With the primary election underway, Xavier Becerra is somehow leading the crowded field, relying heavily on name recognition from his time as U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, State Attorney General, and long-time congressman. But a closer look at his actual record reveals a career defined by an agonizing mix of administrative failure, corporate pandering, and a stunning proximity to active corruption. California faces staggering challenges in housing, cost of living, and climate change; it cannot afford a status-quo careerist who repeatedly shields himself by claiming he didn’t know what his own office was doing.
The $225,000 Slush Fund: Ignorance or Competence?
The most disqualifying dark cloud over Becerra’s campaign is the sweeping federal corruption scandal involving his inner circle. In May 2026, his former campaign manager Dana Williamson pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges after an FBI wiretap investigation. Alongside Sean McCluskie—Becerra’s long-time chief of staff—Williamson illegally funneled $225,000 out of Becerra’s dormant state campaign accounts into the bank account of McCluskie’s wife to secretly supplement McCluskie’s income.
While federal prosecutors stated that Becerra himself is not a named co-conspirator, Williamson’s defense attorney revealed that McCluskie told Williamson he “had talked to Becerra on multiple occasions and everything was good to go” regarding the financial pipeline. Becerra has clumsy, conflicting explanations for the money. In late 2025, he admitted, “I was aware the payments were made… I had authorized them,” before completely reversing course during debates to claim he “didn’t oversee” them. An anonymous complaint filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission further accuses Becerra of violating state campaign finance laws by using surplus campaign funds illegally. Whether it is active complicity or utter incompetence, the reality is clear: Becerra cannot even secure his own bank accounts from his top staff, let alone manage a state economy that ranks as the fifth-largest in the world.
Corporate Capture and Protecting Police Misconduct
For a politician who brands himself a progressive champion, Becerra’s actual record as California’s Attorney General tells a much friendlier story for corporate interest groups and police unions. Progressive leaders who worked around him have been quick to sound the alarm:
“Democratic leadership likes a governor that is open for business with corporations… Xavier Becerra just is a ‘go-along Democrat.’”
— Amar Shergill, former chair of the California Democratic Party’s progressive caucus
As Attorney General, Becerra actively declined to investigate fossil fuel giants accused of misleading the public on climate change while vacuuming up maximum allowable campaign donations from corporate players like Chevron.
Worse yet, he actively fought against the public interest on transparency. When California passed landmark police accountability legislation, Becerra’s office went to court to block the release of police misconduct records. He went so far as to threaten journalists with criminal charges for possessing a list of convicted officers his own office accidentally sent them. Journalist Jason Paladino, who was personally targeted by Becerra’s threats, observed:
“Xavier Becerra just seems to reflexively have been against any of these measures to improve transparency into police records… When you look at the fact that one of his major backers throughout his campaigns has been the police unions, it’s hard to not make that connection.”
Gross Mismanagement of Migrant Children at HHS
Becerra’s executive failures are not limited to Sacramento. As President Biden’s HHS Secretary, he oversaw an unprecedented humanitarian disaster regarding unaccompanied migrant children. A damning New York Times investigation exposed that under intense pressure from the administration to clear border overcrowding, Becerra pushed staff to move children through federal care as fast as possible.
The agency failed to vet sponsors, missed clear warning signs of human trafficking, and completely lost contact with tens of thousands of children. Many of these minors ended up working hazardous, illegal, and exploitative jobs in meatpacking plants and factories across the country. When confronted with these horrific failures during the 2026 debates, Becerra defensively brushed off the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting as “Trump lies” and “MAGA talking points,” showcasing a stunning inability to accept accountability.
Better Democratic Alternative for California
California Democrats do not have to settle for a candidate plagued by federal fraud cases and administrative negligence. The 2026 primary ballot features a highly competent, uncompromised leader who offer clear visions for the state – Matt Mahan. As the current Mayor of San Jose, Mahan offers pragmatic, localized executive experience. He represents a new generation of data-driven leadership focused on real results for the state’s compounding housing and homelessness crises, rather than relying on 30-year-old political resumes
California stands at a crossroads. Electing Xavier Becerra means rewarding a career politician for looking the other way while his staff loots campaign funds, while corporate donors pull the strings, and while vulnerable children pay the price for bureaucratic speed. Voters must look past the familiar name and support a candidate who actually possesses the integrity to lead.