National Review's Radio Free California Podcast

Walt Disney founded his eponymous Hollywood studio 100 years ago, in October 1923 -- and suffered through a bankruptcy, legal fights, a nervous breakdown, and violent labor strikes. Will and guest host Lance Christensen talk with lobbyist Chris Micheli about Gavin Newsom’s mad rush to the signing deadline, the Los Angeles Times hit piece on California Policy Center, and the State Bar’s response to a CPC request to disbar Attorney General Rob Bonta. Music by Metalachi.

Will talks with Chip Rogers about a March ballot measure that would allow Los Angeles officials to confiscate hotel rooms for the city’s homeless. Karen Anderson tracks down the state’s infamous A.B. 5. Wilson Freeman recounts one professor’s work to bring down the University of California’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity loyalty oaths. Music by Metalachi.

This weekend’s Hamas terror attack on Israelis created daylight between the top Democrat candidates for U.S. Senate, but their race is now complicated by a low-profile announcement: California Democratic Party leaders have rewritten the endorsement rules to make room for incumbent U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler. Also: what Gavin Newsom did all week, and a conversation with Cal Policy Center’s Ed Ring on Rob Bonta’s quixotic battle with fossil fuels. Music by Metalachi.

Gavin Newsom fills Dianne Feinstein’s vacant Senate seat with Laphonza Butler, a woman whose moral flexibility matches his own. Bonus: Will talks with Assemblyman James Gallagher about life as the leader of a super-minority. Music by Metalachi.

Gavin Newsom signs multiple bills to advance trans acceptance but pivots quickly to veto one that reveals his “moderate” bona fides. Meanwhile, Fox News announces that Sean Hannity will host a November 30 DeSantis–Newsom debate in Georgia. Newsom will prepare by traveling to China to raise his profile among global environmentalists in a country that jails them. David praises the HBO documentary “Telemarketers,” and Will recounts the October 1, 1910, bombing of the Los Angeles Times. Music by Metalachi.

David and Will consider some of the bizarre legislative proposals that have landed on Gavin Newsom’s desk, the sudden departure of CalPERS’ investment chief Nicole Musicco, and the role of Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents in his upcoming criminal trial in New York. Bonus track! Attorney John Manly discusses the real threat to California school kids -- and it ain’t their own parents. Music by Metalachi.

Will talks with Jacob Huebert, president of Liberty Justice Center, the group representing Chino Valley Unified in its battle with the California AG over parental rights. Music by Metalachi.

While Attorney General Rob Bonta works to kill parents’ right to know what their kids are up to at school, state lawmakers are pumping out bills to transform children into adults. In other news: David and Will critique Gavin Newsom’s "Meet the Press” appearance, Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that she’ll run for another House term, the fast-food industry’s big win, and why Elon Musk might cheer the UAW’s showdown with Detroit automakers. Bonus: A brief history of El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles del Rio Porciuncula. Music by Metalachi.

The California mom who won $100,000 after a school socially transitioned her daughter may have saved public education. David and Will take on the increasingly popular explanation for the “decline” of college football. What the latest Biden tell-all “The Last Politician” says about Kamala Harris. Tesla’s Harris Ranch Supercharging station shows that “clean energy” ain’t clean. HIV-treatment maker Gilead Sciences is the target of a bizarre legal theory in a California court. Music by Metalachi.

Will is joined by guests to discuss the secret, Chinese-affiliated virology lab in Fresno County, why city officials are terrified of a taxpayer-protection measure on the 2024 ballot, Newsom’s trouble with guns, and the Fresno origins of baseball Hall of Famer Frank Chance, born this week in 1877. Music by Metalachi.