Political Breakdown

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott talks with Scott and Marisa about his childhood in Birmingham, Alabama, witnessing the buildup to the 1992 Los Angeles uprising while serving in the LAPD, how he'd grade his work after five years at the helm of SFPD and his decision to pull out of an agreement that allows District Attorney Chesa Boudin's office to investigate officer shootings and other seriou...

Marisa and Scott discuss the failure of a bill to move California toward a single-payer health care system and a new mask controversy facing Governor Gavin Newsom. Then, Doni Chamberlain, reporter for A News Cafe in Shasta County, joins to talk about the results of a recall election there against Supervisor Leonard Moty. Finally, Kamilah Moore, chair of California's Reparations Task Force, discuss...

Scott and Marisa discuss whether a Californian will replace Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court and react to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's announcement that she'll run for another term. Then, Republican Congresswoman Young Kim shares stories from her childhood moves from South Korea to Guam and Hawaii, working for former Congressman Ed Royce as a liaison to Asian residents and her views on immigrat...

Marisa and Guy Marzorati discuss Senator Dianne Feinstein's filibuster vote, more congressional retirements and whether the state legislature will move to tighten California's vaccine requirements in schools and offices. Then, Sara Sadhwani, assistant professor of politics at Pomona College joins to discuss her study of "social lobbying" in the state capitol and her role in drawing California's ne...

As California grapples with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, Marisa and Scott discuss Governor Gavin Newsom and the legislature's approach to keep schools open and review the highlights from Newsom's spending plan. Then, San Jose Assemblyman Ash Kalra joins to discuss his proposal for a single-payer healthcare system in California, his family's journey from India to Canada and his vegan co...

Scott and Marisa are joined by Lorena Gonzalez, who resigned her seat as a state Assemblywoman this week, to talk about her new job with the California Labor Federation and reflect on her career in the legislature. Then, Joe Garofoli, senior political writer at the San Francisco Chronicle, joins to preview the year ahead in California politics, including the outlook for the GOP, the state's top Ho...

Marisa and Scott close out the year by revisiting conversations with two rising political stars from opposite ends of the state: Honey Mahogany, the head of San Francisco's Democratic Party and Robert Garcia, the mayor of Long Beach who recently announced a run for Congress.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott talk about what the exodus of California congressmembers will mean for the state's clout in Washington D.C. Then, they revisit a 2018 conversation with Rep. Jackie Speier, who is retiring at the end of 2022. Speier discusses her memoir Undaunted and shares stories from her survival in Jonestown and her political journey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

Scott and Marisa discuss Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposal to use the framework of Texas' controversial abortion law for gun control legislation and the messaging from state and local leaders on concerns over crime. Then, California State Auditor Elaine Howle, who is retiring at the end of the year after more than two decades in the role, discusses the work of her office including the audit of the stat...

Gov. Gavin Newsom joins Marisa and Scott to talk about "Ben and Emma's Big Hit," his picture book about a child with dyslexia, before discussing how he deals with dyslexia in his daily life. Newsom also responds to large retail thefts in the state and critiques of Proposition 47, the 2014 criminal justice reform measure. Then, Attorney General Rob Bonta joins to discuss his parents' activism in th...

As the Supreme Court weighs a challenge to abortion rights established in the Roe v. Wade decision, Scott and Marisa talk to Katie Orr about the landscape of abortion access in California. Then, Jodi Hicks, CEO and President of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California joins to discuss the oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson and the case's potential impact on California and the 2022 midterms. Lea...

In the second part of their conversation with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on stage at KQED Live, Scott and Marisa get the Speaker's reaction to five images from her life and career: from meeting Senator John Kennedy and running for Congress to high-profile clashes with former president Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Guy Marzorati discuss Rep. Jackie Speier's decision to retire from Congress and the tough decisions facing Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative Democrats despite a projected $31 billion budget windfall. Then, Lenny Mendonca, Newsom's former chief economic and business advisor and senior partner emeritus at McKinsey & Company joins to answer questions about the economy and its political...

