Brian Joseph has worked as a newspaper reporter and investigative journalist for two decades, writing for Capitol Weekly, the Orange County Register, the Sacramento Bee and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, among other publications. He recently released his first book: Vegas Concierge: Sex Trafficking, Hip Hop and Corruption in America. Using public and private records as well as exclusive, first-person accounts from primary sources, the book shows how prostitutes and pimps ply their trade, how law enforcement agencies trip up and their investigations become compromised, and how self-interest corrupts news organizations and the corridors of power.  He spoke with us about what drive him to write the book, the connection to Hip Hop and corruption, and what news organizations have gotten wrong in coverage of the issue.  Plus: Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics?

1:50 The California connection

3:36 Shannon Grove

4:14 How did the book come about?

6:31 The victims

8:06 How prevalent is sex trafficking in the US?

9:47 The effect of the internet

12:04 The connection to Hip Hop and corruption

15:10 How have the profiled subjects reacted?

16:45 Repeat victimization

18:34 How have news organizations made it worse

20:32 Intense book tour moments

23:26 #WWCA

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Our guest today is the Parliamentarian to the Assembly Speaker, Brian Ebbert. Ebbert has spent over three decades in the Assembly starting as an Assistant Clerk in 1991. He served as Assembly Floor Director from 2017 to 2014; he announced his retirement last year (and even got the cake) but agreed at the end of 2024 to stay on one more year as Assembly Parliamentarian

What does the Assembly Parliamentarian do? In this role, Ebbert is the senior procedural and parliamentary advisor to the Assembly Speaker and his leadership team. He is responsible for daily coordination of the Floor business, strategic motions, and procedures of the House, and provides expert procedural analysis and advice to Majority Party leadership team. He also develops logistics, rules, and procedures for Floor sessions, and - one of his favorite duties - identifies, drafts, and implements House rule changes for each two-year legislative session.  

Ebbert joins Hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster to talk about the Parliamentarian's role, how the legislature has changed in the time he has been there, and about his brief but fascinating time in the Canadian Parliament.  Plus - Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics?

1:53 The role of Parliamentarian

4:56 "You can read a book about football... but that doesn't make you a football player"

7:15 From Speaker's Floor Director to Parliamentarian

10:33 Questions from members

12:30 The flow of information

15:17 Touchy topics

19:44 Impact of Social Media

23:49 How has the institution changed?

26:16 Length of Floor sessions

28:36 Procedural rule changes

30:29 Two weeks in the Canadian Parliament

42:24 #WWCA

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It may not feel like it, but Donald J. Trump began his second presidential term less than three weeks ago. The reality TV star turned GOP president wasted no time implementing his agenda, issuing dozens of Executive Orders, clearcutting opposition officials and entrusting billionaire donor Elon Musk with a broad mandate to revise the functions of the US government, often in seeming conflict with federal law and the constitution. These unilateral actions are testing the bounds of executive power beyond anything seen in American politics before.

Congress – led by Trump’s Republican Party - has been largely silent, with minority Democrats raising objections but to little effect. The courts have begun to weigh in, with mixed results. What to make of these unprecedented times in American history?

To talk about all this, we’re joined by Thad Kousser, professor of Political Science at UC San Diego. Kousser has written extensively on US and California politics and is an astute observer of American political life. He spoke with us about President Trump’s “everything everywhere all at once” strategy, what Democrats can and can’t do, and how this all plays in California.

1:34 Perspective

3:50 Democrats caught flat footed

5:30 Billionaire buddy: Elon Musk

9:09 Donald Trump's political superpower

12:42 What does this mean for the Democrats?

17:02 What aren't congressional Dems doing more?

20:14 The California legislature and Donald Trump

23:18 "Flooding the zone"

26:43 >>Picture of dog drinking coffee, surrounded by fire<< "This is fine"

32:26 "Government is the problem"

36:04 3WWCA

Plus, Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics.

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Cecilia Aguiar-Curry represents California's 4th Assembly District, which includes Napa, Lake, Yolo, Colusa Counties and part of Sonoma County. She is the chair of the bipartisan California Legislative Women’s Caucus and is also the Assembly Majority Leader. As Majority Leader, Aguiar-Curry guides her party’s legislative strategy, coordinates with committee chairs and helps ensure the efficient progression of bills. As chair of the Women’s Caucus, she helps promote policies and budget priorities that improve the well-being of women, children and families. She sat down with Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster to talk about finding common ground with her Republican colleagues, her role in helping new legislators get their feet under them, and Democratic priorities for 2025.  

Plus - Who had the Worst Week in California Politics?

:54 The Women's Caucus

4:22 Working with a bipartisan caucus and new members

6:27 California and Trump: common ground?

8:40 Affordability

13:10 What have we learned from the fires?

18:55 Getting new legislators up to speed

22:43 Priorities

25:16 The legislature and the governor

27:20 #WWCA

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We're joined today by Dr. Shirley Weber, California's Secretary of State. Governor Newsom appointed the four-term assembly member as Secretary of State in 2020 to fill the remainder of Alex Padilla's term when Padilla went to the US Senate. Voters elected her to a full term on November 8, 2022.  

Serving as the state's chief elections officer is a natural fit for Weber, whose family left Arkansas during the Jim Crow era after her father was threatened for agitating in favor of voting rights. The family settled in southern California, where her mother became a longtime poll worker, with the family home often serving as a polling place.

Hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster spoke with Weber about administrating elections, why it takes so long to get results in some districts, and how to inspire young Californians to care as much about voting as Weber's family does. Plus - Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics?

:55 "A Boring Election"

2:29 29 bomb threats

4:23 Why does it take so long to get a final count in some districts?

6:07 Ballot curing

9:13 Election integrity

12:11 Poll workers

15:49 "We were the polling place"

16:21 A place called Hope

17:37 "They had planned to kill my father"

21:03 How to get young people to vote?

25:12 Engaging high school students

26:24 "The life of voting"

31:01 #WWCA: Take a chill pill

37:54 The Resistance: California vs. Donald Trump

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We hear a lot of discussion about what it takes to campaign for Governor of California, but, as in the 1972 film The Candidate, not so much about what it takes to govern the state. Former Senate Majority Leader and Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg has served as an advisor to governors and want-to-be-governors for decades. With the race to replace Governor Gavin Newsom in 2026 heating up, Hertzberg joined us to share his Six Principles for Governing California. Plus - Who Had the Worst Week in CA Politics?

:45 How to govern

2:27 Mervyn Dymally

3:58 Six Guiding Principles for Governing California 

4:55 1. Queen Calafia

7:42 2. Robert Redford, Wax on Wax off, and Picasso

9:56 3. The Princess Bride

10:56 4. Jimmy Carter

14:35 5. Exit Memo

15:45 6. Love Actually

19:29 Two-way ears

22:30 Governor Pete Wilson

26:56 Thick skin

30:50 #WWCA

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Today we welcome a first-time guest to the podcast: Stephanie Roberson, of Stephanie Roberson Strategies. Roberson formed SRS, a boutique, black-owned single member firm, in late 2022 after 15 years representing the California Nurses Association. During Roberson’s tenure, the Nurses waged fierce battles in the capitol over guaranteed universal healthcare, and confronted the COVID epidemic. She sat down with us to talk about her decision to go out on her own, her experiences with CNA and her mentors and role models.

2:01 A shift in the lobbying community

3:06 Broadcast news?

4:59 Pivot

5:57 A broader group of clients

8:48 The Nurses and COVID

12:47 The reality of lobbying vs. the image

14:03 The best and worst of times

17:07 Going solo

18:26 "Presumptive Eligibility"

21:28 More women in prominent roles

22:40 Bob Hertzberg!

25:02 Role models and mentors

30:51 Priorities for 2025

36:56 DC

40:36 #WWCA

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Hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster are joined by Politico's Chris Cadelago for a deep dive (our longest-ever episode?) into California politics in 2024 - and a look at what the Horseshoe might look like next year as Nathan Barankin takes over for departing chief of staff Dana Williamson. Plus: Who Had the Worst YEAR in California Politics?  We give you our Top 10.

2:44 From Dana Williamson to Nathan Barankin

5:42 Ann Patterson

7:20 Power couple

9:23 The Horseshoe

12:20 Newsom's year

16:40 Newsom, the legislature and those pesky propositions

21:12 Crime

28:53 The shift in the Latino vote

33:00 The Senate race

37:21 Turmoil in Los Angeles and San Francisco

42:35 AI

49:36 Transitions: KDL, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy

56:23 Impact of Gaza

1:02:18 Who had the Worst Year in California Politics

1:02:46 Katie Porter

1:08:28 Pamela Price

1:11:43 Riddhi Patel

1:17:06 Sheng Thao

1:21:25 Andrew Do

1:24:33 Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil

1:28:30 Michael Weinstein

1:33:11 George Gascon

1:37:08 Kamala Harris

1:43:29 Omar Torres

1:49:05 Wrap up - and where did Lara Korte go?

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It's a short week, so we've got a short episode for you. Rich and Tim look south for Who Had the Worst Week in CA Politics.  We'll be back next week with a special end-of-year wrap up - don't miss!

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Ranked Choice Voting had a bit of a "moment" in 2022, helping send Democrat Mary Peltola to congress in Alaska, and clearing a first-ballot hurdle for statewide acceptance in Nevada. This year, proponents of the RCV process got proposals on the ballot in four states (Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, and the confirmation vote in NV), but ultimately found themselves on defense, losing all four, and also losing a Missouri ballot measure to ban the method from use in the state.  A measure to repeal RCV in Alaska failed by just 743 votes. Conversely, use of RCV continues to expand in cities and other localities. In Washington DC, a measure to introduce RCV passed with over 70% of the vote this year.

Our guest today, Josh Rosa, is on the Steering Committee of Better Ballot Sacramento, an organization promoting adoption of Ranked Choice Voting in Sacramento.  Rosa is a lecturer at Sacramento State and has a long history in the capitol community, including a stint in the Schwarzenegger administration. We chat about the various types of RCV and look at the pros and cons of the system.

Plus - Who had the Worst Week in California Politics?

Show Notes:

3:06 What is Ranked Choice Voting?

6:26 Benefits

10:29 Downsides

13:23 What is driving newfound opposition to RCV?

17:05 How does the Sacramento plan stack up?

20:02 Insights?

26:47 #WWCA

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