WEBVTT - Why is California REALLY Blocking the Paramount Merger? 0:00:01.070 --> 0:00:05.530 Something's not right here. Crime is up all over the state. 0:00:05.590 --> 0:00:08.340 The homelessness in the city is out of control. The 0:00:08.390 --> 0:00:09.660 economy is sick. 0:00:09.740 --> 0:00:10.860 Taxes are high. 0:00:10.940 --> 0:00:12.899 Housing is expensive and businesses are leaving. 0:00:13.580 --> 0:00:18.640 California needs fixing. And John Phillips is just the man 0:00:18.680 --> 0:00:22.419 to lead the charge. It's the Fix California Hour with 0:00:22.520 --> 0:00:24.300 John Phillips and Randy Wang. 0:00:25.680 --> 0:00:28.950 And we continue at 105 in the afternoon on The 0:00:28.970 --> 0:00:32.710 John Phillips Show. Mr. Randy Wiggs in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 0:00:33.130 --> 0:00:37.890 Johnny, we're broadcasting live on the radio. 790 KABC in 0:00:37.970 --> 0:00:41.830 Southern California. 810 KSFO in the Bay Area. And we're 0:00:41.850 --> 0:00:46.870 broadcasting on video every single day at johnnydontlike.com. That's Johnny 0:00:46.890 --> 0:00:49.950 with a Y. johnnydontlike.com. It takes you right to the 0:00:49.990 --> 0:00:53.050 YouTube channel. It's the ultimate way to experience this show. 0:00:53.710 --> 0:00:56.640 Go to... Our chat room where you can hang out 0:00:56.680 --> 0:00:59.600 with everybody, comment on everything. It gets kind of freaky 0:00:59.650 --> 0:01:01.850 in there, but we're having a good old time. Vote 0:01:01.890 --> 0:01:04.250 in our polls. Hit the like button to recommend our 0:01:04.290 --> 0:01:09.370 show to new people. And hit subscribe. We are at 0:01:09.370 --> 0:01:13.479 5,970 subscribers on this channel. So we're going to hit 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:16.160 6,000 this week. John Cobalt, we're catching up to you. 0:01:16.180 --> 0:01:29.619 800-222-5222 is the telephone number. 1-800-222-5222. California's crooked Attorney General 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:32.300 just did a sit-down with NBC4. 0:01:33.700 --> 0:01:38.500 Bobbert Bonta, also known as Bob Bonta, also known as 0:01:38.560 --> 0:01:42.720 Rob Bonta, sat down with Conan Nolan to explain his 0:01:43.000 --> 0:01:48.530 ongoing lawsuit to block the Paramount merger with Warner Brothers. 0:01:49.810 --> 0:01:54.350 Let's listen to what Conan had to say about To Babathibanta. 0:01:54.370 --> 0:01:56.930 This is NBC4' s news conference with Conan Nolan, your political 0:01:56.950 --> 0:02:04.110 source for over 50 years and Southern California's longest running program. 0:02:04.430 --> 0:02:06.560 Good morning and welcome to the Tom Brokaw News Center here. 0:02:06.580 --> 0:02:12.020 That's only because they canceled the big spin. It's the 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:13.440 Tom Brokaw News Center? 0:02:14.280 --> 0:02:14.820 Well, yeah. 0:02:15.620 --> 0:02:19.810 Well, what did they name after Brian Williams? He's got 0:02:19.830 --> 0:02:21.250 a podcast now on Netflix. 0:02:22.550 --> 0:02:25.570 Conan Nolan fresh off what was clearly a victory in 0:02:25.590 --> 0:02:28.710 the fight with Facebook and Instagram over practices designed to 0:02:28.770 --> 0:02:31.930 hook teenagers on their social media sites and the negative 0:02:32.050 --> 0:02:32.710 mental health. 0:02:32.790 --> 0:02:36.410 I got to say the stock footage of somebody taking 0:02:36.450 --> 0:02:39.750 a picture of their coffee. I am suddenly having a 0:02:39.830 --> 0:02:42.130 self-realization of just how stupid I am. 0:02:44.910 --> 0:02:46.290 You do like the food porn. 0:02:46.970 --> 0:02:49.010 I do take a lot of pictures of food. 0:02:49.470 --> 0:02:54.470 Ramifications of that process, we return to another significant issue 0:02:54.530 --> 0:02:57.190 that has not been resolved by the State Department of Justice. 