Capitol Weekly Podcast

In this episode we discuss two very different aspects of family. First up is our conversation with former Sacramento Bee editorial columnist Tom Philp, who joins us to talk about his moving five-part series examining how California’s mental health system is failing the families who need its help the most. Then we are joined by Ken Monroe, chairman of the Family Business Association of California, who highlights some of the challenges and opportunities facing California’s family-owned businesses.

2:47 Haney’s AB 2344

3:42 How do lobbying firms grow?

4:13 Tom Philp

5:22 Series on Califia Carlisle

7:52 State history on behavioral health

10:18 CARE Court: “The teeth were taken out.”

13:51 Incredibly challenging to cover

18:40 “It was a story of systemic failure.”

22:04 What can be done to get off of this track?

24:53 How can cities and counties work better together? 

28:18 “All of the creators of content are under attack”

33:01 Ken Monroe

33:36 What is the Family Business Association?

39:35 “We talk with a lot of people who have just given up.”

40:39 Holt & Caterpillar tractor’s origins in Stockton

42:05 Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA)

45:43 What’s the message from the legislature?

48:20 Have you seen change post PAGA reform?

51:01 One size does not fit all

55:16 We spend all of our time defending ourselves

57:31 #WWCA

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Kelly Calkin heads Calkin Public Affairs, a Sacramento-based firm that advises some of the biggest names in California politics. Calkin has a different background from many of his public affairs colleagues - he cut his teeth working for Labor, first at the California Building and Construction Trades State Council then for the California Professional Firefighters. Later stints with the Personal Insurance Federation of California and PG&E broadened his portfolio and gave him a look at the "business" side of doing business in California. He launched CPA thirteen years ago, but "refreshed" and expanded the firm in 2025. He joined us to talk about his career, how government affairs has changed, and his approach to making things happen in California. Plus, as always, we tell you who had the Worst Week in California Politics.

:46 Props to California

6:40 Legislation wrap-up

7:11 The effort to reintroduce Grizzly Bears

10;00 Swim California

11:43 NIL legislation

13:20 Kelly Calkin

14:40 Starting with Labor

19:30 To California Professional Firefighters

22:11 "Can i staff the BBQ?"

23:11 Why the reorganization?

26:53 Authenticity

29:45 How to present

36:26 Lobbying vs. Public Affairs

39:03 When a client isn't a good fit

41:45 #WWCA

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CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at California Health Care which was held in Sacramento on September 23, 2026.

This is Panel 1: The Impact of H. R. 1

Our panelists are: Ben Avey, WellSpace Health; Tam Ma, UC Office of the President; Katie Rodriguez, California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems; Christine Smith, Health Access; Josh Stehlik, California Immigrant Policy Center

Moderated by Rich Ehisen, Capitol Weekly

Thanks to our event sponsors:

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

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We're joined today by Larry Lee, Publisher of The Sacramento Observer, and head of the rapidly expanding OBSERVER Media Group, which now includes the Sacramento News and Review, the Chico News and Review, and the Stockton Observer. The Sacramento Observer was founded in 1962 by Lee's father, Dr. William H. Lee, radio personality Geno Gladden, and businessman John W. Cole. The Observer has a well-deserved reputation for excellence, and has been named the "Best Black Newspaper in America" eight times. And, speaking of excellence, The Observer is hosting the 2026 ONYX Awards, honoring Sacramento's most influential and respected Black leaders. Lee Gives us the history of the paper, shares his vision for OBSERVER Media, and talks about the honorees of this year's ONYX Awards, including Hall of Famer Willie Brown.

1:35 Card room story

1:50 Megan Yee

2:10 Byron Sher

4:00 Larry Lee

5:19 "The Nation's Best Black Newspaper"

7:40 Black press began in 1847

9:18 Food reviews from Greg Lucas

11:43 Dr. Lee and Ronald Reagan

14:40 Relationships!

16:01 Stockton Observer

22:50 The ONYX Awards

25:26 There are many political players on the ONYX list

26:22 Hall of Fame: Willie Brown

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We’re joined today by Asm. Josh Lowenthal (D – Long Beach) who spoke with us about his bills, AB 1709 and AB 2 - both signed by the governor last week – to regulate Social Media use by children and to hold tech companies financially liable when they cause harm. We also chat about a bill that did not make it out of the legislature - Senate Bill 1013, an effort to regulate the use of Flock cameras. Plus, as always, we tell you who had the Worst Week in California Politics.

1:08 AB 1709 and AB 2 have been signed

2:22 Now on the Capitol Weekly website

3:18 Asm. Josh Lowenthal

0:48  AB 1709 and AB 2

4:57 85% spike in child suicide rate

6:34 Social media screen time vs. television screen time

8:21 An attempt to regulate social media

12:48 Why the legislation is not a total ban for kids

15:15 Social media and marginalized communities

16:41 SB 1013 to regulate Flock cameras

18:80 Law enforcement opposition

20:50 “How much technology do we employ to keep us safe?”

