Capitol Weekly Podcast

CAPITOLWEEKLY
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  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The Capitol Weekly Podcast covers California politics and public policy, and features interviews with elected officials, staffers, advocates, analysts, newsmakers, and even, -gasp- journalists. Listen at Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or at capitolweekly.net

  1. 6D AGO

    Where are we on SB 54? Plus more enviro updates with Jennifer Fearing

    This week we're joined by lobbyist Jennifer Fearing of Fearless Advocacy.  Fearing was a key player in the negotiations to pass SB 54, a landmark bill that regulates plastic waste in California. Governor Newsom signed the bill in 2022, but as we all know, passing legislation is one thing, implementation is another. Fearing walks us through the bill's complicated journey, and gives us an updates on it, and other environmental actions in the state.  Plus - Who had the Worst Week in California Politics. :42 Sports tix for electeds 7:06 Jennifer Fearing 8:55 Regulating SB 54 12:13 How often do regs change? 13:50 SB 54 has legs outside of California 16:57 The steps 19:39 Some environmental good news 24:54 "Deals are a bunch of trades" 26:21 Recycling: not a new idea 29:01 #WWCA Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/ Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang  "#WorstWeekCA" Beat provided by freebeats.io Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    47 min

  2. FEB 2

    Beyond the Governor's Race

    The race to replace Governor Gavin Newsom has taken up most of California's political oxygen so far this year, but there are other statewide races coming up, including Lt. Governor, State Insurance Commissioner, and - potentially - a slew of Ballot Measures. Capitol Weekly Editor Rich Ehisen, reporter Leah O'Tarrow and podcast co-host Tim Foster take a look at the 2026 ballot. Plus - Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics. 1:42 Gubertorial debate 3:23 Not talking about the Governor's race 5:46 Top Two: Republicans for Governor? 10:01 Lt. Gov's race 12:32 Tim Myers 17:25 The Insurance Commissioner's race 24:20 Ballot Measures 28:21 Polling - the Herding Effect 30:16 Auto accident liability payouts 32:27 Child safety - AI and smartphones 34:43 Liability for rideshare companies 40:30 Gratuitous Alex Vassar mention 44:43 #WWCA Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/ Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang  "#WorstWeekCA" Beat provided by freebeats.io Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    57 min
  3. Brian Green and California Voices

    JAN 26

    Brian Green and California Voices

    We're joined today by longtime capitol consultant - now retired - Brian Green, who worked in communications for the Senate Dem Caucus from 2011 until last year. As principal consultant, Green prepared talking points and issue updates, recorded videos, set up press conferences and hosted the “Then There’s California” podcast featuring in-depth interviews with Democratic senators. He began his career at 16, working as a DJ at a Redding radio station, parlaying that experience into talk radio gigs at high-power southern California stations KABC and KTMS. One year into retirement, he has launched his own podcast, "California Voices, with Brian Green." 1:32 What if Matt Mahan gets in the race for governor? 4:00 Housing Conference 5:44 Sacramento Bee article on tiny homes 6:18 Brian Green 8:28 Reading Lou Cannon 10:28 Memorable figures in #Caleg 12:08 "The voice of God" 12:37 Willie Brown's weekly radio broadcast 16:32 "Then There's California" 23:03 Sen. Leland Yee 24:53 "You are lucky if you can influence legislation on the fringes of public policy" 26:20 "California Voices with Brian Green" 31:07 A sit down with Sutter 34:16 Celebrities at the capitol 38:51 #WWCA Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/ Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang  "#WorstWeekCA" Beat provided by freebeats.io Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    45 min
  4. Jack Ohman: Politics, cartooning and the new media landscape

    JAN 19

    Jack Ohman: Politics, cartooning and the new media landscape

    Jack Ohman has been a political cartoonist for 48 years; he got his start at the Minnesota Daily when he was still a college student, and at 19 he became the youngest-ever syndicated cartoonist in the United States. He has worked at major papers across the US, including The Detroit Free Press, The Oregonian and The Sacramento Bee, where in 2016 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning. Since 2023 he has been the editorial cartoonist and a political columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle, and also publishes at his Substack, Jack Ohman's You Betcha. He joined us to talk about his history in the news biz, the state of editorial cartooning, the death of Scott Adams, and much, much more.   Plus - Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics. 1:00 Sports betting update 3:27 The Prop. 50 court decision 5:41 Clarissa Laguardia podcast 6:47 Jack Ohman 7:46 Origin story 9:23 Collapse of the afternoon papers 11:53 Substack 14:04 Political cartooning vs. comic strips 15:30 "I never really wanted to be a cartoonist, I wanted to be governor of Minnesota" 16:00 Kate Brown 18:27 Youngest syndicated cartoonist 23:46 Are we in a new Yellow Journalism era? 26:58 "In some ways we're fighting the same battles of the Civil War" 33:27 The Death of Scott Adams 36: 39 Bacchi Decision 40:21 Where is cartooning right now? 48:46 Thomas Nast 49:43 #WWCA Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/ Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang  "#WorstWeekCA" Beat provided by freebeats.io Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    55 min
  5. Clarissa Laguardia: Getting young people engaged in the democratic process

