Political Breakdown

Marisa and Scott discuss the failure of a bill to move California toward a single-payer health care system and a new mask controversy facing Governor Gavin Newsom. Then, Doni Chamberlain, reporter for A News Cafe in Shasta County, joins to talk about the results of a recall election there against Supervisor Leonard Moty. Finally, Kamilah Moore, chair of California's Reparations Task Force, discusses her work, California's role in chattel slavery and what forms reparations could take.

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Scott and Marisa discuss whether a Californian will replace Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court and react to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's announcement that she'll run for another term. Then, Republican Congresswoman Young Kim shares stories from her childhood moves from South Korea to Guam and Hawaii, working for former Congressman Ed Royce as a liaison to Asian residents and her views on immigration, infrastructure, oil spills and changes to her district lines.

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Marisa and Guy Marzorati discuss Senator Dianne Feinstein's filibuster vote, more congressional retirements and whether the state legislature will move to tighten California's vaccine requirements in schools and offices. Then, Sara Sadhwani, assistant professor of politics at Pomona College joins to discuss her study of "social lobbying" in the state capitol and her role in drawing California's new political maps on the state's redistricting commission.

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As California grapples with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, Marisa and Scott discuss Governor Gavin Newsom and the legislature's approach to keep schools open and review the highlights from Newsom's spending plan. Then, San Jose Assemblyman Ash Kalra joins to discuss his proposal for a single-payer healthcare system in California, his family's journey from India to Canada and his vegan cooking.

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Scott and Marisa are joined by Lorena Gonzalez, who resigned her seat as a state Assemblywoman this week, to talk about her new job with the California Labor Federation and reflect on her career in the legislature. Then, Joe Garofoli, senior political writer at the San Francisco Chronicle, joins to preview the year ahead in California politics, including the outlook for the GOP, the state's top House races, criminal justice politics and more.

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Marisa and Scott close out the year by revisiting conversations with two rising political stars from opposite ends of the state: Honey Mahogany, the head of San Francisco's Democratic Party and Robert Garcia, the mayor of Long Beach who recently announced a run for Congress. 

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Marisa and Scott talk about what the exodus of California congressmembers will mean for the state's clout in Washington D.C. Then, they revisit a 2018 conversation with Rep. Jackie Speier, who is retiring at the end of 2022. Speier discusses her memoir Undaunted and shares stories from her survival in Jonestown and her political journey.

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Scott and Marisa discuss Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposal to use the framework of Texas' controversial abortion law for gun control legislation and the messaging from state and local leaders on concerns over crime. Then, California State Auditor Elaine Howle, who is retiring at the end of the year after more than two decades in the role, discusses the work of her office including the audit of the state's Employment Development Department, the biggest hurdles she sees to an effective government and what auditing skills she brings into her personal life.

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Gov. Gavin Newsom joins Marisa and Scott to talk about "Ben and Emma's Big Hit," his picture book about a child with dyslexia, before discussing how he deals with dyslexia in his daily life. Newsom also responds to large retail thefts in the state and critiques of Proposition 47, the 2014 criminal justice reform measure. Then, Attorney General Rob Bonta joins to discuss his parents' activism in the farmworker movement, how his office is responding to retail crimes and whether he'll work to reduce sentences of inmates on death row.

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As the Supreme Court weighs a challenge to abortion rights established in the Roe v. Wade decision, Scott and Marisa talk to Katie Orr about the landscape of abortion access in California. Then, Jodi Hicks, CEO and President of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California joins to discuss the oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson and the case's potential impact on California and the 2022 midterms.

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