An Independent Candidate Takes on California | Reza Safarnejad

For the first episode of Generation Reset, Kerry Rodriguez sits down with independent California gubernatorial candidate Reza Safarnejad to discuss political disillusionment, outsider campaigns, immigration, institutional trust, and what it means to challenge the modern party system.

Born in Iran and shaped by revolution, war, and immigration to the United States, Reza brings a perspective on governance that is deeply personal — and increasingly relevant in a political climate where many voters feel politically homeless.

The conversation explores:

• why independent candidates struggle to break through
• how party systems shape public discourse
• steps future candidates can take to increase their odds of winning office as an independent
• market needs that entrepreneurs can address to help all candidates compete more effectively

Generation Reset with Kerry Rodriguez is a podcast from the ContraSearch Network, produced by ContraSearch, Inc..

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

I told my mother, I said,

"Newsom Has Nice Har"

SPEAKER_02 0:01

hey, I'm running for governor, and she says, What are you stupid? And then the next thing she does is she googles the California governor and pulls up a picture of Newsom and it goes, I vote for him. He has nice hair. Alright, fine.

What is Generation Reset?

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Welcome to Generation Reset, a show about political activation, exploring the impulses and the forces that bring people into US politics that pushes them away and that ultimately drives us to seek change. Challenges that come with running as an independent, and what future candidates and entrepreneurs can do to make similar runs more successful. All right, Reza, it's nice to see you and thank you for joining the call.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

Hey, thank you for having me on your podcast. I'm

Reza Safarnejad's Background

SPEAKER_02 1:12

excited.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Of course. So today our guest hails all the way from California. So Reza Safernejad is a candidate running as an independent currently for the governor of California. And so with the primary set for June 2nd, the first leg of the race is soon meeting its end. But before I ask any questions about your platform, Reza, it often helps to center the conversation to the early beginnings of a candidate. And so as I was learning about your candidacy from your pub your public website, you know, I couldn't help but notice that your roots in the United States are very fresh. So I presume from the website that you are an immigrant yourself, is

Growing up During the Iranian Revolution

SPEAKER_00 1:51

that right?

SPEAKER_02 1:51

That that is correct. I am I am an immigrant. I was born in Iran, the country we're currently at war with, excursioning into. I'm not sure what we're doing. I lived uh there until I was almost 14. I I got to see you know Iran's uh uprising and revolution in 1978 and nine. You know, watched a country that was one of the longest monarchies in the world change into democracy and then very quickly transform over a few years uh from a democracy to kind of a tyrannical uh uh whatever you want to call it today. The world of ITOL is today. I I lived through the Iran-Iraq War the first five years of it. And so, yeah, that was a lot of learning and a lot of lessons that came in that came in handy later in life.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

Yeah. And and I'll be frank on my side. I have friends and family where they have grown up and they have grown up in time of war at their you know native countries, and and they're you know, either still living there or some of them are now citizens of the United States. But I'm wondering, as you were growing up during this time period in Iran and when you eventually came to the United States, were you even thinking uh about entering US politics after seeing what you have had already seen growing up in Iran?

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Not at all. So my family uh is not political at all. I when I moved here to the U.S., we lived in Washington, D.C. area, right outside of D.C. And and everything in DC area is is immersed in politics and government. And pretty much from the get-go, I didn't I had a dislike for politics and politicians. Okay. Seeing what I saw in Iran also jaded me, I'll be honest with you. I mean, again, we uh we uh you know my family was totally apolitical. So when there was an uprising, they didn't want any part of it. And all of that changed when back then the king of Iran and his people started slaughtering people on the street. I think that's what changed it. And all of a sudden they got involved, they got involved with the armed conflicts. And uh again, it's as shocking as it is now to me as a you know seven-year-old child, you don't think about it, but uh basically a bunch of college kids and a bunch of everyday working people, my dad was a civil engineer, my uncle, who was a pharmacist, they overthrew one of the most powerful and longest monarchies in the world. And then watching that transformation of monarchy to democracy, and then how politicians, people with power, people with money, corrupted that system and took advantage and put themselves in place of power and took away people's votes, took away people's rights, took away their voices. And, you know, by 1985, I think my family, and and this was the effect of that is not just political, it affects your everyday life. So again, my father was a civil engineer, and he could make a decent living. He wasn't rich, but he made a decent living. He could buy a house, uh, you know, uh, and live comfortably on that. By 1985, he had to take a second job. And this is where he finally realized things are not getting better. And so, no, I I did not think of it. Just like any other immigrant, you come to the U.S. or any other country, your first thought is, I gotta get a job, I gotta go to school, I gotta, I gotta learn English, I gotta fit in, I gotta, and and I came here when I was 14, and you know, your first thought is I gotta go to school and make friends, right? And you're trying to figure things out. So this politics is the last thing you

Understanding America as an Immigrant

SPEAKER_02 5:57

think about.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

Yeah, and I'm sure that well, I'm curious because you you saw the transition, right, into democracy, and in a way you also were already like the idea or the presence of the United States was there for you from you know during this time period, so before you even came to the US, because the presence that it had in the region in the Middle East. So I'm just curious. So, you know, the US as a kid, you had it in your mind already, given what our our our our involvement already in the Middle East. As you were growing up in the United States, how were you piecing together American politics? It clearly wasn't on your mind as something that you wanted to enter. You weren't thinking, I want to be the president of the United States. But when you're 14 and you're growing up in the US and you're thinking about friends, um, I'm sure you came home and the topic about home, which is Iran, comes up. And then you're in deep like you're in the proximity of DC. I'm I'm I'm just wondering, did it take you some time to begin to understand American politics, the relationship US politics has to not just Iran, but many other countries where it has been you know had involvement in just anything that has uh influenced your thinking here as you were growing up?

SPEAKER_02 7:24

So uh all right, I'll I'll I'll give you some anecdotal uh stories. Uh you have to keep in mind in 1979, Iran cut itself off from the world. So the only thing we knew and saw about United States was through a limited amount of movies, TV shows, and whatever propaganda the government puts out. So United States, the great Satan, this scary country, right, of scary people. And the only thing I knew about U.S. were tall buildings, because that's all you saw from you know movies and and and gunslingers and Western. And honestly, I was shocked when I got out of the plane, we're driving through DC, and I'm like, where are the tall buildings? What why isn't there's no tall buildings here? What's going on?

SPEAKER_01 8:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:14

And and then later, you know, we're in proximity to Virginia and going through it, and there are no cowboys, no gunslingers. What's going on here? Um it the other shocking part for me was how open everything was back then. And and you're clearly younger than me. Uh back then, we used to drive right in front of White House. Pennsylvania Avenue was open. So on my dad's commute to his work, drove him through it and sat in traffic right in front of you know the White House. And once in a while he would fall in a pothole or sit in traffic for too long, just stick his arm out, and go, jab it, somebody fix this road. Um, how open everything was, how accessible everything was. Back then you could literally walk into the Capitol, you didn't need an invitation. Um, you could go sit in a Supreme Court hearing without any restrictions. To me, that was a shockingly beautiful thing and powerful thing, right? Anyone can go and and walk up to uh a congressman, a senator, and talk to

Becoming Apolitical in America

SPEAKER_02 9:18

them.

SPEAKER_00 9:18

Got it. And did you understand uh how were you? I mean, back then we don't use the GOP as a way to describe Republicans as much these days, or the green the old Tea Party or the Tea Party, but how are you kind of when you were hearing these terms, like were they beginning to make more sense as you were making your way through college? Or again, were you just not even focused about politics at this point and just trying to uh make friends and and uh c uh acclimate into the American culture?

SPEAKER_02 9:52

Absolutely. I'm I'm about as apolitical as I get. So I did not bother to register for to vote for many, many, many years. Uh I hardly ever voted. Uh this is how apolitical my whole family is. I told my mother, I said, hey, I'm I'm running for governor, and she says, What are you stupid? And and I'll and then the next thing she does is she googles the California governor and pulls up a picture of uh of uh Newsom and he goes, I vote for him, he has nice hair. I'm your son. All right, fine. Uh so it was not exactly a thought at all. And and the little bit you hear, you know, especially when we're in college, you become a little more political, things are are are you know solidifying, it's affecting our lives a little more, right? I started college right around the time when tuitions were starting to get hiked up. So the first year, you could put your tuition on uh on a credit card. And I I my family didn't have a whole lot of money. Uh and then by the fourth year, you're like, oh, I have to take out a loan to pay this year's tuition.

SPEAKER_00 11:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:05

And and it just kept getting worse and worse. And and this was obvious. And believe it or not, back then in the 90s, we didn't talk to each other in terms of I'm a Republican, I'm a Democrat, I'm an American, I'm a working person. And this politicization of everyone and everything is mainly, I think, in the last 20 years has gotten out of hand. 20, maybe 25 years, I'm not sure. And kind of drawing us into these extreme axioms is has not worked, has not worked well at all. So yeah, just uh making sense of it took a while. I think we're all still trying to make sense of a lot of this stuff.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:50

It is quite obvious to me that most of us may not necessarily know, you know, what it means to be Republican, MAGA, Democrat, progressive. I think uh, you know, politicians play with a lot of these terms. And to me, it's still very much a nonsensical, more marketing terms than anything else.

