Steve Hilton’s ‘street taco’ gaffe is the least of our worries | Opinion
Could a taco knock Steve Hilton off his pedestal?
It’s doubtful, though the Republican gubernatorial candidate is taking lots of flak for referring to a hard-shelled taco from a fast-food chain as a “street taco.”
In a post on X, Hilton boasted about buying a “street taco” from the oldest operating Del Taco in Barstow.
“My Barstow street taco! I’m going to enjoy,” he bragged as he displayed his meal for the camera.
Except, the hard-shelled taco — wrapped up in ubiquitous yellow paper and brimming with pre-grated cheese and an anemic-looking tomato slice — hardly qualified as the more refined, traditional “street tacos” served on soft corn tortillas.
Critics were quick to pounce.
One commenter on X called it a “culturally ignorant post.”
Another posted a photo of carne asada soft tacos to make a point.
Hilton tried to defend himself: “My point is that my running mate @GloriaJRomero worked there when she was a teenager, and she took me there after a Town Hall in her hometown! Not everything in life has to be turned into a political argument!!”
Sorry, Steve, but hiding behind your Latina “running mate” only made matters worse. This was one of those occasions when a little self-deprecating British humor would have gone a long way.
What would a Hilton governorship look like?
Still, maybe we should cut him a little slack over the taco thing.
Hilton did spend most of his life in England, so of course there are cultural differences. He probably spells “color” with a “u” and may even say “loo” when he’s looking for a restroom. That should not disqualify him from public office. He is an American citizen, after all.
It’s his Trumpian politics — rather than his lack of cultural knowledge — that really matter, yet for some unfathomable reason, Democrats have not been talking about that. They really should, because voters need to know what would happen if Steve Hilton became governor.
For one, California’s pro-choice position would weaken. Hilton has called abortion an “awful, awful outcome” and he’s said he would extradite a California doctor to Louisiana, which is indicting out-of-state doctors for prescribing and mailing abortion pills.
He’s also vowed to repeal wind and solar subsidies, and to support developing California’s oil and gas reserves. “I would take action on Day One through appointments and executive orders,” he said on KPBS radio. (Does that sound familiar?)
He is “100%” supportive of cooperating with ICE, according to an interview he gave to CBS News.
And he promises to work hand-in-hand with the Trump administration on issues like energy, immigration, forest management and anti-fraud enforcement.
“It will benefit every Californian to have a governor who is a partner on these issues with the president,” he said during a candidates forum in San Francisco.
So let’s put this in perspective. The street taco faux pas is small potatoes compared to everything else on Hilton’s plate.
To avoid having a West Coast version of Ron DeSantis or Greg Abbott as our next governor, it’s time to serve up the truth about Steve Hilton: He is not right for California.
This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
