Boring Betty endorses Twisted Tom

And very happy Wednesday to you. At twelve oh seven in the West, It's the Giant Phillips Show. Mister Randy wgings in Culver City, John.

Just twenty four hours after Betty Yee announced that she was dropping out of the governor's race. She has made her choice for who she's endorsing, and she has decided to endorse this guy.

And you can literally see it, smell it, and feel it.

Boring. Betty gets behind the billionaire.

Betty Yee looked at all of the candidates, some people that she has worked with for a very long time, and said, I'm going with Tom Steyer.

We're the big ass crisis.

I guess he's her Enviro sugar daddy, and they taped a little video together.

So Tom, today, I am just really really pleased to give my endorsement to you to become our next governor of California.

Like many Californians, I've looked up to Betty E for years.

You had no idea who she was till you started running against her.

This is a man who claims he paid such little attention to what was going on in Sacramento that he couldn't give Gavin News him a grade on his performance.

We'll get to the interview later. He sits down with KTLA and they ask him about his homeless program and it sounds a whole lot like inside Safe and they say, well, that's what Karen Bass has been doing and it hasn't worked. And he says, well, I haven't really been paying attention to what Eli's been doing.

On that.

I believe him, not just because she's a progressive leader, not just because she has a brilliant mind, is incredibly effective. I've looked up to Betty because her values are incredibly deep, incredibly consistent.

How many incredibly times are you going to incredibly say incredibly? I love the fact that they're all singing her praises now while for the last two months they've all been advocating for her to get run over by an eighteen wheeler.

And I want to be that kind of person, you know.

I think people confuse the fact that if you have progressive values that you can't be pragmatic and deliver that they act are.

One What about Tom Steyer's platform is pragmatic?

Not one bit of it.

I mean some of the things emotionally I love, like he wants to break up PG and E. How do you do that?

The only thing that's in his platform that's doable is big asses that.

They actually are one and the same. And if you couldn't really intertwine those, that's impact. That's called impact. And so I look at.

Is that him laughing at something that she said that wasn't funny.

Maybe he's choking on a pretzel.

That's impact. That's called impact.

Or does he just make noises when other people are talking.

He's a strange guy when you see him sitting for an interview. He's got a bobblehead.

I've said it before and I will say it till I'm blue in the face. There's no such thing as a normal billionaire.

That's impact. That's called impact.

And so I look at what you've done in terms of your values.

What he's done. He's never been in elected office. What he's done is fund a whole bunch of campaigns, some of them are part of the reason it's so expensive to live here. And also what he's done is made a whole bunch of money off of private prisons in big oil and then said I hate private prisons in big oil.

Wasn't Kevin dally Oon one of his sugar babies too.

Oh really, I don't remember that. It is hot as hell.

No, Kevin dally Oone was the apple at de I for a while. So was stire funding Kevin daly Oone's incredibly misguided bid to take down Feinstein. I believe so.

Didn't work out.

And so I look at what you've done in terms of your values, where you've decided to put your emphasis and your resources in time as just delivering some of the biggest impacts with respect to standing up our democracy and getting young people involved, certainly with respect to our climate and the climate crisis that we're facing. I support you because you have such bold ideas.

That I know you're gonna be able to deliver.

Her.

No, he's not. If this guy becomes governor, I'd love to see him try to take down PG and E, but I don't see it happening.

Boy for the smart one in the race, she really sold out, didn't she.

No one, what did he promise her? What job did he promise her in the administration?

I don't know, maybe chief of staff.

No one knows how our government works and how it works both at the state level but also at the county and city level better than Betty.

So shouldn't you be dropping out and then endorsing her?

You think if you actually believe that.

No one knows how our government works?

How about this? Tom Steyer says that this person sitting next to me, who was also running for governor, more qualified than I am, knows this state better than anybody, But I alone can fix it.

Mediocrity rises to the top.

No one knows how our government works and how it works both at the state level but also at the county and city level, better than Betty. So I am really hoping.

Maybe you should ask Betty about how it is political suicide to go after Prop thirteen.

So I am really hoping what has been a long term, strong relationship will be a very practical partnership.

What do you think any dinners were in this relationship? They play pickleball together? Have they ever spent any time socially with each other?

I can't imagine him being fun to hang out with. If you were to have dinner with him, don't you think he would start lecturing you about everything before the salad got there.

It would not be a very fun experience. That I can say for sure.

So I am really hoping what has been a long term, strong relationship will be a very practical.

Part Boy, the longer he speaks, the more grating that voice gets.

Imagine that voice for four years will be a vis I know we're.

Not supposed to be superficial in deciding who should be governor, but I can't listen to that for four years?

Would you rather listen to that? Or Katie Porter and the little girl voice?

Katie Porter? It's like even when RFK was running for president? Can you listen to that every day for four years?

Will be a very practical partnership, And if we're actually going to get done with the things in California that have to get done, having her expertise and her wisdom to make sure that we're doing it in a practice.

He's so smart, she's so qualified, But I'm better than her because I'm rich.

If he were to be elected and he were to appoint her to be chief of staff something like that, the moment one of his hair brain ideas doesn't happen, She's getting the boat.

To make sure that we're doing it in a practical way so it can actually happen. Is something that honestly is irreplaceable.

California should feel very comfortable that where we're headed in this near term, and I'm just really pround to support and.

The video just kind of ends. It's a very strange situation. They're like sitting on a bench together and there you go. Tom Steyer, who was wearing his signature sneakers, has been endorsed by Boring Betty Yee.

We're a big Ass Crisis.

Eight hundred two two two five two two two Easy telephone number one eight hundred two two two five two two two on the topic of the gubernatorial election, Tonight, Randy is going to be a big night.

It's the first debate in the part of this campaign where people are just starting to pay attention. This one is going to be carried on Next Star media station. So if you're in southern California, it's going to air on KTLA, if you're in the Bay Area, it's going to be on KRON four. In fact, four is hosting the debate. It will be taking place in San Francisco. It will also be on Fox forty in the Sacramento market,

Crown four is your.

Local election headquarters and tomorrow nights KRONFO is hosting a debate with the top candidates and the race for California governor.

The race for me, this is the race where they had a last minute pull because the person who was going to be on that stage was Eric Swelwell and that's the one that showed the Bakaia bump for the first time. So Javier Sarah will be on that debate stage.

You know the best part of this debate starting at seven o'clock at night. What's that unless Eric Swollwell major drink, all of us can stay awake for it.

The race remains wide open, according to a recent Inside California Politics poll, and our Teresa Stassio joins us here live in the newsroom to share what voters should be listening for tomorrow night. Hi Teresa, Well, Hi there, Justine big moment you.

Should be listening for a lot of passive aggression, and for certain candidates, a lot of outright aggression.

Out of my shop.

Well, since Katie Porter is going to be there, someone might actually get hit.

Well, Hi, they're justine big moment here. Political experts telling us that the debate is going to be quite significant. They expect fireworks, especially between certain candidates.

Katie Porter has been waiting for a very long time to be on a debate stage. Not a forum where you're not allowed to talk about the other candidates, but a debate stage with Tom Stettle. It has not happened. This is her time to take down Tommy.

But the two of them don't belong on a debate stage. They belong in a steel cage.

Where's the octagon when you need it? Where's Thunderdome?

One day before the top six candidates take center stage at kron.

Four, most of politics, ninety ninety five percent of politics is about timey.

It'll be also interesting to see if Matt Mahon can do anything.

Sure, No, I don't know about that. I think is tailed like that.

I'm sure that they are all.

The machine has decided that BACHERIEA is our plan B the machine doesn't like Mayheon, the machine doesn't like Porter, and the machine likes tom Steyer's money, but they do not like tom Steyer.

Wait, plan B, he's like plan Z. Plan A was kammlo, Plan B was the Senator Alex Padilla, Plan C was Flallwell, he's d.

Anything.

I'm sure that they are all practicing one liners and jobs.

How many times in the mirror has Steve Hilton said BLM Bianco in the last twenty four hours?

Oh my god? And this is where they're all going to be amateur comedians, where Katie Porter, I'm sure, has a whole team of writers working on snappy one liners that she thinks will lead the news.

Oh boy, a pool, Well that's how these debates work.

Now.

They expect way more people to watch this debate in clips than the people that will watch it live on television or streaming on YouTube.

I don't know, the thought of Katie Porter entertaining me with riddles makes me want to burst into flames.

Oh.

A pool from Inside California Politics and Emerson College, released last week shows Republican Steve Hilton leading the way among voters Riverside County sheriff. Republican Chad Bianco and climate activist Democrat at Tom Steyer are tied for second. Former California Attorney General Javier Bsera and Democratic former Orange County congress Member Katie Porter both received ten percent of votes.

Hey, by the way, we talked about this before the show. I don't know what's coming, but there was an open letter from many Katie porter former staffers talking about how great she is.

Makes you wonder what they know is coming.

You're out of my shop.

Santa Is Mayor Democrat Matt Mahon received the sixth most votes on TiO.

He got fifth place, which was a far cry from the other candidates, but five percent was the threshold. So there will be no Tony V. There will be no Tony T. And Tony A got out of the race months ago.

On Tuesday, these political experts revealing their predictions and points of interest.

After the Swallwall episode, the races dynamically changed, and that means that some candidates have more at stake than others headed into this debate. It means that this debate and any subsequent debate or debates over the next month.

Yeah, get ready for a debate marathon because we've got the next Star debate tonight. Next Tuesday, there will be the debate hosted by CBS News that John and I were just invited to attend so that one might get real interesting. And then the week after that, you've got the Alex Michaelson debate that's going to air on CNN nationally.

It's a debate at palooza or so become hugely important.

Sonoma's state political professor David McEwan sharing his perspective, mayhean needs to move the needle and there could be sparks between the leading Democratic candidates Styer and Porter.

When he superior.

I mean, I would love I know what Katie Porter's going to say about Stire. Does Styer have things ready for Porter?

Well, billionaires have very thin skins, so if she he gets under his skin, who knows what will come out of his mouth directed at her.

When he's appeared in public, like in previous debates, he's been kind of vanilla. It hasn't been a lot of sizzle to that, and his candidacy hasn't had a lot of verve, and man, you've got to grab some verv You've got to get some personality out there, and you've got to drive things together.

Verv is one of these words that strategists in the political sphere of makeup.

And he has no personality. So what is he supposed to do.

Let's see if he steps out or if he's still cautious and not quite looking for prime time. A lot of California doesn't know who he is.

So there'll be some swiping back and forth.

John Dettis the county here, we.

Know John Dennis, He's a regular.

John Dettis, the county Chairman's Association, President of the California Republican Party, agrees Mayhan must do something to connect with voters. He also thinks that Trump endorsing Hilton will get a lot of attention.

Is that what this debate's going to be about, one hundred percent? Although if you're a Democrat talking about Trump, you're just going to blend in with the crowd.

From the Trump uh pejard of, you know, slinging that at at Steve. I think I'm going to look for that. I'm also going to look to see if and I expect that maybe even from Tom Steyer might be.

Kind of flirting with a candidate, thinking oh, maybe this is the person I support.

They washed them?

Can we not use the phrase flirting with a candidate?

One off our listeners.

Did that win Winter Chicking Dinner, just referencing that we're going to get emails asking for people to play that tape.

Flirting with a candidate, thinking, oh, maybe this is the person I support. They wash them in the debate and they go, yes, Oh my gosh, for sure, I love this candidate. This is who I want.

I don't know if anyone's going to have that takeaway from anybody on that stage.

Boy that's optimistic or make.

Me negative and they see a candidate do something where they're like, oh okay.

So maybe not.

I'm not so sure about that. I think the angry Karens that support Katie Porter are going to be perfectly happy with her performance.

I call it the shift gift. Oh okay, so maybe not.

They're gonna hear Javi aer Bakaria talk about scrubbing it.

Oh okay, so maybe not.

Melissa Michael Sendean of Arts and Science.

I'm gonna save that.

I like it.

It's sometimes I need these drops just for me.

Oh okay, so maybe not.

Melissa Michael Sendan of arts and sciences and political science professor at Menlo College says that she will be watching closely for that moment.

There's gonna be a lot more eyeballs on those snippets of the then there is on the actual debate.

I think a lot of Californians will to.

Me, who's got the patience for an hour and a half with these people?

Oh, you and I are going to watch it.

I got a think tonight. I'm going to watch it afterwards.

But a lot more Californians, well, you.

Know, it's great about watching it afterwards. I can fast forward when I know this isn't going anywhere.

But a lot more Californians will be consuming news about the debate on TikTok, on Instagram, on reels. They're going to be getting little snippets. The candidates are going to cut it up for ads.

So that social media is going to be really important, justin that gotcha moment, of course, one of the key points in this debates and candidates continue to try and count on voters to gain traction in the news room, Teresa Stasio back to you.

I love the way this whole thing is previewed. It's about all these people going after each other and getting really ugly. None of it is about policy.

No, no, we live in a state that has a million and one problems. We don't get to have a discussion as to who has the solutions to fix them, but we do get a season of the Hunger Games. What are you going to do? It's what we have. Eight hundred two two two five two two two is telephone number one eight hundred two to two five two two two. If you'd like to email the show, you can do sell at Johnny don't like show at gmail dot com. That's Johnny don't like show at gmail dot com.

William writes in at Johnny don't like show at gmail dot com. Guys, is there a drinking game that can be played with tonight's debate?

And what would that game consist of?

Oh, I'm sure there's some mannerisms of the candidates that you can if you really want to get hammered, just drink every single time one of the candidates says before they say the thing they're going to say, Well, what I have said.

Is now wait a minute. There's only so much room with the Betty Ford Center.

How about if Katie Porter mentions the mini van or the whiteboard.

You don't think she's going to have the whiteboard out there?

Well, we know she brought one to the California Democratic Convention and that stunt got her fifth place.

And she also dropped some f bombs too.

Do you think there will be any cursing at this debate?

If there is, it'll be from her.

Get out of my shop.

And Randy. If you want to go back and listen to an old episode, we received a number of emails over the last twenty four hours asking us where they could find certain episodes from the past. Well, if that's what you're looking for, it's easy to find. You know, we got this great email. I wish we had time to read it.

Maybe we will later on in the show, but it's from a listener that found us and remembers a crime Blodder story from like two years ago to specific detail. If you want to go back and listen to any of our crime Blodder stories over the years, including the really memorable ones, search for the John Phillip Show. Wherever you get your podcast, whether it's the Apple podcast app, iHeart, Spotify, search for the John Phillips show hit Subscribe you could

Michael believes the intruder was in his home for several hours and spent a lot of time in the kitchen.

He ate a box of ice cream sandwiches, he ate dull whiped a whole box of Beyond beef burgers he stuck in the microwave, cooked them and then ate them.

And Michael stash of chewing gum.

And I had a fresh pack with sixty inside unopened. He opened it up, chewed all of them, and then spit a big wad of gum about this big, the size of a softball, like on my kitchen table.

That drop was from May fourteenth, twenty twenty five. So I gotta imagine if you look for shows that were around the second or third week of May in twenty twenty five, you will find that crime Blodder. It is a classic.

In the meantime, what do you say, we make a couple of listeners very happy.

The La County Fair is back May seventh through the thirty first. Don't miss the country's largest county fair in the best entertainment in Southern California. Tickets are on sale at La Countyfair dot com. But right now College number nine at one eighty eight seven ninety five two two two. That's one triple eight seven ninety five two two two. Who gets a pair of tickets to see Brad Paisley on Saturday, May sixteenth? Tickets furnished by the La County Fair.

All right? So we receive a number of emails from listeners saying that they receive their voter guide in the mail and they're flipping through the voter guide and they see Katie Porter there with an explanation as to who she is and why she's running. But they don't see Steve Hilton, or they don't see their preferred candidate. Why is it that Katie's in there and the rest of them aren't. Well, Randy, we now have an answer.

ABC ten got as many emails about this, as we did, and luckily they did a deep dive in a short little rap that will explain it to all of you as to how you get on the official voter guide, and it's complicated. For more, here is ab in Sacramento.

Well, the June primary election is now just six weeks away, and this little guys probably which.

Means that voting starts in two weeks.

Hard to believe, isn't it.

This little guy is probably already popping up in your mailbox. This is the voter information Guide. And look, we had a viewer reach out to our team asking why a candidate Tom Steyer does not have a candidate statement. So our team was.

Who asked that Tom Steyer, We're to big ass crisis.

You bought everything else in the state, why not that guide too.

Well, there's a very specific reason that Tom Steyer is not on the voter guide, let's continue, does.

Not have a candidate statement. So our team was wondering the same question. So I want to bring in aby Stents Genie new Win because this is something we really wanted to look into. And our team actually learned a lot along the way that we didn't know so hopefully you find this story just as interesting as we did. Genie, what can you tell us?

Well, Alex, I think you'll notice that there are multiple gubernatorial candidates that I don't have a candidate's statement. They're in that voter guide, And what we discovered is that it's actually optional to have a statement. So if you choose to have one, well, you got to read the fine print. As the June primary election approaches, state and county officials are prepping the necessary materials to send to voters.

Voters in Sacramento County should be receiving unless they elect to receive one of them online, two separate voter information guides in the mail. One comes from us with all the local election information.

Can I choose to receive all my political junk mail online?

Too?

Fat chance?

Although I got to say, I know we're still a few weeks out, there hasn't been a lot of direct mail hitting my house outside of one big flyer for Tom Steyer.

You know, come to think of it, the same is true with me. All I get or adds for Royal Caribbean.

Maybe, just maybe, the candidates in this race have realized that there is no bigger waste of money than direct mail.

And another comes from the state with statewide information.

Now, this here is the official voter information guide for state wide offices for the upcoming primary election.

You can see that, and it was really weird too. It was Isaac Bryan says you should vote for Tom Steyer.

Who the hell cares what Isaac Bryan has to say.

You can see that all the candidates are listed in here, but not all of them have their candidate information statements, and the Secretary of State's office says there is a reason for that. There are voluntary campaign spending limits for certain offices that candidates cannot exceed if they want to have a statement in the guide. Gubernatorial candidates must not spend more than eleven million, seven hundred and sixty seven dollars for the primary.

So Tom Steyer was disqualified on day one. Yeah, tom Steyer has spent over one hundred million dollars.

Yes, and he keeps inject Every Friday night. Rob Pyres posts another injection of tom Steyer's own money, because why not. He did say he was going to give all of his away before he dies. What he did not say was he was giving it all away to consultants.

I bet you. I bet you when you look at the spreadsheets. When it's all said and done, Tom Steyer will have spent at least eleven million dollars on tampons in the men's room and his campaign offices.

Gubernatorial candidates must not spend more than eleven million, seven hundred sixty seven dollars for the primary and stay under nineteen million, six hundred eleven dollars for the general election.

So if Tom Starr advances to the general which is definitely a possibility, he will not be in that voter guide either.

He'll just be everywhere else.

Those who accept these terms are allowed to purchase a candidate summary for the voter guide. Legislative analyst Chris mccayley says the US Supreme Court ruled spending limits are a violation of the First Amendment's freedom of speech.

So all they can do is make those spending limits volunteering, and so one incentive to accept it is inclusion of that statement in the ballot guide that goes to every registered voter.

It's also not.

Cheap to have a candidate statement. According to the Secretary of State Candidate statement guidelines statements for the primary election is twenty five dollars per word.

Per word. That's pretty pricey.

How exactly did they price that out? Where if you're putting your campaign in the official state voter Guide, you have qualified for the ballot, you have gotten your signatures, you're in this thing to go. The Secretary of State is charging you twenty five dollars per word, even like the Yearbook Committee at Stanford doesn't charge that.

That's price gouging.

According to the Secretary of State candidate statement guidelines, statements for the primary election is twenty five dollars per word.

For up to what if you just have a really, really really long word that has no spaces.

It'd be hard to read, especially for the older people who vote.

For up to two hundred and fifty words, even though all candidates running for.

Govern Wait, so, how much is Shirley making on this twenty five dollars a word times two hundred and fifty So if you need, if you want to do the full thing, it costs you about six grand, which compared to how much it costs to advertise, is pretty damn cheap. Sounds like it, except for radio. Advertising on radio is pretty damn cheap call our sales department.

Even though all candidates running for governor do appear listed in the guide, mckayley says it's up to the voter to do the extra research.

Voters will want to look at the individual candidate's websites.

Average California voter, are you clicking on Tom Steyer dot com.

No, I don't know enough to give you any good information, but good luck finding someone who does.

