Political Breakdown

KQED

About

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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350 episodes

How Tomiquia Moss, Newsom’s Top Housing Official, Plans to Reduce Homelessness

As California grapples with how to reduce homelessness, Marisa and Guy sit down with Governor Gavin Newsom’s top housing official. Tomiquia Moss spent her career trying to chip away at the state's homelessness crisis, starting as a social worker in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood to now, as the Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

31m
Mar 29
The Stakes in the Supreme Court's Abortion Pill Case

The Supreme Court took up abortion access this week for the first time since overturning Roe v. Wade two years ago. This time, they're considering whether to restrict access to abortion pill mifepristone. Marisa talks with POLITICO health care reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein about what the conservative-led court might do.

30m
Mar 28
Silicon Valley Lawyer Wins RFK Jr. Veepstakes

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his running mate in Oakland today: Silicon Valley lawyer Nicole Shanahan. Guy and Marisa talk about what the Oakland native brings to a presidential ticket that's adding a wild card to the 2024 race for the White House.  Plus, can California Democrats find a way to transition to clean energy while promoting equity and affordability? Guy talks with New York Times reporter Ivan Penn about the political question lurking beneath the skyrocketing energy bills facing Californians.

30m
Mar 27
California Voters Could Require High School Personal Finance Class

How can young Californians prepare for today’s turbulent economy? Supporters of personal finance education say a mandatory class in pocketbook economics is the answer. Guy Marzorati talks with Tim Ranzetta, co-founder of Next Gen Personal Finance, who's pushing to place a personal finance measure on the November ballot.

23m
Mar 26
Garvey’s Huge Tax Bill, Newsom Calls for a Ceasefire and RFK Jr’s Running Mate

Republican Senate candidate Steve Garvey owes at least $350,000 in back taxes. Plus, Gov. Gavin Newsom calls for a ceasefire and former Mayor of San Francisco Willie L. Brown Jr. celebrates his 90th birthday. Scott, Marisa and Guy talk about all that and other top political stories from the week.

21m
Mar 23
Prop. 1’s Razor Margin, Plus Ro Khanna on TikTok, Gaza and Biden

More than two weeks after the primary election, Gov. Gavin Newsom's ballot measure to build housing and mental health treatment beds for Californians experiencing homelessness was narrowly approved by voters. Marisa, Scott and Guy talk about why it was such a close margin.  Plus, Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna is a progressive stalwart who’s not afraid to take on his own party, but he’s all in on President Biden’s reelection. Marisa and Scott talk with Khanna about the 2024 election, the crisis in Gaza and why he voted against the TikTok ban.

30m
Mar 22
Oppo Research: Digging Up Dirt on Your Political Opponents

Behind the negative attack ads on candidates that we see on TV and social media is what’s known as opposition research — basically, digging up dirt on your opponent.  Scott talks to campaign consultant Eric Jaye about how opposition research has changed in recent years and whether it still matters to voters.

25m
Mar 21
The Unpredictable Politics of Banning Tik Tok

After House lawmakers passed bipartisan legislation to force China to sell Tik Tok or face a ban in the U.S., the Senate seems to be putting the bill on a slower track. What would a ban mean for the economy and how could it affect tech companies in Silicon Valley?  Scott is joined by Wall Street Journal reporter Stu Woo to talk about the coming legal battle between national security interests and First Amendment rights for users of Tik Tok.

28m
Mar 20
Oregon Decriminalized Drug Possession. Now It’s Reversing Course

In 2020, Oregon voters passed a first-in-the-nation law to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs, including heroin and fentanyl. The idea behind Measure 110 was that the criminal justice system was not the place to steer people away from drugs and deal with a user's addiction. But now, Measure 110 is widely blamed for the spike in overdose deaths in Oregon and a worsening homeless crisis. Earlier this month, the legislature sent a bill to the governor to recriminalize drug possession.  Scott is joined by Oregon Public Broadcasting reporter Conrad Wilson to talk about Oregon's U-turn on decriminalizing drugs and what it might say about California's efforts to fight fentanyl use and overdose deaths.

28m
Mar 19
SF Voters Give Police More Power – How Will That Affect Public Safety?

The March primary signaled a shift toward the middle of the political spectrum, as San Francisco voters approved Mayor London Breed’s measures to empower the SF police and screen public assistance recipients for drugs. Scott is joined by Marisa and KQED's Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez to talk about what this means for public safety and the San Francisco mayor's race, where Breed faces a growing field of challengers.

21m
Mar 16
How Assembly Speaker Rivas’ Rural Farmworker Background Affects His Leadership Style

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas is coming up on one year as leader of the lower house. Rivas joins Marisa and Scott to talk about what he's learned and his priorities as the state faces a budget deficit.

32m
Mar 15
Trump Mocks Biden’s Stutter, Prompting Advocates Into Action

President Joe Biden has been open about dealing with a stutter that sometimes trips him up during public speaking. But when former President Donald Trump mocked Biden’s stutter at a rally in Georgia this week, a San Francisco-based stuttering advocate launched a public relations campaign urging people with stutters to come forward Marisa and Scott are joined by Maya Chupkov, a stuttering activist and host of the podcast Proud Stutter.

24m
Mar 14
Why Women Are Making Big Gains in the State Legislature

2024 has been a very mixed year for women in state politics. California is poised to have two male U.S. Senators for the first time since 1992, and men are replacing several women in the state’s congressional delegation. However, women still made gains in Sacramento. Scott and Marisa talk about the record numbers of women representing their districts in the California State Legislature with Susannah Delano, executive director of Close the Gap, which helps elect women to office.

28m
Mar 13
Is “Panera-Gate” a Real Scandal Or Politics As Usual?

