transcript
Speaker 1:
[00:00] And a very happy Wednesday to you at 12.07 in the West. It's The John Phillips Show. Mr. Randy Wings is in Culver City.
Speaker 2:
[00:08] John, just 24 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.
Speaker 3:
[00:24] And you can literally see it, smell it, and feel it.
Speaker 1:
[00:29] Boring Betty gets behind the billionaire.
Speaker 2:
[00:33] 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.
Speaker 3:
[00:43] We're in a big ass crisis.
Speaker 1:
[00:46] I guess he's her enviro sugar daddy.
Speaker 2:
[00:49] And they taped a little video together.
Speaker 4:
[00:51] So Tom, today I am just really, really pleased in my endorsement to become our next governor of California.
Speaker 3:
[00:58] Like many Californians, I've looked up to Betty Yee for years.
Speaker 2:
[01:01] You had no idea who she was till you started running against her.
Speaker 1:
[01:05] This is a man who claims he paid such little attention to what was going on in Sacramento that he couldn't give Gavin Newsome a grade on his performance.
Speaker 2:
[01:15] 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 L.A.'s been doing.
Speaker 1:
[01:32] On that, I believe them.
Speaker 3:
[01:34] 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.
Speaker 2:
[01:46] How many incredibly times are you going to incredibly say incredibly?
Speaker 1:
[01:50] I love the fact that they're all singing her praises now. Well, for the last two months, they've all been advocating for her to get run over by an 18-wheeler.
Speaker 3:
[02:00] And I want to be that kind of person.
Speaker 4:
[02:01] You know, I think people confuse the fact that if you have progressive values that you can't be pragmatic and deliver. But they actually are one and the same.
Speaker 2:
[02:08] What about Tom Steyer's platform is pragmatic?
Speaker 1:
[02:14] Not one bit of it.
Speaker 2:
[02:16] I mean, some of the things emotionally I love, like he wants to break up PG&E. How do you do that?
Speaker 1:
[02:24] The only thing that's in his platform that's doable is big asses.
Speaker 4:
[02:29] They actually are one and the same. And if you can really intertwine those, that's impact. That's called impact. And so I look at...
Speaker 2:
[02:37] Is that him laughing at something that she said that wasn't funny?
Speaker 1:
[02:40] Maybe he's choking on a pretzel.
Speaker 4:
[02:42] That's impact. That's called impact. And...
Speaker 2:
[02:45] Or does he just make noises when other people are talking?
Speaker 1:
[02:49] He's a strange guy. When you see him sitting for an interview, he's got a bobblehead.
Speaker 2:
[02:54] 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.
Speaker 4:
[03:02] That's impact. That's called impact. And so I look at what you've done in terms of your values, where you...
Speaker 2:
[03:08] 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 and big oil and then said, I hate private prisons and big oil.
Speaker 1:
[03:26] Wasn't Kevin de Leon one of his sugar babies too?
Speaker 2:
[03:30] Oh, really? I don't remember that.
Speaker 1:
[03:33] It is hot as hell. No, Kevin de Leon was the apple of his eye for a while.
Speaker 2:
[03:38] So was Steyer funding Kevin de Leon's incredibly misguided bid to take down Feinstein?
Speaker 1:
[03:45] I believe so.
Speaker 2:
[03:48] Didn't work out.
Speaker 4:
[03:48] 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 and 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 going to be able to deliver.
Speaker 2:
[04:10] No, he's not. If this guy becomes governor, I'd love to see him try to take on PG&E, but I don't see it happening.
Speaker 1:
[04:18] Boy, for the smart one in the race, she really sold out, didn't she?
Speaker 3:
[04:23] No one.
Speaker 2:
[04:24] What did he promise her? What job did he promise her in the administration?
Speaker 1:
[04:31] I don't know. Maybe chief of staff.
Speaker 3:
[04:34] 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.
Speaker 2:
[04:44] So shouldn't you be dropping out and then endorsing her?
Speaker 1:
[04:47] You'd think if he actually believed that.
Speaker 3:
[04:51] No one knows how our government works.
