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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.
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As the filing deadline hits today for candidates running for governor of California, few contenders are heeding the plea from state Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks urging weaker candidates to step aside. Scott, Marisa and Politico’s California Bureau Chief and Playbook Co-Author Melanie Mason discuss the growing concern that a packed Democratic field could split the vote and hand the November runoff to two Republicans.
Plus, they talk about Democrats' shifting positions on the Middle East, as Governor Gavin Newsom this week compared Israel's leadership to an apartheid regime and questioned continued U.S. military support for the Netanyahu government.
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San José Mayor Matt Mahan is positioning himself as a “change” candidate in the crowded race for California governor. As a moderate Democrat who has frequently clashed with fellow Democrats over his stances on homelessness and public safety, earning attention as a rare critic of his own party.
Marisa and Scott are joined by Mahan to talk about the strong backing he’s received from the Silicon Valley tech community and how his approach to homelessness in San José – redirecting funds from permanent housing toward temporary shelter – could shape his statewide strategy. They also discuss his upbringing in Watsonville and the lessons he learned from his father’s career as a mail carrier.
This interview is part of a series of conversations with the 2026 gubernatorial candidates for California. The primary election is June 2.
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The U.S. and Israel launched a widespread attack on Iran on Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. But despite his death, Iran’s regime has shown no signs of collapse, and remains defiant as airstrikes continue and casualties mount. Local lawmakers and politicians have criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iran. Yet, Trump has not made clear how long the war will last and how the U.S. aims to achieve its objectives.
Scott and Marisa are joined by Abbas Milani, director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University, to discuss the political and economic impact of the strikes — and what may come next for the region.
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Governor Gavin Newsom is hitting the road to promote his new memoir, Young Man in a Hurry. It’s a revealing take on his childhood, family life, struggles with dyslexia and rise in politics. Scott, Marisa and Guy discuss the book and how Newsom is using the tour to boost his national profile and raise money for Democrats in states like Tennessee and Georgia.
Then, they discuss President Trump's State of the Union pledge to target blue states, including California, in his war on fraud.
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Xavier Becerra made history in 2017 when he became California's first Latino attorney general for then-Governor Jerry Brown. He went on to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services under former President Joe Biden beginning in 2021. Now, Becerra is running for governor — what he calls a "break-glass moment" for California.
Becerra joins Scott to reflect on how his upbringing as a son of working-class immigrant parents shaped his politics and life. They also talk about how Becerra’s long career in public service — including many legal victories against the Trump Administration and managing a federal budget that rivals California's own — has prepared him for this moment.
This interview is part of a series of conversations with the 2026 gubernatorial candidates for California. The primary election is June 2.
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President Donald Trump faces mounting challenges heading into tonight’s State of the Union address after the Supreme Court struck down his tariff policy, as public opinion sours on his immigration and economic agendas and amid a partial government shutdown.
Some Democratic lawmakers are planning to boycott Trump's speech and attend an rally called "People's State of the Union" on the National Mall. Others are inviting guests to make political statements on their criticisms of the administration.
Scott is joined by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Washington D.C. correspondent Alexei Kossef for a preview of the address before Congress.
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The California Democratic Party Convention kicks off today at San Francisco's Moscone Center, where the many candidates running in races from governor and U.S. Congress to the California Assembly are hoping to win the party's coveted endorsement. Tensions within the party are surfacing over whether to label Israel’s attacks on Gaza as genocide and over a proposed one-time tax on the state’s billionaires.
Scott and Guy are at the convention center to examine what this weekend might signal about Democrats’ strategy heading into the November midterms.
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Former Los Angeles Assemblyman Ian Calderon made history in 2012, becoming the first millennial elected to the California State Assembly at age 27. He stepped away from politics in 2020 to focus on his growing family, and now at age 40 he is running for governor.
He joins Marisa to frame his pitch to voters, casting himself as part of a new generation of leadership and calling for increased funding for education, expanded access to child care and greater government accountability. He also expressed support for cryptocurrency, suggesting the state invest in it as a way to help manage budget shortfalls.
This interview is part of a series of conversations with the 2026 gubernatorial candidates for California. The primary election is June 2.
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When Gov. Gavin Newsom launched CARE Court two years ago, it was envisioned as a new solution to get homeless people with severe mental illness off the streets and into treatment. Newsom’s administration predicted the program could serve 7,000 to 12,000 Californians, but it has failed to meet those projections. Scott and Marisa speak with The San Francisco Chronicle’s politics reporter Sophia Bollag, who recently wrote about a mother’s urgent effort to secure a CARE Court treatment plan for her son.
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After four days on the picket line, the San Francisco teachers union reached an agreement with the city’s school district. The union received much of their demands, including fully employer-paid family health care benefits and wage increases. Scott, Guy and KQED digital reporter Katie DeBenedetti discuss what led to the strike and agreement, what role Mayor Daniel Lurie played and how the district will afford these demands while projecting a $100 million deficit.
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Former State Controller Betty Yee is running for governor on a platform of competent and accountable leadership. She joins Marisa to discuss why she believes she’s the best candidate to fix California’s major fiscal challenges, having managed the state’s finances and tax system as controller and a member of the Board of Equalization. Yee shares her plan to implement spending cuts and grow the economy but said she opposes a proposed tax on California billionaires.
She also tells Marisa about her upbringing in San Francisco as the daughter of Chinese immigrants, working at her parents’ laundry and dry cleaning business, where she helped manage the books from an early age.
This interview is part of a series of conversations with the 2026 gubernatorial candidates for California. The primary election is June 2.
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For decades, paid lobbyists have worked to sway politicians into voting their way on legislation. But now young, conservative social media creators are exerting their own influence, largely without regulation or oversight. Scott and Marisa are joined by Wall Street Journal reporter Maggie Severns to discuss how corporate and foreign interests are paying pro-Trump social media influencers to promote their political causes.
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As tens of thousands of visitors arrive in the Bay Area for the Super Bowl, some of the excitement is being tempered by concerns over immigration enforcement, despite federal officials and the National Football League insisting there are no planned operations.
Marisa and Guy are joined by The New York Times reporter Sheera Frenkel to examine the role the Department of Homeland Security will play during the event and how local leaders and businesses are preparing.
Then, they turn to the California governor's race, breaking down the latest developments including the first televised debate and newly released campaign finance reports.
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Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host who previously served as a political advisor to British Prime Minister David Cameron, sat down with Marisa and Scott to discuss his vision for California if elected governor. Hilton argues the state has been broken by one-party Democratic rule and is attempting to become the first Republican to win statewide office in 20 years.
The conversation covers his upbringing in the U.K. as the son of Hungarian immigrants, his business and political background and how he would approach key gubernatorial challenges, from balancing the budget, reforming the education system, addressing housing and homelessness and improving the state's current adversarial relationship with the Trump administration.
This interview is part of a series of conversations with the 2026 gubernatorial candidates for California. The primary election is June 2.
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In a rare moment of political alignment, President Donald Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom are both calling for restrictions on large institutional investors buying single-family homes, arguing they drive up housing prices and put individual homebuyers at a severe disadvantage.
As the shortage of affordable housing pushes the American Dream further out of reach, Scott and Marisa are joined by The New York Times Magazine contributing writer Francesca Mari to take a closer look at the role Wall Street investors play in rising housing costs and how much power state and federal governments actually have to reign them in.
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With more than half a dozen Democrats already running for governor, San José Mayor Matt Mahan added his name to the field this week. Scott, Marisa and Guy discuss whether the centrist Silicon Valley Democrat and outspoken critic of Gov. Gavin Newsom's social media tactics can break through an already competitive race. They also dig into an effort in Sacramento to make it easier for residents to sue U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who use excessive force.
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A city in California's Mojave Desert is at the center of a growing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement controversy. A privately-owned former prison has been revived by ICE and is poised to become the largest immigration detention facility on the West Coast.
Since opening in August, the facility has sparked ongoing protests and drawn serious allegations of neglect and inadequate medical care, along with questions about whether it's operating legally.
Marisa and Scott are joined by KQED's senior immigration editor Tyche Hendricks to break down the allegations and legal concerns surrounding the facility. Then, they talk to California City Marquette Hawkins about his stance on the detention facility and what it's like leading a city at the center of a national debate.
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The Trump administration is facing intense political and legal backlash after a second American citizen was fatally shot by federal immigration agents during an operation in Minneapolis over the weekend. The White House has dispatched border czar Tom Homan to oversee Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota, supplanting Border Control Commander Gregory Bovino and signaling a possible shift in the administration's deportation strategy.
Marisa and Scott are joined by Politico's national security reporter Eric Bazail-Eimil to assess whether the president’s deportation policies have reached an inflection point.
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Governor Gavin Newsom grabbed headlines at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland this week, after accusing the Trump administration of blocking his speaking engagement at an official U.S. venue. Scott, Marisa and Guy discuss the California governor’s ongoing feud with the president. Then, they're joined by KQED's Sydney Johnson to reflect on San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie's live onstage interview at KQED one year into his term.
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San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie just marked his first year in office, and he's enjoying high approval ratings and declining crime rates. He joined Marisa and Scott onstage live at KQED to reflect on his first year, what he’s learned, and how he plans to take on the challenges ahead.
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What a great interview with Geoconda! Thank you for bringing us insight into the culinary workers union, what they are passionate about and what they're doing to make sure everyone has a voice and a vote.