Housing is unaffordable. Healthcare is fragile. Wages lag costs. And Congress, well, Congress is paralyzed by spectacle.
The affordability crisis is no longer abstract — it’s the organizing reality of American life. Housing, healthcare, childcare, energy, and education costs are squeezing households. Congress competes for attention, trying to score short-lived popularity points, and seems take pride in how little it can get done for constituents.
In this episode of Pacific Time, Greg Amrofell and Ashley Brown speak with Brandon Riker, a California congressional candidate, not to spotlight a campaign — but to interrogate the economic choices Congress is avoiding. This is a conversation about governing tradeoffs: what actually matters when everything is supposedly an emergency, and why affordability may be the only issue capable of cutting through institutional dysfunction. What if the House of Representatives reasserts the power of the purse?
The discussion ranges from the political costs of confronting affordability head-on, to the limits of congressional power, to why symbolic fights often crowd out material relief. Along the way, Riker offers a grounded perspective on what candidates hear on the ground — and what Washington routinely fails to absorb.
Highlights
- Why affordability has eclipsed ideology as the dominant voter concern
- How Congress’s incentive structure rewards spectacle over economic problem-solving
- The gap between constituent economic pain and legislative priorities
- What candidates can — and can’t — realistically promise on housing and cost of living
- Why debates over impeachment and agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement often displace kitchen-table economics
- Whether Congress is structurally capable of addressing affordability at scale
- The political risk of telling voters the truth about constraints and tradeoffs
About Our Guest
Brandon Riker is a California-based civic leader and congressional candidate focused on affordability, economic security, and institutional reform. His background spans private-sector work and community engagement, giving him firsthand exposure to the cost-of-living pressures facing working families across California. Riker entered politics motivated less by ideology than by what he describes as a growing disconnect between congressional priorities and the material realities constituents face, particularly around housing, healthcare, and wages. His campaign for Congress emphasizes practical governance, fiscal responsibility, and a willingness to confront political tradeoffs that are often avoided in Washington.
About The Co-Hosts
Greg Amrofell is the creator and host of Pacific Time, a podcast exploring the challenges and possibilities of West Coast leadership in a moment of national strain. A longtime technology and civic leader, Greg has lived across California and Washington and brings a systems-level lens to questions of democracy, governance, and regional power. Pacific Time launched on Inauguration Day 2025 as a space for asking bold “What if?” questions about the future of the West Coast—and the country.
Ashley Brown is a former senior marketing and strategy executive at Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Microsoft, with a deep background in comparative government, election systems, and democratic design. Though not a career politician, Ashley is a long-time student of civic systems and a frequent contributor to Pacific Time, known for bridging corporate leadership, political theory, and practical reform. He brings a sharp, historically grounded perspective to questions of power, legitimacy, and democratic resilience.
Related Pacific Time Episodes
- Ep 41 – Go Soft on Soft Secession? (with Christopher Armitage)
- Ep 40 – West Coast World Superpower (with Greg Amrofell & Ashley Brown)
- Ep 36 – What if We Grab Economic Power By The Middle (with David Goldstein)
Spicy Questions:
- If Congress could only deliver one concrete affordability win in the next two years, what should it be — and what would you be willing to see deprioritized to make it happen?
- Do you agree with Brandon that the fastest way to protect democracy is putting money back in the pockets of taxpayers?
Join the conversation:
Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about West Coast autonomy on Substack; YouTube; Instagram, and LinkedIn. When you like, subscribe, and share it makes a big difference to getting the word out about Pacific Time.
When you visit us online and comment on our spicy question or, better yet, ask constructive questions of your own, our hearts sing. A West Coast community that cares enough to converse and debate about its future so it can set its own course – well, that is what we’re after.
Listen: Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.
Thank You To:
- Guest: Brandon Riker
- Producer: Tim Wohlberg
- Audio Inspiration: Bad Bunny (naturalmente)
- Sports Inspiration: Seattle Seahawks, Undistracted Super Bowl Champions
