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.  Wunderman served as the CEO of BAC for just over 21 years.

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.  California Forever is the dream of Jan Sramek, a Czechoslovakian emigre who sees the project as a major step in solving California's housing crisis. He's convinced a bevy of billionaires to back him - now it will be up to Wunderman to get California's political decision makers on board. 

1:17 Dana Williamson

6:40 Last week's WWCA winner: Kevin Kiley

7:45 Capitol Weekly news

9:20 Jim Wunderman

12:13 BAC's bipartisan success

15:36 CEQA reform

19:53 New leadership at BAC?

20:56 From Feinstein's office to BAC

27:12 "I met Nancy Pelosi in 1984..."

28:47 California Forever

34:34 Impact of Climate Change on project?

38:13 Timeline

41:43 WWCA

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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. They name the winners and losers in this epic political battle, walk us through the various legal challenges, and look ahead at what this means for redistricting reform in the long term.

Plus: our longest-ever list of Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics. They say that success has many fathers but in the case of Proposition 50 there appear to be even more losers than winners. We'll go over the list, but ultimately leave the final decision to you!

2:35 Lourdes Ayon

5:58 Paul Mitchell and Matt Rexroad

6:55 Biggest winners and losers

8:52 "Shaking up the ant farm"

9:53 Remember the Recall

13:35 Influencers

15:13 Politico story

15:45 Turnout

18:18 The opposition: What happened?

20:16 Lawsuits

30:29 How do California districts compare to other states?

33:05 Possible reforms?

36:23 Which districts are most likely to flip?

42:25 The bottom line

47:13 Redistricting overreach?

54:35 #WWCA  (click here to vote!)

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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. Plus, a full slate of options for Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics.

1:17 Leah O'Tarrow

2:09 SB41

3:48 Adam Silver

6:00 AI and emerging technologies

8:44 "If the FPPC is prosecuting everybody then that honestly is going to undermine the public trust"

10:37 2025 Legislation, AB953

16:53 A brief history of the FPPC

18:20 is it really legal for lawmakers to receive campaign donations in their offices?

21:56 Origin story

24:00 Capital Fellows Program

25:49 Biggest regulatory challenge?

32:34 #WWCA

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Today we welcome lobbyist Leah Barros of Barros Clay and Associates. Barros is a familiar face in Sacramento, having worked in the Capitol as a staffer and later as a lobbyist for various firms before launching her own shop. Among her notable wins was leading the lobbying effort to enact The CROWN Act, the first statewide law in the country to prohibit racial discrimination on the basis of natural hairstyles in the workplace and schools. That experience changed her perception of what she could - and should - do as an advocate. Plus - Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics?

1:00 Cap Weekly update

1:49 Capitol Weekly interns

6:35 Abuse survivors in LA County

7:20 Leah Barros

7:39 A look back at the session

10:01 Origin story

14:28 "My best friend Delilah Clay"

17:54 When session ends the work doesn's stop

20:10 Dealing with turmoil in #caleg

22:17 The CROWN Act

26:31 How to have a good relationship with clients

31:00 #WWCA

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On October 14, 2025, Capitol Weekly, CalMatters, and the University of California Student and Policy Center presented California Votes: Proposition 50 - Should Californians support mid-decade redistricting?

Proposition 50 would require California to use new congressional district maps through 2030. Use of independent Citizens Redistricting Commission maps would resume after that date.

Governor Newsom and Democrats in the legislature argue that the “Election Rigging Response Act” is a temporary, emergency proposal to counter mid-decade partisan gerrymanders underway in Texas and other red states that are designed to benefit President Trump and the Republican Party. Republicans counter that California should not return to partisan redistricting in which the party in power controls the maps.

Proponents from each of the campaigns offered their arguments in a debate moderated by Rich Ehisen of Capitol Weekly and Juliet Williams of CalMatters. Rusty Hicks, Chair of the California Democratic Party represented the Yes side. Patricia Sinay of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission represented the No side.

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We're joined today by California State Treasurer Fiona Ma. The Treasurer is the state's banker and manages $3 trillion per year, among many other things. Ma is a former San Francisco Supervisor, state legislator and member of the Board of Equalization, and a current candidate for Lieutenant Governor. She spoke with us about the Treasurer's job, her path to that office, and about her mentor, the legendary John Burton.  

