It’s crunch time in Sacramento as the state faces a $45 billion shortfall — the result of declining tax revenue and some big misses in recent budget projections.

After spending billions to reduce the state’s unhoused population during his time in office, Governor Gavin Newsom is not setting aside a new round of funding for Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention program. Guy is joined by Chione Lucina Munoz Flegal, the executive director of the advocacy group Housing California.

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In a week where both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris stumped for cash in California, there are signs of a growing split among Democrats over President Biden’s new crackdown at the southern border. The president is playing defense as images of migrants seeking asylum are creating pressure on the Administration to act.

Scott is joined by KQED politics correspondent Guy Marzorati and Politico senior political reporter Melanie Mason to talk about how immigration and border issues might play out in the November election.

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Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra joined the Biden administration as the COVID-19 vaccine was rolling out. Scott talks with him at the Ideas Festival produced by CalMatters about issues ranging from cannabis policy to abortion, health disparities and climate change as a health issue.

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An attempt to recall a conservative school board president in the Riverside County city of Temecula seems to be succeeding. It’s been a battle over issues also playing out nationally, like the rights of parents versus transgender kids, critical race theory and banning books with references to LGBTQ history. Scott and Guy talk about the implications of the recall.

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Six years ago, Eleni Kounalakis became the first woman elected lieutenant governor in California. Now she's running for the top job, hoping to become the first woman elected governor of California after Gavin Newsom is termed out in 2026.

Scott is joined by Lt. Gov. Kounalakis to talk about the Super PAC she recently launched aimed at promoting abortion rights and what she'd like to do as governor. 

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Direct democracy means that Californians are used to seeing a crowded ballot. This fall, voters could be weighing in on more than a dozen ballot measures. Marisa is joined by Politico's Emily Schultheis to talk about what initiatives may and may not appear before voters in the November election.

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Now that Donald Trump will run for president as a convicted felon, the KQED politics team assesses the political implications for November. Trump will be sentenced on July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee where he's expected to be nominated, and serving time in prison is possible.

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Former President Donald Trump was convicted on all 34 felony charges related to falsifying records to cover up hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. Marisa and Scott are joined by longtime Republican operative Mike Madrid to digest this historic news. Madrid spent 25 years helping Republicans get elected, but in recent years he's emerged as one of Trump's harshest critics. He's the author of a new book, The Latino Century.

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Donald Trump’s legal fate is now in the hands of a jury in Manhattan, where the former president is facing 34 felony counts related to hush money payments made to former porn actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Scott is joined by legal scholar and former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman to break down what he heard and saw in the courtroom these past weeks.

Check out Litman's podcast Talking Feds, which analyzes cases before the federal courts.

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Governor Gavin Newsom calls Jason Elliott his "Swiss Army knife.” Elliott is Newsom's longest serving aide, and he's had his fingers in just about every major issue, from homelessness and housing to COVID, mental health care and regulating AI. As Elliott prepares to leave the administration, he joins Scott and Marisa to reflect on those many years of service in government.

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