Pomona College to Host California Gubernatorial Debate

Pomona's Big Bridges auditorium (Photo Credit: Pomona College).

Pomona College will host primary candidates for the California governorship in a debate on April 28, College President Gabi Starr announced earlier this month. 

The 90-minute debate will be hosted at 5:30 p.m. at Bridges Auditorium, which boasts a 2,400 person seating-capacity, with “students, faculty, staff, city and county leaders, distinguished guests and elected officials” expected to be in attendance. Students will be randomly selected to receive tickets, and can apply to pose questions during the debate. A watch party will also be hosted at Pomona’s Frary Dining Hall.

This will be third in a series of California gubernatorial debates this campaign year, with the first having taken place Feb. 3 in the Ruth-Williams-Bayview Opera House in San Francisco and the second to take place April 22 at KRON broadcast studio.

A gubernatorial debate slated to be held at USC’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences on March 26 was canceled after only the top six candidates—all of whom were white—qualified to attend, prompting backlash from the other candidates. Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said the participation scheme reminded him of his father and “the days when he would encounter signs posted outside establishments that read ‘No Dogs, Negroes or Mexicans Allowed.’” Recent polling data places Becerra in seventh place, with 3% of the vote. The formula for participation, developed by USC professor Christian Grose, determined participation according to polling data and fundraising. This group included Mayor Matt Mahan of San Jose, who polled at 4%, but had strong financial backing from a Silicon Valley PAC. 

Academics from USC, the University of California system, and other schools from across the nation denounced the cancellation in their Statement from Scholars on the Independence and Methodological Integrity of Christian Grose.

“It is difficult to organize a debate but also an important public service,” Claremont McKenna Assistant Professor of Government Andrew Sinclair, a signer to the statement, told the Independent. “Californians need these opportunities to learn about the candidates for governor.”

While Pomona’s candidates list has yet to be finalized, participants in previous debates include Xavier Becerra, Chad Bianco, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Eric Swalwell, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Betty Yee. It is unknown exactly what criteria will be used to select candidates, though Pomona’s website says that “Candidates invited to attend the debate will be chosen on transparent criteria set by Asian Pacific American Public Affairs (APAPA).”

“There will be many ways for everyone to engage throughout the day,” Starr said in a video announcement. “Sagehens, this is your invitation to engage directly and constructively in democracy together as a Pomona community.” 

The event, broadcast by CBS stations across California and funded in part by the Asian Pacific American Public Affairs Association, will be moderated by CBS News Anchors Pat Harvey, Ryan Yamamoto, and Tony Lopez; CBS News California Investigates Correspondent Julie Watts; and Pomona College Assistant Professor of Politics Sara Sadhwani. 

In a statement to the Independent, a Pomona College spokesperson wrote that the “College's opportunity to host a California gubernatorial debate on April 28 grew out of the work of our distinguished Political Science faculty—world-class teachers and public voices whose relationships with media partners and viewers across California helped make this event possible.” 

“We’re excited to host this debate, which will feature a full spectrum of political opinions and will provide a fantastic opportunity for our community to participate in civic engagement, no matter their party affiliation,” the statement concluded.

Pomona’s FAQ page for the event maintains that “The College is neutral in matters of politics,” though the school has not adopted the Chicago Principles, a set of guidelines adopted by numerous universities to safeguard free speech, debate, and inquiry on campus. The most recent survey of campus political diversity, conducted in 2018, found that only 3% of students and 4% of faculty members were conservative.