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<\/p>\nCalifornia Politics 360 Full Episode | CA’s fight against fraud applauded by Trump administration<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA MAJOR DROP IN FRAUD AND THEFT IN FOOD AND CASH BENEFITS. THE CHANGES CALIFORNIA HAS MADE THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS APPLAUDING, PROTECTING THE INVESTMENTS AND THE GENEROSITY OF THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER. THAT’S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ALL BE PROUD OF. THE IMPACT THE USDA IS SEEING NATIONWIDE. OUR CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS TRYING TO CRIMINALIZE PROFESSIONAL OR CITIZEN JOURNALISTS, A PROPOSAL TO PROTECT IMMIGRATION SERVICE PROVIDERS IS RAISING FREEDOM OF SPEECH CONCERNS. BUT THE LAWMAKER BEHIND THE PROPOSAL SAYS SHE’S ACTUALLY TRYING TO DO SITTING DOWN WITH CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR. IT’S A HARD JOB, AND YOU NEED SOMEONE WHO’S GONE THROUGH THESE TOUGH TIMES. DEMOCRAT XAVIER BECERRA ON HIS VISION FOR CALIFORNIA. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. CALIFORNIA POLITICS 360. I’M ASHLEY ZAVALA. CALIFORNIA HAS SEEN A MAJOR DROP IN FRAUD AND THEFT ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD AND CASH BENEFITS. IT’S A DROP THAT’S NOW BEING APPLAUDED BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. IT COMES AS FEDERAL FOOD AND CASH ASSISTANCE RULES ARE CHANGING WITH WHAT’S KNOWN AS H.R. ONE. I SAT DOWN WITH USDA DEPUTY UNDERSECRETARY FOR FOOD, NUTRITION AND CONSUMER SERVICES. HERE’S PART OF MY CONVERSATION WITH PATRICK PENN. SOME REFUGEES. WE HAVE A LOT OF THEM IN SACRAMENTO LOST THEIR ABILITY TO GET SNAP UNDER THE NEW RULES THAT WERE APPROVED BY CONGRESS, PASSED BY THE ADMINISTRATION. AND THERE’S A CONCERN, ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE PRESSURE ON FOOD BANKS. DOES THE USDA PLAN OR HAVE THE ABILITY TO HELP WITH THAT? YEAH. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THE THE, THE FOOD BANKS AND THE AMOUNTS OF FOODS AND THE TYPES OF FOODS THAT WE PARTNER WITH THE STATES TO ACTUALLY STOCK AND MAKE THAT HAPPEN, THAT’S ONE OF OUR ACROSS THE USDA FOOD NUTRITION SERVICE. WE HAVE 16 PROGRAMS. SO THAT TOUCHES ON, ON ONE OF THOSE AS WELL. JUST GOING BACK AND WE’RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE SNAP PROGRAM HERE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, YOU HAVE SOME THINGS THAT ARE REALLY, REALLY INNOVATIVE THAT ARE TAKING PLACE. WHEN WE SEE THE SNAP, WHAT IS IT CALLED? THE CHIP TAP TECHNOLOGY, WHERE WE WHEREBY WE, YOU KNOW, TRY TO CRACK DOWN ON FRAUD, WASTE AND ABUSE IN THE TAXPAYER DOLLARS THAT ARE GOING INTO THE PROGRAM THAT CAN GET SIPHONED OFF BY BAD ACTORS. YOU KNOW, SECRETARY ROLLINS HAS ALWAYS BEEN LASER FOCUSED SINCE DAY ONE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DOUBLE DOWN ON OUR EFFORTS TO ERADICATE, IF WE CAN, ALL OF THE FRAUD, WASTE AND ABUSE THAT’S IN THE PROGRAM. WE DO THAT THROUGH GOING OUT AND TAKING A LOOK AT OUR RETAILERS. EXCUSE ME, ALSO INSPECTING NOT ONLY THEIR COMPLIANCE AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE DOING THINGS RIGHT WITHIN THE WITHIN THE CODE IS WRITTEN, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT THE TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY AND THE SKIMMING GAMES THAT GO ON IN THAT SPACE. AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, JUST LOOKING AT ALL THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS THAT WE HAVE FOR INTEGRITY AND COMPLIANCE WITHIN THE SNAP PROGRAM. NOW, WHAT HAS THAT LED TO THAT’S LED TO