Political Breakdown

The American West used to be Republican territory. But in recent years, Democrats have gained ground in formerly red states like Arizona, Nevada and Colorado. Marisa and Scott chat with LA Times political columnist Mark Z. Barabak about his series "The New West" and how this political shift transpired.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott talks to CalMatters reporter Sameea Kamal about the state's $68 billion budget deficit and the petition from Capitol staffers calling for a permanent cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas. Plus, as the death toll in that war continues growing in the Middle East, a very different kind of toll is being felt at elite universities. Scott dives into how the war is roiling campuses across...

California is losing another high-profile power broker now that Kevin McCarthy has announced he is resigning from Congress at the end of the year. What does this mean for his hometown of Bakersfield and the half dozen vulnerable Republicans running for reelection in California? Scott is joined by KVPR's Joshua Yeager, Republican political consultant Mike Madrid and Washington correspondent for the...

Utility companies are bracing for a future affected by climate change and evolving energy markets. Marisa and Scott are joined by Patti Poppe, the CEO of PG&E. Poppe has been trying to navigate these challenges and more since her tenure started in 2021, after the company emerged from bankruptcy for the second time in two decades.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a special Tuesday edition of Political Breakdown, Scott Shafer and veteran political journalist Carla Marinucci give us the state of play in American politics. Then, they’re joined by KQED transportation reporter Dan Brekke to talk about whether public transit in the state is facing an existential crisis. Plus: Tune in to find out who’s already ordered their BART ugly holiday sweater. Learn mor...

What's up with Governor Gavin Newsom debating a presidential candidate? Marisa and Scott break down Newsom's motivations for going head-to-head with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tonight. Then, KQED science reporter Danielle Venton joins to dig into the home insurance crisis in California, brought on by a changing climate and the resulting natural disasters.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

Scott and Marisa revisit a pair of conversations about politics and family, with California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and political strategist Dane Strother.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa are joined by KQED’s Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez to talk about the trial and verdict in the case of David DePape, who is accused of attacking Paul Pelosi with the hammer. Then, KQED politics and government correspondent Guy Marzorati joins to talk about protestors shutting down the Bay Bridge, Biden’s successful meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Guy’s weekend plans: cover...

Scott and Marisa discuss the role of abortion in Tuesday's elections in Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia. Then, Eric Early, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, joins to discuss his background in the entertainment industry, why he joined striking actors on the picket line, why he believes former president Donald Trump's false claims about the 2020 election and how he would vote on abortion in the Se...

Marisa and Scott talk to San Francisco Chronicle politics reporter Sophia Bollag about covering Governor Gavin Newsom's trip to China. Then, former governor Jerry Brown joins to discuss Newsom's trip, U.S.-China relations, the upcoming APEC conference and his work at the California-China Climate Institute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa analyze Governor Gavin Newsom's trips to Israel and China and discuss a state review of San Francisco's housing approval process. Then, Tia Orr, executive director of SEIU California, joins to talk about her rise in the labor movement, wins for labor in this year's legislative session and the ballot measure fight she's focused on in 2024.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

Senator Laphonza Butler announces she won't run for a full term 2024. Scott and Marisa discuss the surprise announcement as well as Governor Gavin Newsom's trip to Israel and what the ongoing dysfunction in the House of Representatives means for vulnerable California Republicans. Then, in the second part of their conversation at KQED Live, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talks to Marisa and Scot...

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joins Scott and Marisa at KQED Live to talk about the Israel-Hamas war and the Republican scramble to find a new speaker of the House of Representatives.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott recap Dianne Feinstein's memorial service and hear Nancy Pelosi's memories of the former mayor and senator. Guy Marzorati joins to discuss Feinstein's legacy, California's new Senator Laphonza Butler and the choice facing Butler over whether to run for a full term.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senator Dianne Feinstein, a champion of gun control who broke glass ceilings for women in local, state and national politics, died Thursday night. Marisa and Scott revisit their 2018 conversation with Feinstein about her life and career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa discuss the Republican presidential primary debate in California and preview this weekend's GOP state party convention. Then, San José Mayor Matt Mahan joins to discuss his childhood in Watsonville, the career advice he got from Mark Zuckerberg and his efforts to build temporary housing for people experiencing homelessness in San José.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...

Marisa and Scott discuss the moves by Governor Gavin Newsom and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to shore up California's home insurance marketplace in the face of growing wildfire risk with Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy program at Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment. Then, KQED Labor Correspondent Farida Jhabvala Romero joins to talk about the wi...

On the last day of the legislative session, Scott and Marisa head to Sacramento and recap the most controversial bills heading to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk. Then, they talk about the governor's landmark reforms to mental health spending with Dana Williamson, Newsom's chief of staff and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. They discuss the history of the Mental Health Services Act, and share thei...

Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, talks to Marisa and Guy Marzorati about his uncle Jefferson Thomas and the Little Rock Nine, Proposition 47 and retail theft, his response to the fentanyl crisis, reparations for Black Californians, how he learned self-forgiveness and his "new journey" after a near-death experience.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony Thurmond, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, joins Marisa and Guy Marzorati to discuss the transgender reporting policies roiling local school districts. Thurmond also discusses the family members who helped him through childhood loss, his path to state office and education in California during the pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tax fights between business groups and the Democratic legislature intensify in Sacramento. Marisa and Guy Marzorati discuss the implications for 2024 and head to Turlock to talk with Republican Rep. John Duarte about his plant nursery business, why he split with the GOP caucus in recent votes on immigration and abortion and his thoughts on the Republican presidential primary. Learn more about your...

Marisa and Scott discuss the latest on Gov. Gavin Newsom's push for a U.S. constitutional amendment on gun safety and Sen. Dianne Feinstein's family legal battle. Then, former State Controller Betty Yee joins to discuss working at her parents' laundry business, the desegregation busing debate that sparked her political involvement, working as a budget advisor for Gov. Gray Davis, her vision for Ca...

City employees hit the picket lines in Los Angeles while government workers in San Jose plan to strike next week. Scott and Guy Marzorati discuss the politics of labor unrest at city halls and a new survey on voter participation in California. Then, state Assemblyman Evan Low joins to discuss barriers to civic participation, his groundbreaking rise in elected office, whether California should suns...

As Donald Trump faces his third criminal indictment, Scott and Guy Marzorati discuss changes to the state's Republican primary that could benefit the former president, with Los Angeles Times political writer Seema Mehta. Then, as mayors around the state push to clear homeless encampments, Scott and Guy share what voters in a recent San Jose focus group had to say about the issue. Learn more about...

Scott and Marisa discuss Governor Gavin Newsom's plan to reform San Quentin State Prison — and Scott shares what inmates are saying about it. Then, Los Angeles Times reporter Mackenzie Mays joins to discuss school board fights in Southern California that have caught the attention of Newsom and other state officials. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices