Capitol Weekly Podcast

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s conference COVERING CALIFORNIA: The Future of Journalism in the Golden State, which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, May 30, 2024. This is the Keynote address from Senator Steve Glazer. Introduction by Rich Ehisen, Capitol Weekly Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation...

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s conference COVERING CALIFORNIA: The Future of Journalism in the Golden State, which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, May 30, 2024. This is Panel 1: A Crisis in Local News. Panelists: Danielle Bergstrom, Fresnoland; Larry Lee, The Sacramento Observer; Colleen McCain Nelson, Sacramento Bee; Christa Scharfenbe...

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s conference COVERING CALIFORNIA: The Future of Journalism in the Golden State, which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, May 30, 2024. This is PANEL 2 – THE BUSINESS OF JOURNALISM, REDEFINING THE MODEL Panelists: Senator Nancy Skinner; Chris Argentieri, Los Angeles Times; Neil Chase, Calmatters; Steve Stuck, Ur...

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s conference COVERING CALIFORNIA: The Future of Journalism in the Golden State, which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, May 30, 2024. This is PANEL 3 – COVERING THE CAPITOL Panelists: Lara Korte, Politico; Greg Lucas, California State Librarian; Cynthia Moreno, Press Secretary for Speaker Robert Rivas; John My...

While California is often seen as being on the forefront of Progressive legislation, the state's main anti-trust law, The Cartwright Act, dates back to the Roosevelt era - the TEDDY Roosevelt era, that is - 1907, to be exact. The Cartwright Act is often invoked in tandem with the federal anti-trust statute, The Sherman Act of 1890, but in fact, the federal law has stricter proscriptions against mo...

Crime has been a big issue in California in recent years, and we have seen a significant number of high profile bills dealing with issues like fentanyl, human trafficking and organized retail theft in recent years. While legislation out of Sacramento may help with some Public Safetly issues, recruitment and retention problems plague many Law enforcement agencies in the state. And, no wonder - desp...

Robb Korinke is a Long Beach, California-based political consultant, specializing in candidate and ballot measure campaigns. He is also the co-founder (with Mike Madrid) of GrassrootsLab, and co-publisher of several local politics-focused publications, including CaliforniaCityNews.org, CaliforniaCountyNews.org. He has also recently joined the California Target Book as a co-editor. With those bonaf...

Nationwide, over half of all high school students are required to take a course on personal finance to graduate. In California, it's just 1%. A ballot initiative proposed for the November ballot would change that. The California Personal Finance Education Initiative is a statewide ballot measure that would require "essential personal finance education" for every California high school student. Bac...

Last month, as California prepared to roll out a new $20 minimum wage for fast food workers, attention on an exemption for restaurants that bake their own bread surprised many, including both the bill's author, Asm. Chris Holden, and Gov. Newsom. "Paneragate" (named for the restaurant chain that some claimed would benefit from the exemption - note that both the governor and the franchisee dispute...

Longtime poverty fighter Jess Bartholow surprised many when she left her longtime gig with the Western Center on Law and Poverty in 2020 to become East Bay Senator Nancy Skinner's Chief of Staff. The move made sense: Skinner has long been an outspoken advocate for California's poor, and was a personal inspiration for Bartholow. But with the senator terming out at the end of this year, Bartholow re...

We're joined today by longtime journalist, and co-founder of CalMatters, David Lesher. Last year David stepped down as editor-in-chief to direct a new project at CalMatters: Digital Democracy. Using the latest technology, including AI, Digital Democracy will gather a tremendous amount of data from California's state government: "every word uttered in public hearings, every dollar given to a politi...

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Crime which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, March 21, 2024 This is PANEL 3 – THE LEGACY AND FUTURE OF PROP. 47 Panelists: Asm. Kevin McCarty; Lenore Anderson, Alliance for Safety and Justice; Marc Beaart, Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office; Sheriff Jim Cooper Moderated by Emily Hoeven, Sa...

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Crime which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, March 21, 2024 This is PANEL 2 – THE FENTANYL CRISIS Panelists: Sen. Dave Cortese; Sen. Kelly Seyarto; Gretchen Burns Bergman,Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing; Lt. Diane Goldstein (Ret.), Law Enforcement Action Partnership Moderated by Ashl...

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Crime which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, March 21, 2024 This is PANEL 1 – RETAIL THEFT Panelists: Asm. Rick Zbur; Eric Brown, Office of Governor Newsom; Cristine Soto DeBerry, Prosecutors Alliance; Rachel Michelin, California Retailers Association Moderated by Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Be...

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Crime which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, March 21, 2024 This is the KEYNOTE – SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY BROOKE JENKINS Introduction by Rich Ehisen, Capitol Weekly Find a full transcript here: https://capitolweekly.net/special-episode-a-conference-on-crime-keynote-brooke-jenkins/ Want...

Our guest today, Larissa May, has become one of the leading voices in California and across the country in the quest for young people to have a healthier relationship with social media and the digital world in general. May came to this work through her own traumatic experiences as a young person overwhelmed by social media. Mays is the founder of #halfthestory, which works with schools, state and...

California has set ambitious climate goals, including phasing out the use of fossil fuels and becoming carbon neutral by 2045. Our guest today is here to talk about the role nature can play in meeting those goals.  Laurie Wayburn is the co-founder and president of the Pacific Forest Trust and the chair of the California Natural and Working Lands Expert Advisory Committee. She was also the lead aut...

Our guest today is Assembly Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon . Rendon joined us for a fascinating conversation that looked back over his seven year tenure as Speaker, through some of the most turbulent times in the state's history, and forward, as he outlined his goals for the remainder of his time in office. In an in-depth and roaming conversation that ranged from the Water Bond to Waiting for God...

Everyone's favorite California politics data guru Paul Mitchell joins us to talk about California's March 5 Primary. With the Presidential primaries all but wrapped, what was expected to be a high-stakes, high profile March election appears to generating yawns from CA voters. Based on the pace of returned ballots, experts are predicting a historically low turnout: What does that mean for the four...

Michael Weinstein is the president of the LA-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a sprawling international nonprofit with the stated mission of providing its 1.5 million global clients with “cutting-edge medicine and advocacy regardless of ability to pay.” Weinstein is also the driving force behind several statewide ballot measures, including two previously failed attempts to implement statewide ren...

Our guest today is one of the most accomplished figures in recent California political history. The first person in 150 years to lead both chambers of the Legislature, as well as being the first woman - and the first openly LGBTQ  woman - to do so at all. If she succeeds in her latest political quest, she would become California's first woman Governor. Of course we are talking about Sen. pro Tem E...

Our guest today is Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, a longtime advocate for increased availability of mental healthcare. While a member of the state Assembly Steinberg authored Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, which has generated millions for mental healthcare in California. Steinberg was elected to the Senate in 2006 and became Pro Tem in 2008.  In 2015 he launched The Steinberg...

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Over the course of several Capitol Weekly stories this month, reporter Brian Joseph explores the nuances of this horrific crime, its cultural influences and possible reform options. He joined us today to talk about "The Life", the intersection of Pimp culture and Pop culture, Sen. Shannon Grove's SB 14, one of last year’s most controversial b...

We are joined today by communications expert Nathan Click of Click Strategies. Click serves as a political advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom and led communications efforts in the Governor's successful campaign against the Recall; he is also active in ballot campaigns. He has previously served as the governor's Communications Director, worked on Sen. Hirono's staff in DC and on then-Attorney General Kam...

Veteran California political data expert Paul Mitchell joins us to talk about his recent CA120 column examining shifting behavior by California's Latino and Asian voters. Turns out that Asian voters are becoming more Democratic while Latinos move slightly toward the GOP. We also look at California's confusing Presidential Primary ballot, and the recent Berkeley IGS Poll that found Rep. Barbara Lee...