Capitol Weekly Podcast

We're joined today by California State Treasurer Fiona Ma. The Treasurer is the state's banker and manages $3 trillion per year, among many other things. Ma is a former San Francisco Supervisor, state legislator and member of the Board of Equalization, and a current candidate for Lieutenant Governor. She spoke with us about the Treasurer's job, her path to that office, and about her mentor, the legendary John Burton.  :21 Proposition 50 debate2:12 Lindsey Horvath and Measure G6:20 Fiona Ma7:09 What does the State Treasurer do?9:10 Dancing with the Capitol Stars13:32 Origin story20:22 The Board of Equalization22:03 Can CA backfill federal budget cuts?26:53 "Government by Unicorn"27:28 Public-private partnerships31:18 What's next for Fiona Ma?36:03 #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.

Capitol Weekly and the University of California Student and Policy Center presented A Conference on Health Care on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 in Sacramento.In today's episode we present the Keynote: A conversation between Dr. S. Monica Soni of Covered California and Capitol Weekly Editor Rich Ehisen.California is reeling from devastating federal budget cuts to health care and social services while state leaders grapple with shortfalls in our own Budget. Whatever happens in DC and Sacramento, California’s health care system is poised to see major changes.Stick around til the end; Rich and special guest Robin Epley of the Sacramento Bee tell you Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics.Thanks to our Health Care sponsors:THE CALIFORNIA HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION, THE TRIBAL ALLIANCE OF SOVEREIGN INDIAN NATIONS, WESTERN STATES PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION, KP PUBLIC AFFAIRS, PERRY COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, CAPITOL ADVOCACY, THE WEIDEMAN GROUP, CALKIN PUBLIC AFFAIRS, STUTZMAN PUBLIC AFFAIRS, LUCAS PUBLIC AFFAIRS, BICKER, CASTILLO, FAIRBANKS & SPITZ PUBLIC AFFAIRS and CALIFORNIA PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Host Rich Ehisen is back from the wilderness, just in time to welcome lobbyist Jennifer Fearing.  Fearing is perhaps California's best known "White Hat" lobbyist - she largely represents animal rights orgs, environmental groups and other nonprofits - and is recognized for punching above her weight. High on her priority list this session were three bills that would curtail "puppy mill" sales in the state; SB 312, AB 519 and AB 506 have passed the legislature and are currently waiting on the Governor's signature. She spoke with us about those bills,  about the unstable environment nonprofit orgs have found themselves in, what she, and her clients are doing about it. And of course we asked her about First Dog Sutter Brown.1:37 Highway 3952:40 The Dave Cogdill Memorial Highway6:15 "Dewey Defeats Truman"8:36 From Culbert Olson to a biography of Lone Pine14:19 Jennifer Fearing15:10 The environment for nonprofits today19:28 How do you plan for this moment?20:42 AB 131822:38 "Giant mess"25:30 Practical actions26:44 "We have GoBiz but we don't have GoNonProfits"27:31 Necessary reforms?29:29 Puppy Mill bills35:59 Gov. Newsom's attitude about animals37:11 The pet otter37:51 The Sutter Brown era43:07 #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.

Host Rich Ehisen is on vacation, so original CW Podcast Host John Howard joins Tim Foster in the studio to chat about the news and his life post-Capitol Weekly. We also look at a laundry list of Worst Week candidates including a politician who was unceremoniously booted from office, a California company facing a political backlash, a news organization reminded once again of their past malfeasance, and many more.:43 John Howard1:16 A book on California highways3:57 A visit with the press corp6:27 #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.

Author, podcaster, gadfly and former Assemblymember Mike Gatto joins us to talk about the state of politics, Roman history, and the experience of being a crime victim... plus so much more.1:45 AB 3252:43 Governor's approval rating4:25 Who's in/Who's out for 26 Gov's race5:34 Mike Gatto7:30 "Courage begets courage"10:16 The diminished power of the legislature13:16 Roman history allegory14:55 Redistricting18:49 Democrats are just reacting to Trump20:01 Dems need to stand for something23:54 National Dems with a vision28:58 Prop. 3633:03 Murder of Joseph Gatto38:16 The appeal of Roman History39:45 WTF History Podcast40:24 Knighthood?42:15 What does the future hold for Mike Gatto?44:17 Who Had the Worst Week in CA Politics?  #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.

The National Conference of State Legislatures was created by state legislators and legislative staff in 1975. NCSL serves America’s 50 states, commonwealths, territories and the District of Columbia with access to bipartisan policy research, training resources and technical assistance and hosts the annual NCSL Legislative Summit, the largest policy meeting in the US. We're joined today by Tim Storey, who has headed the organization since 2019. We asked him what the 'hot' topics were at this year's Summit, how his members feel about the Redistricting wave sweeping the nation, and how the organization has maintained its bipartisan status in a deeply partisan era. 1:22 New polling on Newsom approval rating2:46 West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative3:14 Breakout Top 100 star: Jim Wunderman6:11 Tim Storey8:23 Jess Unruh9:45 Bringing people together10:38 "The largest policy meeting in the United States"14:40 The difficulty of staying nonpartisan in a deeply partisan era19:00 Redistricting24:12 California connection27:25 A national redistricting law?28:10 Big issues?30:53 "More states are projecting slow revenue growth"33:12 The pig story37:37: #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.

We're joined by Assembly Minority Leader-Elect Heath Flora, who will take over as head of the lower house's Republican caucus later this month, succeeding Asm. James Gallagher. The collegial, no-drama GOP leadership transition stood in stark contrast to the last two Dem leadership fights - owing at least in part to Flora's reputation as one of the most well-liked members of the legislature. A straight-talking member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, Flora had compliments for colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and voiced his frustrations overly partisan policymaking. 1:40 Talking Top 1002:34 Health Care Conference, October 13:28 Special Edition4:20 Asm. Heath Flora5:18 The transition7:10 Agenda/priorities8:56 Bringing firefighting experiences to wildfire policy13:39 "You can manage fire"14:41 looking at the best-available approach17:07 CEQA and #AB10320:46 The lawmaker that people want to hang out with27:59 Redistricting32:33 What would you like to see from your time in the legislature34:30 Fly fishing and Henry Winkler39:08 #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.

Last night we published the 17th edition of Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 – our annual analysis of the unelected political power structure in California. We look at the mostlybehind the scenes players who influence policy, elections and governance, including Capitol staff, lobbyists, Agency staff, donors, business leaders, activists, Labor leaders – and even journalists.Hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster are joined by KQED's Marisa Lagos, co-host of the Political Breakdown podcast and radio show. Lagos has been reporting on California politics for nearly two decades, and is intimately familiar with the Golden State's political power players - elected and not. Lagos, Ehisen and Foster discuss the themes running through the 2025 list, look at the new faces, and talk about the sophomore class of the Top 100 Hall of Fame.1:11 "It is A list, not THE list"1:56 The Top 100 Hall of Fame6:20 Nancy McFadden9:31 Mike Belote10:37 Rex Frazier12:19 Kip Lipper15:16 Catherine Reheis-Boyd19:07 Themes of the year?22:41 Housing23:36 Ron Conway25:55 "The legislature hasn't flexed its muscle really since COVID"27:04 Bob Salladay28:43 Paul Mitchell29:00 Jodi Hicks29:13 Ann Patterson/Nathan Barankin/Nani Coloretti32:47 Jason Elliot, Jim DeBoo34:05 Dave Sapp35:38 Dee Dee Myers35:51 Steve Wertheimer36:15 Steve O'Mara37:34 Toks Omishakin38:37 Defending DMV!40:01 Where are the GOP officials?42:00 "Were you actually effective?"42:27 Jennifer Barrera43:22 Jim Wunderman45:50 Rob Lapsley49:24 Chris Cadelago51:11 Nick Gerda53:33 Ashley Zavala1:00:51 Melody Gutierrez and Alene Tchekmedyian1:04:14 Political BreakdownWant 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.

