California Groundbreakers

It’s a special “Back to School” edition of Groundbreakers Q&A as we sit down with Gary May, Chancellor of UC Davis, and talk with him about his vision and goals for UC Davis and the Sacramento region, and his take on the state of higher-education today — the college admission scandals, massive student loan debt, improving diversity levels and graduation rates, boosting students’ STEM skills and career opportunities while trying to find them affordable housing and food.

We’ll also ask him about his inspirations, whether his love of "Star Trek" helped UC Davis score $15 million from NASA to research spacecraft and deep-space exploration, and why he sees comic books as a great educational tool.

PODCAST PLAY BY PLAY

* O to 5:45 min - Why we picked Gary May for this "Groundbreakers Q&A"

* 5:45 min - May explains what a Chancellor does, shares his Top 3 "Star Trek" episodes, and reveals his favorite character from the original series

* 12:25 min - How his mother's experience with higher education influenced his own experience

* 16:15 min - Why comic books are a great learning tool -- and his favorite comic-book characters

* 19:45 min - How May's experience as a Georgia Tech student helped him as a Dean there to attract underprivileged students to the school -- and make them feel at home

* 23:35 min - What brought May to UC Davis, what he learned in his first year, and what he has started putting into place

* 30:25 min - Getting students into STEM careers -- and particularly keeping women in them for the long run

* 33:35 min - Getting more diversity in higher-education faculty and staff

* 35 min - After the "Varsity Blues" college-admissions scandal earlier this year, what should be changed about the application and admissions process?

* 37:15 min - A high school senior asks for advice about applying to college and getting accepted into the one you want

* 39:50 min - The idea behind the Aggie Square development being built in Sacramento -- and how to grow the tech community here in town

* 44:45 min - Do we really need four years of college to earn a degree?

* 47:10 min - A UC Davis freshman asks how he can afford the $45,000 per year needed to attend the school

* 50:35 min - With less financial help coming from the state, where is UC Davis going to find the money to keep the lights on?

* 52:55 min - How to make UC Davis stand out, and apart, from other California schools

* 55:40 min - Top research coming out of UC Davis, and the "deep space exploration" project for NASA

* 59 min - Getting along with the state legislature and the federal government

* 1 hr, 2:50 min - Students' safety and activism in this era of uncertainty

* 1 hr, 6:30 min - Before they "beam him up," what May wants to leave behind at UC Davis

** This podcast was recorded live on August 28, 2019**

On the surface, the legal cannabis business looks like the greatest thing since sliced bread to hit California’s tax coffers. Sorry to harsh your buzz, but no. California's cannabis industry is an absolute mess.

In May, the Governor’s office released state budget documents showing that it has cut cannabis tax revenue projections of $1 billion by a whopping $223 million through 2020, so it’s only expecting $288 million this year, and $359 million in fiscal 2020.

How could the state miscalculate its cannabis business so badly? A few reasons given are: 1) a blanket of regulatory red tape; 2) taxes, taxes and more taxes; 3) anti-cannabis city councils and NIMBY objections; and 4) the black market’s not going anywhere.

So where do we go from here? What can be done to bring a new high to the cannabis industry and get it back on the track it was projected to run?

Listen to our conversation with some pros about how to make sure California’s legal cannabis market doesn’t go up in smoke.

PANELISTS

* Kimberly Cargile, executive director of the Sacramento cannabis dispensary A Therapeutic Alternative

* Joe Devlin, former chief of cannabis for the City of Sacramento who just became senior vice- president of new market development for Ikanik Farms

* Khalil Ferguson, executive fellow for policy and research at the California Urban Partnership

* Gabriel Garcia, principal at Garcia Law Corporation who practices cannabis law

* Amy Jenkins, senior policy director for the California Cannabis Industry Association

* John Oram, CEO of NUG, a diversified cannabis company based in Oakland that just opened its first retail shop in Sacramento

*This event was recorded on July 10, 2019 *

Sacramento is still sometimes called “that place halfway between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe.” And travelers often drive to those two tourist attractions without stopping to see what’s in between them. But that’s changing.

Sacramento is dedicated to turning the Old Sacramento waterfront into a new type of tourism draw. The town of Winters in Yolo County just got selected by USA Today as one of the country’s best small-town food scenes. And Lodi, originally(in)famous for the Creedence Clearwater song, is a place people now don’t mind getting stuck in, thanks to its upward-trending Wine Country status.

We’re talking with a few people who are leading the efforts to boost tourism in Sacramento and the Central Valley. Join us for a great conversation about Northern California’s newest hot spots, and what both tourists and local residents should know about what's going on there.

PANELISTS

* Nancy Beckman, CEO of Visit Lodi

* John Donlevy, City Manager of the town of Winters

* Rob Stewart, host and producer of the KVIE show Rob on the Road

* Mike Testa, CEO of Visit Sacramento

PODCAST PLAY BY PLAY

* O to 5:25 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers

* 5:25 min - Panelists introduce themselves, and share their travel destinations in the Central Valley (Bakersfield is one of them)

* 12:50 min - What Sacramento is doing to boost tourism, and who is it's trying to attract

* 18 min - How getting picked as "Wine Region of the Year" by Wine Enthusiast magazine has boosted Lodi's tourism cred

* 22:15 min - How the town of Winters was ranked #4 on USA Today's "Best Small-Town Foodie Destinations"

* 30 min - What Rob Stewart has seen in Central Valley travel trends, changes, ups and downs in his decade of doing "Rob on the Road"

* 34:10 min - What works (and doesn't) to get the word out and draw tourists to town

* 40:35 min - Fine dining vs down-home food experiences: How to market "Farm to Fork" based on pricing, affordability and exclusivity

* 48 min - The right way to add more accommodations in town

* 53:35 min - And what about adding more RV parks?

* 1 hr, 1:15 min - Demographic differences in tourism: What appeals to different age ranges?

* 1 hr, 5:25 min - Travel trends like agritourism and cannabis tourism: Are they on these towns' radars?

* 1 hr, 8:30 min - How to market "experiences" in town

* 1 hr, 13 min - How these tourism efforts will impact jobs and incomes for local residents

* 1 hr, 17:45 min - How tourism efforts address -- or clash with -- California's problems with housing affordability and homelessness

* 1 hr, 21:40 min - How do you solve the housing problem called Airbnb?

* 1 hr, 25:50 min - Next hot upcoming must-attend events in the area (Junior Olympics, Earthquake Festival and Rob's new show)

** This discussion was recorded on June 26, 2019**

State Senator Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco, has made waves since he came to Sacramento in 2016.

His efforts to build more housing around public transportation and in wealthy suburbs have made his legislation the most talked-about so far this year at the Capitol, and in the media. He’s also famous for his proposal to “keep the bars open till 4 a.m.”, citing the cultural and economic benefits of nightlife.

Wiener compares San Francisco politics to “a knife fight in a phone booth,” and says getting his start there had made him steely enough to handle politics at the State Capitol.

Join us at Ruhstaller as we talk with Wiener about housing, homelessness, education and LGBTQ legislation, as well as his past, present and future as a politician and a groundbreaker in California.

PODCAST PLAY BY PLAY

* 0 to 1:35 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers

* 1:35 min - Intro to Senator Scott Wiener

* 6:30 min - How many Senate committees Wiener sits on, and why this year's planned summer vacation is an important one for him

* 8:50 min - His first political experience (which involved a threat of burning a cross on his lawn)

* 11:40 min - On coming out nearly 30 years ago in North Carolina

* 14 min - On moving to San Francisco, moving from corporate law to the City Attorney's office, and making the decision to run for office

* 16:50 min - Why San Francisco politics is like a "knife fight in a phone booth"

* 20:40 min - What issues he has decided to focus on at the Capitol in order to "push the envelope"

* 23:40 min - His efforts on housing legislation to date -- and the controversy over Senate Bill 50

* 30:50 min - How to deal with NIMBY -- and your housing bill being held up by one person

* 37:50 min - Lowering the voting threshold to a 55 percent majority from a two-thirds vote

* 41 min - Building affordable high-density housing that you can buy instead of just rent

* 47:05 min - Tying transportation to construction, and explaining the reality of gentrification

* 52 min - Where Wiener stands on the "split roll" revise of Proposition 13

* 58 min - Regarding Google devoting $1 billion to building housing, what is the private sector's role in alleviating the housing crisis?

