Inside Golden State Politics
Bill Boyarsky and Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, two experienced California political experts, argue about politics from Los Angeles to Sacramento to Washington.
Bill Boyarsky is former city editor of the Los Angeles Times and was also a columnist, bureau chief and political reporter for the newspaper. Previously, he reported on politics for the Associated Press in Sacramento.
He is the winner of three Pulitzer Prizes for team reporting.
Bill is the author of two biographies of Ronald Reagan, a biography of Jesse M. Unruh; Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and Their Times, and, with co-author Nancy Boyarsky, Backroom Politics.
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe is a retired professor of the practice of public policy communication at the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California.
Sherry has been political analyst for KCAL-TV, NBC4 Los Angeles NBC's "Today" show and the BBC, where she was an analyst on American politics for programs in London, Scotland and Wales. In 2006, she was a nominee for the Los Angeles Area Emmy Award for NBC4’s news feature, “Decision 2005: A Voter’s Guide.
She has also appeared on MSNBC, CNN, Spectrum News 1 and Al Jazeera English and on radio shows in the United States and internationally.
Sherry has a Ph.D in government from Claremont Graduate University and a master's in political science from Rutgers, where she was a fellow at the Eagleton Institute of Politics.
Inside Golden State Politics
Voter Suppression or Election Integrity?
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Can Trump limit mail voting in this year's elections? If he succeeds, many Americans could be disenfranchised. We also check in on the race for mayor of Los Angeles.
Welcome to another episode of Inside Golden State Politics. I'm Bill Boyarsky, former city editor and columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and with me is our producer director, Nancy Boyarsky
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940And I'm Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, political analyst and self-styled media maven, coming to you from a state of sheer exasperation and a bit of high anxiety. Brutal heat waves, swarms of earthquakes and wildfires, and not only in California. Wild illnesses, mounting poverty and homelessness, widespread economic insecurity, and neither last nor least, a grifter autocrat in the White House, bolstered by a flailing democracy. I have no idea when or if the world will begin to heal. No idea where we go from here. Over to you, Bill
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940Well, Sheri, if it's any comfort to you we can worry about this year's election. The future of this year's election is in the hands of the Supreme Court and the man who is shaping it, President Donald Trump. all up to them. Trump wants
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Well, let's hope the law is included in that. It, hopefully it will be also up to the laws that apply now, but go ahead
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940Hopefully. But what Trump wants to do is take control of the way the federal government manages mail-in ballots, Including some already mailed to voters. District judges said this is gonna cause absolute confusion, I think what is happening, it is a way for Trump to cause confusion. First, let me say, he doesn't care about the Supreme Court or what the Constitution says about all this, I don't think.
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940I
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940I, may-
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940am shocked, shocked
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940I'm being unfair to him, but I don't think he cares. Secondly he would like to take control of the election and cause a lot of confusion,- deliberate confusion, and this confusion would permit him to invoke emergency powers. That could happen, and it has happened in other countries. Has no power over these s- elections. They're in the hands of the state. Constitution is very clear. But can he invoke emergency powers and just step in there and do it?
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Hell knows. The times,
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940What do you think
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940places, and manners of holding elections for senators and representatives shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof. But the Congress, no mention, and I am reading from Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution. The Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations, except as to the places of choosing senators, which I think is cute. But nowhere is there any mention in Article 1 of the Constitution of the authority of the president, let alone the United States Postal Service, in designing, declaring, having anything to do with elections. It's so blatantly obvious, I can't figure out
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940What about if the president says, "The hell with the Constitution, the hell with the Supreme Court, I'm just gonna go ahead and take control of these elections"?
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Stay Tuned
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940and people like Sherry can say that's unconstitutional, and I say, "The heck with that, I'm just going ahead and doing it." And that would cause incredible confusion, especially since these elections are happening by November.
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940No, actually the first vote by mail ballots get sent out next week. Ca- California's will be distributed in early October. The election is on now. It's happening. How do you introduce a- totally alien, new, and I would say unconstitutional election procedure so close to the midterms? This is really ridiculous. I'm sorry, it is Keystone Cops time yet again
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940what if you just sent ICE officers and other federal officers to polling places to stand by and supervise? wouldn't that have a chilling effect on potential voters
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Of course it would. The purpose according to the Trump administration is to keep illegal aliens, undocumented immigrants away from the polls, making sure they cannot and will not vote. But Latinos in California, in LA are a perfect example of being so frightened, even though they are citizens, of even walking too far in, into the sight line of an ICE official. What this is basically a sup- a suppression of certain voters, not the least of which are Latinos and Blacks. But it also makes it difficult for women like me who assumed their husband's last name when they married. It'll be I'm gonna have to go find my birth certificate? They're gonna challenge me because my middle name is actually my maiden name, and I changed my last name to Jeffe? The question, if they have their way, will be yes. This is lunatic. Absolutely lunatic
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940trump says that he's doing all this, or he's taking control of the election, which is what his goal is because, these elections are rife with fraud, but there's no evidence of that. This is all made up stuff
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Is that new? Are we surprised? I am shocked that there is gambling in this place. Oh, come on. Yes, it's all made up, but it's still moving along. It may not in the end get implemented, but it's still moving along and it's creating chaos and it is creating confusion. What do state and local election officials do? Nothing's been resolved
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940Jackson pointed out what we've been saying, the Constitution vests the president with no power over
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940not
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940No power. Yet the president trying to overhaul s- practices around the country
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940It was that your rhetoric or the justices
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940The justices
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940trying to overhaul? Is that part of her dissent?
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940Yes, it is
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940The constitutionality being absent, shall we say, definitely I find it interesting. I haven't read the full dissents or the opinion. I've only read the reporting on it. What can I say? I don't know what to say until I know who said it and what was said
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940let's talk about the impact of the Trump goal of reducing the number of people who vote by mail, which is what he wants. Okay. Who are you driving out? You mentioned women who's taken the spouse's last name. You take-- You're talking about Latinos. You're talking about African Americans. You're talking about students
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Yes, and rural, some
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940You're
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940citizens
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940rural people, and you're talking about older people who, all of whom are increasingly depending on mail voting
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_15094080% of Californians voted by mail in the 2024 presidential election, and that has led me to think about how hard California would be hit if mail voting was tightened. What do you think? You think maybe that was a part of Trump's feeling also? Yeah. Are Californians to be added to that list? I don't think it's a coincidence that he's being so tight about mail voting, and California, as several other states do, has a real reliance on email voting
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940What if amid all the confusion that we've been talking about, declares a state of emergency?
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940It was maybe the
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940is why
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940first time
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940That is why he's stepping in and taking over the election machinery. "I declare a state of emergency."
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Again, I am not a constitutional lawyer. I don't even play a lawyer on TV. But it, we won't know until and unless an attempt is made to do so. But we can go all the way back to Germany in the late 1930s and the Reichstag f- fire. I don't think it's impossible that there might be something which might be called the false flag event, meaning that it's let's say a riot, a protest, violence that actually is started by the federal government against its own people. The Reichstag fire was started, and nobody really has come to a final conclusion, about three weeks after Hitler became chancellor of Germany.
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940Right
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940it was then that the Third Reich became real, and it led to the beginning of Nazi authoritarianism and Hitler. Who knows? Hopefully we are not
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940i think that we could be accused of scare or sensationalistic tactics in this podcast by talking about all of these
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940What do you mean? We shouldn't be talking about him at this point
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940I'm just saying what we're doing is we're trying to alert people on what is happening. For example in the Capitol today there are senators and members of the House who are game planning on board games, guess it's like a Monopoly board
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Oh, please
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940game planning what to do if Trump declares a state of emergency. What are they gonna do? What are their plans? How are they going to handle it? so far their response has been a little disappointing. They're urging people to make sure that they get out and vote. I think that we probably need a stronger response than that. But there are serious people, there are serious people who are worried about this and want something done
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Most of them are the Democrats. There is a task force in the Senate and our junior senator, Adam Schiff, is a major leader of this that is absolutely gaining not only an emergency declaration, but any kind of cutesy, nasty things that Trump and his administration might try to do in order to cancel, stop, s- cause, declare the election's fraud. It's serious. And the House has its own mechanism or group that's looking at ways in which the administration might try to rig elections, to call them false, to cause a false flag event. It... I've never seen any like- anything like this. Have you?
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940No
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940excuse me, I know that there's a lot of criticism, and there ought to be not only on Trump and his administration, but on Congress for not paying attention to what is happening now and the problems of the US now. But I don't know, how much time are they spending gaming on whether or not or how the president is going to go after elections and what they ought to do about it? I'm sorry this is not what I thought was America. That's it. I can't teach it. How the hell do you teach what's going on now? It's... If it weren't so horrific, it would be funny
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940What do you think that people ought to do? A lot of people are gonna be affected by this, not only,
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940If it actually be
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940election workers, those people who go to the election booths every election time. A lot of people who work on campaigns. What should people do to prevent this or to limit it or to do something?
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940You snicker at let's go vote, but that is a part of what has to be done. It's clear to me that it's going to be very difficult to implement what the president once done, maintaining of voter lists, which then by the Department of Homeland Security, which then gets passed over to the post office. And now I can tell you, I know for a fact that the United States Post Office is not mentioned in the Constitution as someone or something that has any control over the electoral process. But they would be tasked with looking at those lists and deciding who gets mailed, who gets delivered a mail ballot. If you're not on the list, you're not going to get it. You're in. There's no proof that you are a registered voter. Can't even begin to think about what to do, quite frankly, think about it, other than back up everything by voting and with any luck, halting this craziness of taking over everything and just ignoring the Constitution.
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940The governors or board of directors of the United States Postal Service is now a Trump organization
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940course.
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940And so who would think that the Postal Service would become such a vital part of our electoral process?
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940I would never have guessed that, and I bet almost everybody else in the US Postal Service would never have thought this would be a problem. But,, in many ways it reminds me of the pattern of action or inaction the pattern of decision-making of the Trump administration. They just throw what they want out there, and in this case, they've made some fairly decent arguments about why they should be able procedurally to move on with this. But they never, ever go beyond the actual act to think about what the blowback might be. The thing that I find so interesting about our discussion as to who gets hurt, the rural population has been Very supportive of Trump. Eh, what is he doing? It's just like we're gonna bring in beef from abroad, which will really hurt America's ranchers. It... What are we gonna do? The states are gonna continue to go to court. There are new court cases arising because out of this, because the Supreme Court said, "You can't challenge this. Nobody's been hurt yet." And the s- Postal Service has come up with its rules, they're finalized. Now, say the Democratic AGs of the state under any circumstance, they can go to court and claim that people are being directly hurt. There is a direct problem. They're suffering directly. This is gonna go on forever. It's gon- and there is a result may well be that Trump doesn't get what he wants, at least not in time for the midterms. And it's my guess or my opinion that a part of this hurry rush job is he knows in his heart that the Republicans are gonna take an absolute s- beating in the midterm elections, if not just for the House, but in state and local elections and maybe even the United States Senate. To get these done and hoped that what he wants accomplished by these reforms will be accomplished, that's his goal, and I don't think either of them is a given
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940As he approaches these midterm elections he's acting irrationally or without any great thought. But he's acting in a way that hurt his constituencies. We were talking about the rural mail-in ballots. We're talking about a huge industry that's very important to him and to the United States, the agricultural industry. And he seems to, brush them off
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940You mean justify this or altogether? I named two bad decisions on his part hitting the rural electorate with making voting less accessible to them and bringing not only out of state, but out of country supplies and in particular the latest move to buy beef from other countries, and then he could lower the price of beef, which is so high in America now. I'm sorry. I've said it before, I'll say it again. I will continue to say it. It's lunatic. It hurts our own agricultural industry, and it's gonna continue. I just don't see a way out of it. I'm beginning to codify what I think the reasons behind it are, and every decision that I see coming up, I think is somewhat of a panicked decision on the part of the president that relates to him and his legacy and his approval rating. Damn everything else. And he's wrong
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940Lot more complicated than you teaching political science at USC or me being an adjunct professor on that same campus. The issues that we deal with are are so d- Where do we go for reference? Who do we ask for help? Are we, you and I
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Here we are
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940We're the experts and, fish around for experts to be guests, but do they know any more than we do? We'll never find out. But hey, there is something else we can talk about, and that's local, the race for mayor of Los Angeles
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940What? Once again, after the debate, everybody seems to have disappeared on that issue. I don't know what's happening
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940Let's keep it going. Bass got horrific reviews about her performance in that
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Except from Spencer Pratt
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940And that was interesting. Spencer
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Wasn't it?
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940Her one-time foe, was very complimentary
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Ryman do you have a second place or what? It's revenge
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940She's managed to keep going, doing better, I think, in the last week or so.
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Would she?
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940I think that Karen Bass is doing better than Rahman in the
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Isn't
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940last week or so
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940she? She's visible and that's good. Late, but good
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940That's right. She's out every day. Today she was out with a long press release and statement about the incredible heat what to do about that and her advice. She's out there. She's not missing a beat. Ramman is a period of where she was flashing ahead seems to be missing a beat. Too early to tell, of course
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940It's really not too early to tell. It's only a couple of months now before the midterm elections. And come Labor Day, the conventional wisdom is that's when people begin to focus in on it. Labor Day is coming up. The only ripple of focus that I've seen since the debate and the reviews of the debate is the LA Times looking at the reality of what Nithya Raman's chairmanship of the Housing and Homeless Committee meant, and what she did accomplish or didn't accomplish as chair, and whether or not the removal of Raman and the splitting of that one committee into two different committees, each of which now has a different chair was it political or was it because of her inability to lead? But I don't know that the average voter's gonna pay much attention to that, to be perfectly frank. What do you think?
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940No, I don't think so. I think that events, big events are still gonna drive this election. The fire in the storage facility and the fire in the Palisades were really defining events, and question has always been, has Bass been able to, shake away from those things and move on? She's certainly seems to have done that in the Boyle Heights fire, where she's taken a very aggressive a stance, a very strong attack on the company that owned that out warehouse. No, fooling around there, and very clear. And got another good break with the Palisades fire, where she was in real trouble, but the Palisades leading entrepreneur, Rick Caruso, her former opponent for mayor has appeared with her has been very complimentary of her, and I think that is wiping out a lot of the damage that was inflicted her after the fire
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940maybe. I don't... I don't know, but it's nice that Rick Caruso blessed Karen Bass. He certainly was not going to bless Nithya Raman. That's a given, I believe. Let's see what else happens with regard to that. And I also think that the really brutal reaction of Angelinos and deservedly had to the Palisades and to a lesser extent to Boyle Heights have been mediated just a bit, and it's now coming down to just leadership, ideas, what the voters are more comfortable with, even if it in their eyes it's the lesser of two evils. And I find it very interesting and I say this despite the fact that prediction markets are really taking it in the ear right now, but it's really interesting the breakdown on both Polymarket and Kalshi show Karen Bass with a 65% chance of winning, and N- Nithya Raman with a 35 chance of winning. Nothing's moved in a while. It's really interesting.
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940Why is that?
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940I wish I knew. For all we know, it could be insider Trading. We just don't know. But I guess if I had to guess something, and I don't like to, yes it may well have to do with the fact that nothing's moving in the real world either. We'll have to wait this one out I think
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940I think that's true, and certainly the race for mayor and also for governor of California have taken a backseat
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Yes
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940With huge national developments of mainly the fate of the carrier Abraham Lincoln and its crew and with the destroyers who were its e- escort. The attention of the American people, which you and I agree is fairly short it really-- really been taken by the, drama of of the Abraham Lincoln
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940And I, a lot of air has been taken up in the last couple days, and I'm not criticizing this, I'm just speaking the truth, and maybe it's even helping Trump because it is taking away from all of the problems that he is facing. But right now, the news, all the news is Dolly Parton And that's not us. We're a little state and a little city in comparison to that
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940Right. She did bring to her performance and to the discourse in American life a, a quality that I'm sure we both miss and would like to see again,
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940In politics, yes. You're absolutely right about that, but it ain't gonna happen. That's why I feel so sad and it surprises me that I feel so sad that Dolly Parton, who did understand, I think cooperation and doing things for the public good, if you will. I don't know anybody around particularly Capitol Hill and Pennsylvania Avenue down the street who could ever be compared to that kind of, public interest and public caring and a lack of political vitriol as Dolly Parton.
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940That's true and mix in with that a huge amount of public affection also
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Yeah. I don't see anybody out there in the political wilderness who anybody can say, "I love this person. How cool." Nope. The public approach to government institutions and government elected officials today is dramatically negative, dramatically cynical, dramatically just ready to let go. And that's not good for democracy
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940Well, let's take our cynicism aside, put it aside for a few days, and come back next week and continue on this grim path
squadcaster-hgdc_2_08-26-2026_150940Yeah, it is. It's becoming a grim task, isn't it, Bill? Now, listeners, do not leave us just because times look grim. We'll try so hard to wiggle our way out of it. So have a good week. Cheers.
host-4ha0_2_08-26-2026_150940Cheers to you. Cheers to everybody. Bye-bye