Political Breakdown

Explore lessons from a lifetime in politics in KQED’s new podcast The Political Mind of Jerry Brown. Scott spent more than 40 hours interviewing the former governor at his ranch in Colusa County, covering a life and career unmatched in California politics. In the show’s third episode, Brown takes office as governor in 1975, with a guiding vision on how to apply what he sees as limited power; and an ambition that soon has him looking toward higher office. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco Mayor London Breed becomes the latest California mayor to endorse Michael Bloomberg in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination (0:32), and the impeachment battle heats up in Washington (4:10). Then, California Supreme Court associate justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar joins to talk about what it was like making the switch from academia to the courts (8:50), crossing the U.S.-Mexico border as a kid with his grandmother to get McDonald's (13:20) and what he thinks makes a good judge (25:25). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore lessons from a lifetime in politics in KQED's new podcast The Political Mind of Jerry Brown. Scott spent more than 40 hours interviewing the former governor at his ranch in Colusa County, covering a life and career unmatched in California politics. In the show’s second episode, hear about Brown's political rise -- when he learned that his path to statewide office could not come from inside the halls of power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California shows Bernie Sanders leading a tight race in the state's Democratic primary. Scott and Marisa also discuss voters' focus on homelessness, as Governor Gavin Newsom travels the state to promote investment on the issue (0:58). Then, NPR Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep joins to talk about the lives of 19th century explorer and California Senator John C. Frémont and his groundbreaking wife, Jessie Benton Frémont, the subject of his new book, Imperfect Union: How Jessie and John Frémont Mapped The West, Invented Celebrity, and Helped Cause the Civil War (5:34). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore lessons from a lifetime in politics in KQED's new podcast The Political Mind of Jerry Brown. Scott spent more than 40 hours interviewing the former governor at his ranch in Colusa County, covering a life and career unmatched in California politics. In this episode, hear about Brown's early years as a Jesuit (and political) novice, when he discovered that the world of ideas was very different from the world of politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Guy Marzorati kick off the new year by discussing the making of KQED's new series The Political Mind of Jerry Brown. Then, State Senator Steve Glazer joins to share his experiences working for the former governor; from volunteering for Brown in college, to running Brown's campaign for governor in 2010. Glazer also talks about life as a moderate in the state legislature and politics in his Bay Area swing district. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jerry Brown often complains that no one comes to him for political advice. So we came knocking, and we’re glad we did. Across more than forty hours of exclusive interviews, Brown shares his lessons on politics and government gleaned from his five decades in the arena. You can hear it all in KQED’s latest podcast, “The Political Mind of Jerry Brown.” Catch a sneak preview of the first episode right here on Political Breakdown on Thursday, January 9. And in the meantime, subscribe to The Political Mind of Jerry Brown on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, Spotify, or wherever you listen. The entire season of the show comes out on Saturday, January 11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa revisit a couple of their favorite interviews from the past year: conversations with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (0:45) and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (10:15). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott are joined by Guy Marzorati and San Francisco Chronicle senior political writer Joe Garofoli to recap the year in California politics and look ahead to 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg gains some California endorsements in his presidential bid (1:00), and polls still have Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren at the top of the pack in the Golden State (2:40). Then, former California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George discusses the state of the judicial branch (6:55) and what it was like issuing his landmark ruling in favor of same-sex marriage (19:50). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices