California Gubernatorial Candidate Butch Ware Hosting “Revolutionary Rally”

California gubernatorial candidate Dr. Butch Ware recently hosted a fundraiser labeled as a “Revolutionary Rally” in San Leandro to promote his bid for governor on February 7. The event featured speeches from Ware himself, along with notable figures like political activist and Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters, transgender rights advocate Angelica Ross, comedian Sammy Obeid, and more, in addition to musical performances. Various pressing political issues were discussed during the event, such as matters concerning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the taxation of large corporations, and the Israel-Palestine conflict. Ware took the opportunity to address key concerns affecting California voters and address any potential criticisms in a brief interview prior to the rally.

As the approaching November 3 election for California’s governor draws near, the candidate pool has expanded to include 24 contenders. The incumbent governor, Gavin Newsom, is not eligible for re-election after having served two terms and is rumored to be considering a presidential campaign.

Among the numerous Democratic candidates, there is currently no clear front-runner, potentially providing an advantage to the leading Republicans, Chad Bianco, and Steve Hilton, as they vie for the majority vote. However, Dr. Butch Ware, representing the Green Party, believes he has a viable chance to secure victory in the election and disrupt California’s existing political landscape.

“In this particular election, we have a great opportunity. It’s a jungle primary, only the top two candidates advance, and the second-place finisher usually only needs about 17-18% of the vote. We’re polling at 5% right now,” Ware mentioned optimistically.

Ware, who currently serves as an associate professor of history at UC Santa Barbara, previously ran as the Green Party’s nominee for vice president alongside Jill Stein in the 2024 presidential election. His gubernatorial platform showcases a variety of ambitious objectives ranging from funding universal healthcare to supporting social housing initiatives.

Social housing, a concept aimed at providing permanent affordable housing to those in need, is a key focus of Ware’s campaign. He expressed his intention to freeze rent within the initial 100 days of his term and to finance social housing through hefty taxation of large corporations. Ware mentioned, “I’m gonna tax the sh*t out of Blackrock and Blackstone. I’m gonna tax them so hard that they cannot wait to sell all of the vacant properties that they are holding for market manipulation purposes back to the state at pennies on the dollar, and that is going to be the foundation of our social housing.”

Reflecting on his past experiences of homelessness as a child, Ware emphasized the urgent need to address homelessness as a societal failure rather than a mere nuisance. His outlook on solving the housing crisis stands in contrast to the conventional approach. “If you hear Democrats talking about their plan, they’re saying, ‘Well, we’re going to solve the housing crisis by build, build, build, develop.’ I’m like, that is just handouts to Gavin Newsom’s developer buddies,” Ware criticized.

Furthermore, Ware unveiled plans to introduce CalCare, a single-payer healthcare system that would eliminate out-of-pocket expenses like premiums, copays, deductibles, and coinsurance for Californians. The proposed system would offer universal care free at the point of service to all residents, irrespective of their immigration status. By removing middlemen such as healthcare and insurance companies, Ware believes California can achieve universal healthcare without necessitating additional tax burdens for the majority of citizens.