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<\/p>\nCalifornia Politics 360 Full Episode | Governor & lawmakers debate proposed spending plan<\/p>\n
This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom outlined his priorities, proposing to spend $349 billion. On California Politics 360, Ashley Zavala sits down with Republican State Sen. Roger Niello. <\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIT’S CRUNCH TIME. WE’RE CUTTING DEFICITS. AND. BUT WE’RE NOT CUTTING CORNERS. GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM AND STATE LAWMAKERS BEGIN MAKING THEIR FINAL DECISIONS ON THE SERVICES AND PROGRAMS. CALIFORNIANS DEPEND ON. THE GOVERNOR BALANCES THE BUDGET WITH TAXES THAT ARE ALMOST TEN TIMES. ANY REVENUE REDUCTIONS COSTS RISING FOR THE CAPITAL ANNEX PROJECT. AFTER YEARS OF SECRECY SURROUNDING THE PROJECT, THE LAWMAKERS IN CHARGE SAY IT WILL COST $100 MILLION MORE TO FINISH BUILDING THEIR NEW OFFICES. WHO ULTIMATELY IS GOING TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS PROJECT? CALIFORNIANS HAVE MORE WAYS TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD IN ELECTIONS TEN YEARS AFTER THE VOTERS CHOICE ACT WAS SIGNED INTO LAW. WE LOOK AT THE IMPACT IT’S MADE ON VOTING TRENDS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR CALIFORNIA POLITICS 360. I’M ASHLEY ZAVALA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM AND STATE LAWMAKERS HAVE FIVE WEEKS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE TAXPAYER MONEY AND APPROVE NEXT YEAR’S BUDGET. WE’RE CUTTING DEFICITS AND BUT WE’RE NOT CUTTING CORNERS. WE’RE MAINTAINING OUR VALUES. AND WE’RE DOING SO IN A BALANCED WAY. THIS WEEK, THE GOVERNOR OUTLINED HIS PRIORITIES IN NEXT YEAR’S BUDGET, PROPOSING TO SPEND $349 BILLION, WHICH IS THE LARGEST STATE SPENDING PLAN IN CALIFORNIA HISTORY. WHILE CALIFORNIA HAS OVERALL BEEN SPENDING MORE MONEY THAN IT’S BRINGING IN. GOVERNOR NEWSOM SAYS HIS PLAN SOLVES SOME OF THOSE MONEY ISSUES FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT TWO YEARS. AND HE SAYS UNDER HIS PROPOSAL THE STATE WILL BE ON GOOD FINANCIAL FOOTING BY THE TIME HE LEAVES OFFICE. IN HIS BUDGET, GOVERNOR NEWSOM IS PROPOSING A NEW SALES TAX ON DIGITAL SOFTWARE. IT WOULD START AT 7.25%, BUT DEPEND ON LOCAL SALES TAX RATES, HE SAYS. THE NEW TAX ON PROGRAMS LIKE MICROSOFT OFFICE AND ADOBE WOULD GENERATE AN ESTIMATED $450 MILLION THIS UPCOMING BUDGET YEAR. GOVERNOR NEWSOM IS ALSO PLANNING TO HELP AN ESTIMATED 250,000 SMALL BUSINESSES BY CUTTING THEIR LLC FEES IN HALF FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS. ON HEALTH CARE, THE GOVERNOR IS PROPOSING TO INCREASE HOW MUCH MONEY LOW INCOME UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS PAY FOR STATE HEALTH INSURANCE. HE PROPOSES TO INCREASE THAT TO $50. ORIGINALLY $100, THEY WENT DOWN TO 30, I THINK 50 UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. BUT CAN PEOPLE GOING TO DISAGREE? AND THE LEGISLATURE WILL HAVE THEIR OPPORTUNITY. AND THAT’S WHAT I LOVE THE BACK AND FORTH. NONE OF THESE ARE THINGS I WANT TO DO. I’M JUST TRYING TO FIND SOME BALANCE HERE. NOW, GOVERNOR NEWSOM AND STATE LAWMAKERS WILL GO LINE BY LINE AND DEBATE THE FUNDING FOR THE KEY SERVICES AND PROGRAMS THAT CALIFORNIANS DEPEND ON. I SPOKE WITH REPUBLICAN STATE SENATOR ROGER NIELLO. HE IS THE VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE BUDGET COMMITTEE. HERE’S PART