Governor Newsom and Democratic allies announced Thursday that they will propose a constitutional amendment — The Election Rigging Response Act — to counter Texas and other Red states' mid-decade redistricting plans. Framing the proposal as a response to GOP efforts to Gerrymander and "rig" Texas’ elections next year in order to protect Republican control of congress, the proposal would replace California's current congressional district maps with new maps to be used in the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.  The California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission would resume mapmaking duties after the 2030 census.Our guest today is California political data and redistricting whiz Paul Mitchell, who was tasked with coming up with the new maps just two weeks ago. Mitchell described the process of drawing the new maps, why the redistricting effort was necessary, and tells us which seats will see the most changes.Plus-  Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics:47 Redistricting1:58 Podcast Schedule3:31 Paul Mitchell and an intense two weeks7:14 The opposition8:16 "Can we do a 52 - zero map?"9:42 "The Commission's work is the Gold Standard"12:34 Comparison to other states' process14:55 Kevin Kiley's proposal16:44 Role of AI in redistricting20:57 There is no perfect map22:47 Which seats are in for a significant change?23:35 "Young Kim gets a great district?"26:15 "There are winners and losers"28:35 It's not about the maps - it's about the fight against Trump29:40 "It is a gross-looking district"32:08 The polling36:23 #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.

We're joined today by Kevin Liao of Frontrunner Strategies. Liao spent over four years as Press Secretary and Communications Director for former Speaker Anthony Rendon, before moving on to national campaign work. He was on first Elizabeth Warren and then Joe Biden's 2020 campaign teams, and handled comms for Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz as she barnstormed the Midwest for the Harris-Walz ticket in 2024. He shares stories from the road - and tells what advice he'd give any other California politicians who might be seeking the White House. Plus - Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics.30: Kounalakis: Out!2:17 Experts Expound3:23 Lobbying numbers8:00 Kevin Liao12:43 Rendon's campaign for SUPI13:22 On the trail with Harris/Walz18:03 "The Capitol Community isn't the same..."19:31 Scrapple, butter sculptures and Tomato Pies25:30 Advice for Gov. Newsom?27:01 "Inconceivably nasty"31:55 A conundrum: Democratic ideas are popular, but not when associated with Democrats33:26 #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.

Another jam-packed episode. We start with reaction to Kamala Harris' bombshell announcement that she will not seek the governorship in 2026, effectively resetting the race, at least on the Dem side. Next up, we welcome Brad Heavner who has stepped into big shoes as Executive Director of The California Solar & Storage Association (CALSSA), replacing longtime ED Bernadette Del Chiaro.  Heavner has his job cut out for him; the transition comes at a crucial time for California's solar industry, with rooftop solar facing headwinds from DC and Sacramento. And finally, we tell you Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics. 1:52 The Top 100 is coming4:08 The Intern Program8:22 Kamala: OUT!14:43 Brad Heavner17:11 A fraught time for alternative energies18:35 Net Metering19:42 Rate changes22:14 Who has solar?25:01 Legislation29:59 Labor vs. Enviros32:16 Are you optimistic?35:38 #WWCA40:05 Lyndon LaRouche45:38 Things Fell ApartWant 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.

We've got a jam-packed episode this week: Podcast cohost Tim Foster marks TWENTY years at Capitol Weekly. Then we speak with Frank Torres, the new Director of Political and Legislative Advocacy for the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals. Finally, we tell you who had the Worst Week in California Politics, and for the first time ever, the #WWCA 'winner' is not human!:54 What's on Capitol Weekly2:50 Twenty years at Capitol Weekly!4:28 A California version of Roll Call5:44 "I was happily working as a construction worker"8:20 "Shane [Goldmacher] was the first person to identify Paul Mitchell as someone we should keep an eye on"10:18 Tom Hoeber14:00 Frank Torres14:44 Following the budget16:35 The difference between UNAC/UHCP and California Nurses Association18:56 Nurse staffing21:32 AB140022:25 Impact of Immigration policy22:33 Addressing healthcare worker shortfall26:10 Origin story28:19 The Karen Bass campaign30:31 Al Checchi reference31:06 #WWCA37:00 Adam Gottlieb shout outWant 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.

