A hastily improvised gubernatorial forum proposal in the hours after USC canceled its Tuesday debate collapsed because candidates of color who were excluded from the previously planned event were unable to appear in person at the KNBC-TV studio in Universal City, according to multiple sources.
Under mounting pressure that its debate selection criteria excluded all candidates of color, the university canceled its debate Monday night. On Tuesday morning, billionaire Tom Steyer, a Democrat, proposed holding an alternate showdown, with KNBC as moderator. But the candidates who had not been invited to the USC debate had already made other commitments.
“A lot of this came out of nowhere: There's a debate and you're not invited, followed by no debate, and then maybe we should all get together and have a conversation,” said Kyle Layman, a strategist who advises former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
USC officials declined to comment on Tuesday's developments, as did KABC-TV, one of the broadcast partners of the canceled debate. KNBC did not respond to a request for comment, but someone involved in planning a possible debate there said organizing such an event in just a few hours was impossible, and also unfair to candidates who had made other plans after initially being excluded from the USC debate.
“We looked into doing something. It just wasn't possible because of the last-minute logistics. It wasn't feasible,” said the person, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. “We couldn't get everyone here.”
However, the fact that candidates excluded from the USC debate couldn't find a way to participate in Tuesday afternoon's alternative forum irritated some people involved in the planning. Becerra, State Superintendent. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former State Controller Betty Yee had vigorously protested not being invited to the USC event.
“This is probably one of the last opportunities they have to be with other leading contenders in the race, so why not take advantage of this opportunity?” said someone involved in discussions about the proposed last-minute debate, who requested anonymity to speak openly. “If it's all about getting your message to voters, making sure voters have as much information as possible, talking about the issues that matter, wouldn't you want to take advantage of every opportunity to do that?
“If you're going to talk a lot about getting your message to voters, the importance of debates, why not do it?” said this person.
Becerra, Thurmond, Villaraigosa and Yee reportedly formed an informal pact not to participate in any debate that did not include all of them, which Yee referenced in a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
“The idea that none of the candidates of color are going to join a debate is simply inappropriate for a state like California,” Yee said. “We also need all debate sponsors to commit to including us all in the future.”
Yee and Thurmond were not invited to the next big televised debate, which will take place April 1 at Fresno State University. Becerra and Villaraigosa had previously confirmed their attendance, according to a news release from Western Growers Assn., one of the event's sponsors.
And the four candidates of color, along with San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, were not invited to an April 22 debate in San Francisco that will be hosted by KRON-TV and broadcast on Nexstar Media Group stations throughout California.
“We don't need guardians,” Mahan said in a statement Tuesday night. “I call on my fellow candidates to work together to host our own debates, so we can bring our ideas for a better California to every corner of California. Let the voters really decide.”
The canceled USC debate was to be hosted by the institution's Dornsife Center for the Political Future and co-sponsored by KABC and Univision. Six candidates had been invited to run: Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin), former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, Mahan and Steyer; along with top Republicans conservative commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Candidates and elected officials characterized the criteria used to determine debate participation as biased because they included Mahan, a white candidate who is polling near the bottom of the pack but has the support of notable names in the USC community. Hours after the debate was canceled, Steyer's campaign sought to create an alternative event that would include all candidates.
“We were trying to do the right thing when we found out the debate was canceled at USC,” said a member of Steyer's campaign who requested anonymity to speak candidly. “Tom immediately said, 'We can do something alternative.' People want to hear from the gubernatorial candidates. It was on the table. It was offered.
“NBC couldn't get all the candidates here, but we tried,” this person said. “Given the short time we were trying to put this together, in the end it couldn't happen because not all the candidates could make it to the studio.”
Thurmond, who was in Sacramento and Richmond on Tuesday, joined a political influencer on YouTube on Tuesday night, while Yee attended previously scheduled events with the East Area Progressive Democrats and a women's group in the Los Angeles area. Villaraigosa had scheduled other interviews at his Wilshire campaign office, Becerra was traveling and Porter was scheduled to host a livestream on his Instagram account Tuesday night.
