Capitol Weekly Podcast

Last year, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors passed a law that criminalized spectating at the sideshows — the wildly dangerous illegal stunt driving exhibitions that have plagued Oakland and other cities for decades.  The move comes as local jurisdictions attempt to curtail the outlaw events that have real costs: damage to infrastructure, injuries to participants and spectators, and increasi...

In September 1933, in the depths of the Depression, Dr. Francis Townsend wrote a letter to his local newspaper, the Long Beach Press-Telegram. He had an idea that would end the Depression and alleviate the endemic poverty for the nation's elderly. His plan was simple: the Federal Government should give each American 60 years and older a pension of $200 a month (equivalent to about $4700 today) - w...

With election day less than three months away, jobs and the economy are under close scrutiny. California's unemployment rate is 5.2%; up from 4.7% one year ago, and one of the highest in the nation. And, what jobs are out there often pay poorly and have limited opportunities for advancement. Our guest today, Lisa Countryman-Quiroz is the CEO of Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) - a San Francisco non...

Last week we talked about this year's Top 100 list... In this episode, we're starting off with a confession: Mistakes were made. One of the hallmarks of The Top 100 is that the contents of the list are very tightly held until the moment of publication. That secrecy creates various logistical problems, not the least of which is proofreading. Only a handful of people, most of whom work in the Capito...

Last night we published the 16th edition of Capitol Weekly's Top 100 - our annual analysis of the unelected political power structure in California. We look at the mostly behind the scenes players who influence policy, elections and governance, including Capitol staff, lobbyists, Agency staff, donors, business leaders, activists, Labor leaders - and even journalists. Hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Fost...

We'll be releasing a special episode on Wednesday morning to talk about the 2024 Capitol Weekly Top 100, which will publish Tuesday night.... in the meantime we've got a very short episode with Who Had the Worst Week in Callifornia Politics, and talking about a Big Change coming to the Top 100 this year: The Top 100 Hall of Fame!   The Top 100 Hall of Fame will honor those who have had an illustri...

Last year Chris Hannan was named President of the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, which represents nearly half a million members in the construction trades. Hannan had earlier served as the Executive Secretary of the Los Angeles and Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council. SBCTC is one of the biggest players in California labor politics, particularly...

We recorded this episode coming out of the most intense 8 days in American politics in a generation. A week and a day after an assassination attempt nearly felled former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden announced that he was abandoning his bid for reelection, and endorsing his Vice President, Kamala Harris. Political data expert Paul Mitchell has been polling Biden's support in Californ...

Today we introduce a new series of interviews with the 2026 California gubernatorial candidates. First up,  California gubernatorial candidate Betty Yee!   Yee boasts two decades of public service, beginning with a stint on the Board of Equalization and followed by two terms as California State Controller (2015-2023). She is he tenth woman to be elected to statewide office in California. She has a...

Today we welcome Christy Smith, the former Democratic Assemblymember for California’s 38th Assembly District. Smith also ran three times for Congress, holding the record as the best performing Democratic candidate for the 25th/27th Congressional district, but ultimately losing those races to Republican Mike Garcia - once by less than 350 votes.   Today she is the Executive Director for Emerge Cali...

We're joined today by two guests: first up, Anthony Wright, the longtime Executive Director at Health Access California, who will be leaving soon to take a new position as Executive Director at Families USA in DC. He spoke with us about the new job and his most memorable moments in Sacramento. We also welcome redistricting expert, campaign strategist, and former mayor of Winters, Matt Rexroad, who...

Longtime GOP strategist and expert on Latino voting trends Mike Madrid joins us to talk about his new book, The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy. Madrid served as the political director for the California Republican Party, and has been senior adviser to both Democrats and Republicans. He is perhaps best known as a cofounder of The Lincoln Project. Madrid wil...

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...