National Review's Radio Free California Podcast

Governor Gavin Newsom spent much of last week in New York City, criticizing Wall Street, Democrats, SEIU, and Trump at a New York Times books conference -- and then went begging for handouts in D.C. with predictable results. Back home in California, things got less normal. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:America 250: Presidential Message on the Anniversary of the Monroe DoctrineNewsom Warns That Trump Is ‘Trying to Wreck This Country’Newsom takes it to Wall StreetGavin Newsom fires back after Halle Berry accuses him of ‘devaluing’ womenHalle Berry’s Respin HealthNewsom accuses Trump of wildfire aid snubThe Los Angeles Times Misses the Forest Fire Scandal for the TreesTo protect underage farmworkers, California expands oversight of field conditionsSFUSD escapes worst fiscal rating, but looming cuts and a strike threat cloud recoverySource: S.F. General staff raised fears about troubled patient in weeks before fatal stabbingDPH Security Services Staffing Plan ProposalSan Francisco sues nation's top food manufacturers over ultraprocessed foodsWith state pushing back, Oakland delays vote on controversial homeless encampment policyStudents push for LBCC to ditch the Viking mascot, become the Dolphins Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, California's Governor Gavin Newsom had a surprisingly quiet profile, but whispers of a crashing budget and dissent from allies suggest otherwise. He made headlines by ordering flags at half-staff following a tragic shooting. Amid rising Hollywood support for a possible presidential run in 2028, he took a jab at Trump. A failed tech project and the arrest of his former chief of staff add to the drama. Meanwhile, debates around the state’s budget gap and a potential wealth tax heat up as unions voice their concerns.

California Policy Center policy genius Edward Ring discusses California’s coming energy crisis -- and why he sees signs of hope. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:The Belem-to-Bakersfield pipelineNew drilling and more spilling? New oil and gas drilling threatens Central Coast Gas lines coming to CaliforniaOil extraction reduces methane seepageSilicon Valley’s growing anti-woke, pro-abundance rebellionEdward Ring’s “Abundance California” website Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gavin Newsom faces backlash after a federal indictment rocks his inner circle. The complexities of California's Prop 50 are explored as the DOJ steps in, while political corruption is connected to one-party dominance. Interestingly, the podcast discusses the nuances of oil extraction from the Amazon versus offshore drilling. Plus, a controversial mega-development proposal in Fresno sparks union-environmentalist tensions. Finally, alumni protest a Jesuit school’s decision to admit girls, highlighting changing institutional values.

Following his big Prop 50 win last week, Governor Gavin Newsom hit the road, denouncing the Democrats’ deal to end the federal shutdown, accepting the thanks of worshipful Democrats in Houston, and appearing as the highest-ranking American representative at the U.N.’s climate talks in Brazil. In other news, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and OpenAI’s Sam Altman say they feel bad about making so much money, Santa Barbara County officials stand bravely athwart common sense and yell stop, and a federal judge orders AG Rob Bonta to explain himself on the state’s policies regarding gender fluidity in California schools. On this day in history, we remember the Rickenbackers of California -- the World War I flying ace and his guitar-making cousin. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Newsom, Eyeing 2028, Tries to Mess With Texas: ‘Don’t Poke the Bear’Newsom blasts shutdown deal‘China gets it. America is toast,’ Newsom warns, blasting US climate driftNewsom in Brazil Blasts Trump, Praises ChinaSable’s no good, very bad weekOpenAI's Sam Altman defends Bay Area billionaire when grilled over wealth gapOpenAI is asking for the federal government to help power a massive expansion of its data center networkJudge Orders California Education Officials to Explain Why They Shouldn’t Be SanctionedSacramento: Charter school renewal denied by Sacramento school district. What comes next? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jon Fleischman steps into this emergency episode to break down Governor Gavin Newsom's gangsta moves in pushing Proposition 50 over the finish line. In other news, we consider Representative Nancy Pelosi’s just-announced retirement, and the rise (again) of antisemitism. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Jon Fleischman’s “So Does it Matter?” podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

More than $100 billion over budget and five years late, Governor Newsom’s high-speed rail project has settled on a new strategy: shortcuts -- including one through the middle of Shafter, Calif. In other news: The secret life of NYC’s David Bahnsen, Newsom tells ABC’s Jonathan Karl he’s a border hawk, we remember the 1947 flight of Howard Hughes’s Spruce Goose, and what Ronald Reagan said about tariffs that Ronald Reagan Presidential Library officials can’t remember. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:New York’s Golden Handcuffs: Why the City Has a Special Hold on the RichTrump Is Mad at Canada, but Not for Misquoting ReaganNewsom says US faces '5-alarm fire' and warns 'we won't have a country'The feds want to know more about the people on food stamps. How Newsom respondedNewsom Gives Trump’s Vanity Ballroom Brutal New NicknameWhat is Gov. Gavin Newsom's role in the California Capitol Annex project?Exxon sues California over new laws requiring corporate climate disclosuresCalifornia’s War on Oil Finally Prompts a ResponseCA state retirement fund lost 71% of $468M put in clean energy, won’t say howWhy an entire Calif. town is standing up against the high-speed railIdaho official investigating Millbrae police chief over property tax breakPrincipal resigns after investigator finds Grindr app used to pursue sex with student Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lance Christensen, Vice President of Government Affairs and Education Policy at the California Policy Center, dives into the tumultuous political landscape surrounding Scott Wiener’s Safer Streets for All Act and its unforeseen consequences linked to child sex trafficking. They discuss the plethora of new bills signed into law by Governor Newsom, highlighting issues of regulatory bloat and public safety. The conversation also touches on California's approach to education reforms, AI regulation, and the implications of using the National Guard for civic duties.

He is among the nation’s very worst governors, but Gavin Newsom is among America’s most skillful politicians — and has the inside track on the race for the White House. In other news, bombs bursting in air (at the Marine Corps' anniversary celebration starring JD Vance), the California Faculty Association is ready to fight fascists (but first wants to know if you're a Jew), Nancy Pelosi is still alive (and maybe not a fan of State Senator Scott Wiener), and the Pioneer League's Ballers bring a baseball championship back to Oakland. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Ballers bring home Oakland’s first baseball title since 1989How military’s ‘safe’ plan to fire munitions over Interstate 5 went off the rails with CHP cruiser hitNational Guard deployed to help food banks amid federal shutdown, Newsom saysHow Did California Spend Billions on Homelessness Only for It to Get Worse? Two New Criminal Cases Offer a ClueGavin Newsom, Pharma BaronPelosi succession intrigue in San FranciscoScott Wiener is done waiting on Nancy Pelosi. He’s running in 2026, sources sayFederal Judge Certifies Class Action for All Parents and Teachers Opposing Gender Secrecy RulesSchool spending surged. Academic achievement? Not so muchNewsom signs bill to prevent sex abuse in schoolsFaculty union targets Jewish political moneyState Supreme Court declines to hear West Covina’s appeal in ex-fire chief’s wrongful termination case Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

David and Will consider gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter’s trouble with humans and the prospect of co-parenting your kids with Governor Gavin Newsom. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:How Berkeley Became the First City to Ditch Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples DaySonoma State president on leave for ‘insubordination’ after supporting anti-Israel boycott, divestmentA California Campus Brings Anti-Israel Activism to Its Jewish Studies ProgramViolence erupts at UCLA as protests over Israel's war in Gaza escalate across the U.S.Confrontation erupts at dinner for law students at UC Berkeley dean’s home‘Get out of my f--king shot’: Katie Porter tears into staffer in newly released videoKatie Porter targeted ‘softer spoken’ underlings for abuse, was ‘downright mean’, ex-staffer warns votersNewsom’s Forced-Density Fix Won’t Solve California’s Housing CrisisNewsom signs controversial bill letting relatives care for kids if parents are deportedMarking World Mental Health Day, Governor Newsom signs AB 727 to make mental health resources more accessible to LGBTQ youthCalifornia Assembly Looks to Hand Children to Traffickers and Gender ActivistsGovernor Newsom signs bill expanding fuel options to cut gas pricesOil prices prediction: Brent, U.S. crude crash to lowest since May. Experts predict what to expect‘Slap in the face’: Marc Benioff’s Trump turn stuns San FranciscoBenioff appears to back off calls to send National Guard to SF, but sparks response from MuskArts Uproars: Open, Shut, Fired, Down for the Count, and Nowhere to Be Found Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.