In this special episode of the So, Does It Matter? Podcast, I try something new — four guests at once. I sit down with the “Golden Ticket” slate: Steve Hilton for Governor, Gloria Romero for Lieutenant Governor, Michael Gates for Attorney General*, and Herb Morgan for Controller.
Together, they lay out how a coordinated team in statewide office would approach California’s biggest problems — from the cost of living and public safety to education accountability and state spending.
While I don’t endorse candidates in these interviews, my goal is to give you direct access to the leading voices offering a different direction for California. This podcast lets you hear their ideas in their own words so you can make up your own mind.
In this conversation, we cover:
– What each office can actually do to fix California’s biggest challenges
– Executive actions a new governor could take on day one
– Enforcing crime laws and restoring public safety statewide
– Title IX, campus issues, and accountability in education
– How the Controller’s office can expose waste, fraud, and abuse
– Budget tricks in Sacramento and the fight over taxes and spending
CHAPTER MARKERS (Optional but recommended)
00:00 Introduction and “Golden Ticket” format
02:00 Biggest problem each office can fix
08:00 Cost of living and executive actions
16:00 Crime, law enforcement, and Prop 36
27:45 Education and university accountability
33:20 Title IX and school policy enforcement
37:00 Budget games, deficits, and state finances
41:00 Tax reform and spending priorities
* - I have endorsed Michael
What is So, Does It Matter? - on CA Politics - Podcasts!?
California is by far the largest state in the country. What happens here affects the country and the world. What happens here, from big cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose, to the breadbasket of the Central Valley, is consequential. This podcast is a feature of the extensive www.SoDoesItMatter.com Substack Newsletter (sign up for free). This is where longtime California conservative strategist Jon Fleischman features audio commentary, primarily interviews with people of consequence in California politics and policy.
We actually have two Podcast feeds. The other is So, Does It Matter? SPOKEN — listen to audio versions of the posts on the Substack page. You can check that out here" https://sodoesitmatterspoken.transistor.fm/
Jon Fleischman is a former Executive Director of the California Republican Party and a veteran of hundreds of political campaigns. He is a frequent voice on cable shows, in California newspapers, and on podcasts, discussing a wide range of topics, but mostly...California politics!