6 candidates for governor to square off at USC forum

Six leading candidates for California governor will match wits for the first time Saturday in a “town hall” forum at USC’s Bovard Auditorium.
Democrats Gavin Newsom, Antonio Villaraigosa, John Chiang and Delaine Eastin and Republicans Travis Allen and John Cox were chosen to participate because they’re current or former office-holders or had raised at least $100,000 in campaign funds by June 30, 2017.
The event is hosted by the Empowerment Congress, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, and the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC.
Channel 7’s news anchor Marc Brown and KPCC political reporter Mary Plummer will moderate the 90-minute event, which starts at 9 a.m. and will be live-streamed on the ABC7 website and broadcast on KPCC-FM (89.3).
Public seating is limited. People wishing to attend must register at empowermentcongress.org and again at the site. Those arriving too late to get seats may view the event on monitors outside Bovard Auditorium.
The primary is June 5 and the general election Nov. 6 in the race to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, who leaves office next January because of term limits. Polls have consistently shown Newsom, the lieutenant governor and former San Francisco mayor, and Villaraigosa, the former L.A. mayor and state Assembly speaker, running first and second. But polls also show about 30 percent of respondents undecided about whom to support.
Previous forums have matched the four leading Democrats or the top two Republicans, but this is the first to include candidates from both parties.
Source: Oc Register