The process of creating laws is under new scrutiny after a political ally of Gov. Gavin Newsom – the owner of the Panera Bread chain – appeared to benefit from an exemption in a new state law taking effect next month that will raise the hourly wages of fast food workers to $20 an hour.  Finding out exactly how the exemption got into the legislation was complicated after it was revealed that a major labor union required negotiators working on the bill to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Now a Republican lawmaker is trying to ban NDAs in lawmaking.  Scott talks with Chris Micheli, a registered lobbyist and former general counsel for the California Manufacturers Association, about the use of NDAs in drafting state legislation.

20m
Mar 12
Hot Takes on Biden’s State of the Union Speech

President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech was an energetic and blunt performance, including many direct attacks on his political rival, former President Donald Trump. Scott breaks down the speech with KQED political correspondents Marisa Lagos and Guy Marzorati. Plus, updates on Super Tuesday election results for congressional races and Governor Gavin Newsom's Proposition 1.

21m
Mar 09
Who Voted, Who Didn’t And What Difference It Made

The votes are still being counted, but Tuesday's primary is shaping up to be a low-turnout election. Who voted and who stayed home? Marisa and Scott talk about turnout and the voter enthusiasm deficit with Paul Mitchell, vice president at Political Data Inc. Plus, Mitchell explains why Adam Schiff boosting Steve Garvey boosted Republicans up and down the ballot.

32m
Mar 08
Progressive Women Fall Short in the U.S. Senate Race

Democrat Adam Schiff will face off against former baseball star Republican Steve Garvey in November, ensuring that California will soon be without a female U.S. senator for the first time in 32 years. Plus, Democrats seem to have avoided disaster in a Central Valley House district that they want to flip from red to blue. Scott and Marisa break down results from Tuesday’s primary election with San Francisco Chronicle political writer Joe Garofoli.

28m
Mar 07
Results, Analysis and Takeaways From Tuesday's Election

Both President Biden and former President Trump overwhelmingly win their party’s primary in California and most other Super Tuesday states. Republican former baseball star Steve Garvey will face off against Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff for California’s coveted U.S. Senate seat this November. Marisa Lagos, Scott Shafer and LAist's Austin Cross are joined by a slew of guests to analyze the Super Tuesday results so far. From our California Newsroom live special coverage of California’s primary election, which aired at 9pm PST. Read more live updates: Primary Election 2024 Live Updates: Bay Area and California

53m
Mar 06
How L.A.’s District Attorney Went From Criminal Justice Reform Warrior to Endangered Incumbent

Concerns over crime and public safety are the backdrop for a lively and very competitive race to be L.A. County’s top prosecutor. When he first ran for office four years ago, incumbent George Gascón promised to make big changes, like not seeking the death penalty, not charging juveniles as adults and getting rid of cash bail. Now he's facing an uphill battle, with 11 candidates challenging him — including three of his own deputies.  Scott and Marisa are joined by LAist correspondent Frank Stoltze to talk about the dynamics of the race, the stakes for criminal justice reform and Gascón's chances for political survival.

29m
Mar 05
What’s In A Name? Why SF Election Officials Rejected Some Chinese Names for the Bilingual Ballot

For years, candidates for office in San Francisco have been allowed to include Chinese names to appear on bilingual ballots. But after complaints that some of those Chinese names are a little over the top, with Chinese characters symbolizing qualities like “virtue” or “power," local elections officials are cracking down. Scott is reporter Han Li, who has been covering this for the San Francisco Standard.

23m
Mar 02
Newsom Sees Prop. 1 As A Chance to Finally Meet the Needs of Mentally Ill Californians

Days before the Super Tuesday primary, Governor Gavin Newsom joins Marisa Lagos and Scott Shafer to talk about his ballot measure to build mental health treatment facilities and how he thinks the state should be handling retail theft.

34m
Mar 01
Adam Schiff Explains How Prosecuting a Russian Spy Prepared Him for Trump

Los Angeles Congressman Adam Schiff built his reputation in Washington as former President Trump’s chief nemesis. Now he’s hoping to parlay that role into a U.S. Senate seat. Scott and Marisa talk to Schiff about his support for Israel, his evolution from a tough-on-crime Democrat to now embracing reform and what he wants to do if elected.

31m
Feb 29
Why Democrats Fear Their Chance to Flip a House Seat Could Slip Away

Two of the most competitive House races in the U.S. are here in California’s Central Valley, where two incumbent Republicans are locked in tight reelection races. Scott and Marisa are joined by KVPR's Joshua Yeager to analyze why the two districts are such a challenge for Democrats.

27m
Feb 28
When Do Congressional Races Become Toss-Ups?

The Cook Political Report is the gold standard in covering campaigns. Its founder Charles Cook started it in 1984 to provide unbiased, nonpartisan analysis of every House and Senate race in the nation. One of the tools Cook developed is a shorthand for analyzing those races — a rating system that ranges from solid Republican to solid Democrat to “toss-ups," which are races that could go either way. On today's Political Breakdown, Scott chats with Cook about how analyzing political campaigns has changed, and his decision to step back and have Amy Walter be the lead face of the Cook Political Report.

28m
Feb 27
Are Women to Blame If California Ends Up With 2 Male Senators?

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.

24m
Feb 24
Katie Porter on Israel-Hamas War, Not Taking PAC Money and Her Expert Quilter Mother

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.

31m
Feb 23
Competitive SoCal House Races for Schiff, Porter Seats

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.

27m
Feb 22
Homelessness, Mental Illness and Drug Addiction: Prop. 1 Takes Aim at All 3

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

28m
Feb 21
Why Labor Won’t Take No for an Answer in Sacramento

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?

23m
Feb 17
Are Billionaires Staging a Hostile Takeover of Bay Area Politics?

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.

31m
Feb 16