The Trump-adjacent candidate for mayor of Los Angeles has raised the hopes of moderate Angelenos – and terrifies the beneficiaries of the city’s Chicago-style political machine. Starring guest cohost Jon Fleischman and featuring Gavin Newsom, Napoleon III, Karen Bass, Meghan Daum, Carl Karcher, Nithya Raman, Hasan Piker, Benito Juarez, Gustavo Arellano, and Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes

• How Cinco de Mayo Got Its Start Because of California's Mexican Americans
• ‘It’s the Jews’: San Diego mosque shooters decried ‘the universal enemy’ in hate-filled manifesto
• GOP governor hopefuls give closing arguments to Central Valley Republicans
• Spencer Pratt has his work cut out for him in LA
• Spencer Pratt’s Make L.A. Great Again acolytes and their dark vision of the city
• What Los Angeles Has Become
• More than 1,000 L.A. school employees expected to lose jobs, with bigger cuts ahead
• The price of LAUSD union peace will be $1.2 billion a year. Next up is paying for it
• Strike or not, Los Angeles Unified is on an unsustainable trajectory
• Newsom’s office asked Oakland to clear encampment near Marshawn Lynch’s home
• Newsom says AI resentment to dominate future elections. ‘The pitchforks are here’
• Gavin Newsom orders California to plan for aid to workers displaced by AI
• Caltrans considering 140 mph bus that would take passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles
• The California-born fast-food chain crushed by costs, crime and competition
• Do You Want Fries with That Shakedown?

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The Democrats’ leading candidate for governor, Xavier Becerra, claims he was the victim of a financial fraud directed by his own chief of staff in the Biden administration. Now, he’s dealing with claims that he greenlit the crime. Bonus track! Lance Christensen takes us deep into the state capitol. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• The Mussel Slough Tragedy
• Governor Newsom announces revised budget that eliminates California’s deficit, maintains investments for working families, healthcare, education, and businesses
• LAO: Initial Comments on the Governor's May Revision
• Former Newsom chief of staff pleads guilty to scheme that bled money from Becerra’s account
• A surge in Nevada data center construction threatens the electricity supply for 49,000 Californians
• Energy company disputes claim that 50,000 Tahoe residents will lose power next yea
• California’s Bullet Train May Not Even Reach Downtown Bakersfield - You Can’t Make This Up
• Pelosi endorses a successor in San Francisco’s testy House race
• San Francisco's Outdoor Smoking Ban Won't Improve Public Health, but It Will Hurt the City's Bars and Taverns
• UC Davis festival apologizes for drum circle: ‘cultural appropriation’

Pre-roll:
Duke Energy

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Governor Gavin Newsom says his delivery of free diapers is another win for affordability -- “a first-in-the-nation program” to deliver the things new parents need most. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• Ben Sasse Writes About Kids and Technology
• What to learn from the worst business deal in history
• Media mergers and dividend growth
• ‘Star Wars’ hails the once and future space western
• Why the Paramount-Skydance deal is good for California
• The Case Against State Involvement in a Warner Bros. Deal
• Newsom again shuts down gas tax holiday amid skyrocketing fuel prices in California
• California hospitals will soon provide free diapers to newborns thanks to new state program
• Why Did California Award This Alleged Hamas Front $40 Million?
• Judge bars Jewish DA from trying Stanford anti-Israel protesters, alleging conflict
• California Democrats Want Muslim Holidays In State Law — But Not The Jewish High Holidays
• Scott Wiener passed laws that made it easier to build in California. Can he do the same in Congress?
• California Mayor Will Plead Guilty to Working as Agent of China
• ‘We can shut down the city’: Lurie’s budget cuts spark a showdown with labor
• Lights, cameras, growth: CPC report on the Paramount deal

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In this special episode, Will talks with Sheila Bowen, whose Central Valley family is at the center of Remnants, a new documentary about the challenges of ranching in the era of Gavin Newsom-created wildfires. In other news, we hear from Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Jeremy Talcott about his crushing win over the California Coastal Commission, and we return to our friends at the Hoover Institution for a dramatic update in their assessment of the billionaire wealth tax coming up on the November ballot. Music by Metalachi.

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Jeremy Talcott, Pacific Legal v Coastal Commission

• California Supreme Court reins in coastal agency’s permit power in unanimous opinion
• Jeremy Talcott bio

Remnants

• Remnants trailer
• Moving Picture Institute
• Paul Olivett, Moving Picture Institute, [email protected]

Hoover Institution’s Benjamin Jaros & Joshua Rauh on the Billionaire Wealth Tax 

• The Fiscal Losses from California's Billionaire Tax Act
• The Commitment Problem at the Heart of California’s Billionaire Tax

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In the simmering race for governor, Democratic Party insiders are coalescing around Xavier Becerra, a lifetime placeholder who is neither left nor right but who can be counted on to do absolutely nothing. Also: Ritchie Valens, Elon Musk, Kamala Harris, heroic El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells, and the guy who burned down Pacific Palisades. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• “La Bamba” (Original) 
• “Come on, Let’s Go!” (Ramones) 
• California braces for uncertainty as last shipment of Persian Gulf oil arrives in Long Beach
• The Torching of Los Angeles Was Anti-Capitalist Vigilantism
• California Regulators Apologize to Elon
• Willie Brown endorses Tom Steyer for California governor
• Democratic and Republican candidates for Calif. governor lead latest poll
• How Xavier Becerra became the Joe Biden of California’s governor race
• Kamala Harris endorses L.A. Mayor Karen Bass for reelection
• Kamala Harris bought a Malibu home. Her neighbors think that means something.
• LAO: California spent more than it could afford
• El Cajon sues California, alleges state ‘sanctuary’ laws illegally entice undocumented immigrants

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We discuss the bizarre manifesto of Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, Calif. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• Hightower agrees to buy $9.5bn practice The Bahnsen Group
• A May Day Push to ‘Shut It Down’ Takes Shape Across the Country
• Read Here: The full manifesto by accused shooter at White House Correspondents' Dinner
• The pile-on that wasn’t
• Anti-Billionaire ‘OUR REVOLUTION’ Endorses Billionaire Steyer for Gov
• California Voter ID Measure Qualifies For November Ballot
• ‘A betrayal:’ California to share data on immigrant drivers nationally
• Governor Newsom launches first new conservancy in 15 years to accelerate progress at the Salton Sea
• Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea | KQED Truly CA

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Just six weeks from the California gubernatorial primary, Democrats are still auditioning for a lead — and risk watching Republicans steal the show. Can someone please introduce candidate Tom Steyer to the U.S. Constitution? State Senator Scott Wiener’s attempt to muzzle ICE melts in the Ninth Circuit. A fake bear wreaks fake terror on luxury vehicles in Lake Arrowhead. Bonus! A brief history of California’s Modoc War. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• Trump ally Roger Stone hired to lobby for Bay Area tribe seeking control of Presidio
• ‘San Francisco treasure’: City, state leaders blast Trump for firing Presidio Trust board
• 3 sentenced for insurance fraud after using bear costume to stage fake attacks on luxury cars
• Takeaways from the first California governor’s debate since Eric Swalwell’s exit
• ‘Becerra Bounce.' How Xavier Becerra surged from behind to be a frontrunner in governor's race
• ‘Dark Horse’ Gets Sudden Jolt in Packed California Race
• Steyer proposes ending ICE, jailing police
• 9th Circuit blocks California limits on anonymous immigration agents
• G.B. V. Environmental Protection Agency (9th Cir. 2026)
• How Newsom Boosted His Book Sales With $1.5 Million From His PAC
• CA hasn’t signed off on a promised deal to help bail out LA if the Olympic Games lose money

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United Teachers of Los Angeles activists are celebrating the massive salary hike they won on Tuesday, but Lance Christensen says all Californians will pay the price. That same day, attorneys for Rocklin Unified School District asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision of a little-known California administrative court that California Justice Center attorney Emily Rae says violates the federal rights of parents of schoolchildren. Music by Metalachi.

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Emily Rae:

Follow @EmilyRaeCJC

• Rocklin Unified Takes Parental Notification Fight to U.S. Supreme Court

Lance Christensen:

Follow @lancelands

• The price of LAUSD union peace will be $1.2 billion a year. Next up is paying for it
• Strike or not, Los Angeles Unified is on an unsustainable trajectory

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As his career prospects evaporate, disgraced former Representative Eric Swalwell now begs exemption from the “believe women” standard he applied to his conservative political opponents. An Easter Egg hunt in Long Beach leads to a human skull, Mayor Karen Bass celebrates the return of Baywatch but says nothing about the return of typhus to L.A., Kamala Korner is back, and the Wiener Watch never left! David offers an explainer on a clash of the tech titans in Musk vs. Altman. Bonus: Kenneth Schrupp discusses Manhattan Institute’s investigation into allegations of fraud in the state’s $30 billion annual In-Home Supportive Services Program. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• Eric Swalwell Reaps What He Sows
• An Easter Egg Hunt in a California Park Leads to a Human Skull
• Mayor Bass welcomes Baywatch and major productions back to Los Angeles
• Typhus from fleas hits record level in L.A.:  Where the hot spots are and how to protect yourself
• World Cup: 2 Months Out, FIFA and Host Cities Sideline Rights
• ‘Thinking About It’: Kamala Harris Teases 2028 Presidential Run
• Newsom administration won't say how much Kamala Harris' CHP security detail is costing California taxpayers
• Senator Wiener Announces Bill To Protect Survivors Of Conversion Therapy
• Lawmaker backing transgender treatments for kids squirms as man says puberty blockers destroyed him
• Meta builds AI version of Mark Zuckerberg to interact with staff
• Elon Musk Lawsuit Claims OpenAI Used a Fake Charity to Build an $800 Billion Empire
• California tries to criminalize journalism — to protect fraud
• California unveils hospice fraud arrests, pushing back on ‘kingdom of fraud’ claim by Trump official

