Political Breakdown

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Are Women to Blame If California Ends Up With 2 Male Senators? Feb 24, 2024

Show notes

For most of the last three decades, California had two female senators – Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. But after the November election, there’s a chance we’ll have two men. Scott, Marisa and Guy are joined by Los Angeles Times reporter Benjamin Oreskes, who recently wrote about how women appear to be the reason why California's streak of female senators may be ending.

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Katie Porter on Israel-Hamas War, Not Taking PAC Money and Her Expert Quilter Mother Feb 23, 2024

Show notes

Katie Porter won the Orange County House seat in 2018, flipping a Republican district blue. Now, the self-described "mini-van driving mom" is in a tight race for the U.S. Senate seat once held by Dianne Feinstein. Marisa and Scott chat with Congresswoman Porter about her Iowa roots, consumer advocacy and the key differences between herself and fellow Democrats Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee.

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Competitive SoCal House Races for Schiff, Porter Seats Feb 22, 2024

Show notes

While Orange County Congresswoman Katie Porter is in a tough race for the U.S. Senate, two Democrats vying to replace her in the House are engaged in a knockdown, drag-out race. Plus, 15 candidates are vying to replace Congressman Adam Schiff. Scott and Marisa chat with POLITICO's Melanie Mason about the most competitive congressional races in Southern California.

We’ll continue covering the California congressional races over the weeks leading up to Super Tuesday.

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Homelessness, Mental Illness and Drug Addiction: Prop. 1 Takes Aim at All 3 Feb 21, 2024

Show notes

Scott and Marisa

Protests over the Israel-Hamas War continue dividing Democrats, with disagreement over what the Biden Administration should do. Scott and Marisa talk about what this means as President Biden visits California this week to fundraise.

Then, Guy Marzorati joins Olivia Allen-Price, host of Bay Curious, to break down everything you need to know about Proposition 1. It’s the only statewide ballot measure in the March primary, and it's meant to address homelessness, drug addiction and mental illness.

Bay Curious Breaks Down Prop. 1

Transcript: Proposition 1 — Behavioral Health Funding

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Why Labor Won’t Take No for an Answer in Sacramento Feb 17, 2024

Show notes

Scott, Marisa and Guy chat about the week's top stories in politics, including why labor won't take no for an answer in Sacramento and Democrats' big win in the New York special election to replace George Santos. Plus, is an intra-party primary squabble killing Democrats' chance to pick up a GOP House seat?

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Are Billionaires Staging a Hostile Takeover of Bay Area Politics? Feb 16, 2024

Show notes

Are billionaires taking over politics in the Golden State? Marisa and Scott sit down with longtime political insider and journalist Gil Duran to talk about the ongoing political plays by tech and finance elites in San Francisco, Solano County and beyond.

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Open House Seat in Silicon Valley Triggers A Robust Race to Replace Eshoo Feb 15, 2024

Show notes

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo is retiring after more than 30 years representing Silicon Valley, and several well-known Democrats are vying to replace her. Scott talks to Guy Marzorati, who lives in that congressional district and has been following the race closely.

We'll continue covering the most competitive congressional races in California over the next three weeks leading up to Super Tuesday.

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Critics Say Prop. 47 Has Fueled a Spike In Property Crime. The Data Do Not Show That Feb 14, 2024

Show notes

The 2014 criminal justice ballot measure Prop. 47 has been the subject of discussion, debate, criticism and pushback for years. Critics blame Prop. 47 for what they say is a rise in property crimes like shoplifting — but is that real, or just perception? Would changing Prop. 47 to toughen penalties reduce high profile smash and grab crimes? Or does law enforcement already have the tools to prosecute that? Marisa Lagos joins Scott Shafer to discuss what she found after months of reporting.

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California’s Reparations Plan: Too Much Too Soon? Or Too Little, Too Late? Feb 13, 2024

Show notes

Members of California’s Legislative Black Caucus released its list of priorities following recommendations from the state’s Reparations Task Force. They include 14 bills aimed at addressing inequities in education, healthcare, criminal justice and business … but no mention of cash payments.

KQED’s Scott Shafer and Annelise Finney discuss the process so far with LA Times columnist Erika D. Smith, who calls the recommendations “half-baked and disorganized.”

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Battling Ads As Democrats Take Each Other On In Key Races Feb 10, 2024

Show notes

The U.S. Senate race is heating up with battling TV ads ahead of next week's second candidate debate. Plus, the congressional race for Katie Porter's Orange County House seat gets down and dirty with two Democrats trading allegations. Scott, Marisa and Guy chat about the week's top political news.

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