OF OUR CONVERSATION. WITH THE GOVERNOR THIS WEEK ROLLING OUT HIS FINAL PROPOSED STATE SPENDING PLAN. HE’S SAYING THAT HE’S GOING TO LEAVE THE STATE IN GOOD FINANCIAL FOOTING FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT TWO YEARS. WHAT’S YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT? HE EVEN HAD THE AUDACITY TO COMPARE IT TO WHAT GOVERNOR BROWN LEFT HIM, WHICH WAS A SURPLUS AND ALL INTERNAL DEBT PAID OFF. THE PROBLEM IS, THE BUDGET IS NOMINALLY BALANCED FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. I SAY NOMINALLY, BECAUSE REVENUE IS SO VOLATILE AND WITH THE STOCK MARKET THE WAY IT IS, THE RISKS ARE HIGH THAT WE COULD EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTIES IN JUST THE NEXT PROBABLY TEN MONTHS. PERHAPS. I’M NOT A PREDICTOR, BUT THIS STOCK MARKET LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE.COM BUST OR JUST BEFORE THAT OF 25 YEARS AGO. AND WHILE HE SAYS HE’S LEAVING A BALANCED BUDGET, THERE’S THAT PROBLEM. BUT ALSO THERE’S $30 BILLION, OVER $30 BILLION IN INTERNAL BORROWING. AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GET TO 2028, WHICH IS WHEN THE NEXT GOVERNOR WILL HAVE JUST BEEN IN OFFICE FOR A YEAR AND A HALF, WE SEE OVER $10 BILLION IN STRUCTURAL DEFICITS RISING. THAT’S NOT WHAT I WOULD SAY IS LEAVING A CLEAN BUDGET. SINCE GOVERNOR NEWSOM TOOK OFFICE, WE’VE HEARD THIS FROM THE STATE COMPTROLLER. WE’VE HEARD IT FROM THE LEGISLATIVE ANALYST. CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN SPENDING MORE MONEY THAN IT’S BRINGING IN. DOES THAT FALL SQUARELY ON THE GOVERNOR? IS IT THE LEGISLATURE’S FAULT? LIKE WHO WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS CONFUSING, QUITE FRANKLY, MONEY SITUATION THAT WE’RE IN RIGHT NOW? LET ME QUOTE SOMETHING FROM THE LEDGE ANALYST’S REPORT OF A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. THEY SAID, IN HINDSIGHT, UNDERLYING COSTS AND DISCRETIONARY CHOICES WERE NOT AFFORDABLE. IN RETROSPECT, THE STATE COULD NOT AFFORD TO SUSTAIN ITS EXISTING SERVICES WHILE FUNDING THE THE CHOSEN SUITE OF SPENDING EXPANSIONS AND NEW SPENDING. IN OTHER WORDS, THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT WAS PREDETERMINED, AND IF THEY DIDN’T KNOW THAT THEY WERE TAKING ON SPENDING THAT THEY COULDN’T AFFORD, THEN THEY WEREN’T PAYING ATTENTION TO ALL ASPECTS OF THE BUDGET. AND THAT’S THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE GOVERNOR AS WELL AS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, WHICH, OF COURSE, ESSENTIALLY THEY CONTROL THE BUDGET. STATE SENATOR NEIL AND I ALSO TALK ABOUT BUSINESSES SHOULDERING A $20 BILLION LOAN. THE STATE HAS FAILED TO PAY BACK TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR PANDEMIC RELATED UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE. HE TALKS ABOUT THE INACTION FROM STATE LEADERS AND HOW THIS IMPACTS EVERY BUSINESS IN CALIFORNIA, LARGE AND SMALL. WE ARE TWO WEEKS UNTIL THE JUNE PRIMARY WHERE VOTERS WILL BE CHOOSING THEIR NEXT GOVERNOR. OUR TEAM OF POLITICAL STRATEGISTS JOIN US NEXT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE STATE OF THE RACE. NEW LOCO TENDERS LET’S GET LOCO EL POLLO LOCO. WE ARE TWO WEEKS OUT FROM THE JUNE PRIMARY ELECTION. CALIFORNIA VOTERS ARE DECIDING WHO THEY WANT AS THEIR NEXT GOVERNOR. EVERY WEEK LEADING UP TO THE PRIMARY, WE’VE BEEN BRINGING YOU MY CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CANDIDATES. WE REACHED OUT TO ALL CANDIDATES IN MID-MARCH, BUT THERE ARE TWO CANDIDATES WE HAVE NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO SPEAK WITH. WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE CAMPAIGNS OF DEMOCRAT KATIE PORTER AND DEMOCRAT ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS. WE HAVE GIVEN THEM A DEADLINE OF LATE THIS WEEK TO SIT DOWN WITH US. WE HAVE ALL OF OUR CONVERSATIONS SO FAR ON THE CALIFORNIA POLITICS THREE CITIES WEBSITE, WHERE YOU CAN SEE MY 30 MINUTE CONVERSATIONS WITH EACH CANDIDATE THAT I HAVE INTERVIEWED SO FAR. OKAY, WELL, A LOT HAS HAPPENED THIS WEEK IN THE RACE FOR GOVERNOR. SO WE OF COURSE, HAVE OUR TEAM OF POLITICAL EXPERTS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST STEVE MAVIGLIO AND TIM ROSALES, TO CHECK BACK IN ON THIS RACE. THANKS FOR BEING WITH US. THANK YOU. SO, OKAY, LET’S START WITH THIS FEDERAL INVESTIGATION THAT HAS BEEN LOOMING OVER THE GOVERNOR’S RACE. THE DEMOCRATIC POLLING FRONTRUNNER, XAVIER BECERRA, HIS FORMER LONGTIME CHIEF OF STAFF, SHAUN MCCLUSKEY, HAS ALREADY PLEADED GUILTY IN THIS CASE INVOLVING ALLEGEDLY STEALING HIS FUNDS. AND NOW THIS WEEK, DANA WILLIAMSON, WHO IS BECERRA’S FORMER CAMPAIGN MANAGER, HAS ALSO PLEADED GUILTY TO HELPING HIM. PROSECUTORS SAY MCCLUSKEY TOOK A PAY CUT TO FOLLOW BECERRA TO WASHINGTON, D.C., WHEN HE WAS WITH THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION. WILLIAMSON’S ATTORNEYS SAY SHE WAS JUST TRYING TO HELP. THERE ARE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT BECERRA KNEW, WHAT HE DIDN’T KNEW. HE THINKS HE’S CLEAR, STEVE. HOW DOES THIS IMPACT THE FRONTRUNNER? BECERRA HAS GONE FROM BEING ON LIFE SUPPORT TO BEING THE FRONTRUNNER, AND HE’S HAD THIS CLOUD OVER HIS HEAD. I DON’T THINK IT DISAPPEARS, LARGELY BECAUSE TOM STEYER IS SPENDING TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY DAY POUNDING INTO PEOPLE’S HEADS THAT HE IS SOMEHOW COMPLICIT IN THIS. HE’S BEEN BATTING IT AWAY. BUT I THINK THAT STORM CLOUD IS STILL THERE, AND HE’LL BE ASKED ABOUT IT UNTIL THE BITTER END. AND HOW DOES THIS, TIM, FOR THE REST OF THE FIELD, REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS, HOW DOES THIS HELP THEM, IF AT ALL? WELL, BECERRA HAS BEEN ABLE TO. TWO STEP THIS A LITTLE BIT AND AVOID IT. YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION RIGHT NOW IS DO VOTERS REALLY CARE? IS THIS SOMETHING THAT IS TOP OF MIND TO THEM, OR ARE THEY WILLING TO FORGIVE THIS LIKE THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, OTHER ISSUES THEY WEREN’T WILLING TO FORGIVE? SWALWELL. THAT WAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT KIND OF ISSUE SET IN THE MINDS OF VOTERS. BUT THIS POLITICIAN’S MOVING MONEY AROUND, WHO’S PAYING FOR THIS? IT’S A LITTLE BIT ESOTERIC FOR THE AVERAGE VOTER. AND AGAIN, VOTERS THINK ALL POLITICIANS KIND OF DO THIS TYPE OF THING ANYWAY. SO I DON’T KNOW THAT IT HURTS HIM MUCH IN THIS ELECTION. IT’S BEEN FODDER IN THE DEBATES THAT HAVE PLAYED OUT OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS. THERE HAVE BEEN FIVE SO FAR TOTAL IN THOSE DEBATES. JUST GENERALLY, TIM. I MEAN, HAS THERE. HAS ANYONE EMERGED AS A FRONTRUNNER, A LEADER IN THESE DISCUSSIONS WHEN THEY QUARREL ON STAGE? THE GREAT ORATOR HAS NOT PRESENTED THEMSELVES IN THIS CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S DEBATE. I DON’T THINK, ON EITHER DEMOCRATIC OR REPUBLICAN