WEBVTT - Getting Young People Interested In Voting

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<v Speaker 1>Everything the mainstream media left out, delivered just right.

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<v Speaker 2>It's the John Phillips Show.

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<v Speaker 3>It is the John Phillips Show. Johnny's on vacation this week,

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<v Speaker 4>Hey, that rhymed.

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<v Speaker 3>At johnnydontlike.com. While you're there, make sure to hit the

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<v Speaker 3>like button. We're at over 300 likes on today's show.

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<v Speaker 3>And the more we get that, the more YouTube pushes

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<v Speaker 3>us out to new people and more people get this

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<v Speaker 3>message every single day at johnnydontlike.com. We are less than

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<v Speaker 3>two weeks away from the end of election season. And

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<v Speaker 3>as of today in the state of California, 8% of

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<v Speaker 3>Californians have voted early and sent in their ballot. 92%

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<v Speaker 3>of Californians have yet to fill out the ballot and

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<v Speaker 3>send it in despite it getting mailed to them two

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<v Speaker 3>weeks ago. And if you break down those demographics, By age,

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<v Speaker 3>it gets a little worse because the elderly out there,

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<v Speaker 3>65 plus, 19% have voted already of that group. 9%

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<v Speaker 3>of people in the 55-64s, 35-49s at 4%, and young people,

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<v Speaker 3>the voters that are always trying to get reached out to, 3%

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<v Speaker 3>of people 18 to 34 have participated so far in

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<v Speaker 3>this election.

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<v Speaker 4>So what do we do about that?

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<v Speaker 3>Our next guest is the vice chair of the LA

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<v Speaker 3>County Young Republicans. You can get them at LAC underscore

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<v Speaker 3>YR on X, and you can follow her on X

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<v Speaker 3>at Austin Mocker for CA.

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<v Speaker 4>Ariana Austin Mocker, welcome to the show.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you so much for having.

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<v Speaker 1>Me, Randy.

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<v Speaker 3>So Ariana, first tell us about your organization and how

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<v Speaker 3>you got into politics and specifically this world.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>So the LA County young Republicans is a young professional

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<v Speaker 2>organization for 18 to 40 year olds with a political spin.

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<v Speaker 2>We bring people together for social, uh, professional and political activism.

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<v Speaker 2>So whatever you're looking for, we're trying to bring like-minded

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<v Speaker 2>people together. You don't have to be registered Republican. If

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<v Speaker 2>you're just fed up with the one party rule business

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<v Speaker 2>as usual that we face here in LA County, we

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<v Speaker 2>are welcoming you to come out and join us.

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<v Speaker 3>And what is your organization do to get young people

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<v Speaker 3>to want to do the very simple thing of paying

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<v Speaker 3>attention to what's going on around them and how they

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<v Speaker 3>can change things?

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<v Speaker 2>Definitely. So we start out with the most simple form

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<v Speaker 2>of recruitment, which is social. So we have monthly mixers.

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<v Speaker 2>Our next mixer is actually this Thursday in Pasadena. You

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<v Speaker 2>can find out the details on any of our social

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<v Speaker 2>media platforms at LAC underscore YR. They are free to attend.

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<v Speaker 2>You come out, you get to meet like-minded individuals and

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<v Speaker 2>build a community. I think first and foremost, that's what

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<v Speaker 2>young people are looking for, especially when you live in

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<v Speaker 2>a place like Los Angeles, or you might work in

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<v Speaker 2>an industry where being conservative or being Republican is not popular,

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<v Speaker 2>we provide that place for you. And then once people

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<v Speaker 2>start getting engaged, we then have other avenues for them

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<v Speaker 2>to participate in. We do a lot of professional networking,

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<v Speaker 2>especially with College Republicans, Turning Point, getting people to stay

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<v Speaker 2>in LA County and not flee to other states like

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<v Speaker 2>Texas and Florida. And then we do a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>political activism. Last weekend, we were just door knocking in

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<v Speaker 2>Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley to protect some incredible

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<v Speaker 2>candidates up there. We do statewide deployments. We provide hotel rooms.

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<v Speaker 2>We provide gas reimbursements, meals. So we make it affordable.

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<v Speaker 2>And all we're asking for is your time. And with that,

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<v Speaker 2>we lean into the messaging that right now, the decisions

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<v Speaker 2>and the votes that you are casting is setting you

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<v Speaker 2>up for the future of what you're going to be

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<v Speaker 2>paying for in the long run. And so we try

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<v Speaker 2>to explain that to people. And there are a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of young people who are fed up and tired and

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<v Speaker 2>looking for a change. And that's what we're trying to

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<v Speaker 2>offer to them.

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<v Speaker 3>In your opinion, when you have these mixers and you

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<v Speaker 3>talk to people, maybe it's people, it's their first time voting,

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<v Speaker 3>their first time paying attention to what's going on. Maybe

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<v Speaker 3>they just got to the age where they can vote.

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<v Speaker 3>What would you say are, for the young people out

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<v Speaker 3>there that go to your events that are in your circles,

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<v Speaker 3>what are the most important issues to them in this election?

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<v Speaker 2>The number one issue, hands down, with Gen Z and

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<v Speaker 2>even millennials is cost of living. Affordability across the board,

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<v Speaker 2>whether we're talking about the paycheck and the taxes being

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<v Speaker 2>taken out, whether we're talking about the cost of rent,

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<v Speaker 2>the cost of utilities, we're talking about the cost of

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<v Speaker 2>groceries and gas. Everybody is struggling. And so for us,

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<v Speaker 2>having those conversations and making sure people understand the difference

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<v Speaker 2>between the federal government and the state government is huge.

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<v Speaker 2>Democrats in California like to blame Trump for what's going

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<v Speaker 2>on here, but it is clear as day, Trump does

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<v Speaker 2>not run California. Democrats run California. Democrats run Los Angeles

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<v Speaker 2>County and Los Angeles City, and they have for 10, 20,

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<v Speaker 2>30 years. And so people who are struggling need to

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<v Speaker 2>understand that difference. And that's the biggest issue that we

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<v Speaker 2>help them start to come to terms with.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, and you talk about affordability gas prices is definitely

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<v Speaker 3>one of the things that everyone thinks about as a,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, in LA County, we're looking at some stations

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<v Speaker 3>where it's $ 7 a gallon and only going up and

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<v Speaker 3>Javier Becerra, one of the candidates running for governor was

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<v Speaker 3>asked about that, asked about, you know, uh, things that

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<v Speaker 3>his opponent, Steve Hilton wants to do, including getting rid

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<v Speaker 3>of the gas tax and cap and trade where we're

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<v Speaker 3>subsidizing the high speed rail. And his answer was, well, no,

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<v Speaker 3>we can't do that. The reason the gas prices are

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<v Speaker 3>high is because of the war in Iran. And while

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<v Speaker 3>that is true, There's nothing the governor of California can

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<v Speaker 3>do about that. And even besides that, gas prices are

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<v Speaker 3>still $ 2 on average higher here than our neighboring states

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<v Speaker 3>or even places like Hawaii. And that's something that people,

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<v Speaker 3>especially young people, have to stretch and deal with every

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<v Speaker 3>single week.

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<v Speaker 2>Agreed. We have current Republican legislators like Senator Tony Strickland,

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<v Speaker 2>who have asked multiple times for our Democrat legislature and

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<v Speaker 2>for the governor to suspend the gas tax to help

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<v Speaker 2>out the wallets of the people who are paying at

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<v Speaker 2>the pump. And they continuously say no. They don't understand

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<v Speaker 2>that people are commuting, people are driving. In a place

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<v Speaker 2>like Los Angeles, it is not possible to... to survive

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<v Speaker 2>on public transit. So to be able to try to

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<v Speaker 2>defer and blame Trump again and again, you said it perfectly.

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<v Speaker 2>We have $ 2 more expensive gas than Hawaii. The problem

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<v Speaker 2>is not President Trump. The problem is our state legislature

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<v Speaker 2>who is making these decisions and punishing Californians for their choices.

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<v Speaker 3>And of course, Javier Becerra says, well, we can't get

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<v Speaker 3>rid of the gas tax because how do we pay

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<v Speaker 3>for our immaculate roads? One, the roads are not immaculate.

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<v Speaker 3>They're a mess even with the gas tax. And two,

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<v Speaker 3>the gas tax only raises about $ 8 billion. The state's

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<v Speaker 3>budget is $ 350 billion. You're telling me there's nowhere else

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<v Speaker 3>in the state's budget we could find time to close

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<v Speaker 3>down the 405 every other week to pave those lanes?

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<v Speaker 2>I'm pretty sure we could stop putting money to the

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<v Speaker 2>bullet train nowhere and supply funds to fix our roads there.

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<v Speaker 2>Two very different transportation issues. One that Californians need. The

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<v Speaker 2>other we don't need.

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<v Speaker 3>We're speaking with Ariana Asenmacher. She is the vice chair

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<v Speaker 3>of L.A. County Young Republicans, getting young kids to pay

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<v Speaker 3>attention to what's going on and vote. I got to

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<v Speaker 3>pick your brain on this because it's something that I'm

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<v Speaker 3>dealing with as well. The people in your organization, the

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<v Speaker 3>people that you talk to, the people that go to

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<v Speaker 3>your events, how are they feeling about this L.A.

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<v Speaker 4>Mayor's race?

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<v Speaker 2>You know, it is unfortunate. Had our primary been a

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<v Speaker 2>different scenario and we had Spencer Pratt on the ballot

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<v Speaker 2>this time around, I think it would be clear as

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<v Speaker 2>day for people. But again, we're going back to the

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<v Speaker 2>conversation of one party rule. They've made it legal over

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<v Speaker 2>the last 10 to 15 years for what happened in

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<v Speaker 2>our primary. So we have two bad options. But that

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't mean we stay home. That doesn't mean you skip

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<v Speaker 2>the race and you don't vote for mayor. I think

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<v Speaker 2>it's pretty clear Karen Bass is a bad choice. But

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<v Speaker 2>we know what we're getting with Karen Bass. I personally

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<v Speaker 2>could never bring myself to vote for a DSA candidate

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<v Speaker 2>like Nithya Raman. The jeopardy that we put our city in,

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<v Speaker 2>as well as the lives of Jewish people in L.A.,

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<v Speaker 2>is just it's incoherent. And I would never do that.

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<v Speaker 2>And so we are encouraging our members. to vote for

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<v Speaker 2>Karen Bass, encouraging those that feel like they don't have

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<v Speaker 2>a choice to stick with what we know. It is

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<v Speaker 2>an unfortunate choice, but it's better than the alternative.

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<v Speaker 3>What do you think is the draw that so many

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<v Speaker 3>young people are turning to the DSA these days? That

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<v Speaker 3>there is this boost of support among young people for

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<v Speaker 3>somebody like Nithya Raman. Is it a generational thing, or

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<v Speaker 3>what do you think is the draw there? Something that

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<v Speaker 3>I'm sure you're trying to fight against every day.

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<v Speaker 2>To a point, I do think it's ideology. I'm not

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<v Speaker 2>going to speak to Nithya Raman, but to speak to

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<v Speaker 2>what Mom Donnie has done in New York, He makes

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<v Speaker 2>promises as it relates to cost of living, affordability, utilities, groceries.

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<v Speaker 2>He's offering these ideas that sound wonderful, especially for young

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<v Speaker 2>people who have grown up being told if you work hard,

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<v Speaker 2>if you go to school, you're going to be able

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<v Speaker 2>to afford the American dream. And currently that is not

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<v Speaker 2>possible in Los Angeles. I mean, I still have to

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<v Speaker 2>rent here. I'm not able to buy a home. So

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<v Speaker 2>ideas sound great. The disconnect for the DSA is actual application.

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<v Speaker 2>The ideas that they want to apply are not realistic.

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<v Speaker 2>You can't offer free health care, free housing, free groceries

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<v Speaker 2>to all of these people in these large urban areas.

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<v Speaker 2>the money that comes from behind, it's not free. Somebody

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<v Speaker 2>is paying the bill at the end of the day.

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<v Speaker 2>And that ends up being taxpayers, people who work hard

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<v Speaker 2>to actually provide for their families and set themselves up.

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<v Speaker 2>And so I think the idea sounds great to young people.

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<v Speaker 2>They're frustrated. They're angry. They can't afford anything. But what

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<v Speaker 2>we need to do as Republicans and what I think

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<v Speaker 2>Steve Hilton is doing wonderfully and what Spencer Pratt did

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<v Speaker 2>really well was change the messaging, change the narrative, speak

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<v Speaker 2>to the frustrations that people are feeling, and then hit

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<v Speaker 2>home with policy that actually changes that.

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<v Speaker 3>It is one of the things that is wild to me.

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<v Speaker 3>I understand that things get very tribalistic out here and

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<v Speaker 3>you know, what happens nationally, people pay attention to more

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<v Speaker 3>than what's going on locally. But if you just looked

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<v Speaker 3>at these two gubernatorial candidates based on the policies that

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<v Speaker 3>they're putting out there and Hilton has been going up

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<v Speaker 3>and down the state, $ 3 gas, cut your electric bills

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<v Speaker 3>in half. Here's how we can do it. The other

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<v Speaker 3>States can do it. Javier Becerra doesn't really have anything

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<v Speaker 3>like that. And he's still up by 20 points. It

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<v Speaker 3>is just, it is baffling.

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<v Speaker 2>We'll say this. We do live in a voter registration disadvantage.

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<v Speaker 2>So that's the thing to keep in mind. But polling

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<v Speaker 2>isn't all of it. Early voting opens this weekend. And

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<v Speaker 2>as we know, conservatives, Republicans and even independents tend to

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<v Speaker 2>start to vote in person, especially those that are concerned

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<v Speaker 2>about vote by mail and what we've seen over the

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<v Speaker 2>last six years. So my hope is that with early

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<v Speaker 2>voting opening this Saturday, October 24th, people will start going

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<v Speaker 2>out and voting in person. We can't play catch up.

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<v Speaker 2>We need people to show up. We need them to vote.

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<v Speaker 2>If we want to make these races closer, if we

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<v Speaker 2>want to make it competitive, and if we want to

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<v Speaker 2>make Democrats start to actually change their policies and not

0:13:29.710 --> 0:13:32.970
<v Speaker 2>continue on with business as normal, then Republicans need to

0:13:33.050 --> 0:13:37.590
<v Speaker 2>vote higher than 14% or 20% in an election. And

0:13:37.620 --> 0:13:39.870
<v Speaker 2>to that point, young people need to start showing up

0:13:39.929 --> 0:13:42.030
<v Speaker 2>more than the 3% that have voted so far.

0:13:43.410 --> 0:13:46.689
<v Speaker 3>What would you say to people out there? They got

0:13:46.750 --> 0:13:50.890
<v Speaker 3>their ballot and they're not really that excited about filling

0:13:50.910 --> 0:13:53.300
<v Speaker 3>it out. Maybe it's because there's not that many good options.

0:13:53.700 --> 0:13:57.580
<v Speaker 3>Maybe they think the deck is stacked against them in registration.

0:13:57.620 --> 0:14:00.020
<v Speaker 3>There are some people that think that there's something shady

0:14:00.059 --> 0:14:02.570
<v Speaker 3>going on What would you say to the people that

0:14:02.590 --> 0:14:05.550
<v Speaker 3>aren't sure they're going to fill out their ballot this season?

0:14:06.309 --> 0:14:08.969
<v Speaker 2>I would say that that's a huge mistake. I think

0:14:09.090 --> 0:14:12.500
<v Speaker 2>that this is a midterm and we need to prove

0:14:12.510 --> 0:14:13.580
<v Speaker 2>the narrative wrong.

0:14:14.600 --> 0:14:14.780
<v Speaker 3>L.A.

0:14:14.840 --> 0:14:18.800
<v Speaker 2>County GOP, the Republican Party here, has done an amazing

0:14:18.880 --> 0:14:25.500
<v Speaker 2>job providing a custom voter guide. If you go to VoteDifferentLA.com,

0:14:25.870 --> 0:14:29.030
<v Speaker 2>you type in your address and And it spits out

0:14:29.570 --> 0:14:33.750
<v Speaker 2>a voter guide that'll match exactly on your ballot with

0:14:33.930 --> 0:14:39.840
<v Speaker 2>endorsed Republican candidates and recommended Democrat or independent candidates. So

0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:43.320
<v Speaker 2>it's giving you the best option, even in those races

0:14:43.380 --> 0:14:46.600
<v Speaker 2>that you don't feel like you have a good choice in.

0:14:47.260 --> 0:14:51.359
<v Speaker 2>This is backed research. These are thoroughly vetted. And we

0:14:51.420 --> 0:14:53.800
<v Speaker 2>want people to make sure they vote to feel like

0:14:53.820 --> 0:14:56.990
<v Speaker 2>they have an option. I will also say, If you

0:14:57.030 --> 0:14:58.989
<v Speaker 2>want to tell me that your voice doesn't matter or

0:14:59.030 --> 0:15:02.109
<v Speaker 2>your vote doesn't matter, we had a state Senate seat

0:15:02.570 --> 0:15:07.110
<v Speaker 2>that represents over 1 million constituents in California determined by

0:15:07.110 --> 0:15:11.330
<v Speaker 2>12 votes four years ago. That to me tells me

0:15:11.370 --> 0:15:14.360
<v Speaker 2>that my vote matters, that if a race that close

0:15:14.410 --> 0:15:18.200
<v Speaker 2>overseeing that many people can be determined by 12 votes,

0:15:18.620 --> 0:15:20.520
<v Speaker 2>that means that I need to do my due diligence

0:15:20.540 --> 0:15:21.960
<v Speaker 2>and I need to show up and I need to vote.

0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:25.060
<v Speaker 2>And that needs to be the message to everybody. Uh,

0:15:25.360 --> 0:15:27.760
<v Speaker 2>our future is on the ballot right now. And, and

0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:30.860
<v Speaker 2>it requires you to show up and participate. If you

0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:32.880
<v Speaker 2>don't participate, you don't get to complain.

0:15:34.360 --> 0:15:39.080
<v Speaker 3>Ariana Asenmacher, vice chair of the Los Angeles County Young Republicans.

0:15:39.120 --> 0:15:41.500
<v Speaker 3>You can find out all of their monthly events and

0:15:41.520 --> 0:15:44.330
<v Speaker 3>you can join and maybe meet some people. IRL, as

0:15:44.380 --> 0:15:48.570
<v Speaker 3>the kids say, LAC underscore YR. You can follow her

0:15:48.590 --> 0:15:53.150
<v Speaker 3>on X and Asenmacher4CA. Ariana, thank you so much for

0:15:53.210 --> 0:15:53.990
<v Speaker 3>spending some time.

0:15:53.850 --> 0:15:54.390
<v Speaker 4>With us today.

0:15:54.940 --> 0:15:56.700
<v Speaker 2>Thank you, Randy. I hope you have a great day.

0:15:57.460 --> 0:16:00.420
<v Speaker 3>It's Randy Wang here on The John Phillips Show. Johnny's

0:16:00.500 --> 0:16:02.740
<v Speaker 3>on vacation, but we're having a good old time here.

0:16:02.780 --> 0:16:05.750
<v Speaker 3>It's Randy Wang, and we've got the chat room open,

0:16:05.780 --> 0:16:09.170
<v Speaker 3>having a blast at johnnydontlike.com. You never know who's going

0:16:09.190 --> 0:16:10.950
<v Speaker 3>to be in there. Jeff Vaughn popped in for a

0:16:10.950 --> 0:16:13.650
<v Speaker 3>little bit. Somebody just popped in, asked if I would

0:16:13.730 --> 0:16:17.290
<v Speaker 3>sign their PGP shirt, which, boy, that throws me back.

0:16:18.230 --> 0:16:22.170
<v Speaker 3>So for many, many years, back when podcasting was cool

0:16:22.470 --> 0:16:25.320
<v Speaker 3>and just the new kids were doing it, I hosted

0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:27.860
<v Speaker 3>a podcast called The Pretty Good Podcast with my old

0:16:27.900 --> 0:16:31.280
<v Speaker 3>friend Gina Grad, and that's so cool that someone's in

0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:34.359
<v Speaker 3>the chat room that remembers that show because that thing

0:16:34.380 --> 0:16:36.820
<v Speaker 3>went off the air over a decade ago when we

0:16:36.860 --> 0:16:39.480
<v Speaker 3>got too busy to do it because I was working

0:16:39.580 --> 0:16:41.620
<v Speaker 3>all the time over here and she was working on

0:16:41.640 --> 0:16:42.620
<v Speaker 3>the Adam Carolla show.

0:16:42.680 --> 0:16:44.620
<v Speaker 4>Anyway, that makes me happy.

0:16:45.070 --> 0:16:47.210
<v Speaker 3>Although I'm really glad that I took all those episodes

0:16:47.300 --> 0:16:49.250
<v Speaker 3>off the air because, boy, did I say a lot

0:16:49.270 --> 0:16:51.030
<v Speaker 3>of embarrassing stuff on that show.

0:16:53.210 --> 0:16:53.910
<v Speaker 4>Also....

0:16:55.310 --> 0:16:59.430
<v Speaker 3>I'm not sure because I don't remember things perfectly because

0:16:59.450 --> 0:17:01.090
<v Speaker 3>I did a lot of smoking pot.

0:17:00.890 --> 0:17:01.510
<v Speaker 4>In those days.

0:17:02.650 --> 0:17:06.480
<v Speaker 3>But I think that I used to have Shang's tick

0:17:06.540 --> 0:17:08.800
<v Speaker 3>when I hosted that show at the ripe old age

0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:08.960
<v Speaker 3>of 23.

0:17:08.960 --> 0:17:09.660
<v Speaker 4>Absolutely.

0:17:09.859 --> 0:17:11.159
<v Speaker 2>Absolutely.

0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:15.660
<v Speaker 3>I think I used to respond to things with absolutely

0:17:16.140 --> 0:17:19.780
<v Speaker 3>all the time. So I can't have that anywhere out

0:17:19.820 --> 0:17:25.180
<v Speaker 3>there on the internets. I am so excited. We're 30

0:17:25.180 --> 0:17:28.990
<v Speaker 3>minutes away from the premiere of our latest episode of

0:17:29.030 --> 0:17:31.130
<v Speaker 3>the accountability.

0:17:30.310 --> 0:17:35.030
<v Speaker 4>Podcast, accountability, accountability, accountability. And this one has been a

0:17:35.050 --> 0:17:35.930
<v Speaker 4>long time coming.

0:17:36.130 --> 0:17:39.420
<v Speaker 3>It was our gift to you for helping us get

0:17:39.900 --> 0:17:42.500
<v Speaker 3>to 5,000 subscribers, which is wild because now we're almost

0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:47.120
<v Speaker 3>at 10,000 subscribers. But a few weeks ago, John Phillips

0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:50.850
<v Speaker 3>and I went down to Imperial beach at the Southern

0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:54.850
<v Speaker 3>tip of San Diego County and to the Tijuana River Valley.

0:17:54.869 --> 0:17:56.389
<v Speaker 6>You can smell it right here.

0:17:56.570 --> 0:17:59.129
<v Speaker 3>We were joined by our friend Mike Netter, as well

0:17:59.290 --> 0:18:02.070
<v Speaker 3>as some people who are locals in the area, including

0:18:02.090 --> 0:18:05.130
<v Speaker 3>the mayor of Imperial Beach, who are trying to do

0:18:05.230 --> 0:18:08.210
<v Speaker 3>something about the rotting stench that is coming out of

0:18:08.270 --> 0:18:14.560
<v Speaker 3>Tijuana into this beautiful, gorgeous beach town. That very special

0:18:14.650 --> 0:18:21.590
<v Speaker 3>episode of the Accountability Podcast premieres today at 2.59. So

0:18:21.950 --> 0:18:24.070
<v Speaker 3>sign on right now. So you'll be there live and

0:18:24.090 --> 0:18:26.889
<v Speaker 3>can watch it. It'll be a live premiere. So you

0:18:26.910 --> 0:18:29.120
<v Speaker 3>can chat on it as well. And like with every

0:18:29.180 --> 0:18:31.620
<v Speaker 3>show that we do, every on-demand video that we do,

0:18:31.980 --> 0:18:34.020
<v Speaker 3>we appreciate it. If you can hit the like button

0:18:34.119 --> 0:18:36.280
<v Speaker 3>and leave a comment and make sure you watch every

0:18:36.340 --> 0:18:38.800
<v Speaker 3>video we do for at least 10 minutes, because that

0:18:38.840 --> 0:18:41.919
<v Speaker 3>matters to YouTube. You know, our average viewing time for

0:18:41.960 --> 0:18:44.880
<v Speaker 3>our on-demand videos is like seven minutes, which is pretty good.

0:18:45.330 --> 0:18:47.810
<v Speaker 3>And our average viewing time for the live show is

0:18:47.810 --> 0:18:50.330
<v Speaker 3>25 minutes, which is very good. And we want to

0:18:50.369 --> 0:18:52.889
<v Speaker 3>keep those higher and higher and higher. Look, there's a

0:18:52.930 --> 0:18:55.170
<v Speaker 3>lot of other stuff out there to watch and listen to.

0:18:55.550 --> 0:18:57.970
<v Speaker 3>And I've seen most of it. Our stuff's the best.

0:18:58.020 --> 0:19:01.639
<v Speaker 3>So watch all we got at johnnydontlike.com. I want to

0:19:01.680 --> 0:19:06.820
<v Speaker 3>personally invite you to join us next Friday from noon

0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:12.180
<v Speaker 3>to three in San Francisco in Union Square at Johnny

0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:15.590
<v Speaker 3>Foley's Irish Pub. We're going to be broadcasting from there

0:19:15.650 --> 0:19:18.610
<v Speaker 3>as we take over the spot from noon to 3,

0:19:18.609 --> 0:19:20.449
<v Speaker 3>and we'll have a lot of special guests, a lot

0:19:20.490 --> 0:19:22.649
<v Speaker 3>of great Bay Area guests that I don't think I've

0:19:22.690 --> 0:19:25.730
<v Speaker 3>ever even met most of these people in person. And

0:19:25.869 --> 0:19:28.010
<v Speaker 3>we're going to be there with our friend Susan Shelley,

0:19:28.030 --> 0:19:30.580
<v Speaker 3>who I've met in person many times, as we talk

0:19:30.600 --> 0:19:33.820
<v Speaker 3>about Prop 43, the Local Taxpayer Protection Act.

0:19:34.220 --> 0:19:35.500
<v Speaker 4>Here's what we need you to do.

0:19:35.660 --> 0:19:40.500
<v Speaker 3>First, if you want a free yard sign, go to yeson43. com.

0:19:39.300 --> 0:19:42.080
<v Speaker 3>But anyone that you know that hasn't voted yet, if

0:19:42.100 --> 0:19:45.960
<v Speaker 3>they're confused about these propositions, let them know. A yes

0:19:46.100 --> 0:19:50.020
<v Speaker 3>on 43 means it's harder to raise your taxes. That's

0:19:50.080 --> 0:19:51.730
<v Speaker 3>a message we can all get behind, and we'll be

0:19:51.760 --> 0:19:55.320
<v Speaker 3>spreading that message far and wide at Johnny Foley's in

0:19:55.460 --> 0:19:59.200
<v Speaker 3>Union Square in San Francisco. Get by the BART, get

0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:02.040
<v Speaker 3>there by Muni, take the ferry, take a Waymo. We'd

0:20:02.080 --> 0:20:04.359
<v Speaker 3>love to see you next Friday from noon to three.

0:20:04.760 --> 0:20:07.260
<v Speaker 3>And then on Tuesday, November 3rd, which is like a

0:20:07.280 --> 0:20:10.800
<v Speaker 3>week and a half away, election night special right here,

0:20:10.800 --> 0:20:12.080
<v Speaker 3>7 to 10 p.m.

0:20:12.160 --> 0:20:14.700
<v Speaker 4>At johnnydontlike.com, 7 to 9 p.m.

0:20:15.100 --> 0:20:18.760
<v Speaker 3>On KABC, KSFO, and KMJ.

0:20:19.240 --> 0:20:20.020
<v Speaker 4>Can't wait for that.

0:20:20.660 --> 0:20:22.820
<v Speaker 3>We got a half hour to go, and I've got

0:20:22.859 --> 0:20:26.060
<v Speaker 3>a wild story out of San Francisco for you, so

0:20:26.160 --> 0:20:29.330
<v Speaker 3>stay with us on The John Phillips Show. It's The

0:20:29.390 --> 0:20:33.500
<v Speaker 3>John Phillips Show. Johnny's on vacation. He'll be back on Monday.

0:20:33.619 --> 0:20:36.699
<v Speaker 3>So it's Randy Wang here, and I've got company. I've

0:20:36.740 --> 0:20:38.700
<v Speaker 3>got the whole chat room with me. We're having a

0:20:38.820 --> 0:20:41.460
<v Speaker 3>blast every single day from noon to 3. It's the

0:20:41.520 --> 0:20:43.780
<v Speaker 3>ultimate way to experience this show. Not only do you

0:20:43.800 --> 0:20:46.540
<v Speaker 3>get to see us, see the videos as we react

0:20:46.580 --> 0:20:49.560
<v Speaker 3>to them, but you get to have your initial reaction

0:20:49.760 --> 0:20:51.740
<v Speaker 3>in the chat room. Talk about the news of the

0:20:51.780 --> 0:20:57.930
<v Speaker 3>day with like-minded and not like-minded people at johnnydontlike.com. It's

0:20:57.990 --> 0:21:00.010
<v Speaker 3>a blast. We'd love for you to join us while

0:21:00.030 --> 0:21:02.229
<v Speaker 3>you're there. Make sure to hit the like button. We're

0:21:02.250 --> 0:21:05.449
<v Speaker 3>at over 350 likes on today's show. And make sure

0:21:05.470 --> 0:21:10.280
<v Speaker 3>you subscribe to the channel. We're at over 9,500 subscribers.

0:21:10.520 --> 0:21:14.560
<v Speaker 3>Almost at 10,000. And yes, we have more than John Cobalt.

0:21:14.580 --> 0:21:20.179
<v Speaker 3>So that makes me feel good. JohnnyDon'tLike.com Let's go to

0:21:20.220 --> 0:21:24.830
<v Speaker 3>San Francisco for a completely insane story.

0:21:27.650 --> 0:21:28.550
<v Speaker 4>San Francisco.

0:21:29.369 --> 0:21:32.409
<v Speaker 3>has had a lot of improvements, but there are certain

0:21:32.450 --> 0:21:38.100
<v Speaker 3>neighborhoods that are still a mess. The Tenderloin, Soma, the Mission.

0:21:39.560 --> 0:21:42.740
<v Speaker 3>And one of the problems that we have in parts

0:21:42.800 --> 0:21:48.149
<v Speaker 3>of San Francisco is open-air drug use. And even though

0:21:48.770 --> 0:21:53.510
<v Speaker 3>that technically still is illegal, we don't have the will

0:21:53.590 --> 0:21:57.640
<v Speaker 3>to actually do something about that. So the San Francisco

0:21:57.700 --> 0:22:02.310
<v Speaker 3>Board of Supervisors has a new idea. Well, if we

0:22:02.369 --> 0:22:07.010
<v Speaker 3>can't stop them from smoking fentanyl and meth, what if

0:22:07.070 --> 0:22:11.370
<v Speaker 3>we banned the butane lighters that they were using to

0:22:11.490 --> 0:22:18.670
<v Speaker 3>smoke the fentanyl and meth? Because the butane lighters that

0:22:18.770 --> 0:22:23.750
<v Speaker 3>the drug users use, well, they have locks on them,

0:22:23.990 --> 0:22:27.190
<v Speaker 3>and then when they pass out, They can start fires.

0:22:30.140 --> 0:22:34.379
<v Speaker 3>For more on this insanity, we go to ABC7 in

0:22:34.400 --> 0:22:39.020
<v Speaker 3>the Bay Area and one of my favorite reporters, Leanne Melendez.

0:22:39.420 --> 0:22:42.109
<v Speaker 7>A growing fire danger on San Francisco streets is prompting

0:22:42.160 --> 0:22:43.410
<v Speaker 7>city leaders to take action.

0:22:43.730 --> 0:22:47.190
<v Speaker 2>Supervisors are considering a ban on the sale of powerful

0:22:47.270 --> 0:22:52.550
<v Speaker 2>butane torches, the locked lighters commonly used by some unhoused residents. ABC7,

0:22:52.570 --> 0:22:52.990
<v Speaker 2>I would.

0:22:53.330 --> 0:22:58.949
<v Speaker 3>Forget banning the drugs... Let's ban the lighters. Which is

0:22:59.030 --> 0:23:01.899
<v Speaker 3>also interesting because aren't we still passing out the pipes?

0:23:02.280 --> 0:23:04.919
<v Speaker 3>I know Lurie says we're not, but they still kind

0:23:04.940 --> 0:23:10.400
<v Speaker 3>of are. That's like giving somebody crab legs and not

0:23:10.440 --> 0:23:11.420
<v Speaker 3>giving them a cruncher.

0:23:12.160 --> 0:23:15.699
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, well, because these lighters have a lock feature, the

0:23:15.740 --> 0:23:20.050
<v Speaker 1>flame stays on continuously. So think about that for a moment.

0:23:20.540 --> 0:23:24.370
<v Speaker 1>because people can pass out after using drugs or simply

0:23:24.570 --> 0:23:28.449
<v Speaker 1>misuse them. San Francisco could be the first city in

0:23:28.510 --> 0:23:31.830
<v Speaker 1>the country to ban not all of them, just the

0:23:31.950 --> 0:23:35.850
<v Speaker 1>cheap plastic lockable ones that, as you will see here,

0:23:36.010 --> 0:23:39.070
<v Speaker 1>are abundant in places like the Tenderloin.

0:23:40.530 --> 0:23:44.470
<v Speaker 3>San Francisco, which earlier this year looked at trying to

0:23:44.550 --> 0:23:49.399
<v Speaker 3>ban Whippets... is now looking to ban butane lighters because

0:23:49.460 --> 0:23:51.810
<v Speaker 3>it'll be a lot harder for the meth heads to

0:23:51.930 --> 0:23:55.090
<v Speaker 3>melt their meth in the county-funded pipe.

0:23:56.750 --> 0:24:00.330
<v Speaker 1>It was just another day in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood

0:24:00.790 --> 0:24:05.150
<v Speaker 1>as we searched for that one device used to heat fentanyl.

0:24:05.700 --> 0:24:06.820
<v Speaker 4>I'll get my big one out, I'll show you.

0:24:07.080 --> 0:24:09.320
<v Speaker 1>There was no shortage of people who were more than

0:24:09.400 --> 0:24:12.800
<v Speaker 1>willing to show us their butane lighters. Not just one,

0:24:13.119 --> 0:24:17.389
<v Speaker 1>but many. They are dangerous. They are cheap. They're available

0:24:17.470 --> 0:24:20.830
<v Speaker 1>at corner liquor stores, and now fire officials want them banned.

0:24:21.130 --> 0:24:21.990
<v Speaker 4>That's just one of them.

0:24:22.350 --> 0:24:24.730
<v Speaker 1>When and why did people out here switch from a

0:24:24.810 --> 0:24:27.910
<v Speaker 1>simple Bic lighter to a high-intensity torch?

0:24:27.930 --> 0:24:31.080
<v Speaker 3>It looks like something you're going to weld with.

0:24:32.850 --> 0:24:36.890
<v Speaker 1>The fire department says people started buying these in 2020.

0:24:36.890 --> 0:24:41.070
<v Speaker 1>And since then, that number has grown exponentially. The reason?

0:24:41.490 --> 0:24:42.170
<v Speaker 1>Why use them?

0:24:44.490 --> 0:24:48.200
<v Speaker 6>To light up and heat up stuff like on bongs

0:24:48.260 --> 0:24:48.980
<v Speaker 6>and stuff like that.

0:24:49.000 --> 0:24:54.520
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, stuff. That's what it is. Just stuff.

0:24:54.540 --> 0:24:57.180
<v Speaker 6>Yeah, that's what everybody usually does.

0:24:57.340 --> 0:24:57.920
<v Speaker 1>Are they quick?

0:24:58.240 --> 0:24:58.919
<v Speaker 6>Yeah, they're quick.

0:24:58.960 --> 0:24:59.320
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

0:24:59.820 --> 0:25:01.639
<v Speaker 6>They get hotter than regular lighters.

0:25:01.990 --> 0:25:05.420
<v Speaker 1>Dylan Mesereau says he doesn't use fentanyl. He has other

0:25:05.540 --> 0:25:10.000
<v Speaker 1>uses for these lockable butane lighters. He had several on hand,

0:25:10.040 --> 0:25:11.340
<v Speaker 1>but the locks were broken.

0:25:11.359 --> 0:25:15.220
<v Speaker 4>Oh, boy.

0:25:15.740 --> 0:25:17.899
<v Speaker 1>They want to ban the ones that are locked. And

0:25:17.920 --> 0:25:21.159
<v Speaker 1>let's show people here. See this little device here, if

0:25:21.180 --> 0:25:22.399
<v Speaker 1>you could explain what that is.

0:25:22.440 --> 0:25:24.399
<v Speaker 6>Yeah, so this is a lock right here. So when

0:25:24.440 --> 0:25:27.740
<v Speaker 6>you light the torch, basically, we had to jumpstart this one.

0:25:29.030 --> 0:25:32.090
<v Speaker 3>This is just what's going on every single day during

0:25:32.210 --> 0:25:34.379
<v Speaker 3>daylight hours in this neighborhood.

0:25:35.040 --> 0:25:35.859
<v Speaker 4>I said it before.

0:25:36.400 --> 0:25:38.359
<v Speaker 3>The rest of the city is not like this, but

0:25:38.400 --> 0:25:40.660
<v Speaker 3>the fact that part of the city is like this

0:25:40.900 --> 0:25:44.480
<v Speaker 3>is still and always will be unacceptable.

0:25:44.500 --> 0:25:45.320
<v Speaker 4>Okay.

0:25:45.800 --> 0:25:48.240
<v Speaker 6>Well, this one, this one, the lock's broken on this one.

0:25:48.550 --> 0:25:52.310
<v Speaker 1>When his friend handed him another one, Dylan surprised us

0:25:52.470 --> 0:25:56.379
<v Speaker 1>with a different torch attached to a propane canister.

0:25:56.680 --> 0:25:59.320
<v Speaker 6>You even got things like this right here. We use

0:25:59.400 --> 0:26:00.060
<v Speaker 6>big torches.

0:26:00.600 --> 0:26:01.199
<v Speaker 3>Oh, boy.

0:26:01.460 --> 0:26:02.520
<v Speaker 4>Does that take me back?

0:26:04.060 --> 0:26:08.440
<v Speaker 3>So, they have the handheld butane torches, but they also

0:26:08.500 --> 0:26:13.120
<v Speaker 3>have a full-blown mini camping propane tank torch, and.

0:26:15.410 --> 0:26:19.820
<v Speaker 3>Let's just say that even in my idiotic 10 years

0:26:19.900 --> 0:26:24.620
<v Speaker 3>as a pot smoker, I had one of those. Because

0:26:24.940 --> 0:26:28.600
<v Speaker 3>when I talk about this now, as like a full-blown adult,

0:26:28.840 --> 0:26:32.740
<v Speaker 3>I'm embarrassed. But, you know, you might think, especially if

0:26:32.800 --> 0:26:35.260
<v Speaker 3>you were only a pot smoker in the 70s or

0:26:35.580 --> 0:26:37.580
<v Speaker 3>80s or 90s, that, yeah, all you would have is

0:26:37.600 --> 0:26:40.320
<v Speaker 3>a little pipe, maybe a bong, and a brown bit

0:26:40.359 --> 0:26:40.980
<v Speaker 3>could do it all.

0:26:42.300 --> 0:26:43.699
<v Speaker 4>No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

0:26:45.340 --> 0:26:50.379
<v Speaker 3>My dumbass pot friends, including Adam Macadocious, would get us

0:26:50.460 --> 0:26:54.280
<v Speaker 3>into doing nail hits because it wasn't enough just to

0:26:54.420 --> 0:26:58.199
<v Speaker 3>smoke the grass. It wasn't just enough to crunch up

0:26:58.270 --> 0:27:01.350
<v Speaker 3>the weed and put it in and maybe get a

0:27:01.390 --> 0:27:02.230
<v Speaker 3>nice bud going.

0:27:02.290 --> 0:27:02.870
<v Speaker 2>No, no, no.

0:27:02.910 --> 0:27:06.110
<v Speaker 3>You needed to do concentrates. You needed to do hashish.

0:27:06.880 --> 0:27:10.040
<v Speaker 3>and you can't just smoke hash with a regular Bic lighter.

0:27:10.140 --> 0:27:10.380
<v Speaker 6>No.

0:27:10.840 --> 0:27:14.929
<v Speaker 3>You need the big ol' butane or propane lighter to

0:27:14.990 --> 0:27:18.590
<v Speaker 3>hit an iron piece called a nail, and then you

0:27:18.630 --> 0:27:22.389
<v Speaker 3>take dental tools, and then you take the hash and

0:27:22.490 --> 0:27:25.800
<v Speaker 3>touch it to the dental tools to the hot iron

0:27:25.840 --> 0:27:28.980
<v Speaker 3>that has turned red, and then you inhale that, and

0:27:29.020 --> 0:27:32.990
<v Speaker 3>you turn pink from coughing so bad. They call it

0:27:33.050 --> 0:27:36.370
<v Speaker 3>a nail hit. And damn, am I embarrassed how often

0:27:36.410 --> 0:27:40.889
<v Speaker 3>I did that crap. So yeah, that takes me back. Hey,

0:27:40.930 --> 0:27:44.570
<v Speaker 3>I haven't smoked pot in 10 years. I recommend quitting.

0:27:45.109 --> 0:27:45.730
<v Speaker 2>My God.

0:27:45.970 --> 0:27:46.250
<v Speaker 1>Okay.

0:27:46.290 --> 0:27:46.820
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

0:27:46.840 --> 0:27:47.859
<v Speaker 6>So, you know what I'm saying?

0:27:48.700 --> 0:27:50.359
<v Speaker 3>But yeah, those things, I don't think they're going to

0:27:50.400 --> 0:27:53.280
<v Speaker 3>ban those. The Coleman's you can buy those for two

0:27:53.340 --> 0:27:54.820
<v Speaker 3>bucks at like Rite Aid.

0:27:55.400 --> 0:27:55.660
<v Speaker 1>Yeah.

0:27:55.680 --> 0:27:59.260
<v Speaker 6>You want to even have to worry about it stays on.

0:27:59.780 --> 0:28:00.500
<v Speaker 2>Oh yeah, for sure.

0:28:01.920 --> 0:28:03.260
<v Speaker 6>When we out here in the streets and we try

0:28:03.280 --> 0:28:03.820
<v Speaker 6>to stay warm.

0:28:04.280 --> 0:28:07.800
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, that's what it is. They've got the Coleman propane

0:28:07.859 --> 0:28:10.980
<v Speaker 3>lighter with the torch to heat up their meth pipes

0:28:11.080 --> 0:28:14.320
<v Speaker 3>provided to you by the County of San Francisco to

0:28:14.359 --> 0:28:14.959
<v Speaker 3>keep warm.

0:28:16.200 --> 0:28:19.840
<v Speaker 1>Regardless of their use, the fire department wants them banned.

0:28:20.460 --> 0:28:23.929
<v Speaker 1>Last year, there were 21 fire incidents due to the

0:28:24.030 --> 0:28:25.510
<v Speaker 1>misuse of these lighters.

0:28:25.710 --> 0:28:27.630
<v Speaker 4>I bet in LA it's 10 times that much.

0:28:28.050 --> 0:28:31.109
<v Speaker 8>And just this year, we've had three Locked butane lighter

0:28:31.150 --> 0:28:34.020
<v Speaker 8>fires specifically, and one has resulted in the death of

0:28:34.140 --> 0:28:35.139
<v Speaker 8>a community member.

0:28:36.380 --> 0:28:38.830
<v Speaker 1>In the past five years, the fire department says the.

0:28:39.940 --> 0:28:40.720
<v Speaker 4>You can't tell.

0:28:40.740 --> 0:28:43.920
<v Speaker 3>Well, maybe you can tell, but the citizens' video that

0:28:43.960 --> 0:28:46.550
<v Speaker 3>they're showing of a car on fire in the Tenderloin, yes,

0:28:46.610 --> 0:28:48.510
<v Speaker 3>that was shot by our friend J.J. Smith.

0:28:48.530 --> 0:28:54.430
<v Speaker 1>These lighters accounted for an estimated $ 3. 2 million in property losses.

0:28:54.810 --> 0:28:57.610
<v Speaker 8>Drug users in many cases want to have that continuous

0:28:57.650 --> 0:29:00.540
<v Speaker 8>flame to continue to light their pipe. And the problem

0:29:00.580 --> 0:29:03.910
<v Speaker 8>that we have is that the locking butane mechanism, once

0:29:03.930 --> 0:29:06.690
<v Speaker 8>you turn it on, if you fall asleep or pass out,

0:29:06.990 --> 0:29:09.440
<v Speaker 8>it remains on. And then it can light other items

0:29:09.500 --> 0:29:11.540
<v Speaker 8>on fire in your immediate area and then potentially the

0:29:11.560 --> 0:29:12.100
<v Speaker 8>entire building.

0:29:12.990 --> 0:29:15.850
<v Speaker 3>And I love how the answer to this is, well,

0:29:16.170 --> 0:29:19.970
<v Speaker 3>we really shouldn't have those lighters. We should not allow

0:29:20.230 --> 0:29:24.720
<v Speaker 3>open-air drug use on the streets of San Francisco. Even

0:29:24.760 --> 0:29:27.260
<v Speaker 3>though we've done a good job of pushing the problem

0:29:27.300 --> 0:29:31.270
<v Speaker 3>to the bad neighborhoods, why are we allowing any of it?

0:29:31.270 --> 0:29:33.310
<v Speaker 1>Derek Joyce agreed.

0:29:33.310 --> 0:29:35.510
<v Speaker 2>You start to fire when you lock it and you

0:29:35.630 --> 0:29:36.370
<v Speaker 2>pass out.

0:29:36.470 --> 0:29:37.550
<v Speaker 4>That guy has meth voice.

0:29:37.970 --> 0:29:41.090
<v Speaker 1>You drop it. As we discovered, there are other ways

0:29:41.150 --> 0:29:44.230
<v Speaker 1>of getting hurt by using them. Have you ever heard

0:29:44.280 --> 0:29:46.630
<v Speaker 1>of anybody accidentally getting burnt?

0:29:46.690 --> 0:29:47.820
<v Speaker 2>Yes, up their nose.

0:29:48.120 --> 0:29:50.520
<v Speaker 3>I wasn't sure that was a guy, but not an

0:29:50.580 --> 0:29:51.720
<v Speaker 3>important part of the story.

0:29:51.740 --> 0:29:54.980
<v Speaker 8>I know on my marijuana pipe before I did it,

0:29:55.060 --> 0:29:58.060
<v Speaker 8>it came through my pipe and it did burn my throat.

0:29:58.780 --> 0:30:02.440
<v Speaker 2>So they are really high. Yeah, they can hurt you.

0:30:02.660 --> 0:30:05.830
<v Speaker 1>People here had no issues showing us their burn marks.

0:30:08.730 --> 0:30:12.370
<v Speaker 3>This is complete insanity. You know, there are plenty of

0:30:12.410 --> 0:30:16.240
<v Speaker 3>cities that do not allow this. And while SF has

0:30:16.280 --> 0:30:18.220
<v Speaker 3>gotten a lot better because they don't allow this in

0:30:18.300 --> 0:30:21.020
<v Speaker 3>half the city, in the part of the city they do,

0:30:21.100 --> 0:30:22.320
<v Speaker 3>it is completely insane.

0:30:22.740 --> 0:30:26.620
<v Speaker 1>And that was due to a butane lighter lockable. Kimberly

0:30:26.700 --> 0:30:30.900
<v Speaker 1>Saunders knows about the dangers of these lockable devices. She

0:30:31.000 --> 0:30:33.600
<v Speaker 1>used one to experiment with a piece of clothing.

0:30:34.020 --> 0:30:35.110
<v Speaker 7>The torch wouldn't turn off.

0:30:35.400 --> 0:30:35.930
<v Speaker 8>And then the.

0:30:38.230 --> 0:30:40.830
<v Speaker 2>Next thing I know, my friend was.

0:30:40.870 --> 0:30:41.650
<v Speaker 4>What does that mean?

0:30:41.670 --> 0:30:45.690
<v Speaker 3>I was going to use a blowtorch to experiment with

0:30:45.730 --> 0:30:46.430
<v Speaker 3>some clothing?

0:30:48.670 --> 0:30:49.370
<v Speaker 4>What does that mean?

0:30:51.100 --> 0:30:52.100
<v Speaker 1>Dragging me out the room.

0:30:52.480 --> 0:30:55.100
<v Speaker 8>So my hand was on fire.

0:30:55.720 --> 0:30:56.760
<v Speaker 1>My leg was on fire.

0:30:56.820 --> 0:30:58.100
<v Speaker 8>The bed was on fire.

0:30:58.520 --> 0:31:01.240
<v Speaker 1>She lost a finger and doctors may now have to

0:31:01.480 --> 0:31:07.190
<v Speaker 1>amputate another. In 2024, Vancouver banned these lighters after six

0:31:07.270 --> 0:31:10.790
<v Speaker 1>people died and 79 others were injured between.

0:31:10.810 --> 0:31:13.530
<v Speaker 3>Hey, look, it's the Canadian fentanyl fold.

0:31:14.170 --> 0:31:19.920
<v Speaker 1>January 2023 and April 2024. But here in America, no

0:31:20.000 --> 0:31:21.700
<v Speaker 1>city has banned their use.

0:31:23.520 --> 0:31:26.240
<v Speaker 3>You know, you wouldn't have to ban the butane lighters

0:31:26.380 --> 0:31:30.000
<v Speaker 3>if you just enforced the drug laws. If you just

0:31:30.140 --> 0:31:33.960
<v Speaker 3>picked up anybody that was doing meth on the street

0:31:34.340 --> 0:31:35.400
<v Speaker 3>and put them away.

0:31:35.800 --> 0:31:37.980
<v Speaker 4>We didn't used to have this problem.

0:31:38.380 --> 0:31:43.750
<v Speaker 1>Hartman recently urged board president Rafael Mandelman to craft legislation

0:31:44.030 --> 0:31:48.690
<v Speaker 1>to ban the cheap plastic lockable containers. They cost about $ 10.

0:31:48.450 --> 0:31:52.350
<v Speaker 7>And we've spent more than a year consulting with them

0:31:52.450 --> 0:31:54.810
<v Speaker 7>and talking to the restaurant industry and trying to figure

0:31:54.830 --> 0:31:58.410
<v Speaker 7>out a way to craft legislation that would allow for

0:31:58.430 --> 0:32:01.190
<v Speaker 7>the legitimate uses of butane lighters.

0:32:01.550 --> 0:32:04.490
<v Speaker 3>And there are legitimate uses of butane lighters. If you've

0:32:04.570 --> 0:32:08.620
<v Speaker 3>ever ordered creme brulee, you know. what a legitimate use

0:32:08.660 --> 0:32:12.950
<v Speaker 3>of a butane lighter is for. But that's why it's

0:32:13.050 --> 0:32:15.390
<v Speaker 3>not the lighter, it's the drugs!

0:32:16.330 --> 0:32:20.440
<v Speaker 7>And there are, like, there are legitimate uses, while also

0:32:20.480 --> 0:32:23.220
<v Speaker 7>trying to at least reduce or make it harder.

0:32:23.790 --> 0:32:23.970
<v Speaker 3>to.

0:32:23.920 --> 0:32:27.530
<v Speaker 7>Get these plastic lock butane lighters that seem to be

0:32:27.570 --> 0:32:28.190
<v Speaker 7>part of the problem.

0:32:28.530 --> 0:32:32.790
<v Speaker 1>Restaurants typically have the more expensive lighters. The ban will

0:32:32.930 --> 0:32:34.510
<v Speaker 1>not apply to them.

0:32:34.990 --> 0:32:37.250
<v Speaker 5>A good example would be for, you know, creme brulee

0:32:37.330 --> 0:32:39.930
<v Speaker 5>to crisp it up. And so it is used in

0:32:39.970 --> 0:32:44.180
<v Speaker 5>commercial kitchens, that type of technology. And Supervisor Mandelman's team

0:32:44.220 --> 0:32:46.640
<v Speaker 5>reached out and said, we're not intending to cause harm.

0:32:46.700 --> 0:32:49.180
<v Speaker 1>Can you work with us on it? If it passes,

0:32:49.420 --> 0:32:51.680
<v Speaker 1>any store caught selling the plastic.

0:32:51.780 --> 0:32:52.540
<v Speaker 4>I got another one.

0:32:53.110 --> 0:32:56.440
<v Speaker 3>How about while we want to ban the butane lighters,

0:32:56.500 --> 0:32:59.400
<v Speaker 3>maybe we just ban the smoke shops that sell everything

0:32:59.500 --> 0:33:01.100
<v Speaker 3>else that you shouldn't have in the city.

0:33:01.380 --> 0:33:07.380
<v Speaker 1>Lockable kind will face a $ 500 fine and $ 1, 000 after that.

0:33:08.870 --> 0:33:11.930
<v Speaker 1>And they are only proposing a ban on the cheap

0:33:12.310 --> 0:33:15.950
<v Speaker 1>plastic kind because they are the most accessible and the

0:33:15.990 --> 0:33:19.030
<v Speaker 1>most popular ones out there. And according to the fire department.

0:33:19.110 --> 0:33:24.240
<v Speaker 3>I mean, gosh, those restaurant ones, those are like $ 30.

0:33:22.740 --> 0:33:23.760
<v Speaker 4>Don't got money for that.

0:33:24.520 --> 0:33:27.240
<v Speaker 1>When they burn the plastic, of course, we know this,

0:33:27.620 --> 0:33:31.800
<v Speaker 1>releases toxic chemicals into the air. So they're very popular

0:33:31.840 --> 0:33:34.500
<v Speaker 1>out there. They cost about $ 10. And easy to get

0:33:34.520 --> 0:33:37.980
<v Speaker 1>at most stores on the streets. And as you saw,

0:33:38.060 --> 0:33:39.920
<v Speaker 1>two or three people had several.

0:33:41.520 --> 0:33:43.300
<v Speaker 5>I was getting nervous just watching.

0:33:43.000 --> 0:33:45.330
<v Speaker 1>Them trying to light it. Yeah, exactly. When you think

0:33:45.380 --> 0:33:48.330
<v Speaker 1>about it, yeah. So they use it a lot. A

0:33:48.370 --> 0:33:50.610
<v Speaker 1>lot of them told me because it's so windy in

0:33:50.650 --> 0:33:53.770
<v Speaker 1>San Francisco. So when they're trying to use their drugs

0:33:54.010 --> 0:33:57.710
<v Speaker 1>or even, you know, so it just the flame stays on. Right.

0:34:00.380 --> 0:34:06.400
<v Speaker 3>We need these disposable butane lighters because it does get

0:34:06.480 --> 0:34:09.899
<v Speaker 3>very windy in San Francisco and my brown bick will

0:34:09.920 --> 0:34:15.380
<v Speaker 3>blow out. It just seems that we're thinking a little

0:34:15.480 --> 0:34:18.489
<v Speaker 3>too hard on this. We're overthinking the issue just a

0:34:18.670 --> 0:34:25.100
<v Speaker 3>little bit. If we started arresting people for doing drugs

0:34:25.239 --> 0:34:28.040
<v Speaker 3>on the street because you're not supposed to do that. Hey,

0:34:28.239 --> 0:34:30.400
<v Speaker 3>put them into treatment. I'd rather them be in treatment

0:34:30.440 --> 0:34:32.940
<v Speaker 3>than jail, but get them off the street. And I

0:34:32.980 --> 0:34:36.620
<v Speaker 3>don't know, deport the Honduran drug dealers that are passing

0:34:36.680 --> 0:34:40.000
<v Speaker 3>out the meth. Also, even though we pay lip service

0:34:40.040 --> 0:34:42.940
<v Speaker 3>to it, we got to end all harm reduction programs

0:34:43.020 --> 0:34:46.060
<v Speaker 3>because it is real rich for the city of San Francisco.

0:34:46.600 --> 0:34:49.600
<v Speaker 3>on one end to ban the lighter but they're the

0:34:49.719 --> 0:34:52.549
<v Speaker 3>ones that are paying the non-profit to pass out the

0:34:52.610 --> 0:34:54.149
<v Speaker 3>pipe now.

0:34:54.170 --> 0:34:57.650
<v Speaker 1>Again regular lighter that keeps going out right exactly and

0:34:57.710 --> 0:35:00.090
<v Speaker 1>so also it keeps them warm yeah that was a

0:35:00.170 --> 0:35:01.330
<v Speaker 1>big factor they told.

0:35:01.210 --> 0:35:02.450
<v Speaker 3>Me that inherently is part of the.

0:35:02.390 --> 0:35:05.609
<v Speaker 1>Danger absolutely if you're in a tent oh for sure

0:35:05.890 --> 0:35:06.609
<v Speaker 1>yeah thank.

0:35:06.510 --> 0:35:09.069
<v Speaker 3>You leon sure don't forget even though los angeles has

0:35:09.110 --> 0:35:15.750
<v Speaker 3>a much larger homeless population la had 12,000 homeless-related fires

0:35:15.850 --> 0:35:18.330
<v Speaker 3>in the first nine months of this year. We know

0:35:18.370 --> 0:35:20.730
<v Speaker 3>this is a big strain on fire departments up and

0:35:20.790 --> 0:35:23.989
<v Speaker 3>down the state of California. So yes, the lighters are

0:35:24.030 --> 0:35:27.200
<v Speaker 3>a problem. But the reason that they're on the streets

0:35:27.420 --> 0:35:29.860
<v Speaker 3>using the lighters is the drugs.

0:35:31.700 --> 0:35:32.340
<v Speaker 4>There you go.

0:35:32.640 --> 0:35:36.739
<v Speaker 3>There's your crazy San Francisco story for the day. The

0:35:36.780 --> 0:35:42.969
<v Speaker 3>Board of Supervisors looking to ban butane lighters even though

0:35:42.989 --> 0:35:47.640
<v Speaker 3>the drugs are already illegal. It's Randy Wang on the

0:35:47.680 --> 0:35:52.040
<v Speaker 3>John Phillips show. It's the John Phillips show. It's Randy

0:35:52.060 --> 0:35:54.500
<v Speaker 3>Wang here. I got to say in that last story,

0:35:54.680 --> 0:35:57.590
<v Speaker 3>I really had a little bit of PTSD. We're seeing

0:35:57.670 --> 0:36:01.709
<v Speaker 3>the Coleman lighter being brought out the big propane take

0:36:01.730 --> 0:36:04.170
<v Speaker 3>with the torch. I told you about, you know, the,

0:36:04.670 --> 0:36:07.029
<v Speaker 3>the nail hits that me and my dumb ass friends

0:36:07.140 --> 0:36:11.850
<v Speaker 3>used to do. And look, I never want to tell

0:36:11.910 --> 0:36:15.070
<v Speaker 3>anyone how to live their life, and everyone has their vice.

0:36:15.170 --> 0:36:19.279
<v Speaker 3>Everyone has their thing that, you know, makes them relax.

0:36:19.380 --> 0:36:22.440
<v Speaker 3>So if it's cigarettes, if it's pot, if it's booze,

0:36:22.460 --> 0:36:25.860
<v Speaker 3>you know, I definitely enjoy some alcohol from time to time.

0:36:26.219 --> 0:36:28.500
<v Speaker 3>I really shouldn't be liking beer as much as I

0:36:28.540 --> 0:36:31.260
<v Speaker 3>like beer these days because it makes me gain weight,

0:36:31.320 --> 0:36:31.910
<v Speaker 3>but I love it.

0:36:33.860 --> 0:36:38.130
<v Speaker 4>But I got to say, at least for me, I

0:36:38.190 --> 0:36:38.890
<v Speaker 4>spent 10 years.

0:36:40.300 --> 0:36:44.610
<v Speaker 3>In what I call hard mode. Because I was making

0:36:44.660 --> 0:36:48.830
<v Speaker 3>very little money in this radio world, in the podcasting world,

0:36:49.250 --> 0:36:51.470
<v Speaker 3>and I was spending a ton of it on pot.

0:36:52.570 --> 0:36:55.650
<v Speaker 3>And I was convincing myself all the time how helpful

0:36:55.690 --> 0:36:58.850
<v Speaker 3>it was for me. Oh, it'd make me relax. Relax

0:36:58.870 --> 0:37:02.900
<v Speaker 3>for my what? Barely job? Oh, it'll help me sleep.

0:37:03.500 --> 0:37:06.000
<v Speaker 3>As when I met my wife, she pointed out, no,

0:37:06.040 --> 0:37:08.160
<v Speaker 3>it doesn't. You go to Jack in the Box at

0:37:08.160 --> 0:37:11.779
<v Speaker 3>3 a.m. and order $ 10 worth of food. That's what

0:37:11.820 --> 0:37:18.210
<v Speaker 3>makes you sleep. And I just, here's the thing that

0:37:18.270 --> 0:37:21.370
<v Speaker 3>I'll say. And again, you do whatever you do. I

0:37:21.410 --> 0:37:25.149
<v Speaker 3>know for me, it made me much less productive, much

0:37:25.210 --> 0:37:28.630
<v Speaker 3>less smart. There's a good portion of my 20s that

0:37:28.650 --> 0:37:31.959
<v Speaker 3>I don't remember as clearly as I remember everything else

0:37:32.000 --> 0:37:34.219
<v Speaker 3>in my life because I was kind of living in

0:37:34.260 --> 0:37:36.810
<v Speaker 3>a cloud because it wasn't just like, something you do

0:37:36.850 --> 0:37:38.589
<v Speaker 3>at the end of the day. It was something that

0:37:38.610 --> 0:37:41.730
<v Speaker 3>you woke up doing. You did all day long, pretty

0:37:41.770 --> 0:37:44.069
<v Speaker 3>much the entire two and a half years. I worked

0:37:44.150 --> 0:37:47.009
<v Speaker 3>at KFI as a board op for Conway. I was

0:37:47.130 --> 0:37:49.910
<v Speaker 3>high as a kite. I would show up stone. Maybe

0:37:49.930 --> 0:37:53.380
<v Speaker 3>that was helpful for that job, but I never really

0:37:53.460 --> 0:37:56.540
<v Speaker 3>got further in my career until I quit.

0:37:57.580 --> 0:38:01.140
<v Speaker 4>And it's interesting. I was working here. I was working

0:38:01.200 --> 0:38:02.000
<v Speaker 4>on the morning show.

0:38:03.239 --> 0:38:05.859
<v Speaker 3>And I did not smoke before the morning show because

0:38:05.900 --> 0:38:08.319
<v Speaker 3>I didn't want to be high while driving at 4

0:38:08.320 --> 0:38:12.560
<v Speaker 3>o'clock in the morning. But what had happened was is

0:38:12.620 --> 0:38:16.280
<v Speaker 3>that we moved. We were living in a house in Burbank.

0:38:16.320 --> 0:38:18.779
<v Speaker 3>We moved to a townhouse in Reseda. And this is

0:38:18.820 --> 0:38:22.060
<v Speaker 3>the stupidest reason ever. But, like, I didn't have a

0:38:22.120 --> 0:38:25.940
<v Speaker 3>backyard anymore. And our front yard was facing Sherman Way. So...

0:38:27.200 --> 0:38:29.799
<v Speaker 3>For like the first week I was like Maybe I'll

0:38:29.820 --> 0:38:31.839
<v Speaker 3>just see if I can stop doing it Because I'll

0:38:31.860 --> 0:38:34.500
<v Speaker 3>tell you While I enjoyed it for 8 of those

0:38:34.500 --> 0:38:37.509
<v Speaker 3>10 years The last 2 years That stuff turned on

0:38:37.570 --> 0:38:40.469
<v Speaker 3>me And it made me anxious as hell And it

0:38:40.510 --> 0:38:42.370
<v Speaker 3>took me like a year and a half To realize

0:38:42.410 --> 0:38:46.430
<v Speaker 3>that it was making me anxious And it was not

0:38:46.489 --> 0:38:50.080
<v Speaker 3>helping me with anything So I quit And it was

0:38:50.180 --> 0:38:52.200
<v Speaker 3>kind of It wasn't the hardest thing It wasn't too

0:38:52.280 --> 0:38:59.680
<v Speaker 3>easy But For 3 weeks afterwards I remember walking in

0:38:59.719 --> 0:39:02.140
<v Speaker 3>the hallway at the radio station and, uh, one of

0:39:02.200 --> 0:39:04.960
<v Speaker 3>our salespeople who now is our general sales manager, Debbie,

0:39:05.000 --> 0:39:07.820
<v Speaker 3>she stops me in the hall and she says, I

0:39:07.860 --> 0:39:10.609
<v Speaker 3>don't know what you've been doing lately, but you sure

0:39:10.680 --> 0:39:17.089
<v Speaker 3>sound smarter than you used to. And, um, that one

0:39:17.150 --> 0:39:19.630
<v Speaker 3>stuck with me. I mean, you know, I'm a sucker

0:39:19.650 --> 0:39:23.270
<v Speaker 3>for compliments, but it was true. I was paying attention more.

0:39:23.290 --> 0:39:27.360
<v Speaker 3>I was making better connections on the air as the

0:39:27.400 --> 0:39:29.390
<v Speaker 3>third leg on the McIntyre show.

0:39:30.280 --> 0:39:32.640
<v Speaker 4>And that was it for me.

0:39:32.700 --> 0:39:35.279
<v Speaker 3>Like, wait, I sound smarter and I should probably want

0:39:35.300 --> 0:39:37.759
<v Speaker 3>to sound smarter and be smarter if this is the

0:39:37.780 --> 0:39:39.969
<v Speaker 3>career they want to go in. And look, at least

0:39:40.030 --> 0:39:44.770
<v Speaker 3>for me personally, when I finally made that switch, every

0:39:44.910 --> 0:39:48.960
<v Speaker 3>aspect of my life did improve. So, If you can

0:39:49.020 --> 0:39:51.660
<v Speaker 3>control yourself and you just have it on the weekends,

0:39:51.700 --> 0:39:54.730
<v Speaker 3>maybe you have a gummy good for you. I couldn't,

0:39:55.390 --> 0:39:57.650
<v Speaker 3>I was doing it all the time. God bless my

0:39:57.690 --> 0:40:01.110
<v Speaker 3>wife for putting up with me those first couple of years, but, uh,

0:40:01.690 --> 0:40:06.130
<v Speaker 3>quitting has greatly improved my life over the last 10 years. And, uh,

0:40:06.230 --> 0:40:08.710
<v Speaker 3>you know, I look at where I am today and

0:40:08.930 --> 0:40:10.820
<v Speaker 3>I don't think I would be in this position in

0:40:10.880 --> 0:40:13.580
<v Speaker 3>this chair talking to you right now. If I was

0:40:13.640 --> 0:40:18.180
<v Speaker 3>still smoking $ 400 a weed every week. just something to

0:40:18.219 --> 0:40:22.259
<v Speaker 3>think about. Hey, everybody, do we have a special for

0:40:22.340 --> 0:40:24.299
<v Speaker 3>you coming up right now?

0:40:24.400 --> 0:40:25.359
<v Speaker 4>Get online right now.

0:40:25.420 --> 0:40:27.920
<v Speaker 3>If you're just listening on the radio, because we have

0:40:27.960 --> 0:40:32.020
<v Speaker 3>exclusive content for you. The accountability podcast, our adventure at

0:40:32.060 --> 0:40:35.920
<v Speaker 3>the Tijuana river premieres in moments right here on the

0:40:36.020 --> 0:40:37.320
<v Speaker 3>John Phillips show.