Political Breakdown KQED

State Senator Tom Umberg from Orange County is a retired Army colonel, a former federal prosecutor and he once served as a deputy drug czar under President Bill Clinton. He’s known for his pragmatism, his ability to reach across the aisle and now, in his position of senate judiciary committee chair, as a gatekeeper of artificial intelligence regulations being proposed in Sacramento.
Sen. Umberg joins Marisa and Scott to talk about those regulations, the state's drug crisis and political sea change in Orange County.
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Despite bumps in the road, literally and politically, driverless cars and trucks continue expanding their reach even as critics – including organized labor, regulators and some local governments – say “not so fast.”
KQED Transportation Editor Dan Brekke to joins Political Breakdown to talk about several bills being heard in Sacramento that aim to regulating the autonomous vehicle industry. That plus this week’s protester shutdown of Bay Area bridges and the impact on commuters and the overall make-or-break moment facing public transit in this post-pandemic moment.
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Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion access up to the states, extreme legal decisions and abortion restrictions from Florida to Arizona have mobilized women and supporters of abortion access.
Heidi Sieck, co-founder of #VOTEPROCHOICE, joins Scott and Marisa to discuss the changed political landscape and how it's impacting the 2024 election.
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After the U.S. Supreme Court decimated much of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, casting a ballot has become harder, not easier, in many states. Limits on how and where to vote, gerrymandered voting districts that diminish the power of voters of color, challenges to vote-by-mail laws and former President Donald Trump's lies that legitimate election results were not valid all contribute to the problem.
Richard Hasen is a professor of Law and Political Science at UCLA Law School, where he directs the Safeguarding Democracy Project. His new book titled, "A Real Right to Vote" suggests the only way to really address these barriers to voting is an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
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The name Willie Brown is synonymous with power politics in California. He became the first Black Speaker of the State Assembly in 1980 and held the job for a record 14 years, often with help from Republicans. After term limits forced him to leave the legislature, he ran for mayor of San Francisco, serving 8 years in that job.
Scott and Marisa sit down with Brown in his San Francisco office to discuss his path from segregated Mineola, Texas to the height of power in California.
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Jessica Bartholow has worked behind the scenes at the state capitol for years. She’s known for her fierce anti-poverty advocacy and budget expertise, as a lobbyist and more recently as Chief of Staff to East Bay State Senator Nancy Skinner. Bartholow now works for SEIU, the state's largest and most powerful union. She joins Scott and Guy to talk about the revolving roles she's played inside and outside of state government.
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