Candidates for California governor talk about housing crisis at forum in Oakland

NBC Bay Area reports that five gubernatorial candidates attended a housing crisis forum at the Henry J. Kaiser Center in Oakland on Friday, less than a month before California's June primary. Four candidates—Matt Mahan, Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, and Tom Steyer—spoke with reporters about their positions, while one declined participation; notably, the two leading Republican candidates were invited but did not attend. All four candidates present agreed California faces a housing affordability crisis, though the article provides minimal substantive detail about their specific policy proposals or disagreements. The reporting is straightforward local political coverage from an established regional outlet with a named byline (Pete Suratos), though it lacks depth—the article offers no direct quotes from candidates, specific policy positions, or analysis of how their approaches differ, instead relying on a video report referenced but not embedded in the text. Independent search results confirm coverage of California governor forums on housing and immigration issues in the same timeframe, suggesting this forum fits within broader pre-primary candidate engagement, though the limited policy detail in this piece restricts reader understanding of the candidates' actual positions. Watch for the June primary results and whether housing policy differentiates candidates in voter decisions.