National Review's Radio Free California Podcast

Facing a 40-year decline in reading scores, California lawmakers have concluded that it’s time to ask -- politely -- that the state’s K–12 teachers to return to phonics. Bonus: Marc Joffe talks about the deep meaning of Gavin Newsom’s repeated failure to produce accurate state financials. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• Will on NPR’s Left, Right & Center
• Trump administration being asked to greenlight oil production off Santa Barbara coast
• Gov. Gavin Newsom signs AI regulations, bucking Big Tech
• California Enacts 17 AI Bills in 2024
• Capital Record: AI and the challenges for all free marketeers
• California Learns From Mississippi on Phonics
• California Is Poised to Pass a ‘Science of Reading’ Law After a Long, Tense Debate
• Black students need choice, not illegal gestures like Assembly Bill 7
• Los Angeles greenlights controversial $2.6B convention center
• Another California county is losing its only hospital after feds refuse to step in
• Vons and Albertsons close self-checkout as Long Beach mandates more staffing, new rules
• Amid staffing shortage, Long Beach police will no longer send officers to minor traffic collisions
• Reel Inn restaurant among businesses that were told they can't rebuild after Palisades Fire
• Hayward announces hiring freeze, creates ‘budget war room’ after city drains $31 million in reserves
• Harris’s Memoir Is Another Example of the Democrats’ Problem
• The Mayan in downtown LA announces it's closing after nearly a century

Marc Joffe on BART:

• Marc’s bio
• California’s streak of late financial statements continues 
• BART Audit Flags Overtime Costs, Weak Controls as Agency Spends $96 Million
• BART senior police officer overtime
• SHIFT-Bay Area

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Gavin Newsom appeared with Stephen Colbert to celebrate Jimmy Kimmel’s return to ABC programming, even as the governor works to silence California’s conservative voters in a redistricting initiative that (polling shows) is headed toward a slim victory on November 4 -- and despite Princeton University’s conclusion that the new electoral map earns Newsom an “F.” In other news, Will talks about the surprising origins of ABC’s 1950s deal to fund the construction of Disneyland in exchange for content, including Mickey Mouse Club and Wonderful World of Disney. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• Jimmy Kimmel, Somber but Defiant, Defends Free Speech in Return to ABC
• Man arrested in Sacramento ABC TV station shooting was flagged on X for "violent speech" days earlier
• California 2025 Poll: Majority support Proposition 50 in November special election
• Princeton U: Newsom’s Gerrymander receives “F” grade 
• Kamala Harris Is Out of Time
• ICE won't comply with California’s new mask ban
• “Presto, Someone Walks Away with Your Child”: Critics Slam AB 495’s Threat to Parental Rights
• She wanted to give deported parents a choice. Then California’s Christian right attacked

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Gavin Newsom said all the right things about Charlie Kirk, but returned immediately to form with his claims that Donald Trump has unleashed his “private police force” in a campaign of “racial terror” “targeting California.” Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• Charlie Kirk - RIP
• Charlie Kirk’s Legacy: The Contest of Ideas
• ‘This is Code Red’: Newsom rallies Dems in searing rebuke of Trump
• LA Mayor Karen Bass blocks half-staff tribute for Charlie Kirk, some fire stations push back
• UCLA race and equity official sounded off after Charlie Kirk’s slaying. Now he’s on leave
• Hamas mouthpiece praises Hannah Einbinder’s ‘Free Palestine’ Emmys message — but censors her bare shoulders in video
• Schwarzenegger Urges Voters to Reject California Redistricting Measure
• Why the ‘Governator’ could derail Prop 50
• Harris Says ‘Recklessness’ Drove Dems to Go Along with Biden’s Reelection Bid

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Among the hundreds of bills headed toward Gavin Newsom’s desk, Lance Christensen has a list of 10 to watch. Pacific Legal Foundation’s Caleb Trotter is fighting California laws that endanger public health. Tech leader Michael Fertik describes the journey that led him from Northern California to Texas to France and back again -- and offers a dramatic reading of a poem in praise of America. Music by Metalachi.

Caleb Trotter, Pacific Legal Foundation

• New lawsuit challenges California’s telehealth laws that put patients at risk
• California’s anti-bias training rule for doctors faces long-shot Supreme Court appeal

Michael Fertik, home again

• Michael Ferik bio
• Michael Fertik on Substack
• Henry Van Dyke, “America for Me”

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Legendary California Democrat John Burton is dead but his malignant influence lives on. The U.S. Supreme Court allows federal immigration stops to continue in California. Dems warn that “Abundance” could leave Californians with nothing to complain about. Question: Who likes Jew-basing? Answer: The California Teachers Association! Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• John Burton, political giant who shaped California’s left, dies at 92
• Supreme Court allows federal officers to more freely make immigration stops in LA
• Governor Newsom issues statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold racially motivated immigration arrests in Southern California
• In Immigration Raids Case, Supremes Strike a Blow for Common Sense
• Supreme Court allows Trump administration to resume indiscriminate immigration raids in Los Angeles
• Supreme Court lifts restrictions on LA immigration stops set after agents swept up US citizens
• Supreme Court allows immigration agents to resume ‘roving patrols’ in LA, siding with Trump
• LAPD ends protection of former Vice President Kamala Harris amid criticism over diverting cops, sources say
• Kawhi Leonard inked $28 million endorsement deal to skirt NBA salary cap: Pablo Torre bombshell claim
• Warren G announced as part-owner of new Long Beach baseball team
• Democratic research finds voters prefer populism over ‘Abundance’
• Scoop: Lawmakers float compromise on antisemitism bill

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Snoop Dogg talks about the challenges of growing old -- like explaining queer ideology while watching Disney movies with his grandson. Los Angeles’s former fire chief sues Mayor Bass for defamation. Gavin Newsom backpedals fast on “green” energy. Mexico’s national soccer team gets the full California experience -- robbed while training in Oakland. Bonus track! Lance Christensen tracks the California Teachers Association’s latest effort to kill education reform. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• Lyle Menendez denied parole, will remain in prison along with younger brother Erik
• Ousted Fire Chief in L.A. Demands Formal Apology in Legal Filing
• CPC congratulates Julie Hamill on new role in U.S. Attorney’s Office
• Judge Says Trump’s Use of Troops in L.A. Is Illegal
• New Statewide Poll: Californians Are Tired of High Energy Costs – And It’s Turning Them Against Climate Goals
• August 26: Diablo Canyon was supposed to be closed but it’s STILL open
• Should California allow more oil drilling? Yes — but in moderation | Opinion
• California energy regulators pause efforts to penalize oil companies for high profits
• Renewal of California cap and trade program to cut emissions is fraught with issues
• California ‘Anti-Poverty Activist’ And Dem Mega-Donor Pleads Guilty To Massive Carbon-Credit Scam
• Mexican national soccer team's equipment stolen ahead of match against Japan at Oakland Coliseum
• $1.5 million ‘legal empowerment’ fund launched for low-income immigrants in Orange County
• Citizen-led campaign finance reform heads to La Mesa City Council
• Snoop Dogg slams LGBTQ+ representation in kids’ films: ‘They’re putting it everywhere’
• Snoop Dogg Apology For ‘Lightyear’ LGBTQ Remarks Apparently Fake; No Sign Of So-Called Sorry On Rapper’s Socials

Lance Christensen:

• Lance’s bio 
• Meet the Sacramento architect behind California’s new proposed congressional maps
• Assembly Bill 84 fails our most vulnerable students

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The California Parole Board sends Erik Menendez back to prison -- but not for reasons you might think. Newsom wins on his redistricting battle (for the moment) and still finds the time to blast Bed Bath & Beyond for its refusal to reopen in California. California Democrat Representative Robert Garcia’s rising national prominence embodies the left’s confusion on energy and wealth formation. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• Erik Menendez to remain in prison after decision by California Parole Board
• Obama endorses Newsom’s redistricting proposal as a ‘responsible approach’
• ‘He’s trying to rig the election.’ Newsom bashes Trump as redistricting campaign kicks off
• California Supreme Court clears way for Newsom’s redistricting plan
• Gut and Amend AB 604: From “inactive voter registrations” to “new maps”
• Gut and Amend SB 280: From “prohibition on contributions in state and local government office buildings” to “new elections”
• Gut and Amend ACA 8: From “automatic election of unchallenged incumbent judges” to the “Election Rigging Response Act.”
• How will California’s congressional gerrymander attempt play out in the long run?
• California Common Cause advisory board members quit in gerrymandering fallout
• Kamala Harris swears in Rep. Robert Garcia as top Democrat on Congressional Oversight Committee
• Whose oil money?
• While not great, Long Beach roads have gotten better, as alleyways continue to suffer
• Man sleeping on sidewalk killed when truck rolls over him, Long Beach police say
• Silicon Valley lawmakers want to decriminalize homelessness
• Downtown Sacramento cafe discouraged after instances of public defecation
• California, epicenter of the nation’s housing crisis, is finally getting a housing agency
• ‘Overregulated, expensive, and risky:’ Retail giant’s CEO slams California

