WEBVTT - Becerra's Bizarre Interview (09/30) 0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:04.240 KFI AM 640. You're listening to the John Kobelt Podcast 0:00:04.300 --> 0:00:06.279 on the iHeartRadio. 0:00:08.300 --> 0:00:08.660 App. 0:00:09.000 --> 0:00:09.440 KFI AM 640. 0:00:09.440 --> 0:00:10.740 More stimulating talk radio. 0:00:11.740 --> 0:00:15.140 John Kobelt Show. And we're on from 3 to 6 0:00:15.140 --> 0:00:18.180 after 6 o'clock. John Kobelt Show on demand. That is 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:20.840 the podcast. Whatever you missed on the radio show, the 0:00:20.860 --> 0:00:23.420 radio show becomes a podcast. You go to the iHeart 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:25.920 app after 6 o'clock and then you can hear what 0:00:25.940 --> 0:00:26.380 you missed. 0:00:27.420 --> 0:00:28.720 Live on YouTube. Live on X. 0:00:29.460 --> 0:00:29.700 Video. 0:00:30.750 --> 0:00:34.080 And we're going to talk with Julie Watts from CBS, California. 0:00:35.659 --> 0:00:37.620 She has a story that we're going to play in 0:00:37.659 --> 0:00:42.620 a few minutes. You heard last week there was a. 0:00:45.260 --> 0:00:48.920 There were headlines about how the inspector general for high 0:00:48.960 --> 0:00:52.019 speed rail found that about six hundred thousand dollars were 0:00:52.060 --> 0:00:53.339 spent on consultants. 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:55.060 The consultants in turn. 0:00:55.220 --> 0:01:00.680 Spent money on renting premium rideshare trips. And they were 0:01:00.700 --> 0:01:06.100 going out to nightclubs, cigar lounges, sushi restaurants, an escape room. 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:09.320 It was our money, our tax money, our high-speed rail money. 0:01:10.160 --> 0:01:14.390 And that was published by the inspector general. But there's 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:18.709 a bill which requires him to publish reports but also 0:01:18.790 --> 0:01:23.430 lets him withhold certain details. And Julie Watts is going 0:01:23.450 --> 0:01:26.070 to explain this. Julie, how are you? 0:01:26.990 --> 0:01:27.690 Hello, sir. 0:01:27.730 --> 0:01:28.729 I'm great. How are you? 0:01:29.280 --> 0:01:32.890 I'm fine. It's a little confusing. What does the law 0:01:33.050 --> 0:01:37.850 allow and not allow? I'm actually not quite sure. 0:01:38.990 --> 0:01:42.010 Okay, so you're saying that my report was confusing, huh? 0:01:42.730 --> 0:01:45.120 Hopefully folks will watch it and you can kind of 0:01:45.140 --> 0:01:47.100 see it side by side. 0:01:47.200 --> 0:01:51.360 I'm going to play it in a few minutes. I'm 0:01:51.380 --> 0:01:54.360 just warning people so that they pay close attention here. 0:01:55.060 --> 0:01:57.700 Yes, so pay close attention here. So there was actually 0:01:57.720 --> 0:01:59.390 four parts of this bill, but we're going to focus 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:03.850 on this sort of accountability portion of it. So right now, 0:02:03.870 --> 0:02:06.440 or prior to this law being passed, there was nothing 0:02:06.470 --> 0:02:09.260 in state law that required the High Speed Rail Inspector 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:12.560 General to publish his full reports. He could just publish 0:02:12.580 --> 0:02:15.060 an annual summary once a year with a few lines saying, 0:02:15.100 --> 0:02:18.090 here's my recommendations, here's where they stand. So you and 0:02:18.150 --> 0:02:21.660 I wouldn't get the details of everything that he found. Now, 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:24.740 there's an important side note. The current inspector general used 0:02:24.780 --> 0:02:26.940 to work at the state auditor's office. So this is 0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:31.750 a lifelong auditor. And as you know, the auditor publishes 0:02:31.930 --> 0:02:35.950 very in-depth reports. A lot of the investigations that happen 0:02:36.030 --> 0:02:38.010 on a federal level and a state level stem from 0:02:38.050 --> 0:02:40.730 those reports. So this is a man who, he's all 0:02:40.750 --> 0:02:42.530 about transparency. He wanted to be able to publish the 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:45.300 full reports. So he started doing it voluntarily, but he 0:02:45.419 --> 0:02:48.920 also realized there was nothing in the law that necessarily 0:02:49.200 --> 0:02:51.799 authorized him to do it. So technically the Newsom administration 0:02:51.840 --> 0:02:54.119 could have stopped him and said, nope, just a summary. 0:02:54.200 --> 0:02:57.510 Don't tell everybody what's actually happening. He didn't want that 0:02:57.550 --> 0:02:59.610 to happen. And two, he will tell you, to the 0:02:59.669 --> 0:03:02.419 Newsom administration's credit, they never said that. They allowed him 0:03:02.460 --> 0:03:04.880 to publish his full reports, but the next guy might 0:03:04.960 --> 0:03:08.540 not or the next administration might not allow that. And 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:11.109 so he wanted to sort of codify that in law. 0:03:11.150 --> 0:03:13.690 So he said, hey, let's create a law that requires me, 0:03:14.190 --> 0:03:16.910 just like the auditor, to publish my full report. Here's 0:03:16.930 --> 0:03:19.700 the problem, though. If you do that, the law now 0:03:19.760 --> 0:03:21.779 requires him to publish it. You've also got to give 0:03:21.820 --> 0:03:24.400 him some exceptions, like if there is some sort of 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:28.200 security weakness or fraud weakness. I use an example in 0:03:28.240 --> 0:03:32.010 my story with this most recent investigation. Let's say that 0:03:32.070 --> 0:03:36.390 he found that high-speed rail couldn't detect fraudulent travel expenses. Well, 0:03:36.410 --> 0:03:38.150 he's not going to report that because all the other 0:03:38.190 --> 0:03:39.450 contractors are going to go out and spend a bunch 0:03:39.490 --> 0:03:42.390 of money and exploit that until it's fixed. So he 0:03:42.430 --> 0:03:45.470 needs the ability to withhold certain details. So they wrote 0:03:45.490 --> 0:03:48.770 that under a lot, a very common clause for inspector 0:03:48.810 --> 0:03:53.770 generals across the state. But of course, critics said, hey, 0:03:53.990 --> 0:03:56.110 you're going to use that to hide things from us. Now, 0:03:56.150 --> 0:03:58.460 all of a sudden, you can hide things. And so he, 0:03:58.460 --> 0:04:03.020 you know, he obviously was all about transparency. But then 0:04:03.080 --> 0:04:05.560 when the First Amendment Coalition, who he is sort of 0:04:05.580 --> 0:04:08.040 aligned with, because they're also about transparency, came back and said, 0:04:08.090 --> 0:04:11.090 you know, this could be abused. He sat down, they 0:04:11.190 --> 0:04:14.830 rewrote it, and they added these exemptions to it. And 0:04:14.850 --> 0:04:18.820 so now if an inspector general does want to withhold anything, 0:04:19.520 --> 0:04:22.179 They have to, number one, tell us they're withholding something. 0:04:22.540 --> 0:04:26.820 Number two, release everything else. And number three, reveal to 0:04:27.020 --> 0:04:31.300 some state oversight entity. It doesn't specify which one, and 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:33.040 this is one the Republicans have a problem with. I'll 0:04:33.060 --> 0:04:34.700 get to that in a second. But they've got to 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:37.880 reveal to somebody what they're withholding. And then number four, 0:04:37.920 --> 0:04:41.219 they have to tell us every 120 days, update us 0:04:41.400 --> 0:04:43.400 on why they're still withholding it and when they're going 0:04:43.420 --> 0:04:46.020 to release it. And then ultimately, once the security risk 0:04:46.180 --> 0:04:49.140 is fixed, they must release it. There is no law. 0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:52.490 in the country that is that specific, that says if 0:04:52.529 --> 0:04:55.210 you do withhold something, even for a valid reason, you've 0:04:55.250 --> 0:04:59.300 got to jump through these hoops. Now, the Republicans were concerned, 0:04:59.380 --> 0:05:00.780 and I say in my story, this is sort of 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:04.110 a valid point. The way the law is written, it 0:05:04.170 --> 0:05:09.510 says he must tell the governor's office or high-speed rail 0:05:09.810 --> 0:05:14.800 or the transportation committee chairs, reveal what it is he's withholding. Well, 0:05:14.820 --> 0:05:20.440 as you know, California is a supermajority Democratic legislature, which 0:05:20.500 --> 0:05:24.140 means the chairs are almost always Democrats, which means if 0:05:24.380 --> 0:05:26.440 he doesn't tell the vice chair, the Republicans aren't going 0:05:26.460 --> 0:05:29.360 to know. And so they raised a red flag saying, well, 0:05:29.400 --> 0:05:32.340 why does it say chair? I also asked this question. 0:05:32.460 --> 0:05:34.520 The inspector general said, listen, I didn't add that line. 0:05:35.300 --> 0:05:41.830 But the transportation chair who authored the bill, she explained 0:05:41.870 --> 0:05:44.290 that I guess in California, I mean, not I guess, 0:05:44.350 --> 0:05:45.830 it's true, but I don't think most people realize it's 0:05:45.850 --> 0:05:51.450 in California, the Republican co-chairs of committees were They don't 0:05:51.470 --> 0:05:52.250 really have any power. 0:05:52.270 --> 0:05:55.420 So there's no point. 0:05:55.070 --> 0:05:58.380 Telling them because they can't do anything. So she's like, listen, it's, 0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:00.020 you know, and he doesn't even have to tell the chair. 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:02.120 So that was really the main sticking point. Republicans are like, hey, 0:06:02.140 --> 0:06:03.599 we're being left out. He doesn't have to tell us. 0:06:04.480 --> 0:06:05.620 And the more you dig into it, the more you 0:06:05.660 --> 0:06:08.480 realize it's really sort of a side note because nobody 0:06:08.500 --> 0:06:09.960 tells them anything anyway. 0:06:09.980 --> 0:06:12.360 I was going to say, I mean, I don't have 0:06:12.400 --> 0:06:14.740 time here, but there's a lot of secrecy going on 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:18.890 with a lot of boondoggle projects. in Sacramento, like that 0:06:18.950 --> 0:06:22.650 new Capitol annex building that they've spent or are spending 0:06:22.670 --> 0:06:25.529 a billion dollars on, and they won't release any details 0:06:25.570 --> 0:06:28.280 on where that money went. And certainly with the high-speed 0:06:28.320 --> 0:06:31.600 rail boondoggle, there's a lot of money that's disappeared, the 0:06:31.640 --> 0:06:35.740 homeless money that disappeared, the unemployment money that disappeared from COVID. 0:06:36.400 --> 0:06:40.280 You know, there's no explanations, you know, for the last 0:06:40.279 --> 0:06:43.200 10 years' worth of fraud. One more quick thing, and 0:06:43.230 --> 0:06:45.610 then I'm going to take a commercial break, and I'm 0:06:45.630 --> 0:06:48.830 going to play your report. In the next segment, there 0:06:48.850 --> 0:06:53.370 was another there was another bill that Newsom is threatening 0:06:53.529 --> 0:06:57.230 to veto, which the inspector general says is essential. 0:06:57.270 --> 0:06:58.150 Can you explain this? 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:00.839 Yeah, so this was the other half of the bill. 0:07:00.860 --> 0:07:03.479 So the inspector general said, hey, there's two things I need. One, 0:07:03.540 --> 0:07:04.920 I need you to make sure that I have to 0:07:04.960 --> 0:07:08.280 publish these reports. Two, I need more freedom to be 0:07:08.339 --> 0:07:12.660 able to hire my own staff and to buy my 0:07:12.720 --> 0:07:15.830 own software. And I've got a budget, so within my budget, 0:07:15.870 --> 0:07:17.370 I need you to let me spend my money without 0:07:17.410 --> 0:07:19.530 having to get