Former California Assemblyman Mike Gatto joins the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on politics, crime, liberalism, Israel, and more.

We begin with Mike’s new book on crime, including his personal story of losing his father to an unsolved murder. We discuss the recent rise in political violence, the balance between freedom and security, and how both parties have struggled to respond.From there, we dive into California’s challenges—homelessness, the economy, and whether the Golden State is headed in the right direction.

We also tackle the crisis of trust in American institutions, the role of social media, and how courage (or silence) shapes public discourse.Finally, we talk about Israel, antisemitism, and the future of bipartisan support for the Jewish state.📌 Topics include:Crime statistics and public safetyPolitical violence and polarizationFreedom vs. security in American lifeCalifornia’s economy, homelessness, and governanceTrust in institutions after COVID, BLM, and moreIsrael, antisemitism, and progressive politicsIf you enjoy thoughtful conversations on tough issues, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe.00:00 Intro00:07 Who is Mike Gatto? Background & law firm00:13 Crime: Mike’s book + his father’s unsolved murder00:30 Political violence this week (subway, campus incident)01:03 Normalization of extremism & “opponents deserve to die”02:29 Liberalism vs left/right; free speech for everyone04:16 Social media, empathy, and sociopathic incentives06:27 Freedom vs safety: policing, guardrails, civil liberties09:34 Do Democrats “downplay” crime? Data vs lived safety12:46 Tough-on-crime vs second chances; repeat offenders15:23 Trust in institutions: COVID, media, academia, FDA/CDC22:52 “Get involved”: conspiracy vs bureaucracy; changing from within29:23 The power of saying “no” in captured institutions33:35 Will Mike run again? State of California politics34:36 California’s paradox: GDP engines vs homelessness/outmigration40:06 Israel, antisemitism, and the left’s underdog lens46:04 Policy critique vs delegitimization; Soviet-era narratives50:03 Hope model: France–Germany analogy & leadership55:00 Israel as a democracy; Netanyahu criticism vs anti-Israelism56:04 Being visibly Jewish in Europe; Olympic security anecdote58:02 Etrog (citrus) trivia from Italy & wrap