Inside Golden State Politics - podcast cover

Inside Golden State Politics

Bill Boyarsky & Sherry Jeffewww.buzzsprout.com

Bill Boyarsky and Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, two experienced California political experts, argue about politics from Los Angeles to Sacramento to Washington.


Bill Boyarsky is former city editor of the Los Angeles Times and was also a columnist, bureau chief and political reporter for the newspaper. Previously, he reported on politics for the Associated Press in Sacramento.

He is the winner of three Pulitzer Prizes for team reporting.


Bill is the author of two biographies of Ronald Reagan, a biography of Jesse M. Unruh; Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and Their Times, and, with co-author Nancy Boyarsky, Backroom Politics.


Sherry Bebitch Jeffe is a retired  professor of the practice of public policy communication at the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California.


Sherry has been political analyst for KCAL-TV, NBC4 Los Angeles NBC's "Today" show and the BBC, where she was an analyst on American politics for programs in London, Scotland and Wales. In 2006, she was a nominee for the Los Angeles Area Emmy Award for NBC4’s news feature, “Decision 2005: A Voter’s Guide.


She has also appeared on MSNBC, CNN, Spectrum News 1 and Al Jazeera English and on radio shows in the United States and internationally. 


Sherry has a Ph.D in government from Claremont Graduate University and a master's in political science from Rutgers, where she was a fellow at the Eagleton Institute of Politics.

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Episodes

The presidential campaign ignites and the California legislature flounders

What a week! On the presidential campaign, Joe Biden emerges from his basement and attacks President Donald Trump as gutless. And the California legislature is shamed by a nursing mother, Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, bringing her baby onto the Assembly floor to urge her colleagues to vote on an important housing bill.

Sep 03, 202030 min

Donald, Melania, Joe and Kamala

We look at Donald Trump's efforts to put a smiley face on the Republican National Convention but he and his team found it hard to do. The convention previewed Trump's attacks on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the coming campaign. And we explain why the Republicans picked California as their symbol of what's wrong with the United States.

Aug 27, 202031 min

Michelle, Kamala, Nancy and Donald

We assess the importance of women to Joe Biden's presidential campaign, as exemplified by Michelle Obama's speech to the Democratic national convention and Kamala Harris' nomination for vice president. Will the campaigning by strong women drive President Donald Trump nuts? And we tackle voting by mail. Will President Trump's loud and persistent attacks on it make Americans doubt the election result?

Aug 21, 202028 min

Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!

We take a close look at Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Joe Biden's choice for the Democratic vice presidential nomination. What does she bring to the ticket? Will the Democratic left, which opposed her presidential run, turn out en masse for her. And we examine where President Donald Trump and his supporters will attack her. Looking ahead, we discuss her successor if she wins in November, examining the many choices facing Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will appoint new senator.

Aug 13, 202032 min

The media's challenge: Reporting the pandemic election.

The final months of the presidential campaign are confronting journalists with big problems in covering candidates, campaigns, and the new style nominating conventions. We explore that with our guest, award-winning television political reporter Dave Bryan. We also challenge the media to be educators as well as reporters and to guide a confused public through vote counting that may take many days, if not weeks.

Aug 06, 202029 min

Asian Americans join Latinos as targets of Trump's bigoted rhetoric

We take a hard look at how President Trump is stacking the deck against Asian Americans and Latinos. Asian Americans are damaged by his racist description of the coronavirus pandemic, giving bigots permission to assault them verbally and, in some cases, physically. With Latinos, it's Trump's mishandling of the pandemic, which is roaring through the agricultural Central Valley and other places where they work on frontline jobs. Now all the problems are in Gov. Newsom's lap.

Jul 30, 202032 min

Pandemic Politics: Is Trump Channeling Newsom? Is Newsom Channeling Trump?

The coronavirus pandemic has confronted Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump with different kinds of troubles. We examine how Newsom faces the hands-on matters that Trump has long avoided--opening schools, finding masks and other supplies, rising infection rates. Trump's problem is simpler but harder to solve, getting re-elected. That is why, we observe, he is now portraying himself as the man in charge of stopping the pandemic and imposing his version of law and order on cities that are...

Jul 23, 202032 min

Bigger Than Politics: The Future of Public Education

As the school semester grows near, we discuss whether to open the schools or rely on home schooling, often in the hands of overworked parents. This is bigger than political campaigns. Each day, the pressure increases on Gov. Gavin Newsom, his good start in handling the pandemic forgotten as the number of coronavirus cases rapidly increase. And the worsening situation is shaping the contest between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Parental fears, rather than political maneuvering, are likely...

Jul 16, 202030 min

Electoral college, the pandemic, Trump's psyche: What a mess!

Sherry digs into the labyrinth of the electoral college, explaining its history and the role of slavery in its creation. We debate the future of the institution, with Bill more optimistic than Sherry about chances of eliminating it. We also examine how the pandemic is sweeping through California, concluding this is a disease too new and complex for politicians from Gov. Gavin Newsom on down to solve. Lastly, we talk about President Donald Trump's psyche, as reported in his niece's new book....

Jul 09, 202028 min

Newsom, Trump, Roberts: Politics and Policy

Did Gov. Gavin Newsom dig himself into a hole by first embracing strong enforcement of coronavirus regulations, then easing up, and finally reversing himself? We examine the twists and turns of the governor's decision making. We also wonder whether President Donald Trump has dug himself into an even deeper hole with his promise that the coronavirus will just go away. And we warn readers against placing bets on the future direction of the John Roberts Supreme Court based on its recent momentous d...

