Capitol Weekly Podcast

Our guest today is Emmy Award winning journalist, producer, documentary filmmaker and podcaster Soledad O'Brien. O'Brien got her start in broadcast TV in 1991, and has held a wide variety of positions, ranging from on-air reporter, to anchor, to producer. Her work has been recognized with four Emmy awards, three George Foster Peabody Awards; she has also received the Gracie Award, which honors women in media.  O'Brien joined us to talk about the state of journalism today. 

:58 The final debate

3:17 Paul Mitchell shout out

5:05 Ballot initiative to eliminate Top Two

13:28 What's new at Capitol Weekly

14:59 Soledad O'Brien

16:00 The state of media

19:26 Approval rating of mainstream media

24:36 "Vast right wing conspiracy"

26:47 Bias

29:58 The 24 hour news cycle

31:20 "I think audiences are smarter than we give them credit for"

36:04 Roots

44:27 Financial literacy advocacy

47:04 Starfish Media

53:11 #WWCA

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Jeff Randle has been one of the Capitol community’s go-to political campaign strategists for decades. He has been a top advisor on five gubernatorial campaigns as well as serving as deputy chief of staff to Gov. Pete Wilson from 1991-1998. This year his firm Randle Communications celebrates its 25th anniversary so we figured it was a great time to have him joins us to share his perspectives on this year’s gubernatorial races and perhaps to share a war story or two.

3:55 Jeff Randle

4:55 “Chaotic” gubernatorial campaign year

5:49 Dramatic campaign spending

7:00 Advertising in evolving media landscape

10:50 “Boring used to not be such a detriment"

12:02 Paying micro influencers?

13:33 “There’s going to be 50 governor's races between now and the primary.”

17:07 Evolution of Republican candidates

21:45 Importance of endorsements in modern campaigns

27:39 “A wild ride” - 25 years of Randle Communications 

31:42 Arnold’s campaign

36:24 Advice for the modern media landscape

39:50 Worst Year in California Politics 

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 

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Affordability has become the buzziest of buzzwords around the California Capitol and beyond. It

has become a major talking point for lawmakers, candidates for every office and even a certain

governor with lofty ambitions beyond the Golden State. On this week’s podcast we share a lively

and very candid discussion on affordability between two of the Capitol community’s most

notable members – longtime political strategist, author and commentator Mike Madrid and

former Assemblymember and current president of the California Federation of Labor Unions

Lorena Gonzalez.

1:15 Introductions

2:00 Thoughts on the gubernatorial primary in terms of affordability

6:45 Insinuated promises

10:30 “There is no monopoly on good or bad ideas.”

15:37 “How many of these things are actually within their control?”

21:20 A lot of things could help

22:30 “In the digital age the most valuable commodity we have is our data”

26:21 “The old model doesn’t work”

29:15 Billionaire tax 

36:20 Thoughts on the Insurance Commissioners race

41:30 Audience question - Responsibility of Labor in effecting affordability?

46:40 Audience question - Is this issue going to go away anytime soon?

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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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Our guest is Darcy Totten, Executive Director at the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. The Commission on the Status of Women was established by the legislature in 1965 for the purpose of developing recommendations “which will enable women to make the maximum contribution to society.” In 1971 Governor Reagan made the Commission a permanent, independent agency. Totten joined us to talk about the history of the organization, the challenges women and girls face today and what the future might look like.

1:04 Telematics story

2:04 Cardroom regulations and impact on local governments

3:13 Affordability

8:40 Darcy Totten

11:41 Temperature check

15:09 The federal picture

18:17 Radical solidarity

21:01 The Girls' Agenda

26:15 'How do you bake gender equity into every system?"

30:33 What about the CA legislature?

36:05 Regulating AI or social media

38:07 "Sometimes you need the bigger change"

44:59 Statewide blueprint

45:44 #WWCA

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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Most folks rightly recognize the New Deal as the collection of Great Depression-era government programs implemented under the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s. But there is another much more current NewDEAL out there as well, an organization that just turned 15 years old focused on bringing together center-left politicos from around the country with the specific goal of addressing and finding solutions for some of the country's most pressing problems. NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan has spent more than three decades in Democratic politics and public policy, including 15 years at the Democratic Leadership Council, including serving as National Political Director and Chief of Staff, helping shape strategy for state and local elected officials across the country.

We spoke with her on today's show about NewDEAL and her work with leaders like San José Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan and Senator Alex Padilla, as well as a national network of leaders focused on pragmatic economic policy and opportunity. 

2:30 Capitol Weekly Interns Jasleen Kaur & Chris Ramirez

7:25 Profiles on Assemblymembers Lurie Davies & Jessica Caloza

11:30 Debbie Cox Bultan

12:58 “The best kept secret in Washington”

15:15 What makes a NewDEAL leader?

17:25 What does joining NewDEAL offer?

21:52 “Democrats are going to to have to stand for something”

25:54 Focusing on kitchen table issues

28:17 “Democrats need to provide an on-ramp”

29:27 How did you get into this work?

30:57 A labor of love

33:02 "Politics is so disconnected from the reality of life”

37:25 An honorable profession

41:45 “They want something that’s going to deliver a result”

44:00 #WWCA

52:25 Affordability Conference

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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There was an old ad slogan for a well-known brokerage firm: When EF Hutton talks, people listen. The sentiment survives today, with a slight modification: When Fiona Hutton talks, people listen. Fiona Hutton runs one of the state's preeminent public affairs firms, with a score of employees handling strategic planning, research & insights, media relations and more for a host of high-powered clients. Fiona Hutton and Associates celebrates their 25th anniversary this year, and Hutton joined us to talk about her early years as a one-woman (and a baby) shop,  what it's like to do this work in LA, and the challenges of being a woman in this business.  Plus - Who Had the Worst Week in CA Politics. (You might have a guess....)

1:15 Affordability

4:05 Capitol Briefs

4:51 Asm. Jessica Caloza

5:07 Experts Expound

5:43 Fiona Hutton

7:45 90% of businesses in California are small businesses

8:50 In the beginning

10:16 "My water broke on a conference call with a client"

12:55 What does a public affairs firm do?

16:46 What is it like being a woman in this space?

20:13 Generational approach

26:06 "Do not look at your to-do list - go check on your team first"

26:52 What has changed in 25 years?

28:54 Working in LA

35:26 "There is no down-shifting"

38:35 What next?

40:52 #WWCA

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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Today's guest is Sacramento Bee reporter Lia Russell. Russell covers the governor for The Bee’s Capitol Bureau, and was part of the team that broke the story of Dana Williamson's arrest last year.  We asked about that story, covering the capitol, and what it was like to cover politics in their earlier gigs in Bangor, Maine and Baltimore, Maryland. 

:47 Affordability

2:00 What's on Capitol Weekly

4:16 Lia Russell

6:09 The race to replace Gov. Newsom

8:20 "Whether they like it or not..."

10:15 View from Maine

16:37 Working for the Baltimore Sun

18:37 The Dana Williamson story

23:45 Reading indictments

26:16 Origin story

32:04 The tattoos

33:43 Asm. Matt Harper mention

38:06 #WWCA

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Membership in California labor unions grew by over 100,000 members between 2024 and 2025, and California union membership currently stands at 2.4 million - the most of any state. These gains come in the face of strong anti-labor policies put in place by the Trump Administration.

Our guest today is one of the reasons for those gains. Former Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez is the President of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, which is made up of more than 1,300 unions, representing 2.3 million members. in the Legislature, Gonzalez was one of the most respected - and feared - members.  She has brought her patented take-no-prisoners approach to the Labor Fed, getting arrested at protests and sparring online with foes ranging from Elon Musk to centrist Democrats.

We spoke with Gonzalez about the status of the labor movement, the threat - and opportunities - of AI, and the impact of Cesar Chavez' sudden downfall. 

1:26 Capitol Briefs

2:18 Jacqui Nguyen

3:21 Remembering Sam Kieth

6:27 Lorena Gonzalez

8:53 Where is the governor on AI bills?

10:52 And the gubernatorial candidates?

14:13 "Everything is AI enabled"

16:04 What are the big issues for Labor in 2026?

17:25 "Labor grew in California last year by 100,000 members"

19:29 Quad endorsement

22:08 More union members voted MAGA in 2024 - where are they now?

25:47 Are the Dems hearing the Labor message?

29:00 The impact of the Chavez revelations

38:10 #WWCA

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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Last week's spectacular downfall of Labor icon Cesar Chavez was unprecedented. The New York Times' bombshell report on allegations of sexual abuse of young girls by Chavez, coupled with UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta's disturbing story of rape at his hands toppled the legacy of one of the most significant figures in California history.

If Chavez' exposure was a surprise, the general content of the stories was tragically familiar. The revelations come as America is roiled in controversy over Jeffrey Epstein's crimes against women and girls, and nine years after the We Said Enough moment exposed rife sexual harassment - and worse - in the Capitol Community. Our guest, POLITICO Melanie Mason reported extensively on We Said Enough as that story broke, and joined us to reflect on the Chavez allegations, abuse of power and the difficulties survivors face in coming forward.

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Local journalism in the United States is in crisis. Almost 40% of all local newspapers in the US have vanished since 2005, leaving "news deserts," areas that lack consistent local reporting. Many of these areas now have no local reporting; in others, legitimate news outlets have been replaced by "Pink Slime" - partisan "fake news" websites masquerading as independent local news. What can be done to stop the collapse of local news?

Two years ago, Arizona State University launched NEWSWELL, a nonprofit organization that offers comprehensive wraparound services - including fundraising - to their newsroom partners, helping them build sustainable business models. NEWSWELL now has a string of 15 news outlets, including 11 in California. We're joined by Nicole Carroll, Executive Director of NEWSWELL and a professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She shares the vision behind NEWSWELL, explains the ASU connection and looks at what indie news needs to survive.

2:06 Billionaires tax

3:01 Litigation around card rooms

3:29 Insurance Commissioner candidates

5:56 Nicole Carroll

7:29 The California Connection

9:09 Plight of local news

11:09 The Cronkite School

11:57 ASU internship program

13:27 Capitol Weekly internships

14:11 New study: Media Impact Founders

21:33 The Pulitzer Committee

24:00 Leisure time?

25:43 3WWCA

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.