Capitol Weekly Podcast: Delaine Eastin

Today’s episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast features Delaine Eastin, former Chair of the Assembly Education Committee, two term Superintendent of Public Instruction and now, candidate for California Democratic Party Chair.

Eastin joins Tim Foster and John Howard to make the case for her campaign, acknowledging that unseating current party chair Rusty Hicks will be a heavy lift, but expressing the optimism that is a hallmark of all of her efforts.

Eastin also weighs in on the debate over reopening schools, arguing that it not only needs to happen, it needs to happen as fast as possible for the benefit of the state’s schoolchildren. She discounts “distance learning,” noting that it is not possible for many of the state’s children, especially those in lower income households or rural areas with lack of access to broadband. Getting back into class, she argues, is essential: for many kids, “going to school every day is what makes their life work.”