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California’s Secretary of State Shirley Weber Talks About her New Role Feb 04, 2021

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Shirley Weber made history when she was sworn in as California's first Black Secretary of State last week. One of her priorities is to bolster voter registration by making vote-by-mail permanent. She previously spent eight years in the California Assembly representing a district that includes part of San Diego and surrounding communities. While in Sacramento, she pushed progressive policy including an effort to reverse California’s ban on affirmative action and restrict the use of lethal force by police. Weber joins us to speak about her new role as Secretary of State.

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Refuses To Sanction Extremist Georgia Lawmaker Feb 04, 2021

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from Bakersfield, on Wednesday condemned the comments of an extremist Georgia congresswoman, but declined to take any action against her. Democrats have called for removing Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from House committees for claiming the Parkland, Fl. school shooting was staged, spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and encouraging violence against Democratic officials. On Thursday, the House of Representatives is set to take a full-floor vote on whether to strip her of her committees. We’ll look at what was behind McCarthy’s refusal to sanction Greene and what it means for the identity and future of the Republican party.

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Former Governor Jerry Brown Talks Pandemic, Climate Change, and Our Changing State Feb 03, 2021

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Last month, former California governor Jerry Brown co-signed a letter urging President Biden to prioritize holding nuclear disarmament talks with Russia. Brown joins us to discuss his post retirement work on nuclear weapons and climate change and his hopes for renewed action on these issues during the Biden presidency. The state’s longest-serving governor will also weigh in on Governor Newsom’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the state’s wildfire problem and how California has changed during his decades in government.

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Rhodessa Jones on Decades of Art and Activism Feb 03, 2021

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Performer and teacher Rhodessa Jones has said that she’s not interested in art for art’s sake. “It has to be about social change,” she said, “It has to be able to save lives.” Now in her 70’s Jones has been bringing a passion for social justice to her work for decades. She created the Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women more than 30 years ago and has continued to work in prisons and on reentry projects and, recently, she performed in a play that took on climate change. We talk to Jones about her ever evolving artistic career and activism.

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How the Pandemic is Rattling California's Housing Market Feb 03, 2021

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The Coronavirus pandemic continues to shake up the housing market in California. While thousands of renters have been able to stay in their homes thanks to statewide eviction moratoriums, many are accumulating crushing debt. And, despite the moratorium, landlords continue to evict tenants. Meanwhile, apartment rents fell in many cities as home sales boomed in 2020. The part of the market catering to more affluent renters and buyers remains strong, but low-income workers continue to struggle to afford or find housing. We talk about the forces shaping the housing market and how to help those hit hardest by the pandemic.

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Laughing All the Way to the Boardroom Feb 02, 2021

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Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas teach a popular class at Stanford Business School entitled, “Humor: Serious Business”. Their mission, they say, is to make sure that the next generation of leaders don’t launch into the world “without a healthy dose of humanity, humility and intellectual perspective that only humor can bring.” They argue we need more human connection in the workplace, not just “professionalism”, especially in a time when in-person meetings have been replaced by Zoom. Aaker and Bagdonas join us to talk about how to bring more laughs to work and life, and their new book, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life (And How Anyone Can Harness It. Even You.)

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LA Times Columnist Gustavo Arellano On Why Southern California is Covid’s American Epicenter Feb 02, 2021

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Early on in the pandemic, Southern California drew praise for its aggressive social distancing policies that helped contain the spread of the coronavirus. But now the region is the American epicenter for COVID-19 and what Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano calls a cautionary tale for the dangers of lifting restrictions too quickly. He says the reasons for the backslide are in large part structural: the disease is "tailor-made" for Latino and other tight-knit communities who tend to work on the front lines and live in multigenerational households. But Arellano also blames those he calls "pandejos" -- who, like "covidiots," willfully ignore public health advice. We'll talk to Arellano about his recent story for The Atlantic, called "The Pandejo Movement Destroyed California’s Pandemic Progress."

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Pressure Mounts on Gov. Newsom as Recall Effort Gains Steam Feb 02, 2021

Show notes

The Republican-led effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom is gaining traction as some members of Newsom's base are starting to question his leadership. Newsom was the first governor to issue a statewide stay-at-home order at the start of the pandemic, but the progress from that head start was lost following the state's summer reopening, which many say happened too fast. Now as California's vaccine distribution lags -- 5.8% of Californians have received the first dose of a vaccine compared to 6.8% nationally -- the spotlight on Newsom is intensifying. We'll discuss the latest developments in the effort to recall Gov. Newsom.

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Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf on How the City is Faring in a Pandemic Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

The pandemic has been tough on Oakland. Just one month into the new year the city has seen 13 homicides and a recent spate of car-jackings and robberies. The city has also made deep budget cuts to offset a $62 million shortfall from declines in tax revenue and police overtime pay. We'll talk with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf about housing, homelessness, the economy, and what the city can do to help its citizens in these hard times.

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California Starts Makeover of Vaccine Plan Amid Mounting Frustrations with Rollout Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

The California Department of Public Health announced an updated COVID-19 vaccine delivery plan this week as the state faces growing criticism over a slow coronavirus vaccine rollout. But the plan, which prioritizes age over risk of infection, is receiving backlash from people with disabilities who may be immunocompromised and don’t yet meet the current age requirement. Currently, those 65 and older are eligible to be vaccinated, in addition to select groups of essential workers. Even eligible seniors, though, report long waits in the cold and trouble navigating appointment systems. Meanwhile, another coronavirus variant, different from the one originating in the U.K., is spreading across California. We'll talk about the latest coronavirus news impacting Californians.

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