California
California
No Tough Questions Allowed for the California Gubernatorial Front Runner
This week, Tim and Matt discuss the latest news in the governor’s race – including a very embarrassing interview by nominal front runner Xavier Becerra, and Katie Porter supporters charging their candidate is receiving sexist treatment over the coverage of her “likeability”. They also talk about the big Los Angeles ...
California
No one saw ‘Spencer Pratt for mayor’ coming
A former reality television star with a penchant for inflammatory social media antics is drawing headlines and building momentum in the homestretch of a political campaign. No, not that guy. Rather, it’s Spencer Pratt, the villain from MTV’s mid-aughts show “The Hills,” who has emerged as an unlikely player in ...
California
CA homelessness goal pledged by Newsom lapses in failure today
Five years ago today, on May 11, 2021, California Gov. Newsom announced his plan to “end family homelessness within five years.” Any objective grader would give Newsom an F on homelessness, and Californians should be worried if the state elects any of the top Democrats running for governor who gave ...
Blog
What Do These 14 California Counties Have In Common?
“The exodus from California is real, troubling, and has become too large to ignore.” That was the message of “California Migrating,” PRI’s report in 2021 on the mass migration of Californians to other states. The trend has not abated since. From 2020 to 2025, California lost nearly 1.7 million more ...
Blog
California Governor Candidate Becerra’s Price Controls Would Backfire on Families
At a recent California gubernatorial debate, former Attorney General Xavier Becerra was asked which specific cost, gas, groceries, utilities, or childcare, would he lower first as governor. He answered: “…one of the things that I will do immediately is I will freeze utility rates, and I will freeze home insurance ...
Blog
Fact-Checking Katie Porter’s Homeless Claim
Porter made her point in response to Republican candidate Steve Hilton’s suggestion that homelessness could be mitigated primarily through drug abuse treatment. Porter, whose campaign has not responded with a request asking for her source, scolded Hilton. “You would learn in my bankruptcy and consumer protection class that the majority ...
Blog
Beyond trailer parks: Modular housing can boost affordability
The nation enjoys a “very high rate of economic activity,” yet “housing construction hasn’t been high.” Inflation’s a major factor — “land is several times more expensive than it’s been in the past,” and costs for “materials have gone way up.” Paradoxically, “we’ve been losing ground in meeting housing needs ...
California
A Big Week for the Next California Governor and LA Mayor
Tim and Matt analyze the latest developments in the race for California Governor in a big week in the campaign, with two big debates on the docket and ballots dropping in mailboxes across the state. They also talk about the LA Mayor’s race and whether reality TV villain Spencer Pratt ...
California
There’s inflation – and then there’s Gavin Newsom’s grade inflation
Democrats running for governor in California have said in recent debates that Gavin Newsom deserves high grades for his performance –– mostly B’s, and even A’s. To many Californians, that sounds like grade inflation. Nearly one in five Californians are considered poor –– the highest rate in the country –– ...
California
Newsom’s $19 Million Ad Campaign Can’t Polish California’s Image
It’s going to take a lot more than a $19 million advertising blitz to make people forget about California’s problems. Governor Gavin Newsom, who is known to love “big, hairy, audacious goals,” recently hired the communications powerhouse Edelman to rehab the Golden State’s image, which, in Newsom’s telling, has been ...
No Tough Questions Allowed for the California Gubernatorial Front Runner
This week, Tim and Matt discuss the latest news in the governor’s race – including a very embarrassing interview by nominal front runner Xavier Becerra, and Katie Porter supporters charging their candidate is receiving sexist treatment over the coverage of her “likeability”. They also talk about the big Los Angeles ...
No one saw ‘Spencer Pratt for mayor’ coming
A former reality television star with a penchant for inflammatory social media antics is drawing headlines and building momentum in the homestretch of a political campaign. No, not that guy. Rather, it’s Spencer Pratt, the villain from MTV’s mid-aughts show “The Hills,” who has emerged as an unlikely player in ...
CA homelessness goal pledged by Newsom lapses in failure today
Five years ago today, on May 11, 2021, California Gov. Newsom announced his plan to “end family homelessness within five years.” Any objective grader would give Newsom an F on homelessness, and Californians should be worried if the state elects any of the top Democrats running for governor who gave ...
What Do These 14 California Counties Have In Common?
“The exodus from California is real, troubling, and has become too large to ignore.” That was the message of “California Migrating,” PRI’s report in 2021 on the mass migration of Californians to other states. The trend has not abated since. From 2020 to 2025, California lost nearly 1.7 million more ...
California Governor Candidate Becerra’s Price Controls Would Backfire on Families
At a recent California gubernatorial debate, former Attorney General Xavier Becerra was asked which specific cost, gas, groceries, utilities, or childcare, would he lower first as governor. He answered: “…one of the things that I will do immediately is I will freeze utility rates, and I will freeze home insurance ...
Fact-Checking Katie Porter’s Homeless Claim
Porter made her point in response to Republican candidate Steve Hilton’s suggestion that homelessness could be mitigated primarily through drug abuse treatment. Porter, whose campaign has not responded with a request asking for her source, scolded Hilton. “You would learn in my bankruptcy and consumer protection class that the majority ...
Beyond trailer parks: Modular housing can boost affordability
The nation enjoys a “very high rate of economic activity,” yet “housing construction hasn’t been high.” Inflation’s a major factor — “land is several times more expensive than it’s been in the past,” and costs for “materials have gone way up.” Paradoxically, “we’ve been losing ground in meeting housing needs ...
A Big Week for the Next California Governor and LA Mayor
Tim and Matt analyze the latest developments in the race for California Governor in a big week in the campaign, with two big debates on the docket and ballots dropping in mailboxes across the state. They also talk about the LA Mayor’s race and whether reality TV villain Spencer Pratt ...
There’s inflation – and then there’s Gavin Newsom’s grade inflation
Democrats running for governor in California have said in recent debates that Gavin Newsom deserves high grades for his performance –– mostly B’s, and even A’s. To many Californians, that sounds like grade inflation. Nearly one in five Californians are considered poor –– the highest rate in the country –– ...
Newsom’s $19 Million Ad Campaign Can’t Polish California’s Image
It’s going to take a lot more than a $19 million advertising blitz to make people forget about California’s problems. Governor Gavin Newsom, who is known to love “big, hairy, audacious goals,” recently hired the communications powerhouse Edelman to rehab the Golden State’s image, which, in Newsom’s telling, has been ...