SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Tom Steyer campaign has released a new ad titled “Kidnapping,” calling for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the prosecution of agents accused of unlawful conduct against Californians. The ad highlights what the campaign describes as illegal attacks by ICE agents and outlines Steyer’s plan to respond.
Steyer is running for governor of California, with campaign priorities that include making corporations pay what he says is their fair share, investing in California public schools, building affordable housing, launching programs to lower electric utility bills and banning corporate PAC money from California elections so government can better serve the public.
Steyer founded NextGen America, which the campaign describes as the largest youth voter engagement organization in U.S. history, and has invested in grassroots campaigns. During President Donald Trump’s first term, Steyer led campaigns supporting Trump’s impeachment. In 2025, he was also one of the largest backers of the effort to pass Proposition 50.
Steyer and his wife also supported efforts to make California the first state in the nation to provide free school breakfast and lunch to every student who needed it. The campaign describes that effort as a major step toward equality and fairness.
In the ad, Steyer uses the terms “outrageous” and “un-American” to describe ICE’s conduct. He says, “If Trump’s ICE agents break the law, we’ll prosecute them, just like anyone else, and if their leaders direct them to break the law, we’ll prosecute them too. ICE is broken. So abolish it. No masks. No secret police.”
The ad follows national reaction to Steyer’s recently released ICE plan, which called for the arrest of ICE agents accused of criminal conduct. In that plan, Steyer argues that true leaders should protect vulnerable people rather than harm them. He characterizes the actions of Trump and ICE as an abuse of power and says California must reclaim authority to protect its residents.
The plan includes a five-part policy agenda aimed at shielding Californians from unlawful conduct by federal law enforcement. It calls for legislation to end racial profiling in law enforcement, authorizing the state attorney general to hold ICE leadership accountable for violence, appointing a special investigative unit to enforce those rules, expanding immigration defense services across California and launching a public Know Your Rights campaign.
The campaign says the proposal is intended to ensure accountability for federal authorities and prevent abuses of power. It also argues the plan would help stop ICE from exceeding legal boundaries and would increase oversight of the agency’s actions.
According to the campaign, the proposal quickly gained traction with millions of viewers across social media platforms. It also drew criticism from Trump, Elon Musk and Markwayne Mullin, whose image appears in the ad.
Steyer says he remains committed to protecting vulnerable communities and holding ICE accountable. The campaign frames the ad as part of a broader effort to challenge federal enforcement practices and advance what it describes as a larger goal of equality.
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media – X, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
Note to self: Don’t vote for Steyer. Didn’t even think about it (or knew anything about him) prior to this article.
Is there anyone running for governor who isn’t a lunatic, at this point?
Can I write-in Brown/Moonbeam, whether or not I even agree with him (or if he’s even willing)? I assume he’s well into his 80s by this point – but so what?
The Terminator wasn’t too bad I guess (except that he didn’t know what he was doing, and tried to sell off state buildings and then “rent them back” from private interests in Sacramento, as I recall).
Unless we get lucky and somehow a Republican slips through we are either going to end up with open borders Tom Steyer or staff abuser Katie Porter.
I’ll probably go with either the “staff abuser”, or “none of the above”.
Though this state has elected Republicans not so long ago, including the Terminator. (Though I guess that since that time, he had some controversy regarding the “nanny”. Not that this is disqualifying these days, however. In the old days, I guess they covered that up “JFK-style”. And somehow, it subsequently enhanced that guy’s reputation with Marilyn Monroe).
Or was it Marilyn Manson?
In any case, I read an article yesterday regarding the CalNeva Lodge, pining for the Sinatra/Marilyn days. (Pretty sure that Sinatra would not be a fan of Marilyn Manson, though.)