Inside Golden State Politics

California In The Trump Era

• Nancy Boyarsky

Share episode

We look at how President  Trump is singling out California for retribution.  We examine the increasingly rough roads that California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass find themselves on.

Bill:

welcome to another episode of Inside Golden State Politics. I'm Bill Bosky, the former city editor and columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and with me is our producer director, Nancy Bosky.

Sherry:

And I'm Sherry Bebitch, Jeff, a political analyst and a self-styled medium even to you from trying to figure out what the election results from Wisconsin and Florida mean to the future of American politics and government. only conclusion I could reach so far is this. A win is a win no matter how. Or underperforming it is, but for Democrats, the split decision is a damn site better than a pop in the eye. Over to you, bill.

Bill:

Sherry a poke in the eye is what the country may get, and especially California from the Trump tariffs if they don't work out as he promised in his rose garden speech. The tariffs as he proposed are gonna be especially harmful to California. California is the nation's largest importer of goods. And it's the second largest exporter of farm stuff and crops. The Central Valley of California is the nation's largest agricultural place in the United States. We won't know until a few years, I guess, how it's gonna work out.

Sherry:

think it's gonna take that long. Really we'll know pretty soon, almost immediately.

Bill:

They went into effect at midnight after his rose garden speech. It's going to hit the consumer 25%. A 25% tariff would raise new car prices by$4,000. That's what JP Morgan says.

Sherry:

I already have a friend who went and bought a new car so she could get it at the price before. Were activated, so it's already having an impact.

Bill:

Right, right. God, 500 and almost 600,000 jobs are based on export activity. And these are jobs created to a large extent by small businesses, businesses with payrolls of under$500,000. So it's gonna have a huge impact on this state, and I don't know what the politics of that will be.

Sherry:

Well, I expect the politics are not going to be lovely Trump or Musk. Or Musk, even personally, given his many, many and I. It, it's not only politics, it's the economic basis of what will happen. There are a few people who argue that you a little bit the beginning, but you know, stay the course and we'll get more jobs and prices will go down, yada, yada, yada, maybe. But it's not gonna help immediately and immediately is what needs to be done. And that's particularly true. to the state of California. I mean, you've mentioned agriculture. Then there's Silicon Valley, which relies very much the tech bros need other countries and they need what they perceive to be different lab. No, it all the parts that make up our computers and our cars and God knows what else, and all of the produce that comes in to us from other countries will just go sky high in price. It's, it's another way in which Trump, in essence, is beating up on California. He's been doing it since day one one day last week. Six times his executive orders hit California. Right between the eyes.

Bill:

Why is he doing that?

Sherry:

Trump, I might, I haven't asked him. He is doing it from his point of view, not because it's California, but because it's good for the country. However, he said a long time ago, I will be your revenge. Well, it's his. Revenge. There's been a long time bad blood between California Trump, and between California's governor, Gavin Newsom and Trump, I mean, what, what he has been doing, not only with regard to the, the terrorists, which, which. There's just no argument. We get it right. We really get it in this state. But it's personal too. He's had some, shall we say, rough times with California? I wouldn't, oh, I'd never have it'cause I don't have his deals or his money. For example after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy The campus of the Ambassador Hotel where the shooting took place, was put on the block for development, and I guess the two finalists in the bidding became the Trump organization and the LA Unified School District, which won to turn ambassador over. And make it a, a campus of schools, if you will. Well, guess who won LA Won. He lost that bid. That's just one of the reasons he, right now, I, ironically, he and Governor Newso are on the same track. They are both criticizing the California Coastal Commission. Why? They both think it's too rigid. Why? Does Trump criticize? Why does he think it's too rich? Well, the early part of the 20th century, he decided and he erected a 70 foot flagpole over his golf, a his golf club out here. And you weren't supposed to do that, at least not without a permit. His flag was erected he got a permit. That started a year's long confrontation between Donald Trump and the Coastal Commission. And then let's not forget, Nancy Pelosi. Kamala Harris, the liberal perceptions of California by his own base. All of that, all of that fades itself into the reason why he's going full bore after California.

Bill:

Well, they always taught me in junior high school out in a public school in California. The way to deal with a a schoolyard bully is to fight back. I. Now Governor Newsom is confronted with a schoolyard bully named Trump, and Trump after. Doing all these things you said California? Not only that he's recently, his latest thing is he's gutting environmental Protection Agency regulations which protect the environment of California, but. But Newsom's solution to this is to cozy up to Trump. Remember as the fires were breaking out, he met Trump on at the plane. And he shook his hand and he grasped his elbow in a familiar way. Then then later on he went over to the White House and he spoke to the president for an hour. This seems to me an absolute waste of time. On the governor's latest venture, his podcast I was listening to that the other night. Some right wing pundit whose name I won't repeat because I always mix him up with a middle of the road pundit who I like. But anyway, he was there with his right wing pundit who turned out to be more articulate than the governor. And the governor kind of ended up getting beat up by this. He is using the wrong approach.

Sherry:

First of all. I guess he didn't think he'd get beat up, which says something about his ego, don't you think? Why is he doing this and why is he doing it now? A couple of reasons. O reason is that he has been an antagonist toward Trump and he is of the, the governor of a state who needs a lot more federal funds to rebuild than ever we would've thought necessary because of the wildfires. So he's playing sort of good cop The Attorney General of the State of California, Rob Bonta is sort of playing along with the attorney's general of 19 other states, I think, the bad cop, the guy who is confronting Trump. So that's a political dynamic a political decision. There are also a couple of other possibilities. One, and many people seem to be grasping this one. He is running for president in 2028. And he's backing off being nasty to Trump, and he's moving from the left to maybe even the center, not even the center left, but of the center so that he can suss out his path to the presidential nomination. And then there's another one, I think, considering the fact that he's out of office two years before the presidential office, how's it gonna keep his face on the air? Well, or in the computer. Here's how you do a podcast. And if you do a podcast, maybe you spend a couple of years with immediate career under your belt.

Bill:

Sherry is that why you and I are so famous?

Sherry:

Yes, of course. We're well recognized. By the 320 people. But no, he gets, he gets his podcast replayed every time there's something that, A, he's done wrong, or B, that's some sort of news that, particularly television analysts and, and hosts rely on to get a, a, a, a little giggle out of people I guess. But it's not a conceivable that he's putting himself out there on the market

Bill:

definitely a forward way of communicating. What he's done by doing these podcasts is to avoid having to deal with Journalists except on his own terms. He doesn't have to go on television except on his own terms, and you know, with a podcast, you can go on forever.

Sherry:

Well, he does go on television, but even then, I, he doesn't straddle up to a studio, which is surrounded by protestors. He goes to his computer. So I, I don't think that's it. I think the real reason, he's been far more motivated and he has been on, on several TV shows where he is been taken apart. The, the real reason is he understands that the real power now is in social media. And he is trying to reach out to younger voters and to people who don't watch much television, certainly not much cable or network news, so it could well be that he is positioning himself, he's reshaping his image and he's getting out there on the instrument, the internet that is driving political communication today.

Bill:

I think that's right in there is is about where it is. I mean, the guy, as I was watching him get beat up putting in my dutifully dutiful half hour watching him. I, first I thought, gee, the guy's really stupid to take this beating. But as I continued to watch, I thought I. You know, maybe he's on to something. Maybe this, this is as I know and you know, this is the way of the future as far as political communication, at least, at least in the next two or three years, until something new comes along and he sees it as a way to as just as you said, keep in the public eye have his own voice. And also what he's doing is. Breaking away from a Democratic party, which he obviously considers too liberal and too much on a losing path. He's taking a lesson from Kamala Harris's defeat. He's looking at the states that she lost the battleground, states that she lost. He's looking at her, you know, post-election performance where she's kind of disappeared. And he's saying, I can do this and I'm gonna do it online.

Sherry:

Well, I think that is a part of it. He's trying to get himself. and in a much better place with the dynamics of communicating and communicating politics through social media. And a reason why there are so many people insisting that this is the first move toward his announcement of his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. But I, I think it, it, it goes with what I. Perceive let's say his path, if you will. Yes. He wants to keep himself in the public's eye. Yeah. He's got the kind of ego that successful politicians have by enlarged, but question I have, you know that this is not the only podcast he's a part of. He has another one with two athletes called Politic and two podcasts. And full-time, I guess full-time governor of the state of California. I don't know how he does his day job if he's continually yapping like we do on podcasts. I'm just not sure. In the end, we're gonna know whether or not it was a good move we see what happens to him in the end. But I have to say, I think he believes it is a good move, whatever. And I do think he does have some gripes, as many Democrats do with the Democratic Party, and he wants to be heard, and he is being heard unfortunately negatively many of the times with his criticisms of the Democrats. It's, it's a big risk he's taking really, he's. Not being supported very much by the, the progressive wing of his party. It's gonna be tough for him to, he's not gonna get mad at whatever he does. That's not gonna work. And I have to tell you, the part of the risk is he sometimes put both feet in his mouth regardless of who the guest is.

Bill:

While he's doing this, you know, it's a, politics is such a tough business while he's going on this path that he's obviously thought out and he's pushing ahead. Suddenly there appears on the horizon a new star, Senator Corey Booker.

Sherry:

I just put him on my list as possibles, as a, as a democratic nominee, just from a speech yesterday and the analysis of it today.

Bill:

speech is putting it mildly. He spoke for 20 more than 25 hours on the Senate for.

Sherry:

speech. Okay.

Bill:

Maybe 10 speeches. But they were good, they were good speeches. They were emotional. He had history, he had feelings. He was, you know, well thought out. It was, it was a great speech.

Sherry:

You didn't go potty for 25 hours.

Bill:

That's right. He fasted for several days beforehand. He didn't drink any water. He tortured his body to to do this. And I think he has, now become someone who's gonna be in all of the commentary and thoughts about who's gonna be the next Democratic nominee.

Sherry:

Well, yeah, and, and I don't see our getting that kind of attention. The question is, of course, maybe he will on some future occasion, maybe on his podcast or maybe because he, he is, I. image of a state that's being beaten behind the years by the president of the United States. But right now you don't. There's not a whisper where is Gavin, what is he doing? Even though there's some interesting things going on in SA Sacramento to be to continues to try to protect the state against. Trump's executive orders. I find that very interesting and believe me, Trump is still doing it, still giving it to mainly blue states, but citizens in every state. It's kind of interesting.

Bill:

The Attorney General of California is emerging from this as a strong person too, isn't he?

Sherry:

He's the bad cop. He's the tough guy.

Bill:

Right.

Sherry:

means, I think Gavin is, is betting that if he backs off Trump and plays nice, California may be given a minor reprieve in all of the executive orders. So Bon basically is doing. What Newsom did with regard to relationships with President Trump 1.0. He is now being the good guy and giving bonta the brief to go after the president in terms of his policies.

Bill:

Hey hey, what about this Elon Musk guy? I mean, he had the, the Wisconsin primary, the fate of the world, as he told the Wisconsin voters rested on their decision Tuesday night and he got beat really beat.

Sherry:

yeah, I hear what you're saying. Of course, because he spent a, about 20 million on a state Supreme Court, see that that election on both sides is the most. state judicial election in the history of the United States Now and I, I must say it breaks my heart. I mean, there was a good message, depending on how you look at it, and I look at it as a means by which a MAGA justice will not reach the court. it, it was, it was an existential election as he indicated. But it wasn't an existential election because he won and it wouldn't have. But because he did lose and Trump lost and MAGA and this little guy who ran with not only Elon's money and endorsement, but the endorsement and the participation, although by. Rally of the President of the United States. Then the question today now is as much as any other growing out of those elections Elon Musk's political future dust and my answer is when Donald Trump decides it, he doesn't need Elon. He doesn't want Elon is a risk, then Elon will be gone

Bill:

But

Sherry:

no, because Elon writes the checks.

Bill:

it, it would be a little like kicking Santa Claus outta your front room on on Christmas Eve. But the, thing about it was with Musk if I were him. I would look at the stories being leaked out of the White House on the day after the election, and those stories, which without, I don't wanna criticize

Sherry:

about him or

Bill:

the stories about, about Trump being sick of them and wanting to get rid of them. Yeah. And those stories are leaking out and it's obviously the, I think. Probably planted with journalists that can be trusted by the Trump gang. If I were, if I were Musk, I'd be preparing my farewell and thank you speech and get back to fixing those cars so they don't fall apart.

Sherry:

That would mean you'd have to remove it from a White House dealership, and I kind of think that Musk sees them every day and smiles, although it could be the point where it's negative advertising to have those Teslas on the front lawn the White House, and I just don't know. I mean.

Bill:

Yeah, I can see Trump's saying, who put those cars on the lawn?

Sherry:

guy.

Bill:

Get rid of'em. Get rid of them.

Sherry:

That's right. Well, the latest rumor of about an hour ago is that he, the president is running around mumbling Iran. Musk is gonna go soon. knows? believe that when it becomes apparent that it hurts Trump and the. Personal Trump, as well as the political Trump, or even more that Elon Musk will be going away. In fact, his contract, I guess, is up in early June. He's only a temporary employee. It doesn't mean he can't be rehired, I think in another position with another title or whatever, or just ignored the end of the contract. Unless the Republicans in Washington. so much. The Republicans out in the wilderness really get to him say, you cannot this to continue. We're gonna get just swiped out of office. If this continues, you know it some time, the Republicans have to pick it up and it get.

Bill:

A very rich Republican to.

Sherry:

No, no, no, no. That's like, well, I don't know that, that any rich Republican is gonna wanna risk the contribution, the investment they have already made, let alone might have to make before it's gotta be the Congress asserting some balls, is what it's gotta be. what it's gotta be. And a few Republicans almost every day are. away, not totally the party line terms of the dear leader, but that's, that's got to happen and the, the Republican voters have begun to articulate their worries about what's going on in

Bill:

Was that the of Wisconsin?

Sherry:

I think by and large it may well be. I do think that W Wisconsin was a referendum on Elon Musk. It was also a referendum of on Trump and his policies and what people have seen in the first seven, eight weeks of his presidency. Yeah, I do think that that is a part of it. And I don't know, there is even a lesson in that in the Florida results because the, those two congressional districts took by somewhere around 30 points this guy fine. his. And so did the Republican running to replace waltz by 30 points. They both lost. They lost by double digits. I mean, I'm sorry. They won. They won by tiny double digits. They were down, they were. 14 points or so behind, Trump's turnout in the last presidential election. So even in a a, as it's been called, the bloodiest reddest district in the bloodiest reddest state voted for him by 30. It didn't vote for his endorsed candidates for Congress and those two very critical to the Congress.

Bill:

You know, before we go I, I've got some thoughts about mayor Bass's battle against the elements which destroyed good amount of LA and just as difficult her battle against a media that's. Really willing to jump on the mistakes that she's made. How do you think she's doing with all this?

Sherry:

It's too early really to know. I think might have even extended the public's at interest in media's approach to some of the questions and the problems that were raised with regard to her conducting the pre and post wildfires actions. I think that signal gate. The national crisis of sending sending classified information the web, over the, the smartphone kind of is here with regard to her communication during and after she came back. From her traveling to Ghana into the, the aftermath of the wildfires. And now the, the LA Times has been doing some investigative reporting they're, they're being denied access to some of her text messages and phone calls and other. And other city docu documents even though there is a records act that the city has the fact that indeed we don't know what they were, but her smartphone apparently eradicates erases text messages I think every 30 days, and many of them have already been erased. That gives, the Signal Gate crisis more credibility and more attention to, and perhaps a negative allowance of her own little smartphone problem with her text. That's

Bill:

And then she's involved in something that touches her every day and touches. People, you know, people whose homes have been destroyed you know, whose lives have been shattered who are looking for leadership. And and she has the most difficult job of getting out there and trying to convince people that, you know that she's on top of it. Something that struck me the other day, and although it's not in the city of la it's certainly part of the whole thing was the use of a big golf course out in near South Pasadena for processing the refuse from the fires and floods. Speeding up. The process has made people in the area mad because, you know, all around their house is this. Possibly toxic material. So you do one thing and it has repercussions. Anyone familiar with the difficulty of running a city would sympathize, but she's still not quite on top of it, I don't think I.

Sherry:

Well, in, in essence, there's an educational problem there. She can't be right on top of it, particularly when, when it maintains to AIDA, because that's a separate governmental jurisdiction, and then she can't do it alone on county level because there is a board of supervisors who has control, ironically, not only of relationships with la, but Altadena. I don't see that, it is true, particularly with regard to the Palisades that people are gonna look to see how fast that gets redeveloped. I'm not sure that there's any other dynamic that's going to be as critical to her that. It's interesting, on the media list for the mayor's press office, so I get. of their press releases to see what they're doing. And if you just read the press releases, my God, she's incredible. builds a new city and it isn't even two months after the fires. Not much of that hits the news. It's really interesting. So there are very perceptions of how well she is doing, and I think that the decision will be made at the next election. She's running for reelection in 2026. a recall being circulated, but it doesn't look like it has legs, and so I don't think it's gonna make it to the ballot, but it it, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that number one must do on her list. Is to bring this city back. And if there's little indication of that, by the time the the 2026 RA mayor's race run comes around deep trouble.

Bill:

You mentioned the problem she has in getting her message out and about how all of the, all of the press releases and the handouts from his, her office never seemed to appear anywhere and she can't get her message out. Now, Newsom, we were talking earlier, he's, his way of dealing with it is to get his own message out on, on podcasts.

Sherry:

She hasn't, and all we know is that she isn't doing a podcast. We don't know why or how, but and there's no guarantee that even that will get her message out. The reason that, a couple of reasons I. Why Newsom may have better luck than the mayor in communicating widely and communicating widely through the media is that Newsom is already a national figure is already in the mix as a possible candidate the President likes podcast, and because he is a national figure, when he makes. A statement that he's followed by the media, and when he makes a statement that looks like clicks or eyeballs for the media, it goes to the national media. that doesn't always happen much less it happens. for Karen Bass, gotten national attention lately, but not for the right reasons.

Bill:

Tough business, Sherry. Good conversation. Many subjects.

Sherry:

Oh gosh, I'm tired. But once we would get, we can turn on the television now and see what's happening in Washington and get even more exhausted.

Bill:

Okay, we'll

Sherry:

everybody. Cheers.

Bill:

week. Cheers.

Sherry:

week. Cheers. Bye-Bye