:21 Proposition 50 debate

2:12 Lindsey Horvath and Measure G

6:20 Fiona Ma

7:09 What does the State Treasurer do?

9:10 Dancing with the Capitol Stars

13:32 Origin story

20:22 The Board of Equalization

22:03 Can CA backfill federal budget cuts?

26:53 "Government by Unicorn"

27:28 Public-private partnerships

31:18 What's next for Fiona Ma?

36:03 #WWCA

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Capitol Weekly and the University of California Student and Policy Center presented A Conference on Health Care on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 in Sacramento.

In today's episode we present the Keynote: A conversation between Dr. S. Monica Soni of Covered California and Capitol Weekly Editor Rich Ehisen.

California is reeling from devastating federal budget cuts to health care and social services while state leaders grapple with shortfalls in our own Budget. Whatever happens in DC and Sacramento, California’s health care system is poised to see major changes.

Stick around til the end; Rich and special guest Robin Epley of the Sacramento Bee tell you Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics.

Thanks to our Health Care sponsors:

THE CALIFORNIA HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION, THE TRIBAL ALLIANCE OF SOVEREIGN INDIAN NATIONS, WESTERN STATES PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION, KP PUBLIC AFFAIRS, PERRY COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, CAPITOL ADVOCACY, THE WEIDEMAN GROUP, CALKIN PUBLIC AFFAIRS, STUTZMAN PUBLIC AFFAIRS, LUCAS PUBLIC AFFAIRS, BICKER, CASTILLO, FAIRBANKS & SPITZ PUBLIC AFFAIRS and CALIFORNIA PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS

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Host Rich Ehisen is back from the wilderness, just in time to welcome lobbyist Jennifer Fearing.  Fearing is perhaps California's best known "White Hat" lobbyist - she largely represents animal rights orgs, environmental groups and other nonprofits - and is recognized for punching above her weight. High on her priority list this session were three bills that would curtail "puppy mill" sales in the state; SB 312, AB 519 and AB 506 have passed the legislature and are currently waiting on the Governor's signature. She spoke with us about those bills,  about the unstable environment nonprofit orgs have found themselves in, what she, and her clients are doing about it. And of course we asked her about First Dog Sutter Brown.

1:37 Highway 395

2:40 The Dave Cogdill Memorial Highway

6:15 "Dewey Defeats Truman"

8:36 From Culbert Olson to a biography of Lone Pine

14:19 Jennifer Fearing

15:10 The environment for nonprofits today

19:28 How do you plan for this moment?

20:42 AB 1318

22:38 "Giant mess"

25:30 Practical actions

26:44 "We have GoBiz but we don't have GoNonProfits"

27:31 Necessary reforms?

29:29 Puppy Mill bills

35:59 Gov. Newsom's attitude about animals

37:11 The pet otter

37:51 The Sutter Brown era

43:07 #WWCA

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Host Rich Ehisen is on vacation, so original CW Podcast Host John Howard joins Tim Foster in the studio to chat about the news and his life post-Capitol Weekly. We also look at a laundry list of Worst Week candidates including a politician who was unceremoniously booted from office, a California company facing a political backlash, a news organization reminded once again of their past malfeasance, and many more.

:43 John Howard

1:16 A book on California highways

3:57 A visit with the press corp

6:27 #WWCA

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Author, podcaster, gadfly and former Assemblymember Mike Gatto joins us to talk about the state of politics, Roman history, and the experience of being a crime victim... plus so much more.

1:45 AB 325

2:43 Governor's approval rating

4:25 Who's in/Who's out for 26 Gov's race

5:34 Mike Gatto

7:30 "Courage begets courage"

10:16 The diminished power of the legislature

13:16 Roman history allegory

14:55 Redistricting

18:49 Democrats are just reacting to Trump

20:01 Dems need to stand for something

23:54 National Dems with a vision

28:58 Prop. 36

33:03 Murder of Joseph Gatto

38:16 The appeal of Roman History

39:45 WTF History Podcast

40:24 Knighthood?

42:15 What does the future hold for Mike Gatto?

44:17 Who Had the Worst Week in CA Politics?  #WWCA

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Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang

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