SIDE. THEY’VE ALL HAD THEIR MOMENTS, CERTAINLY. AND I THINK SOME OF THEM, YOU KNOW, LAST NIGHT TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EARLIER, ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA HAVING A VERY NICE CLOSING AND PROBABLY THE BEST CLOSING OF ALL THE CANDIDATES LAST NIGHT. BUT NOBODY HAS REALLY EMERGED AND BEEN ABLE TO KIND OF SWEEP, YOU KNOW, AND MYSTIFY VOTERS JUST WITH THEIR DEBATING SKILLS. STEVE, WHAT ARE YOU SEEING? YEAH. IT’S BEEN NO RUNS, NO HITS, NO ERRORS. I THINK, ON EVERYBODY’S PART NOBODY HAS EMERGED AS A DEFINING MOMENT FROM ANY DEBATE. KATIE PORTER, I THOUGHT PERFORMED PRETTY WELL LAST NIGHT. AND BECERRA WAS GOOD, VERY GOOD IN FENDING OFF THE ATTACKS BECAUSE THEY WERE COMING FROM ALL SIDES. REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS, BECAUSE HE’S THE FRONTRUNNER. OKAY, WE GOT 30S LEFT, BUT TIM, JUST CHAD BIANCO AND STEVE HILTON, THE REPUBLICANS IN THIS RACE, THEY’VE BEEN PRETTY CORDIAL ON STAGE. I MEAN, IS THAT HOW DOES THAT HELP THE PARTY OR DOES IT IS IT NOT? THEIR VOTES ARE BAKED IN WITH REPUBLICANS. I THINK THEY’RE GOING TO GET WHAT THEY’RE GOING TO GET, WHAT THEY’RE WHO THEY’RE COMPETING WITH ARE THE DEMOCRATS. FOR THOSE INDEPENDENT VOTERS WHO ARE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, MIGHT BE MOTIVATED TO TURN OUT AND VOTE IN THIS PRIMARY. SO VOTES THAT THEY CAN STEAL AWAY FROM THE DEMOCRATS ONLY BENEFIT THEM. BUT IN TERMS OF THEIR REPUBLICAN BASE, HILTON’S GOT WHAT HE’S GOING TO GET. BIANCO IS GOING TO GET WHAT HE’S GOING TO GET. AND, YOU KNOW, THE REST OF THEM, INCLUDING THE DEMOCRATS, ARE FIGHTING OVER, YOU KNOW, THOSE INDEPENDENT VOTERS, STEVE. FINAL QUICK THOUGHTS. IT’LL BE KUMBAYA AMONG THE DEMOCRATS ONCE WE GET IN THERE. BUT IF IT’S DEMOCRAT VERSUS DEMOCRAT, THAT’S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY. OKAY. STAY TUNED. THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR YOUR INSIGHT. WELCOME. ALL RIGHT. WELL OVER AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF CONSTRUCTION, CALIFORNIA TAXPAYERS ARE GETTING AN UPDATED ESTIMATE ON HOW MUCH THE CAPITOL ANNEX PROJECT IS COSTING THEM. MY SIT DOWN CONVERSATION WITH THE TWO LAWMAKERS IN CHARGE, WHO’S ACTUALLY MAKING THE EVERYDAY DECISIONS ON THIS BILLION DOLLAR PROJECT. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS, CALIFORNIA TAXPAYERS GOT AN UPDATE ON HOW MUCH THE NEW OFFICE BUILDING FOR LAWMAKERS AND THE GOVERNOR WILL COST LAWMAKERS OVERSEEING THIS PROJECT SAY THE NEWEST COST ESTIMATE IS NOW $1.2 BILLION. IT’S ABOUT $100 MILLION INCREASE FROM THE ESTIMATE PROVIDED IN 2022. BUT PROJECT LEADERS ARE STILL NOT PROVIDING PROOF TO BACK UP THIS UPDATED PRICE TAG. SINCE IT STARTED IN 2018, THERE HAS NOT BEEN A CONSISTENT LAWMAKER LEADING THIS PROJECT. THE ONE THING THAT HAS BEEN CONSISTENT IS THE UNELECTED STAFF THAT ARE INVOLVED. I SAT DOWN WITH THE TWO LAWMAKERS WHO HAVE BEEN IN CHARGE OF THE CAPITOL ANNEX PROJECT SINCE 2022. THAT’S ASSEMBLYMEMBER BLANCA PACHECO AND STATE SENATOR JOHN LAIRD. I ASKED THEM ABOUT WHO EXACTLY HAS THE POWER WHEN IT COMES TO THIS PROJECT. HERE’S PART OF OUR CONVERSATION. WHO ULTIMATELY IS MAKING THE DAY TO DAY DECISIONS ON THIS PROJECT? WE ARE BOTH MAKING THESE DECISIONS WITH THE HELP OF OUR TEAM. BY YOUR TEAM, DO YOU MEAN THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS OF THE SENATE AND THE ASSEMBLY? WE HAVE THE SENATE AND WE HAVE THE ASSEMBLY, AND WE’RE BOTH WORKING TOGETHER. SO WITH THIS $98 MILLION ADD IN, FIGURE, ONE OF OUR SOURCES ON THIS PROJECT HAS SAID THAT ERIKA CONTRERAS IN 2022 DEMANDED A MAJOR ALTERATION TO THIS PROJECT SO THAT THE SENATE WOULD HAVE MORE SPACE IN COMPARISON TO THE ASSEMBLY. CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT? IT’S A $70 MILLION ADD, IS WHAT I’M HEARING FROM MY SOURCES ON THIS PROJECT. THAT DOESN’T SEEM RIGHT TO ME. I WASN’T. LET ME FINISH. I WASN’T ON THE PROJECT THEN, BUT THAT DOESN’T SEEM RIGHT TO ME. THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ISSUES BETWEEN WHAT THE ALLOCATION OF SPACE IS BETWEEN THE ASSEMBLY AND THE SENATE, AND IT’S. IT’S ALWAYS AN ISSUE WHERE WE REPRESENT THE SAME AMOUNT OF PEOPLE. THERE’S TWICE AS MANY ASSEMBLY MEMBERS AS THERE AS SENATORS. AND THAT ALWAYS LEADS TO SORT OF ANIMATED DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HOW THAT DIVISION WILL HAPPEN. BUT THAT DECISION, THAT $70 MILLION DECISION WAS NOT FLAGGED FOR EITHER ONE OF YOU. NEITHER CONTRERAS OR NEITHER ONE OF US WAS ON THIS PROJECT. I KNOW, BUT BUT ISN’T THAT PROBLEMATIC, THOUGH, IF YOU’RE GIVING THE UNELECTED STAFF ALL THE POWER TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS. IS IT AN INCUMBENT UPON THE TWO OF YOU TO STEP UP AND UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE? IT’S YOUR IT’S YOUR FRAMING THAT. IT IS THE UNELECTED PEOPLE DOING IT. OUR PREDECESSORS WERE THERE AND WERE MAKING THE DECISIONS. ALSO BLAMED THE UNELECTED FOR THE NDAS, THOUGH YOU’VE SAID THAT THE ATTORNEYS, THEY WANTED THIS. AND SO. BUT YOU AS ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO STAND UP FOR TAXPAYERS AND THEIR MONEY, COULDN’T YOU HAVE STOOD UP AND SAID, OH, THESE THESE SEEM STRANGE. OKAY. WE’RE NOT WE NEVER SAID WE WERE BLAMING ANYBODY. SO IN OUR LAST INTERVIEW, YOU SAID IT WAS THE ATTORNEYS. I SAID IT WAS THE ADVICE OF COUNSEL. SO WE’RE NOT BLAMING ATTORNEYS. HOW MUCH? ERIKA CONTRERAS AND LEAH LOPEZ ARE THE HIGHEST PAID PEOPLE IN THIS BUILDING. TAXPAYERS SPEND MORE THAN HALF $1 MILLION ON THE TWO OF THEM COMBINED TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS THAT ARE IMPORTANT. BUT WHO ULTIMATELY IS GOING TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS PROJECT ONCE IT’S BUILT? IF YOU DON’T, IF YOU END UP SPENDING MORE MONEY, WHO WHO DOES IT FALL ON? WELL, WE’RE WE’RE HERE TO PROVIDE TRANSPARENCY. WE’RE HERE TO ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS. WHO MAKES THE DECISION? WHO’S WHO MAKES THE DECISIONS? WE BOTH MAKE THE DECISIONS IN CONSULTATION WITH STAFF. ARE YOU PROUD OF ALL THE DECISIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE LEADING UP TO THIS POINT? WE INHERITED THIS PROJECT. I CAN’T SAY WHAT DECISIONS WERE MADE IN THE PAST, BUT WHAT DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE MOVING FORWARD AND ALL THE TRANSPARENCY WE ARE PROVIDING. THAT’S WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO US. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ARE BUILDING A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING. WE ARE BUILDING THE ANNEX BUILDING. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF FACTORS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT IN OUR DECISION MAKING. WE GET LOTS OF ADVICE. WE KNOW THIS IS A UNIQUE BUILDING WITH MILLIONS OF PEOPLE THAT WILL PASS THROUGH IT. WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE ARE JUST COSTS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL. GIVEN WARS AND PANDEMICS AND OTHER THINGS, WE TRY TO BALANCE THE COSTS. WE TRY TO BALANCE THE FACT THAT THIS IS A PUBLIC BUILDING. WE TRY TO BALANCE ALL THE ADVICE WE GET AND MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS WE CAN. OKAY, MY LAST ONE FOR YOU. ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE REGULAR HEARINGS ON THIS PROJECT? WE ARE GOING TO BE PROVIDING UPDATES AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. HEARINGS TO LIKE ANY OTHER PROJECT IN THIS STATE THAT IS FUNDED BY STATE TAXPAYERS. THERE ARE TYPICALLY HEARINGS. AND BEFORE THE TWO OF YOU TOOK OVER THE PROJECT, THERE WERE HEARINGS ON THE ON THIS BUILDING. SO WILL YOU HAVE REGULAR HEARINGS TO HEAR, PUBLIC COMMENT, TO HEAR FROM PROJECT OFFICIALS, ANY OF THAT PLANNED? WE WILL HAVE REGULAR BRIEFINGS. SO I WAS I WAS YEAH, WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF WHAT WE KNOW, WHEN WE KNOW IT. AND AND THAT TO US IS THE IMPORTANT THING. IT ALSO THESE UPDATES. THERE WILL BE UPDATES ON THE WEBSITE. THERE WILL BE INFORMATION PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC. I THINK THAT IS MORE IMPORTANT, MAKING SURE THAT WE’RE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE AND DOING THESE INTERVIEWS WITH YOURSELF AND WITH OTHER MEDIA. I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE TRANSPARENT, AND I THINK THAT’S WHAT WE SHOULD FOCUS ON. AND I THINK THAT IS WHAT THE PUBLIC NEEDS. WE ALSO TALK ABOUT WHY THEY WILL NOT RELEASE KEY CONSTRUCTION RECORDS SHOWING THE PROJECT’S MONTHLY AND YEARLY COST ESTIMATES. WELL, CALIFORNIA IS PROVIDING MORE TIME AND MORE WAYS TO VOTE. A LOOK AT THE IMPACT THE VOTERS CHOICE ACT HAS MADE ON VOTING TRENDS. TEN YEARS AFTER THE LAW WAS SIGNED INTO EFFECT. THIS SATURDAY, VOTERS IN 30 COUNTIES WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO VOTE IN PERSON UP TO TEN DAYS BEFORE THE JUNE PRIMARY. THESE COUNTIES ARE PART OF THE VOTERS CHOICE ACT, A LAW THAT TOOK EFFECT TEN YEARS AGO TO PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO LET VOTERS MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD. MIKE CHERRY LOOKS INTO THE IMPACT. FOR A CENTURY, VOTING WAS A ONE DAY AFFAIR, BUT FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS IN CALIFORNIA, IT’S BECOME A WEEKS LONG BEHAVIOR SHIFT. THE BIGGEST IMPROVEMENT, I WOULD SAY, IS JUST THE THE WAY PEOPLE ARE VOTING. WE’VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE VOTING EARLY, EARLIER, WHICH GIVES US TIME TO COUNT THEIR BALLOTS. WE’VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO VOTE, FOR THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS, TO, TO, TO JUST MAKE IT, MAKE IT AN EASIER PROCESS FOR PEOPLE. YOU KNOW, THIS WHOLE MODEL OF HAVING A VOTE IN ONE PLACE AND ONE TIME ON ONE DAY BETWEEN A SET NUMBER OF HOURS, I JUST WASN’T WORKING WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE’S MODERN SCHEDULES. PUT THAT RIGHT IN THERE. TRANSITIONING TO THE VOTERS CHOICE ACT IS A MASSIVE LOGISTICAL LIFT. YOU HAVE TO GET THE INFORMATION OUT TO ALL THE VOTERS IN THE COUNTY. YOU HAVE TO SET UP COMMITTEES. YOU HAVE TO GET A LOT OF RESIDENT FEEDBACK BECAUSE IT IS A IT’S A BIG CHANGE. EVERY REGISTERED VOTER GETS A VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT. SACRAMENTO COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF VOTER REGISTRATION AND ELECTIONS IS AN APOLITICAL ORGANIZATION. WE’RE NOT HERE TO PUSH ONE CANDIDATE OR THE OTHER. WE’RE JUST HERE TO ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE. NOW, WHILE THE ACCESS IS THERE, A NEW BERKELEY IGS POLL SUGGESTS THAT A MOTIVATION GAP REMAINS. TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THESE NUMBERS HERE. THE BERKELEY POLL FINDS THAT 38% OF LOW PROPENSITY VOTERS SKIP OUT SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY DON’T FEEL INFORMED, WHILE ANOTHER 35% CITE THE INFLUENCE OF BIG MONEY AS A REASON TO STAY HOME. BUT THERE’S MORE DATA. TAKE A LOOK HERE. THE SURVEY ALSO FOUND THAT 41% OF ALL VOTERS, AND 48% OF YOUNG VOTERS WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO CAST A BALLOT IF THEY HAD ACCESS TO WHAT THEY DEEM TO BE UNBIASED AND TRUSTED. NEWS SOURCES. DESPITE THE TEN DAY VOTING WINDOW, OFFICIALS SAY THEY CAN STILL SEE A BOTTLENECK ON THE FINAL NIGHT. WE’D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO VISIT OUR VOTE CENTERS EARLY, WHETHER IT’S AN 11 DAY OR FOUR DAY VOTE CENTER, YOU CAN GO AT ANY POINT WHEN THOSE ARE OPEN, NOT JUST ON ELECTION DAY, BECAUSE THE LINES DO GET TO BE PRETTY LONG ON ELECTION DAY, TEN YEARS IN, THE GOAL REMAINS THE SAME HIGH INTEGRITY BUT HIGHER EASE, MAKING SURE THE ONLY THING A VOTER HAS TO WORRY ABOUT IS MAKING THEIR CHOICE. NOW YOU CAN VOTE BY MAIL. YOU CAN GO TO A VOTE CENTER. YOU CAN GO TO A DROP BOX. YOU CAN VOTE FOR TEN DAYS BEFORE ELECTION DAY. SO YOU’VE GOT, YOU KNOW, IN PERSON, IF YOU WANT TO HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE. MIKE CHERRY CALIFORNIA POLITICS 360 ON SATURDAY, VOTERS CHOICE ACT COUNTIES WILL OPEN THEIR VOTE CENTERS. THE PRIMARY IS TUESDAY, JUNE\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
California Politics 360 Full Episode | Governor & lawmakers debate proposed spending plan<\/p>\n
This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom outlined his priorities, proposing to spend $349 billion. On California Politics 360, Ashley Zavala sits down with Republican State Sen. Roger Niello. <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tUpdated: 8:25 AM PDT May 17, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\tEditorial Standards \u24d8<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\tGov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers have five weeks to figure out how to use taxpayer money and approve next year\u2019s budget. This week, Newsom outlined his priorities, proposing to spend $349 billion. On California Politics 360, Ashley Zavala sits down with Republican State Sen. Roger Niello. In two weeks, California voters will decide who they want to be their next governor. We reached out to the top 10 candidates in mid-March for a sit-down conversation. There are two candidates we haven\u2019t been able to speak with yet. We have given both campaigns a deadline of late this week to sit down with us. Democratic consultant Steven Maviglio and Republican consultant Tim Rosales join California Politics 360 to talk about the state of the race two weeks out. For the first time in years, California taxpayers got an update on how much the new office building for lawmakers and the governor will cost. Lawmakers overseeing the project say the newest cost estimate is $1.2 billion. It\u2019s about a $100 million increase from the estimate provided in 2022. Project leaders are still not providing proof to back up the updated price tag. Ashley Zavala sits down with the two lawmakers in charge of the Capitol Annex project, Democrat Assembly Member Blanca Pacheco and Democrat State Sen. John Laird. This Saturday, voters in 30 counties will have a chance to vote in person up to 10 days before the June primary. These counties are part of the Voter\u2019s Choice Act. Mike Cherry takes a look at the impact of the law that took effect 10 years ago.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers have five weeks to figure out how to use taxpayer money and approve next year\u2019s budget<\/a>. <\/p>\n This week, Newsom outlined his priorities<\/a>, proposing to spend $349 billion. On California Politics 360, Ashley Zavala sits down with Republican State Sen. Roger Niello<\/a>. <\/p>\n In two weeks, California voters will decide who they want to be their next governor<\/a>. We reached out to the top 10 candidates in mid-March for a sit-down conversation. <\/p>\n There are two candidates we haven\u2019t been able to speak with yet. We have given both campaigns a deadline of late this week to sit down with us. <\/p>\n Democratic consultant Steven Maviglio and Republican consultant Tim Rosales join California Politics 360 to talk about the state of the race two weeks out. <\/p>\n For the first time in years, California taxpayers got an update on how much the new office building for lawmakers and the governor will cost. Lawmakers overseeing the project say the newest cost estimate is $1.2 billion<\/a>. It\u2019s about a $100 million increase from the estimate provided in 2022. Project leaders are still not providing proof to back up the updated price tag. Ashley Zavala sits down with the two lawmakers in charge of the Capitol Annex project<\/a>, Democrat Assembly Member Blanca Pacheco<\/a> and Democrat State Sen. John Laird<\/a>. <\/p>\n This Saturday, voters in 30 counties<\/a> will have a chance to vote in person up to 10 days before the June primary. These counties are part of the Voter\u2019s Choice Act<\/a>. Mike Cherry takes a look at the impact of the law that took effect 10 years ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California Politics 360 Full Episode | Governor & lawmakers debate proposed spending plan This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":320172,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[24875,52872,7,9,8,400,11751,4970,13540,20793,133606,166,11799,943,52873,76533,7834,15717,5682,1459,1506,133605,36955,79052,11662,133604,430],"class_list":["post-320171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-ashley-zavala","tag-blanca-pacheco","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-california-politics","tag-california-politics-360","tag-california-voter","tag-candidate","tag-capitol-annex-project","tag-choice-act","tag-county","tag-full-episode","tag-governor","tag-john-laird","tag-june-primary","tag-lawmaker","tag-lawmakers","tag-next-year","tag-part","tag-project","tag-proposed-budget","tag-roger-niello","tag-spending-plan","tag-state-lawmaker","tag-voters-choice-act","tag-week"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320171","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=320171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=320171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}