The California Citizen Redistricting Commission releases its first draft of the state's new political lines. Marisa and Guy Marzorati react to the proposal and criticisms of the line drawing process before discussing Governor Gavin Newsom's re-emergence and the latest local recall news in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Then, Antioch mayor Lamar Thorpe joins to discuss his childhood in a Mexican fa...

Scott and Marisa discuss what the election results in Virginia and New Jersey mean for the midterms in California and pay tribute to Wilma Chan, the former state and local legislator who was killed on Wednesday. Then, Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board, joins to discuss her upcoming trip to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (known as COP26) and how her agency pl...

Marisa and Guy Marzorati discuss the impact of new district maps and the Build Back Better agreement on next year's midterm races in California. Then, former Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero discusses why she supported Larry Elder in the recall, her critiques of teachers unions and school administrators, and her new book "Just Not That Likeable," about gender bias in the workp...

Scott and Marisa discuss Governor Gavin Newsom's push to ban new oil drilling near schools and homes, and the local recalls heading to the ballot in San Francisco and Shasta. Then, Allan Zaremberg, the president and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce, joins to discuss his career working for two governors and representing business interests at the state capitol, before his planned retirement...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joins Marisa and Scott on stage at KQED Live to discuss the threats facing America's democracy, the Democrats voting rights agenda, her experience during the January 6th riots at the Capitol and the tough choices facing her caucus as they narrow their social policy and climate agenda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats in Congress continue to negotiate social policy legislation, and Facebook comes under increasing scrutiny from both parties. Scott and Marisa discuss those developments and the politics of COVID mandates in California. Then, former state senator Hannah-Beth Jackson joins to discuss the response to the oil spill in Orange County and its political implications, the impact of the law she wr...

Marisa and Scott discuss police reform legislation signed by Governor Gavin Newsom and an Assembly seat in San Francisco opened by David Chiu's appointment to serve as city attorney. Then, Democratic Congresswoman Anna Eshoo joins to discuss the vote to avoid a government shutdown and the path forward for the Democrats' agenda, the Kyrsten Sinema enigma, and her push to lower prescription drug pri...

Scott and Katie Orr discuss Governor Gavin Newsom's decisions on a pair of controversial labor bills and San Francisco Mayor London Breed's rewriting of the COVID apology script and reflect on the passing of Scott Lay. Then, Congresswoman Judy Chu joins to discuss the path forward for Democrats on their social policy legislation and her bill to codify the abortion rights of Roe v. Wade. She also t...

Scott and Marisa discuss Governor Gavin Newsom's defeat of the recall attempt, ongoing recall attempts at the local level, the possibility of changes to the recall process and California Supreme Court Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar's decision to step down from the court. Then, Juan Rodriguez, manager of the campaign to defeat the recall, joins to discuss investments in the field campaign and h...

With just days until voting ends in the recall election, Marisa and Scott talk with Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data Inc. about what early returns tell us about the electorate and what he's watching as in-person voting ramps up. Then, Kevin Faulconer, former Republican mayor of San Diego, joins to talk about his campaign for governor in the recall election, how his parents shaped hi...

Scott and Katie Orr talk with Kevin Paffrath, a Democrat running for governor in the recall election. The YouTube star and real estate investor talks about whether he'd really try to pipe water in from the Mississippi River, why he shouts out conservative news organizations on his channel and why he thinks Larry Elder would make a better governor than Gavin Newsom -- at least for now.  Learn more...

Scott and Marisa are joined by John Cox, Republican candidate for governor in the recall election. Cox shares stories about his single mother's career as a teacher and discusses his ideas to boost construction of housing in California. He also talks about his opposition to mask mandates in schools and his initial reaction to the idea of campaigning with a live bear: "I didn't want to do it," he sa...