because the little one was little, very little, and we didn't want her to have her just in daycare. So sometimes I would manage to take her because I would. Daycare wasn't too far away. And so sometimes it was easier for me to just have one of the children with me.

[Ana Navarro]

But, but what did that teach you, though? You know, I mean, you were, you were a working family and having to do childcare. You have three daughters.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah.

[Ana Navarro]

Which one was the one you were carrying in those dishes? Right?

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah, the middle one.

[Ana Navarro]

The middle one. So she's 31 now.

[Javier Becerra]

She's 31 now.

[Ana Navarro]

Wow. That's, that's, that's mind blowing.

[Javier Becerra]

It is.

[Ana Navarro]

And you are. There is a lot of female energy around you. You've got. You've got Carolina, three daughters and. Three daughters and three sisters.

[Javier Becerra]

And as you know, most of my staff was female.

[Ana Navarro]

Right. I remember your. We were talking about your original chief of staff, Krista. Yeah. What. What has that taught you?

[Javier Becerra]

Behave, Be humble and be there. You know, it's. It's one of those things where you realize who the real boss is and you realize who really has a fulcrum, who knows how to balance things. I think women are very good at being steady. Men are more mercurial. Women are always perceived as being more emotional. But I think what it really is, it's. It's a transparency. It's the willingness to say who you are, let people see who you are, which means that you have less to hide. Men are far more closed.

[Ana Navarro]

Right?

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah.

[Ana Navarro]

Javier, I watched, and I'm calling you Javier because you and I have known

[Javier Becerra]

each other forever, but you've always got me, Javier.

[Ana Navarro]

I've always called you Javier. That part is true, too. But I watched two of the runoff, two of the debates. There were seven, eight people on the stage. It's four hours of my life I'd like to get back. I didn't learn a goddamn thing watching those two debates, because it's 30 seconds with seven, eight people on stage and people trying to, you know, moderators trying to get in there. I learned nothing. So I want us to go into some of the issues that were talked about. But before that, let's talk about Javier Becerra, because it's a pretty spectacular story. You are the child of poor immigrants and somehow ended up at Stanford and then ended up in Congress as attorney general, as HHS secretary, and now running to be the first Mexican American, the first Latino governor of California. So let's start there. Tell me about little Javier.

[Javier Becerra]

So little Javier has to start by talking about dad. My father would tell me, mijos, y me puedo levantar en la mana yira trabajar vaseru un buendia. If I could get up in the morning to go to work, it's gonna be a good day. And he meant it, right? Because for him, not going to work as a construction worker, as a laborer, meant you may not have the money to pay for the food or pay for the mortgage. And so you learn that.

[Ana Navarro]

How old were your parents when they came here?

[Javier Becerra]

My dad was in his 20s when he married my mom. She was 18. And they came. They came with $12 in their pocket to start. And they just built from there. A construction worker, clerical worker, never had a chance to go to college. My dad didn't get past the sixth grade. He was the oldest of eight, so he had to start working. And I always saw him working. And it was a great childhood because I never thought I was without. And then when I drove with my mom my first day to start Stanford University because I didn't even know where Stanford was even after I'd gotten accepted. It wasn't until we drove there from Sacramento to Palo Alto to go to Stanford that I realized I wasn't middle class. I thought I was middle class. Then I saw Palo Alto and I saw I'm not middle class.

[Ana Navarro]

How did it even come up, occur to you to apply to Stanford? Because, I mean, there's. And I asked this question because, you know, I heard the story also and read the story of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown and you know, she also applied to an Ivy League being a little black girl from Miami and was told, no, you shouldn't even think that way. So there's so many little Mexican boys, little black boys, poor white that, that are told you can't you, Stanford. What are you thinking about? So how did it even happen?

[Javier Becerra]

It was by chance. I had already applied to. I had applied to one school for college because my parents couldn't, you know, steer me well. But I had gone to a program, a summer program where folks there it was at UC Davis had said, you know, if you just keep applying yourself, you could probably get into Davis. So I applied to Davis. I was with a friend who was about to throw some papers into the trash bin and I said, what are you doing? He said, well, I was going to apply to this place, but I think we had just finished getting our grades from a, an exam and he had decided, I'm not going to apply anymore. Why? Why apply? Said no, don't throw it away, give it to me. And it was the application for Stanford University. So I filled it out last moment, got it in, you know, handwritten, whiting out my mistakes and sent it in. I got in and I didn't know where Stanford was. Lived two hours from Stanford, but never had visited, never knew where it was until I said, as I said, did

[Ana Navarro]

you get a scholarship?

[Javier Becerra]

We, I got some scholarship. I did work study and I took out loans.

[Ana Navarro]

How long did it take you to repay those loans?

[Javier Becerra]

You know, back in those days it felt like a lot of money, but today it's not even. You don't even sneeze at that Kind of money. It was so little. Stanford University. I think the tuition when I got there was under $7,000.

[Ana Navarro]

What is it today?

[Javier Becerra]

Probably over $70,000.

[Ana Navarro]

So it's one of the things I suspect you want to work on as governor is how to make higher education more affordable and accessible.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah, to California at least the first couple of years. So people shouldn't have to go in debt just to go to college and give people the push, the oomph to be able to get in. So maybe have the first two years of college tuition be free without cost so people can afford to go to places that they get accepted.

[Ana Navarro]

So I talked about us meeting, knowing each other for 32 plus years now, because when we first met, I was a staunch Republican. I voted for, supported, campaigned, gave money to raise money for Republicans. You were a staunch Democrat. We worked together on many issues, mostly immigration issues. We had some pretty heated debates and disagreements. I remember I was furious when you went to Cuba when you became Congressional Hispanic Chair. I remember I was furious when you didn't vote for Nacara because you thought not everybody was included and it needed to include everyone. But the reason I think that's important to bring up is because throughout it all, we have respected each other. I think we have respected our commitment to our community and to the causes and convictions and principles we care about. And it was a time, Javier, it was a time when people could disagree and still not hate each other and still not question each other's values or patriotism. So talk to me about the evolution that's happened because you worked in Congress with people who today you wouldn't be able to do that.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah, no, there were, I mean, as, as, as hot as our discussions, our debates would get. We were always still working together.

[Ana Navarro]

Right.

[Javier Becerra]

Because I knew you could get votes that I couldn't get and you knew I could try to get votes that you couldn't get. And we, we both had a mission to get something done. And Nakara, which was a bill to try to help certain populations that were in the US but didn't have status.

[Ana Navarro]

Right.

[Javier Becerra]

At the end of the day, it was a good piece of legislation. I didn't vote for it because I thought it could have been better and I wanted to push it to be better, as you said, to include more populations. And so we ended up going a place, and that was the important part. We could go to a place together. It's very difficult today to see members in Congress going to a place together.

[Ana Navarro]

Well, I was a young activist and lobbyist at the time. I forgive you for not having voted for it, because the bill passed anyways, and it's made a huge difference in the. In the lives of so many people. But let's talk about immigration.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah.

[Ana Navarro]

Because we are. It's now 2026. Nakara, which passed in 1996, was probably the last major piece of immigration reform that has passed Congress. We saw horrible raids here, probably ground zero. It started the. The. The weaponization of government against communities to punish. Democrats started here in la, and it was heartbreaking. I never thought I would see those kind of scenes in the streets of the United States. I've seen them in Venezuela. I've seen them in Cuba. I've seen them. I never thought I would see them here. Okay, Javier Becerra becomes governor. Trump hates you as much as he hates Newsom. What do you do if that happens again? And how do. How do people fight back? What can you do is the question.

[Javier Becerra]

So you use the levers of government, whether it is litigation or whether it is new policy or whether it is the confrontation that you make happen with your people against a force that can only be here so much. And so litigation, as I did as Attorney general, you take them on toe to toe, and we're over 120 times we took them on toe to toe. Most of the time, we beat them. You can do that. Although litigation, as you know, takes a long time. You can do the policy. We can say that law enforcement cannot enter a school without a warrant writ large. So that would include ice. You can say law enforcement cannot enter a hospital without a warrant writ large. You can do things that put in place infrastructure that make it more difficult for Trump's mercenary force, because it's not ice. I work with ice. I've seen what genuine law enforcement is. What we see on the streets today, in Trump's eyes, is not a true law enforcement agency. It's Trump's personal mercenary force. You have to put these pillars in place that set the parameters, the standards. That way we can go after them if they violate those laws. And we can, because you don't have a right to violate the Constitution, and you don't have the right to violate the state's prerogatives when it comes to public safety, because the Constitution, the. It didn't give the federal government control over public safety in a state that's left to the states.

[Ana Navarro]

So, as AG, you sued Trump, I don't know, 122 times or something like that. That was. Trump won as governor. Can you make the decision to Sue Trump on behalf of the state, or do you work with the ag? How does that work?

[Javier Becerra]

You work with the ag? Certainly, if the governor is saying to the ag, we need to file lawsuit, chances are the AG is going to file a lawsuit. Ultimately, the AG is the one that files lawsuit. I could take extraordinary action and say if the AG doesn't move, I will, I will hire attorneys to take action on behalf of the state. But I would, I have a good relationship with our attorney general, and I, I think he's doing what he has to do as AG. So far he's filed, my understanding is over 50 or 60 lawsuits.

[Ana Navarro]

Listen, and in some of those debates, the primary debates that I, that I watched, people were taking you on like a pinata. They were trying to hit you from every which direction. Some of it coming, I would call it almost friendly fire, coming from Antonio Villaraigosa, who was former mayor of la. And one of the accusations made against you, and I want to give you time to talk about it, because I don't think it's something you can explain in 30 seconds, is what happened when you were Secretary of Health and Human Services with the migrant children. Antonio claims 85,000 children disappeared under your watch. So let's go through it.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah. That claim is a claim started by Donald Trump. If you recall, in the 24 campaign against Vice President Harris, Donald Trump claimed that the Biden administration had lost 85,000 kids. As the campaign grew, the number grew. And by the time he was finishing the campaign, it had grown to 325,000 kids who were missing. In either case, it was a lie. They were MAGA talking points. And it's unfortunate that now we see even Democratic candidates using Trump lies to try to attack one of their the other candidates. What happened here? And Anai, you'll get this because you and I have worked on immigration policy, the practices for more than three decades is immigration is, is a broken system. We tried to. Nakara was an effort to try to fix a broken system. And when you have a broken system, things happen. We came, when I came in as Secretary of hhs, you will remember the Trump folks had been putting kids in cages. They had been separating children from their parents, immigrant families. And when we came in, that's what we inherited, this wreckage. They had dismantled the system of care for migrant children who were unaccompanied, who didn't have an adult supervisor. By law, the Department of Homeland Security can only keep those kids for 72 hours because you don't put a child in an adult Detention center so they would come to us. And unfortunately, because the Trump administration had dismantled most of the architecture, because it has to be licensed care for these kids, we had to stand that up. And when you have a lot of kids coming and you don't have the facilities, you in the middle of COVID which meant you had to distance the kids, so you had to put fewer kids in every facility. It became a real challenge to try to accommodate the kids. We did, we did face challenges, but we took care of them. Now the talk became kids got exploited. And they did, but not while they were in my care. They got exploited after they were in the community, in the care of a sponsor, because some of these kids started working and it was the employers, the roofers, the roofing companies, the chicken processing plants that were taking advantage. Those employers are the ones that exploited the kids, not HHS. But everything got conflated as HHS exploited these kids. HHS.

[Ana Navarro]

But the talking point of the 85,000 missing kids is, as I understood it from reading the piece that people should go look into of the New York Times writer who was the first one who brought this to light back then, is that HHS would make follow up calls after the kids had been released to family, to sponsors.

[Javier Becerra]

Right.

[Ana Navarro]

And some of those people, 85,000, I guess, didn't answer the call. So these kids were not missing.

[Javier Becerra]

Correct.

[Ana Navarro]

It's just that their sponsors did not answer the calls. Am I saying that correctly?

[Javier Becerra]

Yes. And remember, once that child was in the care of a sponsor, I lost jurisdiction. HHS no longer had jurisdiction over that child. We could not tell that child, call us, come back. We could not dictate to that child or the sponsor. And so we would make an effort just to do follow up, to make sure the kids were okay. We'd make an effort to have three calls to each child and three calls to each sponsor so that we would at least have some sense of the transition. But those children and the sponsors were unknown to, under no obligation to respond.

[Ana Navarro]

I think this is very relevant because, you know, one of the things that you bring to your, to the table is your experience. And not in Congress, but certainly as AG and as secretary of hhs, you were handling huge agencies, not as large as the state of California, which is the fourth largest economy in the world, but that management experience is what you bring. There were mistakes made and you learn from them. There were reforms that were introduced. And so I guess the question that I want to ask you is what lesson did you learn as a manager, as a leader, not going into the weeds. But what did you learn as a manager that you can then apply if you become governor of California?

[Javier Becerra]

Telegraph better what we were doing. We were under no obligation to make a call to that child or that sponsor. We voluntarily took that upon ourselves to try to help make sure the transition went well. We didn't telegraph what we were trying to do to help these children and that became distorted into lost children. We didn't explain to the country well what the process was when a child crosses the border without an adult and how DHS Homeland Security cannot hold them and they must come to hhs. We didn't explain that the previous administration had closed, had dismantled the infrastructure to care for these kids in licensed care facilities and that we had to stand all that up at the LA County Fairgrounds. We had to open a site at the LA County Fairgrounds to be able to accommodate these kids because there were so many kids. We had opened up the San Diego Convention center because we needed to have a place to place these kids because the licensed care facilities that would otherwise have taken care of them had been broken apart by the previous administration.

[Chiquis]

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[Wilmer Valderrama]

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[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

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[Wilmer Valderrama]

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[Wilmer Valderrama]

Pick up a candidate at your favorite auto parts store, Seafoam. Pour it in.

[Javier Becerra]

Power on.

[Eva Longoria]

This is Eva Longoria from Hungry for History with Eva Longoria and Maite Gomez Rejon. Planned Parenthood health centers save lives, but lawmakers are trying to block patients from using Medicaid at Planned Parenthood Health Centers centers for one simple reason. They want to shut Planned Parenthood down. Yet across the country, Planned Parenthood Health Centers are still there, opening their doors to care for the communities. That's because Planned Parenthood believes controlling your own body is the most basic freedom and they will never stop fighting for it. One in four people in the US have been to a Planned Parenthood Health center for high quality health care like birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and more. Planned Parenthood is still the country's largest sex educator and a trusted source of unbiased sexual and reproductive health information for millions of people. Planned Parenthood will never stop working to get people the information they need, and they will never stop fighting so that every person is free to make their own decisions about their bodies and futures. At Planned Parenthood, Care continues. Text update to 22422 to learn more.

[Chiquis]

Hi, it's Chikis from Cheekies and Chill. Okay, today's vibe, new chapters and why is it when we level up in our lives, our ride stays the same? Make it make sense. If you're stepping into a new season with new goals, new possibilities, shouldn't your car match your energy? And cars.com is the perfect place to find your next ride. They've got over 2 million new and used cars to choose from with 50,000 added daily. And I love that they make it easy. Their filters help you narrow it down fast by price, features, style tudecides so you're not scrolling forever, Jose. Who's got time for that? Check the real reviews from real people with real experiences and pick the keys to what's next. Are you in your upgrade season? Let's go tap into that new car energy and search cars.com

[Ana Navarro]

now. I've also seen some anonymous quotes of Biden officials, former Biden officials taking shots at you. I've seen people put their name behind people like Ron Klein, the former chief of staff of Joe Biden. Neera Tandem, one of the former senior advisors to Joe Biden, put their names behind defending you. But what is all of that? Those anonymous attacks? What what's be? And again, I bring it up because of what it means about your experience and your management skills.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah, that's so it's hard to box against. Anonymous who's who you. Who are you going after? Someone is attacking you in the law in this country. You're. You're entitled to face your your accuser. Well, it's hard to face your accuser if the only accuser is named. Anonymous I have no idea who these folks are. The only people who've spoken up against me are people that I either can't identify or, or never worked with me. And so I'm not sure how they can speak to the work that I did. The people who did work with me, who did oversee my, my work, the chief of staff, Ron Klain, the head of the Domestic Policy Council, which you know is the, is the White House arm that oversees all the domestic departments, including hhs. They spoke up. Neera Tanden called it bs, which she was hearing people, these anonymous sources say. And so, you know, par for the course.

[Ana Navarro]

Were you a good fit for HHS secretary? Because I remember reading at the time that you wanted to be Attorney General. And you know what? I wish you had been Attorney General because I think Merrick Garland was a terrible Attorney General. Maybe you don't agree, but I remember hearing and reading, did you want to be Attorney General?

[Javier Becerra]

I said to them, don't worry about coming to me about any kind of positions unless it's something like aggressive.

[Ana Navarro]

And so when you were offered hhs, you didn't have a medical degree. I mean, you've been married to a doctor for decades, but comes close. Do you think you were a good fit?

[Javier Becerra]

Ultimately I do. And we were chatting about this earlier. You don't need to be a doctor to run the Department of Health and Human Services. What you have to do is be a good manager because remember, Department of Health and Human Services has a budget bigger than the Department of Defense. Actually, the Department of Health and Human Services has a budget larger than the Department of Defense and the budget of the State of California combined. It is the largest public agency in the U.S. in fact, it is one of the largest. It is the largest public health enterprise in the world and it's a massive budget. And you don't. Doctors don't necessarily make good accountants. You don't need to be a doctor to negotiate lower drug prices. And I was for the first time given the authority to negotiate lower drug prices against the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. No one says that be going to medical school makes you a great negotiator. And so all those skills that I learned that I really picked up in Congress as Attorney General, having to duke it out, all those came into play as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

[Ana Navarro]

There's so much that had been, that has been decimated in that department. I remember you were one of the original co sponsors and one of the loudest advocates at the time for Obamacare. Yes, it's been massacred it's been butchered to death. And it means that a lot of Americans, including a lot of Californians, can't afford health care. Is there something that you can do as governor?

[Javier Becerra]

Well, I've already said I will be California's healthcare governor because it is not a time to go backwards when it comes to healthcare. As you know, as most people can discern, if you deny someone insurance, health insurance, that doesn't stop them from getting healthcare. If your child is ailing, you may hold back on going to the doctor or the hospital hoping that your child gets better. You may try an over the counter remedy. But if your child, child is ailing, you're going to go to the hospital. The difficulty is when you're uninsured and you finally decide to go to the hospital, you've waited so long, the condition is probably so grave that now you're using the emergency room, the most expensive place to do health care, and you're not going to be able to afford the cost. And so taxpayers will pay.

[Ana Navarro]

Did your parents have health insurance when you were growing up?

[Javier Becerra]

They ultimately did because my dad as a construction worker was a member of a union and the union offered health insurance and to its members. So I was fortunate. My dad never got educated, but he worked for a union in road construction and the union provided health benefits.

[Ana Navarro]

So let's talk about one of the other issues that's really on people's minds here in California and it's homelessness. The statistics of homelessness in this state are astounding.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah.

[Ana Navarro]

How do you even begin to tackle this in a way that's effective and that really has long term effects? I just feel that there's all of these short term solutions of getting people off the streets and then they're back in the streets.

[Javier Becerra]

Well, and that's because the homelessness crisis is actually also a mental health crisis. It includes drug addiction as well. But when you talk about pulling people off the street, if you're only doing shelter but you're not doing the health assistance, they need mental health assistance, guess what? At some point they're going to break down again and probably end up on the street. So you have to treat this as not just a sheltering crisis, but a mental health crisis. And I can say that having served as HHS secretary where we expanded access to Healthcare, the 988 program, which I hope you've heard of, it's like 91 1, which everyone is aware of, but for mental health or suicide prevention, and that lifeline has worked tremendously well. So we just have to expand that so people know there's a place to go. So it's mental health along with sheltering. But I will tell you, for me, the most important aspect of homelessness is accountability. We are forking over tens of billions of dollars, and we're not seeing the results. And so here's what I say. You got to show me an outcome. You want the state taxpayer money, and this is to the cities and the counties, because the state doesn't deal with homelessness directly. That's the mayor's and the county supervisors. You want this money from the state taxpayers. You got to show me an outcome. You got to show me that people are moving off the streets if you can't show me.

[Ana Navarro]

So when you say you. We're talking about. When you say you got to show me an outcome, we're talking about what? City governments, Agencies. State agencies?

[Javier Becerra]

Yes, the city, not the state agencies. Because the state agencies don't control. The cities control their streets. The counties control the unincorporated streets. And so we have to see the counties and cities that get the money, and then they hire, whether it is organizations, whether they hire agencies to do it, but they're the ones that then dispense the money. We have to see outcomes. The way I look at it is if you're not producing results, then we close your door. If you're producing results, then we scale your program, we scale up your program. We have to go where there's progress, and that's the most important thing. With the billions that we're giving, we have to see outcomes. We have to see accountability.

[Ana Navarro]

You know, a lot of. A lot of Californians seem to be moving to Miami, to Florida. I think a lot of them fleeing taxes. But a lot of these folks tell me we're paying exorbitant taxes in California, and we just don't see the lifestyle that. That we, you know, we wish we. We had for what we are paying. One of the other issues you've talked a lot about is housing. And you have said that if you become governor on day one, you are going to declare a housing emergency. A housing crisis.

[Javier Becerra]

Yes.

[Ana Navarro]

What exactly does that mean? And what exactly can you do by declaring a state of emergency? On housing?

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah. And see, this is where, again, it helps to have the experience having declared a state of emergency. I'm the only candidate who can say to you, I know what it means when you declare a state of emergency.

[Ana Navarro]

When did you declare a state of emergency, Covid?

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

Okay.

[Javier Becerra]

Monkeypox, avian flu.

[Ana Navarro]

So as HHS secretary As HHS secretary.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah. And with that comes certain authorities and powers. Not as many as people think. But you. You're able to loosen the grip of bureaucracy when you declare an emergency because you have to act quickly. Right. When you're breaking the glass to get out the fire hose or to get out the hydrant or whatever you're going to do, you're having. You're saying, I have to act immediately. And so declaring a state of emergency lets you use your powers in ways that give you the flexibility to be nimble. And so one of the things that I would do is I would concentrate. There are some 40,000 affordable housing units that are ready to go. They've gone through all the permitting. They just lack enough money to put shovel and ground. And so what I would do is in that during that period of state of emergency, I'm going to find the money. I've already started to socialize this with some of the legislators and said, I'm going to try to move these as quickly as I can and so help me find the resources.

[Ana Navarro]

So you would bring the legislature in for a special session in order to get the budget for these projects.

[Javier Becerra]

Hopefully it would take a special session. Hopefully they'd see that there's value in getting these projects going. Because more than anything else, this housing crisis is a crisis of confidence that they don't believe that we're going to build enough. Yeah. And I got to win the confidence of the people.

[Ana Navarro]

I feel like this is like low morale in California. And as you. You just called it a crisis of confidence. And I think you just. You hit it right. So part of what you need for that is a somebody that will give you confidence, that's a cheerleader, that will make you feel good, that will give you good vibes. Are you the guy to do that?

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah. And I'll go back to the 30 years when Nakara was up. I didn't. I. I wanted more. But we got something right. And that's the difficulty. Sometimes people, when you're too ideological, left or right, you just want what you think is the perfect. You're not willing to take the good and you be the perfect, becomes the enemy of the good.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

Move.

[Javier Becerra]

And I think what people want to see is someone who's going to move. I'm going to move. I may fall on my face, but at least I try to move.

[Ana Navarro]

You've never listen, you have never been a dogmatic ideologue. You are a pragmatic problem solver and I have butted heads with you. But a Lot of times we ended up compromising. And I feel that that art of the compromise. The art of the compromise is something that has been lost and that we need to get back for local government, state government, federal government, in all aspects of government. Let's talk about the economy here, Javier. So I'm in, you know, we're in L. A filming this right now taping this. So many restaurants have closed here, from Michelin star to food trucks. The immigration raids have had a devastating impact on the local economy. Not just because workers aren't showing up. Workers have been deported. When I saw the raids against the farms last year, you know what that's done to agriculture in California. But then you also have other industries like the movie industry, which is so symbolic and iconic of California, the state. Right. The big Hollywood sign that's recognized around the world and productions are leaving to other states and other countries. It's cheaper to film game shows and to fly everybody to Scotland than it is to, to film it in Hollywood. So what can a governor do to provide economic incentives to improve the overall economic environment in the state?

[Javier Becerra]

So first you used the operative word, iconic. If we allow Hollywood to leave and go to Sydney, Toronto, Prague, where so much of the production is gone, or Atlanta, if we allow that to happen, shame on us that it's not going to be Hollywood. It's going to be Sydneywood or Toronto Wood or Prague would. No, no, no. We have to fight for Hollywood to remain in Hollywood. And I'm prepared to do everything we can to make that happen. I was the first in Congress to push for a production tax credit for the industry back in the early 2000s. It finally became law in the, in the 2000s. But what we essentially said is we're going to fight fire with fire. If some country wants to take our production, they're going to have to do it with some other tools because we're going to. If you pull out a knife, we'll put out a. Pull out a knife, you pull out a gun, we're going to pull out a gun and that's what we have to do. Otherwise we lose, not just Hollywood, the industry and the production. We lose everything that it stands for. People come to Southern California just so they can take a photograph with a Hollywood sign.

[Ana Navarro]

And it's not just listen, it's not just the high paid actors or high paid directors or producers. It's the catering companies.

[Javier Becerra]

That's it. It's all the construction workers.

[Ana Navarro]

All the construction workers. It's the unions.

[Javier Becerra]

Yes.

[Ana Navarro]

It's the writers it's, you know, a lot of people who, who the ripple is so paycheck to paycheck.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah.

[Ana Navarro]

So, but, but so when you say you're going to do everything you can, does that mean subsidies, incentives, tax breaks? What, being a cheerleader? What, what is all of the above?

[Javier Becerra]

The way I've described it is I will go everywhere. So long as I am getting a more, more than a dollar back for everything I've done, it's worth it. The moment I see that I'm losing money, I'm losing taxpayer money trying to fight to keep the industry, then at that, at that point, it that you have to admit you've lost. But so long as this industry produces, I'm keeping it. It's, it's here. Hollywood stays in Hollywood.

[Ana Navarro]

Yeah. I mean, I, I, I, I can't imagine what the, what this state would be like without Hollywood.

[Javier Becerra]

And it's not just Hollywood. Right. It would be all the tourist industries that are going to suffer because people no longer coming to see Hollywood. It's much more than just the entertainment industry. It's all the other industries that are benefiting from having Hollywood here.

[Ana Navarro]

Let's talk about education.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah.

[Ana Navarro]

The statistics for California are not good, my friend. Why is that? With all the money that's spent, you

[Javier Becerra]

know, we don't do a, and there's

[Ana Navarro]

so much disparity as well between white students and Latino students.

[Javier Becerra]

We don't do a good job of growing our own. The beauty for California is such an attractive place that we will still get talent. They will come from throughout the world. If you think of most of the big innovators, the big inventors, the big owners of some of these tech companies, most of them are not us born. We don't do a good job of growing our own. There's nothing special or intrinsically difficult, difficult in raising the next scientists, engineers. We just have to do a far better job. And you're right, we've never invested in growing our own. I am the first in my family to get to go to a university and get a college degree. But I'm not special.

[Ana Navarro]

Did your parents come to your graduation?

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah.

[Ana Navarro]

How was that?

[Javier Becerra]

My dad wanted me to dress as a charro when I was, he wanted to bring a mariachi. We talked him out of it, but no, they were very proud, very proud. When I became Attorney General. By then my dad was in his last years. You could see it. I mean, I remember when I, when Bill Clinton was president and I invited my parents to finally come to Washington D.C. for the first time to come visit their son, the new congressman. My dad had one of those video cameras in those days. They were big, bulky things, right. And he wouldn't let it go. It looked like an extension of his eye everywhere he went. And I got to take him to the signing of a bill with Bill Clinton. And so they got to meet the President of the United States. And I got to tell you, I know you know how that is because you come from background like that as well. But people look at the US it is just the place. And so to have my parents have a chance to see that is very special. You never forget that stuff.

[Ana Navarro]

Have you ever experienced discrimination?

[Javier Becerra]

Oh, sure, sure. Much more mild. It's not like my parents. My dad would tell me of when he was a young man, all the establishments outside that would read no dogs, Negroes or Mexicans allowed. I mean, was right there in front of you. This is a guy who was picking, harvesting crops and fruit and vegetables, yet he couldn't go into those restaurants to eat the very food he had picked up.

[Ana Navarro]

You know, I think one of the things that. And you've talked a lot about in this campaign, I have followed this campaign. You've talked a lot about taking on Trump, and I have been seeing a lot of your ads on TV while I've been here. You talk about taking on Trump. I think Californians, and by extension Americans have gotten used to seeing Gavin Newsom take on Trump in a very confrontational fire with fireway. Right? He's. If Trump tweets out a meme, Newsom tweets out a meme. If Trump cusses, Newsom cusses. That's not who you are. That's not who you will ever be. So when you say. So when, when you say, I'm going to take on Trump, it's not going to be the way Gavin Newsom has done it. And by the way, it makes me feel good and it gives me satisfaction to read the Newsom tweets and listen to him talk about it. I don't know that it's actually done anything for the state. I don't. Maybe it has. I don't know if it has. So what's the way you are going to take on Trump?

[Javier Becerra]

I once described it as speak softly, but carry a big stick. It's not in my nature because it wasn't in the nature of my parents. I did not grow up being loud. I grew up as I, as my dad said, if I get to go work, it's going to be a good day. You earn what you get, and I have to earn it. So I'm ready to work with this administration. I'm ready to work with whoever it is from the other party. I just want to get some things done. But you try to cross the line, and I pull out the big stick. And I think that's the. That's the best way to do business. Because as we said earlier, we used to have a relationship in Congress where you could work with your. Your most divergent opponent. That's very difficult now, but I learned what you could succeed in doing if you could work with those that didn't appear to be people you could agree with. And so I'm going to try to figure out a way to work with anyone who's ready to work with us. Do partnerships, but don't take that for weakness, because we will stand up.

[Chiquis]

Imagine never having to buy gas again. Sounds like a dream. Except it's real. That's everyday life with an electric vehicle. No long lines at the pump. Just plug in at home and go. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and built for real life. Most Americans drive about 40 miles a day, and most EVs go 200 to 400 miles on a single charge. And with fewer moving parts, you've got fewer repairs and style. There are hundreds of new and used EV models to choose from. An EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. Learn [e-mail] all right, quick question.

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

You trying to make your ride last longer or what?

[Wilmer Valderrama]

Loki.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah, I just want it to run smooth, no stress.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

Just turn the key and go. Sin royos.

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

But Seafoam Motor treatment.

[Javier Becerra]

Oh, yeah, I've seen that.

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

Bien fazel lusar. Pour it in your gas tank. Yaquedo. Then you just drive and let it do its thing. Thing.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

No tools. Easy.

[Javier Becerra]

I like that.

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

Exactly. EC foam. Helps your engine run smoother and last longer.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

And it works on whatever you drive. Car, tra, tractor, gas, or diesel. If it's got an engine, Seafoam's got you. That's actually fire.

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

Millions of people use it every day to keep their engine running strong.

[Javier Becerra]

Pick up a can today at your

[Wilmer Valderrama]

favorite auto parts store, pour it in and power on.

[Eva Longoria]

This is Eva Longoria from Hungry for History with Eva Longoria and Maite Gomez Rejon. Planned Parenthood health centers save lives. But lawmakers are trying to block patients from using Medicaid at Planned Parenthood Health Centers for one simple reason. They want to shut Planned Parenthood down. Yet across the country, Planned Parenthood Health Centers are still there opening their doors to care for the community. That's because Planned Parenthood believes controlling your own body is the most basic freedom and they will never stop fighting for it. One in four people in the US have been to a Planned Parenthood Health center for high quality health care like birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and more. Planned Parenthood is still the country's largest sex educator and a trusted source of unbiased sexual and reproductive health information for millions of people. Planned Parenthood will never stop working to get people the information they need, and they will never stop fighting so that every person is free to make their own decisions about their bodies and futures. At Planned Parenthood, Care continues. Text update to 22422 to learn more.

[Chiquis]

Hi, it's Cheekies from Cheekies and Chill. Okay, today's vibe, new chapters and why is it when we level up in our lives, our ride stays the same? Make it make sense. If you're stepping into a new season with new goals, new possibilities, shouldn't your car match your energy? And cars.com is the perfect place to find your next ride. They've got over 2 million new and used cars to choose from with 50,000 added daily. And I love that they make it easy. Their filters help you narrow it down fast by price, features, style tudecides so you're not scrolling forever, Jose who's got time for that? Check the real reviews from real people with real experiences and pick the keys to what's next. Are you in your upgrade season? Let's go tap into that new car, energy and search cars.com

[Ana Navarro]

Javier this state has had its share of unsavory scandals, right? I mean, former Governor Schwarzenegger had a baby with his housekeeper. Eric Swalwell had to leave the race because of sexual harassment and predatory allegations. There has never been a whiff of character scandals of that nature with you. But there's things in Congress that were around, I think, even when you were there, like slush funds. And there's just like I keep thinking, why is this still happening? Why in politics do we still have an environment? And it's not just in Congress, it's not just in Washington. It's in all the different levels where people in power think that they can do that. And how do we change that?

[Javier Becerra]

As somebody with three daughters, yeah, you get carried away. I mean, you walk down the airport, people recognize you and it feels good that people recognize you and they want your autograph and they say nice things to you.

[Ana Navarro]

Well, I live in Miami. They Usually amongst a bunch of Trumpers,

[Javier Becerra]

but I believe it. But you know, some people, it goes to their head and you forget why you're there. It's unfortunate. And you think you're above the law and it's, it's sad to see. And that's, those are the folks who just don't know how to handle that authority, that power that comes with the position. I don't think it's ever going to go away. You have to have rules to stop it. But it's this seedier side of human nature.

[Ana Navarro]

One of the things that I've always noticed about you is you have stayed grounded. You've stayed grounded. You've never gotten caught up with the trappings. What keeps you grounded?

[Javier Becerra]

I've got a wife who keeps me very grounded. I got three daughters that I respect them, they respect me. At the end of the day, the way I look at it is I want to go home to something. And if I ruin what I have at home, what will I go home to? I'm not going to be in this position forever. I'm not going to be attorney general, secretary, governor forever. At some point when I go home, I don't want it to be empty. And I love what I have at home.

[Ana Navarro]

What kind of first lady would Carolina be?

[Javier Becerra]

Oh, man. Thank God she's not running for governor because she would be the toughest competition. She's, she, you know what? She has all her life, she has saved lives as a high risk obgyn. She has made women families better, healthier, thriving. She's going to be a great partner. California's going to be very fortunate.

[Ana Navarro]

One of the things that got decimated when Trump came into power was the Women's health initiative that Dr. Jill Biden had started. Former California First Lady Maria Shriver was part of that. Is that something you can replicate at the state level?

[Javier Becerra]

Absolutely. We did a lot of that work. We were beginning to make inroads into doing investigative research, work that was focused specifically on women, menopause, on issues that we have never really studied well on things like hypertension, which affects women in ways far worse than men. But we don't know that because most of the research has been done using men as the people are part of the subjects that are part of the research. And so we were going into an area which truly needed exploration. And of course, then the money got

[Ana Navarro]

gutted as we, as we end, because I know you have a lot of campaigning to do. Does the idea of making history as the first Latino governor, if you are Lucky enough to be fortunate enough to be honored with being elected. How does that. Have you even thought about that for a minute? Or are you just.

[Javier Becerra]

I think about it, but not as being the first. Because always people ask, always ask me, wow, you were the first congressman to serve on the Ways and Means Committee, the Tax writing Committee. You were the first. First person Latino to become Attorney General. You were the first secretary of HHS to be Latino. You know, it. Sometimes it gets kind of tiring of being the first. You want to make sure that there are many more that come after you. What I would tell you is this. I think of this as the kid who was the son of immigrants who had never been to college, who people would look at and say, that kid's going to be governor. Nah, that's what I really appreciate is that this country, this state, would allow someone like me, not because I'm Latino, but because of my roots, actually become a governor. And guess what? I think I'm going to be a good governor.

[Ana Navarro]

Javier, let's give you a Latino test

[Javier Becerra]

before we end, okay?

[Ana Navarro]

Chilakila, Ranchero.

[Javier Becerra]

Oh, my God.

[Ana Navarro]

Chilakiles, Tamale, Hotaco, taco. Oh, no, I love tamales.

[Javier Becerra]

Too much basa.

[Ana Navarro]

Tequila or mexal?

[Javier Becerra]

Oh, tequila. Neither one, really, but tequila.

[Ana Navarro]

Tequila or cerveza?

[Javier Becerra]

Oh, cerveza.

[Ana Navarro]

Okay. Luis Miguel or Vicente Fernandez.

[Javier Becerra]

Oh, my gosh, I gotta do Vicente Fernandez because that's. That's the corazon favorite.

[Ana Navarro]

Ranchera.

[Javier Becerra]

Feliz. Feliz. There's a great, great song called Feliz Feliz. It's more cumbia than ranchera, but it's a great dance song.

[Ana Navarro]

Okay, I will go with graveng. La penca de Maguey or El Rey. I mean, anytime I drink too much tequila.

[Javier Becerra]

That's a classic.

[Ana Navarro]

I will burst out with. With. With El Rey. What. What parting message do you have for Californians and for Americans? There's the thing that worries me the most right now is how hopeless and helpless people feel.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah.

[Ana Navarro]

And the last two years have, you know, have worn our souls down. And I think. And. And they've taken away people's belief in democracy. I don't know. That people believe that. That elections matter, that. That voting matters, that, you know, when you see what they're doing, rigging the elections by changing the congressional maps.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah.

[Ana Navarro]

I mean, so why should people still have faith in this country and in

[Javier Becerra]

this state and Hirana, you will understand the answer. Because everyone around the world still believes in the US as bad as things are, as much as we're absorbing and we're living this and thinking our democracy is falling apart around the world, everyone still looks at us and say, gosh, if we could only be like the United States. Oh, yeah, it's a crazy play. The President's crazy. Oh, they've done some awful things. But man, if we could only be more like the United States, that should give us the inspiration to know that we still have a better day. The glass is still only half full. And for you and me coming from immigrant backgrounds, it runs in our blood to be optimistic. And so better days still to come. I know for a fact in California, better days still to come. But it's because I come from a background where you had a hope. Like my dad said,

[Ana Navarro]

I'm going to end with this. So the reason this podcast is called BLEEP this is not going to surprise you is because I tend to get bleeped because I cuss on national TV and you know, we can't do that at 11am in the morning. And so then I tried to, to cuss in Spanish because thinking they wouldn't pick it up and now they've, you know, now they picked that up.

[Javier Becerra]

We're bilingual here now.

[Ana Navarro]

We're bilingual now. Okay. Do you cuss in English or in Spanish?

[Javier Becerra]

Really? Not one? Neither one. I know, Forgive me, but you know, my dad would sometimes use a few words here and there, but my mom would always say, no haga seso por que tu sijos vana, vana escuchar. You know, your kids are gonna hear you. I just, I would prefer to do things differently. I don't think you have to. Again, speak softly, carry a big stick. I honestly don't believe you have to go to those extremes. But you know what, it sure sometimes helps you explain something in one word.

[Ana Navarro]

Like if you. Okay, explain trump in one word.

[Javier Becerra]

You're right. It would be nice to use a four letter word there. But disaster, I mean, a disaster for a country that is the high water mark for the rest of the world. But that's okay, we'll get past him.

[Ana Navarro]

Explain Javier Becerra in one word,

[Javier Becerra]

Child of immigrants.

[Ana Navarro]

Those are three.

[Javier Becerra]

Hico de migrantes. It's combine. It's one term.

[Ana Navarro]

Thank you, my friend, for having given us this time. Thank you for 30 plus years of knowing each other, of working together. I am looking very closely at this and I think the entire country is this, this. California is such a huge state with such a huge footprint around the world that it's really important that it has Leadership. And I've heard you say this, you know, and I wanted to talk about your experience because I have heard you doing compromises, because I've heard you say the governor's job, being governor does not come with training wheels.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah, yeah, it's, it's, it's true. This is not a place for on the job training. You better know what you're doing, because it does not. There are not training wheels waiting for you when you get into the governor's office. You got to hit the ground running, especially with these crises. But you just said something. You said, California is so important, blah, blah, blah. You're reflecting what I just said about the rest of the world with America. Everyone looks at us and says the place at the top of the hill, whether it is America or whether it is California. And that's why we should take inspiration in that and have confidence that we will overcome. We will do better.

[Ana Navarro]

Gavin Newsom has a podcast as governor. Is that something you would do to keep people abreast of what you're doing and what's going on in government?

[Javier Becerra]

You know, I want to make sure I'm doing my job well. If there's time for that, great.

[Ana Navarro]

But okay, don't have a podcast. Keep coming on mine.

[Javier Becerra]

Yeah, there you go. There you go.

[Ana Navarro]

Good to see you, Javier. Thank you, Javier.

[Javier Becerra]

Good to see you.

[Ana Navarro]

BLEEP with Anna Navarro is a Hyphenate Media group production in partnership with iHeart's My Cultura podcast network. For more of your favorite shows, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Chiquis]

Imagine never having to buy gas again. Sounds like a dream. Except it's real. That's everyday life with an electric vehicle. No long lines at the pump. Just plug in at home and go. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and built for real life. Most Americans drive about 40 miles a day, and most EVs go 200 to 400 miles on a single charge. And with fewer moving parts, you've got fewer repairs and style. There are hundreds of new and used EV models to choose from. An EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. Learn [e-mail] all right, quick question.

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

You trying to make your ride last longer or what?

[Javier Becerra]

Loki? Yeah, I just want it to run smooth. No stress.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

Just turn the key and go. Sin royos bet.

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

Seafoam motor treatment.

[Javier Becerra]

Oh, yeah, I've seen that.

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

Bien fase lusar. Pour it in your gas tank. Yaque do. Then you just drive and let it do its thing. Mien tras manejas.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

No tools. Easy. Cualquera puede usarlo.

[Javier Becerra]

I like that. Por que no tiego tiempo patanto?

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

Exactly. EC foam helps your engine run smoother and last longer.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

And it works on whatever you drive. Car, troca, tractor, gas or diesel. If it's got an engine, Seafoam's got you. That's actually fire.

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

Millions of people use it every day to keep their engine running strong.

[Javier Becerra]

Pick up a can today at your

[Wilmer Valderrama]

favorite auto parts store, Seafoam. Pour it in and power on.

[Eva Longoria]

This is Eva Longoria from Hungry for History with Eva Longoria and Maite Gomez Rejon. Every day, Planned Parenthood health centers across the country open their doors and provide high quality expert health care. That's no simple task when lawmakers are trying to block access to life saving care like birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing, and so much more. At Planned Parenthood, care continues because they believe your body is your business and being able to control your own body, that's the most basic freedom there is. So Planned Parenthood won't back down. Text update to 22422 to learn more.

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

Why is it always chaos when we link up?

[Wilmer Valderrama]

Because nobody plans anything, bro. Good thing the Rogue's ready like that for real. Rain, dirt, whatever available. All wheel drive, five modes. We still outside.

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

And they got some kick too. That turbo torque is crazy.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

The most in its class.

[Javier Becerra]

It moves. Moves.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

Rogue doesn't mess around and peep the space merch on merch. Gear mics, all the fits.

[Seafoam Motor Treatment Spokesperson]

Load up, we out.

[Wilmer Valderrama]

2026 Nissan Rogue built for all of it. Auto Pacific Segmentation 2026 rogue versus latest in market competitors in the ex SUV mainstream midsize class excluding electrical vehicles based on manufacturer websites.

[Chiquis]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.