SacTown Talks

Today we welcome Jamie Zoller and Matthew Silver of the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers (CACEO). They explain what code enforcement is, how it’s different from being a peace officer, how the CACEO is professionalizing California code enforcement, why the job has become more dangerous and legislation that can help.     SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy...

Today we welcome State Senator Susan Eggman of the 5th Senate District, representing Stockton California. The senator touches on transitioning from an Assembly Member to a Senator, the upcoming budget, and how covid affected her district. She also discusses her Right to Repair bill, mental health and homelessness, and the balancing act that is water rights in the state. There is also a lively disc...

Today we welcome California State Senator Patrica “Pat” Bates of the 36th Senate District to the program. Pat was also a former Assembly Member and we discuss the changes she has seen between her time the Assembly in the early aughts and now, why compromise and collegiality is still the key to success in California politics, and her legislative priorities around fentanyl sentencing and Proposition...

Today we welcome political consultant and leader of the Ronin Project Bill Wong. Bill joins us to discuss the rise of anti-Asian hate in California and across the United States, why this moment is a turning point for politically minded Asian Americans, and what type of cost his organization is going to exact from those that use hateful rhetoric.  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politic...

Today we welcome California Assemblymember Miguel Santiago of the 53rd Assembly District, which covers downtown and east side Los Angeles. Assemblymember Santigo joins us to discuss his background and how his district is one of the poorest in California, while also being one of the most culturally rich. Then they discuss a key issue for the Assmebleymember: human trafficking and how his budget req...

Our guest this week is former California Assemblymember Mike Gatto to discuss all things Appropriations Committee. As a former chair during the Great Recession, Mike can explain all the nuances of how and why bills get passed and debunks the four greatest myths of the committee that even legislators still believe.     SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We fea...

Today we welcome California Assemblymember Mike Gipson of the 64th Assembly District.  We discuss why he sees his transition from police officer to labor leader and politician as a continuation of public service, how giving someone a job can stop a bullet, his priorities of community building and reimaging policing, and why he chose the bowtie for his signature sartorial look.  SacTown Talks is a...

Today’s interview is with political consultant Shawnda Westly. She tells her heartbreaking story of medical malpractice and an in-depth look at California’s Medical Insurance Compensation Reform Act. MICRA limits the amount of money patients can receive in damages. She discusses how MICRA works, including some parts that are relatively unknown, why the laws should be changed, what type of resistan...

Today we welcome two experts from the California Budget & Policy Center, Monica Davalos and Adriana Ramos-Yamamoto, to discuss the recently released Budget Center report urging  California policymakers to declare racism as a public health crisis. We explore why they think this is necessary and how racism affects housing, the environment,  employment, health care, the justice system, and education....

Our guest this week is former Assemblymember Man Gatto and we do a deep dive on Bitcoin, blockchain, and all things cryptocurrency!  We discuss the murky origins, why the price has risen so much, how cryptocurrency works, and what the future might be.  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy, and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders and analysis by...

Today’s interview is with Dr. Micah Weinberg of California Forward. We discuss a multitude of issues facing California, including broadband for all, wildfire prevention, housing and homelessness, and why California should spend one-time expenditures on things that can pay dividends in the future. SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with C...

Today’s interview is with California Senator Bob Wieckowksi. This episode features a lot from climate policy from wildfire preventions and recycling, to cap and trade and carbon sequestration. We also discuss his bills on arbitration and why he thinks every high school student will have a summer job in forest management in the future.  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy a...

Today we interview California Senator Steven Bradford where he discusses his work as the Chairman of the Black Legislative Caucus, why California needed a Committee on Reparations and updates on his priorities for the legislative session.   SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders and analysis by experts and i...

Today we have a powerful episode. We are excited to have the first California Native American elected to the Legislature, Assemblymember James Ramos. He discussed how he got to elected office, how more native people can be elected, how California needs to understand its past to fully embrace the diversity of its future, how tribal governance prepared him for the California legislature and more!  B...

Today we welcome Julie Baker, Executive Director of Californians for the Arts. Julie explains how badly hit the arts were by the pandemic, why the California government needs to communicate clear guidelines for reopening, and proposals to help fund California arts to survive and create a cultural Roaring Twenties going forward.  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and cult...

Today we welcome Congressional Candidate Nicole Parra. Nicole is a former California Assemblymember running in the 21st Congressional District, which covers 4 counties in the Central Valley. We discuss her time in the Assembly, her bipartisan approach to politics, why she started her campaign so early, and why she thinks she's the right person to fight for the Central Valley.  SacTown Talks is a p...

We welcome our most frequent legislative guest Senator Bill Dodd of the 3rd Senate District, covering parts of Napa and five other counties. We start by discussing his new clean look, then segue into the serious topics of wildfire prevention and protection in 2021, including his new bill for an Office of Wildfire Technology and Research, how the state should manage our water resources, and his hop...

The Rose Bowl parade, how his office is working with the governor's office to communicate with the public, how the assembly will be able to function more smoothly this year because of covid-related planning and budget priorities will be focused on vaccines, and opening up both CA schools and the economy more generally. Then they turn to his work as chairman of the Utilities and Energy Committee wh...

Sactown Talks is about more than policy and politics, it’s also about the culture of the Capitol community. So today we bring you something a little different: an interview with Ryan Hammonds of R. Douglas Custom Clothiers. R. Douglas is blocks from the Capitol, and well known among the more sartorially inclined. Today he and Jarrett discuss how he got into the custom suit game, how his business h...

This week we interview Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the President of the Western States Petroleum Association. WSPA is a non-profit trade association representing the companies in five Western states – California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon. She joins us to discuss the complicated nature of modern energy policy in the age of climate change, and what California can and should do going forwar...

This week we have Assembly Sharon Quirk-Silva of the 65th assembly district. The 65th covers northern Orange county centered around the city of Fullerton and also includes the amusement parks Knott’s Berry Farms and Disneyland. We begin by discussing the events in Washington, D.C. on January 6th, with her calling it “an assault on democracy,” reminding her of the 2019 anti-vaxxer protest but assur...

Today’s guest is Assemblymember Laura Friedman who represents the 43rd Assembly District covering Glendale and the eastern part of the San Fernando Valley. She is a returning guest so we just touch on her past and how she moved from the film industry into politics, first at the city level in Glendale and then to the assembly. Then we discuss her new committee chairpersonship of the Transportation...

Welcome to a holiday edition of SacTown Talks. Today we are bringing you a slightly different type of show. One of the major issues confronting the legislature in 2021 is broadband access. This isn’t a new issue but exacerbated by the pandemic, has taken on new relevance and urgency. Listeners of this podcast have been hearing about it for the past six months as legislators have expressed the need...

We welcome Assemblymember Cristina Garcia of the 58th Assembly District to the program. The 58th district covers southeast Los Angeles County, including her hometown of Bell Gardens. We start quickly, jumping right in with a discussion of AB 1, how she got the first bill of the new session together, why reforming the department of toxic substances control is important, and why she thinks her bill...

In this interview we welcome Senator Susan Rubio of the 22nd Senate district. Senator Rubio joins us to discuss her background, why she ran for California senate, covid, and her legislative priorities for this upcoming session. We begin by discussing her background as an undocumented immigrant who was deportetd, how the education system in two state failed her family and caused immense trauma to h...