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

Is Democracy Dead--Yet?

Along with our guest, political analyst Bill Schneider, we debate whether there is any life left in American democracy. We agree that if democracy is to be saved, much of the responsibility will be on the shoulders of the news media. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer director of Inside Golden State Politics

Jan 06, 202229 min

Tracking Two Pandemics: Covid 19 and Voter Suppression

We examine how the Democrats are trying to squelch Republican efforts to reduce the number of voters of color from casting ballots. And the guy crucial to helping the Democrats is President Biden's nemesis, Sen. Joe Manchin. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer director of Inside Golden State Politics.

Dec 23, 202128 min

Gavin Takes On Texas; Eric Confronts The Hill

Gavin Newsom jumps to the head of the line of Democratic challengers to the Texas vigilante abortion law. We also discuss how Eric Garcetti's confirmation as ambassador to India is slogging along on Capitol Hill. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics

Dec 16, 202129 min

Donald, Joe, Kamala and the MSM: What's Next?

We wonder whether the mainstream media, through laziness , inattention plus a hunger for an audience is hurting democracy. We both agree that Vice President Kamala Harris is getting screwed by media coverage and we ask why. Inside Golden State Politics is produced and directed by Nancy Boyarsky

Dec 09, 202129 min

How Did We Get Here? The Schneider Perspective

We talk with distinguished political analyst Bill Schneider about our country's divided politics. And we discuss the political impact of the upcoming Supreme Court ruling on abortion. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer- director of Inside Golden State Politics

Dec 02, 202130 min

We're Ba-a-a-ck!

We hand out our first annual Turkey of the Year Awards. We wonder whether Joe Biden can push his agenda through a balky Congress . We question the ugly behavior of Congressional Republicans.

Nov 23, 202130 min

Steve Lopez vs. City Hall

We talk to Los Angeles Times award winning columnist Steve Lopez about corruption in Los Angeles City Hall. We wonder whether this is part of a national trend and if so, why. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics. Her latest book is "The Moscow Affair." We're taking the next two or three weeks off for a winter break. We'll be back soon.

Oct 21, 202134 min

Today's Battlegrounds: Schools and Cargo Ships

We wonder how the controversy over teaching ethnic studies--hot in California and elsewhere--will influence upcoming elections. We puzzle over President Biden's inability to get two more Senate votes for his agenda. Is he too busy playing harbor master in chief? Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics. Her latest mystery novel is "The Moscow Affair."

Oct 14, 202130 min

"Nobody's On Nobody's Side."

We wonder why President Biden waited so long to go after the Republicans. Is he still too much a creature of the old Senate? And we continue to contemplate why Mayor Eric Garcetti is still waiting at the church for his ambassadorship to come through. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics. Her latest mystery novel, "The Moscow Affair," is just out.

Oct 07, 202131 min

What a Mess!

We puzzle over why a dysfunctional Congress is doing so little while the country is in trouble. And we take our first look at next year's election for mayor of Los Angeles. Inside Golden State Politics is produced and directed by Nancy Boyarsky

Oct 01, 202128 min

Summer's Rocky End: Newsom's Stock Rises, Biden's Falls

With our guest, respected political reporter Dave Bryan, we wonder whether President Biden can reverse his declining approval ratings and ponder Governor Newsom's political future in the wake of his big recall victory. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics

Sep 23, 202132 min

Gavin, Larry and Donald Shrink the GOP

We discuss Covid's impact on the California recall election and we speculate on the future of the recall process itself. We argue about the power of the MAGA Nation. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer and director of Inside Golden West Politics

Sep 16, 202129 min

The Politics of Fear and Turnout

We examine the impact of the Texas abortion law on California, which has long protected abortion rights. We recall the passage of the 1967 Beilenson Therapeutic Abortion Act, which liberalized California abortion laws through the unlikely cooperation of a young Democratic state senator and the conservative governor, Ronald Reagan. We look at the California recall campaign and conclude the abortion furor might be good news for Gov. Gavin Newsom. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside G...

Sep 09, 202130 min

California and Kabul: Part III.

We disagree over whether President Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan simply reflected his deeply held beliefs or was a more complex combination of belief and politics. We discuss the newly energized and focused Newsom anti recall campaign in an election that still seems unpredictable. Nancy Boyarsky is the director and producer of Inside Golden State Politics

Sep 02, 202129 min

California and Kabul: Part Deux

We discuss whether President Biden can overcome his setback in withdrawing from Afghanistan. And whether Gov. Gavin Newsom can survive a recall election that has become a referendum on him.

Aug 26, 202131 min

California And Kabul

Back at work and overwhelmed with news. We think Gov. Gavin Newsom could be in trouble in the recall. One reason is Latinos don't seem to be enthusiastic about him. We also blast the news media for its coverage of Afghanistan, comparing it unfavorably to press coverage of the Vietnam War.

Aug 19, 202129 min

Revenge Of The Suburbs

Our guest, political analyst and journalist Bill Schneider, wonders whether Donald Trump understands suburban America. Republicans are fixated on on social issues, particularly Critical Race Theory and abortion. But pocketbook issues, such as child care and health care, could determine the mid-term elections.

Jul 15, 202129 min

Jury's Out On Infrastructure And Kamala

We explain how the infrastructure bill affects California. And we wonder whether the news media and Washington insiders are too quick to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer and director of Inside Golden State Politics

Jul 08, 202130 min

Quality Of Life Issues Drive California Politics

We discuss the impact of issues like homelessness, fear of crime and worries about public safety on the California recall and the upcoming midterm elections. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics

Jul 01, 202129 min

Is It Better To Be Feared Than Loved?

We discuss whether the Republicans are taking the "white rage" road in their effort to win the mid-term elections. We examine the impact of white rage on California's recall election. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics

Jun 24, 202131 min

Too Early To Celebrate?

We examine how California and Newsom performed during the pandemic. We talk about an uptick in gun violence. We examine bad behavior as pandemic restrictions ease--and we vow to be polite, ourselves. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics.

Jun 17, 202125 min

Race In The Classroom And The Polling Place

With our guest, broadcaster Warren Olney, we take on racially tinged topics of the day. We wade into the academic morass that is critical race theory, influencing politics in California and other places. We tackle the political morass that is voting rights legislation. And we agree that a Swiss Army knife is not as deadly as an assault weapon. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics

Jun 10, 202133 min

Democracy?

We agree that the controversy over voting rights legislation could end in compromise--a smaller bill that Biden would sign. We speculate on why the Republicans are so opposed to a bipartisan commission investigating the January 6 insurrection. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics

Jun 03, 202129 min

Too Much Hate, Not Enough Water

Our guest, Thomas Wong, president of the San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, gives us a grassroots view of the threatened California drought and its impact on politics. We also discuss with him the recent wave of hate crimes afflicting the country. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer and director of Inside Golden State Politics

May 27, 202131 min

Questions Of Equity: Mideast Conflict, California Budget

We dig into the Mideast conflict, but like everyone else, have no solutions. The California budget is rich with solutions. But are they solutions? Nancy Boyarsky is the producer and director of Inside Golden State Politics

May 20, 202129 min

The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg

We briefly discuss the dumping of Liz Cheney from Republican House leadership. We agreed that democracy was threatened and Cheney was a victim of sexism. We examine Gov. Gavin Newsom's plans to give billions in surplus tax dollars and federal largesse to Californians in the face of his recall election. And we wonder what might happen to Los Angeles and its huge homeless problems if rumors are true and Mayor Eric Garcetti becomes ambassador to India.

May 13, 202132 min

Is The Republican Party Imploding?

With our guest, former California Assembly Republican leader Bob Naylor, we explore how Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom could lose his job in the recall election. We also discuss whether Republicans are hurting themselves by passing new voting restriction laws. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics.

May 06, 202130 min

Deconstructing Madam Speaker With Susan Page

In her new book Madame Speaker, our guest USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page describes Nancy Pelosi as the most powerful woman in the history of the federal government. She tells of Pelosi's rise from Baltimore's Little Italy and San Francisco politics to her present job, boss of the U.S. House of Representatives. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics

Apr 29, 202135 min

Rodney King To George Floyd: Can Reform Save The Day?

What's next on police reform? Is it even possible? The aftermath of the Rodney King beating and the Rampart police scandal in Los Angeles in the 1990s shows the difficulty of cleaning up a police department with long-entrenched habits of brutality. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics

Apr 23, 202126 min

Police Shootings: A Dilemma Forever?

Along with our guest, television journalist Dave Bryan, we discuss whether police are too quick on the trigger when they confront African American and Latino men. We examine the possibility of police reform and ask why the mayor of California's largest city, Eric Garcetti, isn't taking the lead. Nancy Boyarsky is the producer-director of Inside Golden State Politics

Apr 16, 202129 min
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