Political Breakdown

State Senator Tom Umberg from Orange County is a retired Army colonel, a former federal prosecutor and he once served as a deputy drug czar under President Bill Clinton. He’s known for his pragmatism, his ability to reach across the aisle and now, in his position of senate judiciary committee chair, as a gatekeeper of artificial intelligence regulations being proposed in Sacramento. Sen. Umberg jo...

Despite bumps in the road, literally and politically, driverless cars and trucks continue expanding their reach even as critics – including organized labor, regulators and some local governments – say “not so fast.” KQED Transportation Editor Dan Brekke to joins Political Breakdown to talk about several bills being heard in Sacramento that aim to regulating the autonomous vehicle industry. That pl...

Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion access up to the states, extreme legal decisions and abortion restrictions from Florida to Arizona have mobilized women and supporters of abortion access. Heidi Sieck, co-founder of #VOTEPROCHOICE, joins Scott and Marisa to discuss the changed political landscape and how it's impacting the 2024 election. Learn more about your a...

After the U.S. Supreme Court decimated much of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, casting a ballot has become harder, not easier, in many states. Limits on how and where to vote, gerrymandered voting districts that diminish the power of voters of color, challenges to vote-by-mail laws and former President Donald Trump's lies that legitimate election results were not valid all contribute to the problem...

The name Willie Brown is synonymous with power politics in California. He became the first Black Speaker of the State Assembly in 1980 and held the job for a record 14 years, often with help from Republicans. After term limits forced him to leave the legislature, he ran for mayor of San Francisco, serving 8 years in that job. Scott and Marisa sit down with Brown in his San Francisco office to disc...

Jessica Bartholow has worked behind the scenes at the state capitol for years. She’s known for her fierce anti-poverty advocacy and budget expertise, as a lobbyist and more recently as Chief of Staff to East Bay State Senator Nancy Skinner. Bartholow now works for SEIU, the state's largest and most powerful union. She joins Scott and Guy to talk about the revolving roles she's played inside and ou...

Why are voters of color shifting toward Republicans, including Donald Trump? Black, Latino and Asian American voters have long been solid Democratic Party voters, but polls and voting trends show that is changing. Scott talks about why and how the trend might affect the 2024 elections with Brakkton Booker, a national political correspondent for POLITICO where he covers the intersection of race, po...

Sneha Revanur is quickly establishing herself as the leading Gen Z voice on generative AI. In 2020, at the age of 15, the San José native founded Encode Justice, a youth-led group pushing policymakers and AI companies to put people at the center of the AI revolution. Plus, a package of bills introduced Tuesday in Sacramento aims to target large scale retail theft operations. KQED's Guy Marzorati j...

San Francisco has long been a beacon for liberal politics and social causes. But lately a steady diet of viral videos of car break-ins and smash-and-grabs have put the city on something of a mid-course correction. Plus, the recalls of progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin and three members of the San Francisco school board, and the recent passage of measures bolstering police powers and requi...

The race for mayor of San Francisco gets a new heavyweight contender as Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin throws his hat into the ring. Peskin is the most prominent progressive challenging incumbent Mayor London Breed. Scott and Marisa are joined by KQED politics reporter Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez to talk about the San Francisco mayor's race.  Plus, in the race to replace retiring Congres...

Summer travel season is approaching, but after months of headlines about safety issues on airplanes, some travelers may be questioning whether air travel is the best bet. Marisa and Scott are joined by East Bay Congressman Mark DeSaulnier who has some thoughts on the matter after years of digging into aviation safety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yesterday, Gov. Gavin Newsom surveyed the Sierra snowpack and outlined a new state water plan focused on climate change. Scott and KQED climate reporter Ezra David Romero are joined by California's former top water regulator Felicia Marcus. As the state’s top water czar, she navigated severe droughts, balancing demands for scare water by cities, farms, businesses and homeowners.  Learn more about...

After two years of work examining the legacy of slavery and racism, the California Legislative Black Caucus is prioritizing 14 bills aimed at addressing past wrongs. The bills range from ending involuntary servitude in prison to banning discrimination based on hair styles and a formal apology for the damage done by California’s role in supporting slavery before the Civil War. But one thing that's...

Fewer people are being held in county jails across California than a decade ago, and yet record numbers of incarcerated people are dying while in custody. Among the leading causes of death are drug overdoses and suicide. Scott talks with CalMatters reporter Nigel Duara, who spent the last nine months looking at the roots of these increased deaths in county jails and what's being done to address it...

As California grapples with how to reduce homelessness, Marisa and Guy sit down with Governor Gavin Newsom’s top housing official. Tomiquia Moss spent her career trying to chip away at the state's homelessness crisis, starting as a social worker in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood to now, as the Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.  Learn more about your ad choic...

The Supreme Court took up abortion access this week for the first time since overturning Roe v. Wade two years ago. This time, they're considering whether to restrict access to abortion pill mifepristone. Marisa talks with POLITICO health care reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein about what the conservative-led court might do.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his running mate in Oakland today: Silicon Valley lawyer Nicole Shanahan. Guy and Marisa talk about what the Oakland native brings to a presidential ticket that's adding a wild card to the 2024 race for the White House.  Plus, can California Democrats find a way to transition to clean energy while promoting equity and affordability...

How can young Californians prepare for today’s turbulent economy? Supporters of personal finance education say a mandatory class in pocketbook economics is the answer. Guy Marzorati talks with Tim Ranzetta, co-founder of Next Gen Personal Finance, who's pushing to place a personal finance measure on the November ballot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republican Senate candidate Steve Garvey owes at least $350,000 in back taxes. Plus, Gov. Gavin Newsom calls for a ceasefire and former Mayor of San Francisco Willie L. Brown Jr. celebrates his 90th birthday. Scott, Marisa and Guy talk about all that and other top political stories from the week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than two weeks after the primary election, Gov. Gavin Newsom's ballot measure to build housing and mental health treatment beds for Californians experiencing homelessness was narrowly approved by voters. Marisa, Scott and Guy talk about why it was such a close margin.  Plus, Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna is a progressive stalwart who’s not afraid to take on his own party, but he’s all...

Behind the negative attack ads on candidates that we see on TV and social media is what’s known as opposition research — basically, digging up dirt on your opponent.  Scott talks to campaign consultant Eric Jaye about how opposition research has changed in recent years and whether it still matters to voters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After House lawmakers passed bipartisan legislation to force China to sell TikTok or face a ban in the U.S., the Senate seems to be putting the bill on a slower track. What would a ban mean for the economy and how could it affect tech companies in Silicon Valley?  Scott is joined by Wall Street Journal reporter Stu Woo to talk about the coming legal battle between national security interests and F...

In 2020, Oregon voters passed a first-in-the-nation law to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs, including heroin and fentanyl. The idea behind Measure 110 was that the criminal justice system was not the place to steer people away from drugs and deal with a user's addiction. But now, Measure 110 is widely blamed for the spike in overdose deaths in Oregon and a worsening homeless...

The March primary signaled a shift toward the middle of the political spectrum, as San Francisco voters approved Mayor London Breed’s measures to empower the SF police and screen public assistance recipients for drugs. Scott is joined by Marisa and KQED's Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez to talk about what this means for public safety and the San Francisco mayor's race, where Breed faces a growing field o...

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas is coming up on one year as leader of the lower house. Rivas joins Marisa and Scott to talk about what he's learned and his priorities as the state faces a budget deficit.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices