California Politics 360 Full Episode November 9 | Impacts of Prop 50, Nancy Pelosi’s retirement, election security questions
I will not be seeking reelection to Congress. Nancy Pelosi is retiring after *** historic career in Congress. We made history, now we have to make progress. *** look back at her four decades in the US House. For me, the hours come for *** new generation and one of the top contenders to succeed Pelosi in San Francisco. Voters passed Proposition 50, changing the congressional maps for the next 3 elections, our one on one conversation with Congressman Kevin Kiley. Thank you for joining us for California Politics 360. I’m Ashley Zavala. Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she will not seek reelection next year. I want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know. I will not be seeking reelection to Congress. Eddie Lambert takes *** look back at her storied career. Nancy Patricia Pelosi was born in 1940 into *** political family. Her father represented Maryland in Congress for eight years. When I first came to the floor at 6 years old. Never would I have thought that someday I would go from homemaker to House Speaker. As *** mother of 5 children and local political organizer, Pelosi was first elected to Congress in 1987. She was handpicked to run for the San Francisco seat by the late Representative Sala Burton. When Pelosi entered the chamber, she mainly served with men. There were only 23 female members out of the 435 representatives. Pelosi quickly rose through the ranks in the Democratic Party, the first woman to become the House minority whip in 2001. I never asked anyone to vote for me because I was *** woman, but I would hope that no one would vote against me because I. As *** woman, we made history. Now we have to make progress. Pelosi continued to shatter the glass ceiling. It is *** staggering honor. There is no question about it. The first woman elected as House Democratic leader in 2003. Where we cannot find that common ground, we must stand our ground. And then in 2007, to the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. For the 110th Congress, the name of the Honorable Nancy Pelosi as *** member from the state of California. Nancy Pelosi became the first and so far the only female House Speaker. In this House we may be different parties, but we serve one country. In 2019, Pelosi reclaimed her title as Speaker. Thank you very much, Leader McCarthy. I look forward to working with you in *** bipartisan way for the good of our country, respecting our constituents. As Speaker, Pelosi was second in line to the president during the administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the President of the United States. Through her nearly 40 years in Congress, Pelosi championed landmark legislation. She is widely seen as the architect of the Affordable Care Act during the Obama administration. Pelosi was also *** prolific fundraiser for the Democratic Party, raising an estimated $1.25 billion while serving in party leadership. In 2022, Pelosi stepped away from House Democratic leadership. For me, the hours come for *** new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect. And two years later, President Joe Biden presented her with the nation’s highest civilian honor, the President. Medal of Freedom to honor her distinguished public service and historic career in Congress. And now, as she announces her retirement, she still has *** year left in her term. She says she will continue to play *** vital role in American politics. Eddie Lambert, California Politics 360. And the contest to succeed Pelosi is starting to heat up. I had *** chance to talk with Democratic state senator Scott Weiner, who at first was preparing to run against her. Here’s part of our conversation. Joining us now is state Senator Scott Weiner. Senator Weiner, thank you so much for joining the program. Thank you for having me. So I want to start with just your first thought when you heard about Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that she’s not running for re-election in 2026. Well, you know, I, I knew that she was giving us *** lot of thought and then not decided. uh and so uh I was, you know, first of all, it was good to know what her plans are. uh, but bigger picture, uh, this is *** huge event for San Francisco and frankly for the country. Uh, Nancy Pelosi for nearly 40 years has been at the center of so much that has happened in this country, whether it is uh expanding healthcare access to tens of millions of people who have healthcare access in significant part because of Nancy Pelosi or expanding clean energy, uh, or, you know, not once but twice, helping save the our economy during COVID and during the Great Recession. Uh, or the work she’s done, uh, for people living with HIV, uh, she’s, uh, *** truly not just iconic, but she moved mountains for San Francisco and for the country. There was the slight chance that maybe you were gonna go head to head in this race, but even as her possible opponent in the rearview mirror, I mean, how has she inspired you as *** politician in California? Well, first of all, she inspired me as ***, as *** gay man, um, because she was the one who went onto the floor of the House of Representatives on the day she was sworn in in 1987, uh, and said, I have come here to Congress to fight AIDS. Uh, and, um, there weren’t that many leaders in the country saying things like that in 1987. Uh, that was also the year 19. 87, that I, as ***, uh, *** gay teenager, admitted to myself that I was gay, which was *** terrifying time, uh, in the community with *** mass die-off of gay men. Uh, and for Nancy Pelosi to use her power and privilege and platform, uh, to say, I’m here to fight AIDS, that was extraordinary. So I am eternally grateful to her, uh, for standing up for our community, as she has done. So many times and many others are grateful uh as well. Uh, but she also just, you know, inspires me in terms of what I think it takes to be an effective elected official, uh and what San Franciscans um demand, uh, which is to have *** moral compass and core values that you uphold, uh, to have *** spine of steel and be willing to fight. Uh, and, uh, to know how to deliver and know how to build the diverse coalitions necessary to deliver on these core values. Uh, she had all of these, uh, skills, she has these skills, uh, and I’m eternally grateful for everything she’s done. Nancy Pelosi was waiting for Proposition 50, at least it had been reported. She was waiting for the outcome of that election. And I wonder just from your perspective at this point as someone who’s trying to get in as *** member of Congress, do you see Prop 50 having *** major shakeup in what representation looks like for Californians, especially when it comes to Democrats? Well, I mean Prop 50 at first, I am, I, I was optimistic it was going to pass. I did not anticipate it would pass at *** nearly 2 to 1 margin. Uh, and that just shows, uh, not just in the Bay Area in LA, but it did really well in the parts of the Central Valley. Um, I think Californians, um, you know, understand and have shown what I think we’ve seen across the country and that is That people are not OK with throwing tens of millions of people off healthcare or uh deporting mothers who are raising children and working and paying taxes, or sending masked secret police into neighborhoods or uh um. You know, causing trade wars that increase inflation. People aren’t OK with these things, uh, and Prop 50 showed that, uh, but it also means we will have, uh, I, I believe *** larger demo Democratic delegation, uh, uh, in Congress out of California. Uh, and, you know, listen, none of us wanted to do *** mid-decade, uh, redistricting. That wasn’t something that was on any of our bingo cards coming into this year. Uh, but, you know, Donald Trump and Texas, etc. gave us no choice. They started the the fight and we’re finishing it. On that note with Prop 50, um, assemblyman Carl DeMaio filed this proposed ballot initiative that’s now gathering signatures, um, that Attempts to prohibit any state lawmaker like yourself who voted to put Prop 50 on the ballot from running for not just Congress but any elected office for the next decade, and he says that this these are and the independent commission is also noted these are rules that apply to the state’s independent redistricting commission. What’s your response to that? I mean, uh, with all due respect to Mr. DiMaio, he’s *** grandstander, uh. And he’s grandstanding here. That’s, that’s *** really ridiculous idea. I want to be clear for me, my, this congressional district that I am running in did not change at all in Prop 50 was not impacted. So to suggest that we were all redrawing the lines for our advantage is, is, it’s absurd. That’s not what happened. Uh, that’s conspiracy brain in the extreme. Uh, and, uh, the idea that we would say that ***, um, an elected official getting experience can’t run for another office is, that’s just destructive for California. Uh, the voters should be able to pick whoever they want and not be told, no, this person who you may really like is ineligible to run. Uh, so that it’s just *** ridiculous, uh, performative, uh, proposal. All right, Senator Scott Weiner, thank you so much again for your time. We really appreciate it. Thank you. My full conversation with state senator Scott Weiner is on Calpolitics 360.com. California Republicans in limbo after voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, which changed the state’s congressional districts. My conversation with Republican rep Kevin Kiley on the new maps and his future. Joining us now is Representative Kevin Kiley. Representative Kylie, welcome back to California Politics 360. Thanks for having me. So, uh, just to get some clarity on your future here, you will definitely run for Congress next year. Is that fair to say? Uh, I will absolutely. I mean, I think we have so much momentum in terms of uh improving the quality of life in in California. We have this coalition for common sense that is really ascending that transcends party lines, and so, uh, I’m looking forward to continuing that work, uh, in spite of Prop 50. Are you deciding between the three districts that your constituents have been split into? That would be your new District 3, District 5, which is represented by Republican Tom McClintock, and District 6 in Sacramento County, which does lean Democratic but absorbed parts of your home area in Plaster County. Is it those 3? Well, believe it or not, my district has actually been chopped into 6 different pieces, so, uh, in that sense, I have, I have *** lot of options, and I haven’t really given much thought to which way I’m going to go, you know, my focus was on, on the campaign on Prop 50, and, you know, I’m here in DC now trying to get the country out of this mess with the government shutdown, so I. say that it will, you know, be one of those 6 districts so that I can continue to represent, you know, at least some of my current constituents, but it’s *** really agonizing decision. I never thought I’d be in this position where there’s no way I can continue to represent all or even most of my current constituents. By when do you plan to make *** decision? I know the filing deadline is *** few months away. Right, so March is the following deadline. So definitely by then, um, I don’t really have *** timeline. I’m not in any rush, honestly. Uh, my, and, and here’s actually something that’s important to note is that yes, this map was adopted, but it doesn’t take effect until after next year’s elections. So in other words, for the remainder of my current term in Congress, which goes through January of 2027, I’m still the representative for the 3rd. Stripped as currently drawn and so my priority will be on serving the constituents who elected me last year and the decision as to where I’ll run for *** new term, I think that’ll just kind of be percolating in the back of my mind as I have conversations with folks throughout my district and, you know, I think that I have no concrete timeline for making *** decision. Fair enough. Since the election, since the passage of Prop 50. Have you had any discussions with the Republican leadership, with the White House, anyone who has given you an assurance that they will have your back when you do run next year? I haven’t had any such discussions. I did see the Speaker say something to that effect the other day at *** press conference, but then he also went and said, Well, I think that, you know, Republicans are going to come out ahead in the redistricting across the country, which I honestly did not appreciate that sentiment. I think that this whole redistricting war is *** terrible thing for the country, and you shouldn’t be celebrating. whether your party is going to gain in one state or gain across the country or not, we shouldn’t be drawing lines in *** partisan way regardless of which party stands to benefit. So that’s why I’m continuing to advocate for the bill I introduced which would bar mid-decade gerrymandering in all 50 states. And on that note though, how likely is it though that Congress is actually going to consider that? Well, we’ll see. I mean, I think that if it came to the floor for *** vote, it would pass, and I increasingly have members on both sides who tell me that this is the right thing for the country. Don Davis, I just, I spoke with him yesterday. He’s *** Democrat from North Carolina who has introduced *** very similar bill against mid-decade redistricting. So I’m going to continue to advocate for it in every way I can use all the tools that are available, and whether or not it ends up affecting the map with Prop 50, I think it’s the right thing for the country. So, you know, whether, even if that’s only on *** going forward basis, I’m going to do everything I can to see that it becomes law. All right, Representative Kevin Kiley, thank you so much for your time. Of course, thanks for having me. Special election security federal elections monitors showed up to some California counties. The response from the state attorney general. President Trump’s Department of Justice election monitors went to 5 counties for this week’s special election. Then the state sent its own to keep an eye on them. State Attorney General Robonta told me there were no incidents to report. He also gave *** warning about the upcoming election in 2026. Uh, the good news is that in the end, uh, with our observers there on site, um, where their election monitors were no major incidents, um, uneventful for the most part. So that was good news. Uh, who knows the reason why, whether it was deterrents and, you know, our presence or not, um, but we had to be sure that these monitors were going to stay in their lane, and from what we can tell, um, up to now, uh, they did and they have, we don’t know what they’re, what they might do. Next, and we won’t speculate on that, but pretty uneventful overall, and we were grateful to have our observers on site. The president, I mean, as polls were opening in California, said that this election was essentially *** scam. I saw earlier this week in Politico, you essentially said that you were worried that he might wield his power to manipulate the 2026 elections. I mean, can you expand further upon that? Sure, you know, it’s very disturbing and dangerous to see statements like that. Uh, they, they seem like rants and and and ramblings and um just unhinged statements, but they have meaning and, and, and consequence, potentially at least to him and what they might do, uh, at the USDOJ, and there’s no basis for it. *** statement like that is completely untethered from the facts, from the law. California’s elections are safe, secure, they’re reliable, they’re accurate. And uh for him to promote *** conspiracy theory, *** lie, uh, using the bully pulpit that he had. is very dangerous and it could be *** harbinger, an indicator of what might come. And if that’s what he thinks, if that’s uh his uh reality, even though it’s not the actual reality at all, it might mean that he’ll act on it and try to do something. Um, uh, to interfere with our elections, and that’s what we want to guard against. Voters here in California deserve to have their vote counted, to be part of *** um an accurate election and, and to be part of the final count, not to be interfered with by, you know, unfortunately here the President of the United States. That’s this is someone who tried to get additional votes in the 2020 election from the Secretary of State of Georgia. He was found by *** court and by an oversight committee to have interfered with. Um, the, the counting of the final vote on January 6th and interfered with *** lawful voting outcome. He has issued unlawful executive orders that we’ve had to go to court to have struck down that undermined the right to vote, um, and he’s weaponized parts of, of government, including the United States DOJ to go after his political enemies. So he has shown that the willingness, the intent, the desire, and the capacity to Interfere with free and fair elections, and we cannot be naive about that. We have to be clear-eyed and sober. So what might he do? I mean, it’s all the possibilities, you know, we’re definitely thinking them all through and preparing for any possibility, but some that that that come to mind include having military, National Guard at polling sites. That that’s illegal. You can’t have people with arms or weapons at polling sites. That’s federal law. It’s not even state law. Um, he, he feels that vote by mail is wrong. He’s tried to end it, uh, because Vladimir Putin told him, and so the United States Postal Service is part of the federal government. I’m not sure what they might do to try to impact vote by mail by misusing, manipulating, abusing. Um, the United States Postal Service, who knows what else they might do, uh, voter intimidation, voter suppression, promoting lies, conspiracy theories, as, as he is doing with the post you just read. There’s *** whole range of possibilities. So, um, our goal is to be ready, prepared for any of the scenarios, and, um, we are all right, Mr. Attorney General, we thank you for your time. Next, *** look back at the history of San Francisco’s most iconic landmark. Construction on the Golden Gate Bridge started January of 1933. In November of 1936, 2 sections of the bridge’s main span were joined in the middle. The following year, the first car drove on the Golden Gate Bridge. Thank you so much for joining us for this week’s California Politics 360. See you next Sunday.
California Politics 360 Full Episode November 9 | Impacts of Prop 50, Nancy Pelosi’s retirement, election security questions
Updated: 8:28 AM PST Nov 9, 2025
On California Politics 360 this week, the aftershocks of Proposition 50. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced she will not seek re-election in the 2026 midterm elections. We look back at her storied 20-term career in Congress. Political Director Ashley Zavala talks with Democratic State Sen. Scott Wiener, who has announced he is running for Pelosi’s seat. Wiener also played a role in Proposition 50 being presented to voters. Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley also joins the program to discuss his future. His district was the target of California’s Democratic-led redistricting effort.California Attorney General Rob Bonta joins California Politics 360 to discuss the federal election monitors sent to some counties at the request of the California Republican Party.KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
On California Politics 360 this week, the aftershocks of Proposition 50.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced she will not seek re-election in the 2026 midterm elections. We look back at her storied 20-term career in Congress. Political Director Ashley Zavala talks with Democratic State Sen. Scott Wiener, who has announced he is running for Pelosi’s seat. Wiener also played a role in Proposition 50 being presented to voters.
Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley also joins the program to discuss his future. His district was the target of California’s Democratic-led redistricting effort.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta joins California Politics 360 to discuss the federal election monitors sent to some counties at the request of the California Republican Party.
KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.