Arellano: Tom Steyer courts Latinos in Santa Ana. A young voter wonders if it's just a show - BERITAJA

When a friend asked if Tom Steyer could extremity by my woman Delilah’s downtown Santa Ana restaurant, I had to explicate to her who he was.

It’s not governmental ignorant successful my honey’s case. She’s conscionable exhausted from moving her mini business, Alta Baja Market, successful these inflationary times. She’s 1 of the 16% of undecided voters successful a caller California Democratic Party canvass — a group that whitethorn find which 2 candidates for politician look each different successful the wide election.

Delilah agreed that Steyer could sojourn connected Saturday aft I told her that galore of our friends support the billionaire’s progressive platform.

“Politics is your job, not mine,” she joked arsenic we drove to Alta Baja and I named the different awesome candidates. The only ones she had heard of were Antonio Villaraigosa (“I liked him arsenic mayor, but he needed to support his pants on,” referring to his extramarital affairs) and Katie Porter (“Some of my workers for illustration her, but I don’t cognize what she’s done”). She mightiness beryllium the past personification near successful the Golden State who hasn’t seen immoderate of Steyer’s tv and YouTube ads.

His run seems to person stalled successful the polls moreover as he has spent much than $150 cardinal of his ain money amid doubts from immoderate voters about whether they want a billionaire to lead the state.

So a sojourn to Santa Ana, the bosom of Latino Orange County, was a bully move. At Alta Baja, he could talk to my Mexican American woman and different blue-collar Latinos.

When rival Xavier Becerra came to O.C. a fewer weeks ago, connected the different hand, he appeared astatine a backstage fundraiser attended mostly by master Latinos.

“I conscionable want personification who tells america wherever our taxes are going and treats this state for illustration a business, and we’re not wasting money,” Delilah said. She’s a socially wide and fiscally blimpish Democrat who has been particularly angered by President Trump’s deportation deluge, which near the streets of downtown Santa Ana quiet for months past summer. “Because correct now, our authorities is simply a hot-ass mess.”

I asked what questions she had for Steyer.

“So security had to screen each the disasters that happened pinch the fires,” Delilah replied. “So why is everybody other having to salary for it? And what are you really gonna do to thief the state?”

She paused. “Tom is simply a Democrat, right?”

Delilah prepared for Steyer’s noontime extremity arsenic if it were immoderate different day. She has fed the likes of U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer and former Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon. Republican gubernatorial campaigner Steve Hilton is simply a instrumentality of Alta Baja’s bluish cornbread; Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee held a meet-and-greet location erstwhile she ran for president 2 years ago.

“You cognize who should inquire questions?” Delilah said aft she group the till for the day. “Angela.”

That would beryllium 19-year-old Alta Baja worker Angela Nino, who will beryllium voting successful her first election.

“She’ll ever beryllium telling me, ‘Did you spot the debate? Did you spot the debate?’ And I ever say, ‘No, I’m excessively tired to watch.’”

Nino soon clocked in.

“Guess who’s coming, Angela?” Delilah said earlier looking astatine me. “Is his sanction Tim aliases Tom?”

“It’s for illustration I work together pinch immoderate of his things, but he’s a billionaire,” said the Orange Coast College student and Santa Ana resident erstwhile I asked about Steyer. “His answers astatine debates person been beautiful wide truthful far.”

Delilah smiled.

“You’re the future, girl, truthful inquire him anything.”

Almost everyone who came successful arsenic we waited for Steyer was a run worker aliases volunteer. Former authorities Controller Betty Yee, who ended her run for politician past month and endorsed Steyer, sat astatine a array pinch her husband. Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, who initiated Steyer’s Santa Ana visit, thanked Delilah for the opportunity. He has known her since the commencement of his governmental profession connected the Santa Ana City Council about 20 years ago,

“This is simply a metropolis wherever our residents were criminalized because of ICE, our downtown suffered because of construction, and each this connected the heels of a pandemic,” he told me. “These are the folks Tom needs to perceive to.”

Sarmiento’s staffer sewage his attention. Steyer was here.

The campaigner strolled successful pinch a videographer and photographer. He wore his accustomed casual billionaire outfit — white-and-cardinal Nikes, jeans, checkered garment pinch rolled-up sleeves and a colorful Southwestern-style cloth belt.

Steyer went consecutive to the counter.

“Are you moving for governor?” he cracked while shaking Delilah’s hand.

“I don’t want to,” she replied.

“I knew you were a smart woman!”

He listened pinch wide eyes and a stern look arsenic Delilah complained about a years-long light-rail task successful beforehand of Alta Baja “that has been worse for businesses present than COVID.” Insurance rates person gone up 30% successful the past twelvemonth alone, she said.

“Well, look, that’s my full thing,” Steyer responded successful his low, gravelly voice. “I’m consenting to return connected the large corporations who are ripping disconnected California. And they’re each spending a batch of money against me.”

It was the Steyer I’ve heard connected excessively galore commercials: pugnacious, compassionate but spouting a full bunch of boilerplate. Delilah smiled weakly.

“I admit that,” she said. “And we request much of that.”

Then she waved Nino over. Usually shy, the architecture awesome now channeled her soul Lesley Stahl.

“Why do you person to beryllium politician successful bid to do thing while you person billions of dollars?” she said.

Steyer didn’t flinch arsenic he explained really he has funded ballot propositions and nonprofit initiatives to conflict for a much equitable California.

“So I’ve been capable to do something, but what I spot successful California — and what Delilah and I were conscionable talking about — is large corporations really tally the state,” he said.

“That’s true,” Nino conceded.

“You person to return connected the large corporations that are screwing everybody. And you could really only do that arsenic governor,” Steyer continued.

“You want to taxation the billionaires, is that correct?” Nino asked next, arsenic Steyer nodded. “How travel connected immoderate [campaign disclosure] forms, it shows that your billions are successful different [countries] too successful the U.S.?”

The campaigner vigorously shook his head.

“I mightiness person investments extracurricular the United States, but there’s thing I’m doing to not salary — I salary afloat California and American taxes connected everything, promise. There’s a batch of ways I could debar taxes, but I don’t. And so, thing that I’m doing overseas is not to debar taxes. … I springiness you my word.”

One much from Nino!

“And really could the group spot billionaires erstwhile presently they person been very disappointing towards us?”

“I understand why group are skeptical,” Steyer replied. “They couldn’t beryllium much skeptical than I am.”

He based on that different moguls “are supporting each different candidate. Those group hate maine — like, they deliberation I guidelines for thing really bad, which is making them salary their adjacent share,” referring to a projected November ballot inaugural that would enforce a one-time 5% taxation connected billionaires for illustration Steyer (he supports the measure).

“And they’re right,” Steyer concluded. “And truthful it’s like, they dislike me, and that’s fine.”

Nino stayed silent. Delilah thanked Steyer, who was disconnected to sojourn different section businesses owned by friends of ours. He bought a vessel of rosé, posed for photos pinch Delilah and Sarmiento and went disconnected — but not earlier a staffer adjusted the backmost of his collar.

Delilah and Nino went backmost to prepping luncheon orders. What did they deliberation about Steyer?

“To beryllium honest, I’m truthful skeptical,” Nino said. “I don’t deliberation he has capable acquisition arsenic immoderate of the different candidates, and I consciousness for illustration he could person been much into item about his policies.”

What about you, honey?

“Gracious, very benignant and not pompous, which is what I would expect from about politicians,” Delilah said. “I for illustration that he heard retired Angela — that’s important [that] politicians perceive to the adjacent generation, and I deliberation everybody should beryllium doing that. But I wasn’t satisfied pinch my security question.”

“And we don’t cognize if this is simply a performance,” Nino added, drafting a playful gasp from Delilah. “We’ve seen, like, passim the years, galore governmental group spell into, like, regular [businesses] to look like, ‘Oh, we’re relatable to the people. We cognize your struggles.’”

“Do they really?” Delilah interjected.

Nino frowned.

They could conscionable beryllium putting connected a show for the cameras, she said.