373 episodes

Join hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos as they unpack the day in politics with a California perspective. Featuring interviews with reporters and other insiders involved in the craft of politics—including elected officials, candidates, pollsters, campaign managers, fundraisers, and other political players—Political Breakdown pulls back the curtain to offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics works today.

Political Breakdown KQED

    • News

Join hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos as they unpack the day in politics with a California perspective. Featuring interviews with reporters and other insiders involved in the craft of politics—including elected officials, candidates, pollsters, campaign managers, fundraisers, and other political players—Political Breakdown pulls back the curtain to offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics works today.

    Kanishka Cheng: The Most Influential San Franciscan You’ve Never Heard Of?

    Kanishka Cheng: The Most Influential San Franciscan You’ve Never Heard Of?

    When the San Francisco Chronicle recently compiled a list of the 20 most influential people working mostly behind the scenes in San Francisco, Kanishka Cheng was first on the list. She co-founded and heads the group TogetherSF Action and its sister organization TogetherSF. Like similar groups recently created in the city, TogetherSF wants to push city policy from the left toward the middle. Cheng joins Scott to talk about their priorities, tactics and potential conflicts of interest.
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    • 29 min
    She Heads the Most Trusted Source of Political Data in California

    She Heads the Most Trusted Source of Political Data in California

    California Target Book is a goldmine of information for campaigns, journalists, and political insiders. For three decades, Target Book has provided non-partisan research on voter registration, campaign contributions, candidate profiles and more. Scott and Marisa talk with publisher Marva Diaz, the first woman and first Latino to have that position.
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    • 26 min
    The Politics and Policy Around Newsom’s Vatican Climate Summit Trip

    The Politics and Policy Around Newsom’s Vatican Climate Summit Trip

    Governor Gavin Newsom will be heading to Rome next month as one of several state and local officials invited from around the world to speak at the Pope’s Vatican Climate Summit. The governor will focus on how the changing climate is affecting California’s ability to cope with droughts, wildfires and floods. Scott is joined by Marisa and Guy to talk about the politics and policy of Newsom’s trip.
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    • 26 min
    California Moves To Create a “Sanctuary” for Arizona Women Seeking Abortions

    California Moves To Create a “Sanctuary” for Arizona Women Seeking Abortions

    A bill to ban non-disclosure agreements while outside groups negotiate legislation failed in committee, creating some interesting alliances in the process. Meanwhile, a bill to allow licensed doctors from Arizona to perform abortions in California moves forward. Scott, Marisa and Guy discuss it all in this week's roundtable. 
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    • 24 min
    UC Regent John Pérez on the Gaza Protests Roiling College Campuses

    UC Regent John Pérez on the Gaza Protests Roiling College Campuses

    As protests over the war in Gaza roil college campuses from New York to California, Marisa and Scott sit down with UC Regent John Pérez, who has served on the board overseeing the University of California system since 2014 and was recently appointed to another 12 year term. Pérez was also Speaker of the State Assembly from 2010 to 2014.
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    • 31 min
    Voters Under 35 Have A Lot At Stake in November. Here’s What They’re Thinking About

    Voters Under 35 Have A Lot At Stake in November. Here’s What They’re Thinking About

    As part of KQED's Youth Takeover Week, we’ll hear from young voters and what they care about most. From the war in Gaza to climate change, student debt and how they might vote in November. In addition to hearing from young Bay Area voters, Scott talks with Erin Heys, policy director and senior researcher for the Berkeley Institute for Young Americans and Saa’un Bell with Power California, which focuses on young people of color and LGBTQ voters throughout the state.
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    • 29 min

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