Patty Somlo

As a culture, we don't like to talk about death and dying. So grateful that this piece found a home in this wonderful journal and hope it might help others.

Expanded access. Lowered barriers. Delivered results. No noise required.

40% of the California population are Latino. it's important to have a Governor who can speak directly to them about the issues that impact them the most & understand their issues directly. @XavierBecerra’ #CupOfJoe comes straight from the heart. #DemsUnited

I am very PROUD to support & endorse at this point in the CA Governor’s race, our former CA Attorney General & President Joe Biden’s U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services, Xavier Becerra @XavierBecerra! Given the UNPRECEDENTED & EXTRAORDINARY dynamics of the CA Governor’s race, I URGE A STRONG VOTE for a PROVEN CALIFORNIA LEADER & that leader is Xavier Becerra! It was a lot of fun being at Becerra’s “Fighting For The California Dream Tour” town hall in Los Angeles, CA! Amazing energy & great to see Californians supporting Becerra! As many of you know, Xavier Becerra, was not my 1st choice for CA Governor. CA is blessed with many talented Democratic candidates in the race! Eric Swalwell was NOT my candidate. Swalwell is the only D candidate that I said must drop out of the race. However, my 1st choice candidate that I still also endorse & love is not polling where I was hoping for with less than 3 weeks to go until ballots begin going out to CA voters on 5/4/26. We still have 2 AWFUL MAGA Republicans polling in the top 2! CA is a “jungle primary” state. A jungle primary means that the top 2 vote getters of any party (can be 2 candidates of the same party) advance to the general election. We MUST NOT have 2 Rs advance to the general election! It’s time for the CA Democratic base of voters to consolidate around the BEST VIABLE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE IN THE CA GOVERNOR’s RACE THAT CAN WIN THE RACE even if this candidate is not or was not the 1st choice! Certainly, a larger conversation should be had about the rigor of candidate vetting & criteria of electability; standing with & believing survivors of abuse; reporting & eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace; getting rid of the jungle primary that could perversely give us two R candidates in the general election even though registered D voters outnumber Rs two to one in CA; using a ranked choice voting system that better reflects the electorate’s choices; & why the most qualified candidates in the governor’s race being people of color, especially women of color, are not immediately recognized for their work, accomplishments, & leadership! Becerra has the MOMENTUM! He is trending #1 on ActBlue for donations, surging support across CA! This is a people powered campaign! Please consider giving a grassroots donation: secure.actblue.com/donate/mw_xb_2…! Becerra has jumped in the polling putting him into the top 2 or 3 Ds with true momentum from undecided Democratic voters choosing Becerra! Becerra now has the folks with LaMont Digital that do Gavin Newsom’s media & did YES On Prop 50, working on Becerra’s social media! Becerra is a leader of integrity, an attorney, & brings achievements as a CA statewide elected & federal Secretary. He is fluent in Spanish & English. His wife, Dr. Carolina Reyes, is an accomplished medical doctor. They have 3 daughters. Becerra’s parents were working class immigrants from Mexico, with his father being a union construction worker. Becerra is a VOTE for a governor focused on the working class & affordability! He wants to make housing plentiful & affordable to working class Californians; invest in CA public education & vocational training; putting ICE in check; knows how to litigate to protect the rights of Californians & defend CA from Trump; will maintain funding for Californians’ MediCal healthcare program; will enact programs focused on keeping Californians from falling into homelessness etc.! Xavier Becerra will be the first Democratic Latino Governor of California! CA has only had one Latino governor, & that was a Republican in the 1870s! It’s loooooong overdue that CA elect a Latino Democratic governor of California! Let’s go WIN for California up & down the ballot! Sí se puede!!! #Becerra

Fantastic 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Last weekend, a lot of us took a second look at Xavier Becerra, and it’s good to see him getting the love right now.

Just wrapped our third Fighting for the California Dream town hall in Los Angeles. The energy in that room was electric. People are fired up. And we are not stopping. Join us: XavierBecerra2026.com

@DrDinD Just left his town hall in Los Angeles. I’m telling you HE is the real deal! Humble beginnings! No drama! He’ll put in the work! VOTE Becerra!!💙

This is why I’m endorsing @XavierBecerra for Governor of California

The rally hall at LA convention center for Xavier Becerras campaign continues to fill up at a quick clip. A week ago they were planning on an event of 200 people. They have capacity for ten times that now. #CAGOVRACE

The first polls after Eric Swalwell's exit from the California Governor's race show @XavierBecerra surging. Here's our full interview from @CNNTheStoryIs. We discuss his experience, gas prices, housing affordability, upcoming debates, etc. The former HHS Secretary, CA Attorney General & member of Congress is pitching himself as a steady, experienced hand at a chaotic time. What do you think?

The best guy to take on Trump in California is the person who has sued him over 100 times — and won! From taking on Trump to defend DACA, the EPA, and the ACA, Xavier Becerra has fought for Californians. #CAGov

Sorry I’m late on this. A few people flagged this QT, and I ignored it at first because the claim was random, with no receipts, I figured nobody would buy it. Apparently I was wrong. The Scientology rumor is spreading, so let’s address. @yashar, with zero evidence, claimed that Xavier Becerra “protected Scientology for years” or was somehow specially trusted by David Miscavige. 🧵

I looked for proof and found no direct connection to Scientology. Here’s what I found: Becerra is a self-proclaimed Roman Catholic, with no personal affiliation with Scientology. The claim seems to rest on this: A staffer from his congressional office attended a 2016 Capitol Hill event for a Scientology-linked group, Youth for Human Rights International. That is not proof of anything. LA-area politicians cross paths with Scientology-connected groups all the time because Scientology is headquartered there. I found no evidence of policy favoritism. 2/3

Let's hope all those Crockett supporters ( like me) understand what is at stake and will vote for Talarico. We most definitely don't need Paxton representing our state in the Capitol.

Incredible! Great job team and family! This is what we can all do if we work together! Let's show the rich we have a louder and more powerful voice @XavierBecerra

Vote YES on Super Saturday in Virginia so we can stop the MAGA power grab! And level the playing field for the national congressional map.

Esther Kim Varet just endorsed Xavier Becerra for Governor. The CA-40 powerhouse backing the guy who sued Trump 122 times and won. This race isn't tightening. It's consolidating. Becerra has the momentum. 🌊

EXCLUSIVE @TheAtlantic On multiple occasions Patel’s security detail had difficulty waking him because he was seemingly intoxicated, according to info supplied to DOJ and White House officials. A request for “breaching equipment”was made because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors. theatlantic.com/politics/2026/…

My eyes almost flew out of my head. 😳 Becerra helped draft and pass the fucking ACA when he was in the House! Guess that—plus successfully defending it as CA AG and expanding healthcare access as HHS Sec!—doesn’t compare to Whiteboard Wanda’s antics. 🙄

Wow — former California AG and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra is surging in the California governor race. He’s now at 20% chance to win, behind only Tom Steyer.

Xavier Becerra gains massive jump in new CA governor's race poll after Swalwell exit abc7ne.ws/u5CKcx