The Briones Society Podcast

Jon Slavet is a Republican running to be California's next governor. In our first Briones Conversation of 2026, taped live before an audience, Jon discusses his plans to lead our state into the future and make the California Dream affordable for everyone again.

Rafael Mangual is an expert on criminal justice and a fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He joins us to talk about what Zohran Mamdani’s win in the NYC mayoral election means for public safety, policing, and crime in New York City, and lessons we can draw here in San Francisco.

Chris Calton is a Research Fellow in Housing and Homelessness at the Independent Institute. He joins us to talk about Mayor Lurie's Family Zoning Plan, which would upzone many parts of San Francisco's west side and promises to deliver 36,000 new units of housing.

SFUSD School Board Member Supryia Ray joins Briones co-founder Bill Jackson for a candid talk about the challenges facing our city's public schools. Budget shortfalls, charter schools, ethnic studies, and more are all covered in this unfiltered recording of the latest in our series of Briones Conversations -- in-depth discussions with local policymakers, community leaders, and elected officials presented before a live audience.

A recent candidate for congress and state assembly in San Mateo County, Gus Mattammal of Advantage Testing is a K-12 tutor and entrepreneur with a front row seat to what students are and aren’t learning in California schools today. A former candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Lance Christensen of the California Policy Center is a passionate advocate for academic excellence and school choice with deep knowledge of the California education system. Join us as we explore: What are California schools teaching children today? What should they be teaching? How can AI help – and hurt – learning in the future? What should the California education system of 2035 look like? How can San Francisco help lead the way?

The Briones besties are back! In this episode, we cover the closure of the Upper Great Highway, the campaign to recall Joel Engardio, and Christian Slater's early 90s ouvre.

Debora Allen recently completed an 8-year term on the BART Board of Directors and joins us for an in-depth conversation on local transit policy.

The Briones besties gab about Mayor Lurie's first month in office, chain retail on Van Ness, and the enduring problem of Sixth Street.

We wrap up our candidate interview series with Brooke Jenkins, incumbent San Francisco DA and leading figure in the Chesa Boudin recall.

Our candidate interview series continues as Ryan Khojasteh joins us to discuss why he’s running to replace District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.

Matt Boschetto is running for supervisor in D7. He joins us to talk about the race!

Moe Jamil is running for supervisor in D3. He’s here with us to discuss the race!

Remember the school board recall? The woman who led that victory is back, and she's running against Dean Preston!

In his latest book, Wilfred Reilly debunks 10 “Lies My Liberal Teacher Told Me,” from Marxist malarkey to postcolonial poppycock.

After nearly six years, the Supreme Court fixes the Ninth Circuit's epic error.

Sanjana Friedman did a deep dive into grift and waste in SF city government. Turns out the situation is...not good.

"Housing First" is a proven disaster. So why is the White House doubling down?

Why does California have a $68 billion deficit? Lanhee Chen, the recent GOP candidate for controller, explains it for us.

Feel like nobody speaks for you at City Hall? Meet the guy who’s trying change that…

The answer will shock you. We convened a roundtable to discuss…

Meet the guy who's actually made progress fighting homelessness in California. Spoiler: he's a Republican.

Tamika Hamilton is a decorated veteran of the U.S. Air Force. She's also a Republican making waves as a candidate for Congress.

Sick of crime in California? There's someone you should meet...

What advice does Willie Brown have for the Republican Party? We asked him.

San Francisco spends over $600 million per year on homelessness. So why is the problem worse than ever? Michele Steeb explains....

How can the Republican Party truly help the American family? Ivana Greco has ideas.

Tom Wolf explains how the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco spiraled into chaos--and how it can come back.

Jennifer Doleac explains the evidence for adding more police officers to America's biggest cities.

Why did SF's budget double over 10 years? Jay Donde explains.