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Michael Tubbs, California lieutenant governor candidate, 2026 primary election questionnaire

May 5, 2026

Ahead of the June primary election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.

Name: Michael Tubbs

Current job title: Founder of End Poverty in California

Age: 35

Political party affiliation: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Other political positions held: Mayor of Stockton; Stockton City Councilmember

City where you reside: Los Angeles

Campaign website or social media: michaeltubbsforca.com

Higher education — from increased enrollment opportunities to affordable student housing — is a priority for the lieutenant governor’s office. What do you see as the most pressing need in higher education in California? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

Sitting on the boards of the UC, Cal State and community colleges, the lieutenant governor should be the state’s higher education czar. In that role, we have to be intently focused on affordability — yes, on tuition, but also other needs that students have, like housing and food.

More than 70% of students at California community colleges reported being food insecure, followed by more than 50% of Cal State students and 42% of UC students. That’s unacceptable.

As lieutenant governor, I’ll be advocating for things like making it easier for students to enroll in CalFresh by connecting it to the financial aid system, as well as finding any unused land owned by the UC/Cal State/community college systems and using them to build housing for students, faculty and staff.

I also believe students need a larger voice in the decision-making of their colleges and universities, which is why I support the effort to add a second student member on the UC governing board.

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis last year opposed the UC tuition increases. How would you advocate for balancing keeping tuition affordable for new students while also addressing funding gaps caused by federal reductions, budget cuts or other causes? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

Lt. Gov. Kounalakis was absolutely right to oppose tuition increases. Higher education already costs too much, and we cannot continue putting the brunt of those costs on struggling students.

Revenue is a real challenge for California’s public colleges and universities, which is why I plan on exploring land leasing as a revenue stream. Here’s how it would work: California’s universities sit on some of the most valuable land in the U.S. I believe we can put that land to work — not just for education, but for housing affordability, workforce stability and long-term state revenue.

Using the UCs, Cal States and California Community Colleges’ right to build, land could become a public asset for housing through long-term ground leases, which keep UC/Cal State land in public hands while leasing it for 50-99 years to mission-aligned or nonprofit developers.

We could additionally develop faculty and staff workforce housing through that framework. Through revenue-sharing leases, we could monetize without privatizing. A portion of lease payments would flow back into student aid, scholarships, campus maintenance and innovation funds, which would in turn keep tuition down. At the cornerstone of these land leases would be public benefit covenants: Every land lease must include affordability, sustainability and labor standards. As chair of the State Lands Commission, I will map and mobilize underused state-owned parcels near UC/Cal State campuses and major job centers.

The lieutenant governor has also made it a priority during her tenure to recognize campuses that excel in supporting Black students. Where are you seeing gaps in how California’s colleges support students, particularly those considered to be marginalized? How would you like to see that addressed? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

As lieutenant governor, I would prioritize my positions on the Board of Regents of the UCs, Cal States and California Community Colleges. As the state’s higher education czar, so to speak, we can focus on building affordable opportunities for students across the board — especially our underserved Black and Brown students. Right now, many students in our public universities experience food insecurity and housing insecurity. The stats are harrowing: 50% of California college students have experienced food insecurity, and 28% of students actively skipped meals because of the inability to afford them. There are students graduating while living in their cars and unaware that they can benefit from systems like CalFresh.

After talking with current students in the UC system, I know there are ways we can fix this. Firstly, we can connect financial aid systems at public colleges and universities to CalFresh. We can alert folks from lower-income backgrounds of their eligibility for CalFresh and make it easier for folks to enroll.

Secondly, we can build affordable housing on these campuses. These universities and colleges have a very unique right to build, which means we can — and should — greenlight affordable housing for students, faculty and staff to tackle the housing crises hitting these campuses. Students shouldn’t have to worry about housing every year of college: it should be guaranteed.

How, specifically, would you improve workforce development opportunities in California if elected? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

In my travels up and down the state as the founder of End Poverty in California, I’ve seen and heard just how many Californians were living on the edge. This is an unacceptable status quo. There’s no dignity without good-paying jobs for people. That’s what I’ve done my entire career — including as Stockton mayor.

I’m proud of my work in Stockton, where we had the nation’s first universal basic income pilot program, and as senior advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom, we established $1 billion worth of child savings accounts for every first-grader. In partnership with the Building Trades Council of San Joaquin County, I created a scholarship fund to support local trade students with tuition and the tools they needed to advance their education. We also worked with the state to be part of a pilot program for a first-of-its-kind climate action service model. Not only has the Stockton Climate Corps been replicated across the state and not only does the program help the environment, but it helps invest in the development of youth.

The status quo hasn’t worked for millions of Californians, and we need to break that chain of failures. Across my career, I’ve been dedicated to creating opportunities and expanding economic mobility for Californians. These programs are a great start, but I’m prepared to boldly expand and continue them as lieutenant governor.

What do you see as the most pressing component of the job of California lieutenant governor? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

The housing shortage is a problem all over our state. And it especially affects young people. We need leaders who understand this squeeze. I’m 35 years old and see so many of the people I grew up with struggling with housing costs and weighing whether they can stay in this state that they love.

The average age of most first-time homebuyers in California is now almost a decade older compared to the 1980s. The share of 35-45-year-olds in California who own their own home has fallen roughly 10 percentage points since 2000.

My plan is straightforward: Make public land work for public purposes, starting with housing. As a member of the UC and Cal State boards and chair of the State Lands Commission, I want to identify underused state parcels near universities and job centers and mobilize them for housing and education. That means using long-term ground leases to keep university land in public ownership while unlocking it for mixed-income housing for faculty, staff, students and surrounding communities. No selloffs, no giveaways, just smarter use of what Californians already own.

What in your background has prepared you best, in your opinion, to take on this role? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

In 2016, I was elected mayor of Stockton at the age of 26. I was the city’s first African American mayor and the youngest mayor of any major city in American history. As mayor, I raised over $20 million to create the Stockton Scholars, a universal scholarship and mentorship program for Stockton students. Additionally, I piloted the first mayor-led guaranteed income pilot in the country.

Under my leadership, Stockton saw a 40% drop in homicides in 2018 and 2019 and led the state of California in the decline of officer-involved shootings in 2019. Because of initiatives, investments and work I spearheaded, Stockton’s unemployment rate was near a record low at around 5.7% in 2019 — down from around 15% in 2012. It was even named the second most fiscally healthy city in California — after I saved the city from literal bankruptcy.

I’m running to be California’s next lieutenant governor to build a California future that sets the example for how government can work for everyone; that leads the nation in not just talking about problems, but solving them. It’s a future where education — whether vocational programs or college — is accessible to all without crippling debt. It’s a future with enough affordable housing so folks can afford to live here. And it’s a future where we leverage guaranteed basic income programs to end poverty and prevent homelessness.

How do you think taxpayers could better understand the work of this office? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

I plan to use the bully pulpit of the lieutenant governor’s office to be a voice and advocate for the most economically distressed parts of the state. I have done just this as the founder of End Poverty in California, where we have held listening sessions up and down the state to understand the needs of working people and work with policymakers on solutions to better their lives.

Although the lieutenant governor doesn’t have a direct role in the legislative process, that wouldn’t stop me from forcefully advocating for, sponsoring and testifying on behalf of pro-housing and pro-worker bills. That’s what I did earlier this year by testifying and whipping votes for two controversial pro-housing bills in the legislature.

Beyond the bully pulpit, the lieutenant governor serves as the chair of the State Lands Commission, which would provide me the opportunity to advocate for the acceleration of offshore wind and wetlands restoration, as well as standing up against polluters that want to drill for oil off California’s coastline.

On the Coastal Commission, I’d support adapting standards in accordance with sea level rise to ensure Californians have living shorelines.

Lastly, because the lieutenant governor works with higher education boards from community colleges to UCs, I’d support leveraging land assets on these campuses for renewable energy that we know is needed to transition from fossil fuels that drive the climate crisis.

What’s a hidden talent you have? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

As the father of three young kids, I’d say doing my best to be a good dad is a pretty worthwhile talent to strive for — whether it’s hidden or not!

Orange County Register

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Michael Tubbs, California lieutenant governor candidate, 2026 primary election questionnaire

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