Today’s episode 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 us to make the case for her campaign, and weighs in on the debate over reopening schools, arguing that it not only needs to happen, it needs to happen as fast as possible.
Longtime GOP political strategist Rob Stutzman joins us to talk about the scandal, the fundraising, the effectiveness of The Lincoln Project’s campaigns, and his frustrations with the group.
Daniel Zingale retired from the Governor’s office one year ago this week, stepping back from a four decade career in politics that began during Jerry Brown’s first run as governor. Now happily ensconced in a cabin in the Gold Country, he joined us to talk about the past year and to look back on a remarkable career that included stints in four gubernatorial administrations.
Almost one year to the day from his last visit to the Capitol Weekly Podcast, lobbyist, author and adjunct professor at McGeorge School of Law, Chris Micheli joins Capitol Weekly’s Tim Foster and John Howard to talk about the business of lobbying.
Campaign consultant Gale Kaufman has run a ballot campaign (or two, or more) in every election cycle since 1998 – and, she’s won most of those. Many of the campaigns Kaufman has directed were tied to education, and she has been closely affiliated with the California Teachers Association for much of her career. Kaufman joined us to offer her thoughts on the lessons of 2020 and what may be in the pipeline for the 2022 election and beyond.
Lenny Mendonca, the former head of GO-Biz (The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development)for Governor Gavin Newsom, joined John Howard and Tim Foster to talk about the economic outlook for California as the pandemic continues, and what to expect when the era of COVID is over.
Kamala Harris speaking at the 2019 National Forum on Wages and Working People in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Gage Skidmore, used by permission.Journalist extraordinaire Dan Morain joined John Howard and Tim Foster to talk about his new book, Kamala’s Way: An American Life – the first biography of Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris. Morain covered Harris’ rise in real time for the Los Angeles Times, The Sacramento Bee and CalMatters; that background allowed him to write and research the entire book in a few months during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Stickers for sale at the 2016 California Republican Convention. Photo by Tim Foster, Capitol WeeklyOn Tuesday we published journalist A.G. Block’s in-depth analysis of the woes plaguing California’s Republican Party: they run barely ahead of ‘Decline to State’ in voter registration, have no elected statewide officials, and hold a fraction of the state’s legislative and Congressional seats. A.G. joined John Howard and Tim Foster today to talk about the plight of California Republicans over the long haul, and what the events of the past few days might mean.
What happens to The Bash for 2021? The good news: it’s on. The bad news: not til later. David Quintana fills in all the details for this year’s Bash, talks about the event’s humble origins, and shares Lil John’s drink of choice. We also discuss Quintana’s new podcast, Politicalish, which mixes politics with his other interests, including true crime, MMA and Hip Hop.
Beacon Portraits all 2018For the second year in a row, California has seen its population decline – After generations of growth, the state is losing more people than it gains every year.
What does that mean for a state that has nearly 40 million people already? How many can we afford to lose? And, who is leaving? For this episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast we spoke with Adam Fowler, Director of Research for Beacon Economics, an independent research and consulting firm based in Los Angeles.