PRESS RELEASE
Wethepeople.team Hosts First Gubernatorial Town Hall to Champion the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) Movement in California
LOS ANGELES, CA — Wethepeople.team, a leading bipartisan advocacy group dedicated to health freedom and government transparency, successfully hosted a historic Gubernatorial Town Hall centered on the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement, available on Rumble via social media platform Pickax. The event brought together leading candidates for California Governor to discuss the urgent need to overhaul the state’s approach to public health, food safety, and medical freedom.
Leading candidates Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton, and challengers Leo Zacky and Lewis Herms participated, with Hilton remarking that “the MAHA Agenda is one of the crucial ways we can win this year.”
The town hall served as a pivotal moment in the 2026 race, signaling that the MAHA platform — which prioritizes the elimination of chronic disease, the removal of toxins from the food supply, and the protection of informed consent — has moved from the fringes to the center of the political stage in California, as evidenced by a recent poll by Politico.
Candidates responded to questions from MAHA influencers, doctors, and everyday Californians. Russell Brand posed a pointed question on vaccine mandates for school children, and Rob Schneider provided some comic relief during his question on medical freedom and children’s health.
Sheriff Chad Bianco shared a personal story of how he and his wife used food as medicine to overcome cancer. He also shared his perspective on the causes of chronic disease, “this goes directly back to food, it goes directly back to pesticides, it goes directly back to the chemicals, the vaccines, all of those things.”
Steve Hilton acknowledged the “tyranny” Californians suffered during the COVID era. And all of the candidates aligned on a desire to feed healthier foods to children in schools, and reduce dependence on pesticide laden farming practices.
Wethepeople.team is made up of former Team Kennedy for President California volunteers — born in August 2023 to support Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Presidential bid — and grew to a team of thousands to support Secretary Kennedy’s successful nomination as Head of HHS.
"California is at a breaking point," said Laura Jones of Wethepeople.team "California's children are facing unprecedented rates of chronic illness, and our regulatory agencies have prioritized corporate interests over public well-being. This town hall was about reclaiming our health and ensuring that the next Governor of California makes the MAHA agenda a key mandate."
The discussion highlighted several key pillars of the MAHA movement, including the reform of agricultural practices to reduce pesticide exposure, the protection of the doctor-patient and parent-child relationship from government overreach, and the critical need for transparency regarding pharmaceutical products. California grows half the nation’s fruits and vegetables – which means its pesticide and agricultural policies don’t just shape Caifornia’s future, they shape America’s food supply.
A central theme of the evening was the restoration of public trust through honest discourse on medical interventions. One of the most significant moments of the town hall involved a deep dive into the current state of vaccine policy. Pickax CEO and host of the townhall, Jeff Dornik, emphasized that a true MAHA-aligned leader must address the complexities of modern immunology with total transparency.
Dr. Joel Warsh, a pediatrician in Los Angeles, weighed in. “I’m Dr. Joel Warsh, a pediatrician in Los Angeles, and I care deeply about the health of our children. What I’m seeing is alarming — nearly 50% of kids are living with a chronic disease, and California has some of the highest autism rates anywhere, now approaching 1 in 12.5 boys. This is central to the MAHA agenda, but it should be a bipartisan priority. Will you make addressing autism and childhood chronic disease a top state priority, and what specific, measurable actions will you take to identify root causes and reverse these trends—not just manage them?"
Dr. Warsh later stated, “As a pediatrician practicing in Los Angeles, it meant a lot to have this question elevated to a statewide conversation. I see the reality of rising chronic disease and neurodevelopmental challenges every single day in my clinic—this isn’t abstract, it’s personal for families," said Dr. Warsh. "For a long time, the governor’s race hasn’t really centered children’s health in a meaningful way, so having that moment felt like a shift toward acknowledging what many of us on the ground have been seeing for years."
He continued: "What stood out to me is that this isn’t a partisan issue—it’s a children’s health issue. Whether you call it part of the MAHA agenda or not, addressing chronic disease and autism should be something everyone can agree on. My hope is that moments like this help move the conversation from debate to action—looking seriously at root causes and prevention, not just managing symptoms. We talk a lot about managing disease, but far less about why it’s happening in the first place. If this becomes part of the political dialogue, that’s a meaningful step forward. Now we’ll see what leaders actually do with it."
"Having worked on the front lines of the Kennedy campaign, I’ve seen firsthand that a movement isn't built in a boardroom — it's built on the ground by passionate people who refuse to accept the status quo,” said Emma Post, a former senior staffer on the RFK Jr. for President Campaign and the former Press Secretary for MAHA Action and MAHA Alliance. “The MAHA movement in California is no different. The volunteers driving this grassroots effort are the backbone of the fight for safe food, a clean environment, and health freedom.”
As the 2026 gubernatorial election approaches, Wethepeople.team remains committed to elevating candidates who prioritize preventive healthcare. The grassroots group believes that the health of the citizens is the foundation of a prosperous state and that the MAHA movement is the only path forward to ensure a vibrant future for all Californians.
MEDIA INQUIRIES TO: Laura Jones 949 771 5978 wethepeople.team.ca@gmail.com or Emma Post emma@emmaypost.com