In this Nooner Conversation, lobbyist/lawyer/law professor Chris Micheli and I talk about the interesting first 7 months of the 2021 legislative year, the positive COVID cases among a handful of staff and what to look for in the final month of the legislative year, which starts August 16. In particular, how will that final month be affected by the September 14 recall election, if at all. And, we talk about his new case books, with the links in the shownotes.

Chris and I talk about the 2021 legislative year, which starts off much as the 1999-2000 Legislative Session ended, with limited committee hearings and a Capitol generally closed to the public. The introduction is missing (for now) because of Quicktime problems after the Big Sur update.

In this conversation, Zoom brings me a virtual sit down with State Senator Holly J. Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), who in her tenth years in the Legislature is the influential chair of the Senate Budget Committee. She represents a socioeconomically and demographically diverse district the includes downtown LA, wealthy areas to the west around Century City, and south along the 110 corridor to South Los Angeles. We talk about the district, the COVID-19 impact there, her background, police reform, and some of her proudest moments in the Legislature.

Scott sits down (or Zooms) with GOP political consultant Mike Madrid to talk the 2020 general election. Topics include (in rough order):

- politics, race, Black Lives Matter, and November

- COVID-19 and the election

- the practical challenges in voter turnout and vote tabulation

- the congressional outlook-

- the prospects for Democrats taking the United States Senate

- President Trump's approval rating and election prospects

- why Mike is involved in The Lincoln Project with other GOP consultants trying to take out President Trump and his allies in the United States Senate

In this Nooner Conversation, I talk with legislative advocate and adjunct law professor Chris Micheli on how the Legislature is working through the COVID-19 pandemic, including a hybrid process of in-person and video conference participation and a modified process on a State Budget that is being hammered by the economic impact of the health crisis. We also talk about Chris's new book on California's legislative process and joke that it's already in need of a second edition given this year's legislative gymnastics.

As work and home life has changed dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, so has the way we consume media. With that, it requires those who wish to communicate political and policy ideas to change accordingly. Which of these changes are temporary and which are permanent?

In this Nooner Conversation, I sit down with experienced lobbyists and teachers Ray LeBov and Chris Micheli on the new book "A Practitioner's Guide to Lobbying and Advocacy in California: A Manual Written by Leading Government Relations Officials." LeBov and Micheli are editors and are joined with nearly forty familiar figures around the Capitol scene who wrote chapters in this important compendium. The proceeds of the book's sale go to fund political science graduate student scholarships.

In this episode, I talk to two friends of over twenty-five years. Only ten days before the California primary begins, where do the candidates stand? I talk to voter data geek Paul Mitchell (and share details about how we met) and Mike Madrid, who is pissing off many of his former clients by coming out as a Never Trumper.

In this episode of Nooner Conversations, I sit down with David Quintana to talk about the upcoming Back-to-Session Bash on January 16th, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year with a very special music guest. We talk past bashes including behind-the-scenes untold stories, some of the musical guests, and what to expect this year.

On another episode recorded at Chicory Coffee and Tea catches up with seasoned GOP political consultant Mike Madrid to try to understand where the Democratic Party primary stands in California and what it means for down-ticket races in the Golden State.