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In this episode, Brian and John dig into two criminal investigations swirling around California's most powerful figures and what they actually mean heading into November. First up: the murky federal probe touching Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, her nonprofits The Representation Project and Girls Club Entertainment, and questions about where the money went. Brian thinks there's no evidence and smells a Trump enemies-list operation. John thinks voters are rightly skeptical about nonprofit money, and that Newsom still has a real shot at 2028 if he survives it.

Then they pivot to Xavier Becerra, and the fraud case that took down three people in his orbit: former chief of staff Sean McCluskey (guilty plea, November), former Newsom chief of staff Dana Williamson (guilty plea, May), and lobbyist Greg Campbell. Becerra himself isn't implicated, but Brian raises the October surprise scenario: could Trump use the DOJ to smear Becerra right before the election? Both brothers agree it would probably backfire in California. And in a rare moment of bipartisan clarity, John says Becerra might actually be pretty good at the job — as long as he doesn't drift too far left.

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To learn more about John Kabateck's firm visit Kabateck Strategies
To learn more about Brian's firm visit KBK Law

Send us a text to let us know what you think of this episode. We would love to hear from you.

In this episode, Brian and John tackle four stories colliding at once in California and Washington. First up: the Los Angeles mayor's race, where reality TV personality Spencer Pratt (married to Heidi Montag of The Hills), who lost his Palisades home in the January 2025 fires has emerged as a legitimate polling threat to incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, alongside progressive council member Nithya Raman. The brothers debate whether his populist momentum is real, whether Trump's endorsement helps or kills him, and why Brian thinks Bass is quietly praying Pratt makes the runoff.

Then the conversation shifts to Trump's political revenge machine: the primary defeats of Senator Cassidy and Representative Massie, and what it means for Republicans heading into the November midterms.

Back in California, they size up the governor's race with ballots days away, Becerra rising, Steyer spending $100 million to go nowhere, Hilton hiding his British accent in his own ads, and Chad Bianco fading fast. And they close on the proposed billionaire's wealth tax headed for the November ballot — a rare moment where Brian and John actually agree: it's a bad idea, and it probably fails.

If you enjoy hearing what we have to say, albeit somewhat irreverent and rarely do we agree, please subscribe or follow and us and leave a comment. We would love to hear from you.
To learn more about John Kabateck's firm visit Kabateck Strategies
To learn more about Brian's firm visit KBK Law

Send us a text to let us know what you think of this episode. We would love to hear from you.

In this episode, Brian and John welcome back a fellow Glendale native and political data expert, Paul Mitchell of Political Data Incorporated and Redistricting Partners. Paul helped draw the maps approved by California voters under Proposition 50 in 2024 and he's here to explain what those new lines actually mean for 2026, which congressional seats are now in play, and why California's retaliatory redistricting against Texas may have been more surgical and more principled than critics want to admit.

The brothers and Paul take a nostalgic detour through Glendale's political transformation — from a predominantly white Republican stronghold with a dark history, to the diverse, urban, Democratic-leaning city it is today — tracing the arc from Congressmen Carlos Moorhead and Jim Rogan through Scott Wildman, Jack Scott, and Adam Schiff. It's a microcosm, Brian argues, for what happened to California as a whole.

Then it's back to the race everybody's watching: the governor's primary. With Swalwell's departure still fresh, Paul breaks down the math of the jungle primary, the real risk of two Republicans making the runoff, and why the Democrat who wins may simply be the one who pays their PDI bills the fastest.

If you enjoy hearing what we have to say, albeit somewhat irreverent and rarely do we agree, please subscribe or follow and us and leave a comment. We would love to hear from you.
To learn more about John Kabateck's firm visit Kabateck Strategies
To learn more about Brian's firm visit KBK Law