Next Round

sddasdasOur guest this week is Emily Hoeven, opinion columnist at The San Francisco Chronicle. Before coming to the Chronicle, she wrote CalMatters' daily WhatMatters newsletter on California politics and policy and makes frequent appearances on TV, radio, podcasts, panels, and helped launch a weekly political segment on ABC 10. We chat with Emily on a variety of issues affecting San Francisco and California from homelessness, to housing affordability, to the new leadership in the Assembly and Gov. Newsom's political prospects.

It's that time of the year when the Governor decides which bills to sign and which to veto. Rowena Itchon, chief operating officer at PRI and Tim Anaya, vice president of marketing and communications have a round-up discussion of the major bills -- from health care to climate change to unemployment benefits for striking workers. In addition, they give their take on the GOP move to remove Cong. Kevin McCarthy from the Speakership, and the issues facing California's newest Senator – Laphonza Butler.

Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow Dr. Wayne Winegarden. We discuss with Wayne his new study comparing the results of states that had very restrictive COVID-19 policies versus those that did not. He concludes that while COVID-19 restrictions did lead to some health benefits, they were unfortunately negated by large economic and education losses. We also discuss with Wayne the policy lessons learned should we ever experience another pandemic.

Our guest this week is Kerry Jackson, PRI's senior fellow on California Reform. Kerry has been following Gov. Newsom's and Attorney General Bonta's lawsuit on oil companies and its implications. He also discusses SB 253, a corporate climate change disclosure bill; the federal and state push for electric busses including school buses, hydrogen cars, and "Climate Week."

Our guest this week is Clark Judge, founder and managing director of the White House Writers Group and Chairman of PRI. A former speechwriter to Pres. Ronald Reagan, Clark is a veteran of Washington politics and presidential elections. We chat with Clark to get his insights on California politics from his national perspective and what we can expect from the upcoming election cycle.

Our guest this week is Steve Greenhut, director of PRI's Free Cities Center and a veteran California journalist. Steve recaps the legislative session with the highlights and lowlights (unfortunately for Californians, mostly lowlights). He also weighs in on the new Speaker Robert Rivas, the ever-controversial Public Safety Committee, and Gov. Newsom's political prospects.

Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow Wayne Winegarden who discusses his new study "The Free Cities Index." Many of America's cities have been on the decline for years, while other cities have thrived and attracted more and more Americans. Wayne examined a multitude of variables – taxes, crime, schools – and ranked the 50 largest U.S. cities in terms of livability and growth. Not surprisingly, the states that ranked the highest have seen increasing migration, while states near the bottom have seen population declines. Unfortunately, many of California's largest cities are ranked near the bottom.

Our guest this week is Lance Izumi, senior director of education at PRI. Lance discusses all things education – from the Supreme Court's decision on the Harvard case on Asian American admissions discrimination, to wokism in our schools – including the new woke math in California. Lance also highlights the results of a recent PRI survey on parents' assessment of their local school boards.

Enjoy the discussion from PRI's recent luncheon with UC Berkeley Law Professor and author John Yoo, discussing his new book "The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Supreme Court," in conversation with PRI senior fellow Steven Hayward. In addition to the book, they discuss other hot legal topics including the debate over ethics requirements for the Supreme Court and the recent Montana state court ruling on climate change.

Our guest this week is New York Times bestselling author Carol Roth She discusses her newest book You Will Own Nothing with PRI senior fellow in business and economic studies Wayne Winegarden. Carol examines global inflation, government spending, and a growing trend in Western countries to not accumulate wealth. She cautious that this is the perfect economic environment for the rich and powerful to solidify their positions and prevent anyone else from getting ahead. Carol reveals how the agendas of many large corporations, world governments, international organizations, and socialist activists, are working to reduce the power of the dollar and prevent millions of Americans from taking control of their wealth. She shows why owning fewer assets makes you poorer and less free. This book is an essential guide to protecting America's prosperity for the coming generations.