This Golden State with Randy Shandobil

With a Superior Court hearing just days away, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the frontrunner in the California Governor’s race is being called a back-stabber by some prominent people from his hometown of SF. It has to do with Newsom’s State Lands Commission suing SF and the Sierra Club. In an interview with This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil, former mayor Art Agnos calls Newsom a fraud, “a political one-night stand” and accuses him of pay for play.

From unknown congressional newbie four years ago, to power player on the House Intel Cmmte, Eric Swalwell has become a man to watch. In an interview with This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil, Swalwell acknowledges that the investigation into Russia & the Trump Administration has shot up his name ID & opened doors to a possible run for higher office, including the Senate if Dianne Feinstein decides not to run for re-election. He says Trump is behaving as he were guilty, says the investigation could take years and compares it to 9/11 and the JFK assassination.

Republican candidate for California Governor John Cox is conservative & he supports much of President Trump’s anti-sanctuary city/build the wall agenda. Still some of his off-beat proposals could win the support of liberal Democrats. In a feisty interview with This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil, Cox talks about requiring lawmakers to wear the logos of their top donors on their clothing & talks about adding thousands of new legislators to the state legislature as a way to get rid of political corruption. Cox accuses Democrats of playing to anti-Trump paranoia as a way to raise money.

Long shot candidate for California Governor, Delaine Eastin accuses Jerry Brown of taking “children’s piggy bank money” and calls President Trump “a thug” during an interview with This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil. While better known gubernatorial candidates focus on the economy, infrastructure and stalling the Trump agenda, Eastin, the former State Superintendent of Public Education is laser focused on schools, schools, schools.

For four years now, former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat, has been out of office, out of mind; not a good launching pad for the 2018 election for governor. So now, in addition to his Democrat advisers, he’s working with two Republican strategists. In an interview with This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil, Villaraigosa talks about how he’ll focus on those Californians who feel left behind economically. When Shandobil reminds Villaraigosa that is sounds like a key part of the Trump campaign, Villaraigosa gets a bit defensive.

His poll numbers are dismal and he is not as TV-friendly or well known as some other candidates, but State Treasurer John Chiang is a man to watch in the 2018 California governor’s race. In an interview with This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil, the state’s banker reveals a maverick side. Wonkish, but defiant at times; he has a history of standing up to power and a backstory filled with discrimination and family tragedy.

Can one city fight a country? San Francisco is stocking up to do just that. Now that President Trump has issued his executive order, it’s game on. In interviews with This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil, Mayor Ed Lee, City Attorney Dennis Herrera, Public Defender Jeff Adachi, two members of the Board of Supervisors and the president of the school board, lay out their strategies to fight back. All say, they will not be intimidated.

Something anti-Trump protesters should be aware of: President Trump has inherited the most potent surveillance apparatus in history. Cindy Cohn, Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation tells This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil that she fears Trump may use those tools to spy on Muslims and his political opponents. Cohn also gives tips on how to protect your digital privacy.

Muslim immigrants & refugees from Afghanistan tell This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil, it’s like Donald Trump flipped a switch. Now instead of Afghan-Americans worrying about their friends and family members being stuck in their war-torn homeland, many people in Afghanistan worry about them living here, in Donald Trump’s America... specifically, Fremont, southeast of San Francisco. This is the 6th in a series devoted to the California Resistance.

Some of the very same people Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, vows to shield from the Donald Trump administration are now attacking her, labeling her a fascist. In interviews with This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil, Mayor Schaaf talks about Oakland’s plans to protect immigrants and people of color. But Cat Brooks, a leading Black Lives Matter organizer and founder of the Anti Police-Terror Network tells Shandobil that people of color actually need protection from Schaaf’s "Gestapo police" force. This is the 5th in a series devoted to the California Resistance.

