SacTown Talks by The Nooner W/ Scott Lay

Today we welcome to SacTown Talks, Dr. Eugene Allen. Allen is a doctor, activist, family man, community leader, and is running for Insurance Commissioner 2022. Today, we discuss Dr. Allen's focus, community work, and his campaign for California Insurance Commissioner.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!

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 feature interviews with California political leaders, and analysis by experts and insiders focusing on the Capitol. Like, share, and subscribe to learn more!

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 California Problem Solvers Caucus, and more.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!

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 Capitol. Like, share, and subscribe to learn more!

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 United States. 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!

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 term. 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!

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 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!

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 joins us to discuss the water, bureaucracy, and California’s future. Her bill, SB 1219, would establish a blue-ribbon commission to eliminate the State Water Resources Control Board and fundamentally change how California and its agencies deal with water, including planning for less water due to climate change and hardening water resources against things like cyberattacks. . 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!

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 is focusing on vaccines, restorative justice, and more!    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!

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 funding, criminal justice reform, and housing. 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!

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 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!

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 the Capitol. Like, share, and subscribe to learn more!

Today we welcome California State Senator Bill Dodd, representing the 3rd Senate District covering east to west from Petaluma to West Sacramento, and north to south Woodland to Martinez. Our most frequent guest, Senator Dodd joins us to discuss his major issues including fire prevention funding, eliminating feral pigs, expanding Highway 37, sports betting and much more. Stick around for the end for his Super Bowl pick! 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!

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 been working both in the district and in Sacramento to build support for his campaign, and what issues voters have been bringing up as he and his team knock doors. 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!

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 Name, Image, & Likeness deals, and other issues in California, such as housing and energy policy, and what she is excited for this term. 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!

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 manage its climate-change future.  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!

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, and subscribe to learn more!

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, and subscribe to learn more!

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 experts and insiders focusing on the Capitol. Like, share, and subscribe to learn more!