We won't use that old Mark Twain quote (that he probably never wrote anyway) but fighting over water has been California's favorite pastime for at least 175 years. If you think norcal/socal baseball rivalries are bitter - try the socal vs. Delta water wars. One of the people tasked with managing that aqua drama is Jennifer Pierre, General Manager for the State Water Contractors  – a statewide, non-profit association of the public water agencies that contract with the Department of Water Resources to receive water from the State Water Project. The SWP provides water for 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland.  A UC Davis alumna with a bachelor’s in environmental biology and conservation, Pierre has 20 years of experience in Delta management and uses that experience to help improve water supply and operations for the SWC. She joined us to talk about challenges of climate change, issues from overpumping groundwater, and if DC and and California can make nice on Water Policy.1:01 Capitol Weekly Insiders Survey1:58 Dominique Donette2:58 AI podcasts3:33 Top 100 Party6:04 Jennifer Pierre7:30 Water in the California Budget8:53 "Housing doesn't happen without water"9:41 Background12:53 Managing Climate Change: Hydrology13:41 Subsidence: "We've got a major problem on our hands"16:59 Status of DC vs. California water fights20:04 Playing peacemaker among different stakeholders22:43 Prop. 4 implementation26:30 #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.

On July 8, Capitol Weekly and the University of California Student and Policy Center presented California and AI, a daylong look at the Golden State's approach to regulating Artificial Intelligence. California is a global leader in AI technology and lawmakers in Sacramento are tasked with creating legislation and regulations that will help the state maintain leadership in this emerging industry, while creating guardrails that protect Californians. Legislators have introduced over 30 AI-related bills this session, and nearly 20 AI bills were signed into law by Governor Newsom in 2024. Senator Scott Wiener led the charge both this year and last, and has emerged as one of the key voices in the discussion around AI regulation, and we present his Keynote as part of today's podcast. His remarks begin at about the 16 minute mark.1:48 Mecha-Hitler3:15 Op-Eds12:25 Remembering George Steffes15:58 Senator Scott Wiener42:23 #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.

We're joined today by Christina Snider-Ashtari, Tribal Affairs Secretary to Governor Gavin Newsom and head of the Governor’s Office of Tribal Affairs. Snider-Ashtari was first appointed to the position in 2018 by Governor Brown and previously served as Executive Secretary of the California Native American Heritage Commission. We spoke to her about both governors' approaches to Tribal policy, about the California Truth & Healing Council, and about the deep Native history on Alcatraz, which President Trump has suggested might be returned to use as a federal prison.Plus, Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics?1:03 Capitol Weekly story update2:05 Ai Conference3:17 Capitol Insiders Survey4:45 Christina Snider-Ashtari7:16 Appointed February 201810:32 Governor Brown11:40 Differences between Brown and Newsom13:43 Governor Newsom's apology for genocide of California Indians16:52 Alcatraz18:10 Red Power movement22:19 California Truth & Healing Council26:02 "Nothing was here, then gold was found, then people came"29:25 What has been the response of the Tribes?33:56 #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.

Chris Lehane has a solid gold resume in professional politics: consultant and oppo research in the Clinton White House, Press Secretary to VP Al Gore, and the source of the report on the "vast right wing conspiracy" so infamously cited by Hillary Clinton. Lehane also handles a wide array of corporate, Labor, entertainment and sports clients. Until recently he was Head of Global Policy and Public Affairs for Airbnb, and since 2024 has been VP of Global Affairs and a member of the executive team at OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence organization based in San Francisco. Lehane joined us to talk about the opportunities and dangers of this fascinating new technology and to make the case for the importance of California maintaining its role as a global leader in AI.Plus - who had the Worst Week in California Politics?1:26 Capitol Weekly this week4:53 The Top 100 is coming!10:23 Chris Lehane11:32 What is Open Ai?14:25 Fastest growing internet platform15:29 Ai to benefit humanity16:17 Impact on jobs17:01 Ai is going to change everything - on the level with electricity, fire and the wheel22:24 "Building democracy in at the front end"25:36 Educating lawmakers about Ai28:17 Twenty percent of Californians now use Open Ai30:01 How do legislators set up guardrails?33:47 The "Big Beautiful Bill" precludes state Ai legislation - will it pass?  Should it?39:28 Competition between US and China41:21 End on a high note: California is the leader in Ai43:01 The Red Flag Law45:45 #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.

Republican Suzette Martinez Valladares was elected to the California State Assembly in 2020 and served for two years, narrowly losing a reelection bid for the newly drawn 40th Assembly district, then winning a seat in the Senate in 2024. In the Assembly, Valladares was a founding member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. She also serves as the Minority Whip - the first Senate Republican Whip in some time, a reflection of the GOP's increased presence in the body. She spoke with us about pursuing policy goals during a year that has been, to put it mildly, a wild ride, (with no end in sight) and offered her perspective on the Immigration raids in Los Angeles and elsewhere.:47 Vacaville State Prison story1:42 Online sports betting3:00 California Lowrider Holiday photos3:28 The Micheli Minute6:18 SenatorSuzette Martinez Valladares6:58 A wild year9:32 Minority Whip11:17 "An affordability crisis"14:47 Prop. 3618:21 The Problem Solvers and Hispanic Caucuses22:16 Perspective on Immigration raids26:49 a Xennial27:37 #WWCAPhoto by Ellie Appleby, Capitol WeeklyWant 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.

Founded in 1918, the California Manufacturers and Technology Association promotes policies designed to stimulate economic growth and create jobs. Today, CMTA represents 400 manufacturing businesses in California, which is the largest manufacturing state in the country. Heading up that operation is Lance Hastings, who began his career as a capitol staffer and has a long history with California trade associations. Hastings probably thought that the COVID pandemic would be the biggest disruptor of the state's manufacturing industry in his time, but President Trump's 'on again, off again' tariff policy may give COVID a run for its money. He joins us to talk about the state of California's manufacturing industry, tariffs, and just how long it might take to reshore production.Plus, Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics?1:50 A change in senate leadership3:12 Trump vs. Musk poll4:08 Budget funds private foster agencies4:42 The Top 100 is coming9:53 Matt Rexroad10:45 Lance Hastings12:01 California: largest manufacturing state in the country13:21 Workforce17:39 Tariffs24:52 it took 40 years to lose manufacturing - it will take at least that long to bring it back25:31 Impact of retaliatory tariffs27:47 Finding common ground with environmental advocates33:45 Cap and invest36:42 California Lowrider Holiday38:46 #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.

Today we welcome Amy O’Gorman Jenkins, the state’s preeminent cannabis lobbyist - so much so that she earned the nickname "Pot Girl" back when Gavin Newsom was still just the Lieutenant Gov. Jenkins, was one of the first lobbyists for the state's once-maligned, now coveted, cannabis industry, first when she worked out of Darius Anderson's shop, then later at her own firm, Precision Advocacy. She was lead lobbyist for the California Cannabis Industry Association for a decade, but left this year to head up new a new cannabis trade group representing the state’s largest retailers, The California Cannabis Operators Association. Jenkins describes an industry in peril, with legal outlets closing, legal sales dropping, and the state's cannabis excise tax poised to go up July 1 unless the legislature acts.Plus, as always, we tell you Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics.1:42 Prop. 103 repeal?4:25 Changing the excise tax on cannabis?5:24 "A week of Lea/hs"6:19 Should Kamala Harris still be considered a frontrunner for California Governor?7:08 Polling on Democrats' attitudes8:11 Jason Sisney's Budget odds8:46 California and AI9:44 Amy O'Gorman Jenkins10:59 Origin story12:04 "Pot Girl"13:01 The change in attitude toward the cannabis industry15:02 #AB56418:03 The cannabis industry in crisis20:13 Illicit sales are still far larger than legal sales26:47 CA's cannabis excise tax is 124% higher than Michigan's27:27 Cannabis is taxed at 2.5 times the rate of tobacco and 6 times the rate of alcohol29:44 How dire is the crisis?30:51 about 68% of CA jurisdictions ban legal cannabis31:54 National cannabis legislation?33:32 "This is a heritage industry"37:53 #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.

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at the California Insurance Crisis, which was held in Sacramento on Wednesday, May 14, 2025This is Panel 2: The Los Angeles Fires, featuring Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore; Steve Hawks, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety; Kelsey Szamet, Eaton Fire Survivors Network; Nancy Wallace, UC BerkeleyModerated by journalist Dan MorainThanks to our California Conferences sponsors:THE TRIBAL ALLIANCE OF SOVEREIGN INDIAN NATIONS, WESTERN STATES PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION, KP PUBLIC AFFAIRS, PERRY COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, CAPITOL ADVOCACY, THE WEIDEMAN GROUP, CALKIN PUBLIC AFFAIRS and CALIFORNIA PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.