Why Run as an Independent?

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Yeah. And because you're running currently as an independent, was that a term that you self-ascribed yourself as early on in life, or were you still a political to the point where you didn't even think of yourself as independent?

SPEAKER_02 12:29

So yeah, interesting enough, I was registered as a Republican at some point because in Maryland, where I used to live, you have to be part of the party to vote in a primary. And I flipped a coin and came out Republican. And when I came here, I said, let me register as independent. And the lady who was filling out the form said, You know, independent is a party in California. I I didn't know that. I said, All right, let's just go with what I had. Keep it less complicated. Um The reason to go independent was conscience, and and the reason for that is uh, and we haven't quite gotten to that yet, in the last year and a half since the Palisades fire that burned down my entire city, neighborhood, everything around us for miles and miles, is what prompted me to take a more active role. And uh one as I and as I got involved and I tried helping some of these uh candidates run, I learned a lot about politics, and I learned a lot about party politics. And what I realized is in order to run as a candidate for for on behalf of a party, you essentially have to sell your soul. There are things you're not allowed to say, you cannot say. There's not a whole lot of backing of you if you're not hand-selected, pre-selected by the donors and owners of these parties and head honchos.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

So there's a you if I'm hearing this correctly, there's already a infrastructure. If you're running for the Democrat with the Democratic Party, it's almost like you either knew about all the steps that it took to get recognized, get you know, get into their circuit, get prepped. And and so you're saying in the as they're prepping you for the run, there's already rules about what you can and cannot say in order to continue along the process of potentially receiving the nomination and representing the party. Is that what you're saying?

SPEAKER_02 14:37

Un unspoken rules.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

They don't tell you this.

SPEAKER_02 14:41

They don't say you you better figure it out, you better have connections already. And uh yeah, you better know your stuff. And we see it right now. There are good people running both for Democrat or Republican Party that you have never heard of, no one has heard of. They're completely sidelined and and silenced. And um and it's unfortunate. And so the reason for running as an independent was a um, I don't know, it's it it was it was a conscious decision to not have to sell out and be able to say what I want to say and do what I want to do and not have those. Of course, now I've learned that being an independent is even a bigger problem because you do completely get sidelined, you get silenced, you do not get invited to debates or anything else. And uh there's this whole political money machinery and media machinery that sidelines everybody. And so uh the few independent journalists like yourself are the only avenue people outside of the system have to reach, reach out and speak to

The Palisades Fire and Political Awakening

SPEAKER_02 15:55

people.

SPEAKER_00 15:55

And can I ask, uh so you have a bigger, you have more liberty to speak your mind. And you mentioned the Pass Aid fires. What about what you experienced during the fires, afterwards, and even dealing with the politicians to seek remedy? Were you able to say that your democratic challengers weren't? Like I where did you start to see that you had an advantage to speak and bring to awareness whatever inequities you were seeing play out during this time period regarding the Palisade fires?

SPEAKER_02 16:34

So um to be fair, California is overwhelmingly Democrat party run. So it is natural to for for any kind of uh problems to be levied against the Democrat Party. I suspect that if the Republican Party was in charge, there would be just as many complaints and as many problems and as as many things levied against the Republican Party. So it mum I want to be fair. Um reaching out to local officials, and the Palisades fire didn't just happen. It was in the making for years, for years and years, for not that many years, but for a good couple of years, we saw drug adult people, drug addicts, homeless, set fire to things all the time. If you live in LA, San Francisco, anywhere, you kind of get used to that. And we used to watch it, you know, from our homes, watch PCH. Day after day, fire comes up, you call the police, firemen show up, they put it out and go away, and and and the drug addict is still there, whoever is there. And so as this happened, and me and all of my neighbors thought about how how did something so disastrous happen, as they lied to us and told us this this was a natural wildfire when it clearly was obvious that it was arson and and they absolutely knew about it. Everything that happened before, during, and after this fire, as they they continued to delay permits, as they continue to delay services and and fixes to everything, even just roads around us. I recognize that there's a much bigger, deeper problem, a more systemic problem that it's the same problem we see everywhere. As I s I hear these uh politicians talk about homelessness, housing, affordability, you know, everything. Those are problems, those are a crisis. But they're not the problem. And they want to they want to address the symptoms and the byproduct of the bigger systemic problems. And so that's what prompted me to start working with a whole lot of uh local candidates that I came across. And there are really good people running for mayor, for for Congress, for city council, etc. And so the the reason I picked California governor was out of necessity. It was literally on the last day that you could go and register. And it was like I have come across great people, good people with good intentions in every race except for this one. So at the at the prompting of a campaign strategist that I met, and and we also worked on recall of Gavin Newsom, recall of Karen Bass, who's the mayor, didn't go anywhere. We just we got blocked. Not just by Democrats, the Republicans fought the recall of a Democrat governor harder harder than the Democrats, which I found comical. Uh but it literally is last day prompting, go, no, you gotta do something. You can't just complain and not do get get your butt in there and do something. I literally drove to the office, to the wrong office, by the way. And as I'm driving, I Google and I go, wait, uh, Randy, I don't think this is the right office. And goes, oh, yeah, yeah, I forgot. It's the other one. Go to the other one. And uh, so it was this comical a political novice uh trying without any party help or anyone else's help, trying to get into uh trying to do something, make a difference.

Why Run for Governor?

SPEAKER_00 20:24

And I guess I'm you know, there's a quote there's a question of the options you you were you have available. You know, you could have just voted. You could have maybe voted in and organized with a movement that aligned with the values that you had in mind regarding the fixes you want to see in housing or even with recovery for for the past aid fire. There's also different positions you could have run for in the state of California and also in Congress. What about the position running for governor stood out to you as the office to go run for versus all the other options you had that available to you?

SPEAKER_02 21:11

So I I'm still actively working with other candidates, some independents, some some Republicans, some Democrat, who are running for a whole lot of these positions. And I feel like I wouldn't want to run against them. They are they are truly representing us, the people. You know, a government for the people stars by the people. And so there was no point in running against people I believe in and I'm backing, and I hope they're successful and get somewhere. Um like I said, this was out of necessity, right? This is like, oh my God, there's no one running for a governor, and this is the most influential position, right? So if any of these candidates win the mayor's office, the council office at the end of it. There's a much bigger power at the governor's level that's going to smack him down, that's going to stop him, that's going to push him in the wrong direction. And so it was this kind of long shot, God, I I hope I can make a difference kind of thing. And I'm just going to jump in and hope for the best. If nothing else, I'm I'm on this podcast right now, and it allows me to speak and say something that you are not hearing from any of these governor, gubernatorial candidates, which is the problem is elsewhere. There's a much bigger, deeper problem, problems that we need to solve. And so having that platform by itself is a step forward. But yeah, I am completely aware that this is about as long shot as it gets. But also I've learned that, you know, if you're not in it, you know, you cannot make a difference. So here we

The Challenges Facing Independent Candidates

SPEAKER_02 23:04

are.

SPEAKER_00 23:04

Yeah. And you know, I'm curious because the you've mentioned this already, that there are already some challenges that come with running as an independent. That you're not given access to media platforms that can give you, you know, that allow you to reach as many people as you could you could have reached if you either registered, well, if you registered as a Democrat. Would you do anything differently if you actually let's go back in time to the where you knew you were going to the office? Maybe you're filling the paperwork at the office and you hadn't yet determined which party you would run for. Would you change anything about the way you would run again if you had a chance to redo it?

SPEAKER_02 23:50

Uh lots. First and foremost, I would plan it better. That that would be for sure. Because uh all these candidates who are like, oh, I decided the last minute, these big candidates, not the average ordinary people, they're full of it. They're lying. They're they planned this out years ago. And they've been running for years and years for governor, Congress, whatever they're running for. Uh, they have tons of money lined up behind them from years before, they're hand selected by their friends. So I if someone was to run, I would say plan it ahead, plan it well. Running in Democrat or Republican Party does not guarantee you help. In fact, if anything, it might hurt you because they have the power to sideline you a lot easier than uh uncontrolled independent. Right. Um what else would I change? Well, I would definitely study learning.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

So a lot of the candidates and and at least the ones that are pulling high in the Democratic Party for the governor position, they they do bring a lot of government experience, you know, in some way, shape, or form at the local, state, or federal level. When you decided to run for governorship, how were you thinking about the outsider perspective that you were bringing? Were you thinking already that you would have to fight that much more harder, you know, outside of the fact of being an independent, but now this time an outsider? What did you think that gave you in terms, did you think it gave you an edge, or gives you an edge because you're still running, or does it raise eyebrows for a lot of people when you go and campaign and meet and shake hands?

SPEAKER_02 25:31

It is both. I I as I spoke, and one of the things you have to do is go out there and collect signatures, which is a good test. If you can't get a few hundred people or a few thousand people to convince them to sign a piece of paper saying, okay, I'll I'll let you get on the ballot, just get on the ballot, uh, then you're clearly not cut out for this. And that that was actually a very hard process by itself. And unlike people with a lot of backing who have volunteers and paid volunteers, they call themselves volunteers, but they're paid. Uh, go out there and collect signatures, the independence, the smaller people had to go out and do it on their own. And a lot of times I found people I backed and helped actually go, Reza, come out, come out and we'll we'll do it as a group and help each other out. Uh I did hear people go, oh, you have no, you know, previous experience. No, I don't want to talk to you. And people are like, Yeah, I'd rather talk to someone who's not already corrupt, who's not already part of the system. One thing that I think should be obvious to many of us, if not most of us, our problems start with a corrupt, failed system. So for all these politicians, lifelong politicians, to come out and say, I have experience in this failed corrupt system, and exactly what did they achieve? I I love that Katie Porter comes out and she got her, you know, uh whiteboards. What did she achieve? You know, uh what did Becera achieve? Any of these people. So I was actually kind of excited about seeing Tom Steyer run as an outsider. He's a person who has not failed us yet. Hopefully he won't. And we don't know if he's even close to winning anything. But also at the same time, I recognize that a billionaire and the trillionaires of the world, and he's just a billionaire, they don't live our lives any more than these failed politicians who constantly have to have to talk about their past and and their years of sitting in an office which they did nothing with. We need people who live our lives to understand these problems. And and and let's be honest with ourselves, our problems are not that complex. The solutions are not that complicated. What's lacking is the willingness to go against the grain and say, uh, no, you I'm sorry, you can't have these monopolies manipulate every market and make everything more expensive. So that's that's where I think being an outsider and not being corrupted is is huge at this point in our democracy.

Moving to California and Campaigning as an Outsider

SPEAKER_00 28:18

Yeah. And and speaking about the outsider perspective, one thing that I found very fascinating about your candidacy is that you recently moved to California. So I bring this up because a lot of candidates, when they're running, they like to claim the home advantage, saying that they grew up in this neighborhood and you know, that maybe even their family had lived here before they were born. And you had moved in 2020. So as you were out there getting signatures, how were people receiving you as someone who's fairly new to the state of California? And even on the topic of immigration, which is a very divisive topic uh these days, what did they you know comment about your background uh being Iranian? How did how did these conversations play out when you were getting signatures or even uh campaigning once you got them?

SPEAKER_02 29:16

Right. All of these things become relevant, and uh all of it is you know, everybody is entitled to their opinion, to their thoughts. I I wouldn't judge anyone for for you know bringing up immigration. People literally ask me, what religion do you follow? And I'm thinking, why is that relevant to to the office? This is a job, right? This is not a uh, you know, I'm it's not, and so this is kind of what we've been trained on for years by these politicians to think about things that don't matter. And and the whole, my great-grandpappy was here before you were, is yet another talking point by failed politicians who have nothing of their own. They're trying to make themselves relatable. It's the first thing you hear from a used car salesman when you go to the dealership. Where are you from? Because they want to be from there and make themselves relatable. Uh, you are correct. I did move to California in 2020. I grew up in Maryland. The problems we see in California are not, again, that complicated and complex. Having that outside their perspective certainly helps, I in my view. Uh and I will add to that that people who are, hey, I was born here, I put no effort in wanting to live in California versus me, where I lived somewhere else my whole life. I grew up in Maryland, and and uh, you know, I have friends from middle school saying goodbye to them, putting an effort to move to California where I chose to live, not because of my work, not for any other reason, just I love California. I would come here all the time and and visit. And I honestly fell in love with the people of California. And uh I you're on the East Coast, right?

SPEAKER_00 31:11

Yeah, New York Coast.

SPEAKER_02 31:12

So New York okay, then you know, like in in DC, uh people don't make eye contact. Forget about saying if somebody said hi to you, your first reaction is let me look the other way. Ignore them, they're crazy, they're talking to me, right? Uh New York City, you look at somebody in the eye and say, How are you doing? What's it what the F are you looking at?

SPEAKER_00 31:34

People ask about directions around here, and I kindly give it to them as uh you're a very nice person.

SPEAKER_02 31:40

Are you sure you're a New Yorker?

SPEAKER_00 31:45

I'm very nice to the tourists. Uh uh are they nice to me when I'm visiting them? Not usually, but that's okay.

SPEAKER_02 31:51

And California, especially like Southern California, is very different. People are friendly, they engage in in conversations, they smile, they they talk to each other. Um I've made more friends in the few years I've been here than you know 37 years in in Maryland. Um I I made more friends in my neighborhood in the Palisades Malibu area than I made than the last 20 years of living in the same neighborhood in Maryland. Um and this this goes a long way. And and I wouldn't trade that for the world. Even living among the ashes of my neighbors and neighborhood, uh, I'm still here and I'm not moving and I'm not giving up. So, but yeah, the the whole thing about uh, you know, ancestral, you know, whatever, it's just a talking point to try to distract from, you know, have you done a good job? Can you do a good job? You know, and and we and it's not just where they're born. We hear this. If you watch the California governor's debate, every one of them said the same thing. My daddy worked for a living. And they're like, oh, okay, so you were so horrified by your dad working. And the fact you have to bring that up, clearly you don't work for a living, you know. Uh and you know, just don't make me work, please. Uh it's horrifying. And these are all just distracting from reality and and role problems and real solutions and what we need to do.

Why Reza is Skeptical of Both Parties

SPEAKER_00 33:23

Yeah. So as we're looking at the race play out, and you said that you have noticed candidates on both parties that you're supporting, are you hopeful, at least if if unsuccessful, that the candidates who are leading uh in the polls in different districts, in different races, that they're gonna address some of the issues that you had hoped to address as governor? Or are you feeling still that, you know, because of the infrastructure that the Democrats have, the Republicans have, and the way that they weed out maybe and and support a way of thinking or a way of framing the conversations that maybe we're not getting directly to the issues that you think need to get solved and and that the solutions that they're proposing aren't as critical and you know the ones that we should be focusing on. I'm curious what you think about uh as you're seeing the the entire you know midterm elections play out in the state of California.

SPEAKER_02 34:24

Uh I would love to say I'm hopeful. I'm I'm not that hopeful, I'll be honest with you. What I'm seeing is the typical hand-selected or some people with a lot of money or a lot of connections uh pushing themselves in. In the L LA mayor's race, there are multiple people, ordinary people who are very smart, who are capable, who are running, and getting sidelined. I'm I'm happy to see Spencer Pratt get ahead. I I would love to see him uh win. I would love it more if uh some of the other candidates won, who are nowhere near the top. They they're not getting invited to debates, they're not getting uh uh media time, uh, who are even who are far more capable of doing these. The same thing with Congress everywhere else. I don't have a whole lot of hope for the next governor, if it's any of these six or seven people right now that are at the top, making real changes. And it and again, son kind of going back, when you have a corrupt-failed system, uh changing the facade, changing that face is not gonna change it, right? And we need people who are willing to make real wholesale changes. Uh Tom Steyer and so many others have talked about single-payer uh health care. Fantastic. Okay, that's that's that's real change. I'll I'll give them that. But there's a far bigger issue, which is not just these insurance companies that are have all merged and become monopolies, are manipulating both sides of healthcare. They are paying doctors and nurses as little as possible possible. And now you and I have to deal with one single company that controls the entire healthcare system in our zip code, in our neighborhood, in our town. Uh so you know, go into single payer healthcare, or maybe just break up all these monopolies because it's not just healthcare. Uh between Meta and uh Ellison Corp. I don't know what the hell they call themselves now, Bite Dance, Dance Something, uh, they have a complete monopoly of media. Right? Uh you look at farming. Why why do we pay so much for our groceries? Is there because all these all these distributors, middlemen, have have merged and now they're monopolizing the system. They're manipulating the market. Farmers get nothing, and we pay a lot of money for for groceries. And if the farmers don't sell at their price, these are international monopolies. They'll go buy it from Brazil, they'll go buy it from Argentina, somewhere else.

SPEAKER_01 37:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:11

Same thing with energy, same thing. Maybe the the better solution is break up the monopolies. They are illegal, and they're illegal for a reason. And and we see this across everything. And that's just one of many things that we see as

Political Entrepreneurship and Civic Innovation

SPEAKER_02 37:29

problems.

SPEAKER_00 37:29

So I want to maybe mention, or so you brought up, you know, that the running as an independent and dealing with, you know, even uh in a market that might be catering itself to dominant parties, gives you maybe a disadvantage. I one of the communities that I want to cater this podcast to are entrepreneurs. Uh, you know, when I think about political activation, which is going to be a big theme of this podcast, right? Understanding why someone like yourself, who maybe was apolitical at the very start, uh, you know, since uh arriving here in the United States, suddenly now is running for governor, you know, understanding what even prompted someone to make such a grand decision. I think too that political activation can encompass entrepreneurship, right? I feel like if we have more people running uh like yourself who aren't in the mainstream parties, I'm sure that you saw a lot of systemic challenges running as an independent, which makes me want to ask you the question, right? If I have entrepreneurs listening right now or throughout the podcast as we continue to produce more episodes, what are areas of opportunities that you think they should consider if they are thinking about working in proximity to government? Whether it's in campaign election, whether it's in health. I know you worked in health, you also worked in public safety. Well, what have you noticed where if you feel like it's hard to get change at the government level, at the policy level, that you think entrepreneurship could um expedite because it might move a lot faster?

SPEAKER_02 39:17

Uh that's a big question. And and it's multifaceted. First of all, there's opportunities everywhere. Okay, there's definitely opportunities for improvement in government, in politics, in everything else. So one of the things I've noticed as as I'm going through this is how arcane and uh how outdated everything is with politics and politicians. Politicians are not tech savvy people. They're not, and so as I'm running through this, I have to become media savvy. I have to become uh, there's like a whole, you know, uh printed material that has to go out. There is uh talking points, uh there's all sorts of stuff, right, that politicians don't understand. And right now, there's there's not a whole lot of services outside of the party system and some very large corporations that cater to the super rich and super connected and well-funded uh individuals that help them. There is an organization called Good Party uh that tries to help independence. Again, they're they're very limited in what they can do. So all of the stuff that you see, all the stuff you receive in the mail, all the calls you get, the canvassing the media stuff, there is definitely room for entrepreneurship and and people coming in and taking on and helping smaller candidates have a bigger voice. There's a whole bunch of people who've asked me, can we, you know, they we we keep hearing about voter fraud and and election fraud. Can we fix this with, let's say, blockchain? Yes, yes, absolutely. It's it's amazing to me that any industry you work in, there's always a quality assurance facet to it that's supposed to be open, and especially I I work in forensics. So anything that goes through a crime lab, crime scene has to get you know through layers of quality assurance. And that's another thing that's missing, right? It's an easy one. We want to be sure our elections are good. Add a quality assurance facet to it that's open, and you can make it local, right?

Social Media, Media Access, and Independent Candidates

SPEAKER_00 41:36

Uh you mentioned media, and I know that um uh can you can you maybe talk a little bit about the opportunities there? You know, there's a platform like this one, right, that is giving you a chance to meet with anyone who listens. But what about social media, the distribution of getting the message out there in clips? Is that something that you have seen as services come to you as being useful or anything there that you can say?

SPEAKER_02 42:06

So interesting enough, yes, the services coming to smaller candidates are in trips and wraps. They're they're just like a little bit here, a little bit there. And there's definitely a disconnect where, oh, there's somebody named Kara Rodriguez that has a has a podcast that's interesting and and actually wants to talk to me and not, I don't know, Chad Bianco, right? Just because he has a huge name. So there's definitely room for media services where people could reach out to candidates. Um people could figure out what are the what are the interesting things we can talk about. How how does Reza's world connect with mine outside of politics, right? So we you and I could be talking about, you know, uh criminal forensics world. We could be talking about health, we could be talking about a lot of other things that are not necessarily, you know, related to this. But and and most of these other candidates outside of just pure politicians have interesting lives. And and there is a reason we are where we are, because we've had these life experiences, that experiences that that um shaped us and made us go, you know what, it I need to step in and do something. So that particular one I think could be huge, and there's a lot of opportunities, but it's one of those things where there's no set, we haven't quite figured it out. And for someone to come in and figure things out, would it that could be a huge market for entrepreneurs.

SPEAKER_00 43:39

Yeah. And I'm curious, uh, have creators reach out to you uh on TikTok, on so on Instagram, and what kind of engagements have you seen there?

SPEAKER_02 43:48

So it goes both ways, and it's interesting because each one, just like you, is individual. Either I'm individually reaching out to them, and you're probably individually reaching out to people, and it becomes Are real drag. I mean, think about how many people are going to reach out to, how many of them will actually respond, how many of them will be interesting, right? How many of them, and so having some kind of a service between the uh smaller podcasts, smaller guests, I guess, would be a good one. I I did find a couple of services for that. They were not very good. So there's definitely room for better services and more entrepreneurship in that area.

Would Reza Stay in Politics After This Race

SPEAKER_00 44:29

Got it. Alright. Well, you know, I definitely want to, you know, reserve the last question where I feel like, again, on the topic of political activation, right? I'm curious, you know, are we going to see you get involved more in politics now that you've already started with your launch for the governor seat? Or is this kind of like are you going to take a step back post the race and and rethink the way you want to involve yourself?

SPEAKER_02 45:02

So with less than three weeks to go to primary, which is the real election in California, unfortunately, I there I have very little hope of being able to change anything in this in the June 2nd primary. Um I see needs, I see necessity of we cannot continue down this self-destructive path. And I think a lot of Americans probably recognize we're not on the right path anymore. And having to win back our democracy as as sad as it seems, um is is necessary. It is important. A government for the people, by the people. It is necessary. Um so I I don't think I'm gonna completely step back. I don't know if I'll ever run for anything again. Uh this has been a difficult experience, and I will tell anyone who wants to run for for office, be ready for uh a hell of a ride because you're gonna be disappointed, you're gonna be excited.

