ORANGE COUNTY — Chris Kluwe, a Democratic candidate for State Assembly, has come out in support of government-run grocery stores modeled on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan, while also calling for possible public takeover of utilities.
Kluwe was asked in an Instagram Live conversation with Chispa OC whether he would support a similar public grocery store initiative in California. He replied: “Yeah, yeah, I absolutely would.”
Kluwe continued by targeting private utility companies: “Another big one we need to look at is our utilities. Our for-profit utility companies have been consistently bad. And they have consistently been the cause of devastating wildfires… and so I think there are some tough questions that need to be asked of the utilities and possibly looking at even doing public utilities.”
Kluwe’s support for government-owned grocery stores and instituting public utilities aligns with his broader positions. The Democratic Socialists of California “enthusiastically recommended” Kluwe in its 2026 voter guide, describing him as someone who would “rank among the most progressive members of the Assembly if elected.” Kluwe has also said he supports multi-year rent freezes, and said he would vote for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should she run for president.
Assembly District 72 covers Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo, and Lake Forest. The district is currently represented by Republican Assemblywoman Diane Dixon, who is vacating the seat to run for Orange County Board of Supervisors.
The district is an open seat with Kluwe (D) and Huntington Beach City Councilwoman Gracey Van Der Mark (R) on the ballot this November.
During the livestream, Kluwe also addressed topics such as Voter ID, the “Billionaire’s Tax”, and more.
