Gubernatorial nominee says California schools should have English-only classrooms
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 02: California Republican Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton waves to supporters at his primary night event on June 2, 2026 in Huntington Beach, California. Hilton is in a tight race with Democratic candidates Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer. (Photo by Mario Tama/
WASHINGTON (TNND) —California GOP gubernatorial nominee Steve Hilton said English-only classrooms should be the standard in the Golden State.
He said this during an interview on “The Big Weekend Show” on Fox News, saying that Americans speak English in the U.S.
“And in a moment when less than half of the kids — and just across the board, never mind who come from other countries with different languages — actually meet basic standards in English,” he said. “You can’t be diverting time and attention from the classroom just to serve those needs. They can be taken care of in different ways outside the classroom.”
Hilton added that English and math are the basics that need to be taught in schools and it would be done in the English language.
“But you’ve got to focus on teaching everyone the basics of English and math, for that matter, and it’s got to be done in English,” he said “I totally agree with that, and I’d want to see that. That used to be the law in California — the people voted for that on the ballot initiative and then overturned it, but I think we should go back to that.”
Recently, Hilton called California Costal Commissioners “idiots” amid ongoing battles related to beach access and off-roading access.
“The idiots, the bureaucrats on the Coastal Commission have been trying to shut it down for years. They’ve been trying to shut it down. Well, I am done with all of that,” Hilton said in a video posted on social media. “His bureaucracy is insane I’m sick of these people trying to crush our way of life in California This has been going on for years everyone loves it.”
