butch has real plans, not empty promises.
Every commitment below has a legal mechanism behind it. We have the tools and resources, we just need the political will.
🏠 HOUSING FOR ALL
the goal
End the housing crisis by converting California's 1.2 million vacant corporate-owned homes into permanently affordable housing — and protect 17 million renters with real rent control.
"The money is there. The empty homes are there. What's been missing is a governor willing to use every tool in the office to fix it."
how we deliver it
Day 1 Executive Order: Direct the state to begin tracking all vacant corporate-owned units statewide.
Year 1 Legislation: Governor-sponsored Vacancy Tax bill. Corporate landlords taxed at escalating annual rates on empty units — making it more expensive to hoard than to sell. Revenue flows directly into a Social Housing Acquisition Fund.
Social Housing: Units purchased by the state converted to publicly owned, permanently affordable social housing, managed by resident councils.
Rent Control: Use the governor's budget veto each year to force the legislature to repeal Costa-Hawkins, the 1995 law blocking rent control on most California rentals.
Hotel to Housing: Expand California's COVID-era emergency housing model permanently, converting vacant commercial properties into shelter for people currently on the street.
🏥 UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE
the goal
Universal, single-payer CalCare — free at the point of use for every Californian. No premiums. No more copays, deductibles, or insurance company taking 30 cents of every dollar to deny your claim.
"The morning after inauguration, every Californian wakes up covered."
how we deliver it
Day 1 Executive Order: Declare a statewide public health emergency — the same legal authority used during COVID — to immediately expand Medi-Cal to every California resident regardless of income or immigration status.
Day 1 Special Session: Call a special legislative session to force a floor vote on AB 1900 (CalCare). The governor controls the session agenda so the bill cannot die in committee. Every legislator votes yes or no, on the record, for the first time.
Budget Authority: Redirect administrative overhead currently captured by private insurers into building the CalCare single-payer payment infrastructure.
🎓 FREE EDUCATION
Free public higher education — restored. Cancel state-held student debt. Eliminate tuition at CSU and community colleges. Put money back in classrooms, not administrator salaries.
the goal
"California maintained tuition-free public universities for 100 years. This is not a radical idea. It is a restoration."
Day 1 Executive Directive: Direct all state agencies holding student loan portfolios to cancel outstanding balances immediately. No legislation required.
First Budget: Redirect $3.5B currently offset by tuition revenue directly from the state general fund. Tuition goes to zero. This is a budget line change, not a new law.
Within 60 Days: Cap administrator-to-faculty ratios across the UC system. Redirect salary savings into classroom instruction and teacher pay.
how we deliver it
🛡️ PROTECT IMMIGRANT RIGHTS
Make California a genuine sanctuary — with legal teeth. Close ICE detention facilities on state contracts. End all state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Expand the safety net to every resident regardless of status.
the goal
"Sanctuary isn't a press release. It's rapid response teams, legal funds, and a governor willing to use every legal tool to protect our neighbors."
Day 1, Order 1: Terminate all state contracts with ICE and private detention operators. All state-contracted ICE facilities begin transition within 90 days.
Day 1, Order 2: Direct the California Highway Patrol and all state law enforcement to cease cooperation with ICE — no joint operations, no information sharing, no transfer assistance.
Legal Foundation: A 1997 Supreme Court ruling (Printz v. United States) already establishes that the federal government cannot compel states to enforce federal law. Butch codifies this into every state agency's operating instructions.
First Budget: Expand unemployment insurance and food assistance to all California residents regardless of immigration status.
how we deliver it
✊ REAL ECONOMIC JUSTICE
A $25/hr minimum wage. A California Public Bank that puts the state's money to work for its people. A publicly owned energy grid to end PG&E's monopoly — built by union workers.
the goal
"The money to take care of California's people is already here. It's just flowing to the wrong places. We can change that."
Day 1 Legislation: Governor-sponsored minimum wage bill in special session. $25/hr floor, indexed to inflation annually so it never erodes. Triple the Labor Commissioner's enforcement budget so employers actually pay it.
Day 1 Executive Order: Direct the State Treasurer to begin establishing the California Public Bank under AB 857 — a law that already authorizes it. Move $65B+ in state deposits out of Wall Street. Low-interest home loans for first-time buyers. 0% emergency loans for small businesses.
Year 1 Legislation: Revoke PG&E's operating license. Begin eminent domain acquisition of its infrastructure. Build a statewide publicly owned renewable energy grid with 250,000 union jobs in solar and wind.
how we deliver it
⚖️ JUSTICE REFORM & LAND BACK
the goal
Redirect $5 billion from incarceration to care. Release people locked up for things that are now legal. Build a crisis response system based on healthcare, not handcuffs. Return stewardship of state-held land to the tribal nations it was taken from. Create the nation’s first Reparations Task Force to provide cash reparations to repair multi-generational harm from slavery.
"Justice means more than fixing what's broken. It means giving back what was taken. Care instead of cages. Land back to the people it belongs to."
how we deliver it
First Budget: Begin redirecting $1 billion per year from the CDCR budget to mental health programs, substance use treatment, and community-based violence intervention — building a new workforce of crisis responders hired from the communities most affected.
Day 1 Executive Order: Establish a Clemency Review Commission to systematically review every case of someone incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses. The governor's clemency authority is absolute — no legislative approval required.
Day 1 Executive Order: Establish an Indigenous Land Back Commission — directing state agencies to identify and begin returning state-held land to tribal nations, starting with land taken through direct state action, in partnership with tribal governments.
Day 1 Executive Order: Establish a California Reparations Implementation Commission, funded through the executive budget, tasked with translating the 2023 Reparations Task Force recommendations into legislation, program design, and a funding mechanism.
Year 1 Legislation: Introduce the California Reparations Act as a Governor-sponsored bill, with the full weight of the Governor's office behind it and the threat of veto on any appropriations package that omits reparations funding.
💸 DIVESTMENT FROM WAR & GENOCIDE
the goal
Stop California's $800 billion+ in public pension funds from financing weapons manufacturers and companies tied to war crimes. California's public wealth should reflect California's values.
"A just California does not fund injustice. Every dollar we move is a dollar that stops going to war and starts going to our people."
Appointment Power: The governor appoints the State Treasurer and board members for CalPERS ($500B+), CalSTRS ($300B+), and the UC endowment ($24B+). Butch's appointees will be mandated to develop and execute a full divestment plan within 60 days.
Veto Power: Butch will veto any state spending bill that directs funds to institutions not in compliance with California's divestment policy — every appropriations cycle.
Scale: Divestment at this level sends a market signal no individual action can replicate. It is state-level economic foreign policy.
how we deliver it
From Day 1, the work begins.
Here is exactly what we commit to in the first 100 days in office.
DAY 1
Declare a State of Emergency on climate, unlocking emergency authority to fast-track green infrastructure, transit, and environmental protection across the state.
DAY 15
Restore cuts to public transportation funding. Buses, trains, and transit systems that working Californians depend on get their funding back.
DAY 30
Expand the California College Promise Grant to cover more students and close the gaps that leave low-income families behind.
DAY 45
Launch a phase-in plan for zero-emission public buses statewide — cleaner air, union jobs, and a public transit system built for the next century.
DAY 50
Lock in long-term funding for SF-LA high-speed rail. The money stops going to consultants. The project gets a real, accountable delivery plan.
DAY 65
Establish a statewide Tenant's Rights Office — a dedicated state agency to enforce renter protections, fight illegal evictions, and hold landlords accountable.
DAY 80
Initiate a constitutional amendment to make UC Regents publicly elected. The people who benefit from the UC system should have a say in who runs it.
DAY 95
Hold a statewide referendum for a public housing corporation — letting Californians vote directly on creating a state entity to build and own permanently affordable housing.
DAY 100
Initiate the California Public Bank to finance social housing. $65B+ in state deposits leaves Wall Street and starts working for the people of California.
what changes, and when
DAY 1
Medi-Cal expanded to all residents
CalCare floor vote forced
State student debt cancelled
ICE detention contracts terminated
(90-day transition)Police-ICE cooperation ends
Clemency Review Commission established
within 60 days
Divestment plan initiated
year 1
Vacancy tax on corporate landlords
$25/hr minimum wage enacted
Introduce legislation for the People’s Power Grid (to end PG&E monopoly)
Introduce California Reparations Act
first budget
Tuition-free California State Universities (CSU) and community colleges
year 2
Make California Public Bank operational
over 5 years
$5 Billion redirected from prison to care systems
5 weeks. make every action count.
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