Political Breakdown

State Senator Tom Umberg from Orange County is a retired Army colonel, a former federal prosecutor and he once served as a deputy drug czar under President Bill Clinton. He’s known for his pragmatism, his ability to reach across the aisle and now, in his position of senate judiciary committee chair, as a gatekeeper of artificial intelligence regulations being proposed in Sacramento. Sen. Umberg joins Marisa and Scott to talk about those regulations, the state's drug crisis and political sea change in Orange County. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite bumps in the road, literally and politically, driverless cars and trucks continue expanding their reach even as critics – including organized labor, regulators and some local governments – say “not so fast.” KQED Transportation Editor Dan Brekke to joins Political Breakdown to talk about several bills being heard in Sacramento that aim to regulating the autonomous vehicle industry. That plus this week’s protester shutdown of Bay Area bridges and the impact on commuters and the overall make-or-break moment facing public transit in this post-pandemic moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion access up to the states, extreme legal decisions and abortion restrictions from Florida to Arizona have mobilized women and supporters of abortion access. Heidi Sieck, co-founder of #VOTEPROCHOICE, joins Scott and Marisa to discuss the changed political landscape and how it's impacting the 2024 election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the U.S. Supreme Court decimated much of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, casting a ballot has become harder, not easier, in many states. Limits on how and where to vote, gerrymandered voting districts that diminish the power of voters of color, challenges to vote-by-mail laws and former President Donald Trump's lies that legitimate election results were not valid all contribute to the problem. Richard Hasen is a professor of Law and Political Science at UCLA Law School, where he directs the Safeguarding Democracy Project. His new book titled, "A Real Right to Vote" suggests the only way to really address these barriers to voting is an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The name Willie Brown is synonymous with power politics in California. He became the first Black Speaker of the State Assembly in 1980 and held the job for a record 14 years, often with help from Republicans. After term limits forced him to leave the legislature, he ran for mayor of San Francisco, serving 8 years in that job. Scott and Marisa sit down with Brown in his San Francisco office to discuss his path from segregated Mineola, Texas to the height of power in California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica Bartholow has worked behind the scenes at the state capitol for years. She’s known for her fierce anti-poverty advocacy and budget expertise, as a lobbyist and more recently as Chief of Staff to East Bay State Senator Nancy Skinner. Bartholow now works for SEIU, the state's largest and most powerful union. She joins Scott and Guy to talk about the revolving roles she's played inside and outside of state government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are voters of color shifting toward Republicans, including Donald Trump? Black, Latino and Asian American voters have long been solid Democratic Party voters, but polls and voting trends show that is changing. Scott talks about why and how the trend might affect the 2024 elections with Brakkton Booker, a national political correspondent for POLITICO where he covers the intersection of race, politics, culture and power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sneha Revanur is quickly establishing herself as the leading Gen Z voice on generative AI. In 2020, at the age of 15, the San José native founded Encode Justice, a youth-led group pushing policymakers and AI companies to put people at the center of the AI revolution. Plus, a package of bills introduced Tuesday in Sacramento aims to target large scale retail theft operations. KQED's Guy Marzorati joins to explain the bills, how they would change theft prosecutions and how they fit within the context of California's Proposition 47. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco has long been a beacon for liberal politics and social causes. But lately a steady diet of viral videos of car break-ins and smash-and-grabs have put the city on something of a mid-course correction. Plus, the recalls of progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin and three members of the San Francisco school board, and the recent passage of measures bolstering police powers and requiring drug screenings, have added to the sense that something is shifting in San Francisco. Scott is joined by New York Times San Francisco Bureau Chief Heather Knight, who recently penned a profile of Garry Tan, the controversial leader of a well-known venture capital firm in the Bay Area, and Joe Garofoli of the San Francisco Chronicle, who’s been reporting on an attempt to move the Republican Party in San Francisco toward more moderate positions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The race for mayor of San Francisco gets a new heavyweight contender as Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin throws his hat into the ring. Peskin is the most prominent progressive challenging incumbent Mayor London Breed. Scott and Marisa are joined by KQED politics reporter Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez to talk about the San Francisco mayor's race.  Plus, in the race to replace retiring Congresswoman Anna Eshoo in Silicon Valley, Assemblyman Evan Low and County Supervisor Joe Simitian tied for second place, deadlocking at 30,249 votes each in the March primary. That means three Democrats will compete in a general election for Congress, in what's believed to be a first in California history. Guy Marzorati joins Scott and Marisa to talk about the unpredictable path to November.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices