California Underground: Your Sane Insight into California Politics

California Underground
  • 4.1 (59)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to California Underground, the most trusted podcast for all things California politics. Each week, we tackle the pressing issues facing our state through engaging interviews and roundtable discussions with political candidates and passionate Californians. Join us for clear, rational commentary that helps you stay informed about the complexities of California governance. Tune in for your trusted perspective on the political landscape!

  1. 6d ago

    Comrade Newsom? Is Newsom Really Aligning with the DSA?

    Gavin Newsom says he'll campaign for any Democratic nominee heading into 2028 — but his team went quiet when asked if that includes candidates from a self-described "Marxist-Leninist-Maoist" caucus. This week: what Newsom actually said, what he wouldn't answer, and what it means for his national ambitions. Also on the show: Katie Porter was a frontrunner for governor a year ago. She just finished fifth with 4.4% of the vote — and says she's done with politics. California Underground airs every Tuesday at 8PM PST on YouTube. 🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss next week's show. California Underground covers the California stories the rest of the media ignores— following the audits, the contracts, the budgets, and the officials responsiblefor outcomes that aren't matching the promises. No team. Just receipts. 📬 Subscribe on Substack: https://caunderground.substack.com/📺 Subscribe on YouTube for new videos every week📸 Instagram: @californiaunderground🎵 TikTok: @californiaunderground🐦 X: @ca_underground 📌 Sources: Washington Examiner — "Newsom defends backing socialist candidates, calling party divides 'healthy'": https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4644566/gavin-newsom-backing-socialist-candidates-party-divides-healthy/Washington Examiner — "Katie Porter 'done' with politics and focusing on Instagram book content": https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/state/4653306/katie-porter-quits-politics-book-instagram/Yahoo News — "Katie Porter says she's done with politics after failed governor bid": https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/katie-porter-says-she-done-040528602.htmlFOX 11 Los Angeles — "LAHSA delays release of 2026 homeless count results": https://www.foxla.com/news/lahsa-delays-release-2026-homeless-count-results

    Comrade Newsom? Is Newsom Really Aligning with the DSA?

  2. Jul 15

    Newsom's FBI Wiretap Scandal Deepens

    This week, Phil is joined by guest co-host Randy Wang of KABC Radio for three stories out of Sacramento and LA that all come down to the same question: who's actually accountable when the numbers don't add up? First, the documented timeline behind the FBI's investigation into Gavin Newsom's former chief of staff, Dana Williamson — including new reporting that an informant was recording conversations inside Newsom's political circle a full year before Trump returned to office, and how the case reaches back to a dormant campaign account belonging to Xavier Becerra, the Democratic nominee for governor. Then, California Attorney General Rob Bonta's lawsuit to block the $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger — filed a month after the U.S. Department of Justice cleared the same deal. Phil and Randy dig into the split between LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath's push to protect entertainment jobs from the merger and new reporting that Paramount's own advisers are now discussing whether to move the company out of California entirely. Finally, LA County's decision to strip $300 million in homeless services funding from LAHSA after an independent audit found the agency couldn't verify how $2.3 billion was actually spent — and whether handing the same money to a brand-new department solves the problem or just renames it. Three stories, one hour, no political team — just the documents. California Underground airs live every Tuesday at 8PM PST on YouTube, with the full episode available here on your podcast app afterward. Read The Gilded State, Phil's book on California's political dysfunction: www.thegildedstate.com More from California Underground:Substack: caunderground.substack.comInstagram & TikTok: @californiaundergroundX: @ca_underground

    Newsom's FBI Wiretap Scandal Deepens

  3. Jul 8

    The Real Math Behind California's Proposed Billionaire's Tax

    California's proposed billionaire tax says it will raise $100 billion for healthcare, food assistance, and education. New research from Stanford's Hoover Institution puts the real number closer to $40 billion — and argues the measure could leave the state worse off once billionaire departures are factored in. This week, Phil talks with Hoover Institution research fellow Benjamin Robert Jaros, co-author of that research, about the mechanics of Proposition 40, the migration numbers driving the disagreement, and what it means for California voters this November. Follow California Underground on Substack: caunderground.substack.com Get early access to The Gilded State, Phil's upcoming book on California politics: www.thegildedstate.com

    The Real Math Behind California's Proposed Billionaire's Tax

  4. Jul 1

    Spencer Pratt Declares War on LA and Newsom Flip Flops on Billionaire's Tax

    Spencer Pratt is calling Karen Bass "Karen Basura" over the Boyle Heights warehouse fire — and while his delivery is pure reality TV, the documented $17.6 million fire department budget cut he's pointing to is real. We dig into the permit history, the budget records, and why the firefighters' union is now bypassing City Hall to ask voters directly for funding. Then: Gavin Newsom wants a national billionaire tax as part of his "economic reset for America" — in the same week he's voting no on the billionaire tax already on California's own November ballot. We break down the contradiction, what his own state's nonpartisan analyst says about billionaires leaving, and why members of his own party are calling his federal plan watered down. No team. Just receipts. Phil's book, The Gilded State, digs deeper into how California's political class operates — find it at www.thegildedstate.com. Follow California Underground and leave a review — it helps more than you'd think. Substack: https://caunderground.substack.com/The Gilded State: https://www.thegildedstate.com

    Spencer Pratt Declares War on LA and Newsom Flip Flops on Billionaire's Tax

  5. Jun 24

    AD45 Candidate Greg Abdouch Joins Us

    Democrats have held this San Bernardino County Assembly seat since 2022. This week, theRepublican trying to flip it joins us to make his case. Greg Abdouch advanced to the November general election in California's AssemblyDistrict 45, and he's betting he can do what no Republican challenger has managed inthis district in years. We sit down with him to find out how — pushing past thecampaign talking points to get specifics on public safety, housing, and what itactually looks like for one freshman Republican to move anything in a Democraticsupermajority Legislature. No team. Just receipts. 📖 Phil's book, The Gilded State, is now open for early signup: www.thegildedstate.com📬 Read California Underground on Substack: https://caunderground.substack.com/📸 Instagram: @californiaunderground🎵 TikTok: @californiaunderground🐦 X: @ca_underground New episodes every Tuesday. If this show is worth your time, a follow and a five-starrating helps more Californians find it.

    AD45 Candidate Greg Abdouch Joins Us

  6. Jun 17

    The Newsom DOJ Investigation

    Federal agents are knocking on the doors of Governor Gavin Newsom's family friends and former employees. Newsom says Trump ordered the investigation to derail his 2028 presidential run. The LA Times says the probe started under Biden — launched by whistleblowers in Sacramento, not directed from Washington. Tonight Phil and Camille separate what's confirmed from what's spin, and get into the documented financial questions about Jennifer Siebel Newsom's nonprofits that predate this administration. California Underground airs live every Tuesday at 8PM PST on YouTube. Sources: CBS News, Time Magazine, LA Times, CalMatters, KQED, Axios San Diego, NBC News Phil is writing a book about California's political dysfunction — early access at www.thegildedstate.com

    The Newsom DOJ Investigation

  7. Jun 10

    California Elections: What's Actually Happening

    California held its primary election a week ago and we still don't have a governor or a Los Angeles mayor. Here's why — and why none of it is as simple as either side is telling you. This week Phil and Camille break down everything happening with California's election system in real time. How does counting actually work in the largest voting state in the country, and why does it take so long? What are "ballot dumps" — and are they actually suspicious? What does documented voter fraud in California really look like? And what could genuinely fix a system that produced 23% turnout after mailing a ballot to every single registered voter? They also cover the two races still being decided as this episode airs: the governor's race, where Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton have now been projected to advance — and the story of how Becerra went from 3% polling in March to first place; and the LA Mayor's race, where Spencer Pratt held a 40,000-vote lead on election night and watched it disappear over six days as Nithya Raman overtook him to face Karen Bass in November. Plus: the viral claim that Pratt received zero votes in a 24,000-ballot dump — debunked by Trump's own Justice Department. The Voter ID proposition headed to your November ballot. And the live Supreme Court case that could change how California counts votes before November even arrives. No spin. No team. Just the numbers. New episodes every Tuesday at 8PM PST, live on YouTube. Subscribe to the newsletter at caunderground.substack.com Phil is also writing The Gilded State — a book about how California became the most expensive, least accountable state in America. Early access and updates at www.thegildedstate.com

    California Elections: What's Actually Happening

  8. Jun 4

    Becerra vs. Hilton: California's 2026 Governor Race, LA Mayor Primary & CA-48 Results

    California just voted — and the governor's race is shaping up as a matchup nobody fully predicted: Steve Hilton, former Fox News host and Trump-endorsed candidate, leading with roughly 28% in early returns, and Xavier Becerra, Biden's HHS secretary, holding second at around 25%. With ballots still being counted through June 9, the second-place slot isn't fully locked — but the likely November choice for California's next governor is coming into focus. This week Phil and Camille break down three stories from Tuesday's primary. On the governor's race: how a field of 60 candidates produced these two as the probable finalists, what Hilton and Becerra each actually stand for, and what a Republican governor in California — something the state hasn't seen since 2006 — would actually mean. On Los Angeles: Karen Bass advanced to the November runoff, but she got 35% of the vote in a city she currently runs, with Spencer Pratt five points behind her. Whatever happens when the second-place count finalizes, a majority of LA voters wanted someone else. And in San Diego: CA-48 was one of five congressional seats Gavin Newsom redrew under Prop 50 specifically for Democrats to win. The Republican candidate just dominated the primary in a district that now has a 10-point Democratic registration advantage. The Prop 50 promise is getting its first real test — and the early returns aren't encouraging. No spin. No teams. Just what the numbers actually show. New episodes every Tuesday at 8PM PST, live on YouTube. Subscribe to the Substack at caunderground.substack.com for written analysis between episodes. Phil is also writing The Gilded State — a book on California's broken political machine. Early signups at www.thegildedstate.com.

    Becerra vs. Hilton: California's 2026 Governor Race, LA Mayor Primary & CA-48 Results
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Welcome to California Underground, the most trusted podcast for all things California politics. Each week, we tackle the pressing issues facing our state through engaging interviews and roundtable discussions with political candidates and passionate Californians. Join us for clear, rational commentary that helps you stay informed about the complexities of California governance. Tune in for your trusted perspective on the political landscape!

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