22:13 Joe Jost’s

23:40 #WWCA

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

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We're joined by Mariel Garza, co-founder and executive editor of the Golden State Report. Garza was a longtime reporter and editor for mainstream California news organizations, including the Sacramento Bee and the Los Angeles Times, until she abruptly resigned from the L.A. Times’ editorial board in October 2024 after owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong blocked publication of an endorsement of Kamala Harris for president. Garza spoke with us about her decision to leave the Times, why she and her colleagues have launched a new independent media venture, and what she's watching in the Los Angeles mayors race.

Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/

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

"#WorstWeekCA" Beat provided by freebeats.io

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A poll from Median Strategies roiled the Los Angeles mayoral race earlier this month, showing Mayor Karen Bass with an 11 point lead over challenger Nithya Raman. The results were cited by several media outlets, and were touted by the Bass campaign before the poll was exposed as fake. When contacted, Median Strategies posted a statement that their polling had been "a short-term social experiment examining how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification." 

Social experiment or not, the poll did impact the race - at least in the short term - and certainly impacted election prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket. Political data expert Paul Mitchell joined us to talk about how junk polls, paid influencers and strategic gaming of the election markets can distort perceptions about a campaign. Plus, who had the Worst Week in California Politics?

2:01 "That's the Pacific Ocean"

4:35 Capitol Weekly Internship

7:30 Death penalty

9:04 Paul Mitchell

10:23 Bogus polling

13:37 Picked up by media

17:02 "Everybody's a pundit"

20:48 Prediction markets

22:13 $7M bet on Spencer Pratt AFTER the election

23:56 Could prediction markets replace polling?

27:15 How is this legal?

30:05 Predictit

31:35 A note about gaming

34:01 Duane Dichiara debt

34:48 Scott Lay's election pool

35:33 Junk polls designed to generate coverage

38:28 "Traditionally, your campaign's internal polling is some of the highest quality polling"

41:03 What California race should people be watching more closely?

43:15 The split in the Democratic Party

47:14 #WWCA

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

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Democratic strategist Michael Trujillo has worked for a number of political candidates in his long career, including heavyweights like Hillary Clinton and Antonio Villaraigosa. He joins us on the Capitol Weekly podcast this week to talk about life in the political arena, the ongoing civil war within the Democratic Party, his role in the downfall of former Congressman and aspiring gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell and…breakdancing.

2:35  Capitol Weekly Interns Olivia Bye and Sydney Laird

16:02 Early accusations against Eric Swalwell

22:34 “I’ve personally spoken to about 17 victims of Congressman Swalwell.”

25:36 Role of influencers in helping victims come forward

29:35 I’ll be able to reflect on this cycle after the election

30:28 How did you get to where you are now?

35:19 Thoughts on the current condition of the Democratic party

39:12 “An expert middleman”

44:20 “Make sure you know what you’re saying is true”

46:24 The strength is in the candidate

47:26 Jayden Daniels

49:39 “You have to have a healthy ego to run for office.”

50:20 Breakdancing 

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

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It has been a very busy last few years for Fair Political Practices Commission Chairman Adam Silver. In addition to the usual challenges of an election year, Silver has been working on numerous efforts to utilize artificial intelligence in how the FPPC addresses campaign finance issues. He joined us recently on the Capitol Weekly podcast to talk about these issues and more. 

0:50 Top 100 Party recap

5:02 Adam Silver

7:08 Update on FPPC’s agenda last year

11:05 Highlighting productivity

12:40 Who sets the fines?

14:22 People using AI to file claims

17:45 Reporting requirements for social media creators

20:38 Clipping

24:27 AI disclaimer requirement

27:38 FPPC’s agenda this year

30:53 Use of campaign funds for security

33:49 Integrating AI into FPPC operations

35:15 Involvement in tech advisory groups

38:53 #WWCA

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

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Hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster are joined by Jenny Huh of ABC10 for a look at the 18th edition of Capitol Weekly's Top 100, which published yesterday. Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 is our annual analysis of the unelected political power structure in California. We look at the mostlybehind the scenes players who influence policy, elections and governance, including Capitol staff, lobbyists, Agency staff, donors, business leaders, activists, Labor leaders – and even journalists. Huh, Ehisen and Foster run through the Top 10, look at some of the new faces and discuss the themes running through this year's list.

:32 Jenny Huh

1:04 The Top 100

2:04 The Top 10

2:15 Nathan Barankin

5:55 Ann Patterson

9:16 Joe Stephenshaw

12:05 Christine Aurre

12:58 Bob Hertzberg

19:03 Nani Coloretti

19:18 Jim DeBoo

19:55 Jennifer Barrera

20:43 Tia Orr

21:03 Teri Holoman

25:20 Dave Regan

33:10 Ned Wigglesworth

35:00 Dolores Huerta

40:45 Alexei Koseff and Sophia Bollag

49:00 Generational change

49:45 Tony Bui, Laiza Negrete and Ramona Prieto

50:26 Tiffany Whiten and Angela Pontes

51:13 Paul Mitchell

56:10 Who is not there?

56:33 Alma Hernandez and Izzy Gardon

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