We have a packed show today: first up, we chat with California Secretary of State Shirley Weber about The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, proposed federal legislation that would require all Americans to reregister to vote, in person, with either a birth certificate or passport. Weber outlines concerns that the law would effectively disenfranchise millions of voters who may not have access to their birth certificate, and those - like many married women - whose documents no longer match their birth name. And, perhaps an even bigger problem: who pays?  Counties project millions in costs to administrate, but the  legislation includes no funding mandate.

We also spoke with Trans activist Ebony Harper, founding executive director of California TRANScends, and the author of The Trans Manifesto. Harper shared how she is responding to the current wave of anti-Trans sentiment, her reaction to Governor Newsom's recent podcast comments, and how Coast to Coast and NPR shaped her life.

Plus - Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics?

1:38 Capitol Weekly Update

2:13 Correction: Dan Weintraub was the first California politics blogger

3:33 Big Day of Giving: May 1

5:49 SOS Shirley Weber on the SAVE Act

6:21 "What are they trying to save?"

7:25 What does it do?

8:41 Disproportionately affects women

11:12 The fraud problem

13:11 The cost to counties

15:05 Impact on Trans people

16:51 Litigation?

18:01 Most states see this as an obstacle

19:56 Ebony Harper

24:01 How do you respond to the current moment?

27:55 The Trans Manifesto

30:09 The governor's comments carry a lot of weight, but..

34:12 Anti-Trans messaging

36:13 "The same playbook"

37:13 Origin Story

39:18 Coast to Coast and NPR

42:37 "We're still coming out every day, even though it's a hostile environment"

43:24 Where is Ebony Harper in five years?

45:44 #WWCA

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

"#WorstWeekCA" Beat provided by freebeats.io

Jeff Pearlman has been a sportswriter for three decades, and is the best-selling author of ten books on sports, including Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, which was adapted as the HBO series Winning Time. In February 2025 he turned his attentions to the ultimate contact sport: politics. 

His new Substack newsletter, The Truth OC, digs deep into Orange County politics, skewering what he refers to as "the crazy people" in many Orange County local governments. If he is unabashedly partisan, he brings the receipts, sharing photos, videos and other documents of officials behaving badly - or at least strangely.

He spoke with us about his decision to cover local politics, how a lifetime of sportswriting prepared him for this beat, and why Democratic messaging "sucks." 

:36 Oral History of Speaker Robert Hertzberg

1:45 Problems at the State Bar

3:01 Experts Expound: The best and worst political jobs in California

3:51 Welcome Jeff Pearlman

8:39 The Truth OC

10:57 Style

12:52 Seal of God

13:49 "You bring the receipts"

16:08 Impact in the community

18:04 Enjoying the cruelty

22:13 How did sportswriting prepare you for this?

25:06 "I find him so exasperating"

25:52 Getting in your face

29:02 The N word at a school board meeting

30:55 Don't let things disappear

34:16 Will this affect your sportswriting career?

36:32 What journalists/writers do you follow?

37:37 The new Jon Fleischman

38:33 How long will you do this?

40:33 #WWCA

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

"#WorstWeekCA" Beat provided by freebeats.io

Democratic Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo joined us to talk about her legislative priorities, the Los Angeles Fires, the Chiquita Canyon Landfill environmental crisis, and why cuts to the VA are personal for her. And as always, we tell you Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics.

1:25 Best and worst jobs in California politics?

3:08 Welcome, Asm. Schiavo

3:35 The 3 Hs: housing, homelessness and healthcare

4:15 #AB301

6:17 The impact of the Los Angeles Fires

9:29 How has the state's resPonse been?

11:18 And the insurance companies?

13:09 Chiquita Canyon Landfill fire

17:42 "There is one man who has cancer. He looks out his front door and four of his neighbors have cancer. It's not normal."

21:37 VA cuts - a personal story

26:18 Can California offset cuts?

28:16 Realistically, what can the #caleg get done this year?

31:49 #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

California political data expert Paul Mitchell joins us to talk about his recent polls that explored public reaction to Governor Gavin Newsom's This is Gavin Newsom podcast, and the results of the first Capitol Weekly Insider Survey, which asked how and where the Capitol Community gets its news.

1:11 Capitol Weekly Internship application deadline: April 18

3:40 What about the Gov's podcast?

14:20 Methodology

17:44 Capitol Weekly Insiders Survey

20:13 LinkedIn

21:33 X/Twitter

23:01 Bluesky

25:23 Starter Packs

26:53 Facebook

29:02 Democratization of the dialogue

30:45 Alex Vassar mention

32:13 How to get the survey

33:28 Becerra Effect?

36:41 Will 2026 be another Blue Wave?

39:28 #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

Today we welcome Asm. David Tangipa, the freshman Republican legislator from the 8th Assembly District, and at 29, the youngest member of the California Legislature. Tangipa grew up off Watt Avenue in Sacramento, not for from McClellan Air Force Base. The impact that McClellan's closure had on Tangipa's friends and neighborhood left a lasting impression - and an awareness that policy decisions affected lives in very real ways. Sports offered a way out of the neighborhood; encouraged by his high school football coach, Frank Negri, Tangipa attended college at Cal State Fresno where he played tight end for the Fresno Bulldogs. Tangipa began working in real estate and got involved involved in Fresno politics, serving as a field representative for Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig. In 2024 he launched a bid for the open 8th District Assembly seat, challenging the favorite, former Congressman George Radanovich. Radanovich led in the Primary, but lost by 7 points in the general.  

Tangipa joined us to talk about his path to Sacramento, his extraordinarily short tenure on the Assembly Insurance Committee, and why he - the first Tongan ever to serve in the #caleg - is not part of the AAPI Legislative Caucus.

Plus: Who had the worst week in CA politics?

1:01 SB581 story

2:35 Welcome Paula Treat and Matt Rodriguez

3:31 Conferences coming: AI on July 8; Health Care on October 1

6:05 Welcome Asm. Tangipa

7:09 Origin story

10:26 "By the time I was 14 years old I was 6'4 and 200 pounds"

12:10 vs. George Radanovich

14:01 Sacto vs. Fresno

16:33 Removal from committees

19:42 Relationships with other legislators

25:40 Any news on Federal fire funding?

29:14 Thoughts on the new building reform package?

32:34 #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

Longtime political columnist Dan Walters joins us to talk about his fifty years covering state capitol politics. Walters began covering politics in 1975 - just months after Jerry Brown was sworn in for his first term as Governor - and hasn't stopped since. He began writing his column for the Sacramento Union in 1981 and continued when he moved to the Union's crosstown rival The Sacramento Bee in 1984. He has been with CalMatters since 2017.  Walters spoke with us about how the capitol has changed in the half century he has been covering it, shared his favorite Jerry Brown story, and finally came clean about how he scooped the rest of the press corp on the state Budget story, over and over again.  Plus - Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics?

:58 A viral story

2:16 Capitol Insiders Survey

3:44 California Insurance Crisis

4:45 Welcome Dan Walters

5:32 most notable changes in 50 years?

8:22 Vic Pollard

12:40 The two groups who came out of nowhere

13:21 The Third House

15:33 How DID you get the Budget in advance?

17:36 "All hell broke loose"

20:15 Down at David's Brass Rail

21:40 Apocalypse Right Now

27:28 Thoughts on "This is Gavin Newsom" 

31:36 The Great Mentioners

34:39 #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

Claire Conlon has a long history in the capitol community. She got her start as a legislative aide in 2011, and has held a wide variety of roles since, including Press Secretary for Senate leader Kevin de León and Chief of Staff to Asm. Cottie Petrie-Norris. While building that impressive resume, she did something unusual: she left. In 2017 Conlon left the capitol, the state, and eventually the country, traveling the world for a full year - job title "Vagabond" on her Linkedin. Returning to the state in 2018, she picked up where she had left off. In 2023, she left the capitol again - She is currently the Senior Director of State Government Affairs for Biocom California, where she manages and implements their state legislative policy agenda.

Claire shared stories from her capitol journey and other travels, offers advice for new legislators, and talks about her new role in California's second largest industry.  Plus - Who had the Worst Week in CA Politics?

1:11 First time on a podcast!

3:55 What was it like to be a Press Sec. for a Legislative leader?

4:15 Dee Dee Myers shout-out

5:21 Origin story

9:12 From school to the capitol

11:40 Around the world

15:33 What did the trip change for you?

18:06 Advice for new legislators

20:37 Thoughts on gender parity in the Senate

21:43 New role at Biocom

23:02 Second-largest industry in California

24:14 St. Patrick's Day dancers at the capitol

25:27 Favorite state capitol?

26:38 Hot topics: Drug affordability and access

29:38 #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

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s conference The Resistance: California vs. Donald Trump, which was held in Sacramento on Wednesday, February 26, 2025

This is PANEL 2 – CLIMATE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Panelists: Kip Lipper, Chief Policy Advisor on Energy and Environment to the Senate pro Tem; Catherine Reheis-Boyd, Western States Petroleum Association; Victoria Rome, Natural Resources Defense Council

Moderated by Rich Ehisen, Capitol Weekly

Thanks to our California Conferences sponsors:

THE TRIBAL ALLIANCE OF SOVEREIGN INDIAN NATIONS, WESTERN STATES PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION, KP PUBLIC AFFAIRS, PERRY COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, CAPITOL ADVOCACY, THE WEIDEMAN GROUP, and CALIFORNIA PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS

On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, Capitol Weekly presented an online conference, The Resistance: California vs. Donald Trump.

This is PANEL 3 – IMMIGRATION

Panelists:  Senator María Elena Durazo; Luis Alvarado, Luis Alvarado Public Affairs; Kevin R. Johnson, UC Davis School of Law; David Trujillo, ACLU California Action

Moderated by Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times

Thanks to our California Conferences sponsors:

THE TRIBAL ALLIANCE OF SOVEREIGN INDIAN NATIONS, WESTERN STATES PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION, KP PUBLIC AFFAIRS, PERRY COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, CAPITOL ADVOCACY, THE WEIDEMAN GROUP, and CALIFORNIA PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS

On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, Capitol Weekly presented an online conference, The Resistance: California vs. Donald Trump.

This is PANEL 1 – HEALTH CARE

Panelists: Beth Malinowksi, SEIU California; Devon Mathis, California Assembly (Ret.); Amanda McAllister-Wallner, Health Access California; Dr. Richard Pan, California Senate (Ret.);

Moderated by Samantha Young, KFF Health News

Please note: During this discussion, a speaker questions whether there may be a connection between Autism Spectrum Disorder and vaccines. Numerous studies over the past two decades have debunked a connection between autism and the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Thanks to our California Conferences sponsors:

THE TRIBAL ALLIANCE OF SOVEREIGN INDIAN NATIONS, WESTERN STATES PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION, KP PUBLIC AFFAIRS, PERRY COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, CAPITOL ADVOCACY, THE WEIDEMAN GROUP, and CALIFORNIA PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS