PODCAST · news
Capitol Weekly Podcast
by CAPITOLWEEKLY
The Capitol Weekly Podcast covers California politics and public policy, and features interviews with elected officials, staffers, advocates, analysts, newsmakers, and even, -gasp- journalists. Listen at Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or at capitolweekly.net
Episodes
-
It's all about family: Editorial columnist Tom Philp & Ken Monroe of the Family Business Association
In this episode we discuss two very different aspects of family. First up is our conversation with former Sacramento Bee editorial columnist Tom Philp, who joins us to talk about his moving five-part series examining how California’s mental health system is failing the families who need its help...
-
A chat with political strategist Kelly Calkin
Kelly Calkin heads Calkin Public Affairs, a Sacramento-based firm that advises some of the biggest names in California politics. Calkin has a different background from many of his public affairs colleagues - he cut his teeth working for Labor, first at the California Building and Construction...
-
Special Episode: California Health Care - The Impact of H. R. 1
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at California Health Care which was held in Sacramento on September 23, 2026. This is Panel 1: The Impact of H. R. 1 Our panelists are: Ben Avey, WellSpace Health; Tam Ma, UC Office of the President…
more -
Larry Lee and The Sacramento Observer
We're joined today by Larry Lee, Publisher of The Sacramento Observer, and head of the rapidly expanding OBSERVER Media Group, which now includes the Sacramento News and Review, the Chico News and Review, and the Stockton Observer. The Sacramento Observer was founded in 1962 by Lee's father, Dr....
-
Asm. Josh Lowenthal on regulating social media use for children
We’re joined today by Asm. Josh Lowenthal (D – Long Beach) who spoke with us about his bills, AB 1709 and AB 2 - both signed by the governor last week – to regulate Social Media use by children and to hold tech companies financially liable when they cause harm. We also chat about a bill that did...
-
Mariel Garza and the Golden State Report
We're joined by Mariel Garza, co-founder and executive editor of the Golden State Report. Garza was a longtime reporter and editor for mainstream California news organizations, including the Sacramento Bee and the Los Angeles Times, until she abruptly resigned from the L.A. Times’ editorial board...
-
Gaming the system: Paul Mitchell on the impact of prediction markets and bad polls
A poll from Median Strategies roiled the Los Angeles mayoral race earlier this month, showing Mayor Karen Bass with an 11 point lead over challenger Nithya Raman. The results were cited by several media outlets, and were touted by the Bass campaign before the poll was exposed as fake. When...
-
Sparring with Swalwell and other campaign tales, with Michael Trujillo
Democratic strategist Michael Trujillo has worked for a number of political candidates in his long career, including heavyweights like Hillary Clinton and Antonio Villaraigosa. He joins us on the Capitol Weekly podcast this week to talk about life in the political arena, the ongoing civil war...
-
A conversation with Adam Silver of the California FPPC
It has been a very busy last few years for Fair Political Practices Commission Chairman Adam Silver. In addition to the usual challenges of an election year, Silver has been working on numerous efforts to utilize artificial intelligence in how the FPPC addresses campaign finance issues. He joined...
-
Special Episode: The Top 100 2026
Hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster are joined by Jenny Huh of ABC10 for a look at the 18th edition of Capitol Weekly's Top 100, which published yesterday. Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 is our annual analysis of the unelected political power structure in California. We look at the mostlybehind the scenes...
-
Paula Treat: Top 100 Hall of Fame
On the podcast we often joke about our "very special guests" but legendary California lobbyist Paula Treat truly fits the bill. Treat was one of our very first, and one of our most frequent, guests on the Capitol Weekly Podcast. Next week she will be inducted into the Top 100 Hall of Fame, so we...
-
Downtown Sacramento's Return-To-Office lunch options
State employees returning to Downtown Sacramento following Gov. Newsom's Return-To-Office order are finding a vastly different universe from the vibrant metro area of 2019, the last time Sacramento food writer Becky Grunewald was on the Podcast. Many longtime lunch and coffee favorites have…
more -
We Are the Power: Gary Lucks
Today we welcome author, environmental attorney and pro-democracy activist, Gary Lucks, whose new book “We Are the Power,” is a how-to guide for community activists. As the founder of two East Bay progressive groups he has built one of California' most active grassroots networks, and helped raise...
-
A chat with Ahmad Thomas of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Today we welcome Ahmad Thomas, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, an association that represents hundreds of technology and innovation companies in the birthplace of the computer revolution. Thomas joined SVLG in 2020 and has overseen his organization's efforts to encourage Sacramento to...
-
California's water future: Chelsea Haines
Chelsea Haines is the Director of State Regulatory Relations at the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), the largest statewide coalition of public water agencies in the country. ACWA's 470 public agency members are responsible for 90% of the water delivered to cities, farms and...
-
Come Together: Asm. Heather Hadwick and Asm. Patrick Ahrens
Sometimes it seems like bipartisanship has gone the way of the dinosaur, the Dodo Bird and $3 gasoline, but Assemblymembers Heather Hadwick (R) and Patrick Ahrens (D) are doing their best to keep the dream alive. While the two come from dramatically different districts with distinct priorities...
-
The Primary is over - What now?
The Capitol Weekly crew - Rich Ehisen, Leah O'Tarrow and Tim Foster - look at the California Primary. How did Proposition 50 impact the races, what did billionaires get for their money, and will the generation gap be a defining factor in November? Plus, Who had the Worst Week in California...
-
Game changer: California Energy Commissioner Nancy Skinner
We're joined today by Commissioner Nancy Skinner. Skinner is serving her first term on the California Energy Commission after serving as a state senator at the California State Senate from 2016 to 2024 and as a member of the California State Assembly from 2008 to 2014. if Skinner is a newbie to…
more -
How California can get ahead of wildfires, with Steve Frisch
Our guest today is Steve Frisch, President and CEO of the Sierra Business Council (SBC) and a founding member of the Wildfire Solutions Coalition. With the devastating impacts of wildfire becoming more evident with each fire season, the Coalition advocates for funding and implementation of…
more -
Can Steve Maviglio kill the Top Two Primary?
California's Top Two Primary, also known as a Jungle Primary, was approved by voters as Proposition 14 in 2010. Prop. 14 was promoted by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado and endorsed by most major newspapers as a way to lessen partisanship and reduce gridlock by...
-
Talking journalism with Soledad O'Brien
Our guest today is Emmy Award winning journalist, producer, documentary filmmaker and podcaster Soledad O'Brien. O'Brien got her start in broadcast TV in 1991, and has held a wide variety of positions, ranging from on-air reporter, to anchor, to producer. Her work has been recognized with four…
more -
Jeff Randle: Modern campaigns & 25 years of Randle Communications
Jeff Randle has been one of the Capitol community’s go-to political campaign strategists for decades. He has been a top advisor on five gubernatorial campaigns as well as serving as deputy chief of staff to Gov. Pete Wilson from 1991-1998. This year his firm Randle Communications celebrates its...
-
Special Episode: A discussion on Affordability with Lorena Gonzalez and Mike Madrid
Affordability has become the buzziest of buzzwords around the California Capitol and beyond. It has become a major talking point for lawmakers, candidates for every office and even a certain governor with lofty ambitions beyond the Golden State. On this week’s podcast we share a lively and very...
-
The Status of Women and Girls in California, with Darcy Totten
Our guest is Darcy Totten, Executive Director at the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. The Commission on the Status of Women was established by the legislature in 1965 for the purpose of developing recommendations “which will enable women to make the maximum contribution to...
-
A chat with Debbie Cox Bultan of NewDEAL
Most folks rightly recognize the New Deal as the collection of Great Depression-era government programs implemented under the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s. But there is another much more current NewDEAL out there as well, an organization that just turned 15...
-
When Fiona Hutton talks: 25 years in public affairs
There was an old ad slogan for a well-known brokerage firm: When EF Hutton talks, people listen. The sentiment survives today, with a slight modification: When Fiona Hutton talks, people listen. Fiona Hutton runs one of the state's preeminent public affairs firms, with a score of employees…
more -
Covering the Capitol, with Lia Russell of the Sacramento Bee
Today's guest is Sacramento Bee reporter Lia Russell. Russell covers the governor for The Bee’s Capitol Bureau, and was part of the team that broke the story of Dana Williamson's arrest last year. We asked about that story, covering the capitol, and what it was like to cover politics in their...
-
California Labor: Lorena Gonzalez
Membership in California labor unions grew by over 100,000 members between 2024 and 2025, and California union membership currently stands at 2.4 million - the most of any state. These gains come in the face of strong anti-labor policies put in place by the Trump Administration. Our guest today…
more -
From Cesar Chavez to We Said Enough.
Last week's spectacular downfall of Labor icon Cesar Chavez was unprecedented. The New York Times' bombshell report on allegations of sexual abuse of young girls by Chavez, coupled with UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta's disturbing story of rape at his hands toppled the legacy of one of the most...
-
NEWSWELL wants to transform journalism. Can they help solve the local news crisis?
Local journalism in the United States is in crisis. Almost 40% of all local newspapers in the US have vanished since 2005, leaving "news deserts," areas that lack consistent local reporting. Many of these areas now have no local reporting; in others, legitimate news outlets have been replaced by...
-
A conversation with Sanjay Wagle of the California Association of Realtors
Housing remains the hottest topic in California policy, and our guest today is Sanjay Wagle, who heads up the Governmental Affairs team for the California Association of Realtors. The Realtors' Gubernatorial Forum was a hot ticket in Sacramento last week, and we discuss the topics raised there…
more -
Special Episode: A Conversation on housing with Asm. Buffy Wicks
This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at A Conference on Housing, which was held in Sacramento on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. This is the Keynote: Asm. Buffy Wicks in conversation with Capitol Weekly Editor Rich Ehisen. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See...
-
A chat with Jennifer Barrera of CalChamber
Our guest Jennifer Barrera has been President and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce since 2021. The venerable institution - founded in 1890 as the California State Board of Trade - advocates for pro-business policies and investments. Barrera is well known and well respected in the capitol...
-
A chat with Clint Kellum of the Department of Cannabis Control
Today we welcome Clint Kellum, the new (as of November 2025) Director of the California Department of Cannabis Control. The CDCC licenses and regulates cannabis businesses, including regulation of cannabis growers, manufacture of cannabis products, and sales, transportation and tracking of…
more -
Where are we on SB 54? Plus more enviro updates with Jennifer Fearing
This week we're joined by lobbyist Jennifer Fearing of Fearless Advocacy. Fearing was a key player in the negotiations to pass SB 54, a landmark bill that regulates plastic waste in California. Governor Newsom signed the bill in 2022, but as we all know, passing legislation is one thing,...
-
Beyond the Governor's Race
The race to replace Governor Gavin Newsom has taken up most of California's political oxygen so far this year, but there are other statewide races coming up, including Lt. Governor, State Insurance Commissioner, and - potentially - a slew of Ballot Measures. Capitol Weekly Editor Rich Ehisen,...
-
Brian Green and California Voices
We're joined today by longtime capitol consultant - now retired - Brian Green, who worked in communications for the Senate Dem Caucus from 2011 until last year. As principal consultant, Green prepared talking points and issue updates, recorded videos, set up press conferences and hosted the “Then...
-
Jack Ohman: Politics, cartooning and the new media landscape
Jack Ohman has been a political cartoonist for 48 years; he got his start at the Minnesota Daily when he was still a college student, and at 19 he became the youngest-ever syndicated cartoonist in the United States. He has worked at major papers across the US, including The Detroit Free Press…
more -
Clarissa Laguardia: Getting young people engaged in the democratic process
We're joined today by Clarissa Laguardia, Executive Director of the California Center for Civic Participation (CalCenter). CalCenter is a non-profit organization that works to engage young people in the democratic process. Their approach to civic participation centers youth voices, demystifies…
more -
A look at San Francisco with Joe Eskenazi
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie took office one year ago this week after beating incumbent mayor London Breed and several sitting and former SF supervisors in what ended up as a wide open four-way race. Lurie's first year has largely been seen as a success, with the notable exception of his...
-
2025 in review (and a peek at 2026), with Chris Cadelago of POLITICO
Hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster are joined by Politico’s Chris Cadelago for a look back at the Top 10 California political stories of 2025 – and a look at what's coming next year. :41 Chris Cadelago 2:10 Leah O'Tarrow 2:41 Los Angeles fires 10:00 Donald trump vs. California 21:16 The firing of...
-
Capitol trivia masters, plus Sac State's Luke Wood
Brian Ebbert, Chris Micheli and Alex Vassar may not be household names to the average Californian, but in the Capitol Community, they are approaching celebrity status for their deep knowledge of legislative history and state government procedure. Putting that knowledge to good use, the trio has...
-
California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and the Alliance of Former Chief Justices
December 15 is Bill of Rights Day - it is also the launch date for a new organization comprised of over 40 retired state Supreme Court Chief Justices committed to educating the public about the role of the judiciary and protecting the constitutional balance put in place by the Founders. The...
-
Gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell's plan for California
Congressman Eric Swalwell announced last month that he was joining the crowded race to replace California governor Gavin Newsom. The Dublin lawmaker enters a fluid contest with no overwhelming favorite. Recent polling shows Swalwell - along with former house member Katie Porter and Republicans…
more -
Graham Knaus: California State Association of Counties
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Few know the impacts of federal and state actions better than local governments, who are often tasked with implementing those policies. Our guest today is Graham Knaus, CEO of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), which advocates on behalf of all 58 of...
-
Jim Wunderman: From Bay Area Council to California Forever
Our guest today is Jim Wunderman, who has been at or near the center of Bay Area Politics for four decades, starting with his time working in the office of then-San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein taught Wunderman to think of the larger San Francisco region as one interconnected…
more -
Proposition 50 passed: What now?
After a lightning speed rollout and campaign, Proposition 50 passed decisively last week, with voters approving a partisan temporary gerrymander of the state's congressional districts - and handing California Democrats a major win. The new maps will shift district lines and upend the seats of…
more -
A chat with Adam Silver, Chair of the California FPPC
Adam Silver was appointed Chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission in March 2024. The FPPC was created in 1974 when California voters approved Proposition 9, The Political Reform Act, in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Five decades later, the FFPC is plenty busy. Silver joined us to…
more -
A chat with Leah Barros of Barros Clay & Associates
Today we welcome lobbyist Leah Barros of Barros Clay and Associates. Barros is a familiar face in Sacramento, having worked in the Capitol as a staffer and later as a lobbyist for various firms before launching her own shop. Among her notable wins was leading the lobbying effort to enact The…
more -
Special Episode: A Debate on Proposition 50
On October 14, 2025, Capitol Weekly, CalMatters, and the University of California Student and Policy Center presented California Votes: Proposition 50 - Should Californians support mid-decade redistricting? Proposition 50 would require California to use new congressional district maps through…
more
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Capitol Weekly Podcast covers California politics and public policy, and features interviews with elected officials, staffers, advocates, analysts, newsmakers, and even, -gasp- journalists. Listen at Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or at capitolweekly.net
HOSTED BY
CAPITOLWEEKLY
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Capitol Weekly Podcast have?
Capitol Weekly Podcast currently has 477 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Capitol Weekly Podcast about?
The Capitol Weekly Podcast covers California politics and public policy, and features interviews with elected officials, staffers, advocates, analysts, newsmakers, and even, -gasp- journalists. Listen at Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or at capitolweekly.net
How often does Capitol Weekly Podcast release new episodes?
Capitol Weekly Podcast publishes regularly with 477 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Capitol Weekly Podcast?
You can listen to Capitol Weekly Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Capitol Weekly Podcast?
Capitol Weekly Podcast is created and hosted by CAPITOLWEEKLY.
URL copied to clipboard!