Kenneth Shrupp, Manhattan Institute

• Gavin Newsom’s $30 Billion Fraud Magnet

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Angling for a White House run, Governor Gavin Newsom talks up his plan to bring white men back to the Democratic Party while his wife warns women that Republicans are working to push women “back into the straitjacket of femininity that is only in service of men.” In other news: Newsom will spend $19 million to persuade Americans that California is awesome and Trump endorses gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton. In the history department, Will and David discuss the 1972 state Supreme Court decision that ended the death-penalty convictions of 107 California killers including Sirhan Sirhan, Charles Manson, and one Robert Page Anderson. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes:

• People v. Anderson
• UCLA crushes the Other USC to win NCAA women’s basketball national championship
• ICE Busts Slain Iranian Military Leader’s Niece & Her Daughter Who Called US ‘Great Satan’ In L.A.
• San Diego warship to recover Artemis II astronauts when they splash down in ocean Friday
• Trump endorses Steve Hilton in California governor's race
• Billionaire candidate for California governor catching heat for past business interests, wealth
• Sexual Harassment Allegations Could Rock Swalwell’s Campaign For Governor
• Major global PR firm Edelman wins $19 million state contract to promote California in a better light
• For Democrats, the Era of the Girl Dad and Male Ally Is Over
• Governor Newsom convenes leaders to confront crisis facing boys and men
• CNN black sheep Scott Jennings gives withering take on Jennifer Newsom: ‘She’s a real problem’
• Jennifer Siebel Newsom Has Bleak Warning For MAGA Women After Recent Firings
• Gavin Newsom’s wife pushed weird gender films into California classrooms — while paying herself a fortune
• The great corruption of behested payments in California
• Air district fines Fairfield Budweiser brewery $2.3M over alleged emissions violations
• Major cheese producer closes Fresno-area facility, cuts jobs as it opens Texas site
• Yamaha moves US headquarters out of California after nearly 50 years
• Public Storage is the latest company to leave California for Texas
• Public Storage to Acquire National Storage Affiliates in $5.6 Billion Stock Deal
• The Chinese Billionaires Having Dozens of U.S.-Born Babies Via Surrogate
• CCSF union president violated policies in antisemitic rant, investigation finds
• Long Beach City College votes to name its Labor Center in honor of Dolores Huerta

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Governor Gavin Newsom signed an emergency bill to rename the Cesar Chavez holiday “Farmworkers Day.” Will and David suggest we commemorate instead the East Los Angeles teacher who was the subject of the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver -- and was then driven from teaching by his own union. Representative Eric Swalwell earned a key campaign endorsement from the California Teachers Association -- a kind of Surgeon General’s Warning for voters in the state’s June primary. In other news: Tech’s very bad week in court, and it’s time for San Francisco to defund its corrupt “Defund the Police” campaign. Bonus tracks! Red State reporter Jen Van Laar on LAUSD’s all-in-the-family negotiations with the state’s largest teacher’s union, and former Los Angeles Times religion reporter Bill Lobdell on the Catholic Church sex-abuse scandal, televangelists, Cesar Chavez, and California’s public schools. Music by Metalachi.

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Show Notes

• Newsom signs law renaming Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day
• A Calculated Move : Jaime Escalante Prepares to Leave to Teach in Sacramento
• UTLA’s response
• The USC professor at the center of the debate debacle
• A big weekend for Eric Swalwell
• F.B.I. Said to Dig Up Old Investigative Files on Democratic Lawmaker
• Swalwell campaign in the hot seat after accepting almost $15K from CCP-tied law firm: 'Stop playing footsie'
• Social media trials usher in Big Tech's latest moment of reckoning
• Top S.F. official who led Dream Keeper equity program charged with felonies: ‘abuse of power’
• Holed up: L.A. tries closing off manhole where people live, nearly sealing someone inside
• LA’s Declining Homelessness Numbers: Real or Illusory?
• California introduces financial literacy course starting with class of 2030-31
• 'New Era': Landmark Policy to Expand Tribal Stewardship for At Least 7.5 Million Acres in California

Jen Van Laar

• Literal bedfellows among teacher union activists and the district negotiating their pay package

Bill Lobdell

• “Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America and Found Unexpected Peace”
• Newport Beach in the Rearview Mirror podcast

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