Ro Khanna says he won't be bullied by Donald Trump. In an interview with This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil, the newly elected Congressman from Silicon Valley says resistance is in his blood. His grandfather was jailed in India for fighting for Gandhi’s Independence movement against the British Empire. He says if his grandfather can fight an empire for 40 years, he’s ready to commit civil disobedience to protest Trump for four years. Khanna tells us which parts of Trump's "scary agenda" he’ll fight hardest and which parts he’ll reluctantly let pass. This is the fourth in a series devoted to the California Resistance.

Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom looks forward to making the resistance to Donald Trump a major issue in the 2018 campaign for California Governor. In an interview with This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil, Newsom says at this point, “absolutely, it will be the dominant meme of the campaign.” Also, point by point, Newsom discloses how California could counter Trump’s policies. He also criticizes some fellow Democrats who “are capitulating to Donald Trump. That’s not my kind of politics.” This is the third in a series devoted to the California Resistance.

In a candid and at times emotional interview, Senator Dianne Feinstein talks about the long list of Donald Trump policies and cabinet appointments she will “fight, fight, fight.” But Feinstein tells This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil that she does not want to be labeled part of the California Resistance to Trump. Fully aware of how vindictive Trump can be, Feinstein says she can’t afford to alienate him, since she may need to work with the next president on issues important to California. This is the second podcast in a series devoted to the California Resistance.

As Congress reconvenes, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi talks about the resistance to Donald Trump. In an interview with This Golden State's Randy Shandobil, Pelosi shares her strategy for trying to derail the parts of Trump's agenda that Democrats find most egregious. The list of Trump policies Pelosi finds objectionable is long. Democrats can't stop them all. How will Pelosi prioritize their battles? This is the first in a series of podcasts devoted to the California Resistance.

The mainstream media was among the biggest losers in last week’s election. Already suffering from record low levels of trust and a struggling business model, it misread one of the biggest political stories in generations. And now it could get worse: our next president not only trash talks journalists, he is threatening to re-write libel laws to make it easier to sue journalists. This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil talks to journalism students about whether they are now rethinking their career choices and to Ed Wasserman, the Dean of UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism about what the mainstream media did wrong.

They've all but vanished! Voters see almost no presidential bumper stickers or lawn signs this year. That may sound trivial, but the reasons behind it say a lot about how campaigns are changing and more importantly, it says a lot about the dark, angry mood of the country this election year. This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil talks to the family owned company that invented the bumper sticker, Democratic political consultant Paul Maslin and fearful voters.

California voters face a stark choice: abolish the death penalty or double down on it. Proposition 62 would end California’s death penalty. Prop 66 would put a time limit on appeals so that executions would happen more frequently. This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil talks to Ron Briggs, one of the original writers and sponsors of California’s death penalty. He is now fighting to end it. Also, Sacramento County DA Anne Marie Schubert talks about why she wants to speed up the process.

As her 34 year Congressional career nears its final day, Senator Barbara Boxer looks back and looks forward: she talks about sexism and Donald Trump, about what it was like (thru marriage) to be part of the Clinton family and about what is going through her mind as her final day in office approaches.

Listen to the questions that weren't asked in the 1st presidential debate. This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil asks some of California’s best political journalists what their first question would be if they were the moderator of one of the presidential debates. Mark Barabak and John Myers from the LA Times, Debra Saunders of the SF Chronicle, Politico’s Carla Marinucci, the Sacramento Bee’s Dan Morain, Marc Sandalow, political analyst for Hearst Television, Doug Sovern of KCBS Radio, former KCRA political reporter Kevin Riggs, and Hank Plante with the Desert Sun all play hardball.

San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer is the new campaign money king. Published reports say he’s given twice as much political money as the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson and George Soros combined. But Steyer's money is a double edged sword. The more the environmentalist gives, the more people wonder about his true motives. This Golden State’s Randy Shandobil asks Steyer about his political ambitions, about potentially running for Governor against Gavin Newsom, about Newsom’s record on climate change and about lessons learned from the long list of wealthy, self-funded candidates who’ve run for higher office in California and lost. Is Steyer worried about political consultants becoming yes-men because he pays so well?

It’s now been more than 270 days since Hillary Clinton has held a press conference and the pressure on her to hold her first this election year is intensifying. “This Golden State’s” Randy Shandobil interviews Mark Barabak, who covers presidential politics for the Los Angeles Times and Carla Marinucci, who writes Politico’s California Playbook. Why are countless interviews with local television reporters enticing to Clinton while press conferences seem to spook her? Will it cost her? The 2016 press conference tally so far: Trump 17, Clinton zero.

Democrats #1 Target: Catharine Baker is the only Republican lawmaker in all of the liberal Bay Area and so the Contra Costa County Assemblywoman has a bulls-eye on her back. State Democrats, hoping to win back their super-majority have made her district priority number one. In an interview with Randy Shandobil, Catharine Baker talks about surviving as a Republican in a Democrat leaning district and about getting ready to face an onslaught.

With the conventions completed, it's sinking in: President Obama will soon leave the White House. Many Americans are already feeling nostalgic for Obama. How will history treat Barack Obama? We interview Stanford's Bruce Cain and USC's Dan Schnur, the former Communications Director for John McCain's 2000 Presidential campaign.

A special pre-convention podcast: “Red States on This Golden State” A tour through the traditionally red states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas finds Americans in an incredibly dark mood. More than 90% of the people Randy Shandobil talked to in a four-state, ten day tour say the choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is profoundly depressing. The vast majority say they are scared. Some in the so-called bible belt, say the two candidates are so loathsome, that end times may be near. By the no means does the podcast reflect any scientific polling, but the voices are remarkably revealing.

"This Golden State" Oakland Police Chief Blues: It's a warp speed game of Police Chief musical chairs. Randy Shandobil interviews former SF Police Chief Tony Ribera who talks about why Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf might have real trouble attracting a new full-time chief, a police morale problem and how the mayor's tough words could do more damage than good. OPD: Three chiefs in eight days and now no real chief at all, in large part because of a growing sex scandal and officers exchanging racist texts.

"This Golden State: Historic Fundraising Gender Gap” and it’s not just because Hillary Clinton is the first presumptive nominee for president for a major party. Host Randy Shandobil talks with a major Democratic Party bundler and the Executive Director of the crowdfunding website WomenCount.org. What does it mean to the political process that for the first time, women are giving more money to a presidential candidate than men?

How could the Bay Area, one of the most liberal places in the country, and one of the most racially integrated places in the world, be home to so many police killings of people of color? Do protests on the streets make a difference? Randy Shandobil interviews one of the most polarizing attorneys in the country, civil rights attorney John Burris. Some of his clients include Rodney King, Tupac Shakur, Barry Bonds, and the families of Mario Woods and Oscar Grant.

In "The 2nd Idiot Theory" Randy Shandobil confesses to an embarassing episode in his journalistic career. What prompted it? Donald Trump's announcements linking Ted Cruz' father to JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. Trump's source: The National Enquirer. "The 2nd Idiot Theory" reveals how Enquirer reporters get some of their bizarre stories, including stories on the death of Elvis.

Conventional Wisdom about the 2016 campaign: “We’re All Bozos on the Bus” examines how & why everyone: political journalists, pollsters, consultants, wealthy donors & pundits got it so wrong this year. We talk to Bernie Sanders’ pollster Ben Tulchin, California Republican Chair Jim Brulte, consultant Rob Stutzman who led California’s stop Donald Trump movement, Sherry Bebitch Jeffe and KCBS’ Doug Sovern.

What is it about journalists that Republican presidential candidates, especially Donald Trump hate so much? Trump repeatedly calls reporters morons, idiots and dishonest and his crowds cheer. We talk to political reporters and analysts Carla Marinucci, Scott Shafer, Sherry Bebitch Jeffe and Doug Sovern to get their reaction to being the butt of presidential candidate attacks.