SacTown Talks

Today we welcome Julie Baker, Executive Director of Californians for the Arts. Julie explains how badly hit the arts were by the pandemic, why the California government needs to communicate clear guidelines for reopening, and proposals to help fund California arts to survive and create a cultural Roaring Twenties going forward. 

SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by experts and insiders focusing on the Capitol. Like, share, and subscribe to learn more!

Today we welcome Congressional Candidate Nicole Parra. Nicole is a former California Assemblymember running in the 21st Congressional District, which covers 4 counties in the Central Valley. We discuss her time in the Assembly, her bipartisan approach to politics, why she started her campaign so early, and why she thinks she's the right person to fight for the Central Valley. 

SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders and analysis by experts and insiders focusing on the Capitol. Like, share, and subscribe to learn more!

We welcome our most frequent legislative guest Senator Bill Dodd of the 3rd Senate District, covering parts of Napa and five other counties. We start by discussing his new clean look, then segue into the serious topics of wildfire prevention and protection in 2021, including his new bill for an Office of Wildfire Technology and Research, how the state should manage our water resources, and his hope that the budget will have room for more items than just the priorities of covid and vaccinations. They also discuss the potential return of tourism to his district, the eviction moratorium, and why he feels safe returning to the Senator to work with his colleagues. Finally, on a lighter note, the Senator gives us his pick for the Super Bowl and tells us which athletes make the best wine. All this and more on this episode of SacTown Talks.

The Rose Bowl parade, how his office is working with the governor's office to communicate with the public, how the assembly will be able to function more smoothly this year because of covid-related planning and budget priorities will be focused on vaccines, and opening up both CA schools and the economy more generally. Then they turn to his work as chairman of the Utilities and Energy Committee where they recognize that wildfires are now a year-round possibility that has to be dealt with while working with energy companies to have smart and safe plans that reduce shutoff while maintaining safety. Personally, Assemblymember Holden will be working on issues around systemic racism and use of force with a focus on clear guidelines and penalties around California’s Duty to Intervene Law, diversity in the corporate boardroom and in the upper levels of the California civil service. He also discusses the importance of seeing Dr. Shirley Weber became the Secretary of State,  his focus on ensuring minority small businesses are participating in the state contracting process along with social justice, and the history and role of the Legislative Black Caucus. Finally, they talk about the current Lakers season. 

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Sactown Talks is about more than policy and politics, it’s also about the culture of the Capitol community. So today we bring you something a little different: an interview with Ryan Hammonds of R. Douglas Custom Clothiers. R. Douglas is blocks from the Capitol, and well known among the more sartorially inclined. Today he and Jarrett discuss how he got into the custom suit game, how his business has fared during the pandemic, style trends for 2021, including some fine details about fabrics and texture, and how many suits you need for daily wear.

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This week we interview Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the President of the Western States Petroleum Association. WSPA is a non-profit trade association representing the companies in five Western states – California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon. She joins us to discuss the complicated nature of modern energy policy in the age of climate change, and what California can and should do going forward. We discuss rolling blackout, Governor Newsom’s executive orders, fracking, cap, and trade policy, carbon sequestration, climate change, natural gas, and how moving to a zero-emission future will take longer than we think but is possible with a combined effort and a smart, scientific approach. 

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This week we have Assembly Sharon Quirk-Silva of the 65th assembly district. The 65th covers northern Orange county centered around the city of Fullerton and also includes the amusement parks Knott’s Berry Farms and Disneyland. We begin by discussing the events in Washington, D.C. on January 6th, with her calling it “an assault on democracy,” reminding her of the 2019 anti-vaxxer protest but assuring us that democracy will prevail. We then discuss her budget priorities for 2021, including covid and vaccine distribution, the internet and the digital divide, and housing and homelessness. Her housing and homelessness focus will also be combined with mental health access and a focus on early treatment. As a former teacher married to a current teacher she will also be working on hybrid learning to return students to the classroom in a safe manner. She is the new chair of the Assembly Arts and Entertainment Committee so we also discuss the plans to safely reopen theme parks in California. 

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Today’s guest is Assemblymember Laura Friedman who represents the 43rd Assembly District covering Glendale and the eastern part of the San Fernando Valley. She is a returning guest so we just touch on her past and how she moved from the film industry into politics, first at the city level in Glendale and then to the assembly. Then we discuss her new committee chairpersonship of the Transportation Committee, why she took the job and what are her goals for this year, including her transportation safety bill and desire to move the committee in a progressive direction. Finally, we discuss covid, how it affected her family and community, and what it will take from the state and all of us to be safe as the vaccine is rolled out in California.

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Welcome to a holiday edition of SacTown Talks. Today we are bringing you a slightly different type of show. One of the major issues confronting the legislature in 2021 is broadband access. This isn’t a new issue but exacerbated by the pandemic, has taken on new relevance and urgency. Listeners of this podcast have been hearing about it for the past six months as legislators have expressed the need for newer, faster, and better broadband access. Today’s episode is a look back at those interviews and how the issue developed over the legislative sessions. From Asm Aguiar-Curry, and Rivas, or Sen. Dodd discussing broadband access as a rural issue or Asm Muratsuchi, Irwin and McCarty as an equity issue or Senator Gonzalez detailing how the state can put money to work on the problem, along with showing in real-time why connectivity isn’t just a rural issue, we explore many sides to the problem on STT.  We hope you enjoy this look back. 

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We welcome Assemblymember Cristina Garcia of the 58th Assembly District to the program. The 58th district covers southeast Los Angeles County, including her hometown of Bell Gardens. We start quickly, jumping right in with a discussion of AB 1, how she got the first bill of the new session together, why reforming the department of toxic substances control is important, and why she thinks her bill will succeed this session. Then we discuss her background before turning to a conversation about covid. She relates stories from her district, how residents are seeing disproportionate infections and death due to working in low wage and the longtime environmental issues in southeastern LA county and residents are having to choose between unemployment and food insecurity, and why assistance will be a priority during the next session. Finally, on a more upbeat note, we discuss her becoming chair of the women’s caucus, her free menstrual products proposal, her “there ought to be a law” contest and her advice to new legislators. 

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