SPEAKER_00 46:12

Um how early should they be starting before they even put their hat in the rain?

SPEAKER_02 46:18

I don't think there's a right answer to that. Right now, things are bad enough that, like I said, if you're not already connected, if you're not already handpicked by rich and powerful and connected people, it's very hard, but you can get there. So so get started early. And I I would hope people who actually care, people who are idealists and and really want to make a difference. And there's a lot of us out there, right? Most most of us who care stay out of politics because we see how dirty and ugly it is, right?

SPEAKER_00 46:52

And and they have other things going on. So I it's not a common, it's very common for me to get that response where I'm like, oh, like you seem so smart, you seem to know what you want, you seem to be on you, you know where the bottlenecks exist. Why don't you run? And they're like, Well, I'm I'm doing my job, or you know, do I should I run? Like they don't you made that jump, and it seems like now having made that jump, you're taking a step back, but you're encouraging, I guess like, who is it for the type of personality that you think should be making the decision? Is there one, or is it just you have to have thick skin, you need to be ready if you're not part of the circuit to have to like fight even more to get seen and recognized and to build that followership?

Why Running for Office is So Difficult

SPEAKER_02 47:39

So back to kind of backing up to your entrepreneurship and setting up systems. I would love to see us have something that allows the average person to get in there and make a difference. This ridiculous amount of money that comes into politics. The average uh California governor of candidates uh uh not them, but others spent about $200 million per candidate. These billions of dollars spent on candidates have a reason. These people are businessmen. They're they're looking for much bigger returns, right? I would love for us to have that removed from politics altogether so average people can run. For me to run, I I I work for a living, I have a small business. Uh, I literally told my clients, I will see you after June. So I I I have no income for the for since January when I started running. Um I put my mortgage on forbearance until June. Uh uh, yeah, June. Sorry, not January, but from January to June. Uh so I I haven't seen my son, my younger son, who's in school in San Francisco in months, who goes to dental school. Um so yeah, and my girlfriend, you know, said, I'm gonna break up with you if I don't see you. So I'm I'm actually taping from her place, hoping we spend more time together. Uh so yeah, be ready for your kids to call your uncle and your your employer or your clients to forget your name. But again, it's it's a necessary right. I I would hope that the kind of personality that would run for this, and I know it's not reality, but is people who care, truly care, and are smart enough, intelligent enough. And I think most of us are intelligent enough to see the problems. They're again not that complex. And understand that as governor, as mayor, your job is not to solve problems. All of these people standing up and saying, I have solutions to environmental, they're environmental issues. They're not chemists, they're not engineers, they don't have solutions. The governor's job, the mayor's job is a job. And just like any other big organization, and I've I've I've been up and down the corporate world, I've been up and down the uh government organizations. Your job is to hire the right people and make sure they're doing their job and and make sure they're successful and hold them accountable. That's what the governor's job is. So hopefully people are well organized, who are intelligent, who are are have integrity. That's the kind of people I would like to see, but the kind of people who go into it, yeah, you gotta have thick skin, you gotta be ready for disappointments, be ready to lose some friends, be ready to make new friends.

SPEAKER_00 50:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:32

Um, so that's the reality.

Losing/Making Friends During a Political Campaign

SPEAKER_00 50:34

Have you lost friends already in this process?

SPEAKER_02 50:36

For sure, absolutely. Dear God. Friends that people I called friends for years and years who just drop off or turn turn against you because they totally disagree with something you didn't think even mattered, right? And then you make new friends. Uh, but I think any hard experience, any difficult experience you go through in life, this is where you get to know who your real friends are. And you always end up making new friends that are become lifelong friends and valuable friends.

Final Thoughts and Closing

SPEAKER_00 51:09

Yeah. Well, I think on that note, I think it's worth uh ending the conversation. So I want to say thank you, Reza, for joining us. And you know, June 2nd is soon approaching. I wish you and your team the best of luck.

SPEAKER_02 51:25

Thank you. And if if you like to vote for me, reza for California.com is the site. Would love to get your vote. It is not throwing away your vote when your voice what you believe in. And I we do need a change, a real big change in California to get back on track.

SPEAKER_00 51:43

That is Reza Sarfarnajad. He is an independent candidate running for governor in California. If you like what you listen to, like and subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen. Or you can follow us at contrasearch.com, toggle to the CS network for new episodes. Thank you. I'm your host, Kerry Rodriguez, and we'll see you at the next one.