Political Breakdown

Direct democracy means that Californians are used to seeing a crowded ballot. This fall, voters could be weighing in on more than a dozen ballot measures. Marisa is joined by Politico's Emily Schultheis to talk about what initiatives may and may not appear before voters in the November election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that Donald Trump will run for president as a convicted felon, the KQED politics team assesses the political implications for November. Trump will be sentenced on July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee where he's expected to be nominated, and serving time in prison is possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former President Donald Trump was convicted on all 34 felony charges related to falsifying records to cover up hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. Marisa and Scott are joined by longtime Republican operative Mike Madrid to digest this historic news. Madrid spent 25 years helping Republicans get elected, but in recent years he's emerged as one of Trump's harshest critics. He's the author of a new book, The Latino Century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s legal fate is now in the hands of a jury in Manhattan, where the former president is facing 34 felony counts related to hush money payments made to former porn actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Scott is joined by legal scholar and former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman to break down what he heard and saw in the courtroom these past weeks.Check out Litman's podcast Talking Feds, which analyzes cases before the federal courts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom calls Jason Elliott his "Swiss Army knife.” Elliott is Newsom's longest serving aide, and he's had his fingers in just about every major issue, from homelessness and housing to COVID, mental health care and regulating AI. As Elliott prepares to leave the administration, he joins Scott and Marisa to reflect on those many years of service in government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott, Marisa and Guy get into their Friday roundup of politics stories from the week, including a hearing Thursday in the House subcommittee looking into anti-semitism on college campuses. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block skated by without any tough questions about the violence that broke out when pro-Palestinian students were attacked by counterprotesters. Plus, a Silicon Valley billionaire will host a big ticket fundraiser for Donald Trump in San Francisco next month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Assemblymember Laura Friedman is all but guaranteed a seat in Congress next year, after she beat out a very crowded field in Representative Adam Schiff’s LA district and landed a spot in the November runoff. She joins Scott and Marisa to talk about her career in politics, which she entered in her 40s after a career in film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democratic pollster Ben Tulchin helped guide the presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020. Now he’s sounding the alarm about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent race for president and his concern that Kennedy could pull support — especially among young and Latino voters – from President Joe Biden.Scott and Marisa chat with Ben Tulchin about the Kennedy candidacy and what his own battleground polls tell him about the November election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The State Supreme Court today heard a case that could have a profound impact on app-based companies like Uber and Lyft as well as on their drivers. Proposition 22, which was passed by voters four years ago, allowed gig companies to reclassify workers as self-employed contractors, rather than employees. Now the state Supreme Court will decide whether to uphold the law, strike it down or strip out part and leave the rest intact.Scott and Marisa are joined by Brandon Stracener, an attorney in private practice and a senior research fellow at the California Constitution Center at Berkeley Law. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California Republican Party wrapped up its state convention in Burlingame on Sunday. It was a low-key gathering that focused on winning congressional and state legislative seats that are in play while also trying to undo the impact of Donald Trump’s message that voting by mail can’t be trusted. State Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones spoke with Scott and Marisa on Friday about his party’s struggle for statewide relevance, the loss of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices