SacTown Talks

Interview with Chris Micheli

Today we welcome to SacTown Talks, Chris Micheli. Micheli is a Principal at Aprea & Micheli, Inc. and Adjunct Professor at McGeorge School of Law. As a lobbyist, attorney, author, and professor, Micheli has many great stories and plenty of wisdom to share. Today, we discuss Micheli's experiences, the current challenges in lobbying, his reputation as an expert in tax lobbying, his most recent book, and more.  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We featur...

Interview with Asm Tom Lackey

Today we welcome Assemblymember Tom Lackey of the 36th Assembly District, encompassing Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, and Palmdale. Before his work in the political space, Mr. Lackey was a special education teacher and a member of the California Highway Patrol for 28 years. He then ran for his local school board, then Palmdale City Council, and finally the Assembly in 2014. We discuss redistricting, what legislators can contribute when they are in the super minority, his work with Ca...

Interview with Tim Sparapani

Today we welcome Tim Sparapani, a constitutional law advocate and Senior Policy Fellow at CALinnovates, to discuss the past, present, and future of Proposition 22. Tim takes us on a journey from the Dynamex Decision to AB 5 to Proposition 22 to the appeals court decision. Learn more today about Prop. 22.   SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by experts and insiders focusing on the Cap...

Interview with Rick Goddard

Today our guest is Rick Goddard, CEO of Caylym, who joins us to discuss their Guardian system. The Guardian creates a raindrop effect over the target area and using a standard cargo plane, crews can drop over 4,000 gallons every 10 minutes from the air 24 hours a day. This means firefighting does not have to stop at night due to low visibility or in higher wind conditions. He discusses how the Guardian system works, where Caylym has had success, and what regulatory hurdles it faces in the Un...

Interview with Asm. Chris Ward

Today we welcome Assemblymember Christopher Ward of the 78th Assembly District, covering the San Diego coast. He joins us for an in depth look at AB 1771: The California Housing Speculation Act, which would impose a tax up to 25% on an investor’s net capital gain from the time of purchase until the final sale or exchange of a property to reduce housing speculation. We also discuss his background, what it was like coming to the Capitol during a pandemic, and other issues he is working on this...

Interview with Paul MItchell Pt 2

Welcome back for part 2 of our SacTown Talks episode with Paul Mitchell. Paul is an expert on California redistricting: he founded Redistricting Partners, Inc and is the VP of Political Data Intelligence. Today’s episode cover’s the details of California’s lost congressional seat, more details on how redistricting requirements work, what communities of interest are, why California’s redistricting process is the best, and what’s next for him.  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California poli...

Interview with Paul Mitchell pt. 1

Interview with Asm. Akilah Weber

Today on the show we have another new face in Sacramento: Dr. Akilah Weber of the 79th Assembly District, which covers much of east San Diego and its suburbs. Dr. Weber is the daughter of California Secretary of State Shirley Weber but did not have politics as a career goal instead, she became an OBGYN until a hometown civil rights issue inspired her to run for city council. And when Governor Newsom appointed her mother Secretary of State she decide the next step was the assembly where she i...

Interview with Asm. Mia Bonta

Today we welcome California Assemblymember Mia Bonta to the show. Mia won a race in California’s 18th Assembly District covering Oakland and Alameda County to replace her partner, Rob Bonta, who was appointed California Attorney General. We discuss her family story and background in education, what led her to run for school board and then the assembly, and how it’s been coming to Sacramento during the pandemic. Finally, we discuss her legislative priorities for 2022 including education fundi...

Interview with Senator Sydney Kamlager

Today we welcome California State Senator Sydney Kamlager, of the 30th Senate District which covers Century City to South Los Angeles and takes in Culver City, Cheviot Hills, Crenshaw District, USC, downtown Los Angeles, and a portion of Inglewood. She discusses her eclectic road to the legislature, the differences between the assembly and senate, how working in the arts made her a better communicator, her legislative goals for this year and more.  SacTown Talks is a podcast about Californi...

Interview with Matt Haney

Today we welcome San Francisco Supervisor and candidate for the California Assembly Matt Haney. Matt joins us in the thick of his campaign and talks about how he got into politics, why he’s running for the assembly, and what he’s been hearing on the campaign trail about the pandemic, housing, and homelessness.   SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by experts and insiders focusing on t...

Interview with James Coleman

Today our interview is with James Coleman, South San Francisco City Councilmember, and candidate for the new Assembly District 21. We discuss how an early family tragedy shaped the course of his life and led to his interest in government, how covid forced him to leave Harvard during his junior year and inspired him to work for political change, and run for and win a city council seat. Then he discussed the issues he supports in his upcoming run for the new 21st Assembly District, how he has ...

Interview with CA Senator Nancy Skinner

Today we welcome California State Senator Nancy Skinner of the 9th California Senate District, which covers the eastern San Francisco Bay. Nancy has been in elected office since she became the only University of California, Berkeley student to win a city council seat as a student. She also served in the California Assembly in the late 2000s so she has the perspective from when budget negotiations were very difficult. She discusses those days, how her bill to get student-athletes paid led to ...

Interview with Dr. Marty Ralph

Dr. Marty Ralph, Director, Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) at UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography joins us to kick off 2022 by discussing his research into atmospheric rivers, the long narrow bands of concentrated water vapor that produce major amounts of rainfall. We discuss how they relate to El Nino, La Nina, and last year’s bomb cyclone, and how his research is helping California reservoir operators prepare for future storms to save water and help California m...

Holiday Clip Show 2021 Part 2

Happy Holidays from SacTown Talks! We're taking a couple of weeks to recharge and refresh the show for 2022. While we're gone please enjoy some clips from the past year. And if any of you are joining the bread baking cohort before the New Year make sure to check out the end of the pod!  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by experts and insiders focusing on the Capitol. Like, share, a...

Holiday Clip Show 2021

Happy Holidays from SacTown Talks! We're taking a couple of weeks to recharge and refresh the show for 2022. While we're gone please enjoy some clips from the past year. And if any of you are joining the bread baking cohort before the New Year make sure to check out the end of the pod!  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by experts and insiders focusing on the Capitol. Like, share, a...

Interview with Senator Maria Elena Durazo

Today we welcome Senator Maria Elena Durazo to the last interview of the year! She grew up in a migrant farmworker family and spent decades in the leadership of labor unions. Inspired to run by the 2016 election today she discusses those beginnings, her legislation focused on workers dignity and health, water infrastructure and much more!     SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by ex...

Aaron Silverstein for the Cannabis Beverage Association

SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by experts and insiders focusing on the Capitol. Like, share, and subscribe to learn more!

Interview with Asm. Cottie Petrie-Norris

Today we welcome California Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris of the 74th Assembly District, covering Costa Mesa, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Newport Beach, and portions of Irvine & Huntington Beach. We start with the story of her first assembly campaign victory: a striking upset of a long held GOP seat, then turn to comparing her business experience to her time in government, her work with the California Problem Solvers Caucus, how California needs to dream and build big while still getti...

Interview with Roxana Janka of the Good4U Campaign

Today we welcome Roxana Janka, coalition manager for the Good4U public awareness campaign. This coalition has done extension polling of California parents, teachers, and citizens and has come up with three ways California can help students, especially those vulnerable to dropping. The first is equity, the second is  personalized learning with trauma-informed practices, and the third is job and life skills training. Listen as Roxana Janka explains what the Good4U campaign means by these and h...

Interview with Heidi Harmon From the Romero Institute

Today we welcome Heidi Harmon of the Romero Institute to discuss their Let’s Green California initiative. Heidi is a long time environmental activist who was on the San Luis Obispo City Council and Mayor of San Luis Obispo until transitioning back to activism at the Romero Institute. The Romero Institute is a nonprofit law and public policy center in Santa Cruz, California that focuses on environmental and indigenous justice. The Let’s Green California is a grassroots climate justice movemen...

Interview with Senator Anna Caballero

Today we welcome California State Senator Anna Caballeros of the 12th Senate District, which covers the Salinas Valley and a swath of the Central Valley between Modesto and Fresno. We discuss how her family’s journey from a company town to LA led to her becoming a lawyer and public servant, the differences between the CA Assembly and Senate, why she was focusing on housing, broadband internet, and water security for her rural district, and what she is working on for the next legislative year...

Interview with Asm. Rebecca Bauer - Kahan

Today we welcome California Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan of the 16th Assembly District that covers the eastern Bay Area. She starts with how the 2016 election had a profound impact on her and her family, the difference between working in the law and making laws, her bill AB988 that would establish a mental health crisis hotline that would provide a healthcare response instead of a police response for those in distress, as well as her work on transportation, juvenile justice and climate...

Interview with Senator Melissa Hurtado

Today we welcome California Senator Melissa Hurtado of the 14th Senate District which covers parts of the southern Central Valley between Fresno and Bakersfield. She starts the podcast with a lovely tribute to Scott Lay, then talks about how the Great Recession affected her, her road to the senate, and how reelection is shaping up. The majority of the conversation focused on her district and her work fixing water issues in California, and the connection between water, food and environmental ...

Interview with Asm. Blanca Rubio

Today we welcome California Assemblymember Blanca Rubio of the 48th Assembly District that covers Baldwin Park and the East San Gabriel Valley. We discuss what a day during the legislative recess looks like for legislators, then how the pandemic has affected her district and her family, and why getting people vaccinated is the key to reopening California fully. The conversation then turns to her legislation focused on seniors, children, and domestic violence victims, and how her next legisla...

Remembering Scott Lay

Today we bring you a solemn episode celebrating the life of Scott Lay. Mainly known for his must-read daily newsletter, the Nooner, Scott was also a community college advocate, Buddhist, lover of farmer’s markets and tacos, and passionate about politics and policy. He helped start SacTown Talks and, behind the scenes, was still giving valuable advice and assistance. Our guests are two of his oldest friends, Paul Mitchell and Anthony York, to reminisce about the life and times of Scott Lay. ...

Interview with Kristina Bas Hamilton

Today we welcome veteran lobbyist Kristina Bas Hamilton. From 2010 to 2020, she worked as a policy analyst then lead lobbyist for the United Domestic Workers (UDW/AFSCME Local 3930). We discuss her background, what political changes she’s seen in Sacramento, why she started her own consulting firm, how she adapted to lobbying in the time of covid, and an insightful look into working in a male-dominated field.

Interview with Jaime Zepeda

Today we interview Jaime Zepeda, community organizer, nonprofit and small business advisor and tech leader and candidate for California State Senate District 10. He tells the amazing story of journeying to California by himself as a high school student to live the American dream, how that relates to why he is running for office, how learning to campaign during covid has presented challenges and opportunities, and what he finds fascinating about running for office for the first time.  SacTow...

Interview with Joshua Spivak

Tomorrow is the recall election of California Governor Gavin Newsom so we thought it best to consult an expert. And we found the best recall election expert out there: Joshua Spivak. He’s Senior Fellow at Wagner College’s Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform, the author of Recall Elections: From Alexander Hamilton to Gavin Newsom, and runs The Recall Elections Blog. We learn the history of the modern recall, especially in California, but also in other states and countries, what is d...

Interview with Senator Scott Wiener

Today we welcome back to the program California State Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco. The senator joins us to discuss his legislative priorities, which include housing zoning and development, drug decriminalization, changes to alcohol laws to help restaurants and bars stay open, and a host of investments for his districts.    SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by experts and i...

Mike Gatto on the End of Session Hijinks

Our guest this week is former California Assemblymember Mike Gatto back with more insight into the inner workings of California politics with an episode on the end-of-session when California passes its budget and all the wheeling and dealing gets done. Listen as he describes some of the things he learned, and what he thinks all citizens should understand about the process.  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy, and culture. We feature interviews with California polit...

Interview with Darrell Revier

Today we welcome Darrell Review, President of the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers. He takes us through California Senate Bill 296 which would mandate locality to establish training for code enforcement officers which would modernize, professionalize and protect code enforcement officers around California, with no new costs to taxpayers.   SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy, and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders and...

Interview with Kipp Mueller

Today’s guest is labor lawyer and former political candidate Kipp Mueller. Kipp discusses why he became a workers rights attorney, how he ran for California state senate by happenstance, his best and worst experiences campaigning, and his future in California politics.  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by experts and insiders focusing on the Capitol. Like, share, and subscribe to l...

Interview with Rodney Wilson

Today we interview Rodney Wilson, currently an elite realtor and formerly a legislative staffer. Rodney was chief of staff to Assemblymember before starting a career outside of politics and the legislature. He firmly believes that the link between his work in the legislature and in real estate is people, and that working on a common set of goals, communicating clearly, and managing expectations are key aspects to successful client relationships across industries.  SacTown Talks is a podcast...

Labor Law Regulation Panel Tom Sheehy, Ashley Hoffman, & John Kabateck

Today we welcome three guests for a labor law regulations panel: Tom Sheehy of the Sheehy Strategy Group, Ashley Hoffman, Policy Advocate for the California Chamber of Commerce, and John Kabateck, California State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business and President of Kabateck Strategies. We discuss new California mandates on worker leave and their effects on employers of all sizes, as well as unfunded liabilities, California’s unemployment fund, and how each of them h...

Interview with Asm. Carlos Villapudua

Today we welcome California Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua from the 13th Assembly District, encompassing the cities of Stockton, Tracy, Thornton, and Mountain House. He discusses his path to the Assembly, including a great story about having a supervisor come to him after being confronted by angry seniors. He talks about campaigning during covid, being new to the capitol, what his bill package looked like this term, and much more!  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, pol...

Interview with Asm. Luz Rivas

Today we welcome California Assemblymember Luz Rivas of the 39th District encompassing the northeastern San Fernando Valley, running up into the San Gabriel Mountains. We discuss her background in engineering, going to MIT, and how that led to her STEM non-profit (https://www.diygirls.org) and her entry into politics. We then segue into a detailed discussion of her budget asks, what some of her bills look like, including her work on housing, homelesness, school nurses, and remove the word “a...

