Arellano: My dad, Steve Hilton and tacos. What could go wrong?
A lunchtime conversation between gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, LA Times columnist Gustavo Arellano and his father Lorenzo reveals tensions beneath Hilton’s Latino outreach.
Steve Hilton, the British-born GOP gubernatorial hopeful, hosted lunch at King Taco in East Los Angeles with Gustavo and Lorenzo Arellano, sparking candid dialogue on immigration, identity and political loyalty.
Hilton, who has increasingly courted Latino voters with a message of affordability, lower taxes and the California Dream, responded to critiques from the Arellanos about his focus on legal immigrants. Lorenzo Arellano, who entered the U.S. without papers in 1968, questioned whether Hilton truly respects undocumented people, especially since many in his family, including himself, gained citizenship after entering illegally.
While Hilton acknowledged some concern about immigration enforcement under Trump, he maintained his top priority is reducing the cost of living, not legalizing undocumented residents. He admitted he lacked a clear policy stance on undocumented Californians, prompting Gustavo to note that California governors have long defended their rights through legislation and litigation.
Though Gustavo views Hilton as less overtly racist than Xavier Becerra portrayed him to be in a recent CNN debate, he concluded Hilton remains tethered to a MAGA echo chamber, limiting his appeal to California’s increasingly diverse electorate.
Prepared with AI assistance from the linked source.
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