Inside Golden State Politics

Let the Games Begin—Er, Continue

• Nancy Boyarsky

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0:00 | 29:17

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tells ICE to get out of Los Angeles. The arrest of two reporters heightens concern over freedom of the press.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

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

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

And I'm Sherry. Be Jeffy political analyst and self-styled, medium Maven. Coming to you from watching punks attorney Phil, our storied and. Awfully cute national groundhog as he emerged and cast his shadow predicting six more weeks of winter. Good old Phil got it right, whether or not he knows it. Our long national winter is far from over. Over to you, bill.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Sherry, this was a week full of news in one of the most interesting and important events was mayor Karen Bass's, first state of the city. Speech. She's going to give another one later in the year,

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Two.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

And the speech was as is her custom, very mild especially at the beginning, very mild, like purposely not offensive, but you get down to the middle of this and she just laid it out against the Trump administration. I will never forget. Friday, June 6th, 2 0 2 5. Without communication, without notice, and without respect for this city, Washington chose LA for its first experiment. For its first testing ground for weeks and days. Masked men in unmarked cars, sped through our streets and swept up parents picking up kids from school day laborers at Home Depot. People who worked in car washes. 10 days later, they escalated again, sending thousands of national Guardsmen into the city and through its streets. And she said, this senseless death, lawlessness and violence must end and so must the Presidents of ICE in Los Angeles. That's pretty strong.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

in, well, I mean, what I found was that. the entire speech transcript as it delivered, I saw the word Trump directly and it was attached to another word, administration. So I mean, she sort of tiptoed around something she should have made, I think, specific. And that is the the role. Donald Trump in everything that she described, which we all knew about anyway. I mean this, she is not the first elected official, the first politician, the first activist, the first friend of mine, to use that language. That didn't take so much bravery. The thing that needed to be articulated was what Trump. The individual, the person the man has done. To Los Angeles doesn't mean that it wasn't a decent speech. It was, it was okay. It was kind of the speech that leaders give as the first speech. Ironically, this speech, the February State of the city address was to have been kind of here's what's gonna happen with regard to all the wonderful sporting events we're going to see in our city over the next year or so. Traditionally mayors of LA give their one state of the city addressed in April, right before they release their budget for the new fiscal year. She's gonna do it addition. I think it's kind of interesting that this February speech came on the day when filing candidate papers for running in the election for LA Mayor opened up. Coincidence. I don't know

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

She's definitely gonna have opposition. And no matter

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

how

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

how the now and how the opposition shapes up and who it's gonna be we'll just have to see it. I think it's very fluid. But, as I watched her deliver this speech, I wanted her to, if you don't mind, this phrase, I wanted her to kick ass, I wanted her to speak up for all of the residents of the city who've watched the ice squads sweep through the parking lots through the stores. I wanted her to give voice to the anger. Out there. And that should be the mayor's job speak.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

How would she do that, that it, that she didn't attempt to do? I mean, you just read a pretty strong speech, part of the speech in terms of the role of ice, So quite understand what else she might have done or could have done to do what you said she should be doing.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Start off with the attack on the Trump administration first.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Oh,

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

don't,

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

editor. Yes.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

wait until the middle, until you get the good stuff.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

interesting? Yeah. Interesting though it was once she got over the giddiness of getting on stage and thanking everybody and touching every, supporter and interest group, she could she actually began to get and serious. You know the pro, it goes beyond at this point, I think. And I watched the speech. I read the speech. It appears to me and I hate to say this, but I have to, she could not resonate visually with the kind of strength that you're characterizing as necessary. In essence, I mean, as a written speech, once she got over the kind of lighter part of the speech and started focusing on what's happening and what has happened and what might be happening, she got stronger. What's wrong with that? She, she did a laundry list of everything. That she was moving toward since her last state of the city address. She had the numbers. She had the numbers. She, you know, she knew that homelessness was down. She knew that we were getting some reaction, some change with regard to the numbers on homelessness. But you know what? There were, I don't think that there was enough in there about what she really, how she is really, really going to accomplish what she said she would accomplish. And right now, citizens everywhere are very skeptical of any politician who throws out numbers and says, we're gonna do some more. And. There's no indication a, the numbers are real because people have a different perspective on where, Los Angeles and they don't believe politicians spew numbers. Anyway, thank you Donald Trump.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

She mentioned the two protesters who were killed. She mentioned renee Good. And Alex Prety. She talked about them, and she said, this must not happen again. But you know, it probably will.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Well, that's the truth.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

I, yeah.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

What does that mean?

