Podcast
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: We’re joined today by Clarissa Laguardia, Executive Director of the California Center for Civic Participation (CalCenter). CalCenter is a non-profit organization that works to engage young people in the democratic process. Laguardia is passionate about CalCenter’s projects – she knows firsthand the importance of engaging in the political experience. She grew up in El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War and migrated to the United States after high school.
Podcast
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: We’re joined today by Mission Local Managing Editor and columnist Joe Eskenazi, who looks back over Mayor Daniel Lurie’s first year, and gets us up to speed on other San Francisco political news, including the race to replace Nancy Pelosi, the possibility of an initiative to reopen the Great Highway to auto traffic, and the effort to form a municipal power company that would take over PG&E’s electrical infrastructure via eminent domain – a movement that got a boost following last week’s massive power outage.
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CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster are joined by Politico’s Chris Cadelago for a look back at the Top 10 California political stories of 2025 – and a look at what’s coming next year.
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CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Brian Ebbert, Chris Micheli and Alex Vassar joined us to chat about their just published The California Capitol Cocktail Trivia Book, a lively and engaging collection of little-known facts, anecdotes, and curiosities drawn from the rich history of California’s state government. We’re also joined by Sac State president Luke Wood, who spoke with us about his controversial edict that freshman must live on campus, and the proposed Downtown Capitol Center. Plus – Who had the Worst Week in California politics?
Podcast
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: We’re joined today by former California Supreme Court Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye who is part of a new organization comprised of over 40 retired state Supreme Court Chief Justices committed to educating the public about the role of the judiciary and protecting the constitutional balance put in place by the Founders.
Podcast
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Congressman Eric Swalwell announced last month that he was joining the crowded race to replace California governor Gavin Newsom. The Dublin lawmaker enters a fluid contest with no overwhelming favorite. Swalwell joined us for a conversation about his candidacy, how he plans to address the state’s affordability crisis, his experiences as a local official, navigating familial political divides, the temperature in congress, the Democratic Party brand, and much more.
Podcast
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Few know the impacts of federal and state actions better than local governments, who are often tasked with implementing those policies. Our guest today is Graham Knaus, CEO of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), which advocates on behalf of all 58 of California’s counties.
Podcast
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Our guest today is Jim Wunderman, who has been at or near the center of Bay Area Politics for four decades, starting with his time working in the office of then-San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein taught Wunderman to think of the larger San Francisco region as one interconnected entity, an approach that ultimately made him a perfect fit as the head of the Bay Area Council. Last month he announced that he will be leaving the organization to head up public affairs for California Forever, the ambitious project to create en entirely new European-style city on what is now cow pasture just outside of Rio Vista.
Podcast
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: After a lightning speed rollout and campaign, Proposition 50 passed decisively last week, with voters approving a partisan temporary gerrymander of the state’s congressional districts – and handing California Democrats a major win. The new maps will shift district lines and upend the seats of five Republican members of Congress, throwing them into distinctly less friendly territory – if Prop. 50 survives the GOP legal challenge filed the day after the election. Our guests today are two of the state’s foremost redistricting experts, Matt Rexroad and Paul Mitchell. Rexroad is a former Yolo County Supervisor and longtime GOP consultant. Mitchell, a lifelong Democrat, is the state’s best-known political data expert, and led the team that created Prop. 50’s maps.
Podcast
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Adam Silver was appointed Chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission in March 2024. The FPPC was created in 1974 when California voters approved Proposition 9, The Political Reform Act, in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Five decades later, the FFPC is plenty busy. Silver joined us to talk about the Commission’s work, the challenges posed by Cryptocurrencies and his path to the Chairmanship.
