Guest Commentary: John Cruikshank Former Mayor of RPV
Steve Hilton will bring his campaign for Governor of California directly to the Palos Verdes community on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 for a major campaign and fundraising event. He will address the issues impacting Palos Verdes–and all Californians, including the landslide crisis on the Peninsula.
Palos Verdes and the surrounding South Bay are home to business owners, entrepreneurs, professionals, civic leaders and families who have contributed enormously to California’s prosperity. Hilton believes these Californians should have a voice in determining the state’s future rather than being treated as an afterthought by Sacramento.
That distinction became particularly important following the devastating land movement and landslide crisis on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
The Greater Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex dramatically accelerated following the severe storms of 2023 and 2024, damaging homes and roads and resulting in utility shutoffs and evacuation warnings. Governor Gavin Newsom eventually declared a state of emergency on September 3, 2024, but did not personally visit the community despite a public request from Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
For many residents, declaring an emergency from Sacramento was different from standing beside the people living through it.
The November election now raises a much broader question for Californians: will California continue down the path established during the Newsom years under Xavier Becerra, or choose a fundamentally different direction under Steve Hilton?
Becerra represents substantial continuity with the policies and political philosophy that have shaped California under Newsom. Hilton’s campaign warns that another administration committed to that approach risks accelerating the pressures already confronting California: extraordinary housing and energy costs, regulatory burdens, domestic out migration, and the continuing movement of businesses, investment, jobs and entrepreneurial talent toward more economically competitive states.
For business owners and entrepreneurs in Palos Verdes and throughout California, the consequences are significant. Every company that moves operations or investment elsewhere can take jobs, economic activity and future tax revenue with it. States such as Texas, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, and Tennessee are actively competing for precisely the businesses and investment California should be fighting to retain and attract.
The event represents more than another stop on the campaign calendar. It reflects a fundamentally different approach to governing California: meeting communities where they are, listening to the people who build businesses, create jobs, employ Californians and generate the economic activity upon which the state depends.
For more information and to attend the event click here.
John Cruikshank, is a former Mayor of Rancho Palos Verdes and candidate for City Council.
