Becerra blasts USC and ABC for not including candidates of color in gubernatorial debate

Former US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, one of the leading Democrats running for governor of California, on Friday criticized USC and the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles for holding a debate that he said was intentionally excluding all candidates.

Becerra said that he and other candidates were not included in the televised debate improperly, a decision that he said “reeks of election fraud” in a tight race less than three months before the beginning of June.

“My father used to tell me about days when he would come across signs outside that read ‘No Dogs, Negroes or Mexicans Allowed,'” Becerra wrote in a public letter to USC President Beong-Soo Kim. “USC’s actions may not be so obvious. But, it has deliberately chosen to selectively filter the opinion of voters in a field of gubernatorial candidates in what all observers see as an open race.”

In a statement, the university revealed that it has authorized a political expert to make a draft that will clarify who will be included in the debate.

“At the request of the Center for the Political Future, Dr. Christian Grose, Professor of Political Science and International Relations, independently developed a method that determines the validity of the debate,” according to a statement from the center. “None of the USC administrators had any role in developing, revising or adopting those methods.”

Later, the center said in a statement on Friday that it reiterated the criteria that determine which people will participate in the debate, and that nothing has changed since the forum was organized.

Conditions for gubernatorial candidates to participate are considered in opinion polling and campaign fund raising. Six people were asked to participate in the March 24 debate, sponsored by ABC7 Los Angeles and Univision.

There has been conflicting information about USC’s stated criteria, however. The methodology states that the fundraising totals considered were based on the campaigns’ semi-annual reports filed with the California Secretary of State’s office. However, the document later states that the fundraising figures also include large donations that campaigns are required to report immediately.

This is an important distinction, because San José Mayor Matt Mahan did not enter the race until late January, and until now has not been required to file any semi-annual financial disclosures with the state. However, he has received huge donations since entering the race.

Mahan agreed with Becerra, saying he should be part of the public forum about who will lead the country.

“The former Secretary is absolutely right, he should be included in the discussion,” Mahan said in a statement. “His long record of service in California has earned him a place in every stage of the debate in this campaign for Governor.”

USC officials said they are clarifying how they selected the candidates for the race.

“We are also issuing criteria to clarify that it includes current fundraising totals, including reports from previous and recent years, which has always been part of the formula,” the Center for the Political Future said in a statement. “We are not changing the criteria. We have updated from today and the ranking includes the same top 6.”

Grose said the selection of candidates was based on polling and fundraising numbers, and that the ruling on annual fundraising reports was wrong.

“It was just a matter of words. It’s not a matter of how to do it,” he said.

Six candidates are scheduled to appear in the debate: Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton; and Northern California Rep. Democrats. Eric Swalwell, former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, billionaire hedge-fund founder Tom Steyer and Mahan.

The scandal occurred after Democratic Alliance candidates accused state party leaders of trying to push them out of the race in favor of whites, who are widely supported in opinion polls.

In addition to Becerra, other prominent Democrats excluded from the debate included former county Administrator Betty Yee, county Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who also criticized the candidate selection formula.

“Californians deserve due process, and voters deserve to hear every voice that deserves it,” Villaraigosa, who taught public policy at USC for three years after leaving office, said in a statement. “But this biased and discriminatory action by USC to manipulate the data to exclude every qualified, Latino, and API candidate in favor of a less qualified white candidate is shameful.”

Becerra said USC has gone to great lengths to forgive people who were excluded, but the bias is obvious.

“You can’t escape the disgusting result: you eliminated all the candidates from running while inviting a white person who has NEVER voted more than other people of color, including me,” he said.

Becerra was apparently referring to Mahan, who is new to the race and has received millions of dollars in support from Silicon Valley leaders. Becerra noted that veteran GOP strategist Mike Murphy, co-director of the USC Center for the Political Future, which is sponsoring the debate, is helping an independent expenditure committee supporting Mahan.

Murphy said he recused himself from any involvement in the debate, saying he was a volunteer for an outside group supporting Mahan. If he becomes a paid consultant to the independent expenditure committee, he said he has requested unpaid leave from the university until the June 2 primary.

“I was openly saying that I personally am a fan of Mahan,” said Murphy. “I have nothing to do with the debate.”