What does the 2021 recall saga tell us about California and its politics? Native Californian and KQED politics correspondent Marisa Lagos joins the show to discuss.
Marisa Lagos is a politics correspondent with KQED, based in San Francisco.
We love direct democracy, and we love to bitch about direct democracy. It really is in our DNA here that we constantly have these ballots---whether it’s this recall or Schwarzenegger’s or the two dozen initiatives that we often see on big ballots. And everyone, every time, is like, “Why are we doing this? This is crazy.” But if you turn around and say, “So you don’t think we should have this?”, they’re like, “No, no, no! We want this power!” So I think it’s very much in keeping with the tone of the state. [...] Every time we get through an election, I sit back, and I actually have a lot of gratitude for how much folks do engage here.
Notes and references from this episode:
Political Breakdown, KQED
My father had 91 years of joy, love and fighting for justice. It wasn’t enough (essay on Richard Abcarian), by Robin Abcarian, Los Angeles Times
Karen Tumulty on the Politics of Nancy Reagan, Political Breakdown
Kevin Faulconer on Governing San Diego and His Agenda on COVID and Crime, Political Breakdown
For Low-Income Parents, Most Child Support Goes to the State — Not the Kids, by Marisa Lagos, KQED
Judge Finds Attias Guilty of Murder, by Marisa Lagos, The Daily Nexus
San Bruno fire levels neighborhood - gas explosion, by Marisa Lagos, Kevin Fagan, Michael Cabanatuan, Justin Berton; SFGate
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