California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton promises an about-face from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s business policies.
Hilton spoke to The Sun for a podcast interview on Sunrise FM about his plan to improve California’s business climate, among other topics.
Driving the news: A recent report this year from the Public Policy Institute of California found that companies are increasingly leaving California while fewer businesses are relocating to the state.
- Further, Newsom made news in August for going after Bed Bath & Beyond on social media after the company said it will not be able to operate stores in California due to overregulation and an overall risky business environment.
- Newsom’s press office gave a sarcastic response to the news on social media.
What he’s saying: When asked about Newsom’s social media presence and California’s business climate, Hilton called it all pathetic.
- “It’s so infuriating, it’s pathetic – buffoon of a governor,” Hilton told The Sun. “It’s beyond belief that he’s behaving like this, trolling people on social media instead of doing anything to solve problems created by his regime. So improving our business climate has got to be central to everything we do, because if we don’t have businesses here, then we don’t have the jobs and the wealth and the opportunity created.”
- Along with the Bed Bath & Beyond incident, Hilton pointed to Nvidia’s deal with President Donald Trump to invest $500 billion in the U.S., with none of the money headed to California, instead going to other states including Texas and Arizona.
- “And why? Because it’s so expensive,” Hilton said. “It’s such a nightmare to do anything in California.”
- Hilton said there is a war on business in California because there are “ideologues in charge who just have zero respect for or understanding of business.”
- “They pass these endless laws and regulations without any regard to what it actually does to someone running a company, whether that’s a small business or a large one,” Hilton said. “Your life is made a misery by these policies and regulations and the fees and the permits and the inspections, the litigation, the lawsuits that are enabled by all this regulation and policy.”
- Hilton added, “I will be the biggest champion and salesman for California to be on the road, saying, ‘Right, we’ve got rid of this. We got rid of that. Come back, invest here.’ That’s what I want to see.”