Speaker 2:
[04:54] How about this? Tom Steyer says that this person sitting next to me who was also running for governor is more qualified than I am, knows this state better than anybody, but I alone can fix it.
Speaker 1:
[05:07] Mediocrity rises to the top.
Speaker 3:
[05:09] 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 Bedi. So I am really hoping.
Speaker 2:
[05:19] Maybe you should ask Bedi about how it is political suicide to go after Prop 13.
Speaker 3:
[05:26] So I am really hoping what has been a long term, strong relationship will be a very practical partner.
Speaker 2:
[05:33] What do you think any dinners were in this relationship? They play pickleball together. Have they ever spent any time socially with each other?
Speaker 1:
[05:41] 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?
Speaker 2:
[05:56] It would not be a very fun experience. That I can say for sure.
Speaker 3:
[06:01] So I am really hoping what has been a long-term, strong relationship will be a very practical part.
Speaker 2:
[06:07] Boy, the longer he speaks, the more grating that voice gets.
Speaker 1:
[06:11] Imagine that voice for four years.
Speaker 2:
[06:14] 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.
Speaker 1:
[06:22] Would you rather listen to that or Katie Porter in the little girl voice?
Speaker 2:
[06:26] Katie Porter.
Speaker 5:
[06:26] Hey, how are you, buddy?
Speaker 2:
[06:29] It's like even when RFK was running for president, can you listen to that every day for four years?
Speaker 3:
[06:37] We'll be a very practical partnership. And if we're actually going to get done 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 practical...
Speaker 2:
[06:49] She's so smart. She's so qualified, but I'm better than her because I'm rich.
Speaker 1:
[06:55] If he were to be elected and he were to appoint her to be chief of staff or something like that, the moment one of his hair brain ideas doesn't happen, she's getting the boat.
Speaker 3:
[07:08] To make sure that we're doing it in a practical way so it can actually happen is something that honestly is irreplaceable.
Speaker 4:
[07:15] California should be feel very comfortable about where we're headed in this near term. And I'm just really proud to support you.
Speaker 2:
[07:21] 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.
Speaker 3:
[07:37] We're in a big ass crisis.
Speaker 1:
[07:41] 800-222-5222 is the telephone number 1-800-222-5222. On the topic of the gubernatorial election tonight, Randy is going to be a big night.
Speaker 2:
[07:53] 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 Nexstar 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 Cron 4. In fact, Cron 4 is hosting the debate. It will be taking place in San Francisco. It will also be on Fox 40 in the Sacramento market, Fox 5 in San Diego, and that's all the Nextar stations I can name off the top of my head. If that merger had gone through and Nextar had bought Tanga, I guess it would also be on ABC 10 in Sacramento, which I don't know how that's going to work. Regardless, here's a preview from Cron 4 of tonight's debate.
Speaker 6:
[08:37] Cron 4 is your local election headquarters. And tomorrow night, Cron 4 is hosting a debate with the top candidates in the race for California governor.
Speaker 2:
[08:46] This is the race where they had a last-minute poll because the person who was going to be on that stage was Eric Swalwell. And that's the one that showed the Baccaria bump for the first time. So Javier Becerra will be on that debate stage.
Speaker 1:
[09:02] You know the best part of this debate starting at 7 o'clock at night?
Speaker 2:
[09:06] What's that?
Speaker 1:
[09:07] Unless Eric Swalwell made your drink, all of us can stay awake for it.
Speaker 6:
[09:11] The race remains wide open according to a recent Inside California Politics poll. And our Teresa Stasio joins us here live in the newsroom to share what voters should be listening for tomorrow night. Hi, Teresa.
Speaker 7:
[09:22] Well, hi there, Justine. Big moment.
Speaker 2:
[09:24] You should be listening for a lot of passive aggression and for certain candidates, a lot of outright aggression.
Speaker 8:
[09:30] Get out of my f***ing shop!
Speaker 1:
[09:33] Well, since Katie Porter is going to be there, someone might actually get hit.
Speaker 7:
[09:38] Well, hi there, Justine. Big moment here. Political experts telling us that the debate is going to be quite significant. They expect fireworks, especially between certain candidates.
Speaker 2:
[09:48] 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 Steyer. It has not happened. This is her time to take down Tommy.
Speaker 1:
[10:08] But the two of them don't belong on a debate stage. They belong in a steel cage.
Speaker 2:
[10:13] Where's the octagon when you need it? Where's Thunderdome?
Speaker 7:
[10:16] One day before the top six candidates take center stage at Cron 4.
Speaker 9:
[10:21] Most of politics, 90, 95% of politics is about timing.
Speaker 10:
[10:25] It will also be interesting to see if Matt Mahan can do anything.
Speaker 2:
[10:28] I'm sure. I don't know about that. I think the ship has sailed on that.
Speaker 11:
[10:33] I'm sure that they are all proud.
Speaker 2:
[10:35] The Machine has decided that Bakaria is our Plan B. The Machine doesn't like Mahan. The Machine doesn't like Porter. And the Machine likes Tom Steyer's money, but they do not like Tom Steyer.
Speaker 1:
[10:47] Wait, Plan B? He's like Plan Z. Plan A was Kamala. Plan B was the senator, Alex Padilla. Plan C was Swalwell. He's D. Do anything.
Speaker 11:
[11:01] I'm sure that they are all practicing one liners and jabs.
Speaker 2:
[11:06] How many times in the mirror has Steve Hilton said BLM Bianco in the last 24 hours?
Speaker 1:
[11:12] 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.
Speaker 2:
[11:25] Oh, boy. 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.
Speaker 1:
[11:38] I don't know. The thought of Katie Porter entertaining me with riddles makes me want to burst into flames.
Speaker 12:
[11:43] Paul!
Speaker 7:
[11:45] A poll from Inside California Politics in Emerson College released last week shows Republican Steve Hilton leading the way among voters. Riverside County Sheriff of Publican Chad Bianco and Climate Activist Democrat Tom Steyer are tied for second. Former California Attorney General Javier Becerra and Democratic former Orange County Congressmember Katie Porter both received 10% of votes.
Speaker 2:
[12:13] And 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.
Speaker 1:
[12:26] Makes you wonder what they know is coming.
Speaker 11:
[12:29] Get out of my f***ing shop!
Speaker 7:
[12:31] San Jose Mayor Democrat Matt Mahan received the sixth most votes.
Speaker 2:
[12:37] He got fifth place, which was a far cry from the other candidates, but 5% 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.
Speaker 7:
[12:51] On Tuesday, these political experts were revealing their predictions and points of interest.
Speaker 9:
[12:56] After the Swalwell episode, the race has 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.
Speaker 2:
[13:09] 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 Michelson debate that's going to air on CNN nationally.
Speaker 1:
[13:29] It's a debate a palooza or so become hugely important.
Speaker 7:
[13:34] Sonoma State political professor David McEwen sharing his perspective. Mayhem needs to move the needle and there could be sparks between the leading Democratic candidates Steyer and Porter.
Speaker 9:
[13:46] When he's appeared in...
Speaker 2:
[13:47] I mean, I would love... I know what Katie Porter is going to say about Steyer. Does Steyer have things ready for Porter?
Speaker 1:
[13:55] Well, billionaires have very thin skins. So if she gets under his skin, who knows what will come out of his mouth directed at her.
Speaker 9:
[14:05] 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 got to grab some verve. You got to get some personality out there and you got to drive things together.
Speaker 2:
[14:20] Verve is one of these words that strategists in the political sphere make up.
Speaker 1:
[14:25] And he has no personality. So what is he supposed to do?
Speaker 9:
[14:29] 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.
Speaker 10:
[14:37] So there'll be some swiping back and forth.
Speaker 7:
[14:39] John Dennis, the county...
Speaker 2:
[14:41] Hey, we know John Dennis.
Speaker 1:
[14:42] He's a regular.
Speaker 7:
[14:44] John Dennis, the county chairman's association president of the California Republican Party agrees Mahan must do something to connect with voters. He also thinks that Trump endorsing Hilton will get a lot of attention.
Speaker 2:
[14:58] Is that what this debate's going to be about?
Speaker 1:
[15:01] A hundred percent. Although, if you're a Democrat talking about Trump, you're just going to blend in with the crowd.
Speaker 10:
[15:08] The Trump pejorative, slinging that 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.
Speaker 11:
[15:19] Might be kind of flirting with a candidate thinking, maybe this is the person I support. They watch them.
Speaker 2:
[15:26] Can we not use the phrase flirting with a candidate?
Speaker 1:
[15:30] One of our listeners did that.
Speaker 7:
[15:32] Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
Speaker 2:
[15:33] Just referencing that, we're going to get emails asking for people to play that tape.
Speaker 11:
[15:38] Flirting with a candidate thinking, maybe this is the person I support. They watch them in the debate and they go, yes. Oh my gosh. For sure. I love this candidate. This is who I want.
Speaker 2:
[15:50] I don't know if anyone's going to have that takeaway from anybody on that stage.
Speaker 1:
[15:55] Boy, that's optimistic.
Speaker 11:
[15:57] Or it can be negative. And they see a candidate do something where they're like, oh, okay, so maybe not.
Speaker 1:
[16:07] 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.
Speaker 13:
[16:17] I call it the shift gift.
Speaker 11:
[16:18] Oh, okay, so maybe not.
Speaker 2:
[16:24] They're going to hear Javier Baccaria talk about scrubbing it.
Speaker 11:
[16:28] Oh, okay, so maybe not.
Speaker 7:
[16:34] Melissa Michelson, Dean of Arts and Sciences.
Speaker 2:
[16:37] I'm going to save that. I like it. It's sometimes I need these drops just for me.
Speaker 11:
[16:42] Oh, okay, so maybe not.
Speaker 7:
[16:45] Melissa Michelson, Dean of Arts and Sciences and Political Science Professor at Menlo College says that she will be watching closely for that moment.
Speaker 11:
[16:56] There's going to be a lot more eyeballs on those snippets of the debate than there is on the actual debate. I think a lot of Californians will tune in.
Speaker 2:
[17:04] Who's got the patience for an hour and a half with these people?
Speaker 1:
[17:08] Oh, you and I are going to watch it.
Speaker 2:
[17:10] I got a thing tonight. I'm going to watch it afterwards.
Speaker 11:
[17:16] But a lot more Californians...
Speaker 2:
[17:18] You know what's great about watching it afterwards? I can fast forward when I know this isn't going anywhere.
Speaker 11:
[17:25] 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.
Speaker 7:
[17:38] So that social media is going to be really important, Justine, that gotcha moment, of course, one of the key points in this debate. And candidates continue to try and count on voters to gain traction in the newsroom. Teresa Stasio, back to you.
Speaker 2:
[17:50] 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.
Speaker 1:
[17:58] 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? That's what we have. 800-222-5222 is telephone number 1-800-222-5222. If you'd like to e-mail the show, you can do so at johnnydontlikeshow.gmail.com. That's johnnydontlikeshow.gmail.com. And Randy, you're monitoring the mailbag.
Speaker 2:
[18:36] William writes in at johnnydontlikeshow.gmail.com. Guys, is there a drinking game that can be played with tonight's debate?
Speaker 1:
[18:48] And what would that game consist of?
Speaker 2:
[18:51] 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.
Speaker 1:
[19:09] There's only so much room at the Betty Ford Center.
Speaker 2:
[19:14] How about if Katie Porter mentions the minivan or the whiteboard?
Speaker 1:
[19:21] You don't think she's going to have the whiteboard out there?
Speaker 2:
[19:25] Well, we know she brought one to the California Democratic Convention and that stunt got her fifth place.
Speaker 1:
[19:35] And she also dropped some F bombs too.
Speaker 2:
[19:38] Do you think there will be any cursing at this debate?
Speaker 1:
[19:41] If there is, it will be from her.
Speaker 11:
[19:43] Get out of my f***ing shop!
Speaker 1:
[19:47] And Randy, if you want to go back and listen to an old episode, we received a number of emails over the last 24 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.
Speaker 2:
[20:01] 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 blotter story from like two years ago to specific detail. If you want to go back and listen to any of our crime blotter stories over the years, including the really memorable ones, search for The John Phillips 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 download all the episodes. Specifically, he remembered the story of, he thought it was Oakland, but I'm pretty sure it was Echo Park, where a guy comes home to find out that his home was broken into by a naked guy who raided his fridge, and yes, I still have a drop from it.
Speaker 12:
[20:48] Michael believes the intruder was in his home for several hours and spent a lot of time in the kitchen.
Speaker 5:
[20:53] He ate a box of ice cream sandwiches. He ate Dole Whip, a whole box of Beyond Beef burgers. He stuck in the microwave, cooked them, and then ate them.
Speaker 12:
[21:01] And Michael's stash of chewing gum.
Speaker 5:
[21:03] And I had a fresh pack with 60 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.
Speaker 2:
[21:21] That drop was from May 14th, 2025. So I got to imagine if you look for shows that were around the second or third week of May in 2025, you will find that crime blotter. It is a classic.
Speaker 1:
[21:37] In the meantime, what do you say we make a couple of listeners very happy?
Speaker 2:
[21:42] The LA County Fair is back. May 7th through the 31st. Don't miss the country's largest county fair and the best entertainment in Southern California. Tickets are on sale at lacountyfair.com, but right now, caller number 9 at 1-888-795-222, that's 1-888-795-222, gets a pair of tickets to see Brad Paisley on Saturday, May 16th. Tickets furnished by the LA County Fair. Good luck, darling. I'm talking about Brad Paisley every day. Who am I, Peter Tilden?
Speaker 1:
[22:16] All right, so we receive a number of emails from listeners saying that they received 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.
Speaker 2:
[22:41] ABC 10 got as many emails about this as we did, and luckily, they did a deep dive in a short little wrap 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 ABC 10 in Sacramento.
Speaker 14:
[23:02] Well, the June primary election is now just six weeks away, and this little guy's probably-
Speaker 2:
[23:07] Which means that voting starts in two weeks.
Speaker 1:
[23:12] Hard to believe, isn't it?
Speaker 14:
[23:13] This little guy's 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-
Speaker 2:
[23:27] Who asked that? Tom Steyer?
Speaker 3:
[23:30] We're in a big-ass crisis.
Speaker 1:
[23:33] You bought everything else in the state. Why not that guide too?
Speaker 2:
[23:37] Well, there's a very specific reason that Tom Steyer is not on the voter guide. Let's continue.
Speaker 14:
[23:42] He does not have a candidate statement. So our team was wondering the same question. So I want to bring in Amy Stentz, Jeannie Nguyen, 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. Jeannie, what can you tell us about it?
Speaker 15:
[23:56] Well, Alex, I think you'll notice that there are multiple gubernatorial candidates that don't have a candidate statement there 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.
Speaker 16:
[24:16] 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.
Speaker 2:
[24:29] Can I choose to receive all my political junk mail online, too?
Speaker 1:
[24:34] Fat chance.
Speaker 2:
[24:35] Although I gotta 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.
Speaker 1:
[24:45] You know, come to think of it, the same is true with me. All I get are ads for Royal Caribbean.
Speaker 2:
[24:52] Maybe just maybe the candidates in this race have realized that there is no bigger waste of money than direct mail.
Speaker 16:
[25:02] And another comes from the state with state wide information.
Speaker 15:
[25:05] Now this here is the official voter information guide for state wide offices for the upcoming primary election.
Speaker 2:
[25:10] You can see it was really weird too. It was Isaac Bryan says you should vote for Tom Steyer.
Speaker 1:
[25:17] Who the hell cares what Isaac Bryan has to say?
Speaker 15:
[25:20] 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 $11,767 for the primary.
Speaker 2:
[25:43] So Tom Steyer was disqualified on day one.
Speaker 1:
[25:46] Yeah, Tom Steyer has spent over $100 million.
Speaker 2:
[25:50] Yes, and he keeps injecting. Every Friday night, Rob Piers posts another injection of Tom Steyer's own money because why not? He did say he was going to give all of his money away before he dies. What he did not say was he was giving it all away to consultants.
Speaker 1:
[26:06] I bet you, I bet you when you look at the spreadsheets, it's all said and done. Tom Steyer will have spent at least $11 million on tampons in the men's room in his campaign offices.
Speaker 15:
[26:20] Gubernatorial candidates must not spend more than $11,767 for the primary and stay under $19,611 for the general election.
Speaker 2:
[26:31] So if Tom Steyer advances to the general, which is definitely a possibility, he will not be in that voter guide either.
Speaker 1:
[26:39] He'll just be everywhere else.
Speaker 15:
[26:41] Those who accept these terms are allowed to purchase a candidate summary for the voter guide. Legislative analyst Chris McKaylee says the US. Supreme Court ruled spending limits are a violation of the First Amendment's freedom of speech.
Speaker 13:
[26:53] So all they can do is make those spending limits voluntary. And so one incentive to accept it is inclusion of that statement in the ballot guide that goes to every registered voter.
Speaker 15:
[27:06] 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 $25 per word.
Speaker 1:
[27:21] That's pretty pricey.
Speaker 2:
[27:22] 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 $25 per word? Even like the yearbook committee at Stanford doesn't charge that.
Speaker 1:
[27:44] That's price gouging.
Speaker 15:
[27:46] According to the Secretary of State candidate statement guidelines, statements for the primary election is $25 per word for up to...
Speaker 2:
[27:53] What if you just have a really, really, really long word that has no spaces?
Speaker 1:
[27:59] Might be hard to read, especially for the older people who vote.
Speaker 15:
[28:03] For up to 250 words, even though all candidates running for government...
Speaker 2:
[28:07] Wait, so how much is Shirley Macon on this? $25 a word times 250. So 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.
Speaker 1:
[28:26] Sounds like it.
Speaker 2:
[28:27] Except for radio. Advertising on radio is pretty damn cheap. Call our sales department.
Speaker 15:
[28:34] Even though all candidates running for governor do appear listed in the guide, McKaylee says it's up to the voter to do the extra research.
Speaker 13:
[28:41] Voters will want to look at the individual candidates' websites.
Speaker 2:
[28:48] Average California voter, are you clicking on tomstyer.com?
Speaker 17:
[28:51] No, I don't know enough to give you any good information, but good luck finding someone who does.
Speaker 1:
[28:58] No one's going to the website.
Speaker 2:
[29:00] 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.
Speaker 13:
[29:15] Voters will want to look at the individual candidates' websites. And they have not only thorough information about the candidates' background, but most of them have policy statements and even specific positions on different public policy issues facing California's voters.
Speaker 2:
[29:35] And it is interesting. Some of the candidates, they have like a paragraph on this issue and a paragraph on this other issue. You go to Steve Hilton's website, there is like a 25 page booklet on every single issue.
Speaker 1:
[29:48] He needs an editor, huh?
Speaker 2:
[29:50] 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 California voter, it's what the kids call a TLDR. Too Long Didn't Read.
Speaker 15:
[30:06] And the state is in the process of mailing out voter guides. In Sacramento County, officials will start mailing out the guides starting this Friday. Alex.
Speaker 14:
[30:13] All right, Jeannie, 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 4th, vote by mail ballots will be sent to registered voters. Early voting sites will also open on this date. May 18th is the last date to register to vote for the primary election. Between May 19th and June 2nd, voters can conditionally register and vote. A provisional ballot election day is Tuesday, June 2nd. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. There you go.
Speaker 2:
[30:42] If you are 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.
Speaker 1:
[30:55] Let's go to Chris in San Francisco. Chris, hello.
Speaker 18:
[31:00] Hey, John, I just want to throw a couple of buzzwords. No pun intended for tonight's drinking game debate.
Speaker 1:
[31:09] All right.
Speaker 2:
[31:14] What you got for us, Chris?
Speaker 18:
[31:17] Transparency, accountability. And at the end of the day, watch for those three.
Speaker 2:
[31:24] Oh, we are going to get hammered tonight.
Speaker 18:
[31:26] Chris, you'll be drunk in the first 30 minutes.
Speaker 1:
[31:32] I hope no one's drinking Moonshine.
Speaker 18:
[31:37] Thanks guys.
Speaker 19:
[31:37] Great show.
Speaker 2:
[31:39] You might want to water down your vodka.
Speaker 1:
[31:43] Let's go to Morris in LA. Morris. Hello.
Speaker 19:
[31:46] Yeah. Good afternoon. They chose a bad time to put the debate on because I watched Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune and that's more educational, more interesting to watch the debate, especially with Katie Porter. So they chose a bad time. I think a lot of people are going to watch rather Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune than to watch the debate. I think it's a wasted time. Doesn't prove anything. As a taxpayer, I've never gotten anything out of the system. All I hear is about social services, for the homeless, for the needy, free children's lunches. It's clear they forget nothing is free that taxpayers paying for that. I don't like paying for it. There's nothing free out there. That's all we hear about. To me, it's a wasted TV time, wasted airspace, airtime. I just rather watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, especially Jeopardy. So in fact, they were saying the last part of the debate is going to be digital only, or what they were saying. It's not going to be on TV or whatever. So it's just a wasted time. But to each his own, I guess you want to watch it, you watch it. And nothing else is going to be new. Even whoever wins, I don't think any change is going to take place. I doubt it. I doubt anything ever. As long as I've been in California, nothing has ever changed. It's been one of the same. Just a wasted taxpayer money. And when you go to vote, most of the issues on the ballot is taxpayer funding for one problem, one program or another. I got a letter in the mail the other day from the city of Los Angeles. DWP wanting to vote for the new street lighting. And I'm going to vote them, of course. They need more money for the street lighting now instead of pressing the individuals are really doing taking justice for the individuals that are stealing the copper table, make the taxpayer pay a gain. So it's all about the same. So anyway, Speaker 0.(1h 1m 5s): Thank you for the call.
Speaker 2:
[33:55] Morris finally got an off ramp.
Speaker 1:
[34:01] Let's go to Jeremy in Huntington beach. Jeremy. Hello.
Speaker 2:
[34:06] Hello.
Speaker 18:
[34:07] 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 pretty, I'm pretty hopeful.
Speaker 1:
[34:20] That would be like a pit bull taking on a Chihuahua.
Speaker 18:
[34:23] No. Yeah. I know Steyer wouldn't have a chance, but it would still be enjoyable. This particular group, every year we have some extremely horrible Democrat 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 Govenator. But of them all to me, Porter and Steyer are the two worst. They have to put on this really ridiculous, pretense of that they have some moral high ground. There's one reason so many people are turned off to politics is because there's such an amount of lies and trying to pretend that they're certain they're not. If they weren't lying about the big things, then you can lie about the small things. I didn't know that that was the last biscuit in the tin, or I didn't go on a date with her nine months ago. But when you lie about the big things, it turns people off and that's all right for the day.
Speaker 1:
[35:27] Thank you for the call, sir. I appreciate it. 800-222-5222 is telephone number 1-800-222-5222. Let's go to Pete in Vacaville. Pete, hello.
Speaker 8:
[35:43] I was thinking about that drinking game. If it's going to be up to the Democrats this time, it's always going to be the keyword is going to be Trump. Every time you hear that word Trump or the current president administration, then you got to take a shot, then you're going to be on a bender 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 stock up because it's going to be a drinking night.
Speaker 2:
[36:18] Someone might get liquor poisoning if we use that word.
Speaker 8:
[36:23] True that.
Speaker 2:
[36:25] You know, we're going to look up hospital records the night after the debate and we're going to see if there was an increase in people going to the ER to get their stomach pumped.
Speaker 1:
[36:33] Oh, the drug 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.
Speaker 2:
[36:49] 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 a little in Vegas.
Speaker 1:
[37:03] Oh, they're all over the strip. Talk about a walk of shame. Imagine getting out of one of those vans and walking right in your hotel lobby.