State of Gold

Jon Slavet | California Politics

Restoring the California Dream One Bold Idea at a Time

California was once a beacon of prosperity, hope and innovation – symbolized by the Gold Rush, Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Today it’s the least affordable state in the nation and plagued by poverty, homelessness, and sky-high taxes. How did we get here, and how do we turn California around?

State of Gold is a media platform and citizens’ movement dedicated to restoring the California dream. Host and longtime real estate and tech executive Jon Slavet combines practical wisdom and insurgent energy, as he sits down with voices from across the spectrum.

The show will examine and promote the best ideas from any corner to solve the state’s most pressing issues. State of Gold cuts through the noise to explore what’s gone wrong in the Golden State – and what it’ll take to make things right.

www.stateofgold.com

Play latest

Open in podnod

20 episodes
Updated Tuesday
a few times a week
20 min on average

Episodes 20

Newest Oldest Longest

S1 · E83Tuesday · 21 min
Newsom's Inner Circle Is Now Talking to the FBI | Jennifer Van Laar
Guest Jennifer Van Laar, Editor - Redstate.com Guest Bio Jennifer Van Laar is an award-winning investigative journalist and the Editor-in-Chief of RedState. Known for her fearless, ground-level reporting on public corruption, government accountability, and California politics, Van Laar has broken major stories on state-level financial improprieties, non-profit influence peddling, and federal law enforcement probes. With over two decades of background in judicial administration and investigative media, her sharp exposure of political networks and executive ethics has made her a prominent, uncompromising voice in West Coast political journalism. Show Summary A major federal shadow has fallen over Sacramento, as the Department of Justice and IRS criminal investigators probe the personal finances, real estate transactions, and non-profit connections of Governor Gavin Newsom and Jennifer Siebel Newsom. While state leadership dismisses these inquiries as partisan political attacks, investigative journalist Jennifer Van Laar joins host Jon Slavet for a reality check on the actual origins, scope, and timeline of these federal probes. Van Laar pulls no punches as she details the intricate web of Sacramento corruption, tracing how wiretapped conversations involving political operative Alexis Podesta and the federal conviction of Newsom’s top aide Dana Williamson unlocked wider scrutiny. She breaks down the financial gaps in the Newsoms' luxury real estate portfolio, from the unexplained $3.7 million cash purchase of their Sacramento mansion by a cousin's LLC, to favorable, a below-market interest rate mortgage on their $9.1 million Marin County estate. The conversation expands into the machinery of legal corruption in California. Van Laar audits how state-funded licensing deals for Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s non-profits and non-competitive contracts for friends funnel taxpayer money to political allies. She also diagnoses the rampant waste within Los Angeles's homeless services agency, LAHSA. Finally, Van Laar shares her alarming personal story of being forced to flee California after receiving dark web threats for exposing activist organizations. Chapters 00:00 Exiled From California: Threats force Van Laar to flee. 00:38 DOJ Probe Realities: Unpacking federal inquiries into Newsom finances. 02:16 The Wiretap Trail: Detailing Alexis Podesta and Dana Williamson connections. 05:11 Sacramento Mansion Deal: Exposing $3.7M cash purchase anomalies. 07:42 The $9.1M Marin House: Auditing Axos Bank favorable mortgage terms. 12:18 Non-Profit Influence: Examining Jennifer Siebel Newsom's state-funded deals. 15:30 LAHSA & Homeless Fraud: Tracking corruption in Los Angeles homeless agencies. 17:23 Exposing CHIRLA Operations: Uncovering migrant day-labor networks and dark web threats. 21:59 Newsom's Political Future: Assessing indictment risks and 2028 ambitions. Connect with Jennifer Van Laar X: https://x.com/jenvanlaar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifervanlaar/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jennifervanlaar Medium: https://medium.com/@jennifervanlaar Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E83July 31 · 18 min
His Opponent's Entire Platform Is: Repeal HR1 | Kevin Kiley
Guest: Kevin Kiley, Candidate for Congress (CA-6) Guest Bio: Kevin Kiley is the U.S. Representative for California's 3rd Congressional District and currently serves as the only Independent member of the United States House of Representatives. A former high school teacher in inner-city Los Angeles and former California State Assemblyman, Kiley has spent his career advocating for educational choice, tax relief, public safety, and governmental accountability. As Chair of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, he is a leading national voice against regulatory overreach and legislative gerrymandering, championing independent representation focused on lower living costs for California families. Show Summary Congressman Kevin Kiley has stepped out of party confines to become the sole Independent member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Navigating a hyper-partisan chamber that forces independent members to caucus with a major party to retain committee assignments, Kiley joins host Jon Slavet for a discussion on what authentic, non-partisan representation looks like for Californians. Kiley pulls no punches as he explains his willingness to break with Trump on core policy issues - including opposing tariffs and defending international support for Ukraine - while remaining focused on delivering local results. He details the fallout from Proposition 50's aggressive gerrymandering, which splintered his original district into six separate pieces, and outlines his strategy for victory in the newly formed 6th District with a focus on kitchen table issues like the cost of living. The conversation gets tactical as Kiley audits the legislative record of his opponent, Richard Pan, exposing past votes for gas tax increases, elderly parole laws for violent offenders, and extreme pandemic mandates. Kiley outlines his active federal legislative initiatives, including a proposed cap on state gas taxes, expanding federal Tax Credit Scholarships despite Gavin Newsom's state opt-out, and bipartisan legislation to ban insider stock trading for members of Congress, executive appointees, and judges. This episode offers a look at real independent governance and economic realism. Chapters 00:00 The Independent Shift: Caucusing in a partisan House. 01:50 Independent Policy Stance: Breaking with Trump on tariffs and Ukraine. 03:35 The Prop 50 Gerrymander: Running in California's new 6th District. 06:37 Auditing Richard Pan: Rebutting healthcare attacks and extreme mandates. 09:37 Gas Tax Cap Legislation: Proposing a 50-cent federal ceiling. 10:57 Education Tax Credit: Expanding choice despite Sacramento's opt-out. 12:27 Banning Gerrymandering: Ending mid-decade redistricting chaos. 14:32 Sacramento Corruption Probes: Examining Newsom administration federal investigations. 16:10 Banning Stock Trading: Ending insider profiting in public office. Connect with Kevin Kiley X: https://x.com/KevinKileyCA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevinKileyCA/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@repkevinkiley Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E82July 28 · 13 min
Why Los Angeles Now Has More Rats Than New York | Renee Pinel & Roger Niello
Guests Roger Niello, California State Senator Renee Pinel, CEO - Western Plant Health Guest Bios Roger Niello is a California State Senator representing the 6th District and the Vice Chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee. A seasoned business owner, former Sacramento County Supervisor, and former State Assemblymember, Niello brings decades of private-sector experience and legislative governance to state fiscal policy discussions. He is widely recognized for his advocacy on budget transparency, structural tax reform, and common-sense regulatory change to foster economic growth and business retention in the Golden State. Renee Pinel is the President and CEO of the Western Plant Health Association (WPHA), a premier regional trade association representing the fertilizer, crop protection, and agricultural biotechnology industries across California, Arizona, and Hawaii. With decades of advocacy experience at the intersection of agricultural science and state regulation, Pinel is a leading voice for science-based policymaking, public health safety, and agricultural sustainability. Show Summary A dual crisis is unfolding in California, where a massive rodent epidemic is plaguing major metropolitan hubs and agricultural fields alike, exacerbated by a regulatory chokehold that prioritizes ideological environmentalism over public health and economic reality. In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with Western Plant Health Association CEO Renee Pinel and State Senator Roger Niello to expose the devastating human and economic costs of Sacramento's regulatory paralysis. Senator Niello targets the state's backward agricultural rules, revealing how advanced technology like autonomous vehicles - widely accepted on urban streets - are banned on private farmland due to hyper-regulation, driving up operational costs and stifling innovation. Niello calls for an "economic development ethic" in regulatory policymaking, demanding that the state measure outcomes and balance costs against real-world benefits. Pinel sounds the alarm on the public health emergency brewing in California's urban centers. With Los Angeles overtaking New York as the rodent capital of America, diseases of the Middle Ages like the plague, typhus, and leptospirosis are surging to epidemic levels within vulnerable homeless populations. Pinel argues that progressive local governments have sacrificed sanitation and practical disease control for philosophical ideals, leaving our poor population to bear the brunt of rat infestations. The conversation turns to the agricultural fallout, where over 100,000 acres of Central Valley farmland are infested with rodents, endangering crops and threatening farmworker safety. Pinel exposes the hypocrisy of banning critical pest control chemicals, which forces vulnerable farmworkers to harvest fruit exposed to toxic rodent waste. This episode delivers a bracing reality check on the necessity of returning to science-based governance to protect plants, people and our planet. Chapters 00:00 Farmland Automation Ban: Senator Niello on agricultural technology restrictions. 00:47 Economic Development Ethic: Designing regulations based on cost-benefit analysis. 02:32 Autonomous Farm Vehicles: Prohibiting unmanned tractors on private land. 03:02 Automation vs. Minimum Wage: How state mandates drive fast-food job losses. 03:45 Western Plant Health Association: Renee Pinel on agricultural science and safety. 04:54 The Rodent Capital: Why Los Angeles surpassed New York City. 06:49 Epidemic in the Encampments: The return of Middle Ages diseases. 07:32 The Berkeley Leptospirosis Deaths: Progressive policy sacrificing public health. 08:45 Central Valley Rodent Crisis: Crop damage across 100,000 infested acres. 10:05 Consumer Grocery Costs: How pest damage drives food inflation. 11:10 Science-Based Policy: Demanding practical testing over political interests. 12:41 Farmworker Health Risks: Protecting vulnerable harvesters from rodent waste. 14:22 The Owl Box Solution: Supporting natural predators in agricultural fields. 14:59 Healthy Planet, Healthy People: The core mission of modern agriculture. Connect with Renee Pinel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-pinel-9792b6a1/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/ReneepWPHA Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E81July 24 · 22 min
Why UFOs Keep Showing Up at Nuclear Sites | Tim Gallaudet
Guest: Tim Gallaudet, PhD, Rear Admiral, US Navy (Ret) Guest Bio: Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., USN (Ret.) is an oceanographer, national security expert, and decorated former U.S. Navy flag officer. Over a 32-year military career, Gallaudet served as the Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy, leading thousands of military and civilian personnel in global weather, ocean, and intelligence operations. During President Trump’s first term, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and served as the Acting Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Now a prominent voice on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), Gallaudet serves on the ODNI UAP Science Advisory Council and is the author of Holding Fast in Heavy Seas: Leadership Lessons from the Navy to NOAA. Show Summary A quiet paradigm shift is taking place across national security circles, where the reality of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) is moving from fringe speculation to top-tier defense strategy. Classified Pentagon disclosures, historical Navy logbooks, and transmedium ocean encounters all point to an uncomfortable truth: Non-human intelligence is interacting with our planet. Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet joins host Jon Slavet for a reality check on what top military brass and intelligence officials know - and why decades of deliberate government secrecy are finally unraveling. Gallaudet details the genesis of official UAP cover-ups, tracing the lineage back to the CIA’s 1953 Robertson Report. He explains how fear of adversary manipulation triggered a 70-year campaign of intentional debunking and public stigmatization. Addressing why successive administrations kept this hidden, Gallaudet notes that no government wants to admit its inability to protect sovereign airspace and territorial waters from technology operating with unexplainable speed and maneuverability. The conversation gets tactical as Gallaudet highlights California’s central role as a UAP hotspot. From mass security breaches at Vandenberg Space Force Base to craft plunging seamlessly into the Catalina Channel, California’s coastal waters remain an active corridor for unexplained encounters. He breaks down high-speed sonar tracking around nuclear submarines, Defense Intelligence Agency health reports on radiation injuries, and his work on Avi Loeb’s ODNI UAP Science Advisory Council. From leadership under budget constraints at NOAA to a profound reality check on human hubris, this episode offers an unfiltered look at the most explosive issue of our time. Chapters 00:00 The Pentagon UAP Files: Tracking transmedium craft and unexplained intelligence. 01:33 Navy Ship Logs: Uncovering historical UFO sightings in archives. 02:28 The 1953 Robertson Report: Exposing 70 years of government disinformation. 03:44 Higher Order Intelligence: Losing control over national airspace. 04:33 Pop Culture & The Abyss: Linking Hollywood depictions to ocean encounters. 06:22 Whistleblowers: Reviewing Jay Stratton and David Grush claims. 08:42 Top Brass Taking Notice: Analyzing comments from Rubio, Clapper, and Ratcliffe. 09:43 California UAP Hotspots: Detailing Catalina Channel and Vandenberg sightings. 12:37 Global UAP Race: Examining China, Russia, and Japan research task forces. 15:02 Nuclear Silo Interactions: Tracking submarine maneuvers and DIA health reports. 17:51 Holding Fast in Heavy Seas: Leadership lessons from running NOAA under Trump. 21:50 Rapid Fire Realism: Lessons on leadership, intelligence, and academic UAP studies. Connect with Tim Gallaudet X: https://x.com/GallaudetTim Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gallaudettim LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rear-admiral-tim-gallaudet-phd-us-navy-ret-b18185149/ Website: https://www.oceanstl.com Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E80July 21 · 22 min
Is California’s Voting System Designed for Fraud? | Jeff Vaughn
Guest Jeff Vaughn - Founder of OnLACA.com Guest Bio Jeff Vaughn is an Emmy Award-winning journalist with over three decades of experience anchoring and reporting for major news networks across the country, including KCBS and KCAL in Los Angeles, WXYZ in Detroit, and KENS in San Antonio. Known for his rigorous general assignment reporting and investigative boots-on-the-ground style, Vaughn has spent his career covering critical crime, public policy, and municipal stories. In response to corporate shifts and ideological capture in modern newsrooms, he founded onLACA.com, an independent media platform dedicated to investigating underreported local stories, public safety issues, and political realities in Southern California. Show Summary A crisis of trust is unfolding across California's political landscape, driven by loose election rules and shielded by mainstream media that has abandoned hard investigative reporting. In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with Emmy Award-winning journalist and media disruptor Jeff Vaughn to expose the structural flaws behind California’s voting procedures and the top-down corporate capture of traditional newsrooms. Vaughn sounds the alarm on the logistical chaos of California's election administration. With 25 million registered voters, California automatically mails ballots to every registered citizen, regardless of whether they requested one, and pairs this with legal ballot harvesting. Vaughn details how this process opens avenues for administrative error and potential fraud, detailing instances of multiple ballots arriving at single households and PO boxes. He raises critical questions about automatic DMV registrations, which may cause non-citizens obtaining driver's licenses to be swept into voter rolls without rigorous citizenship verification. The conversation gets raw as Vaughn diagnoses the demise of corporate news. Drawing on his decades of experience in Detroit and Los Angeles, he explains how corporate newsrooms stripped trust from local general assignment reporters and concentrated narrative control in the hands of top-down managers. He reveals how local outlets actively suppress critical stories - such as Los Angeles’s covered-up failures with its first electric fire truck - to protect political narratives and climate agendas. This episode is a bracing reality check on the critical need for a new era of citizen-led, independent media to keep the Golden State's leadership accountable Chapters 00:00 The Most Ignored Story: Exposing California's election counting delays. 01:44 Ballot Harvesting Irregularities: Breaking down legal loopholes and ballot stuffing. 04:01 Non-Citizen Voting Risks: Questioning DMV automatic registration protocols. 04:56 The OnLACA Mission: Filling the investigative void left by mainstream news. 07:37 Loss of Local Trust: How corporate management took over reporting. 11:43 News Productization: Why hard news became lifestyle fluff. 12:45 Independent Media Rising: Tracking citizen reporting and covered-up stories. 14:32 The Governor's Race: Analyzing Steve Hilton's campaign against Xavier Becerra. 16:54 Spencer Pratt's Momentum: Assessing Pratt's viral political machinery. 19:03 Rapid Fire: Finding hope in California's beauty and independent voices. Connect with Jeff Vaughn X:https://x.com/JeffVaughn Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/jeffvaughnjournalist/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jeffvaughnjournalist/ LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffjvaughn Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E79July 17 · 21 min
California's Budget Priorities Are Upside Down | Roger Niello
Roger Niello, California State Senator Guest Bio Roger Niello is a California State Senator representing the 6th District and the Vice Chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee. A seasoned business owner, former Sacramento County Supervisor, and former State Assemblymember, Niello brings decades of private-sector experience and legislative governance to state fiscal policy discussions. He is widely recognized for his advocacy on budget transparency, structural tax reform, and common-sense regulatory change to foster economic growth and business retention in the Golden State. Show Summary A high-stakes fiscal crisis is unfolding in Sacramento, masked by a $350 billion state budget that is neither balanced nor on time. Under simple-majority rules passed via ballot initiative, Republicans have little say in the state budget, leaving taxpayers to shoulder structural deficits. California State Senator and Budget Committee Vice Chair Roger Niello joins host Jon Slavet for a bracing reality check on the economic math behind California’s current spending priorities. Niello pulls no punches as he exposes the upside-down priorities embedded in the latest budget. He details a shocking policy swap: Sacramento completely eliminated state-level healthcare funding for legal immigrants while retaining it for undocumented residents. Niello explains how these rich benefit structures, combined with an estimated deficit that reemerges at $10 billion in two years, create a deep moral hazard while ignoring the needs of taxpaying citizens. The conversation gets tactical as they break down the legislative drag on California’s employers. As the only state in the nation that has refused to pay back its federal COVID unemployment insurance (UI) debt, California is forcing businesses to pay up to $450 per employee—nearly ten times the base rate—just to service the interest on the debt. From the regulatory chokehold on agriculture that bans autonomous vehicles on private farmland to systemic failures in wildfire prevention and the K-12 educational neglect of Black and brown students, this episode is an unfiltered masterclass in fiscal realism. Chapters 00:22 The Budget Sham: Exposing the structural deficit behind the state's spending plan. 02:28 Simple Majority Loophole: How Proposition 25 removed pay-withholding consequences for legislators. 03:31 Tax Hikes & High-Speed Rail: Breaking down the latest phone tax increases and wasteful spending. 03:58 The Healthcare Swap: Stripping benefits from legal immigrants while funding undocumented programs. 05:35 Prop 36 Defunding: Criticizing Sacramento's bait-and-switch on local drug and mental health funding. 07:39 UI Debt Crisis: Detailing the massive federal loan drag punishing California businesses. 10:00 Wildfire Prevention Failures: Revealing the state's failure to meet forest clearing targets. 11:08 Systemic Fraud Leakage: Exposing rampant hospice and social program welfare fraud. 14:14 Agricultural Red Tape: Analyzing the regulatory ban on autonomous farm vehicles. 17:53 Systemic Reforms: Demanding comprehensive CEQA overhaul and K-12 educational standards. 20:39 Glimmers of Hope: Finding optimism in California's tech-driven economic core. Connect with Roger Niello 𝕏: https://x.com/SenRogerNiello?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roger-niello-b50185174/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/senrogerniello/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenRogerNiello/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E78July 14 · 23 min
How Far Trump Can Actually Push California | Marisa Lagos
Marisa Lagos, KQED California Politics and Gov't Desk Guest Bio: Marisa Lagos is an award-winning political correspondent for KQED’s California Politics and Government Desk and the co-host of the weekly podcast, Political Breakdown. Throughout her distinguished career, Lagos has conducted deep-dive reporting, analysis, and investigations into state, local, and national politics for radio, TV, online, and live stages—including moderating California's sole gubernatorial debate in 2022. Named one of the top political journalists in California by the Washington Post in 2020, she was nominated for a Peabody Award and won several other accolades for her investigative work on the 2017 California wildfires. Prior to joining KQED, Lagos built a strong foundation in print journalism covering City Hall and the state legislature for the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, and Los Angeles Times. She is a UC Santa Barbara graduate and lives in San Francisco. Show Summary A high-stakes clash is escalating between federal authorities and California over immigration, sanctuary policies, and public spending. Following the Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative majority ruling giving the President sole authority to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of people, California is bracing for localized fallout. While progressive lawmakers scramble, KQED political correspondent Marisa Lagos joins host Jon Slavet for a bracing reality check on what the state can—and cannot—do to push back against federal immigration mandates. Lagos traces the roots of California's deep-seated pro-immigrant policies, explaining how the backlash to Proposition 187 in the 1990s sparked a political revolution that systematically eroded Republican power in the state. However, as California grapples with massive budget deficits, the moral hazard of expanding full-scope Medi-Cal and other taxpayer-funded benefits to undocumented residents has become a lightning rod. Lagos breaks down how Governor Gavin Newsom has been forced to scale back these policies, mandating a $30 monthly premium starting in 2027 to manage an unsustainable $11 billion annual program cost. The conversation gets tactical as they analyze the House Judiciary Committee's formal investigation into sanctuary policies in San Francisco and San Diego. Lagos demystifies the on-the-ground reality of SB 54, explaining that state prisons already turn thousands of undocumented criminals over to ICE annually, while conservative law enforcement leaders like Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco reject the idea of local deputies participating directly in federal immigration raids. From the silence of agricultural operators under aggressive ICE workplace audits to Xavier Becerra’s controversial HHS record, this episode is a masterclass in California's legal and political battles. Chapters 01:18 The Feds vs. California Immigration Battle: Parsing the SCOTUS 6-3 ruling granting the President sole authority to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS). 02:57 The Medi-Cal and Benefits Debate: Discussing the moral hazard and fiscal reality of expanding state healthcare and public benefits to undocumented residents in California. 07:12 The $11 Billion Budget Reality Check: Analyzing Governor Newsom's walkback of full-scope Medi-Cal policy and the introduction of a monthly premium starting in 2027. 07:39 Sanctuary Policy Investigation: Assessing the House Judiciary Committee's formal investigation into San Francisco and San Diego's sanctuary policies. 12:40 Incarceration vs. Deportation Paradox: Evaluating the fiscal and safety questions of housing undocumented convicts in state prisons versus immediate deportation. 13:43 Workplace Audits and Farm Bureau Silence: Looking at how Central Valley agricultural operators are navigating the aggressive federal workplace crackdowns quietly behind the scenes. 16:38 Handcuffs on Federal Agents?: Breaking down the explosive story of California prosecutors warning of potential prosecutions against ICE agents. 19:16 Auditing the Becerra Record: Investigating candidate Xavier Becerra's controversial track record on child migrants as HHS Secretary and its impact on the gubernatorial race vs. Steve Hilton. 22:45 Rapid Fire & A Scepter for Sacramento: Marisa's "queen for a day" plan for tax reform, eliminating political egos, and why she remains an ultimate California booster. Connect with Marisa Lagos X(Twitter): https://x.com/mlagos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisa-lagos-34b82a68/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marisa.lagos/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E77July 7 · 25 min
Did Trump Just Outmaneuver the Iranian Regime? | Chuck DeVore
Guest: Chuck DeVore, Chief National Initiatives Officer - Texas Public Policy Foundation Guest Bio: Chuck DeVore is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, a former California State Assemblyman representing Orange County, and a leading authority on national security, state-level fiscal policy, and competitive federalism. He currently serves as the Chief National Initiatives Officer and Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. DeVore's distinguished career in public service includes serving as a special assistant for foreign affairs in the Reagan administration—where he assisted in planning historic Cold War-era naval operations—and decades of analytical writing on state government structure. His deep expertise in both Middle Eastern geopolitics and the economic rivalry between the nation's two largest states offers a unique, dual-lens perspective on contemporary America. Show Summary A major geopolitical pivot has occurred, with the United States signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Islamic Republic of Iran. While critics from the MAGA base to traditional hawk circles raise alarm over sanction relief, blockades being lifted, and a $300 billion reconstruction fund, military veteran and policy analyst Chuck DeVore argues we cannot analyze this agreement in a vacuum. Underneath the diplomatic off-ramp lies a story of devastating, highly calculated kinetic action that has fundamentally crippled Tehran's regional leverage before the diplomatic ink was even dry. Sitting down with State of Gold host Jon Slavet, DeVore brings historical chops to the table. He reflects on his own experience planning Reagan-era naval operations to explain why Trump's military strikes have dismantled Iran's command structure, isolated proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas, and destroyed the metallurgy factories essential for ballistic missile production. He breaks down the technological realities of nuclear weapons, reminding us that building a warhead is only half the battle—the highly complex delivery systems required are actually far more difficult and expensive to construct. The conversation then pivots from Middle Eastern skirmishes to the domestic battlefront, tackling the fiscal rivalry between California and Texas. Drawing on his tenure in the California Assembly and his current leadership perch in Austin, DeVore pulls back the curtain on the spending math. California spends an astronomical $350 billion annually for 39 million residents, while Texas operates on a more decentralized model and annual budget of $100 billion per year for 30 million people. DeVore details how California’s centralized administrative state, combined with regulatory monsters like CEQA, has manufactured artificial inflation, offering a bracing reality check on why the Golden State continues to hemorrhage its middle class. Chapters 00:00 The Iran MOU: Decompressing the geopolitics behind Trump's diplomatic off-ramp. 02:18 Dismantling the Proxies: How Syrian shifts and targeted military pressure isolated Hezbollah and Hamas. 04:18 The Delivery System Dilemma: Why building ballistic missiles is historically harder than enriching uranium. 05:50 The Art of Sanctions Relief: Tracking monitored US dollar accounts versus opaque cryptocurrency. 09:42 The Nuclear Redline: What short-term kinetic strikes accomplished without putting boots on the ground. 13:40 Verification Hardball: Lessons from Reagan’s Pentagon on preventing treaty cheating. 17:35 The Vance vs. Rubio Dynamic: Decoding why J.D. Vance is leading Middle East negotiations. 20:21 The Texas Blueprint: What Sacramento must learn about tax rates and regulatory paralysis. 21:47 The Budget Showdown: Contrasting California’s $350B spend with Texas's lean model. 23:50 The Electoral Divide: How local union capture and low-turnout elections impact Texas spending. Connect with Chuck DeVore 𝕏 (Twitter): ⁠Chuck DeVore 𝕏 Profile LinkedIn: ⁠Chuck DeVore LinkedIn Profile Primary Expert Page: ⁠The Honorable Chuck DeVore - Texas Public Policy Foundation website. Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E76July 3 · 8 min
California Just Needs Better Leadership | Tony Strickland
Guest: Tony Strickland, California State Senator Guest Bio: Tony Strickland is a veteran California legislator, policy advocate, and prominent campaign strategist who has spent decades building grassroots conservative coalitions across the Golden State. He has served multiple terms in both the California State Assembly and the State Senate, heavily prioritizing public safety infrastructure, tax reform, and middle-class economic relief. A high-profile fundraiser and political leader, Strickland is widely recognized for his unyielding advocacy on ballot initiatives and structural budget accountability. He currently serves as a leading champion for restoring fiscal discipline and functional constitutional governance to California. Show Summary: "For the first time in modern history, more people are leaving the Golden State than coming in—we have catch up to do, and we are exactly one leader away from prosperity," says Senator Tony Strickland. In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with the legislative veteran to break down the high-stakes political realignment shifting the baseline for California voters. Strickland pulls back the curtain on the gubernatorial race, outlining why he has thrown his full backing behind Steve Hilton. He draws direct historical parallels to Ronald Reagan’s trademark optimistic conservatism as a template for outmaneuvering progressive hypermajorities, emphasizing how over two-thirds of Californians already believe the state is on the wrong track. The conversation gets specific on the funding crisis behind Proposition 36. Despite the safety measure sweeping all 58 counties with an overwhelming, near-70% landslide, Strickland exposes how the current administration created an unfunded mandate—allocating a meager $100 million over three years against a $400 million annual structural requirement, while leaving the probation system starved for cash. From tracking the systemic collapse of a budget where just 200 citizens shoulder 10% of the state’s revenue, to a blistering warning about the trillion-dollar loss triggered by the Billionaire Tax, this episode is a blueprint for restoring sanity and opportunity for the next generation of Californians. Chapters 00:00 – The Gold Rush in Reverse: California’s Unprecedented U-Haul Exodus 00:51 – One Leader Away: Shaking the Policy Virus with Optimistic Conservatism 01:36 – Why Over Two-Thirds of Californians Think We’re on the Wrong Track 02:42 – Funding the Fight: Shifting PAC Dynamics and November Campaigns 02:54 – Activating the "Big Mo": How Media Momentum Unlocks Campaign Capital 03:51 – The All-County Landslide: Why Even Liberal Marin Voted for Prop 36 04:10 – An Unfunded Mandate: Exposing the Gov's $100 Million Slap in the Face 05:10 – The Bipartisan Budget Letter: Partnering with Moderate Senators to Find $400 Million 05:50 – Wasting Billions on BART, High-Speed Rail, and 911 Systems 06:17 – A Wasteful Spending Problem: Shifting the Blame off Revenue Shortfalls 06:32 – Horrific: Why the Billionaire Tax Risks Perpetual Budget Deficits 06:49 – Hyperspeed to Wreckage: Losing a Trillion Dollars and Four House Seats by 2030 07:54 – The War Hero’s Legacy: Fighting for Sanity from Huntington to San Diego Connect with Tony Strickland Campaign Website: https://www.stricklandforsenate.com/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/SenStricklandCA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenStricklandCA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SenStricklandCA Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E75June 30 · 18 min
California Is Solving Wildfires the Wrong Way | Edward Ring
Guest: Edward Ring, Fellow - California Policy Center Guest Bio: Edward Ring is a prominent author, researcher, and leading voice on California's political economy, public infrastructure, and environmental policy. He is the co-founder of the California Policy Center, where he has spent decades publishing detailed analyses on state water policy, energy grid reliability, and forest management. Ring is the author of The Abundance Choice: Our Fight for More Water in California and numerous white papers that challenge Sacramento’s regulatory status quo. Known for championing free-market, solution-oriented alternatives to California's affordability and infrastructure crises, his work frequently provides a practical roadmap for restoring long-term sanity to the Golden State. Show Summary California spends over $4 billion a year on Cal Fire's wildfire prevention and response, yet the state’s wildlands continue to break into unprecedented catastrophes every single year. In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with policy expert Edward Ring for a bracing reality check on how well-intentioned environmental regulations unintentionally transformed our forests into massive tinderboxes. Ring pulls no punches as he targets the state's narrative surrounding climate change, explaining that while Sacramento politicians use it as a catch-all excuse to mandate electric vehicles, the underlying culprit is a staggering fuel load crisis. Decades of hyper-efficient fire suppression—not supported by responsible forest thinning, grazing, or prescribed burns—have driven tree densities in the Sierra foothills to anywhere from three to ten times their historic baselines. Overcrowded and competing for identical pools of light, nutrients, and water, these stressed forest systems are structurally dried out and ripe for ignition. The conversation pivots to a strategic masterclass on economic turnarounds. Ring details how California’s commercial logging has been systematically slashed by 75% over the last forty years, starving local economies and leaving millions of board feet of overgrown timber to rot. He breaks down the deep insurance crisis crippling homeowners, explaining how aggressive over-regulation from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) blocks controlled burns while leaving property owners exposed. From an unfiltered call to completely scrap the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to a roadmap for utilizing logged resources to build middle-class housing, this episode is a blueprint for letting common sense trend upward in California. Chapters 00:00 – The $4 Billion Cal Fire Paradox: Spending More, Burning Worse 00:40 – Radical Fire Suppression: How Reversing Controlled Burns Built a Fuel Crisis 01:01 – Modern Forest Management: The Strategic Leg of Logging, Thinning, and Grazing 01:59 – Shifting the Board Feet: Tracking a 75% Systematic Collapse of California Timber 03:06 – Fact-Checking the Denominator: The Reality of 30 Million Acres of Overgrown Chaparral 04:18 – Catching Up on the Maintenance Rate: Overcoming Santa Monica Mountains Bureaucracy 06:29 – Federal Friction: Moving Republican and Democratic Levers for Long-Term Harvesting Contracts 07:43 – The Electric Vehicle Myth vs. Three to Ten Times Historic Tree Density 09:54 – Erasing the Emissions Gains: Catastrophic CO2, Soot, and Topsoil Sediment Squeezes 11:47 – Monocultures vs. Canopy Restoration: The Limits of Artificial Regeneration 13:13 – Reiterating CARB Pressures: Why Well-Intentioned Environmental Policies Trigger Disasters 14:20 – Half the Crisis: Reinsurance Cost Traps and the Defaulting State Plan 15:34 – Restoring a Risk Market: Chess Grandmasters, Reinsurance, and Free Market Principles 16:26 – Scrap CEQA Entirely: Why NEPA Frameworks Are Enough to Halt Third-Party Abuse 17:38 – Rapid Fire: The Most Misunderstood Aspect of Wildfire Policy and Peaking Irrationality Connect with Edward Ring Twitter(X): https://x.com/edring/status/2052061868009914521 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-ring/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E74June 26 · 44 min
Building America’s Next Great City in CA - Jan Sramek
Guest: Jan Sramek, Founder & CEO - California Forever Guest Bio: Jan Sramek is an urban visionary, entrepreneur, and the Founder and CEO of California Forever, the city of the future soon breaking ground in Solano County. Born and raised in Eastern Europe, Sramek moved to the United States with a deep fascination for America's historic capacity to execute monumental public works. After a successful early career in finance and technology, he relocated to California, where the structural failure of housing supply and the local infrastructure gap inspired him to pioneer a multi-generational model for community building. A champion of skilled labor, walkable urbanism, and advanced manufacturing infrastructure, Sramek has brought together elite capital partners, public policy experts, and historic labor coalitions to anchor a city of the future in the heart of Northern California. Show Summary "We’ve gotten into this habit in California where everything takes twenty years. We came in with a distinct point of view: We have to find a way to do things faster," says Jan Sramek, the entrepreneur driving the most ambitious master-planned city development in modern American history. In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with Sramek for an exclusive look at the vision, mechanics, and economic framework backing California Forever. Sramek walks through his initial shock upon landing in California, detailing how the visible homelessness of San Francisco's Market Street and the sterile office parks of Silicon Valley exposed a huge deficit. He shares the grueling timeline of moving a project from a raw, "batshit insane" concept to reality, explaining how he wagered his own personal solvency to complete initial feasibility studies before securing marquee capital backing from silicon valley tech titans. The conversation pivots to a masterclass in large-scale logistics and planning. Sramek details the strategic layout of the Solano Foundry’s advanced manufacturing zone and the logic behind the multi-thousand-acre Solano Shipyard complex, designed to aggressively close the widening gap between American and Chinese naval shipbuilding. Sramek outlines his strategy for outmaneuvering traditional real estate speculation through a minimum-density "missing middle" housing plan, and how a European philosophy of public space over private isolation can solve the modern epidemic of social disconnection. Chapters 00:00 – Preview: The 50-Year Economic Opportunity vs. Strategic Flaw Hunting 00:28 – Welcoming California Forever Founder & CEO Jan Šramek 00:48 – First 48 Hours: Bypassing Europe's Standards for California's Reality 01:44 – Fallow Expanses: Spotting Solano County’s Commuter Pain Points 02:23 – The Startup Leap: Pitching a City After a 70-Year US Drought 03:49 – Skin in the Game: Risking Personal Solvency After Back-to-Back Rejections 06:21 – The Elevator Pitch: Advanced Manufacturing and $500,000 Starter Homes 07:38 – Proving Demand: The 174,000 upfront Entitlement Volume Strategy 08:13 – Affordable by Design: Cutting Out the $1,200 Monthly Multi-Car Squeeze 11:01 – Bolting Community to Urban Form: Reinvesting in Shared Public Plazas 14:14 – Land Asset Realities: Why California Forever Is Not a Public Robinhood Vehicle 15:21 – Outmaneuvering the 20-Year Trap: Consolidating Plan Changes, Financing, and Zoning 17:34 – Sourcing the West Coast Base: Inside the Solano Foundry Complex 18:26 – Closing the Naval Shipbuilding Gap: The Strategic Bipartisan Shipyard 19:49 – Newport News Scale vs. Solano’s 7,500-Acre Coastal Blueprint 20:22 – Public-Private Frameworks: Re-Establishing Government Repair Hubs 22:07 – The Travis Protection Buffer: Adjusting Grids with Air Mobility Partners 23:11 – Sidewalk Footprints: The Dream of Naming Streets After Construction Laborers 24:46 – Permissive Design Over Star Subdivisions: Crafting Organic Neighborhoods 27:02 – Washington to Sacramento: A 70,000-Acre Matrix of Proximity 28:35 – Sourcing the Blue-Collar Belt: Organizing the Historical 40-Year PLA 31:20 – Replacing Closed Industries: Bringing 50,000 Jobs in 5 Years to Solano 37:43 – Speculation Guardrails: Setting Solano Resident First Dips on Waiting Lists 38:57 – Iron Curtain to Golden State: Reclaiming the 1990s Aesthetic of Optimism 39:24 – Rebuilding the Quarry Base: Skilled Plumber Compensation vs. Starbucks Management 40:52 – Private Wealth vs. Public Poverty: Maximizing the ROI of Public Playgrounds Connect with Jan Sramek X: https://x.com/jansramek LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jansramek/ Website: https://californiaforever.com/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E73June 23 · 5 min
Will Traditional Media Companies Survive? | Seema Mehta
Guest: Seema Mehta, LA Times Senior Political Reporter Guest Bio: Seema Mehta is a legendary political journalist who has covered California and national politics for the Los Angeles Times since 1998. For a generation, she has reported extensively on state houses, gubernatorial races, and presidential campaigns across the nation. Mehta is currently a fellow at the University of Southern California (USC) Center for the Political Future, where she teaches and mentors the next generation of journalists and political scientists. Show Summary How does a democracy function when the institutional referees covering state government begin to vanish? In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with veteran Los Angeles Times reporter Seema Mehta to analyze the profound structural transformations sweeping through modern media and California's fiscal architecture. Mehta traces the multi-generational contraction of legacy print journalism, detailing the transition of the Los Angeles Times from over a century of Chandler family ownership, through corporate consolidation, to a billionaire owner whose initial newsroom investments have given way to deep cuts. The conversation explores how the loss of reporting bodies in state houses has coincided with a generational shift toward social media platforms like TikTok, eroding the era of shared, "trusted referees" in favor of partisan echo chambers like MSNBC and Fox. Turning her focus to fiscal policy, Mehta breaks down the hidden complexities of the proposed Billionaire Tax. While signature gatherers outside grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Ralph’s find easy success with simple "tax the rich" slogans, she notes the underlying hazard to a state budget with 8,000 families footing 25% of the state budget and less than 1% of taxpayers generating 40% of the total revenue. Finally, the two share a lighthearted yet resonant look at avoiding professional cynicism, with Mehta deploying a striking historical analogy to explain why mentoring next-generation students is the ultimate tool for renewing political idealism. Chapters 00:00 – A Generation at the Times: Tracking California's Political Shifts 00:28 – From the Chandlers to Billionaire Cuts: The Shrinking of State House Reporting 01:22 – Ad Side vs. Edit Side: Navigating Advertorial Pressures in For-Profit Media 02:14 – The TikTok Shift: Fragmented News Demographics and the Loss of Trusted Referees 03:32 – The Monopoly Man Slogan: The Complicated Reality of the Billionaire Tax 04:28 – Volatile Math: Why Less Than 1% of Electorate Funding 40% of the Budget Is a Risk 05:00 – The Lady Bathory Analogy: Renewing Idealism via Next-Gen USC Fellowships Connect with Seema Mehta Twitter: https://x.com/LATSeema LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/seema-mehta-58232b2 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latseema/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E72June 19 · 21 min
The Report Arguing for a Nuclear Comeback | Paige Lambermont
Guest Paige Lambermont - Research Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute Guest Bio Paige Lambermont is a prominent energy policy analyst and researcher whose work focuses on grid reliability, optimal power resource allocation, and the technical integration of emerging technologies. A leading voice in nuclear power development and electricity infrastructure, Lambermont has authored definitive reports analyzing the structural intersection between massive artificial intelligence data demands and the national electricity infrastructure. Known for advocating a freedom-minded, private-capital approach to utility development, Lambermont works closely with research groups across the United States to examine state-level regulatory reform, renewable portfolio standards, and the economic feasibility of next-generation power systems. Show Summary By 2030, the oncoming wave of artificial intelligence and high-tech data centers could consume as much electricity as 95 million American homes. In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet is joined by energy policy analyst Paige Lambermont to break down a looming infrastructure crisis and explain why California must reverse its decades-long ban on nuclear power plant development. Lambermont exposes the stunning irony of California energy policy: The state relies heavily on importing power from neighboring grids, and overseas oil, while intentionally excluding stable base-load power sources like nuclear and large hydro from its net-zero energy goals. The discussion dives deep into real-world economics and safety, with Lambermont dismantling historical PR panics surrounding Three Mile Island and Fukushima, and showing how France successfully secures and recycles its closed-cycle nuclear waste. From evaluating Germany’s catastrophic "energy transition" failure to outlining how consumer-regulated, off-grid utilities can protect small businesses from soaring $7 gas prices, this episode is a clear-eyed look at why a booming economy cannot survive on a low-energy diet. Chapters 00:00 – The 95 Million Homes Stat: Sizing up the AI Data Center Power Surge 00:58 – Silicon Valley Irony: Categorically Banning Nuclear in Tech’s Capital 01:43 – The Accounting Game: Why California Imports 15% of its Nuclear Power 02:22 – Private Industry vs. Poured Concrete: Lowering the Regulatory Barriers 04:43 – Intentionally Breaking the Grid: The Distortion of Energy Subsidies 06:49 – Defining Work: Why There Are No Wealthy, Low-Energy Societies 08:35 – Exposing the Hypocrisy: Tanker Emissions and the Reality of Energy Imports 10:06 – $7 Gas Insanity: The Hidden Squeeze of California’s Fuel Taxes 11:43 – Recalibrating Safety: The Real Science of Meltdowns and Passive Measures 13:00 – The Ethics vs. Safety Panics: Germany’s Energy Transition Warning 14:38 – The French Model: Closed-Cycle Uptime and 80% Nuclear Base-Loads 15:46 – 18-Month Straight Runs: Explaining the 93% Capacity Factor 16:31 – NRC Standards: National Security, Sleepers, and Airplane-Strike Scrutiny 18:42 – Freedom-Minded Utilities: Tracking Best and Worst State Spectrums 19:47 – Rapid Fire: Prizing European Scarcity over Economic Productivity View the report here: https://www.independent.org/wp-content/uploads/article/2026/04/2026_04_cagf_nuclear.pdf Connect with Paige Lambermont LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paige-lambermont-93aa32128 Website: https://cei.org/experts/paige-lambermont/ X: https://x.com/paigelambermont Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paigelambermont/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E72June 16 · 15 min
The Hidden Voting Bloc That Decides SF Elections | Jay Donde
Guest: Jay Donde, Co-Founder of the Briones Society Guest Bio: Jay Donde is an attorney for a leading enterprise software company headquartered in San Francisco, and was previously an associate at the law firm of Morrison & Foerster, LLP. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and Harvard Law School, and is a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces. He serves as the political affairs Vice Chair of the San Francisco Republican Party and as a delegate to the California Republican Party, and is Co-Founder and President of the Briones Society. His columns have been published in Bloomberg, City Journal, Wired, SFGate, and the Marina Times. Show Summary San Francisco is often portrayed as an electric-blue monolith—but underneath the surface lies a growing block of "closeted" conservative thinkers and independent voters who are deciding high-stakes local elections. In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with attorney and Briones Society Co-Founder Jay Donde to explore the changing ideological ground of California’s most famous progressive laboratory. Donde dives straight into the "dirty little secrets" of San Francisco politics, mapping out how a modest block of 40,000 registered Republicans and tens of thousands of No Party Preference (NPP) independents have positioned themselves as a crucial swing constituency. Slavet and Donde evaluate Mayor Daniel Lurie's historic approval numbers and look ahead to the major fiscal battles he will face when standing up to the public sector unions. The heat turns up as the team tackles the Billionaire Tax, breaking down why wealth taxes run completely counter to optimal tax theory by encouraging wealth migration. With startup founders and venture capitalists viewing the ballot measure as an "existential threat" that treats the state as a purely extractive mechanism, Donde details the looming threat of an innovation exodus. From calculating the technical math of a statewide Republican turnaround to a sensible framework for regulating artificial intelligence without fracturing the market into a patchwork quilt of fifty competing laws, this episode is an essential guide to restoring balance and sanity to California. Chapters 00:00 – Preview: Deciding Swing Seats and Tech’s Breaking Point 00:20 – Co-Working Politics: Welcoming Jay Donde at Neon 00:48 – The Closet Conservatives: Unpacking San Francisco's NPP Voters 01:44 – Stigma or Survival? City Government as a GOP Recruiting Tool 02:44 – Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Approval Ratings 04:05 – Blighted Boundaries: Public Safety, Property Crime, and the Tenderloin 05:30 – Growing the Bloc: Pushing the City to the Center by 100 Votes 07:07 – Notching Wins: Rebuilding the Ground Infrastructure of the CA GOP 08:50 – The 400,000 Stat: Activating LA County's Unregistered Consensus 09:24 – Inverting Optimal Tax Theory: The Reality of Wealth Migration 10:04 – An Existential Event: How Founders View the Extractive State 11:53 – AI Policy: Why California Needs to Avoid the Legislative Gold Rush 14:09 – Patchwork Quilts vs. Federal Moratoriums on State AI Law 14:45 – Rapid Fire: Denuding Public Sector Unions and Politics as a Throttle Connect with Jay Donde LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-donde/ Website: https://www.brionessociety.org/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E71June 12 · 21 min
The 2028 Race Is Already Over for Kamala Harris | Tom Del Beccaro
Guest Tom Del Beccaro, Former California GOP Chair Guest Bio Tom Del Beccaro is an acclaimed author, speaker, and the former Chair of the California Republican Party. A veteran political strategist and attorney, he has spent decades navigating the unique landscape of West Coast politics. Del Beccaro is the author of The Divided States of America and a frequent national commentator on fiscal policy, regulatory reform, and constitutional law. Known for his tactical acumen, he was the last Republican chair to successfully qualify a citizens’ initiative on the California state ballot. He currently publishes extensively on economic policy, focusing on structural solutions to California’s affordability crisis and middle-class tax burdens. Show Summary Del Beccaro pulls no punches regarding his 2016 Senate opponent, Kamala Harris, detailing what he calls a long-standing history of being unprepared and relying on political "kingmakers" like Willie Brown rather than executive acumen and hard work. Turning his sights to Gavin Newsom, Del Beccaro exposes a stunning vacuum of real-world management experience, noting that the Governor routinely fails to convene crucial legislative and private sector meetings to address massive structural catastrophes like the supply chain crisis, the Palisades, or the statewide insurance collapse. The conversation pivots to a strategic masterclass on political turnarounds. Del Beccaro explains why trying to out-conservative opponents fails in California, arguing instead that Republicans must bypass the legislature entirely by placing discrete, solution-oriented initiatives directly into voters' hands. From a blunt financial reality check on BART’s $14 billion taxpayer bailout to a chilling forecast on how the proposed wealth tax will permanently drive away the state's core tax base, this episode offers a roadmap for restoring a competitive political marketplace in the Golden State. Chapters 00:00 – Confronting Kamala: Lessons from the 2016 Senate Trail 01:50 – Kingmakers and Traffic Commissions: Kamala and Gavin 03:25 – The Management Vacuum: Why Gavin Newsom Doesn't Do Legislative Meetings 04:08 – Unaddressed Crises: From Supply Chains to the Insurance Collapse 05:42 – The Gate to 2028: Polling Weaknesses and the $1.3 Billion Donor Backlash 07:42 – Soft Ground: Adam Schiff and the Divisive New Era of the US Senate 10:31 – The Chairman’s Playbook: Winning California Through Discrete Initiatives 11:08 – Fixing the Pothole: How to Build a Comeback Without Home Runs 14:30 – Limiting the Spreadsheet: The Private Sector View on Bill Appropriations 15:33 – Funding Failure: Why BART and High-Speed Rail Won’t Recover Ridership 17:53 – A Tax Too Far: The Law of Demand and the 145,000 High Earner Exodus 20:53 – Rapid Fire: The Soviet Bread Shop, Human Ingenuity, and a State in Trouble Connect with Tom Del Beccaro LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-del-beccaro-6359885/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/tomdelbeccaro Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomasgdelbeccaro Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E70June 9 · 20 min
CA Cities & Counties are Robbing Homeowners Blind | Jon Coupal
Guest: Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Guest Bio: Jon Coupal is one of California's most prominent taxpayer advocates and an expert on public finance and election law. He serves as the President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a grassroots citizens organization dedicated to protecting the landmark property tax limitations established under 1978's Proposition 13. A seasoned constitutional attorney, Coupal has spent decades defending taxpayer rights in both state and federal courts, and challenging tax hikes and regulatory loopholes engineered by municipal governments. He has been a pivotal structural force behind multiple successful statewide ballot measures, continuing a legacy of fiscal discipline, accountability, and constitutional guardrails against over-taxation. Show Summary "Nobody has ever been hired by a poor person," says Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association President Jon Coupal. In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with Coupal to unpack the heavy economic toll of California's record-setting tax rates and the growing grassroots effort to put power back in the hands of voters.Coupal breaks down the structural importance of the newly qualified Local Taxpayer Protection Act slated for California’s November ballot. He reveals how the California State Supreme Court has steadily degraded Proposition 13 over the decades, using judicial loopholes to let local municipalities sidestep the state's traditional two-thirds voter threshold for special taxes. He shares how the act seeks to halt "equity theft" by capping aggressive real estate transfer taxes—such as Los Angeles's controversial Measure ULA—and ensure that special interest tax hikes are subject to the original intent of the law. The discussion shifts to a strategic war-room map, where Coupal explains the power of their 200,000-member grassroots network and their success at defeating tax-expansion measures despite being outspent 10-to-1. Turning his focus to the Governor's race, he evaluates Steve Hilton’s proposal to eliminate income taxes for those earning under $100,000, pointing out how pervasive state agency fraud provides more than enough "juice in the squeeze" to offset the loss. From tracking the "Trojan Horse" mechanics of the Billionaire Tax to detailing why a CA zero-income-tax roadmap can prevent a middle-class exodus, this episode is a blueprint for how a "sick" state can recover. Chapters 00:00 – Drawing the Line: Confronting America’s Highest Tax Bracket 00:23 – Introducing the Local Taxpayer Protection Act 00:32 – Closing the Loopholes: Restoring the Guardrails of Proposition 13 01:15 – Defining Equity Theft: Capping Real Estate Transfer Taxes 01:50 – Complicit Courts: How the State Supreme Court Bypassed Plain Language 03:43 – War Room Strategy: Mobilizing a Coalition of Realtors and Landlords 04:54 – Defeating Proposition 5: Winning a Grassroots Campaign Outspent 10-to-1 07:07 – Lowest ROI: Why California Ranks Dead Last in Return on Investment 09:06 – Saved Revenue vs. Lost Revenue: Endorsing Steve Hilton’s Tax Cuts 10:56 – Reinvigorating the Economy: The Historic Proof of Property Tax Relief 11:12 – The Fraud Explosion: Funding Cuts Through Waste and Bot Scams 12:51 – Exploding the Billionaire Myth: How fine Print Creates an Everyone Tax 15:28 – Constitutional Infirmities: The FTB Enforcement and Ex Post Facto Traps 18:05 – November Rejections: Why the Electorate Isn't as Progressive as its Leaders 19:15 – Rapid Fire: Removing Collective Bargaining and a Sick State’s Recovery Connect with Jon Coupal Twitter/X: https://x.com/joncoupal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-coupal-68772ba Website: https://www.hjta.org/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E69June 5 · 24 min
CA Governor Primary Roundtable with Steve Maviglio & Jennifer Horn
Guests: Jennifer Horn: Conservative political commentator and host on AM590 The Answer Steve Maviglio: Democratic strategist and former press secretary to CA Governor Gray Davis Show Summary Days after California's high-stakes June 2nd jungle primary, the dust is still settling—and millions of ballots have yet to be certified. In the inaugural State of Gold post-election roundtable, host Jon Slavet sits down with top-tier political commentators Jennifer Horn and Steve Maviglio for an unfiltered, bipartisan autopsy of a wild election cycle. The panel dives straight into the frontrunners for Governor, breaking down how Xavier Becerra staged a "Lazarus-style" comeback from the dead to secure a presumptive general election matchup against frontrunning Republican Steve Hilton. Maviglio exposes how the sudden structural collapse of Eric Swalwell's congressional career upended the field, driving anxious progressive voters toward a calm establishment alternative. Meanwhile, Horn outlines the roadmap Hilton must use to target Becerra's thin record of legislative achievements and federal HHS baggage. The debate gets heated as the team investigates California's notoriously sluggish mail-in vote counts and the growing crisis of voter confidence. From analyzing intra-party squabbles inside gerrymander-tweaked congressional districts to tracking reality TV icon Spencer Pratt's viral, AI-driven mayoral campaign against an embattled Karen Bass in Los Angeles, this episode is a definitive breakdown of what happens when performance art meets real-world math on the California ballot. Chapters 00:00 – Launching the Post-Primary Roundtable 00:40 – The 56% Tally: Sizing up the Hilton vs. Becerra Presumptive Matchup 01:50 – Rising From the Dead: How Xavier Becerra Catapulted Past Tom Steyer 03:35 – The 35% Turnout: Disenfranchisement, Voter Integrity, and the Apathy Trap 05:42 – The Crisis of Confidence: Assessing State Election Law and Voter ID Policies 07:40 – Postmark Deadlines: The Strategic Debate Over Mail-in Ballots 09:17 – The Cliff Note Strategy: How Hilton Can Define Becerra’s Baggage 11:27 – Running Against Trump: The Predictable Democratic Line of Attack 12:28 – Referendums on Scarcity: Why the Prop 50 Precedent Matters 13:41 – Pushing Chips in the Middle: Strategists Place Bets on the November Governor 15:05 – Running Through the Tape: Evaluating Chad Bianco’s Next Political Move 17:03 – California 22: David Valadao and the Top-Two Primary Manipulation 18:49 – District 6 Suburbs: Kevin Kiley's Thorn in Governor Newsom's Side 20:06 – The LA Mayoral Shocker: Spencer Pratt's High-Tech Rise Against Karen Bass 21:11 – Reframing the News: Understanding Pratt's Reality TV Media Gift 24:08 – Changing the Script: How Satire and AI are Reshaping Modern Campaigns Connect with Jennifer Horn Twitter/X: https://x.com/JenniferHorn?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferHornRadio/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferhornradio/?hl=en Connect with Steve Maviglio Twitter/X: https://x.com/stevenmaviglio LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-m-54a17b/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E68June 2 · 22 min
Meet the Man Who Drew the California Prop50 Maps | Paul Mitchell
Guest: Paul Mitchell, Democratic Political Strategist Guest Bio: Paul Mitchell is one of the nation's premier experts on nonpartisan redistricting, political demography, and voter data analytics. He has directed decennial line-drawing for more than 100 cities, school boards, and community college districts, and served as a data consultant for independent commissions in New York and New Mexico. Long recognized as a staunch advocate for independent, nonpartisan commission criteria, Mitchell frequently collaborates with civic organizations like Common Cause and the ACLU to protect communities of interest from partisan overreach. He stepped into intense statewide debate as the lead cartographer behind California's Proposition 50 congressional maps. Show Summary Can a partisan gerrymander ever be justified—even if it's meant to correct a wrong? In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with political data expert Paul Mitchell, the architect behind California’s highly controversial Proposition 50 gerrymander. Mitchell pulls back the curtain on the behind-the-scenes dynamics that birthed the measure, revealing his initial opposition to bypassing California's Independent Redistricting Commission. He details how he urged Democratic congressional leadership and the Governor's office to use the maps as a political "bluff" to deter Texas from aggressively redrawing its own lines. Mitchell defends the analytical integrity of his final map, explaining how he preserved key commission criteria and limited city splits while delivering the targeted five-seat shift demanded to balance the national scales. The conversation pivots to a mathematical dive into proportional representation, with Mitchell unpacking why geographical sorting makes drawing "perfectly balanced" rural and urban districts a technical impossibility. Finally, he offers a provocative reality check on how a looming, AI-driven automation wave could transform the landscape for American workers, framing wealth taxes not just as an ideology, but as a future survival mechanism for the state's economy. Chapters 00:00 – Prop 50: Did Two Wrongs Make a Right? 00:58 – The Anti-Gerrymander Cartographer: Mitchell’s Nonpartisan Roots 02:00 – The Texas Counter-Bluff: Advising a Partisan Stand-Off 03:00 – Maintaining Map Integrity Under Partisan Constraints 04:15 – Bludgeoning the Minority Party: The Disenfranchisement of Voters 05:14 – Latte Voters and Rural Reality: The Challenge of Underpopulated Districts 07:16 – Bypassing the Commission: The Incremental Push from Washington 07:51 – Long-Term Meditation: When Democrats Started Strategic Line Drawing 08:35 – Preserving Communities of Interest vs. "Bacon Strip" Public Maps 10:11 – The Proportionality Math Problem: Self-Segregation of Electorates 12:00 – High Taxes, Worse Outcomes: Sacramento’s Lack of Economic Leadership 12:48 – Low-Information Landslides: Why Voters Backed the Anti-Trump Narrative 14:55 – Low-Information Electorates and the Realities of the Campaign Trail 15:41 – The Billionaire Network: Evaluating Elite Mobility in California 16:00 – AI, Automation, and the Pitchfork Economy: Shifting Jobs on the Chopping Block 18:26 – Crude Mechanisms vs. Mileage Taxes: The Problem with Asset Liquidation 20:07 – The Societal Compact: Reinventing Government Infrastructure Through Private Gains 21:23 – Congressional Pass: Healthcare Deficits and Abdicating Responsibility Connect with Paul Mitchell Twitter/X: https://x.com/paulmitche11 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulmitche11/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E67May 29 · 25 min
In an Average Year, the President’s Party Loses 28 Seats | Mark Halperin
Guest: Mark Halperin - Editor-in-Chief - 2WAY Interactive Inc. Guest Bio: Mark Halperin is one of the nation's most experienced political analysts, authors, and commentators. He is the co-author of the New York Times bestsellers Game Change and Double Down, which provided definitive, behind-the-scenes accounts of the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. Over a career spanning decades, Halperin has served as the political director for ABC News, a senior political analyst for Time magazine, and a frequent contributor across major news networks. Currently offering national political reporting and analysis through his independent platforms, Halperin is widely recognized for his data-driven insights into campaign strategy, presidential polling, and the shifting dynamics of both state and federal elections. Show Summary “In a normal state, you'd say organize and get hot at the end. There is no organization in California—it's just get hot at the end". In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with legendary political journalist Mark Halperin for a masterclass in campaign math, media scrutiny, and national electoral trends. Halperin opens by revising his previous predictions for the 2026 California Governor's race, and outlining a path where either San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan or Xavier Becerra will ultimately take the mansion. The discussion dives into the sudden "open secret" implosion of Eric Swalwell, drawing historical parallels to presidential campaigns of the past to explain why certain scandals only ignite under a high-stakes media microscope. Zooming out to the federal level, Halperin drops a sobering forecast for the upcoming midterms, predicting a massive "blue wave" that could see Democrats flip over 30 seats in the House and capture a Senate majority. Finally, the conversation shifts to the 2028 presidential landscape, offering insider scouting reports on Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, J.D. Vance, and Josh Shapiro. From the family "veto power" on Newsom's ambitions to why a well-run Super PAC is a candidate's greatest weapon, this episode provides an unmatched look at the mechanics of modern political warfare. Chapters 00:00 – Shifting Trajectories: Why Mahan and Becerra are Leading the Field 01:12 – Selling Oatmeal: Can Matt Mahan Make Moderation Sexy? 02:15 – Breaking Becerra: Vacuum and Vulnerabilities in the Debates 03:07 – The Primary Math: Can Republicans Avoid a Top-Two Shutout? 04:34 – Open Secrets: Why the Swalwell Skeletons Exploded Late 06:35 – Defining the Perfect California Republican: The Legacy of Dick Reardon 08:45 – The Midterm Forecast: Affordability, the Iran War, and a Looming Blue Wave 11:12 – The Texas Drought: Can James Talarico Unseat a Republican Statewide? 12:26 – The Gauntlet of 2028: Family Vetos and Gavin Newsom's Presidential Ambitions 15:34 – Bestsellers and Email Lists: Sizing Up Newsom's National Appeal 18:24 – The 2028 Dem Board: Harris, Shapiro, Buttigieg, and Rahm Emanuel 21:33 – Super PAC Strategy: The Hidden Mechanics of a Winning Campaign 23:00 – The Post-Trump Era: J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio, and the Republican Mantle 24:12 – Game Change Lessons: Normality, Charm, and Mission Chinese Connect with Mark Halperin Twitter: https://x.com/MarkHalperin?lang=en Twitter (show): https://x.com/NextUpHalperin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markevanhalperin/ Instagram (show): https://www.instagram.com/nextuphalperin/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NextUpHalperin Website: 2waytvapp.com Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com
S1 · E66May 26 · 19 min
The Candidate for City Attorney Who Will Clear LA's Streets | John McKinney
Guest: John McKinney - Candidate for LA City Attorney Guest Bio: John McKinney is a seasoned prosecutor who has dedicated nearly three decades to the criminal justice system inside the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, where he specialized in prosecuting violent crimes and major gang offenses. A native of New Jersey who overcame adversity in his youth, McKinney rose to become one of the most prominent trial lawyers in the LA legal community, known for prosecuting high-profile murder cases. Running as a pragmatist for Los Angeles City Attorney, his platform centers on restoring public safety, enforcing misdemeanor laws, tackling the homelessness crisis through structured transitional environments, and serving as a strict legal defender for the municipal corporation of Los Angeles. Show Summary "California has, by and large, chosen to leave dangerous people on the street," says veteran prosecutor John McKinney. In this episode of State of Gold, Jon Slavet sits down with McKinney for a sobering look at public safety and the humanitarian breakdown in the nation's second-largest city. McKinney links the current state of disorder in Los Angeles to the legacy of 2011's "prison realignment" policies, which pushed overcrowding down to the local counties and led to inmates being pushed out onto the streets. Drawing on his thirty years of frontline experience, McKinney offers a rare, nuanced perspective on federal immigration enforcement, local sanctuary policies, and the hidden pressures applied by the LA County Board of Supervisors. The conversation pivots to McKinney’s vision for the City Attorney's office as general counsel, rather than a "public interest law firm" as proposed by opponents on his left. He outlines a clear strategy of "compassionate accountability" to address the homeless industrial complex, detailing a shift away from high-priced permanent housing toward immediate, scalable city-owned transitional spaces. From tracking Spencer Pratt’s high-tech mayoral campaign to enforcing laws that keep business open and streets safe, this is an exploration of real-world leadership in modern Los Angeles. Chapters 00:00 – The Core of Safety: Tracing Modern LA problems to 2010s Realignment 01:45 – Leaving People on the Street: The Failure of State Corrections 02:43 – Debunking the Crime Link: Legal Immigration Status vs. Local Crime 04:34 – The Budget Levers: Board Politics and Sanctuary State Dynamics 05:58 – General Counsel or Public Interest Firm? Delineating the LA City Attorney Role 07:28 – The Practical Metrics of Success: CVS Openings, Human Bodies, and RVs 09:00 – Compassionate Accountability: Ditching Hotel Voucher Strategies for $5,000 Emergency Beds 10:45 – Partnering with Law Enforcement: Aggressive Prosecution of Misdemeanors 12:31 – Defeating Career Politicians: The Angry Consensus of the Ordinary Voter 14:18 – Critiques of the Progressive Left: Leaving the City of Los Angeles Without a Defender 15:04 – Sucking the Air Out of the Room: Spencer Pratt’s Viral AI Mayoral Insurgency 17:30 – Rapid Fire: Uncivilized Encampments and Rooting for the Home Teams Connect with John McKinney Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmckinney_/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/John-McKinney-100063804919502/ Twitter: https://x.com/johnmckinney_?lang=en Website: https://mckinney4la.com/about/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavet Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en Website: www.stateofgold.com

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes