Capitol Weekly Podcast

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Women’s Health which was held on Thursday, September 28, 2023  This is Panel 3 – Women in the Health Care Workforce California faces a significant shortfall of healthcare staffing: nursing vacancy rates among local hospitals are over 30%. And the need for home healthcare workers is predicted to e...

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Women’s Health which was held on Thursday, September 28, 2023 This is The Keynote– SEN. BARBARA BOXER in conversation with JODI HICKS of Planned Parenthood Introduced by Rich Ehisen of Capitol Weekly 38:06 Worst Week in California Politics A full transcript of this discussion may be found at: htt...

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Women’s Health which was held on Thursday, September 28, 2023 This is Panel 2 – HEALTH EQUITY Women of color, rural women and women in poverty have less access to healthcare – and worse outcomes. What – if anything – is being done to lessen these disparities and make the state’s healthcare system...

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Women’s Health which was held on Thursday, September 28, 2023 This is Panel 1 – REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH The reversal of Roe vs. Wade has created turmoil and uncertainty in reproductive care. In 2022, voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 1, adding the right to choose into the California Constitu...

It wasn't long ago that the idea of chefs moonlighting as political advocates - and finding a willing audience of elected officials - might have seemed ludicrous. Now, celebrity chefs and a fascination with food culture has changed all that.  Many chefs are dedicated activists for causes like hunger relief efforts, supporting local farmers, fighting food waste, confronting racism and sexism in the...

The California Republican Party Convention kicks off Friday in Anaheim with a luncheon featuring former president and current GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. While Trump is likely to get the lion's share of the attention, other prominent GOP candidates including Sen. Tim Scott, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy will also be on hand throughout the weekend. California boas...

Viviana Becerra was one of the new names this year on Capitol Weekly's annual Top 100 List. As Chief of Staff to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, she oversees the Office of Communications, Office of Native American Affairs, Office of External Affairs, Community Awareness, Response, and Engagement Team, and the Office of Legislative Affairs. While Becerra may be new to the list, she is alread...

This episode we welcome friend of the podcast Chris Micheli to talk about his two new books about the legislative process: Handbook on California's Legislative Process and Handbook on Legislative Drafting in California . Micheli will be a familiar name to Capitol Weekly readers; his Micheli Files column, in which he explains - in plain language - nuances of the California legislative process, is a...

Since it's Labor Day we're just doing a quick Worst Week - back to our regular episodes next week! Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/ Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang "#WorstWeekCA" Beat provided by freebeats.io Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information ab...

Last week, 'Keep It A Secret,' a documentary that tells the story of the pioneers of surfing in Ireland, premiered on Irish television following a spate of film festival appearances. If the reviews are any indication, the film is headed for success: Ed Powers of The Irish Times raved, writing, "[The] broadcaster should urgently commission a drama based on the wonderful Keep It a Secret..." This is...

Each year, Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 names the most powerful movers and shakers in California politics. We don’t include elected officials. Instead, we look at those who devote their professional lives to fighting for – or against – issues of state politics and policy, including lobbyists, bureaucrats, activists, trade group leaders, Capitol staffers and even journalists. Last week we published the...

We are joined today by Robin Swanson, a political strategist and communications expert with more than 25 years of political experience in both DC and Sacramento. She is also the co-founder and president of #WinLikeaGirl, a bipartisan group that spotlights the often unrecognized achievements of women who work in politics. Swanson shares the #WinLikeaGirl origin story, talks about the reluctance of...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis agreed this week to a debate - an odd turn of events given that DeSantis is a presidential candidate, and Newsom is not. If the two are not running for the same office, they are both attempting to win the hearts and minds of American voters. But, is this the way to do it?   We asked longtime Democratic strategist Garry South to weigh in on...

Today we welcome CalMatters' new editor in chief, Kristen Go, who joined the newsroom at the very end of May. Go has big shoes to fill: founding editor Dave Lesher took the organization from fledgling start up to public media behemoth in eight short years; now CalMatters is seen by many as the 800 pound gorilla of California political news. (Does that make Capitol Weekly the chimp? Nevermind.) Go...

Sacramento political communications expert Roger Salazar has deep roots in Democratic politics: he was the press secretary for Governor Gray Davis and, deputy press secretary for Vice President Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, and assistant press secretary in the Office of President Bill Clinton from 1995 to 1999. But Salazar has even deeper roots in the off-roading/Jeeper community: The earl...

Prior to his appointment as California State Librarian in 2014, Greg Lucas was a longtime journalist, covering California politics for The Los Angeles Daily Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle and even Capitol Weekly. Much of his 20 year run at The Chron was spent in or around the Capitol, covering the legislature or the Governor, or kibitzing with other reporters. Oh, how things have changed. If...

Staffers, journalists and even lobbyists can get confused trying to understand the very specific processes and deadlines guiding the signing - or veto - of a bill, by the Governor. How long does the Governor have to sign or veto a bill? Does the 12 day timeline include weekends and holidays? When does the 30-day timeline start? And what happens when the Legislature adjourns? Our guest today answer...

Facing the first deficit in a decade, legislators finished hammering out a Budget deal with the governor this week. While the final document (as it stands now, trailer bills and tweaks notwithstanding) does not feature the catastrophic cuts some had feared, funding for some of Gov. Newsom's high priority projects did see reductions, including funds aimed at reducing homelessness and supporting the...

The California Legislature currently has the highest proportion of women in the state's history: 50 of 120 legislators are women. While that percentage is impressive compared to the paltry 27 women in the California legislature after the 2016 election, it pales in comparison to some other states, including neighboring Nevada, in which women make up the majority of legislators in both houses. Susan...

On May 19, Governor Newsom offered a series of proposals to revise the California Environmental Quality Act ( CEQA). The 1970 law was intended to limit unintended consequences of development, but has increasingly been used to slow or derail environmentally-positive projects ranging from infill development to solar installations. Reforming CEQA has long been a priority in Sacramento, and Newsom's p...

On Thursday, May 25, Capitol Weekly presented a conference examining California’s climate goals – specifically the plan to move beyond gas-powered vehicles. This episode was recorded live at ROADMAP 2035: Cars, Carbon and Climate Change – How Do We Meet California’s Zero Emissions Goals? on Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Sacramento. This episode presents Panel 3 - The Future vs. The Past: The Impact o...

On Thursday, May 25, Capitol Weekly presented a conference examining California’s climate goals – specifically the plan to move beyond gas-powered vehicles. This episode was recorded live at ROADMAP 2035: Cars, Carbon and Climate Change – How Do We Meet California’s Zero Emissions Goals? on Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Sacramento. This episode presents the Keynote, with California Public Utilities C...

On Thursday, May 25, Capitol Weekly presented a conference examining California’s climate goals – specifically the plan to move beyond gas-powered vehicles. This episode was recorded live at ROADMAP 2035: Cars, Carbon and Climate Change – How Do We Meet California’s Zero Emissions Goals? on Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Sacramento. This episode presents Panel 2 - What Now: Timelines and Implementatio...

On Thursday, May 25, Capitol Weekly presented a conference examining California’s climate goals – specifically the plan to move beyond gas-powered vehicles. This episode was recorded live at ROADMAP 2035: Cars, Carbon and Climate Change – How Do We Meet California’s Zero Emissions Goals? on Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Sacramento. This episode presents Panel 1 - The Technology: How We Get There. By...

Got a two-fer this week: First we speak with Rhonda Smith , the Executive Director of the California Black Health Network. We spoke with Smith about the state of Black health in California, including a look at how the Fentanyl crisis is impacting the Black community. Next up, we bring you an expanded "Suspense File" edition of our Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics feature. We were join...