The gap between bold policy and daily life is where most of us live: a power line snaps in high winds, your insurance hikes again, the lot down the street sits empty, and your child’s school starts talking about cuts. We invited Assemblymember Nick Schultz into the studio for a frank, fast-moving conversation about what’s changing in California—and what still isn’t—across housing, wildfire readiness, energy costs, public safety, local jobs, and schools. We start with the bottlenecks that stall real homes: CEQA lawsuits that bury infill projects for years, building standards that shift mid‑stream, and commercial covenants that block apartments on dead retail sites. Schultz lays out three levers now in motion: a CEQA infill exemption to deter abuse, a six‑year residential code freeze to stabilize costs, and AB 1050 to lift housing‑prohibitive CC&Rs on commercial parcels. Then we dig into reliability and rates. Undergrounding high‑risk lines saves lives but raises bills; bonds and smarter financing could help municipal utilities move faster, while investor‑owned utilities should be pushed to invest more. On the generation side, we talk honestly about baseload: nuclear’s risks, green hydrogen’s promise, and why storage alone won’t carry peak days yet. Burbank’s identity is on the line as studio mergers loom and productions chase incentives abroad. California boosted the film tax credit to $750 million and added animation, but Schultz argues local moves matter just as much: faster, cheaper permits, a dedicated film office, and Santa Clarita‑style incentives to keep crews, diners, prop houses, and vendors busy here. Public safety ties it together. With violent crime trending down across major cities, he spotlights concrete steps for safer transit and previews a bipartisan DUI package—tougher repeat‑offender thresholds, rationalized suspensions, and broader ignition interlocks—to reduce road deaths without surrendering the wheel to fully autonomous fleets. Schools close the loop on affordability. Funding tied to average daily attendance punishes districts as enrollment falls; Schultz backs shifting to enrollment-based models and loosening categorical rules so districts can stabilize budgets. The local fix is housing families can actually buy—townhomes and condos that keep students in classrooms and communities intact. If you care about practical solutions to housing, energy, jobs, and schools—and how to keep Burbank thriving—this conversation is your field guide. Listen, share with a neighbor, and tell us the one change you want prioritized next. And if you’re new here, follow and leave a quick review so more locals can find the show. Support the show