HERE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA? I BELIEVE, WITH THAT CHIP TECHNOLOGY THAT THAT THEY’VE I THINK THEY WERE ONE OF THE FIRST IN THE NATION TO ACTUALLY INTRODUCE IT. YEAH. YOU KNOW, A MASSIVE I HEARD TODAY ALMOST 80% DROP IN THAT TYPE OF FRAUD THAT WAS HAPPENING AS WELL. SO THAT WAS CONFIRMED BY YOUR ADMINISTRATION. I JUST WANT TO BECAUSE WE’VE HEARD THAT FROM THE NEWSOM ADMINISTRATION, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. WELL, I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE WHAT THE FIGURES ARE, BUT THAT’S WHAT I HEARD TODAY. AND I AM GOING TO BE LOOKING INTO THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT’S VERIFIED. BUT WHAT I HAVE SEEN IS WHAT I’VE HEARD FROM FROM MY TEAM AND MY STAFF TODAY IS THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY. IS ONE OF THOSE GOOD NEWS STORIES THAT WE REALLY WANT TO PROMOTE BECAUSE WHEN WE PARTNER WITH OUR STATE PARTNERS, WHEN WE PARTNER WITH THE PROGRAMS AS THEY’RE EXECUTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW, WHEN WE PARTNER WITH FOLKS WHO ARE GIVEN TOWARD MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE SAFEGUARDING AND PROTECTING THE THE INVESTMENTS AND THE GENEROSITY OF THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER, THAT’S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ALL BE PROUD OF. YEAH. ARE THERE ANY OTHER EFFORTS THE USDA IS LOOKING AT TO CRACK DOWN ON ON FRAUD BROADLY, WHEN IT COMES TO SNAP OR OTHER PROGRAMS THAT ARE OVERSEAS? YEAH. SO A LOT OF IT COMES DOWN TO JUST MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU’RE WHEN YOU HAVE FRAUD THAT’S HAPPENING WITH THE SKIMMING MACHINES AND TECHNOLOGY, JUST STAYING OUT IN FRONT OF THE TYPES OF TECHNOLOGIES AND WHERE THE BAD ACTORS WANT TO SKATE TO. AS WAYNE GRETZKY SAID, YOU SKATE TO WHERE THE PUCK IS GOING TO BE AND TRYING TO STAY IN FRONT OF THAT AS BEST YOU POSSIBLY CAN. SO WE ALWAYS HAVE THAT THAT LINE OF COMMUNICATION OPEN WITH THE STATES TO REALLY JUST ALLOW THEM TO HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE AND A VOICE IN THE CONVERSATION SO THAT WE CAN SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE GROUND IN THEIR RESPECTIVE AREAS, EVEN WITHIN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND WHAT TYPES OF WHAT TYPES OF TACTICS AND PROCEDURES THEY’RE UTILIZING, WHAT TYPES OF TECHNOLOGIES ARE OUT THERE THAT CAN HELP CRACK DOWN ON THAT FRAUD, WASTE AND ABUSE. BECAUSE THE REASON THAT WE WANT TO DO THAT IS MAKE SURE THAT THE AMERICAN TAXPAYERS, NOT ONLY, YOU KNOW, GET THE RECOMPENSE AND THE GOOD STEWARDSHIP THAT THEY EXPECT OUT OF OUR PROGRAMS, BUT ALSO THAT WE INSTILL IN THE PUBLIC A TRUST FOR OUR EXECUTION OF THE PROGRAM. SO THAT’S SOMETHING THAT’S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO US UNDER SECRETARY PEN. AND I ALSO TALK ABOUT THE UPCOMING UPDATES TO THE SNAP PROGRAM. HIS RESPONSE TO CONCERNS AROUND UPCOMING CHANGES, AND IF THE USDA PLANS TO MONITOR THE IMPACTS TO THE PEOPLE RELYING ON THOSE PROGRAMS, WELL, WHO WILL BE CALIFORNIA’S NEXT GOVERNOR? MY SIT DOWN CONVERSATION WITH DEMOCRAT XAVIER BECERRA, HIS PLAN TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE TO LOW INCOME, UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE. THIS YEAR, CALIFORNIA VOTERS WILL CHOOSE THEIR NEXT GOVERNOR. SO EVERY WEEK LEADING UP TO THE JUNE PRIMARY, WE’LL HEAR FROM ONE OF THE TOP CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR THE STATE’S HIGHEST POSITION. THIS WEEK, I SAT DOWN WITH THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE, XAVIER BECERRA, TO GET HIS THOUGHTS ON THE MAJOR ISSUES IMPACTING CALIFORNIANS. SITTING DOWN WITH XAVIER BECERRA, YOU NEED SOMEONE WHO’S GONE THROUGH THESE TOUGH TIMES AND KNOWS WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE TO BALANCE A BIG BUDGET. SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT IT’S LIKE TO DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES, CRISES, AND KNOWS HOW TO GET OUT OF THEM. THE FORMER U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY UNDER JOE BIDEN AND FORMER CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL, SAYS HE’S PREPARED TO CUT SPENDING AND RAISE TAXES ON THE ULTRA WEALTHY. IF HE’S GOVERNOR, YOU GOT TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. I HAD TO DO THAT WHEN I WAS SECRETARY OF HHS IN THE MIDST OF THE WORST PANDEMIC ANY OF US HAD EVER SEEN, I HAD TO SAVE LIVES, MANAGE A BUDGET, AND DO IT WITHOUT MAKING CUTS TO THE MOST ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS, HE SAYS. AS GOVERNOR, HE WOULD CONTINUE PROVIDING HEALTH CARE TO LOWER INCOME UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS AND WOULD REOPEN THE PROGRAM TO ALLOW NEW ADULTS TO SIGN ON THE MOST EXPENSIVE DOOR TO WALK THROUGH IN HEALTH CARE IS THE E.R. DOOR. WHY SHOULD WE WAIT? BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T HAVE INSURANCE THAT YOU LET THE SITUATION GET SO BAD THAT NOW YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SAVE YOUR CHILD? YOU GO TO THE HOSPITAL THROUGH THE EMERGENCY ROOM. I’M SAYING NO, NO, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE ACCESS TO THAT PEDIATRICIAN, THAT FAMILY DOC, THAT OB GYN. NOW EARLY UP FRONT, BECAUSE IT COST ME SO MUCH LESS ON EDUCATION. HE SAYS HE WOULD CHANGE HOW TEACHERS ARE COMPENSATED TO PAY THE BEST AND MOST EXPERIENCED TEACHERS MORE ON LOWERING COSTS IF ELECTED GOVERNOR, BECERRA SAYS IN HIS FIRST 100 DAYS, HE WOULD DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY ON HOUSING AND FREEZE PROPERTY, INSURANCE AND UTILITY RATES. HE SAYS AS GOVERNOR, HE WOULD RETHINK THE STATE’S ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS TO CUT THE USE OF OIL AND GAS. THE SOONER GOAL IS A NO MORE SALE OF NEW GAS POWERED VEHICLES IN 2035. IS THAT ACHIEVABLE? SO MY DAD, ALL THE ALL THE YEARS I KNEW HIM, DROVE A PICKUP AND NOT A NEW ONE. WOULD MY DAD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SWITCH OUT HIS PICKUP FOR AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE? I’D SAY CHANCES ARE NO, NOT RIGHT NOW. BUT IF HE COULD, THEN WE SHOULD. SO GOALS THAT ARE ACHIEVABLE, NOT GOALS THAT ARE PIE IN THE SKY. I THINK WHEN THESE GOALS WERE FIRST INITIATED, THERE WAS THIS BELIEF THAT WE COULD GET THERE. THINGS HAVE BECOME VERY DIFFICULT AND WE SHOULD NOT BE SHACKLED BY GOALS BECAUSE OUR FAMILIES CAN’T BE DRIVEN DAY TO DAY BY THINGS THAT ARE NOT ACHIEVABLE, BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO ACHIEVE. THEY HAVE TO MAKE SURE THEIR KIDS CAN GO TO SCHOOL. THEY HAVE TO MAKE SURE THEY’VE PAID THAT MORTGAGE OR THAT RENT TO PROTECT TAXPAYER DOLLARS. HE SAID HE WOULD ENFORCE STATE LAWS AND DO CONSTANT OVERSIGHT. THERE’S GOT TO BE ACCOUNTABILITY. THESE ARE TAXPAYER DOLLARS. THEY DON’T BELONG TO ME OR ANYONE ELSE IN GOVERNMENT. THEY BELONG TO THE TAXPAYERS. I HAVE TO SHOW THAT I’VE SPENT THEIR MONEY. WELL, I CAN DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY, OVERSIGHT, ACCOUNTABILITY AND ENFORCEMENT ARE THE WAYS YOU DRIVE THIS. BUT BECERRA’S OWN FUNDS HAVE BEEN AT THE CENTER OF A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION. THREE POWERFUL CALIFORNIA BASED POLITICAL OPERATIVES ALLEGEDLY ORGANIZED AN ILLEGAL SCHEME AND STOLE NEARLY A QUARTER OF $1 MILLION FROM ONE OF HIS INACTIVE CAMPAIGN ACCOUNTS. THE SCHEME INVOLVED TAKING $10,000 A MONTH UP TO FROM THIS DORMANT STATE CAMPAIGN ACCOUNT OF YOURS. AND I JUST I MEAN, LOOKING THROUGH YOUR CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS, I MEAN, DATING BACK TO THE 90S, LIKE, NEVER ONCE DID YOU PAY THAT AMOUNT FOR THIS KIND OF MAINTENANCE FOR LEGAL SERVICES FOR NOTHING. I MEAN, LIKE, DID YOU REALLY NOT THAT WASN’T THAT DIDN’T RAISE ANY FLAGS FOR YOU THAT THOSE PAYMENTS. SO WE WERE PAYING FOR MANAGEMENT OF A DORMANT ACCOUNT, MAKING SURE THAT NOTHING WAS NO LAWS WERE VIOLATED BECAUSE I WAS SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, A CABINET MEMBER. I HAD TO DISTANCE MYSELF FROM ANYTHING THAT LOOKED POLITICAL OR CAMPAIGN RELATED. I HAD ETHICS RULES THAT WERE IN PLACE THAT REQUIRED ME TO DISTANCE MYSELF. AND SO I DEPENDED ON PEOPLE THAT I TRUSTED TO, TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE THAT THE RIGHT WAY. THROUGHOUT OUR INTERVIEW, BECERRA REPEATEDLY POINTED TO HIS TIME AS CALIFORNIA’S ATTORNEY GENERAL AND THE MORE THAN 120 LAWSUITS HE FILED AGAINST PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. FOR THOSE WHO DO SUPPORT HIM AND OTHER CALIFORNIANS WHO AREN’T DEMOCRATS, HOW WILL YOU REPRESENT THEM? HOW WILL YOU LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU’RE ALSO A GOVERNOR FOR THEM? BECAUSE I WANT THEIR FAMILIES TO SUCCEED, THAT WE DON’T AGREE ON DONALD TRUMP. THAT’S THE BEAUTY OF AMERICA AND FREE SPEECH AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT. BUT I WANT THEM TO SUCCEED. GOVERNING. YOU REALIZE REAL QUICKLY, IS NOT RED OR BLUE. GOVERNING IS ABOUT ME AND YOU AND GETTING IT DONE. WHAT GRADE WOULD YOU GIVE GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM FOR HIS LAST TWO TERMS AS GOVERNOR? OH. WHO’S HAD A BALANCED BUDGET BIGGER THAN THE BUDGET THAT GOVERNOR NEWSOM HAD A BALANCE. THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT HE HAS DONE. WELL, THE OTHER THINGS, PUBLIC SAFETY. I THINK HE COULD HAVE BEEN MORE AMBITIOUS. HOMELESSNESS COULD HAVE BEEN MORE AMBITIOUS, MORE HAVING PEOPLE BE MORE ACCOUNTABLE. WHAT ARE THREE WORDS THAT YOU WOULD USE TO DESCRIBE CALIFORNIA UNDER GOVERNOR BECERRA? BOLD. FOCUSED. DECISIVE. RIGHT NOW ON CAL POLITICS 360.COM. YOU CAN WATCH MY FULL 30 MINUTE CONVERSATION WITH XAVIER BECERRA. WELL, PROPOSAL AT THE STATE CAPITOL PROMPTED A FIRESTORM ONLINE OVER FREE SPEECH. WE SPOKE WITH BOTH SIDES OF THE CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS TRYING TO CRIMINALIZE PROFESSIONAL OR CITIZEN JOURNALISTS. THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO. BUT A PROPOSAL AT THE STATE CAPITOL HAS RAISED SOME FREEDOM OF SPEECH CONCERNS. THIS WEEK, THERE WAS OUTRAGE ONLINE ABOUT A PROPOSAL THAT SOME REPUBLICANS CLAIM IS MEANT TO SILENCE CITIZEN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS LIKE YOUTUBER NICK SHIRLEY. BUT THE LAWMAKER WHO WROTE THE BILL, ASSEMBLYMEMBER MIA BONTA, SAYS IT’S ACTUALLY ABOUT PROTECTING PEOPLE WHO PROVIDE SERVICES TO IMMIGRANTS. A GROUP OF PEOPLE, SHE SAYS, ARE VULNERABLE RIGHT NOW. I SAT DOWN WITH BOTH SIDES OF THE CONTENTIOUS PROPOSAL. CAN WE CALL THEM? IN CALIFORNIA, LAWMAKERS THIS WEEK, MOVING FORWARD WITH THE MEASURE THAT ATTEMPTS TO PROTECT PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR IMMIGRATION RELATED ORGANIZATIONS FROM THREATS AND HARASSMENT IN THE SUMMER, AROUND THE TIME OF THE IMMIGRATION MASS IMMIGRATION RAIDS THAT WERE HAPPENING IN LA, WE STARTED TO GET FEEDBACK FROM A LOT OF PROVIDERS THAT THEY WERE UNDER ATTACK. DEMOCRATIC ASSEMBLYMEMBER MIA BONTA WROTE THE PROPOSAL, KNOWN AS AB 2624 BONDS PROPOSAL, DOES TWO THINGS. FIRST, IT ALLOWS PEOPLE WHO WORK OR VOLUNTEER FOR ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE SERVICES TO IMMIGRANTS TO BE ADDED TO THE STATE’S SAFE AT HOME PROGRAM. THAT PROGRAM CONCEALS THE HOME ADDRESS OF PEOPLE WITH DOCUMENTED THREATS AGAINST THEIR PERSONAL SAFETY. IT ALSO PROHIBITS PEOPLE FROM POSTING THE PERSONAL INFORMATION OR IMAGES OF THOSE PROVIDERS. THE POSTER COULD FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES OR A LAWSUIT, AND NEW FINES. THESE ARE PROTECTIONS THE STATE ALREADY GIVES TO PROVIDERS OF ABORTION AND GENDER AFFIRMING CARE. ASSEMBLYMEMBER BONTA IS ADAMANT THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BLOCK ANY JOURNALISTS FROM DOING THEIR JOB. MY BILL IN NO WAY WOULD STOP ANY ORGANIZATION FROM BEING INVESTIGATED, AND CERTAINLY DOESN’T STOP ANY JOURNALIST FROM ENGAGING IN THE VERY IMPORTANT WORK THAT JOURNALISTS DO TO UNCOVER TRUTH. THE BILL IS SPONSORED BY CHIRLA, THE COALITION FOR HUMANE IMMIGRANT RIGHTS, WHICH HAS RECEIVED $14.3 MILLION IN CALIFORNIA TAXPAYER FUNDS SINCE 2020. CONSERVATIVES CRITICIZED THE GROUP FOR USING THE FUNDS TO ORGANIZE IMMIGRATION PROTESTS IN L.A. THAT TURNED VIOLENT. REPUBLICANS SAY THE BAN ON POSTING IMAGES OR VIDEO COULD BE AN AFFRONT TO FREE SPEECH, AND COULD STOP INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS FROM INVESTIGATING ORGANIZATIONS LIKE IT. I DON’T THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE INFRINGING UPON PEOPLE’S FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS, REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLYMAN CARL DEMAIO GAVE THE BILL THE NAME, THE STOP NICK SHIRLEY ACT, AFTER THE YOUTUBER WHO EXPOSED FRAUD AT SOMALI LEARING CENTERS IN MINNESOTA. WE SHOULD NOT BE DISCOURAGING CITIZEN JOURNALISTS. WE SHOULD NOT BE PREVENTING TRANSPARENCY FROM ORGANIZATIONS THAT RECEIVE TAXPAYER MONEY IF THEY HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE. WHY ARE THEY ASKING THAT THESE VIDEOS NOT BE POSTED? BUT DO YOU TRULY THINK THAT ASSEMBLY MEMBER MIA BONTA’S INTENTION WITH THIS BILL WAS TO POTENTIALLY CENSOR OR SUPPRESS CITIZEN JOURNALISM, AS OPPOSED TO THAT MAYBE BEING AN UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE OF HOW SHE WROTE THIS BILL? NO, SHE’S DENYING IT, BUT SHE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT SHE’S DOING. I APPRECIATE YOU COMING TO SACRAMENTO. LAST WEEK, DEMAIO GOT NICK SHIRLEY TO THE STATE CAPITOL AND THE ATTENTION ON THE BILL EXPLODED. BASED ON INFORMATION FROM REPUBLICANS. NICK SHIRLEY TRIED TO ASK DEMOCRATS ABOUT THE BILL. IT’S INSANE. I’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS EVER. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN YOU SAW THAT? LIKE, NICK SHIRLEY SHOWED UP TO THE CAPITOL AND ALL THIS INFORMATION WAS GOING AROUND ONLINE? MY FIRST REACTION WAS, WHO’S NICK SHIRLEY? MY APOLOGIES. I DON’T LIVE IN SOCIAL MEDIA AND PROBABLY DON’T LIVE IN THE SAME SPACES IN SOCIAL MEDIA, WHERE PEOPLE WHO KNOW ABOUT NICK SHIRLEY KNOW ABOUT NICK SHIRLEY. SO THE FIRST WAS WHO’S NICK SHIRLEY? SECOND REACTION WAS JUST REALLY SADNESS, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. FOR HIM TO HAVE SHOWN UP, IT MEANS THAT WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE A COMPLETE — OF OUR LEGISLATIVE PROCESS, AND WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE SOMEBODY COMPLETELY MISINFORM THE PUBLIC. AND QUITE FRANKLY, NICK SHIRLEY, LIKELY ABOUT WHAT THE INTENTION OF THE BILL WAS, WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO AT ALL WITH TRYING TO IMPEDE EVERYDAY INDIVIDUALS OR JOURNALISTS. FOR SURE, FROM BEING ABLE TO INVESTIGATE FIRST AMENDMENT GRASS FIRE, THE FOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND EXPRESSION SAID THIS WEEK. THE WAY THE BILL IS WRITTEN RIGHT NOW THREATENS FREE SPEECH. WHILE MAINSTREAM MEDIA IS PROTECTED. THE GROUP SAYS IT’S NOT CLEAR HOW IT COULD IMPACT NONTRADITIONAL JOURNALISTS, AND THE MEASURE COULD CENSOR NEWSWORTHY CONTENT. BONTA SAYS THE BILL IS A WORK IN PROGRESS WITH A LONG WAY TO GO AT THE CAPITOL. AT THE END OF THE DAY, I AM NOT TRYING TO DEFINE WHO A CITIZEN JOURNALIST IS. I’M NOT TRYING TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT, QUITE HONESTLY. I WANT TO BE ABOUT PROTECTING IMMIGRANT SERVICE PROVIDERS WITH THIS PIECE OF LEGISLATION AND, WE REACHED OUT TO NICK SHIRLEY FOR AN INTERVIEW WE DID NOT HEAR BACK MY FULL CONVERSATIONS WITH ASSEMBLY MEMBERS, DEMOCRAT MIA AND REPUBLICAN CARL DEMAIO ARE AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW ON CAL POLITICS 360.COM. WHO WILL BE CALIFORNIA’S NEXT BANKER AND BE IN CHARGE OF INVESTING YOUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS? NEXT, A LOOK AT THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE TREASURER. THIS YEAR, VOTERS WILL DECIDE WHO THEY WANT TO BE. CALIFORNIA’S NEXT BANKER. SO BEFORE YOU VOTE, WE WANT TO EXPLAIN WHAT EXACTLY THE STATE TREASURER OVERSEES. KURTIS MING BREAKS IT DOWN. CALIFORNIA IS ELECTING A NEW TREASURER THIS YEAR. SO WHAT DO THEY ACTUALLY DO? LET’S TAKE A LOOK. THE TREASURER IS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY THERE. CALIFORNIA’S BANKER, INVESTOR AND LEAD MANAGER OF THE STATE’S ASSETS. THE TREASURER INVESTS ALL OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS ON BEHALF OF STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. THEY MANAGE ALL THE STATE’S CASH FLOW, AND THEY SELL STATE BONDS. THE TREASURER ALSO CHAIRS AND SERVES ON SEVERAL BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND BOND FINANCE COMMITTEES. THAT INCLUDES THE STATE PENSION BOARDS AND THE CALIFORNIA HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY. THERE IS SOME ROOM FOR PUBLIC POLICY IN THIS JOB. THE STATE HAS SO MUCH MONEY TO INVEST AND HOW THEY INVEST THAT MONEY COULD REALLY HAVE AN IMPACT. THE TREASURER HAS A LIMIT OF TWO FOUR YEAR TERMS. SO HOW MUCH DOES THE JOB PAY? WELL, LAST YEAR IT PAID $196,000 BACK TO YOU. RIGHT NOW ON CAL POLITICS 360.COM. YOU CAN WATCH THIS WEEK’S FULL INTERVIEWS. WE ALSO WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. WHAT ISSUES DO YOU WANT US TO COVER? SEND US AN EMAIL AT CONTACT CAL POLITICS 360.COM. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US FOR THIS WEEK’S CALIFORNIA POLITICS 360. SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
California Politics 360 Full Episode | CA’s fight against fraud applauded by Trump administration<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tUpdated: 8:25 AM PDT Apr 26, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\tEditorial Standards \u24d8<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia has seen a major drop in fraud and theft associated with food and cash benefits.It\u2019s a drop that\u2019s now being applauded by the Trump administration. It comes as federal food and cash assistance rules are changing under HR1. On California Politics 360, Ashley Zavala sits down with Patrick Penn, the USDA deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services. This year, California voters will decide who they want to be their next governor. Every week leading up to the June primary, we will hear from one of the top candidates running for the state\u2019s highest position. This week, Ashley Zavala sat down with Democrat Xavier Becerra to get his thoughts on the major issues impacting Californians. A proposal at the State Capitol has raised concerns about freedom of speech. Some Republicans claim the legislation is meant to silence citizen investigative reporters. The lawmaker who wrote the bill says it’s meant to protect people who provide services to immigrants. Ashley Zavala sits down with Democrat Mia Bonta and Republican Carl DeMaio about the proposal. We take a closer look at the responsibilities of California\u2019s treasurer ahead of the June primary.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.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n California has seen a major drop in fraud and theft associated with food and cash benefits.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a drop that\u2019s now being applauded by the Trump administration. It comes as federal food and cash assistance rules are changing under HR1. <\/p>\n On California Politics 360, Ashley Zavala sits down with Patrick Penn<\/a>, the USDA deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services. <\/p>\n This year, California voters will decide who they want to be their next governor. Every week leading up to the June primary, we will hear from one of the top candidates running for the state\u2019s highest position. This week, Ashley Zavala sat down with Democrat Xavier Becerra<\/a> to get his thoughts on the major issues impacting Californians. <\/p>\n A proposal at the State Capitol<\/a> has raised concerns about freedom of speech. Some Republicans claim the legislation is meant to silence citizen investigative reporters. The lawmaker who wrote the bill says it’s meant to protect people who provide services to immigrants. Ashley Zavala sits down with Democrat Mia Bonta<\/a> and Republican Carl DeMaio<\/a> about the proposal. <\/p>\n We take a closer look at the responsibilities of California\u2019s treasurer<\/a> ahead of the June primary.<\/p>\n KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala <\/a>reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360<\/a>.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California Politics 360 Full Episode | CA’s fight against fraud applauded by Trump administration A MAJOR DROP IN…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":286953,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[123002,24875,1184,7,9,8,400,11751,4488,54523,123004,2196,413,3130,11799,20906,76533,473,44390,123003,4975,225,31028,1695,3305,430,3707],"class_list":{"0":"post-286952","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-april-26","9":"tag-ashley-zavala","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-california-headlines","13":"tag-california-news","14":"tag-california-politics","15":"tag-california-politics-360","16":"tag-californians","17":"tag-carl-demaio","18":"tag-consumer-service","19":"tag-fight","20":"tag-food","21":"tag-fraud","22":"tag-full-episode","23":"tag-governors-race","24":"tag-june-primary","25":"tag-kcra","26":"tag-mia-bonta","27":"tag-patrick-penn","28":"tag-proposal","29":"tag-state","30":"tag-treasurer","31":"tag-trump-administration","32":"tag-usda","33":"tag-week","34":"tag-xavier-becerra"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=286952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286952\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/286953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=286952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=286952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=286952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}