Jul 02, 202027 min

Trump: Wild on the trail

We dissect President Donald Trump's erratic, inflammatory return to the campaign trail amid rising numbers of coronavirus victims and polls showing he faces a tough re-election fight. We also handicap the competition for the Democratic vice presidential nomination and take a close look at a new California contender, Rep. Karen Bass of Los Angeles.

Jun 25, 202031 min

Are Latinos being ignored in the debate over police brutality

Where have Latinos gone in the raging controversy over police misconduct? Why is the issue usually framed in terms of black and white ethnicities? Bill and Sherry tackle the subject against a backdrop of police killings of African American men. They also examine the U.S. Supreme Court decision on employment rights of the LGBTQ community and disagree over the quality of Joe Biden's recent big speech.

Jun 20, 202035 min

Protests: Anger and hope

Were the police too rough with demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd? Bill and Sherry zero in on the Los Angeles Police Department for a discussion of this controversial subject. They want to know who was responsible for the LAPD tactics used against the demonstrators and they ask about the roles of Mayor Eric Garcetti and Police Chief Michel Moore in deploying the cops. And they critique the Los Angeles' Times coverage of the event.

Jun 11, 202029 min

The protests: Our takes

Bill and Sherry debate the pace and reality of change demanded by protesters in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by police. They also discuss one of the most significant developments in American politics, the emergence of a strong new generation of African American women mayors. And they look at the controversy over increasing the Los Angeles Police Department budget.

Jun 04, 202031 min

Disruption

Bill and Sherry explore President Donald Trump's potent weapon, disruption, throwing the bright shiny object into the national debate to take attention away from the rising coronavirus toll and a distressed economy. His targets include vote by mail and Joe Scarborough. We also reach into California history for reasons why some Californians are resistant to masks and sheltering in place.

May 28, 202029 min

The Media, Obamagate and Gavin Newsom

Bill and Sherry wonder if Governor Gavin Newsom is being politically smart--or gutless--in cutting education to help make up the $54 billion state budget deficit. They question whether the media is digging up the full story on state finances. And they examine how the media, locked in the past, isn't up to the challenge of covering a presidential campaign when President Trump and pandemic is such a dominating story

May 22, 202036 min

Woes: Budget and political

Bill and Sherry explore the immediate and long-term damage caused by Gov. Gavin Newsom's $54 billion in California state budget cuts--a result of the stubborn coronavirus pandemic. We also look at how President Donald Trump is reacting to the pandemic numbers. Not well, judging from his reaction when reporters ask about them. But he was upbeat about the Republican victory in the northern Los Angeles County 25th congressional district, potentially a good sign for the GOP in November....

May 14, 202030 min

Newsom, Biden, and the poor

Bill and Sherry explore whether Gov. Gavin Newsom is caving in to rebels against his shelter-at-home policy. The podcasters disagree over Joe Biden's campaign strategy. Sherry favors Biden laying back, a version of the great heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali's rope-a-dope, where he waited against the ropes until his opponent punched himself into exhaustion. Bill said Biden should attack--and also tell what a Biden presidency would mean to the country. And they look at the latest data show...

May 07, 202032 min

Coronavirus: Tracing, Privacy—a Challenge for California

Bill and Sherry examine the difficult job of tracing those exposed to the coronavirus. They take a hard look at how Gov. Gavin Newsom is handling the challenge of the pandemic. They also discuss how testing for the virus is focusing attention on the poverty and inadequate health care among African Americans and Latinos in California.

Apr 30, 202026 min

Searching For Joe Biden, Voting By Mail

Bill and Sherry examine voting by mail in the midst of a pandemic. They agree on the need but disagree over whether it can be implemented by the November election. They also search for an answer to a big question: Where's Joe Biden?

Apr 23, 202029 min

Social Media, Politics and the Coronavirus

Sherry and Bill argue over the impact of social media on the presidential campaign and on coverage of the coronavirus epidemic. They also discuss whether the mainstream media was too slow in covering Tara Reade's allegations of sexual assault against former Vice President Joe Biden.

Apr 16, 202028 min

The Media:Covering Politics and the Pandemic

Inside Golden State Politics takes a close look at how journalism is covering the coronavirus epidemic. We find good work, some gaps and conclude surprisingly that among the best reporters on the beat are California Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who provide daily factual reports on television and online, keeping everyone informed.

Apr 09, 202030 min

Politics And Policy In The Time of Coronavirus

The Inside Golden State Politics podcast examines how the Coronavirus is changing politics and policy making. It has has shifted power and influence to state and local political leaders such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York as well as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. They seized the opportunity to lead and so far have succeeded.

Apr 02, 202025 min

Leadership

President Donald Trump and Gov. Andrew Cuomo each put a different face on the handling the Coronavirus pandemic. What makes a leader? Bill and Sherry discuss this and look back at the Kennedys and others who demonstrated great leadership.

Mar 26, 202028 min

Sexism and the Presidential Race

Did sexism cost Elizabeth Warren and the other women candidates a chance to win the Democratic presidential nomination?

Mar 10, 202021 minSeason 1Ep. 1
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