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Is there something we have to engage? I don't wanna engage in pop psychology, but is there something about her that prevents her from going all out in an emotional way? I mean, she,

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

I have no

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

her personality, I don't know.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

I do know that her leadership style as speaker, as a legislator was to bring people together to work out compromises. You know, she's, how she began with the community coalition to make coalitions to get things done. And I think it's just part, not only of her leadership style, but of her DNA, you will. And I know that people are gonna scream and yell. It's just because she's a woman. It's a different kind of style. Well, maybe what I find very wrong, and I don't know whose fault that it is, is that don't hear very much through the year what the mayor has done and what is being done. She is not of the most visible. I have ever seen, and maybe voters wanna see more of that. doesn't matter how you say, what you say, what matters if the people believe what you say,

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

And how often you say it,

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

well, that's true. You're right.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

you have to, you know,

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

how often you say it and then have some evidence that people can almost touch, certainly can see that you're not being just another politician making promises that probably won't be met.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

They might will tell people if they are. You know, she doesn't like to personalize her enemies, but her enemy on this is president Trump and she's up against a relentless and unforgiving enemy who has arrested two journalists.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Morning. Yeah. And, and the mayor did attend, Don Lemon's hearing in an LA court after he was charged with, uh, being aggressive, you know, being a protestor. And she defended pretty, pretty hard, Don Lemon. But I'm not sure how many people know that or understand that that's part of the problem. I don't know if it's the communication style, the communication staff, the media's lack of responding to local news. The media's impact lessening so much because they're all getting fired, but that's a very significant. Very significant bar to clear for her and probably many more elected officials.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

I'm glad you put those things together. The arrest of, of the two journalists. The decline the stripping down of the number of journalists who are available to cover the news, especially local news, and put'em all together. And you, you've got a tremendous weakening of journalism. The Washington Post. For those of you who didn't see the movie, no. Those of you who have never heard of Watergate, who've never heard of all the president's men, the Washington Post has been one of the two great crusading American newspapers and now they have announced that they are, letting go, what? A third of the staff.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

go to the step and there will no longer be a sports section. Oh, you don't need any Washington. You can just go down to the Capitol or the White House and watch them batting each other around.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

So that is a, that is a tremendous signal to,

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

yeah, but do you real, I know you realize that that is basically the whole point of what's going down with regard to the Trump administration and the president. He's long been nasty about the media. And what went on, particularly when Don Don Lemon and Georgia Fort arrested another in intimidating the media in sending the message First Amendment in getting media to the point where they're gonna. Think twice about saying something nasty about leader or his can, his cabinet or any of his, his people. even the fact that many or some anyway of newspapers, or yet again, staff, I think is at least partially a function of Donald Trump's. Lack of respect for anger over annoy that the media might be characterizing him in a way that he doesn't wanna be charact It's, it's working for him.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

The arrest of Don Lemon, who was a long time reporter and anchor on CNN and now is is on his own as an independent journalist was particularly telling that what he was doing. Was, what reporters do you know? Which, yeah, which I have done, often There's, a demonstration and as a reporter you wanna find out what the re, what the demonstration's about. There's no way of finding out unless you get in the middle of it. I mean. You can't sit way back on the sidelines. You have to get in there as close as the police or whoever the authorities are will permit you. That's what he was doing. He was getting in the middle of the scrum, you might say, and

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

wasn't even that from the types that I have seen. He was there interviewing

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

he was interviewing people That that's what you do. You go in. There's a demonstration. You go in with your phone and your dumb little notebook and your ballpoint pen, and you take notes and you record things, and then you report what you've what recorded and what you've taken notes on. That's just part of the job and by making that a crime. The administration has sent a message out to reporters and their bosses to go easy. Let's not get so excited about these things. You know, you don't have to be there in the middle of the demonstration. Why don't you stay back? You know why they do that, Sherry? It's because the bosses don't want trouble. They don't.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

A lot of money.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

They don't wanna have to defend freedom of the press. They, they just let it go.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Well, don't you think it's interesting, bill that lemon and forth, the indictments of those two really did target two independent. Journalists, they are backed by big media, by big news organizations. They aren't the Washington Post, the New York Times, the LA Times. They are it. They are their boss. They are in charge of whatever comes down the line. They don't have these big guys to back'em up for their legal defenses. think that's kind of interesting, don't you?

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Well.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

to mention the fact they are both black and Don. Lemon is gay and black and has long been a critic of Donald Trump. before all of this erupted. I mean, you could argue that it's vengeance.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

I don't think there's much to argue about. The reason that they're independent journalists to use the phrase that's now very popular is because they didn't have a job in, you know, with a big organization that would back them legally. They're out there by themselves. You silence a journalist who's a freelance person who goes out and gets the news and then reports it by putting it you know, by, by filing it on Substack or one of the many other platforms. You can do that, but you know, you have to think about it. Hey, I don't know if I can afford to do this. That's what this is about is silence system and it silence.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

is about the fee freedom, the first amendment, freedom of the press, all of it. I mean, and it is also. about Trump's desire to sock to the media, the, the, the mainstream media that he so I mean, he called limit after all this, a sleaze bag. For God's sake, it sounds like they should take themselves out onto the schoolyard and deal that.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

These, these demonstrations these protests are not fruitless.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Are not

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

They're not, they're not for nothing.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

okay.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

The constant demonstrating in Minneapolis and fact that it's on television news and the fact that the pictures of it, all the images, most of the images come from, just regular people with their phones. Has created pressure on the administration now that they're pulling back that, what's his name? Bino.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Bovino. Yes.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Yeah.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Corre, the commander in chief

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

The one who wears that. Big heavy winter coat with the brass buttons that you've, you've seen, that

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Nazi

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

you've seen that coat in war movies worn by the not our side, by their side. Pulled him back, sent him back to El Centro. Trump is now saying perhaps they were a little harsh. I think the constant pressure, I mean, every day there's a protest that has had an effect.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

What do you mean by an effect?

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

The demonstrations have brought to the nation's notice what's going on and the people getting into that. Wait a minute, wait a minute. I, I didn't vote for this. Wait a minute. Why are they pulling people out of cars? Why are they pulling.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Why are they shooting

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Smashing windows of cars and pulling people out of cars. Why are they doing that? I didn't vote for that. That message has reached into the administration. Perhaps now

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Oh yeah.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

this Stephen Miller, the pride of Santa Monica. Alumni of the year this Steven Miller who is the brains and the driving force behind this crackdown, on immigrants

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Yes.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Is the force in the White House. Apparently he's the hard liner., He's telling Trump, don't back down. Don't back down. Trump apparently listens to the last person he talks to and he's following this guy now that is designing our, nation's policy on immigration. It's not a good

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

the

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

thing,

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

of the policy.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

right? The implementation.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

which is no small thing. course. It what you've just described kind of reminds me of another old unru. He was, he had a blood feud with then Governor Pat Brown, Jerry dad at that point, and he was asked by a grant. Unru was asked by a reporter, what job in the Patton Brown administration would you like to have? just thought, and he said I'd like to be the attendant in the men's room because that's the last person he speaks to before he makes a decision. And that's the part. What's going that's going on in the White House? I think

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

That's right.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

it's scary. Particularly because all of these people have basically been to make sure they would remain loyal to Trump and were right on track with what he wanted to accomplish. And I expect the president knowing that gave Miller and so many more leeway to implement his desires. very little oversight that I can see. What about you?

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Why is this bad for, how do I phrase it? Why is this bad for people who are not immersed into politics?

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Bad?

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Why is it bad for the average citizen? What harm does it do that a a couple of reporters who were. Famous within sight within the industry, but not really famous. What harm does it do that they were arrested

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

on. You're a journalist. You know for sure. gimme that. It is, and it's getting to an abrogation of citizens rights and journalists rights under the first amendment of what is left of the US Constitution. What do you mean? Come on, stop that.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

One of the things that it does is it takes away important sources of information, of discussion, of analysis, of

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

sure.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

To independent journalists. It definitely affects us. Here we are we've been doing this podcast for, what, five years? Four years?

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Three years, I think.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Seems like 103 years.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Yeah.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

And when we started. I mean, it was this good little analysis of government and politics and we tended to be careful to be so-called balanced. I don't know what that means. And now we find ourselves talking every week about an administration

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Yeah,

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

that could. Put us out of work or out of, could do something, could cripple us

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

us up anyway.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Could definitely shut us up. Neither of us have a fortune to to defend ourselves. It could shut us up and it could shut up. Many people like us all over the country, all,

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

question.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

And that's what this means. It means a whole big bunch of information is never going to get out. It means that when they smash in a car window and pull out the woman driver. Across the street that'll nobody will know about it. The only way that people will know about it is if independent journalists go out there and do what what,

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Any

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Did

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

bill, if any journal journalist has that function, has that duty and someone reacting to the arrest of lemon and Fort said News does not stop at the church's doors. That's, that's, that should be true journalists, period. Not independent journalists, not big guys, not colonists journalists, period.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Right. Little journalists, journalists who work for small papers. Those that are still surviving. That's why the, washington Post firing a third of its staff is worthy of notice far beyond Washington, far beyond the post circulation area. And it shows you how, bad it is when the person who was supposed to be the, savior, I guess, of the Washington Post. Jeff Bezos

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

doting father, he calls himself the doting parent of the Washington Post.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

right turns out that he like so many rich guys only care about their own bottom line. The only reason Bezos is doing this, I think. Is he kissing up the Trump?

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Oh, you think you know? Oh, yeah.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Huh?

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

would assume the only reason he's doing it is because Trump either asked or ordered him to do it.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Boy, that,

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

who knows?

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Spare me, rich people coming in to save you and save your media outlet. Don't depend on them. And so it's going to be up to the independent journalist gonna have to risk it and go after the news.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

This is a war not only against journalism, it is of course a war against the First Amendment, it is also basically an attack on people's right to know what is going on. Not only does journalism lose, we do too, people. Lose the ability to know what's going on. Nobody. Nobody should stand for that, including the Supreme Court, maybe.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Yeah. Sherry, let's get to next week's.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Yeah. We'll also have a better idea of who's actually going to be running for mayor of Los Angeles now that we have lost a couple of possibilities and we'll start having filings for critical. Officers up and down the ballot and I fear we're gonna have an awful lot to talk about for a very long time. nationally statewise and locally, then again, not so bad.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

We'll talk to you next week.

squadcaster-8cd0_1_02-04-2026_150558

Correct. Alright everyone. Cheers. Bye-Bye.

host-4ha0_3_02-04-2026_150558

Bye.