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Gavin Newsom asks state lawmakers to dismantle the California constitution. Assemblyman Carl DeMaio has a plan to kill redistricting. Playboy quits California for a new home in Miami. Los Angeles can't balance its budget but it’s determined to pay the legal bills of people who came here illegally. Bonus! Marc Joffe on the failure of public transit in California -- and the near-term possibility of flying cars by 2028. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes

• Wiener blasts ‘Trump’s masked thugs”
• Gavin Newsom Rolls the Dice
• DeMaio Files Redistricting “Poison Pill” Initiative to Ban State Legislators Who Vote to Change District Maps from Seeking Office for 10 Years
• LA City Council OKs resolution declaring fiscal emergency amid $1B deficit
• LA city officials want to fund immigration defense. The budget crisis makes it hard
• "Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee - Please Call Your Office"
• Playboy leaves Los Angeles for Miami Beach; CEO calls California ‘anti-business’
• The Most-Regulated State In The Union
• The next generation of Trump-inspired showmen are in Riverside County, California
• The U.S. Marches Toward State Capitalism With American Characteristics
• Los Angeles, Long Beach Ports Set Imports Record
• Could this CA bill make self-checkout faster?

Marc Joffe on the problems of public transit

• The cost of transit in California
• Marc Joffe bio

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A city that can’t manage its own affairs was always bound for trouble in hosting the 2028 Olympics, and now President Trump has given progressives the excuse they need to bail out. California’s redistricting process was never nonpartisan, now it’ll just be worse. Newsom is ready for coal, Sacramento State’s president hopes to “eliminate whiteness,” the Los Angeles Times can’t use the words “illegal immigrant,” and the fascinating secret of Pasadena-born celebrity chef Julia Child. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• DB on Newt’s World
• David on Mike Rowe: Poor, Smart and Desperate
• Trump announces he will chair White House taskforce for 2028 LA Olympics
• L.A. never needed the Olympics. With Trump wanting in, it’s time to pull out
• Could Trump’s new Olympics task force be a guise for further militarizing L.A.?
• Cancel the 2028 L.A. Olympics
• Why a gerrymandering critic wants to toss out California’s maps
• California cut coal from its energy supply. Why it might plug back into fossil fuels
• Man who overstayed his visa stole food aid from thousands of needy Californians, feds say
• University President Sparks Controversy With Pledge to ‘Eliminate Whiteness’
• Hunter Biden says he's started new job with California nonprofit
• End of an era for country music in Bakersfield: Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace closes

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San Francisco’s Saikat Chakrabarti is wealthy, naive, and running for Nancy Pelosi’s House seat on socialist vibes platform. Newsom races to the bottom in his redistricting battle with Texas Governor Greg Abbott. David applies his “Ten-Second Rule” to the fraudster behind the California secession movement. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes

• Gov. Reagan signs the Mulford Act, banning public carrying of loaded firearms without a permit 
• The Editors: California’s Lucky Escape
• Texas redistricting move would ‘trigger’ new California maps, Newsom says
• Exclusive: Schwarzenegger ready to fight Newsom on redistricting
• Meet the Fraudster Who Wants to Make California Its Own Country
• How a fizzled recall attempt actually helped Mayor Karen Bass
• Tech millionaire challenger to Nancy Pelosi draws huge crowd at SF campaign kickoff
• Coffee shop owner fires back amid suits

Sheridan Karras, California Policy Center researcher

• California parents fleeing union-run schools
• California kids deserve this new chance for academic success — even if their leaders disagree

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