Ballots for the June 2 primary are out and cost of living issues are top of mind. So we grilled the candidates for governor with your questions on how they plan to get costs down.

Here's how the three who responded said they'd tackle utility costs and gas prices, which have both skyrocketed this year.

Q: What specific steps would you take to lower gas prices in California?

Businessman Tom Steyer (Democrat): Big Oil is holding California hostage, manufacturing supply shortages and rigging gas prices at the expense of working families.

• As governor, I'll use the state's existing executive authority to establish a hard legal ceiling on exactly how much profit refineries are allowed to make off a gallon of gas.
• I'll also work with the attorney general to launch an official investigation as to why Californians are charged more compared to the rest of the country.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan (Democrat): I would focus on immediate relief and long-term affordability. First, I am the only Democrat calling to suspend the state gas tax during price spikes to give families real short-term relief.

• I would then reform how we fund road maintenance, so the burden does not fall disproportionately on working people and rural communities who have fewer transit options.
• EV owners, who are disproportionately higher-income, should pay their fair share for the roads they use too.

Political commentator Steve Hilton (Republican): First of all, we need to stop our dependence on foreign oil when we have abundant reserves right here in California, sending a nice clean pipeline to the refiners of the coast.

• We also can reduce some of the overregulation on our refineries. We can reduce the cost through the cap and invest systems program, basically a tax on energy.
• And I would also like to see a suspension of the gas tax, at least while we've got elevated prices due to the war in the Middle East.

Context: Axios also reached out to Xavier Becerra, Chad Bianco, Katie Porter, Tony Thurmond and Antonio Villaraigosa but did not get a response.

What they're saying about lowering electricity bills

San Diego FC spends nearly $24.4 million on compensation for its players, according to the Major League Soccer Players Association's latest salary guide.

• But that total is less than what the league's top-paid player brings in.

Stunning stat: Inter Miami's Lionel Messi is getting a whopping $28.3 million in guaranteed compensation during the 2026 season, per the new guide released yesterday.

Zoom in: San Diego's top-paid player is Chucky Lozano, who makes more than $9.3 million — the fourth highest salary in the league.

• Lozano hasn't taken the field for SDFC this season, and the coaching staff has no plans to change that, as the club announced in January it was parting ways with its first superstar and was looking to trade him.
• Lozano is still on the roster, but some fans aren't happy that he's not playing or training with the team.

🌟 Meanwhile, SDFC star forward Anders Dreyer's performance suggests the club's $3.56 million annual investment in him is paying off.

• Dreyer was the 2025 MLS Newcomer of the Year and an MLS All-Star, and he recently became the second fastest player in MLS history to record 20 goals and 20 assists.

💸 SDFC newcomer Lewis Morgan and forward Marcus Ingvartsen, SDFC's current leading goal-scorer, are next on the list.

• They each make about $1.8 million.

SDFC's next home games

👑 The Baby Grand, CH Project's latest maximalist hotel that's dripping in glitz and glam, opens today in Coronado with private lagoons, a hidden oyster and champagne bar, and Greek restaurant. (LA Times)

🗑️ Our trash fee fight is headed to trial, with attorneys arguing the city may have sidestepped state law while pushing through the fee. The case could bring the city another big budget woe. (Union-Tribune)

💰 State and county officials have given millions in tax breaks to an Imperial Valley nonprofit that owns the Imperial Regional Detention Facility. (KPBS)

🌊 Plans for a Sunset Cliffs seawall are meant to control erosion along the collapsing bluff. But some residents pushed back because of the cost, aesthetics and whether the wall just delays the inevitable. (Times of San Diego)

🚆 Coastal rail service will be shut down again this weekend while crews work on stabilizing the Del Mar bluffs. (UT)

Meet Tiga, another pup in our ongoing series on San Diego pets.

The big picture: She made it here all the way from Iran and now lives her best life with reader Glenn M., who sent in her story.

Back story: In 2019, Munlawin went to the annual Grossmont Pet Adoption Day and visited a shelter that had dogs rescued from Iran.

• "At first, we did not find a match among the pups they had available, but after talking to the woman running the shelter, she presented Tiga to us, and we quickly fell in love," he told Axios.
• Tiga was 2 when she was adopted, and she has grown into a healthy San Diego girl.

"Now she's living her best life with our new pup, Sweetie, also a shelter dog, from Tijuana," Munlawin said.

Fast forward: Since the Iran war started, Munlawin said he thinks often about the dogs there, along with Tiga's original owners. He hopes they're OK.

📸 Got a pet that deserves the spotlight? Hit reply and send us their name, some cute pics and what they most like and dislike. They might just become our next featured star!

The day you've been waiting for all week has finally arrived.

• It's time to vote in the Best Merch Championships.

Help us crown the champion between the Zoo and OB People's Co-Op.

Vote here!