No one's going to the website. You know who goes to the website? Me when I'm interviewing a candidate for local office to find out what their campaign's about. That's it. That's for every office. Nobody's going to your website except somebody that might be interviewing you.

Voters will want to look at the individual candidate's websites, and they have not only thorough information about the candidate's background, but most of them have policy statements and even specific positions on different public policy issues facing California's voters.

And it is interesting some of the candidates they have like a paragraph on this issue and a paragraph on this other issue. You got a Steve Hilton's website, there is like a twenty five page booklet on every single issue.

He needs an editor. Huh.

Well, I mean he had a policy organization. He has thought a lot about these, but it is for the average I really find it interesting. But for the average Californi you voter, it's what the kids call a TLDR. Too long, didn't read.

NA State is in the process of mailing out voter guides in Sacramento County. Officials will start mailing out the guides starting this Friday.

Alex, all right, GENNI thank you so much, and we do want to give you some key election dates to keep in mind. You might actually want to take.

A photo of this.

On May fourth, vote by mail ballots will be sent to registered voters. Early voting sites will also open on this date. May eighteenth is the last day to register to vote for the primary election. Between May nineteenth and June second, voters can conditionally register and vote a provisional ballot. Election day is Tuesday, June second. Polls will be open from seven am to eight pm.

There you go. If you're wondering why your preferred candidate does not have a statement on the official voter guide, it's because you can only have spent so much money and it costs you money.

Let's go to Chris in San Francisco. Chris, Hello, Hey.

John, I just want to throwful of buzzwords, no pun intended for tonight's drinking game debate.

All right, what you got, Chris?

Transparency, accountability and at the end of the day watch for those three Oh.

We are going to get a hammer tonight.

Chris, you'll be drunk in the past thirty minutes.

I hope no one's drinking moonshine.

Thanks guys, great show.

You might want to water down your vodka.

Let's go to Morris in La Morris.

Hello, Yeah, good afternoon. It shows a bad time to put the debate on because I watched Jeopardy Real Fortune, and that's more educational, more interesting. I watched the debate, especially with Katie Boyer, so, uh, they choose at bad time. I think a lot of people that are watched rather Jeopardy Will Fortune than to watch the debate, And I think, you know, it's a wasted time. It doesn't prove anything. As a tax payer, I've never gotten anything out of

So thank you for the call Wars finally vote it off ramp. Let's go to Jeremy in Huntington Beach. Jeremy, Hello, Hello.

Well, first off, I'd like to say that, although I'm not going to watch the debate tonight, I would pay good money to see Katie Porter and Tom Steyer in a cage fight. But my I'm I'm pretty I'm pretty.

Sure that would be like a pitbull take it on at Chihuahua.

Yeah, I know Styer wouldn't have a chance, but it would still be enjoyable.

Uh.

This this this particular group. Every year we have some extremely horrible Democratic candidates in my opinion, but this particular group this year I think will actually ensure a Republican victory for the first time, and you'll sense the governator. But of them all, to me, Porter and Stier are the two worst. They have to put on this really ridiculous you know, pretense of that they have some moral

Thank you for the call, sir, I appreciate it. Eight hundred two two two five two two two is the telephone number? What eight hundred two to two two five two two two. Let's go to Pete in Vacaville.

Pete, Hello, Hey, Hello, Yeah, I was thinking about that drinking game. You know, if it's uh going to be up to the Democrats at this time, it's always going to be the word.

The keyword is going to be Trump. Now, every time you hear that word Trump or the current at uh president administration, then you got to take a sh Then you're gonna be on a vendor for sure, But that's about all they're going to be talking about. I think the only two candidates are going to be talking about California issues are the two top Republican candidates. So stuck up is it's going to be a drinking night.

Someone might get liquor poisoning if we use that.

Word true that you know.

Well, we're going to look up hospital records the night after the debate and we're going to see if there was an increase and people going to the er to get their stomach pumped.

Oh, the drunk tanks are going to be full tonight. It seems like they have those services where you can get liquid ivs. You can get those ivs brought to your house and if you get too drunk, they can bring you back to life. Don't they have those like driving around Vegas now in these mobile vans where you can either come out to the van and they'll pick you up and IV you up, or they'll come straight to your hotel room. Because of course, who just drinks