    JAN 12

    Clarissa Laguardia: Getting young people engaged in the democratic process

    We're joined today by Clarissa Laguardia, Executive Director of the California Center for Civic Participation (CalCenter). CalCenter is a non-profit organization that works to engage young people in the democratic process. Their approach to civic participation centers youth voices, demystifies the process, and equips and connects young people with opportunities to create impactful change in their communities. Laguardia is passionate about CalCenter's projects - she knows firsthand the importance of engaging in the poltical experience. She grew up in El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War and migrated to the United States after high school, speaking no English. She navigated the immigrant experience largely on her own, mastering the language and gaining a profound understanding of the importance of communication. Her background has helped her connect with young people statewide. While CalCenter's programs have always been the heart of the organization, it is probably best known for producing The California Roast. For decades, the Roast was one of the highest-profile fundraisers on the Capitol calendar, with Governors, Attorneys General, Speakers, Pro Tems and other well known California pols flaming each other in a bawdy evening of - mostly - good-spirited fun. The Roast ended nearly a decade ago - and backfilling that fundraising is a challenge in itself. 1:33 A Conference on Housing 4:39 PSA: Op-Eds 5:55 Clarissa Laguardia 7:06 What is the CalCenter? 9:21 Capitol Focus, She Shares and The California Roast 12:11 "Speaking their language" 16:32 Shout out to Jim Muldavin 18:08 Laguardia's backstory and how it helps her connect with young people 20:14 "Being the other has helped me... I know what it's like in my own skin" 26:39 Cynicism about Democracy 29:26 Reaction of students 34:04 Shake the Future Up 37:55 #WWCAWant to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/ Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang  "#WorstWeekCA" Beat provided by freebeats.io Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    42 min
  6. A look at San Francisco with Joe Eskenazi

    JAN 5

    A look at San Francisco with Joe Eskenazi

    San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie took office one year ago this week after beating incumbent mayor London Breed and several sitting and former SF supervisors in what ended up as a wide open four-way race. Lurie's first year has largely been seen as a success, with the notable exception of his appointment of former Sunset pet shop owner Beya Alcaraz to a vacant supervisor's seat - a position she held for less than one Scaramucci. We're joined today by Mission Local Managing Editor and columnist Joe Eskenazi, who looks back over Lurie's first year, and gets us up to speed on other San Francisco political news, including the race to replace Nancy Pelosi, who has announced that she will not seek another term. On January 7, Eskenazi and Cynthia Laird of the Bay Area Reporter will moderate a forum with the top three candidates: Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco); San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan; and Saikat Chakrabarti, former chief of staff to Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. We also take a look at the possibility of an initiative to reopen the Great Highway to auto traffic, and the effort to form a municipal power company that would take over PG&E's electrical infrastructure via eminent domain - a movement that got a boost following last week's massive power outage. Plus, Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics. 1:12 Joe Eskenazi 1:31 House District 11 Forum 2:27 A report card on Mayor Lurie's first year 6:19 Lurie's longest week: Beya Alcaraz and all that 14:21 The initiative to reopen the Great Highway and impact on the race to replace Nancy Pelosi 17:08 Labor 19:37  Saikat Chakrabarti 20:32 Supervisor Connie Chan 21:02 Sen. Scott Wiener 22:55 PG&E blackout 23:39 A San Francisco municipal power utility? 31:00 #WWCA Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/ Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang  "#WorstWeekCA" Beat provided by freebeats.io Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    36 min
  7. 2025 in review (and a peek at 2026), with Chris Cadelago of POLITICO

    12/29/2025

    2025 in review (and a peek at 2026), with Chris Cadelago of POLITICO

    Hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster are joined by Politico’s Chris Cadelago for a look back at the Top 10 California political stories of 2025 – and a look at what's coming next year. :41 Chris Cadelago 2:10 Leah O'Tarrow 2:41 Los Angeles fires 10:00 Donald trump vs. California 21:16 The firing of Cynthia Moreno and subsequent lawsuit 28:10 Artificial Intelligence 36:55 CEQA reform 42:29 Pharmacy Benefit Managers 47:15 The Governor's race 56:54 Governor Newsom's media blitz 1:02:46 Prop. 50 1:10:16 Other stories: Pelosi retirement, cannabis tax, etc... 1:11:11 Dana Williamson scandal 1:19:33 Closing thoughts Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/ Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    1h 27m

  8. 12/22/2025

    Capitol trivia masters, plus Sac State's Luke Wood

    Brian Ebbert, Chris Micheli and Alex Vassar may not be household names to the average Californian, but in the Capitol Community, they are approaching celebrity status for their deep knowledge of legislative history and state government procedure. Putting that knowledge to good use, the trio has just published The California Capitol Cocktail Trivia Book, a lively and engaging collection of little-known facts, anecdotes, and curiosities drawn from the rich history of California’s state government. They joined us to talk about the project and shared stories from the book. We're also joined by Luke Wood, President of California State University, Sacramento. Wood has seen notable successes during his tenure - notably increased enrollment and the school's highest-ever graduation rate. His leadership is not without controversy - he has received significant criticism for his plan to implement a rule that Starting in 2026, Sac State freshmen must live two years on campus. Plus, who had the Worst Week in California politics? :50 Capitol ink 3:47 Planned Parenthood cuts 4:45 Santa's take on California politics 7:48 Capitol trivia 10:41 POLITICO trivia night 12:28 Detour to a topless bar 13:55 The capitol's speakeasy 16:18 Scandals 18:11 How to buy the book 19:51 Luke Wood 20:58 What is the feeling of the student body right now? 24:38 Live on campus rule 28:42 Impact of Nancy Skinner's NIL bill 35:29 Downtown Capitol Center 39:09 #WWCA Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/ Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang  "#WorstWeekCA" Beat provided by freebeats.io Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    48 min
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3.9
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

The Capitol Weekly Podcast covers California politics and public policy, and features interviews with elected officials, staffers, advocates, analysts, newsmakers, and even, -gasp- journalists. Listen at Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or at capitolweekly.net

Information

  • Creator
    CAPITOLWEEKLY
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    444
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Capitol Weekly Podcast

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