Yay! We get to vote (again) on nuanced regulation of the kidney dialysis industry. The Debators:  David Miller is SEIU-UHW’s Research Director and a member of the Yes on 29 campaign. DeWayne Cox is a dialysis patient and a member of the No on 29 campaign. Music credits: “T Shirt Weather” by Poddington Bear, used under CC BY-NC 3.0 US Browse through all our election segments here. Subscribe to get new ones with Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, or by pasting this link into any podcast player. The post Proposition 29: Dialysis Clinic ..read more

California voters are confronting not one but two ballot initiatives to legalize sports betting — and an onslaught of advertising owing to the nearly half a billion dollars that’s been spent on both sides of each. We host a debate on Prop 26, a discussion with the only side of 27 that would talk to us, and a reporter covering the historic sums of money that have entered both races. The Debators:  Kathy Fairbanks, spokesperson for the Yes on 26, No on 27 Coalition. Becky Warren, spokesperson for the No on 26 Coalition On the money behind the campaigns:  Taryn Luna, covers Californi ..read more

San Francisco’s holding a special election for District Attorney, with four people running on a ranked-choice ballot to take over an office that became a punching bag for right-wing media, got rocked by a recall, and is now considering the first homicide prosecutions of San Francisco Police Department officers in that department’s 173-year history. We spoke to 75% of the candidates. The Candidates:  02:12 Maurice Chenier, currently a partner at the firm Resnick and Louis. 11:40 John Hamasaki, criminal defense attorney and a former member of the San Francisco Police Commission. 23:08 Joe ..read more

There are two big tax changes on California’s ballot–part of a push to roll back an era of anti-tax politics that started when California voters approved prop 13 in 1978. We’ll debate prop 15, which is pitting public sector unions against big real estate investors; and prop 19, which has pulled together an odd coalition of unions, firefighters, and . . . realtors. PLUS we walk you through a massive labor fight on the ballot in the form of prop 22. 2:06 – Proposition 15 Debate 26:00 – Proposition 19 Debate 48:15 – Special Report: Proposition 22, explained Music credits: “T Shirt Weather” by Pod ..read more

Housing is front and center in San Francisco’s state senate race, where a prolific legislator faces a left-flank challenger who’s secured enough funding and endorsements to pose a serious threat. We speak to both candidates about how their politics would shape California’s response to its housing crisis. Plus: everything you need to know about the mechanics of voting this year, from COVID measures, to mail-in rules, to how new “voting centers” work. 01:09 Ariel Boone on California’s pandemic voting challenges 08:45 Scott Wiener, State Senator for District 11 (San Francisco) 33:52 Jackie Fielde ..read more

Here’s what we’re planning, posted early so we show up in podcast feeds. (Music Credit: “Something Elated” by Broke for Free, used under CC BY 3.0 US The post Introducing California Ballot Breakdown appeared first on KPFA ..read more

In 2016, California Republican Devin Nunes won re-election in CA-22 by a 35-point margin. Then Nunes, as House Intelligence Chair, became a national symbol of House Republicans' feverish defense of misconduct by Donald Trump, and his 2018 victory margin dropped to five percent. We talk to the person challenging Nunes--Phil Arballo--about why he thinks it's possible to close those final five points, what he wants to do when he gets to Congress, and how a moderate in a swing district thinks about working with progressives on policy. (Nunes's campaign has not granted our interview requests). Musi ..read more

First: Oakland's at-large council election, where outside money from Lyft has piled on to the effort to oust incumbent councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, and her main challenger is ... not the business owner his campaign lit claims. Then: a tour through the late flood of attack money into San Francisco's local races. 1:06  Darwin BondGraham, news editor of The Oaklandside [1] 15:32 Tim Redmond, founder of 48hills.org [2], which covers the city and county of San Francisco Music credits: “T Shirt Weather [3]” by Poddington Bear, used under CC BY-NC 3.0 US [4]  “Something Elated [5 ..read more

Proposition 22 is a $188 million (and counting!) push by Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Instacart, and Postmates to permanently classify the workers who drive for them as independent contractors, and effectively bar the state legislature from passing a law to let them unionize. It's already shattered all state records for spending on ballot initiatives in California, outspending the "no" campaign--which is financed by several unions--almost 13 to one. PRO: David Cruz is the President of council number 3288 of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the only one of 37 local LULAC councils ..read more

Proposition 22, the push to lock gig drivers into permanent independent contractor status, has spent more money than any ballot initiative campaign in state history. The gig companies financing it are also using their apps to advertise, arm-twist, and cajole. Ariel Boone has a report on how that's changing the terrain of campaign. PLUS: Puzzled why California NAACP president Alice Huffman has put her name, and that of her organization, on the big-business side of so many propositions? It *may* have something to do with the nearly $2 million her political consulting firm has collected from the ..read more