Angel Pena, Executive Director of Nuestra Tierra in New Mexico, educates Matt about life on the U.S./Mexico border and his effort to inspire young people to appreciate its unique natural environment.

Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel, of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), joins Matt to discuss why she quit her career at the University of Washington’s primate research lab to become an advocate for its closure.

Jacob Neiheisel, Associate Professor at the University at Buffalo, joins Matt for a discussion about the recent campaign season.

About Jacob Neiheisel

Jake Neiheisel is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at UB. Much of his research focuses on the effects of elite communication on members of the mass public. His work has appeared in such outlets as the American Journal of Political Science, Political Research Quarterly, Political Communication, Public Administration Review and Legislative Studies Quarterly. He earned his MA and PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his BA at Denison University, where he also served as a visiting assistant professor during the 2013-2014 academic year. He joined the department in the fall of 2014.

Matt Dundas is a stand-up comic and, let’s face it, if the pandemic hadn’t happened he wouldn’t be hosting “Campaign Season,” he’d be out performing stand-up. Well, he can’t do that right now, can he? No. His hope to record his debut comedy “album” in 2020 came to a screeching halt and, worse, much of his Trump-era material won’t carry over into the post-Trump presidency world. Thus, Matt has posted a lot of that material here for you, in the form of a special episode of Campaign Season.

While these bits were not recorded in one location and some of the material was unfinished, it’s likely that his “album” wouldn’t have been much better.

ProgressNow Colorado Executive Director Ian Silverii joins Matt to talk about his organization’s work on the ground in the Centennial State, commiserate about the condition of our national politics, and explain why he tries not to do too much explaining.

Alissa Weinman, Associate Campaign Director at Corporate Accountability, chats with Matt about her work on water rights in the U.S. and beyond.

Alissa Weinman bio:

“I challenge corporate power because I want to ensure that corporations can no longer exploit the communities and the environment surrounding their industries,” says Alissa.

Growing up on the Chesapeake Bay, Alissa saw firsthand what that kind of exploitation looks like. She watched as Big Ag destroyed the bay and the livelihoods of fishers and farmers who relied on those waters for their incomes. While she is happy that the Chesapeake is now bouncing back, that experience showed her at an early age that transnational corporations have tremendous disregard for both for the environment and the lives of people.

And it led her to Corporate Accountability, where she mobilizes our members and allies on the water campaign to challenge corporate control of water. She helps to expose the abuses of the bottled water industry and works closely with communities that are challenging Nestlé’s bottling practices.

Prior to joining staff, Alissa worked as a Green Corps organizer, where she led environmental campaigns with Climate Reality Project and worked on GMO labeling with Food & Water Watch. Also, she loves hot sauce so much she belongs to a hot sauce of the month club.

About Corporate Accountability

Corporate Accountability stops transnational corporations from devastating democracy, trampling human rights, and destroying our planet.

www.corporateaccountability.org

Denise Robbins, former staffer for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) and Media Matters For America, joins Matt to discuss her career and what really ticks her off.

Rio Tazewell, Senior Campaigns Manager at People for the American Way, talks with Matt about voting rights, money in politics and almost every other liberal cause.

About People for the American Way

People For the American Way and its affiliate, People For the American Way Foundation, are progressive advocacy organizations founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all. We encourage civic participation, defend fundamental rights, and fight to dismantle systemic barriers to equitable opportunity.

www.pfaw.org

Shreya Durvasula of the Union of Concerned Scientists joins Matt for a chit-chat about running campaigns with scientists, among other topics.

About the Union of Concerned Scientists

The Union of Concerned Scientists is a national nonprofit organization founded more than 50 years ago by scientists and students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Our mission: to use rigorous, independent science to solve our planet’s most pressing problems. Joining with people across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.

Today, we are a group of nearly 250 scientists, analysts, policy and communication experts dedicated to that purpose.

www.ucsusa.org

Housing California Policy Director Christopher Martin chats with Matt about the “Bring California Home Campaign” among other solutions to the crisis of homelessness in California.

Learn more about Housing California’s work and how you can help:

• Volunteer here!
• Donate here!
• Read the language of Assembly Bill 71 (AB-71) here!
• See what wage will get you a modest apartment by state here!

Guest bio:

Christopher Martin joined Housing California in August 2017 as a legislative advocate with a focus on California homelessness policy. Chris now leads Housing California’s policy team as the Policy Director. Prior to joining Housing California, Chris worked as Executive Director for Friends of the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois advocating for public lands and sustainability.

Christopher has worked in the State Capitols of Illinois and Michigan, and the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. While in D.C., Chris worked for then-Rep. Tammy Duckworth to secure funding for homeless veteran care for various non-governmental organizations in Illinois and around the country.  After working for the Congressperson, Chris started with JDRF Advocacy as a Grassroots Coordinator to advocate for federal Type 1 diabetes research funding and support for programs assisting those affected by the disease, with which he lives. While in this position he supported and managed volunteers along the west coast including in California. Christopher now serves on the Board for the JDRF Northern California Inland Chapter as their Advocacy Team Chair (ATC).

Christopher has led many bills and budget requests since joining Housing California. He led on bills to create a supportive housing program for Medi-Cal beneficiaries (AB 74, Chiu 2017), prohibit discrimination against voucher holders (SB 329, Mitchell 2019) as well as the Homeless Youth Act of 2018 (SB 918, Wiener 2018). Chris also has led advocacy for investment out of the budget to address homelessness including historic investments like the ones in 2019 and 2020 of nearly $1B. He also sat on the Executive Steering Committee at the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) for the Adult Reentry Program, which appropriated $50m in funds to community-based organizations (CBOs) to support formerly incarcerated Californians in transitioning back to community.

Christopher received a B.A. in both Political Science and Criminal Justice from Michigan State University.