Interview with Stacey Gordon

Our guest this week is Stacey Gordon, the Chief Diversity Strategist at Rework Work. We have a fascinating discussion of implicit and unconscious biases, why we have them, how to test for them, and what we can do about them. Her book, UNBIAS: Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work debuted at #1 on Amazon’s Hot New Release list and is also available at Barnes & Nobles, and wherever books are sold. Stacey is also the creator of the second most viewed course across the LinkedIn learning platform. ...

Interview with Senator David Min

Today we welcome California State Senator David Min of Senate District 37 covering Orange County. We discuss how he went from a policy guy to a politician, campaigning during covid and why he thinks his district wanted a change. Then we discuss Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders both a voting block in his district and across CA, as well as how we can all work together to stop the racial hatred and violence against the AAPI community. Finally we talk about his political priorities as a new...

Interview with Anne Marie Schubert

Today we welcome a very special guest, Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. D.A. Schubert has announced her candidacy for California Attorney General and we discuss her background, why she decided to run now, and why her experiences make her the most qualified candidate for California Attorney General.  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by experts and insiders fo...

Matthew Silver & Jamie Zeller

Today we welcome Jamie Zoller and Matthew Silver of the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers (CACEO). They explain what code enforcement is, how it’s different from being a peace officer, how the CACEO is professionalizing California code enforcement, why the job has become more dangerous and legislation that can help.     SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by experts...

Matthew Silver & Jamie Zoller

Today we welcome Jamie Zoller and Matthew Silver of the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers (CACEO). They explain what code enforcement is, how it’s different from being a peace officer, how the CACEO is professionalizing California code enforcement, why the job has become more dangerous and legislation that can help.     SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by experts...

Interview with Senator Susan Eggman

Today we welcome State Senator Susan Eggman of the 5th Senate District, representing Stockton California. The senator touches on transitioning from an Assembly Member to a Senator, the upcoming budget, and how covid affected her district. She also discusses her Right to Repair bill, mental health and homelessness, and the balancing act that is water rights in the state. There is also a lively discussion about bread making!  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and cu...

Interview with Senator Patricia Bates

Today we welcome California State Senator Patrica “Pat” Bates of the 36th Senate District to the program. Pat was also a former Assembly Member and we discuss the changes she has seen between her time the Assembly in the early aughts and now, why compromise and collegiality is still the key to success in California politics, and her legislative priorities around fentanyl sentencing and Proposition 19 delays, and concludes with her ideas of how the GOP can succeed statewide again in Californi...

Interview with Bill Wong

Today we welcome political consultant and leader of the Ronin Project Bill Wong. Bill joins us to discuss the rise of anti-Asian hate in California and across the United States, why this moment is a turning point for politically minded Asian Americans, and what type of cost his organization is going to exact from those that use hateful rhetoric.  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by...

Interview with Asm. Miguel Santiago

Today we welcome California Assemblymember Miguel Santiago of the 53rd Assembly District, which covers downtown and east side Los Angeles. Assemblymember Santigo joins us to discuss his background and how his district is one of the poorest in California, while also being one of the most culturally rich. Then they discuss a key issue for the Assmebleymember: human trafficking and how his budget request can help to combat it in California. SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics,...

Interview with Asm. Mike Gipson

Today we welcome California Assemblymember Mike Gipson of the 64th Assembly District.  We discuss why he sees his transition from police officer to labor leader and politician as a continuation of public service, how giving someone a job can stop a bullet, his priorities of community building and reimaging policing, and why he chose the bowtie for his signature sartorial look.  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy and culture. We feature interviews with California p...

Interview with Shawnda Westly

Today’s interview is with political consultant Shawnda Westly. She tells her heartbreaking story of medical malpractice and an in-depth look at California’s Medical Insurance Compensation Reform Act. MICRA limits the amount of money patients can receive in damages. She discusses how MICRA works, including some parts that are relatively unknown, why the laws should be changed, what type of resistance there is to change the law, and how monopoly power affects change.  SacTown Talks is a podca...

Interview with Monica Davalos and Adriana Ramos-Yamamoto

Today we welcome two experts from the California Budget & Policy Center, Monica Davalos and Adriana Ramos-Yamamoto, to discuss the recently released Budget Center report urging  California policymakers to declare racism as a public health crisis. We explore why they think this is necessary and how racism affects housing, the environment,  employment, health care, the justice system, and education. SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy, and culture. We feature intervi...

Interview with Former Assemblyman Mike Gatto

Our guest this week is former Assemblymember Man Gatto and we do a deep dive on Bitcoin, blockchain, and all things cryptocurrency!  We discuss the murky origins, why the price has risen so much, how cryptocurrency works, and what the future might be.  SacTown Talks is a podcast about California politics, policy, and culture. We feature interviews with California political leaders and analysis by experts and insiders focusing on the Capitol. Like, share, and subscribe to learn more!