Opinion
Mahan: California Democrats reflexively demand more revenue over outcome accountability
“As Democrats, we have to own the outcomes we're getting in this state, and for too long, our reflexive answer has been, we need more revenue. If we just have more money, we'll solve this problem. I just don't believe that”
Assertion Supported
Mahan: Mississippi and Louisiana beat California in reading proficiency for low-income kids
“Mississippi and Louisiana are doing a better job of helping low-income kids get on grade level for reading than we are in the very well-resourced, very progressive state of California.”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Mahan: California will see MAGA-like movement if Democrats fail to deliver
“If the Democratic Party doesn't start to wake up and be more responsive to the needs of our constituents and deliver with the resources we've got, we're gonna see the pendulum swing all the way the other way, and you're going to see a MAGA-like movement happen…”
Opinion
Mahan: Government must involuntarily hold individuals for addiction and mental health treatment
“In short, I think you have to be able to involuntarily hold people for addiction treatment, mental health care.”
Assertion Partly supported
Mahan: California state regulations drove out most oil refineries over ten years
“The state has lost most of its refineries over the last decade because we have intentionally regulated them out of existence.”
Opinion
Matt Mahan: State-run single-payer healthcare is not realistic for California
“I don't think it's realistic for California to create a single state-run free healthcare for all system.”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Matt Mahan predicts CA wealth tax will burden middle class, not billionaires
“The dirty secret of this proposal is that it won't be the billionaires who pay Higher taxes. It'll be middle class and working families who are left holding the bag.”
What-if
Mahan: Federal wildfire aid would have flowed without California-DC political fighting
“They're not getting the help that they need, and part of the reason they're not getting the help that they need is this hyper-partisanship in which California and Washington are fighting rhetorically and politically, and the people who are being hurt are the f…”
Opinion
Mahan advocates immigration grand bargain: border security and legal status pathway
“The only practical and ethical solution is for parties to put the hyper-partisanship aside, come together, and come to a grand bargain in which we secure the border. We deport those committing violent crime who are undocumented, and we create a pathway to a le…”
Disclosure
Mahan promises to protect law-abiding undocumented residents as governor
“I will absolutely stand up to protect undocumented residents who are playing by the rules, who are doing the most American thing, and I get all the arguments around lawful immigration.”
Assertion Contradicted
Mahan: California state spending grew by $150 billion over six years
“We have increased spending in state government by 75%. Put that in perspective, that's a hundred and fifty billion dollars more this year than six years ago.”
Assertion Partly supported
Mahan: San Jose led California in crime reduction and is the safest big U.S. city
“We have led the state in reducing crime and become the safest big city in the country.”
Assertion Partly supported
Mahan: San Jose reduced unsheltered homelessness by about a third recently
“We've reduced unsheltered homelessness, meaning people living outside in tents and vehicles by about a third in the last few years.”
Assertion Partly supported
Mahan: 75% of state audit recommendations are never implemented
“Right now, 75% of the audit recommendations from the state auditor never get implemented.”
Opinion
Mahan: Politicians caving to union demands cause California government dysfunction
“It's spineless politicians who cave to their aggressive demands who are the root cause of the problem here.”
Assertion Partly supported
Mahan: San Jose reduced homeless unit costs to $85,000 using sleeping cabins
“In San Jose, we had to move away from spending a million dollars a door to build a brand new apartment to get someone off the streets and pivot to buying sleeping cabins that can be deployed in small communities on publicly owned land, hooked up to utilities, …”
Assertion Partly supported
Mahan: San Jose added 2,000 shelter beds and led California in reducing unsheltered homelessness
“We've added over 2000 shelter beds in my first three years as mayor, and led the state in reducing unsheltered homelessness”
Assertion Supported
Mahan: Defect liability laws prevent California from building condos
“We're not building condos in California, partly because construction defect liability allows a trial lawyer to come in in year nine of a project And if they see that the paint is starting to bubble, they'll file a suit, and they care about the fees.”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Mahan: California regulators can cut per-square-foot housing costs by a third
“We should be able to drop the cost on a per square foot basis by at least a third with actions that are within our control as regulators.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mahan: Many Democratic legislators privately admit California's system is broken
“A lot of Democratic legislators, many of whom I know personally in private, will admit that things are broken, that things aren't working.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mahan: One-third of unhoused decline shelter due to severe addiction
“The good news? Two thirds of people say yes. The bad news, the other third, is so deep in the throes of addiction to substances like meth and fentanyl that they can't make a rational decision about their own self-care.”
Disclosure
Mahan proposes temporarily suspending California's gas tax
“My proposal is that we, to start, temporarily suspend our gas tax to provide immediate relief to working families who are paying the price for a war that they didn't ask for, and they're disproportionately paying the price.”
Assertion Partly supported
Mahan: California has suffered over $1 trillion in capital flight
“We've seen over a trillion dollars of capital flight.”
Opinion
Mahan opposes step-up in basis tax loophole for Elon Musk's wealth
“I don't think Elon Musk should be able to pass on five hundred billion dollars of appreciated but untaxed stock wealth to his children.”
Matt Mahan