* 1 hr, 2 min - Improving education

* 1 hr, 4:15 min - The controversy over housing the homelessness in San Francisco

* 1 hr, 7:30 min - Legislation on LGBTQ issues and gender equity in the workplace

* 1 hr, 11:20 min -A lot of the housing in California is bought for investment purposes (rentals, Airbnb listings) -- is there any way to change that?

* 1 hr, 16:15 min - Wiener's predictions (and hopes) for what will happen at the Capitol after summer break, and in Election Year 2020

** This conversation was recorded on June 4, 2019 **

Wildfire Season is here! (Although in California, it’s now almost year-round, right?) To find out how the Golden State is planning for it, we talked with the man who is now responsible for a lot of those fire management and firefighting efforts — Wade Crowfoot, California’s new Secretary for Natural Resources.

He’s in charge of CAL Fire and the Departments of Water Resources, Fish and Wildlife, and Parks and Recreation. Basically, Crowfoot is making a lot of the decisions about what happens on California lands — and what should happen to those lands in this age of climate change.

Listen to Crowfoot explain what he’s planning for forest management, wildfire preparedness and firefighting efforts, and what will be different about Wildfire Season 2019.

PODCAST PLAY-BY-PLAY

* O to 4:40 minutes - Intro to California Groundbreakers

* 4:40 min - Welcome to Wade Crowfoot's favorite places that show off California's natural resources at its finest

* 7 min - How Crowfoot started on the path of an environmental-focused career; and the comparisons/contrasts of working for both Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown at different times

* 11:05 min - What has struck Crowfoot most about this job and its huge influence in the past two months since he was appointed

* 13:10 min - Forest management, and how to do it in the nation's most-populous state

* 17:10 min - Planned firefighting strategies for Wildfire Season 2019

* 22:20 min - How Cal Fire is using new technology to spot and manage wildfires

* 25:05 min - Dealing with Washington D.C. when it comes to forest management and wildfires; and how much will California be spending on these -- and is it enough?

* 28:30 min - The role -- and financial responsibility -- of utility companies in wildfire prevention and management

* 33:50 min - Should we rebuild in areas hit by fire that probably will be hit again? And how to handle the town of Paradise's contaminated water supply, which will be expensive to clean up?

* 37:20 min - What are the responsibilities of owners to create "defensible space" and fireproof their properties?

* 40 min - How to tackle the labor shortage for jobs in forest/wildfire management

* 43:35 min - What can be done to make California a more fire-resilient state? And handling retreats from areas that are prone to wildfires and rising sea levels

* 50:55 min - Boosting wildfire preparedness and protection in vulnerable communities

* 53:45 min - A new strategy for managing water allocation to California's rural and urban areas

* 56:35 min - How is the legislature doing in handling wildfire-focused laws? And would a wildfire version of "tornado sirens" work here?

* 1 hr, 1:50 min - A plan for California to take over management of Federal lands

* 1 hr, 3:30 min - Should "fire fees" be charged again to rural residents for firefighting efforts?And making it easier and quicker for governments to approve pilot programs of new technologies for wildfire management

* 1 hr, 7:35 min - The "people vs fish" question: balancing saving the fish and ensuring enough water for people

* 1 hr, 11:15 min - Balancing forest-management projects with carbon-reduction goals

* 1 hr, 13:15 min - Crowfoot plugs a few plans for other Natural Resources' upcoming projects, and its new building going up in Downtown Sacramento

** This event was recorded on May 23, 2019**

California is known for its amazing wines and its innovative, offbeat ways of growing, producing and marketing them. So in our offbeat and innovative way, we’re going doing a new type of tasting, mixing plenty of great wine with good gab by California Groundbreakers who turn grapes into liquid bliss.

Our wine pros this time around are:

* Andrew Willsen, manager and sommelier at top Sacramento restaurants including Mulvaney’s B&L, the Waterboy, Hawks and Taylor’s Kitchen

* Craig Haarmeyer, who runs his Haarmeyer Wine Cellers out of West Sacramento, is designated a “winemaker to watch” by the San Francisco Chronicle, and believes in the power of Sacramento "terroir" (https://haarmeyerwinecellars.com)

* Chris Walsh, an Amador County native who earned his chops in New York City as a sommelier, then decided to come home a few years ago and now makes natural wines under his End of Nowhere label, which showcases grapes grown by other small farmers in the Sierra Foothills (http://ljlwine.com)

Join California Groundbreakers' executive director Vanessa Richardson as she asks questions of Andrew, Craig and Chris about California and Sacramento-specific wines -- how to taste them, appreciate them, and discern the difference between wine reality and marketing hogwash.

PODCAST PLAY-BY-PLAY

* 0 to 3:30 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers

* 3:30 min - Panelists introduce themselves and share their favorite wine-focused movies ("Grapes of Wrath," "Bottle Shock," the "Somm" series and "Sour Grapes")

* 6:25 min - Panelists' first memorable experience of drinking wine, and how they got into a wine-focused career

* 16:45 min - Craig explains notable things and specific characteristics about growing -- and selling -- wine in the Sacramento region

* 22:40 min - The definition of "terroir" and why it matters

* 24:15 min - Chris explains Amador County terroir, and how his "natural" wines are made

* 28 min - How should we taste a glass of wine?

* 35:30 min - What should we talk about when we talk about wine? What's the line between sounding smart and sounding pretentious?

* 41:55 min - Panelists share their pet peeves and under-the-radar highlights of the wine industry

**This event was recorded on April 30, 2019**

This "Groundbreakers Q&A" is with two guys who know their way around a kitchen.

Rick Mahan and Patrick Mulvaney are Sacramento's Top Chefs. Their restaurants, The Waterboy (opened in 1996) and Mulvaney B&L (in 2006), set the bar for fine dining in Sacramento, and they're still atop the list of places worth opening up your wallet for a memorable meal.

When they're not cooking, they're still doing plenty to promote good food, boost Farm to Fork efforts, and improve Sacramento's dining scene. Mahan is a big supporter of the Food Literacy Center, and Mulvaney is getting national attention for his efforts to tackle the mental health crisis in the restaurant industry.

Join us for a great conversation with these two seasoned veterans of the city's ever-changing, often-challenging restaurant scene as we talk with them about Michelin stars, minimum wage hikes, the mental health movement, farmers markets, and other things that are shaping their menus today.

PODCAST PLAY-BY-PLAY

* O min to 5 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers

* 5 min - The chefs introduce themselves and talk about what food they're loving right now (like fava beans and wild boar)

* 7:30 min - First memories of food, and first experiences in the kitchen

* 11:50 min - What brought Mulvaney, an Irishman from Long Island, out West, what kept him in Sacramento, and how his restaurant got his name

* 14:05 min - Mahan's journey from washing dishes at Buffet Excellence at age 16, to having a life-changing experience in France

* 20:45 min - What happened in those first few days, weeks and months of opening the new restaurant

* 26:35 min - The pros and cons of serving Sacramentans as restaurant diners

* 31:15 min - How to address changing tastes, trends and younger customers

* 37 min - What the chefs are working on now outside the kitchen

* 44:50 min - The Food Network effect: What do these TV shows overhype and downplay in the restaurant industry that we customers should know about as reality?

* 53:40 min - The dish from Americo's (where the Waterboy stands today) that Mahan promises to make if you request it

* 56 min - Thoughts on tasting menus, "tweezer plating," and the upcoming Michelin guide on Sacramento restaurants

* 1 hr, 1:50 min - The pros and cons of running a restaurant -- especially in California

* 1 hr, 7:05 min - The biggest challenge -- and fear -- the chefs are facing

* 1 hr, 11:50 min - Thoughts on California's agriculture industry, and the future for farmers

* 1 hr, 14:10 min - How the Waterboy got its name (it wasn't the Adam Sandler movie)

* 1 hr, 20:15 min - Workforce development: How do we train the people who will run Sacramento's restaurants in the future?

* 1 hr, 30:15 min - Best piece of advice for someone just starting out in this business

* 1 hr, 32:10 min - Best piece of advice for amateur chefs in the kitchen

** This conversation was recorded on April 17, 2019**

California’s legislature is looking at how to make blockchain and cryptocurrency easier to use here. One bill would set up a structure for regulating virtual-currency business activities in the state. Another would require California to start accepting “stablecoins,” digital currency tied to the U.S. dollar, from cannabis businesses starting in 2020, so they don't have to pay their taxes and fees via briefcases full of cash.

And blockchain isn’t just about currency — California water-rights experts are placing IBM-made sensors in Central Valley rivers to monitor real-time volume and usage. And the Sacramento Kings, the first sports team in the world to accept bitcoin at its games, is using blockchain can improve the fan experience at Golden 1 Center.

But what exactly is this blockchain thing? What’s the point of Bitcoin? Do you need to start learning how to buy cryptocurrency, or is this a fad that will be old news next year?

Listen to our easy-to-understand discussion about this tech trend that California is playing a big role in shaping.

PANELISTS

* Ally Medina, director of the Blockchain Advocacy Coalition (and current Mayor of Emeryville)

* Kevin Weiler, lead blockchain engineer for San Diego-based XYO Network, which bought his blockchain startup, Layer One, last summer

PODCAST PLAY-BY-PLAY

* O to 5 minutes - Intro to California Groundbreakers and this topic

* 5 min - Ally Medina talks about how her Coalition is getting blockchain-legislation passed, and testing cryptocurrency wallets that are government-suitable

* 7:25 min - What exactly is blockchain, and examples of how it works

* 9:25 min - Who is in the Blockchain Advocacy Coalition, and what types of business they do

* 10:45 min - How Kevin Weiler uses blockchain with things like "merkel trees," and how his company is creating a competitor to GPS tracking

* 17:45 min - How blockchain can best be used by government agencies -- and by cannabis companies

* 25 min - What's the status of Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrency -- is it a risky fad, or is it here to stay?

* 30:10 min - How does one assess the value of a cryptocurrency?

* 33:35 min - How would people working in the cannabis industry learn about, get trained in, and enter into the use of cryptocurrency?

* 38:25 min - Do blockchain transactions need to be regulated if they are decentralized?

* 41 min - How will California's newly-passed Consumer Data Privacy Act affect blockchain?

* 44 min - Because blockchain could cause so much disruption, how is Big Business (with big lobbying efforts) handling that?

* 49:45 min - Will Bitcoin ever hit its financial high again?

* 51:45 min - What Weiler's company is doing to help people keep control of their location-based data privacy -- and why Medina argues for access to that data

* 56:15 min - An Oracle executive predicted that "50 percent of all companies will be using blockchain within the next three years" -- is that viable?

* 58:50 min - The California state government is putting together a workgroup to study blockchain and see how to handle it -- who should be appointed to this group, and what should they focus on to make effective recommendations?

**This discussion was recorded on April 8, 2019**

Sacramento is getting attention nationwide for its alt-transportation methods, which focus on smarter, safer and more efficient ways of getting people from A to B, while reducing carbon emissions and traffic congestion in a big way.

But it’s not always a smooth ride. There are multiple complaints about how Jump bikes are blocking sidewalks, and Jump scooters are not that safe for their drivers or the people they run into. The City is putting new fees, rules and restrictions in place that Jump says is expensive and prohibitive to expanding its services. The Downtown Riverfront Streetcar Project is in jeopardy, with project bids for construction way higher than expected, and far beyond the project budget. And can Sacramento Regional Transit ever get anyone to ride its light rail?

The future of transportation in Sacramento is off to a great start, but how will these bumps in the road affect it? And how will we — as users, taxpayers and voters — affect and be affected by these new modes of transportation?

We’re talking about it down in the basement of Ruhstaller in downtown Sacramento with the people who are in charge of taking us where we want to go, but differently.

PANELISTS

* Jennifer Donlon Wyant, active transportation program specialist for the City of Sacramento

* Jessica Gonzalez, director of marketing and communications for Sacramento Regional Transit

* Jennifer Venema, sustainability manager for the City of Sacramento

PODCAST PLAY-BY-PLAY

* 0 to 4:45 minutes - Intro to California Groundbreakers

* 4:45 min - Panelists introduce themselves and tell us the best "ride" they've ever had

* 8:40 min - Jump bikes and scooters are just the start: details about the "Vision Zero" project

* 10:30 min - "Electrifying" efforts: Sacramento's new focus on electric cars and shuttles

* 13:35 min - Sacramento Regional Transit's major rehaul of its bus routes, and its new shuttles

* 15:50 min - Sacramento as a transit laboratory: what efforts have tested well so far, and which needs more work?

* 24:10 min - What's going on with the Sacramento Riverfront Streetcar Project: will construction start this year as planned?

* 26:15 min - Why the City is imposing new fees, rules and regulations on "shared rideables" like Jump bikes and scooters

* 31:40 min - Improving pedestrian safety and protecting walkers from aggressive drivers

* 33:40 min - The new ordinance for cracking down on improperly-parked bikes/scooters

* 38:25 min - How Sacramento's transportation orgs are working on Electrify America -- and how Volkswagen and its "Dieselgate" scandal play a role

* 43 min - What's the role of suburbs in this new future of transportation? And how about the private sector?

* 53:15 min - Efforts to teach people on how to ride these bikes and scooters properly

* 57:55 min - What are the efforts to partner with cities outside Sacramento, like Roseville and Elk Grove?

* 1 hr, 1:35 min - Any plans for a multi-use "crossover" pass that works for all the transit methods?

* 1 hr, 5:30 min - How do public-private partnerships work in this area, and how are they contracted and monitored?

* 1 hr, 9:20 min - With all these tech-savvy transit options, how do you make them accessible to underserved communities with digital divides?

* 1 hr, 13:50 min - How all these new transit methods could impact Sacramento's urban planning efforts in the future

* This podcast was recorded on April 3, 2019 at Antiquite Midtown in Sacramento*

We’re talking with some of Sacramento’s mightiest movers and shakers this year, people who are bringing changes, making waves and putting California’s capital on the map in bold font.

This conversation is with two people who play big roles in shaping Sacramento’s arts scene, supporting and promoting local artists, and getting their efforts talked about in cultural circles around California and nationwide.

Liv Moe, founding director of Verge Center for the Arts, and Estella Sanchez, founder and executive director of Sol Collective, do all this by providing vital resources to career and emerging artists, as well as offering arts education opportunities for youth and adults. They’re two major reasons why the Capitol City’s cultural scene is on fire, and why it has such a passionate community rooting it on.

Join us as we talk with Moe and Sanchez about the state of the arts in Sacramento, what they’re working on now, and what they want to happen so that the city’s artists get the support they need and the recognition they deserve.

PODCAST PLAY BY PLAY

* O to 4:35 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers

* 4:35 min - Sanchez and Moe introduce themselves, and describe the work of art that inspires them most (from Miguel Bounce Perez and Christian Marclay, respectively)

* 8:05 min - From high school counselor and women's rights advocate to leaders in the arts: How each woman started down the path to the positions they hold today

* 12:40 min - The specific things that make Sol Collective and Verge unique

* 17:30 min - The blood, sweat and tears shed in buying the buildings these organizations are housed in -- and how that effort made both Sanchez and Moe stronger

* 26 min - How strongly is Sacramento embracing its arts scene -- and its artists?

* 33:20 min - The arts and gentrification: How they go together, for better and for worse

* 41:50 min - Approaching art as activism, especially in these politically-charged times

* 52 min - How Sacramento museums can better support the local arts scene

* 1 hr - How Moe and Sanchez mentor their artists, and have helped them go on to bigger, better opportunities

* 1 hr, 6:30 min - As a cultural leader in Sacramento, when do you know how loud to speak out, and how do you know when it's best to step back and stay silent?

* 1 hr, 12:50 min - Next steps and future plans for Sol Collective and Verge