Political Breakdown

The Political Breakdown team continues their coverage of the most competitive congressional races in California that could determine control of the House next year. Today, Scott and Marisa are joined by Politico’s senior political reporter Melanie Mason to discuss the 45th congressional district race in Orange County, where 37% of the district's voting age citizens are Asian American. The Republican incumbent Michelle Steel, who was born in South Korea and has never lost an election, is being challenged by Democrat Derek Tran, an attorney and son of Vietnamese refugees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Early voting begins today in California, and some Bay Area cities including Oakland and San Francisco are using a system known as ranked choice voting. Supporters say allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference saves money by avoiding a separate runoff and rewards candidates with broad appeal, but it’s also confusing for many voters. Scott talks about how ranked choice voting works and clears up some common misconceptions with Lisa Bryant, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at California State University, Fresno. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Early voting is set to begin on Monday and new polls show the race for mayor of San Francisco is up for grabs. A Democratic member of Congress comes out in favor of recalling Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. Plus, a statewide ballot measure to toughen penalties for drug use and retail theft seems headed for victory. Scott, Marisa and Guy discuss this week's news in politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco voters will choose their next mayor this November, and we are going to bring you interviews with all of the top candidates. Today, Marisa and Scott sit down with incumbent mayor London Breed who talks about her tenure as mayor, her family, scandals at city hall and how she's approaching the city's ranked-choice election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California has six competitive congressional districts that could determine which party controls the House of Representatives next year. In the lead-up to the November election, the Political Breakdown team will cover each of these races. Today, Scott and Marisa discuss the 22nd congressional district in the Central Valley… where Republican incumbent David Valadao is once again facing former Assemblymember Rudy Salas. They’re joined by reporter Joshua Yeager, who covers Kern County and the Southern San Joaquin Valley for KVPR. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a high profile bill aimed at regulating the artificial intelligence industry. Senate Bill 1047 would have implemented rules for AI developers and was aimed at preventing catastrophes like an attack on the power grid. The bill divided Silicon Valley, with tech titans on both sides of the issue. Scott and senior editor of KQED's Silicon Valley news desk Rachael Myrow talk with state Senator Scott Wiener, who authored the legislation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco’s public schools are in crisis. The district is facing a budget deficit, potential school closures and HR problems. Mayor London Breed has sent in a team of city experts to help the district, but it comes as she faces a tough re-election. Marisa and Scott talk about all that with the San Francisco Chronicle's education reporter Jill Tucker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yesterday the state Assembly passed two bills taking aim at gasoline price spikes, after hours of hearings in a special session called by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Plus, the governor signs a package of reparation bills including one issuing a formal apology for California perpetuating slavery in its early days as a state. Scott and Guy are joined by Politico senior California politics and policy reporter Jeremy B. White. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A controversial ballot measure in Sonoma County could reshape agriculture in the region and beyond. Measure J would ban so-called “concentrated animal feeding operations" — essentially a prohibition on large farms, which proponents of the measure derisively call factory farms. It has split the historic agricultural community, pitting, as Politico put it, “people who shop at farmers markets against those who supply them." Marisa and Guy talk with The Press Democrat's Phil Barber and University of Iowa professor Silvia Secchi about how Measure J could affect farming far beyond California's borders. Learn more about Measure J and everything else on your ballot with the KQED Voter Guide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barbara Boxer retired from the U.S. Senate in 2016, but she’s still actively engaged in politics. Part of that includes supporting the Democrat Will Rollins against incumbent Republican Rep. Ken Calvert in one of the hotly contested congressional races in California that could determine control of the House. Scott talks with Boxer from her home in Rancho Mirage about that race, the historic 2024 election, thoughts about her friend Joe Biden dropping out and what's at stake in November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone knows that California is not a swing state when it comes to presidential races, but the state could decide which party controls Congress. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report lists 69 competitive House races across the country and 10 of them are in California. Marisa, Scott and Guy analyze a new poll this week that shows incredibly tight races in six of those California congressional districts. Democrats seem to have the edge, but the survey shows all the races within the margin of error. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The two recent assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump raised troubling questions about why the U.S. Secret Service failed. Scott and Marisa talk with The Washington Post's national investigative reporter Carol Leonnig about how the agency works, its past failures and what we've learned in the past three months. Leonnig is the author of "Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dust has settled on last night’s debate — sponsored by KQED and The San Francisco Chronicle — with the leading candidates for mayor of San Francisco. Scott, Marisa and Guy discuss highlights and takeaways from the debate, where incumbent London Breed was regularly in the hot seat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

KQED and The San Francisco Chronicle host a live debate with the top five candidates for mayor of San Francisco tonight at 7 p.m. Scott, Marisa and the Chronicle's Joe Garofoli preview the debate and discuss the state of the race and how it could be affected by ranked choice voting. The debate will be available live, streaming online and broadcast on 88.5FM and KQED 9 TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 2000s, ballooning pension costs were blowing up city and state budgets in California, leading cities like San Francisco to raise the retirement age for firefighters and abandon a program that let police collect a salary and a pension at the same time. Now, San Francisco voters will consider two ballot measures to reinstate those benefits. Marisa talks with Joe Eskenazi, the managing editor at Mission Local, about why these measures are on the ballot and what they would mean for the city budget. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A national network of Black sororities and fraternities might just be Vice President Kamala Harris’ secret weapon. Known as the Divine Nine, with more than 2.5 million members nationwide, they're in high gear to help usher Harris into the presidency. Scott talks with one member: Los Angeles Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have doubled down on false claims that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating pets. Over the weekend, Vance said on CNN that he was willing "to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people." In an era of misinformation, how should the media be covering claims like these? And are political journalists doing enough to hold Trump, Vance and even Kamala Harris accountable? Scott talks with Dan Froomkin, who founded Press Watch, an independent non-profit site devoted to political journalism. They analyze this year’s media coverage of the presidential election and what political journalists can and should do better to ensure that the electorate has an accurate sense of the candidates and the stakes in this election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The San Francisco mayor’s race is heating up, as a scandal over the misuse of city funds lands on Mayor Breed’s desk and another candidate is hit with questions about ethics. Plus, former President Donald Trump is collecting campaign cash in California while tying the state's problems to Vice President Kamala Harris. Next Thursday, September 19th at 7 pm, KQED is teaming up with the San Francisco Chronicle to host a debate with the top candidates for mayor of San Francisco. It'll be available live, streaming online and broadcast on 88.5FM and KQED 9 TV. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the presidential election fast approaching, foreign adversaries are working hard behind the scenes to sow chaos and influence U.S. public opinion. Marisa and Scott are joined by Emily Harding, who has worked for the CIA, led the Senate investigation into 2016 Russian election interference and now works at the at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vice President Kamala Harris is widely considered to have won last night's debate against former President Donald Trump. Harris had Trump playing defense most of the night — a stark contrast to the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden. Scott, Marisa and Guy dissect each candidate's best and worst moments and what difference it'll make in November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s Debate Night in America: former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are squaring off in their one and only scheduled debate. This event is historic in many ways and the stakes could not be higher for the candidates and for the nation. What do both candidates need to accomplish? And what kinds of questions will they get? And how should we judge their performances? Scott and Marisa talk about the what to expect and what to look for on the debate stage with New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Real democracy involves two or more candidates squaring off in elections giving voters a real choice for office. And yet, throughout the United States thousands of elections go uncontested, leaving voters with no choice other than to vote for the one candidate on the ballot or not vote at all. The progressive non-profit Contest Every Race say more often than not, the party not fielding a candidate is the Democrats. The organization is trying to change that by recruiting and financing Democrats to run for office, especially in battleground states. Lauren Gepford, executive director of Contest Every Race, joins Scott to talk about what uncontested races mean for America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next week could be the most consequential week in politics before the November election, with former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala set to square off in their one and only scheduled debate. Scott, Marisa and Guy talk about the stakes for both Harris and Trump, what they need to accomplish and how they might try to define themselves. Plus, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan seems to be itching for a debate with Governor Gavin Newsom over a high profile ballot measure aimed at toughening up penalties for retail theft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco voters will choose their next mayor this November, and we are going to bring you interviews with all of the top candidates. Today, Marisa and Scott sit down with Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, who talks about attending elementary school with Vice President Kamala Harris, his college activism, corruption at city hall, his record on housing and his recovery from alcohol addiction. We want to hear your questions! If you have a burning question that you want us to ask the mayoral candidates, you can send us an email: [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California legislative leaders are in a rare public standoff in Sacramento after Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday called for a special session of the legislature to address gas prices. Why is Newsom pushing this now, two months out from the election? And why is the Democratic leader of the Senate unwilling to go along? Scott and Marisa talk about the political drama unfolding with The Sacramento Bee’s Nicole Nixon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Soon after President Joe Biden announced he would not seek another term, identity groups began forming to support Vice President Kamala Harris. Everything from “Swifties for Harris” to “White Dudes for Harris.” Thousands of people have joined Zoom calls to talk her up, raise money and figure out what they can do to elect the nation’s first Black and South Asian woman as president. Scott talks with KQED reporter Nisa Khan about the rise of pop culture fan groups getting involved in politics. Read more of KQED's Fandom Vote series, digging into the oft-overlooked voting bloc of fan armies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's crunch time in the California Capitol. Lawmakers have until midnight tomorrow to pass legislation out of both houses and send it to the governor for his signature or veto. Marisa and Guy talk about the end-of-session controversies and Sacramento drama with KCRA capitol correspondent Ashley Zavala. This conversation was recorded on Friday morning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shoplifting and retail theft are hot button issues in California, and Rachel Michelin has been at the center of the debate over solutions. Michelin is the head of the California Retailers Association and she joins Marisa and Guy to talk about new legislation to crack down on thefts and a controversial ballot measure going before voters in November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former President Donald Trump rarely strays from his red tie, white shirt and blue suit, while Vice President Kamala Harris’ uniform consists of tailored suits in a variety of colors. But what does it all mean? What are they saying to voters? And why do fashion choices in politics even matter? Marisa talks about the politics of fashion with Vanessa Friedman, the fashion director and chief fashion critic at The New York Times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Sam Bankman-Fried’s fall from grace, it seemed like the crypto industry was on the ropes. But this election season, it's becoming a potent political player — and both parties seem to want its support. Marisa talks about the state of play with Zeke Faux, an investigative reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek and author of "Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Strength. Patriotism. Freedom. Ever since Vice President Kamala Harris jumped into the presidential race, Democrats have been all in on language and messaging historically more associated with Republicans. Marisa talks with Democratic communications researcher and campaign adviser Anat Shenker-Osorio to get her take on messaging strategies at last week's convention and what Harris needs to do in the weeks ahead to win this dead heat of a presidential race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted her party's nomination for president, capping a whirlwind 32 days since she entered the race. It was Harris’ opportunity to introduce herself to the nation, and although her speech included attacks on her Republican opponent Donald Trump, it was centered on lessons from her mother, their middle-class life and her own realization of the American dream. Scott, Marisa and Guy share their highlights and takeaways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s the final day of the Democratic National Convention, where Vice President Kamala Harris will formally accept her party’s nomination. The Political Breakdown team has been in Chicago for the DNC all week, talking with delegates, party leaders and elected officials. Today, Marisa, Scott and Guy share some of their conversations with the movers and shakers they’ve run into this week in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Political Breakdown team is in Chicago all this week for the Democratic National Convention. Today, Scott, Marisa and Guy bring you an inside look at the first two days of the DNC. They recap the speeches and performances and talk to delegates about their excitement for Vice President Kamala Harris on the democratic ticket. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Political Breakdown team is in Chicago for day two of the Democratic National Convention. This evening, the party is holding a ceremonial roll call to officially nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee, though she secured that nomination in an online vote nearly two weeks ago. On today's show, Scott and Marisa bring together some of Harris’ old friends and colleagues to reminisce, share stories and give us a deeper understanding of the woman who is hoping to become the 47th president of the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today is the first day of the Democratic National Convention, taking place in Chicago, Illinois. The Political Breakdown team is at the convention all week, and today, Scott and Marisa sit down with California Senator Laphonza Butler. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Butler to the Senate last year following the death of Dianne Feinstein, but Butler will not seek election to a full term this year. Butler helped run Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign and shares what a Harris presidency would mean for her and her family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To wrap up our weeklong series examining what a Kamala Harris presidency might look like, Marisa and Scott talk with Jazmine Ulloa, national politics reporter for The New York Times. They dig into Harris' potential immigration policy plans, which remain top of mind in this race for voters and a line of attack for Harris' opponents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With just days left before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Political Breakdown continues our series examining what a potential Kamala Harris presidency would look like. Today, Marisa and Scott are digging to the issue voters say is number one for them: the economy. Just hours ago, Vice President Harris appeared alongside President Joe Biden to tout a new deal with drug companies to bring down costs on 10 commonly used drugs for Medicare recipients. Tomorrow, Harris is expected to roll out more details of her broader economic agenda in a speech in North Carolina. To talk about what we know so far about Harris' economic plans and her record, Marisa and Scott are joined by Alan Rappeport, economic policy reporter for The New York Times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The next U.S. president will likely inherit wars in Ukraine and Gaza, along with complicated relationships with China and Russia. As vice president, Kamala Harris has mostly supported Biden Administration policies, but how would she recalibrate those positions if she is elected president? Political Breakdown continues their series digging into what a Harris administration might look like. Today, Scott and Marisa talk about foreign policy with Eric Bazail-Eimil, national security reporter and co-writer of POLITICO's "National Security Daily." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Political Breakdown continues our week-long series looking at how Vice President Kamala Harris would tackle a range of major issues if she’s elected president. Today, Scott and Marisa talk with Grist's Zoya Teirstein about how a Harris administration would handle climate change and environmental protection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What would a Kamala Harris presidency look like and how would her policies differ from President Biden? Just three weeks after Harris got into the race and ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the Political Breakdown team is spending all week analyzing what we know about the vice president’s policy agenda. To kick us off, Marisa and Scott talk with NPR White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, who's traveling with Harris as she campaigns across the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new poll from the San Francisco Chronicle shows Mayor London Breed with surprising strength against four main challengers, with former Supervisor Mark Farrell in second followed by non-profit founder Daniel Lurie. Plus, a rare political move in Sacramento: A state senator representing a rural part of California announces an abrupt switch from the Democratic to the Republican Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco voters will choose their next mayor this November, and we are going to bring you interviews with all of the top candidates. Today, Marisa and Scott sit down with former interim mayor and supervisor Mark Farrell, who discusses his German heritage, growing up and raising kids in the city; along with his plans for policing and encampment sweeps. We want to hear your questions! If you have a burning question that you want us to ask the mayoral candidates, you can send us an email: [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The presidential election is dividing big money donors from across the political spectrum in Silicon Valley. Although some prominent venture capitalists are backing Kamala Harris, there are a handful of other tech billionaires who have recently thrown their support behind former President Donald Trump. Scott discusses this campaign battle over deep pockets in Silicon Valley with the Washington Post's Trisha Thadani. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is joining Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket. They’re hoping the former school teacher and football coach can help reach swing voters in the midwest, but Republicans are already trying to paint him as a West Coast liberal. Scott talks with Minnesota Public Radio politics reporter Dana Ferguson and Brendon Gehrke, a former congressional staffer for Walz, about the governor's personal and political image — plus, why people are saying he has "Midwestern dad energy." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Veteran Los Angeles Times and Sacramento Bee reporter Dan Morain wrote a biography in 2021 titled “Kamala’s Way: An American Life," which traces Harris’ rise in politics starting from her upbringing in the Bay Area to her getting elected vice president. Scott talks with Morain about Harris then and now and how she matches up against former President Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vice President Kamala Harris officially won enough votes from Democratic delegates to become the party’s presidential nominee. She also hired new senior advisors including David Plouffe, a top strategist for Barack Obama's presidential campaigns. Scott and Marisa talk about all that with Bradford William Davis, a reporter, culture critic and fellow with the National Press Foundation. Plus, Davis shares an inside view of the National Association of Black Journalists convention where former President Donald Trump questioned Harris' ethnicity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Longwell spends a lot of her time talking to swing voters about how they view the presidential race and politics more broadly. A Republican pollster and Never Trumper, Longwell joins Marisa and Scott to discuss how these key voters view Vice President Kamala Harris and what both Harris and former President Donald Trump would need to do to get those “double haters” over to their side this November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former President Donald Trump derided Vice President Kamala Harris' multiracial identity during an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists convention earlier today. It reveals how some Republicans are trying to make Harris' gender and racial identity a liability in the race. As the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, how will Harris talk about her personal biography as she reintroduces herself to voters? Scott talks with New Yorker writer Jay Caspian Kang who argues that Harris shouldn’t shy away from talking about her parents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever since Donald Trump picked Ohio Senator J.D. Vance to be his running mate two weeks ago, more than a few Republicans have wondered aloud if it was a mistake. Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy describes growing up in poverty in a dysfunctional family ripped apart by opioid addiction. Since then he’s gone from Appalachia to Yale Law School to a San Francisco venture capital firm to the U.S. Senate and Republican ticket. Politico's Ian Ward had many conversations with Vance before he became Trump's running mate and he talks with Scott and Marisa about how Vance transformed from Never Trumper to MAGA warrior. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices