Santa Clarita Weekly | March 25, 2026

This week, hosts Sage and Renee take you inside the Santa Clarita Valley's political scene and beyond. First, we crash the Liberty Gala — the 40th Assembly District GOP's annual fundraiser — where Congressman Kevin Kiley showed up to raise money for the Republican Party while running away from the Republican label in his new district. Also in attendance: former LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, freshly re-registered as a Republican after years of hiding his MAGA politics behind a Democratic ballot line; perennial political chameleon Jonathan Hatami; the viral "MAGA dentist" Harleen Grewal; Santa Clarita City Councilmember Jason Gibbs, who is mounting a longshot congressional run against George Whitesides; and 40th Assembly District candidate Elizabeth Ahlers. Oh — and the venue looked like a dungeon. We're not kidding. Then, Senator Suzette Valladares wants to blame California Democrats for rising gas prices — but we explain why the real culprit is the U.S.-Iran war and Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that carries one-fifth of the world's oil supply. We also play highlights from last week's press conference with Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, who announced they are fighting the Trump administration's rollback of the EPA's Endangerment Finding in court. And we wrap up with big news for Rams fans — LA is headed to Melbourne, Australia to open the 2026 NFL season against the San Francisco 49ers. Santa Clarita Weekly — local voices, state politics, and the stories that matter to the Santa Clarita Valley.