0:02:57.230 --> 0:02:59.810 That's the effort to stop the merger of Paramount and 0:02:59.850 --> 0:03:03.130 Warner Brothers, which Attorney General Rob Bonta has alleged will 0:03:03.210 --> 0:03:07.510 cost the Southern California economy dearly in jobs and TV 0:03:07.590 --> 0:03:08.410 and film production. 0:03:08.470 --> 0:03:08.710 Mr. 0:03:08.750 --> 0:03:11.730 Bonta joins us in studio. Thank you very much. That 0:03:11.830 --> 0:03:14.310 hair has gotten really, really white. 0:03:15.419 --> 0:03:18.520 And it got really, really white in a very short 0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:22.580 period of time. He kind of starting to look like 0:03:22.620 --> 0:03:28.100 a Filipino Gray Davis, isn't he? You know what this is? 0:03:29.060 --> 0:03:32.929 This guy is the luckiest guy on planet Earth. He 0:03:32.970 --> 0:03:37.190 was OJ after the criminal trial. Every time you look 0:03:37.230 --> 0:03:39.890 at him on TV and you go, this guy's not 0:03:39.930 --> 0:03:40.750 in prison yet. 0:03:42.330 --> 0:03:42.430 And. 0:03:42.830 --> 0:03:46.730 It just keeps going and going and going. And he 0:03:46.770 --> 0:03:50.220 must feel like the luckiest guy on planet Earth, and 0:03:50.250 --> 0:03:52.520 he has the wind at his back, and it's nothing 0:03:52.560 --> 0:03:57.260 but green lights for him. Because with this guy's ethics 0:03:57.940 --> 0:04:02.260 and this guy's social network and this guy's history, the 0:04:02.320 --> 0:04:05.760 fact that he's still the Attorney General of California is 0:04:05.820 --> 0:04:07.630 beyond my ability to comprehend. 0:04:08.310 --> 0:04:12.000 But you've got to remember, with all of that, Why 0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:15.500 didn't he run for governor? It's almost like he is 0:04:15.620 --> 0:04:20.750 waiting for another shoe to drop. And that shoe might 0:04:20.830 --> 0:04:26.010 be this October in Oakland because of a certain former 0:04:26.070 --> 0:04:27.730 mayor who's going on trial. 0:04:27.890 --> 0:04:28.450 Absolutely. 0:04:28.570 --> 0:04:29.190 Absolutely. 0:04:30.589 --> 0:04:37.560 David Ellison, who's running Paramount Skydance, could do to satisfy you. 0:04:39.040 --> 0:04:40.140 You mean in a meeting, right? 0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:44.880 Well, you never know. Sometimes you just want to get 0:04:44.900 --> 0:04:46.140 the deal done. You know what I mean? 0:04:47.730 --> 0:04:48.690 Consummate the thing. 0:04:49.230 --> 0:04:50.390 This merger to take place. 0:04:51.330 --> 0:04:52.670 They just got to get in a room and bang 0:04:52.710 --> 0:04:52.990 it out. 0:04:58.490 --> 0:05:03.960 In theory, of course. There is always something that can 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:08.160 be provided through the settlement process that is similar to 0:05:08.580 --> 0:05:10.120 or the same as what we could get in a 0:05:10.440 --> 0:05:12.710 trial if he's willing to offer it. And we've asked 0:05:12.750 --> 0:05:15.570 for robust structural remedies to address the three markets that 0:05:15.610 --> 0:05:18.710 we've challenged in our lawsuit. That is exactly what you say, 0:05:18.750 --> 0:05:23.530 to tackle affordability and make sure that lives are more affordable. 0:05:23.850 --> 0:05:25.950 Oh, we're going right into the bucket full of cliches, 0:05:26.040 --> 0:05:26.720 are we, Bonta? 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:28.360 Right out of the gate. 0:05:29.260 --> 0:05:33.480 He can't help himself. He is able to say so 0:05:33.580 --> 0:05:36.440 few with so many words. He does not have an 0:05:36.540 --> 0:05:38.320 original thought in his head. 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:41.640 Every type of leadership is about meeting the moment and 0:05:41.700 --> 0:05:42.610 rising to the occasion. 0:05:43.370 --> 0:05:44.400 And this is what's required. 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:46.670 And so we're stepping up and getting it done. 0:05:47.029 --> 0:05:50.810 And every single day as Bob Bonta is on our 0:05:50.850 --> 0:05:56.730 TV screens filing 10,000 lawsuits, I'm always wondering, why did 0:05:56.810 --> 0:05:59.610 Gavin appoint him to this job? Because it's not like 0:05:59.650 --> 0:06:02.050 he had any kind of background in law enforcement. 0:06:02.830 --> 0:06:02.969 No. 0:06:03.710 --> 0:06:06.900 No, look at him and you see an attorney general. 0:06:07.180 --> 0:06:11.479 Don't do that. Look at him and see a small-time politician. 0:06:11.540 --> 0:06:14.900 He was the assemblyman from Oakland who got picked out 0:06:14.960 --> 0:06:18.630 of obscurity by Gavin Newsom to be the attorney general. 0:06:18.690 --> 0:06:21.270 And I'll tell you why he got it. It was 0:06:21.310 --> 0:06:24.830 when Gavin was on the ropes. He had the recall. 0:06:24.890 --> 0:06:28.390 He had the COVID shutdowns. He was trying to salvage 0:06:29.000 --> 0:06:32.140 his political career so he could run for president. So 0:06:32.200 --> 0:06:34.460 he needed to get all the ethnic groups behind him. 0:06:35.380 --> 0:06:40.200 So he gave the Secretary of State's job to Shirley Weber, 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:43.619 a black woman. He gave the open U.S. Senate seat 0:06:43.680 --> 0:06:47.900 to Alex Padilla, a Latino. He gave the next U.S. 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:51.800 Senate seat opening to LaFonza Butler, a black woman who 0:06:51.860 --> 0:06:54.660 agreed not to run for the seat. And he had 0:06:54.700 --> 0:06:57.560 an opening for Attorney General, and he gave that to 0:06:57.620 --> 0:07:01.800 Rob Bonta, who's Filipino, so the Asians got one. That's 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:02.599 what it was about. 0:07:03.850 --> 0:07:06.690 Filipinos, not to be confused with the fan group of 0:07:06.730 --> 0:07:08.270 this show, the Filipinos. 0:07:08.750 --> 0:07:09.309 That's true. 0:07:10.910 --> 0:07:13.490 Folks who are paying for their cable channels or trying 0:07:13.510 --> 0:07:15.950 to go to the movies, making sure that we have 0:07:15.970 --> 0:07:18.210 fair prices, we have good jobs, we have high wages. 0:07:19.270 --> 0:07:20.950 How irritated is Conan right now? 0:07:22.450 --> 0:07:25.990 Well, I like Conan. Conan's a pro, and he's been 0:07:26.010 --> 0:07:28.390 around the game for a long time. But how can 0:07:28.430 --> 0:07:31.190 you have this guy sitting there And you ask him 0:07:31.250 --> 0:07:34.210 about what's going on with Paramount and you don't ask 0:07:34.250 --> 0:07:35.210 him about the dongs. 0:07:37.710 --> 0:07:40.090 That we are good wages and that we have choice, 0:07:40.130 --> 0:07:41.570 quality and competition in the marketplace. 0:07:41.590 --> 0:07:44.150 That's to be fair. This is a local L.A. show. 0:07:44.870 --> 0:07:48.070 So I don't know how much Conan is up on 0:07:48.110 --> 0:07:48.989 the dong story. 0:07:49.970 --> 0:07:51.670 Well, I would ask him about the dongs. 0:07:52.500 --> 0:07:54.620 Well, that's why Bob Bunt is not coming on this 0:07:54.660 --> 0:07:55.739 show anytime soon. 0:07:55.760 --> 0:07:57.490 Oh, but I. 0:07:58.440 --> 0:08:00.600 There are a lot of places that Bob Bonta goes 0:08:00.960 --> 0:08:02.780 where he knows he's not going to get asked about 0:08:02.820 --> 0:08:06.080 the dongs. He went on Kara Swisher's podcast. I don't 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:08.410 think Kara Swisher knows anything about the dongs. 0:08:09.150 --> 0:08:10.430 I think you're probably right. 0:08:11.730 --> 0:08:13.010 I didn't mean it like that. 0:08:13.470 --> 0:08:15.970 Neither does Rachel Maddow, by the way. That's another safe 0:08:15.990 --> 0:08:16.630 space for him. 0:08:19.770 --> 0:08:23.290 And we've asked for structural remedies instead of behavioral remedies. 0:08:23.410 --> 0:08:27.000 A structural remedy is keeping different corporate entities separate. Behavioral 0:08:27.040 --> 0:08:29.760 remedies is keeping all the corporate assets under one roof 0:08:29.840 --> 0:08:32.240 and promising to behave in a certain way. But those 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:35.400 often aren't enforceable in the way that we hope or 0:08:35.420 --> 0:08:38.240 as effective as we hope. But the ball is really 0:08:38.260 --> 0:08:40.770 in the court of Paramount and Mr. Ellison if they're 0:08:40.790 --> 0:08:43.150 willing to provide what we've asked for. 0:08:43.170 --> 0:08:46.350 He's the one, by the way, that canceled a meeting 0:08:46.410 --> 0:08:50.290 to settle this thing after getting pressure from Karen Bass, 0:08:50.690 --> 0:08:54.290 Gavin Newsom and Javier Baccaria, they were going to have 0:08:54.330 --> 0:08:56.690 a meeting, and then he's the one that cancels it 0:08:56.770 --> 0:08:58.770 because I don't know what he's doing. He's got to 0:08:58.890 --> 0:09:01.090 be in his bonnet about this thing. And do you 0:09:01.130 --> 0:09:04.729 know who's trashing him every single day about opposing this merger? 0:09:05.290 --> 0:09:08.809 It's Spencer Pratt. And what he calls him, and maybe 0:09:08.850 --> 0:09:10.970 our show has something to do with it, maybe it doesn't, 0:09:11.330 --> 0:09:13.530 but he calls him Bonehead Bob Bonta. 0:09:13.550 --> 0:09:18.590 Bob Bonta. Well, I'll tell you this. He only gets 0:09:18.830 --> 0:09:21.599 actively involved in something if he thinks it's going to 0:09:21.700 --> 0:09:25.310 generate publicity for him or someone's paying him to do it. 0:09:26.000 --> 0:09:27.480 So it's got to be one of the two. 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:33.460 That's a very good point. Nobody was asking Rob Bonta 0:09:33.760 --> 0:09:36.360 to go after the card houses up and down the 0:09:36.380 --> 0:09:39.650 state of California saying that they could only play poker, 0:09:39.710 --> 0:09:43.730 they could not play blackjack. That happened after he got 0:09:43.809 --> 0:09:46.410 a whole lot of money from the tribal casinos. 0:09:47.750 --> 0:09:51.210 Of robust structural remedies and make it in a way 0:09:51.250 --> 0:09:53.329 that it addresses the three markets we've set forth in 0:09:53.370 --> 0:09:56.229 our complaint? The short answer is yes, it's possible. 0:09:56.250 --> 0:09:58.890 Okay, three markets. Two of those three relate to theaters. 0:09:59.270 --> 0:09:59.449 They do. 0:09:59.809 --> 0:10:03.170 And AMC, Regal, Synmark have all come out and said, 0:10:03.670 --> 0:10:06.880 we favor the merger. In your lawsuit, if it were 0:10:06.900 --> 0:10:08.979 to go to court, you'd have the CEOs of those 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:13.240 companies testifying on behalf of Larry Ellison or David Ellison 0:10:13.400 --> 0:10:17.070 and And Paramount. Does that undercut your case? 0:10:17.110 --> 0:10:19.090 I don't think so. The Trade Association is still in 0:10:19.110 --> 0:10:22.839 opposition to the Trade Association for Theaters across the country. 0:10:22.940 --> 0:10:25.620 We need to find out who the moneyed interest is 0:10:25.679 --> 0:10:28.820 that does not want this deal to go through. And 0:10:28.860 --> 0:10:31.100 then we need to find out if that interest is 0:10:31.140 --> 0:10:34.420 giving him large sums of money. Because this seems like 0:10:34.460 --> 0:10:37.680 an odd subject to be a hill for him to 0:10:37.750 --> 0:10:38.280 die on. 0:10:40.110 --> 0:10:44.219 Well, I'll just tell you because... Our buddy Spencer Pratt 0:10:44.240 --> 0:10:47.500 has made a lot of videos on this subject. It 0:10:47.620 --> 0:10:52.810 is very interesting that Bonta had no opposition to the 0:10:53.010 --> 0:10:58.310 acquisition of Warner Brothers when it was Netflix buying them. 0:10:59.210 --> 0:11:01.810 As soon as it stopped being Netflix, because they got 0:11:01.950 --> 0:11:06.520 outbid by Paramount, that's when Bob Bonta stepped in. And 0:11:06.580 --> 0:11:09.480 now there are rumblings that Netflix is looking to acquire 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:13.910 other studios and and you're not hearing anything from Bob Bonta. 0:11:14.750 --> 0:11:17.350 Well, again, go back to what I said before. He 0:11:17.390 --> 0:11:22.520 was the assemblyman from Oakland. So, okay, different industries that 0:11:22.640 --> 0:11:25.840 impact Oakland would be something that would be on his radar. 0:11:26.320 --> 0:11:29.500 They don't film any movies in Oakland. That's not what's 0:11:29.540 --> 0:11:32.830 driving their economy. I get it if he came from Burbank, 0:11:33.250 --> 0:11:36.650 or he came from Brentwood, or he came from Hollywood, 0:11:36.870 --> 0:11:39.540 or he came from the San Fernando Valley, that he 0:11:39.580 --> 0:11:42.560 would be interested in a subject like this. But to 0:11:42.620 --> 0:11:47.300 come from Oakland, where this industry doesn't impact the district, 0:11:47.800 --> 0:11:51.110 doesn't impact the people that he represented for a very 0:11:51.160 --> 0:11:54.890 long period of time electorally, it was like when Chad 0:11:54.929 --> 0:11:58.790 Mays authored the bailout of PG & E, whose district 0:11:59.190 --> 0:12:03.490 included San Bernardino and Riverside counties, two counties that were 0:12:03.530 --> 0:12:06.670 not serviced by PG & E. So the moment we 0:12:06.730 --> 0:12:09.679 saw that he was the one that was so heavily 0:12:09.740 --> 0:12:13.760 invested in bailing PG & E out, right away it 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:18.320 became obvious that there was something askew. And the same 0:12:18.380 --> 0:12:22.290 thing is true here. This makes no sense for him 0:12:22.330 --> 0:12:24.970 to be this interested in it unless there's something in 0:12:25.010 --> 0:12:25.510 it for him. 0:12:26.370 --> 0:12:29.189 Now, I'm not alleging any kind of direct payments. I 0:12:29.210 --> 0:12:32.850 don't know if Netflix has ever given money to Bob 0:12:32.910 --> 0:12:36.190 Bonta or Mia Bonta. I have not looked into that, 0:12:36.290 --> 0:12:39.209 but If you remember recent history, if you want to 0:12:39.250 --> 0:12:42.670 know the juice that Netflix has in the state of California, 0:12:43.210 --> 0:12:47.050 go back to COVID. When Gavin Newsom was having dinner 0:12:47.070 --> 0:12:50.290 at the French Laundry, his lobbyist buddy, who he was 0:12:50.380 --> 0:12:52.840 taking his mask off and chugging all the wine with, 0:12:53.120 --> 0:12:55.840 was not only the lobbyist for PG & E, he 0:12:55.880 --> 0:13:00.540 was also the lobbyist for Netflix. And that's when Gavin 0:13:00.580 --> 0:13:04.070 Newsom and the California legislature decided loosened a whole bunch 0:13:04.110 --> 0:13:08.590 of restrictions specifically for film projects. And you remember our 0:13:08.610 --> 0:13:11.170 friend Angela Marsden, who's going to be at the Pineapple Hill, 0:13:11.210 --> 0:13:15.360 tells this story so well, where the restaurant was not 0:13:15.420 --> 0:13:19.819 allowed to serve outdoors, but across the street, the elementary 0:13:19.900 --> 0:13:22.860 school that was closed because the schools were shut down 0:13:23.179 --> 0:13:26.020 was allowed to have a production shoot in there where 0:13:26.040 --> 0:13:29.260 they could have catering and people eating without masks on. 0:13:30.620 --> 0:13:30.760 Okay. 0:13:30.780 --> 0:13:30.900 Okay. 0:13:32.500 --> 0:13:37.560 Reed Hastings is the man in charge over at Netflix, correct? Yes. Okay, 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:40.900 so I just looked this up on Grok. I asked Grok, 0:13:41.260 --> 0:13:46.460 has Reed Hastings donated money to Rob Bonta? Answer, Reed 0:13:46.500 --> 0:13:49.520 Hastings himself does not appear to have given a direct 0:13:49.580 --> 0:13:54.490 personal contribution to Rob Bonta's campaign. The documented money comes 0:13:54.540 --> 0:13:58.829 mainly from his wife, Patty Quinlan, and from committees she's funded. 0:13:59.690 --> 0:14:04.370 Here's what campaign finance reporting shows. Patty Quinlan gave Bonta's 0:14:04.390 --> 0:14:07.450 2021-2022 Attorney General campaign then the maximum amount of $ 16, 200. 0:14:07.210 --> 0:14:10.230 Quinlan also gave $ 1 million to Smart Justice California Action 0:14:10.250 --> 0:14:12.500 Fund in March of 2022. That group later contributed $ 150, 000 0:14:12.370 --> 0:14:16.949 to Communities for Justice supporting Rob Bonta for Attorney General 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:37.200 in 2022. Those donations have been cited in later coverage 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:42.540 of Bonta's antitrust lawsuit over the Paramount Warner Brothers discovery 0:14:42.590 --> 0:14:48.050 deal because of Hastings and Quinlan's Netflix ties. Oh, there 0:14:48.070 --> 0:14:48.510 you go. 0:14:48.690 --> 0:14:53.170 Boy, it all goes back to pay to play with Bonta. 0:14:53.550 --> 0:14:55.920 If you're wondering why the hair has turned so white, 0:14:56.260 --> 0:14:57.100 I think we know why. 0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:00.960 How is it that we figured this out in 15 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:04.400 minutes and none of the big newspapers in California are 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:05.340 on top of this? 0:15:05.980 --> 0:15:09.950 It's a very good point. The FBI might be on 0:15:10.010 --> 0:15:12.070 top of it. Time will only tell. 0:15:12.770 --> 0:15:14.950 And you notice, by the way, how the big money 0:15:15.010 --> 0:15:18.860 that they're giving him doesn't go directly from Hastings to him. 0:15:19.150 --> 0:15:23.180 It's like three steps removed. It's Hastings' wife gives it 0:15:23.220 --> 0:15:25.520 to some group who gives it to Bonta. 0:15:27.660 --> 0:15:30.420 Those are obviously big players. It'll be interesting to see 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:33.800 what Mr. Ellison and Paramount offered them for them to 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:37.280 change their tune. We'll be able to analyze that and 0:15:37.300 --> 0:15:40.500 scrutinize that in court and see if it's enforceable, if 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:42.140 it only applies to them or if it applies to 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:45.530 the market more broadly. But we are very confident in 0:15:45.540 --> 0:15:47.730 our case. The court has found in every step of 0:15:47.750 --> 0:15:50.030 the way that we've prevailed. We've got a temporary restraining 0:15:50.090 --> 0:15:51.850 order where the court finds that we are likely to 0:15:51.890 --> 0:15:53.750 succeed on the merits when this case is all said 0:15:53.790 --> 0:15:56.210 and done. We got the equivalent of a preliminary injunction. 0:15:56.230 --> 0:15:58.570 We got the trial date that we wanted. So we 0:15:58.870 --> 0:16:01.210 are very pleased and confident with where we are on 0:16:01.230 --> 0:16:02.750 the case and looking forward to going to trial. 0:16:02.930 --> 0:16:03.590 So, Mr. 0:16:03.650 --> 0:16:07.600 Ellison, I wonder if this guy has a little entry 0:16:07.630 --> 0:16:09.440 point in his back where you can just put the 0:16:09.500 --> 0:16:13.480 coins in like a piggy bank. And that's where Netflix 0:16:13.520 --> 0:16:16.840 does it through the wife and some other group could leave. 0:16:16.860 --> 0:16:19.780 I think he gets a discount of the subscription. Mine's 0:16:19.840 --> 0:16:21.640 costing me like thirty dollars a month now. 0:16:23.940 --> 0:16:26.600 Los Angeles, take Paramount, take it to Tennessee, take it 0:16:26.620 --> 0:16:29.360 to Texas. You've called that blackmail, but it could happen, 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:29.800 could it not? 0:16:31.150 --> 0:16:32.770 I don't see why it would happen. You know, there's 0:16:32.870 --> 0:16:33.850 nothing about this case. 0:16:34.150 --> 0:16:37.750 Well, billionaires tend to be petty, and they sometimes do 0:16:37.790 --> 0:16:43.840 things out of spite. There's no reason. If the majority 0:16:43.880 --> 0:16:47.040 of the production is no longer in Los Angeles, why 0:16:47.060 --> 0:16:49.520 does the big studio need to be in Los Angeles? 0:16:49.940 --> 0:16:52.440 I'm going to go on the record right now and say... 0:16:53.170 --> 0:16:55.430 I'm going to be happier the day this guy goes 0:16:55.470 --> 0:16:59.830 to prison than when Eric Swalwell goes to prison. Because 0:17:00.050 --> 0:17:03.590 Eric Swalwell was a bad actor and a bad guy, 0:17:03.710 --> 0:17:07.080 but he was just a congressman. So he's one vote 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:12.320 in a body of hundreds. This guy is the top 0:17:12.500 --> 0:17:17.060 law enforcement officer in the state of California. And he 0:17:17.260 --> 0:17:21.080 is crooked. He has the power to put any of 0:17:21.180 --> 0:17:24.770 us in prison. And look how he's using his power. 0:17:25.270 --> 0:17:28.810 Look at the complete lack of ethics across the board 0:17:29.190 --> 0:17:32.770 that this guy has employed, not just as attorney general, 0:17:33.630 --> 0:17:37.659 but throughout his entire political career. This guy is a cancer. 0:17:38.100 --> 0:17:41.520 And he is a perfect example as to why nothing 0:17:41.560 --> 0:17:45.580 works in this state. Because the state is fundamentally corrupt 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:46.980 because of people like him. 0:17:48.730 --> 0:17:50.990 Well, and it's so interesting, and it's maybe one of 0:17:51.010 --> 0:17:54.470 the reasons that he's not seeking higher office. Just running 0:17:54.510 --> 0:17:57.109 for reelection as attorney general does not give him a 0:17:57.170 --> 0:17:59.869 higher profile to get the kind of scrutiny that he 0:17:59.890 --> 0:18:01.609 would have got if he ran for governor, if he 0:18:01.670 --> 0:18:04.790 ran for Senate. Because, you know, there are plenty of 0:18:04.830 --> 0:18:07.550 people looking at all the crooked things that the attorney 0:18:07.590 --> 0:18:10.840 general of Texas, Ken Paxton, is doing. Bob Bonta has 0:18:10.859 --> 0:18:12.840 done a lot of the same things, if not worse. 0:18:14.320 --> 0:18:15.220 But he gets a pass. 0:18:16.619 --> 0:18:20.300 For that, that requires that. We're not seeking that. He 0:18:20.340 --> 0:18:22.500 is someone who said he's committed to Hollywood. He wants 0:18:22.540 --> 0:18:25.080 to be here and invest in Hollywood. And then to 0:18:25.140 --> 0:18:26.760 say that with one side of his mouth and then 0:18:26.800 --> 0:18:28.920 with the other side of his mouth, say he's packing 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:30.420 up and leaving when there's no reason to. 0:18:31.260 --> 0:18:33.860 Well, you just made the state more hostile towards him. 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:38.060 You know what they should do, honestly? Paramount should just 0:18:38.100 --> 0:18:40.100 pay him off more money than whatever it is that 0:18:40.140 --> 0:18:42.940 Netflix is giving him. If she's giving him $ 150, 000 plus... 0:18:45.730 --> 0:18:48.740 whatever the maximum contribution was, just go give them a 0:18:48.780 --> 0:18:52.560 half a million dollars. If it's just the law goes 0:18:52.600 --> 0:18:55.260 to the highest bidder, just become the highest bidder. 0:18:56.119 --> 0:18:59.100 That's how it works. You got to remember, it used 0:18:59.140 --> 0:19:01.739 to be the card houses and the tribal casinos were 0:19:01.800 --> 0:19:05.770 constantly competing with who could give Bonta more money, especially 0:19:05.869 --> 0:19:11.650 when the competing initiatives for sports gambling were on the ballot. Well, Eventually, 0:19:11.690 --> 0:19:14.020 the tribal casinos spent a lot more money than the 0:19:14.060 --> 0:19:19.800 card houses, and guess who got screwed over? The card houses. Johnny, 0:19:19.840 --> 0:19:24.700 there's a lot more of this embarrassing interview of Bobbert 0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:27.919 Bonta and Conan Nolan on the other side of the break. 0:19:28.440 --> 0:19:30.639 If you'd like to email the show, you can do 0:19:30.720 --> 0:19:38.270 so at johnnydontlikeshow at gmail.com. That's johnnydontlikeshow at gmail.com. And Randy, 0:19:38.350 --> 0:19:40.470 if you want to watch us perform the show live, 0:19:40.530 --> 0:19:43.389 participate in the chat and click that like button, you 0:19:43.410 --> 0:19:46.010 can do that easily at johnnydontlike.com. 0:19:46.290 --> 0:19:49.709 I'm going to hold my thumbs up for this entire plug. johnnydontlike.com. 0:19:50.320 --> 0:19:52.800 is where the YouTube channel is. It's where you can 0:19:52.859 --> 0:19:55.740 hit the like button. You can subscribe. We're almost at 0:19:55.740 --> 0:19:58.740 6,000 subscribers. It is where you can watch this show, 0:19:58.880 --> 0:20:01.940 watch our mugs, and of course, react to all the 0:20:01.960 --> 0:20:04.440 videos along with us and play around in that chat room. 0:20:04.810 --> 0:20:10.020 It's all there for you every single day, noon to 3pm. johnnydontlike.com. 0:20:10.720 --> 0:20:13.010 If you'd like to watch us perform the show live, 0:20:13.030 --> 0:20:16.270 go to johnnydontlike.com and click that like button. It really 0:20:16.330 --> 0:20:19.730 helps us out a lot. And if you want more content, 0:20:20.010 --> 0:20:23.129 immediately after we sign off at three today, Randy, the 0:20:23.190 --> 0:20:25.709 next edition of the Accountability Podcast drops. 0:20:26.250 --> 0:20:29.030 Our weekly tribute to the most useless word in the 0:20:29.190 --> 0:20:33.910 English language, accountability. Our newest episode drops at 2.59 right 0:20:33.930 --> 0:20:36.280 when we sign off. We talked to our friend Richie 0:20:36.320 --> 0:20:40.580 Greenberg about Daniel Lurie's crackdown on the homeless grifting that's 0:20:40.600 --> 0:20:43.820 been going on in San Francisco. Talk about Scott Wiener's 0:20:43.880 --> 0:20:47.000 race against Connie Chand to replace Nancy Pelosi and a 0:20:47.080 --> 0:20:49.160 whole lot of other things you don't want to miss. 0:20:49.180 --> 0:20:51.520 So keep it right here. And as soon as we 0:20:51.540 --> 0:20:55.139 sign off at 259, it goes live. Make sure when 0:20:55.180 --> 0:20:56.840 you watch it, you hit the like button and you 0:20:56.880 --> 0:20:59.540 leave a comment. That way more people discover the show. 0:21:00.000 --> 0:21:03.090 The comments are really important, as is the chat room 0:21:03.160 --> 0:21:05.790 for podcasting. tricking the algorithm. Well, not tricking it, but 0:21:05.850 --> 0:21:08.950 telling the algorithm that we should be more popular than 0:21:08.990 --> 0:21:09.449 we are. 0:21:10.750 --> 0:21:12.590 And this Friday, we're going to be live in the 0:21:12.650 --> 0:21:13.710 San Fernando Valley. 0:21:14.030 --> 0:21:17.360 We're going to be broadcasting live at Pineapple Hill Saloon 0:21:17.390 --> 0:21:21.060 and Grill in Sherman Oaks. I believe Angela Marsden will 0:21:21.080 --> 0:21:24.000 have a thing or two to say about California's film industry. 0:21:24.460 --> 0:21:26.880 We're going to have a great time. Susan Shelley's going 0:21:26.900 --> 0:21:30.030 to be there from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association. talking 0:21:30.090 --> 0:21:33.320 about Prop 43, the Local Taxpayer Protection Act, which is 0:21:33.450 --> 0:21:35.800 on the ballot this November. You can even stop by 0:21:35.840 --> 0:21:38.160 and get a yard sign, but importantly, stop by, get 0:21:38.180 --> 0:21:41.020 some lunch, get a drink. It's a Friday. And enjoy 0:21:41.060 --> 0:21:42.919 the day with us. It's going to be gorgeous out 0:21:42.980 --> 0:21:47.139 there on that beautiful outdoor patio. Pineapple Hill Saloon and Grill, 0:21:47.380 --> 0:21:49.500 this Friday from noon to 3. 0:21:49.500 --> 0:21:52.100 Let's go to Mike in Santa Ana. Mike, hello. 0:21:55.380 --> 0:21:59.419 Hey, John. Hey, Randy. Hey, John, you might know something 0:21:59.460 --> 0:22:02.950 about this because of your history with CNN. But I 0:22:02.990 --> 0:22:07.649 have heard that one of the reasons that the government 0:22:08.030 --> 0:22:12.530 in California doesn't want the Ellisons to take over Warner 0:22:12.570 --> 0:22:18.929 Brothers is that they would control CNN. And the money 0:22:19.250 --> 0:22:24.130