approval from other state agencies. Because keep 0:07:19.550 --> 0:07:21.430 in mind, there are things he may not want other 0:07:21.450 --> 0:07:24.670 state agencies to know because he's investigating high-speed rail. And 0:07:24.710 --> 0:07:27.010 these investigations need to be quiet. He doesn't want to 0:07:27.030 --> 0:07:30.270 tip off high-speed rail to what he's looking into. And 0:07:30.290 --> 0:07:34.810 the administration, it actually– let's see, today's the deadline. So 0:07:34.890 --> 0:07:36.310 we should know by the end of the day whether 0:07:36.330 --> 0:07:40.060 or not he vetoed or signed that bill. But bottom line, 0:07:40.070 --> 0:07:43.100 the inspector general says it is crucial that he gets 0:07:43.160 --> 0:07:44.940 these things. He gets these sort of freedoms to be 0:07:44.960 --> 0:07:47.540 able to do his job and hold high-speed rail accountable. 0:07:47.720 --> 0:07:52.560 And at last check– The administration would not. They were, yeah. 0:07:52.740 --> 0:07:53.360 They don't want to wait. 0:07:53.380 --> 0:07:54.640 They don't want to give him the money and the 0:07:54.700 --> 0:07:58.900 staff to investigate whether money is being wasted. 0:07:58.600 --> 0:07:59.400 On high-speed rail. 0:07:59.620 --> 0:08:01.640 He's not asking for more money at all. He's just 0:08:01.700 --> 0:08:03.780 asking to use his money the way he sees fit 0:08:03.820 --> 0:08:06.700 without having to jump through hoops and take three years 0:08:06.720 --> 0:08:08.200 to get crucial software into his job. 0:08:08.730 --> 0:08:11.330 I see. But he doesn't have the staff that he needs. 0:08:12.450 --> 0:08:14.650 No, he doesn't. He's only half staffed. And to their credit, 0:08:14.690 --> 0:08:18.450 they got out this great investigation last week, even half staffed. 0:08:18.510 --> 0:08:20.380 So does he need money to hire more staff? 0:08:21.780 --> 0:08:24.559 No, no. He just needs the ability to hire the staff. 0:08:23.960 --> 0:08:25.700 That he needs. Right now he's got to jump through hoops. 0:08:26.240 --> 0:08:27.100 I see. I got it. 0:08:27.100 --> 0:08:27.380 All right. 0:08:27.440 --> 0:08:29.990 Very good, Julie. Thank you. And we'll play a report next. 0:08:31.070 --> 0:08:31.550 Thank you, sir. 0:08:31.570 --> 0:08:31.890 All right. 0:08:31.950 --> 0:08:36.580 Julie Watts, CBS News up in Sacramento. and we'll play 0:08:36.600 --> 0:08:37.410 you that report coming up. 0:08:38.240 --> 0:08:45.080 You're listening to John Kobelt on demand from KFI AM 640. 0:08:46.960 --> 0:08:51.540 KFI AM 640, more stimulating talk radio. John Kobelt's show. 0:08:53.660 --> 0:08:57.360 Coming up after 4.30, we're going to play you some clips. 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:03.300 Javier Becerra getting interviewed by Sofia Garo from the San 0:09:03.340 --> 0:09:08.260 Francisco Standard. I've been telling you, Javier Becerra is a dud. 0:09:08.900 --> 0:09:14.179 There is very little brain activity. If you did a 0:09:14.210 --> 0:09:18.970 brain scan or tried to pick up electrical signals from inside, 0:09:19.809 --> 0:09:22.970 you'd probably get a flat line. Talk to a strange 0:09:23.010 --> 0:09:26.770 reporter from the San Francisco Standard called Sophia Garrow. And 0:09:26.910 --> 0:09:29.950 we'll play you little clips and you could see. It 0:09:29.970 --> 0:09:33.520 was strange. And he hardly ever talks to any reporters. 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:37.500 It's very odd that this was one that he chose 0:09:38.320 --> 0:09:42.020 because he's basically in isolation. You would think that he's– 0:09:42.220 --> 0:09:45.140 you'd think this was COVID. And he's running a campaign 0:09:45.200 --> 0:09:48.650 similar to Joe Biden. And look how that turned out. 0:09:49.530 --> 0:09:51.390 When they don't want to campaign, there's a reason they 0:09:51.410 --> 0:09:53.350 don't want to campaign. They don't want you to find 0:09:53.450 --> 0:09:56.500 out just how empty their heads are. Anyway, we just 0:09:56.520 --> 0:10:00.619 had Julie Watson from CBS San Francisco, or CBS... California, 0:10:00.720 --> 0:10:04.620 up in Northern California. And there is, and you'll hear 0:10:04.640 --> 0:10:08.240 this here, kind of a wrestling match going on that 0:10:08.840 --> 0:10:12.140 High Speed Rail, what they're doing ought to be exposed, 0:10:12.679 --> 0:10:18.490 but people don't want to expose everything. And listen to 0:10:18.500 --> 0:10:22.760 how much effort is being made by legislators and people 0:10:22.780 --> 0:10:26.180 with high-speed rail to control how much information comes out. 0:10:27.090 --> 0:10:28.590 And you listen to this for a couple of minutes, 0:10:28.650 --> 0:10:30.890 and you forget that they haven't produced any track or 0:10:30.910 --> 0:10:34.950 any trains for 18 years. But they're very concerned about 0:10:35.070 --> 0:10:39.470 what we find out and how much detail is in 0:10:39.510 --> 0:10:41.870 these investigations. So play this from Julie Watts. 0:10:42.330 --> 0:10:46.829 Late night and luxury rides to nightclubs, a tiki bar, 0:10:46.970 --> 0:10:51.319 escape room, a cigar lounge in Washington, D.C., paid for. 0:10:52.250 --> 0:10:53.670 By California taxpayers. 0:10:54.270 --> 0:10:57.710 You see, this recent report from the high-speed rail inspector 0:10:57.730 --> 0:11:01.510 general found hundreds of thousands of dollars in wasteful and 0:11:01.770 --> 0:11:06.260 unallowable travel expenses for contractors for high-speed rail, in some 0:11:06.300 --> 0:11:09.280 cases approved by the high-speed rail CEO. 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:10.260 But the reality is. 0:11:10.679 --> 0:11:13.179 We might not know any of this if not for 0:11:13.220 --> 0:11:17.680 a controversial new California law that now requires the high-speed 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:21.900 rail inspector general publish his full reports. But it also 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:24.140 allows him to withhold some details. 0:11:24.200 --> 0:11:25.240 At least temporarily. 0:11:25.260 --> 0:11:28.250 And that's why the California Republicans dubbed it the. 0:11:28.910 --> 0:11:34.150 Anti-transparency bill. To keep secrets on high-speed rail. I get 0:11:34.210 --> 0:11:36.370 a little riled up, a little chafed when people call 0:11:36.390 --> 0:11:40.349 it an anti-transparency bill, because I immediately say, compared to what? 0:11:40.770 --> 0:11:42.410 It's the best-in-class model. 0:11:43.460 --> 0:11:46.400 That's High-Speed Rail Inspector General Ben Belknap. He and his 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:49.020 staff are the people behind the recent report and the 0:11:49.059 --> 0:11:52.360 controversial new law. Now, to understand why he's so frustrated, 0:11:52.679 --> 0:11:55.660 you have to understand how passionate this man is about 0:11:55.720 --> 0:11:57.040 transparency and auditing. 0:11:57.300 --> 0:11:58.980 To answer a question, you get to spin again. 0:11:59.500 --> 0:12:01.920 For instance, this is a board game he made to 0:12:01.960 --> 0:12:04.410 help train staff when he worked at the California State 0:12:04.510 --> 0:12:06.150 Auditor's Office for two decades. 0:12:06.570 --> 0:12:09.110 It was a whole complicated game on how to. 0:12:10.610 --> 0:12:10.950 Audit. 0:12:11.030 --> 0:12:14.120 One of the best things I ever created, yeah. So 0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:16.640 I framed it and brought it over with me. 0:12:18.110 --> 0:12:20.290 He also brought over some of his longtime staff to 0:12:20.309 --> 0:12:23.590 help launch California's first Office of the Inspector General for 0:12:23.610 --> 0:12:26.349 High-Speed Rail. The team quickly realized they were missing a 0:12:26.390 --> 0:12:28.349 few things they had over at the auditor's office. 0:12:28.630 --> 0:12:32.500 I'm not really authorized by anything in state law to 0:12:32.600 --> 0:12:34.880 produce the reports I have been publishing. 0:12:35.260 --> 0:12:39.130 State law only requires that he publish an annual summary 0:12:39.170 --> 0:12:42.809 of his reports with a short summary of his recommendation 0:12:43.110 --> 0:12:47.610 and status. Now, Belknap started voluntarily publishing his full reports, 0:12:47.690 --> 0:12:51.559 but the next IG might not, and technically the administration 0:12:51.620 --> 0:12:52.280 could have stopped him. 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:55.200 To the credit of the Newsom administration, they've not called 0:12:55.220 --> 0:12:55.660 me on that. 0:12:56.020 --> 0:12:58.880 Instead, they added a provision to the fine print in 0:12:58.900 --> 0:13:02.630 the governor's budget trailer bill, fast-tracking it into law, so 0:13:02.690 --> 0:13:07.210 now the IG is required to publish his full report publicly. 0:13:07.590 --> 0:13:08.030 What's that mean? 0:13:08.910 --> 0:13:12.740 Well, before, this 29-page report could have been reduced to 0:13:12.880 --> 0:13:15.599 just a few lines in the annual summary and we 0:13:15.620 --> 0:13:18.900 wouldn't get it until a year from now, which, incidentally, 0:13:19.340 --> 0:13:22.219 is when high-speed rail is expected to run out of money. 0:13:24.010 --> 0:13:25.150 But here's the controversy. 0:13:25.590 --> 0:13:28.410 Because the high-speed rail inspector general is now required to 0:13:28.460 --> 0:13:31.600 publish his full reports, the law also allows him to 0:13:31.980 --> 0:13:36.480 withhold certain portions that may reveal a weakness until the 0:13:36.500 --> 0:13:40.720 weakness is fixed. Things like security gaps or fraud detection problems. 0:13:41.140 --> 0:13:43.920 But weakness, that's a broad term. 0:13:44.330 --> 0:13:47.170 This legislation is nothing more than an effort to protect 0:13:47.230 --> 0:13:48.370 a failing project. 0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:50.910 From public and legislative scrutiny. 0:13:51.120 --> 0:13:54.280 Republicans in the legislature worry an IG could use that 0:13:54.340 --> 0:13:57.780 to hide problems with the project, and they weren't alone. 0:13:58.040 --> 0:14:00.160 I'll be honest, at first when we saw the language 0:14:00.220 --> 0:14:02.060 of the bill, we had some concerns. 0:14:02.340 --> 0:14:05.760 That is the First Amendment Coalition's Jenny LaRue, and her 0:14:05.800 --> 0:14:07.660 concerns concern the inspector general. 0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:10.920 It kind of weighed on me that we're both for transparency. 0:14:11.260 --> 0:14:13.979 So he invited LaRue to help make the bill stronger. 0:14:14.280 --> 0:14:15.800 She was giving me scenarios of what it. 0:14:16.260 --> 0:14:17.040 what it could mean. 0:14:17.280 --> 0:14:18.740 And I said, oh, I don't intend that at all. 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:21.820 He says he also worked with a Republican lawmaker who 0:14:21.920 --> 0:14:23.920 he declined to name to protect her politically. 0:14:24.320 --> 0:14:26.420 I appreciate her. I know she's going to see this interview. 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:28.220 Shout out to her. 0:14:28.260 --> 0:14:29.160 She played a key role in that. 0:14:29.220 --> 0:14:32.400 Together with Transportation Chair Lori Wilson, who authored the bill, 0:14:32.730 --> 0:14:35.010 they added what is now being called the gold standard 0:14:35.050 --> 0:14:38.390 of transparency. If an inspector general decides to withhold something, 0:14:38.850 --> 0:14:42.170 he has to publicly tell us he's doing it, publicly 0:14:42.230 --> 0:14:46.510 release everything else, deliver the confidential part to state officials, 0:14:47.070 --> 0:14:50.610 give us an update every quarter, and publicly release the 0:14:50.690 --> 0:14:53.830 withheld portion as soon as the risk is resolved. 0:14:54.270 --> 0:14:57.450 We think it more properly balances the people's right to 0:14:57.490 --> 0:15:00.190 know with legitimate confidentiality needs. 0:15:00.210 --> 0:15:00.690 For instance. 0:15:01.170 --> 0:15:06.020 Hypothetically, with this latest report, if the inspector general found 0:15:06.060 --> 0:15:10.540 that high-speed rail couldn't identify, say, fraudulent travel charges, well, 0:15:10.560 --> 0:15:13.180 he might not immediately report that until it's fixed because 0:15:13.200 --> 0:15:16.540 he wouldn't want other contractors to exploit that. But in 0:15:16.580 --> 0:15:21.100 this case, the inspector general says that high-speed rail can 0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:26.290 and did identify those noncompliant charges. And according to the report, 0:15:26.590 --> 0:15:29.390 in some cases, managers were told they had to approve 0:15:29.430 --> 0:15:33.910 them at the request of the CEO. Now, we're still 0:15:33.930 --> 0:15:36.950 waiting for a response and more records from High Speed Rail. 0:15:37.530 --> 0:15:37.890 Stay tuned. 0:15:37.930 --> 0:15:40.290 All right. 0:15:40.330 --> 0:15:44.630 That's Julie Watts from CBS, California. They spend all their 0:15:44.690 --> 0:15:48.100 time up there debating how many secrets should be released 0:15:48.880 --> 0:15:51.440 and how many secrets ought to be covered up. And 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:55.320 they're not spending any time saying, hey. Why don't we 0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:57.950 get the tracks laid down and buy the trains? 0:15:59.210 --> 0:16:00.410 There's no momentum for that. 0:16:00.770 --> 0:16:04.110 It's just an endless internal fight over how much are 0:16:04.150 --> 0:16:06.489 we going to cover up or how truthful are we 0:16:06.530 --> 0:16:09.690 going to be? A little bit truthful, not too much. 0:16:23.180 --> 0:16:27.950 KFI AM 640. More stimulating talk radio. The John Cobell Show. 0:16:27.970 --> 0:16:30.990 We're live on X, live on Twitter. You can enjoy 0:16:31.010 --> 0:16:36.390 the live stream. Moist line is 877-MOIST-86, 877-MOIST-86. We're the 0:16:36.410 --> 0:16:38.790 talkback feature on the iHeart app, and we'll play back 0:16:38.850 --> 0:16:41.670 your comments that you can leave a recording. We'll play 0:16:41.690 --> 0:16:43.990 them back on Friday. All right, let's get to this. Now, 0:16:44.090 --> 0:16:48.270 we've got a debate you can watch on CNN at 0:16:48.270 --> 0:16:53.670 6 o'clock. It's Javier Becerra, Javier Baccaria. And Steve Hilton. 0:16:54.590 --> 0:16:58.870 And Hilton is running a very energetic, very detailed campaign. 0:16:59.530 --> 0:17:04.330 But Sarah is in hiding. He's practically in the witness 0:17:04.369 --> 0:17:09.450 protection program. He doesn't speak to the public, to reporters. 0:17:10.390 --> 0:17:16.130 Very few interviews. No press conferences. No public appearances. Because 0:17:16.670 --> 0:17:20.889 he thinks, hey, California is going to vote 60% Democratic. 0:17:21.010 --> 0:17:22.270 Why should I open my mouth? 0:17:22.760 --> 0:17:27.379 And expose myself, people are going to realize there's nothing 0:17:27.420 --> 0:17:29.980 going on in my head, because there is nothing going 0:17:30.090 --> 0:17:33.230 on in his head. We're going to play you some clips. 0:17:34.010 --> 0:17:39.470 He did an interview with the San Francisco Standard. Sophia Garrow, 0:17:39.970 --> 0:17:45.040 very strange woman. I really don't know. 0:17:46.810 --> 0:17:49.590 Is she a regular reporter? I don't know, but it 0:17:49.609 --> 0:17:51.750 was almost as if it was a satire interview. 0:17:52.130 --> 0:17:54.130 Right. That's what I was wondering. Is she some sort 0:17:54.170 --> 0:17:59.300 of comedian? Anyway, listen to this clip. I'm going to 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:04.940 start with cut number five here. Garrow asked Becerra about 0:18:04.960 --> 0:18:09.600 his relationship with the San Francisco mayor because apparently Becerra 0:18:09.619 --> 0:18:13.280 doesn't know what. Daniel Lurie's first name is? There's some 0:18:13.320 --> 0:18:14.940 confusion here. Play the clip. 0:18:15.160 --> 0:18:17.720 According to your website, you're endorsed by Mayor David Lurie. 0:18:18.100 --> 0:18:19.600 What's your relationship like with David? 0:18:20.140 --> 0:18:24.460 Growing. Growing. He's done a number of important things, amazing things. 0:18:24.540 --> 0:18:26.180 Do you think David's been good for San Francisco? 0:18:26.580 --> 0:18:30.380 I think San Francisco would say, on the whole, he has. 0:18:31.300 --> 0:18:33.660 So she's not pulling a prank on him. 0:18:33.780 --> 0:18:37.440 All right, but Sarah has the wrong name on his website, 0:18:38.530 --> 0:18:41.230 and she goes along with it. And I guess he 0:18:41.260 --> 0:18:44.800 doesn't know that the guy's name is Daniel Lurie. He's 0:18:44.840 --> 0:18:48.520 just going along with like, yeah, it's David Lurie. And 0:18:48.540 --> 0:18:52.060 he gives such generic answers like, oh, it's growing. It's growing. 0:18:54.980 --> 0:18:58.360 He's got another problem with his website. 0:18:58.380 --> 0:19:00.600 Listen to this. Cut number four. 0:19:00.859 --> 0:19:03.380 You're currently leading in the polls by a wide margin. 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:05.460 Some people have accused you of assuming that you have 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:06.929 it in the bag. Have you taken your foot off 0:19:06.950 --> 0:19:08.430 the gas or is the pedal to the metal? 0:19:08.850 --> 0:19:12.449 Pedal to metal is... A little reckless. Certainly not foot 0:19:12.490 --> 0:19:14.250 off the gas. I'm going to work hard to win. 0:19:14.750 --> 0:19:15.030 Okay. 0:19:15.350 --> 0:19:16.530 But foot is on the gas. 0:19:17.450 --> 0:19:18.100 Most definitely. 0:19:18.190 --> 0:19:18.800 Most definitely. 0:19:19.060 --> 0:19:21.780 Okay. Because your website does still list Tom Steyer, who's 0:19:21.800 --> 0:19:24.280 been out of the race since July, as your main opponent. 0:19:24.359 --> 0:19:26.340 Is that strategic? 0:19:28.780 --> 0:19:30.000 No, but I'll check the website. 0:19:30.300 --> 0:19:32.970 Check the website. Well, you don't have to. I have 0:19:32.990 --> 0:19:33.909 it right here for you. 0:19:34.010 --> 0:19:34.570 Okay, good. 0:19:36.520 --> 0:19:38.060 That's a lot of Tom Steyers on there. 0:19:38.420 --> 0:19:40.200 You know how much Tom Steyer came at me? You 0:19:40.220 --> 0:19:42.010 still have Tom Steyer in your brain, too. 0:19:42.030 --> 0:19:44.389 What's hard to get him out, huh? Seems as if 0:19:44.430 --> 0:19:46.570 your website has not been updated since the primaries. 0:19:46.930 --> 0:19:48.370 That could be. We were out of money. 0:19:49.730 --> 0:19:50.359 Money. issue. 0:19:50.540 --> 0:19:51.040 Okay. 0:19:51.140 --> 0:19:53.160 And you're outspent 21. 0:19:53.160 --> 0:19:54.000 We're out of money? 0:19:55.040 --> 0:19:59.710 And you can't change the pages on Steyer to some 0:20:00.450 --> 0:20:01.930 information about Steve Hilton? 0:20:05.910 --> 0:20:09.460 He's not very quick, and there isn't much energy there. Oh, man, 0:20:09.500 --> 0:20:10.220 we were out of money. 0:20:12.830 --> 0:20:13.189 Really? 0:20:13.570 --> 0:20:16.590 The Democratic Party can't give? What would it take to 0:20:16.630 --> 0:20:19.590 hire a guy for an hour to take down the 0:20:19.609 --> 0:20:24.370 Steyer pages and put up some Hilton stuff? You want 0:20:24.410 --> 0:20:27.100 this guy as governor, huh? Yeah, this looks like a 0:20:27.100 --> 0:20:33.450 really good idea. Here in cut number six... Sophia Garrow 0:20:33.560 --> 0:20:38.280 is asking Bakaria about what kind of companies he would 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:39.720 take campaign money from. 0:20:40.000 --> 0:20:43.900 You've received substantial corporate funding, including from oil companies like Chevron. 0:20:43.940 --> 0:20:46.040 Are there any companies you would not accept money from? 0:20:46.060 --> 0:20:47.399 Sure. 0:20:51.320 --> 0:20:55.960 Such as? 0:20:56.200 --> 0:20:56.960 Nixon. 0:21:02.210 --> 0:21:02.670 Palantir? 0:21:02.690 --> 0:21:04.310 No, probably not. 0:21:04.390 --> 0:21:07.390 Lockheed Martin? Yeah. Purdue Pharma? 0:21:08.450 --> 0:21:08.920 I sued them. 0:21:09.980 --> 0:21:10.879