Robb Korinke is a Long Beach, California-based political consultant, specializing in candidate and ballot measure campaigns. He is also the co-founder (with Mike Madrid) of GrassrootsLab, and co-publisher of several local politics-focused publications, including CaliforniaCityNews.org, CaliforniaCountyNews.org. He has also recently joined the California Target Book as a co-editor. With those bonafides he's one of our first calls whenever we want to talk local politics.

And, with the Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act on the November 2024 ballot - or not - it was time to call Robb.  The measure, backed by the California Business Roundtable, would dramatically change California governments' ability to levy taxes and assign fees, and - of paramount importance for locals - would raise the margin for local tax measures from a simple majority to two thirds. But, will it stay on the ballot?

The Newsom administration, the Legislature and others have challenged the legality of the measure, arguing that the sweeping changes it outlines would amount to a revision of the constitution, not a simple amendment. The California Supreme Court heard arguments in the case last week, and now local officials are left to wait and see if the measure that they are calling "an existential threat" will be removed from the ballot or face voters in November. We discuss that and much more.

:53 Legal battle of Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act

4:41 A difficult time for local governments

6:02 Is there a middle ground solution?

7:50 Spending/Costs

10:17 You can't go home again: The failure of the Capitol to local pipeline

12:02 Ascendance of Progressives in local politics

14:59 KDL vs. Ysabel Jurado

15:46 California City News and California County News

20:46 Everybody loves to talk about Huntington Beach

23:04 Expanding the LA City Council?

24:53 the Target Book

26:49 Lung Association

29:19 Worst Week in CA Politics - Trouble in Hesperia

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Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang

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Nationwide, over half of all high school students are required to take a course on personal finance to graduate. In California, it's just 1%.

A ballot initiative proposed for the November ballot would change that. The California Personal Finance Education Initiative is a statewide ballot measure that would require "essential personal finance education" for every California high school student. Backers submitted 900,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot in March, and the measure appears poised to be certified by the Secretary of State.

The initiative has strong bipartisan support from the public - a 2022 poll from the Public Polling Institute of California found that 85% of Californians believed that a course in basic finance should be required - and has the endorsement of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. We are joined by Tim Ranzetta, teacher, entrepreneur and one of the leading proponents of the initiative. We asked him why this measure is necessary, and, how it stacks up against Asm. Kevin McCarty's similar bills, AB 984 and AB 2927.

Plus: Who Had the Worst Week in CA Politics?

1:11 why is this initiative needed?

3:07 What are the requirements?

5:06 How will the state pay for this?

7:18 Potential impact on the student loan crisis?

10:14 Other states are way ahead of CA - why haven't we done this?

11:50 AB 984 and AB 2927

13:18 What motivated you to take this on?

14:31 How receptive are students?

19:01 How to teach kids from vastly different economic backgrounds

21:32 #WWCA

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Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang

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Last month, as California prepared to roll out a new $20 minimum wage for fast food workers, attention on an exemption for restaurants that bake their own bread surprised many, including both the bill's author, Asm. Chris Holden, and Gov. Newsom. "Paneragate" (named for the restaurant chain that some claimed would benefit from the exemption - note that both the governor and the franchisee dispute that the exemption applies) spotlighted a little-known tool in the legislative toolbox: the use of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) in crafting public policy.

While NDAs are commonplace in the business world, their use in policy work was a surprise to many, even some elected officials. In March, Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong introduced AB 2654, which would ban lawmakers from entering into confidentiality agreements related to proposed legislation. The bill failed to advance out of the Assembly Elections Committee last week.

But is the use of NDAs as sinister as critics make out? Our guest today, former Speaker Robert Hertzberg argues that confidentiality agreements are a key part of building trust in sensitive legislative negotiations between diametrically opposed parties - and are sometimes the only way to get warring sides to the table. 

:36 The use of NDAs in lawmaking

2:17 How common is the use of NDAs in policymaking?

3:07 "What an NDA does is builds trust - so that people can talk to each other"

5:49 Who is covered by this type of NDA?

7:29 Does the use of NDAs - effective or not - just look bad?

9:53 The art of blowing up the deal

12:27 "It's getting harder and harder and harder to solve big problems"

12:43 Chilling effect

14:34 When are NDAs not appropriate?

15:14 Impact of parties NOT in the NDA

16:43 Is anything gonna change?

17:49 "It's used in Washngton a lot more than it is here"

21:20 #WWCA

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Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang

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Longtime poverty fighter Jess Bartholow surprised many when she left her longtime gig with the Western Center on Law and Poverty in 2020 to become East Bay Senator Nancy Skinner's Chief of Staff. The move made sense: Skinner has long been an outspoken advocate for California's poor, and was a personal inspiration for Bartholow. But with the senator terming out at the end of this year, Bartholow recently opted for a new post: Director of Govt. Relations for SEIU California, one of the most powerful labor unions in the state and across the country. Bartholow joined us to talk about her journey from a childhood in poverty to the capitol, and gave us a preview of how she plans to tackle her new role.

Plus: Who had the Worst Week in CA Politics.

:23 Introducing Jess Bartholow

1:35 The new gig

3:19 Origin story

4:36 Welfare reform started in California

7:36 "The best way to end poverty is with a good job..."

8:13 Going into the building

9:56 Getting people to understand poverty

13:16 Barbara Lee on food stamps

14:47 Meet them where they are: Don Wagner edition

16:38 What would gender parity mean in the legislature?

19:58 The Women's Caucus is the largest caucus in #caleg

20:58 What are some of SEIU California's priorities?

25:29 Minimum wage laws

28:56 San Francisco is drug testing welfare recipients

32:23 What's it like to work with Tia Orr?

35:26 #WWCA

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Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang

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We're joined today by longtime journalist, and co-founder of CalMatters, David Lesher. Last year David stepped down as editor-in-chief to direct a new project at CalMatters: Digital Democracy. Using the latest technology, including AI, Digital Democracy will gather a tremendous amount of data from California's state government: "every word uttered in public hearings, every dollar given to a politician, every bill introduced, every vote taken and more."

After more than a year of development, Digital Democracy launched this month. David tells us how the system works, how it can be used by journalists, and ultimately by anyone interested in public policy, and how he hopes it will change the legislative process.

Plus, Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics.

1:14 What is Digital Democracy?

3:56 "Phenoms"

5:46 The three pieces

7:17 Where can people find it?

7:26 The AI component

10:25 The fingerprint analogy

11:40 The scale of the project and the infrastructure

13:38 How will it work for reporters?

17:33 The challenge of tracking donations

19:25 Reaction from lawmakers

20:51 The three goals for Digital Democracy

22:52 "The Nastyness Scale"

27:26 The State of the State speech

30:06 #WWCA

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Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang

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This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Crime which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, March 21, 2024

This is PANEL 3 – THE LEGACY AND FUTURE OF PROP. 47

Panelists: Asm. Kevin McCarty; Lenore Anderson, Alliance for Safety and Justice; Marc Beaart, Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office; Sheriff Jim Cooper

Moderated by Emily Hoeven, San Francisco Chronicle

Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/

Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Crime which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, March 21, 2024

This is PANEL 2 – THE FENTANYL CRISIS

Panelists: Sen. Dave Cortese; Sen. Kelly Seyarto; Gretchen Burns Bergman,Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing; Lt. Diane Goldstein (Ret.), Law Enforcement Action Partnership

Moderated by Ashley Zavala, KCRA 3

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Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Crime which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, March 21, 2024

This is PANEL 1 – RETAIL THEFT

Panelists: Asm. Rick Zbur; Eric Brown, Office of Governor Newsom; Cristine Soto DeBerry, Prosecutors Alliance; Rachel Michelin, California Retailers Association

Moderated by Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee

Full transcript here: https://capitolweekly.net/special-episode-a-conference-on-crime-panel-1-retail-theft/

Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/

Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Crime which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, March 21, 2024

This is the KEYNOTE – SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY BROOKE JENKINS

Introduction by Rich Ehisen, Capitol Weekly

Find a full transcript here: https://capitolweekly.net/special-episode-a-conference-on-crime-keynote-brooke-jenkins/

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Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang

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Our guest today, Larissa May, has become one of the leading voices in California and across the country in the quest for young people to have a healthier relationship with social media and the digital world in general. May came to this work through her own traumatic experiences as a young person overwhelmed by social media. Mays is the founder of #halfthestory, which works with schools, state and federal governments, and Fortune 500 companies to create new standards for digital use and to educate young people on the dangers inherent to obsessing over social media.

She joined us today to share her story and to talk about a new bill – SB 1504, authored by Sen. Henry Stern – that would require social media platforms to change the way they deal with online bullying.  Plus, as always,we tell you who had the worst week in California Politics.

Episode Notes

1:31 #halfthestory

4:09 Cyberbullying and SB 1504

7:45 The bully in our back pocket

9:09 A world of misinformation

10:49 Background on the bill

12:10 How does #halfthestory teach Digital Wellness?

16:46 "How do you build speed bumps into the digital world?"

19:16 Doomscrolling

22:15 KOSA and other legisation

24:59 #WWCA: Golden Shower of Hits

California has set ambitious climate goals, including phasing out the use of fossil fuels and becoming carbon neutral by 2045. Our guest today is here to talk about the role nature can play in meeting those goals. 

Laurie Wayburn is the co-founder and president of the Pacific Forest Trust and the chair of the California Natural and Working Lands Expert Advisory Committee. She was also the lead author of a recent report suggesting the state should invest “as much in nature-based climate solutions as it has in clean energy and transportation.” With proper forest management, California could capture 400 million tons of carbon each year, lower wildfire risk and vastly improve flood protection in the state. But, the $10 Billion price tag may be a hard sell in a down budget, even in climate-conscious California.

Plus - Who Had the Worst Week in CA Politics?

Episode Notes

1:13 AB 1757

2:39 Offsets

4:22 How to keep 400 million tons of carbon out of the atmosphere each year

6:05 "The older a tree is, the more carbon it stores"

6:31 "Working Forest"

8:03 Reducing wildfire risk

11:37 Federal lands vs. State lands

14:15 Easements, private ownership and beavers

19:06 Funding/costs

23:08 Origin story: how did you come to this work?

26:49 "That tree-hugging tree-cutting organization"

30:38 #WWCA Sore loser

Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/

Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang

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