Flor Unmuted

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Recorded October 13, 2026 | Released November 6, 2026Three weeks before Election Day, I sat down with Neel of the Working Families Party to talk about corporate money, progressive candidates, and the political calculations that have shaped Democratic campaigns in the Central Valley for decades.At the time, Randy Villegas was still fighting to flip California's 22nd Congressional District. Now, with Villegas headed to Congress and Democrats celebrating victories across the country, some of the questions we raised have taken on new meaning.We discuss the differences between progressive and establishment Democrats, why some politicians hesitate to challenge corporate interests, and whether campaigns have become too focused on persuading moderate voters while overlooking working-class communities that rarely participate in elections.We also get into Kern County's oil industry, economic inequality, the influence of corporate spending in California legislative races, and what it would take for the Central Valley to receive a greater share of the prosperity it helps create.Neel offers his perspective as an organizer whose party backed Villegas early, and I push back on what progressive politics means for voters concerned about jobs, taxes, affordability, and government spending.The election is over, but the questions surrounding the future of Democratic politics are far from settled.Some of Neel's predictions have already played out. Others will take a few more election cycles to understand.Follow Flor UnmutedSubscribe for independent political conversations, reporting, and commentary from California's Central Valley.Substack: https://florunmuted.substack.comThe views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Flor Unmuted.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of Flor Unmuted, I sit down with Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg, a longtime educator and incumbent Kern Community College District trustee seeking reelection. We discuss the role community colleges play in shaping the Central Valley's workforce, particularly in rural communities like Wasco, Delano, Shafter, and Arvin.Nan shares stories from her years working with students in Delano, where something as simple as transportation, childcare, or class schedules could determine whether someone continued their education. Our conversation also explores healthcare workforce shortages, dual enrollment, career training, the challenge of keeping graduates in the Valley, and how community colleges measure whether their programs actually lead to employment.We also discuss the financial pressures facing California's community colleges, the growing role of artificial intelligence in education, and what voters should understand about the people serving on their local college boards.It's a conversation about education, economic opportunity, and the decisions being made today that will shape the Central Valley's future. You can learn more about Nan and her campaign at: https://www.nan4kernccd.com/Flor Unmuted brings independent conversations about California politics, public policy, and the communities often overlooked in statewide discussions.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Juan Telles is running for Modesto City Council District 2, representing West Modesto, South Modesto, the Airport neighborhood and downtown. His campaign centers heavily on housing, infrastructure and bringing more investment into neighborhoods that have historically seen less of it. In this episode, we talk about why developers often overlook communities like District 2, what Modesto can realistically do to encourage more housing and mixed-use development, and how Telles sees public-private partnerships fitting into that work. We also get into his years in community organizing, his vision for the Tuolumne River area, and why he decided to move from advocating outside City Hall to running for a seat inside it.A conversation about Modesto, but also about a question familiar across the Central Valley: what does it actually take to bring investment into neighborhoods that have been waiting for it?

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of Flor Unmuted, I’m joined by Elizabeth Chur, author of The Joy of Talking Politics with Strangers: How to Save Democracy, One Conversation at a Time.Elizabeth has spent years canvassing across California, including throughout the Central Valley, and training volunteers to have more meaningful conversations with voters. We talk about what she’s learned at the door, what outsiders sometimes misunderstand about the Valley, and how simple moments — a bottle of water, tacos, grapes from the fields, even an umbrella in the rain — changed the way she sees communities that were once just names on a map.At its core, this is a conversation about listening, human connection, and why talking with voters still matters.Elizabeth is offering several free online trainings this October, including:• Canvass Curious: A Relaxed Guide to Talking with Voters — October 13 and October 27 • Become a Great Canvasser: How to Build Bridges to Voting — October 15 • Become a Great Canvasser: CA-22/Villegas for Congress Edition — October 20 • Make Every Vote Count: A No-Fear Guide to Ballot-Curing — October 22Learn more about Elizabeth, her book and upcoming trainings at:Elizabeth Chur: https://elizabethchur.com/Talk With Voters Substack: https://talkwithvoters.substack.com/The Substack is the best place to get updates about upcoming trainings, book talks and new resources.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Pedro Naveiras is running for Bakersfield City Council Ward 3, an open seat currently represented by longtime Councilmember Ken Weir.In this episode of Flor Unmuted, Pedro talks about growing up in East Bakersfield, his path from local schools and CSU Bakersfield to a career as a prosecutor, and why he decided to run for City Council.We get into his priorities for Ward 3 and Bakersfield, including public safety, homelessness, city spending, infrastructure, and economic development on the east side of town. Pedro also discusses how his experience prosecuting gang and violent crime has shaped the way he thinks about prevention, youth programs, mental-health response, and the role local government can play before someone enters the criminal justice system.We also talk about his vision for downtown and East Bakersfield, his approach to political endorsements and independence, and his promise to hold quarterly town halls if elected.In this episode:Why Pedro Naveiras decided to run for Bakersfield City CouncilHis background as a local, state, and federal prosecutorPublic safety beyond policingYouth intervention and partnerships with local schoolsHomelessness, treatment, and city resourcesInfrastructure and long-term city planningEconomic investment in East BakersfieldWhat Ward 3 residents should expect from their next councilmemberLearn more about Pedro Naveiras and his campaign: https://pedroforbakersfield.com/Flor Unmuted independently determines its guests, questions, coverage, and editorial positions. An appearance on the podcast does not constitute an endorsement.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of Flor Unmuted, Flor sits down with Emma De La Rosa, Land Use and Transportation Policy Manager with Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, for a Central Valley-focused conversation about California Proposition 45, CEQA, and what faster development could mean for rural and unincorporated communities.Emma is a first-generation college graduate of UC Merced and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In her work with Leadership Counsel, she partners with residents from environmental justice communities to advocate for clean and affordable drinking water, equitable housing, sustainable transportation, just land-use policies, and policies that improve community health and quality of life.The conversation begins with Emma’s own story and the communities she works alongside across the Central Valley, including places that have experienced decades of disinvestment and environmental burdens. From there, Flor and Emma break down what the California Environmental Quality Act currently does, how Proposition 45 would change environmental review for certain projects, and why those changes matter beyond Sacramento. Pasted textThey discuss the tension between economic development and public health, how residents participate in decisions about projects proposed near their homes, whether promised permitting savings would reach consumers, agricultural land and development pressure, and the growing debate around data centers. Emma also explains why Leadership Counsel opposes Proposition 45 and what she believes Central Valley voters should consider before casting their ballots. Pasted text Pasted text Pasted textThis episode presents Emma and Leadership Counsel’s perspective on Proposition 45. Official voter information and arguments from supporters and opponents can be found through California’s voter guide here: https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/45/index.htm

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Susie Nava knows College of the Sequoias from the student side of the equation.As a single mother attending COS, she remembers juggling work, transportation and childcare while trying to earn her degree. Now she’s running for the College of the Sequoias Board of Trustees in Ward 5, which includes Hanford.In this episode of Flor Unmuted, Nava joins me to talk about what access to higher education actually looks like from some of the Central Valley’s smaller communities — and where she believes COS can do more.We talk about transportation between campuses, childcare, internet access, expanding programs in Hanford and creating stronger pathways between community college and jobs needed here in the Valley. Nava also discusses her interest in behavioral-health workforce programs and how her professional background in quality assurance shapes the way she thinks about measuring whether programs are actually working.We also get into some of the harder questions that come with governing: her support from organized labor, the responsibility trustees have to the district as a whole, what she would do during a budget shortfall, and the increasingly political fights surrounding diversity, inclusion and higher education.Nava talks openly about trying to navigate those questions as a candidate in a rural and politically conservative part of the Central Valley — while making the case that students should feel welcomed at COS regardless of who they are or where they come from.In this episode: • Rural access to higher education • Transportation and childcare barriers • Expanding programs at COS Hanford • Behavioral-health and workforce pathways • Labor, adjunct faculty and trustee responsibilities • Budgets, data and measuring student outcomes • Diversity, inclusion and the politics surrounding higher education • What Nava hopes to accomplish in Ward 5Follow Susie Nava’s campaign on Facebook and Instagram at Nava for COS.Subscribe to Flor Unmuted for more conversations about the people, politics and decisions shaping California’s Central Valley.We are a voice, together.Susie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/navaforcos?igsi=anRnNzV3YTdsYTNs

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Dave Wescott is running for Kern High School District Trustee Area 1.A Bakersfield native, Marine veteran, newly licensed attorney and parent with children approaching high school, Wescott says his path into politics began by showing up at public meetings and speaking during public comment. Now, he’s asking voters to put him on the other side of the dais.In this episode, we talk about what a school board trustee can actually control, KHSD spending and staffing priorities, academic outcomes, career and apprenticeship pathways, religion and politics in public schools, and how Wescott believes trustees should respond to the people who show up at public comment.Wescott also talks about his own unconventional path after high school — from barely graduating, to serving in the Marine Corps, working in several industries, earning college degrees and eventually becoming an attorney.One of the central questions in the conversation: What should high school actually prepare students for?Wescott argues that students should have greater exposure to union apprenticeships and skilled-trade careers alongside the more familiar college and military recruitment options. He also explains why he believes his experience as a parent, veteran, attorney and former public commenter would shape how he approaches the board.In this conversation:Why Wescott decided to run for KHSD Trustee Area 1His criticism of some of the board’s recent political prioritiesWhat he believes should happen when district budgets get tightTeacher staffing and administrative spendingHow he would measure success after four yearsApprenticeships, unions and career pathways after graduationHis own experience as a struggling high school studentReligion, constitutional limits and litigation risk in public schoolsHow he would work with trustees who disagree with himWhat an elected official owes the person standing at public commentWhy he believes Area 1 needs new representationAnd, to end on a lighter note, what 18-year-old Dave would think of the person he becameGuest: Dave Wescott Race: Kern High School District Trustee, Area 1Flor Unmuted is an independent political media platform covering California politics through the Central Valley — local government, education, campaigns, voter behavior and the politics of everyday life.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Most voters will never attend a Kern County Board of Education meeting. Many probably couldn’t tell you what the board actually does.But the decisions made there can reach students across Kern County — particularly students navigating expulsion appeals, interdistrict transfers, county-run programs, special education, homelessness, transportation barriers, and other challenges that can push families deeper into the education system.In this episode of Flor Unmuted, I sit down with Anastasia Hopper, candidate for Kern County Board of Education Trustee Area 3.We talk about what the county board actually oversees, who trustees are ultimately responsible to, the growing influence of national culture-war politics on local education boards, special education, literacy, attendance, transportation, and the financial decisions facing county education programs.Anastasia also talks about her experience as a special education parent, why she decided to run, what she would prioritize during her first year in office, and why she believes Area 3 is ready for new representation after more than three decades under the same trustee.And I ask her one of the questions at the center of this race: When a trustee’s personal beliefs, the loudest parents in the room, and the best available evidence point in different directions, which one should guide the decision?Listen to the full conversation.Learn more about Anastasia HopperFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590334954413&mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfrInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/anastasiaforkcboe3Donate or Volunteer: https://tinyurl.com/ty5vnmsu

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Some of the most consequential offices on your ballot are also the ones you hear the least about.Jevon Price serves as the Area 3 Director and Treasurer for the Tulare Local Healthcare District. He was elected four years ago and, with no challenger filing against him this year, is set to serve a second term.In this episode of Flor Unmuted, we look at what a local healthcare district actually does — and why Tulare offers a particularly important case study.Tulare Regional Medical Center closed in 2017 following years of financial and governance problems and the district's bankruptcy. The hospital eventually reopened under Adventist Health, but the public healthcare district still owns the facility and other assets. Today, the district is navigating the unfinished hospital tower, its relationship with Adventist Health, healthcare workforce shortages, and California's approaching 2030 seismic requirements.Jevon and I discuss:What healthcare district directors actually controlThe governance failures surrounding Tulare's hospital closureFinancial safeguards implemented since the district's bankruptcyThe relationship between the public healthcare district and Adventist HealthWhat could happen if Adventist eventually leaves TulareThe unfinished hospital tower and plans to complete it in phasesCalifornia's 2030 hospital seismic requirementsEmergency transportation and healthcare access in rural communitiesNursing, physician and healthcare workforce shortages in the Central ValleyFinancial pressure facing hospitals serving large Medi-Cal populationsWhy healthcare, transportation, housing, food access and quality of life are difficult to separate in the ValleyWhy obscure down-ballot offices deserve more attention from votersJevon and I are friends and have worked alongside each other in Central Valley politics. That relationship is disclosed in the episode and does not change Flor Unmuted's editorial independence or the questions asked.This conversation is less about one election than the layer of local government most of us don't think about until we need it — and what Tulare's history can teach other Central Valley communities about who is responsible for keeping healthcare close to home.