No Jibber Jabber

Conversation with Carlyn Obringer about Concord, housing, Naval Weapons Station and her race for Supervisor.

Courtney Masella-O'Brien returns to talk with me about how MUSD has reached an agreement to return to the classroom. Highlights include: - What were the major bargaining points for the unions? - How quickly are they returning? - What is the hybrid schedule?

Keisha Nzewi returned to talk about her new role on the MDUSD Board. We covered school reopening, equity, systemic racism and what it is like to be a new Board member. She is smart, passionate and giving a voice to groups that have often not been heard. It was great to have her back for another conversation.

San Francisco schools have it all going on right now- trying to get kids back in the classroom, being sued by the City Attorney, an antagonistic relationship with Mayor London Breed, renaming schools- the list goes on. Gabriela Lopez became President of the Board last month and she is not backing down at all. Added bonus- we talk a little baseball. Here in the East Bay, Contra Costa is working to get people vaccinated and reopen businesses. Supervisor Karen Mitchoff shared some unfiltered opinions on Governor Newsom, Mayor Breed and Contra Costa's own District Attorney Diane Becton.

Dan works for CTA and is part of the bargaining team for MDEA (MDUSD union). He is a long-time educator in our District and has deep ties to MDUSD. Furthermore, he is a parent in our District and I know he sees the challenges of Distance Learning up close. I respect that he is so committed to the safety and protection of his members, but he also wants to get kids back in the classroom. "We are coming back"- direct from Dr. Clark when I asked him about returning students to campus. We dug in to the timelines and what has to happen for us to move forward- it is not an easy task. I know he is also absolutely committed to getting kids back in the classroom and doing it safely.

Willie Mims is a local activist who is well known to elected officials throughout Contra Costa County- he keeps them on their toes. He is a powerful combination of passion and knowledge. We talked about Kamala, Harris, Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama, statehood for DC and a whole lot more.

There was a lot to unpack this week so return guests Meg and Ben helped me make sense of it all.

Catharine Baker was the last Republican legislator in the Bay Area and it was fascinating to speak with her. It is easy to see why she was successful in winning a very competitive District in 2014 and 2016. Republican moderates are few and far between these days- people like Tom Campbell and Mark DeSaulnier (he went ahead and became a Democrat). Also on the show, our national correspondent Jeff Otchis joins me from Texas to break down the latest from the Lone Star state- lawsuits, indictments and so much more.

Current (Matt Francois) and former (Kish Rajan) Walnut Creek City Councilmen join me to talk about "defund the police", the latest Shelter in Place, the impact on local businesses and a whole lot more.

Scott and I talk about big tech and the media. This has huge implications for coverage of things like the pandemic and the Presidential election. 

You know how to create a more effective and responsive local government? Elect more busy moms- they know how to get s@*t done. Holly and Courtney joined me to talk about their new roles as elected officials (Clayton City Council and Martinez School Board, respectively). We covered the election, campaigning in a pandemic, local protests, BLM, connecting with youth and a whole lot more.

Steve Cross joins me to break down the latest voting conspiracy theories. Steve Slugocki is the Chair of the Maricopa Democratic Party. Amazing insights about how they turned the County blue for the first time since Harry Truman. Bonus- the inside story on why his GOP counterpart lost her job.

Historic election- you need some history experts for the breakdown. Thanks to the amazing Meg Honey and Ben Campopiano for joining me and talking the many historic aspects of the 2020 election. We did manage to work in a Hayes v. Tilden reference.

The distinguished and erudite Steve Lesher joined me to talk about California and National election results, plus a little Pac 12 football.

Conversation with Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan. We talked about the surprise outcome from her first race, school funding, working parents with kids in distance learning....and how she became a Tampa Bay Rays fan.

Episode 1 of No Jibber Jabber