Our guest today is one of the most accomplished figures in recent California political history. The first person in 150 years to lead both chambers of the Legislature, as well as being the first woman - and the first openly LGBTQ woman - to do so at all. If she succeeds in her latest political quest, she would become California's first woman Governor. Of course we are talking about Sen. pro Tem Emeritus Toni Atkins. Sen. Atkins is termed out later this year and stepped down from the pro Tem position last week (just about the time we recorded this interview, actually) to allow for a smooth transition to the new Senate Leader, Sen. Mike McGuire. She joined us to talk about her time in the Legislature, her future, and what unique qualities she would bring to the Governor's office. Show Notes: 1:40 Your legacy 3:41 Priorities this year 7:15 A woman Governor 9:55 "Everybody has a story" 11:21 "The first and foremost thing I will always remember is growing up poor" 12:43 Fundraising: How to overcome the huge fundraising advantage some candidates (even unannounced - AG Rob Bonta, for example) may have? 17:08 "You have to introduce yourself to 27 million voters in California" 18:05 What happens if you don't win? 19:47 WWCA: Nothing trumps jail time

Our guest today is Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, a longtime advocate for increased availability of mental healthcare. While a member of the state Assembly Steinberg authored Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, which has generated millions for mental healthcare in California. Steinberg was elected to the Senate in 2006 and became Pro Tem in 2008. In 2015 he launched The Steinberg Institute, which has helped enact sweeping improvements in California mental health policy, including securing $2 billion to provide housing and care for homeless people living with mental illness (No Place Like Home). He joined us today to discuss efforts to address California's twin crises: homelessness and mental health.

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Over the course of several Capitol Weekly stories this month, reporter Brian Joseph explores the nuances of this horrific crime, its cultural influences and possible reform options. He joined us today to talk about "The Life", the intersection of Pimp culture and Pop culture, Sen. Shannon Grove's SB 14, one of last year’s most controversial bills, and more. Plus, hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster take a look at a busy "Worst Week."

We are joined today by communications expert Nathan Click of Click Strategies. Click serves as a political advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom and led communications efforts in the Governor's successful campaign against the Recall; he is also active in ballot campaigns. He has previously served as the governor's Communications Director, worked on Sen. Hirono's staff in DC and on then-Attorney General Kamala Harris' campaign for US Senate. With last week's announcement that journalist Bob Salladay would be replacing Anthony York as Gov. Newsom's Communications Director, we thought it was a great time to ask Click about what the job is like- and about the difference between the Comms Director and Press Secretary. Click is working for US Rep. Katie Porter in her run for US Senate, and shared his thoughts on that race, the effect of the early primary, and weighs in on Initiatives that are likely to be on November's ballot. Plus, as always, we tell you who had the Worst Week in California Politics.

Veteran California political data expert Paul Mitchell joins us to talk about his recent CA120 column examining shifting behavior by California's Latino and Asian voters. Turns out that Asian voters are becoming more Democratic while Latinos move slightly toward the GOP. We also look at California's confusing Presidential Primary ballot, and the recent Berkeley IGS Poll that found Rep. Barbara Lee in fourth place - behind Republican Steve Garvey - in the race to fill Sen. Feinstein's seat. Plus, Who Had the Worst Week in CA Politics?

As California stares down the largest budget deficit in a decade, lawmakers - most of whom have never governed during a down time - will be facing hard choices. Labor lobbyist Kristina Bas Hamilton remembers the rough days of the Great Recession, and sat down with us to talk about what this go round might be like, and how it will differ from the past. She also talks with us about her podcast, and her new book, Changemaker: An Insider's Guide to Getting Sh*t Done at the California Capitol, a How-To guide for working with lawmakers. Plus, as always, we tell you who had the Worst Week in California Politics.

For our final episode of 2023 we bring you three segments: First up, Rich and Tim talk with Sammy Perez of Prison Fellowship, to talk about the Angel Tree Program, which gives incarcerated parents a way to provide a Christmas gift and a personal message for their children. Perez, who spent nearly a decade in prison, shares the importance of family connections for prisoners and their families on the outside - and how others can help support the program. Next up, we are joined by longtime Capitol Weekly editor John Howard. Rich Ehisen took over the editor's chair in January, and we talk about his first year helming the publication, and what it was like to take on production of The Top 100. John, meanwhile, has taken over our Oral History program, and talks about the contrast between churning out daily news and taking the long view. Finally, we buckle in for a countdown of the Top 10 candidates for Who Had the Worst Year in California Politics. This is our final show of the year - we'll be back with plenty to talk about in 2024!

KQED's Marisa Lagos joins us for a look back at the biggest stories of the past year. Lagos is a correspondent for KQED’s California Politics and Government Desk and co-hosts a weekly show and podcast, Political Breakdown. We discuss Governor Newsom's year, hot labor Summer, the success of the YIMBY movement, the death of Dianne Feinstein, and much, much more. Plus, we offer up our pick for who had the Worst Week in California Politics.

A new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California finds that many Californians no longer believe the American Dream holds true, or believe that the dream is harder to achieve in California than in other states. We're joined by Dean Bonner, associate survey director and research fellow at PPIC, to talk about the results of the survey, how they compare to earlier iterations, and about the survey process itself. And, as always, we tell you Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics.

Just a few years ago, people following California public policy news were the beneficiaries of what was in retrospect an online media renaissance: Joining traditional legacy media, new sites like CalMatters and Politico California offered greatly expanded capitol coverage, and a whole series of newsletters and other aggregators devoted to California government and politics made tracking news easier. All off the above were amplified by Twitter, which emerged as an essential tool of newsgathering. The platform offered a unique and very robust minute-by-minute conversation, often driven by elected officials and other newsmakers. No one benefitted from this lively Twittersphere more than political reporters who used the platform for sourcing, following breaking news and for sharing their stories as soon as they were published. However, in the year or so since billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter (now X), the platform has changed, algorithmically and functionally, but also because many once-active users have either abandoned the platform or greatly reduced their engagement. As a tool for reporters, X is a shadow of what Twitter once was. The fade of X has encouraged a rise of competitors, including Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon, but so far none has proved the perfect fit for journalism that Twitter seemed to be. Where do California political junkies get their news now? Is the diminishment of X driving traffic back to curated news aggregators like Rough and Tumble and the multitude of California politics newsletters? We asked Lara Korte of Politico to talk about the decline of the platform, how it came to be such an essential part of newsgathering and how and where to stay up-to-date on political news in the wake of X's dysfunction. Plus: Who had the Worst Week In CA Politics?