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So 0:01:50.880 --> 0:01:53.680 I've been covering politics now, going back to nineteen ninety two. 0:01:54.080 --> 0:01:55.760 More elusive. 0:01:56.600 --> 0:02:00.720 Things to find in American politics is a calif Moderate 0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:03.400 and I say that part of it is the system. 0:02:03.960 --> 0:02:07.000 Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to create a system that would then 0:02:07.080 --> 0:02:13.200 incentivize the Center to be the governing force of California politics. 0:02:13.760 --> 0:02:19.280 Of course, center depends on where you sit. Those from 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:22.000 outside of California may look at a Gavenuwommer in Nancy 0:02:22.000 --> 0:02:24.680 Pelosi and say they're liberal. Those that live in San 0:02:24.720 --> 0:02:27.320 Francisco would say they're centrist, So some of it is 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:31.400 sometimes perspective. My guest today is John Slavitt, and he 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:35.359 intrigues me because he's trying to do what arguably nobody 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:38.000 other than Arnold Schwarzenegger has been able to do, which 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:42.279 is essentially owned the center lane in a California gubernatorial 0:02:42.360 --> 0:02:46.160 race and pull this off. We have seen many attempt 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:49.880 and he also has a background in Silicon Valley. This 0:02:50.040 --> 0:02:52.920 is also in theory should be a strength and in 0:02:53.000 --> 0:02:56.360 practice in the past has been a bit of a 0:02:56.400 --> 0:02:59.800 hurdle himself. So I'm very intrigued why I invited him 0:02:59.840 --> 0:03:03.240 on the podcast, because I think the California governor's race 0:03:04.120 --> 0:03:07.320 is so wide open, and I think we still don't 0:03:07.400 --> 0:03:08.960 know all the candidates that are going to be running, 0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:12.799 filing deadline still a couple months away. But John Slavit 0:03:12.840 --> 0:03:15.520 is a I think he described himself at one point 0:03:15.520 --> 0:03:20.040 a lifelong Democrat now becoming a Republican, but really trying 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:23.200 to see if there is a center lane to straddle. 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:26.399 So let's have that conversation. John, Welcome to the podcast. 0:03:27.200 --> 0:03:28.800 Thank you, Chuck. Nice to see you. 0:03:29.200 --> 0:03:31.720 So let me start Well, first of all, let me 0:03:31.800 --> 0:03:35.000 just start with why are you doing this? Why politics? 0:03:35.000 --> 0:03:36.720 And when was the first time you ever thought you'd 0:03:36.760 --> 0:03:38.160 get into politics? 0:03:39.640 --> 0:03:42.600 Well, first time I ever thought i'd get into politics 0:03:42.640 --> 0:03:46.080 and really seriously decided to run a few months ago. 0:03:47.600 --> 0:03:51.320 I've been interested in politics. I've been a student of politics. 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:53.560 I've been a bit of a political and news junkie 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:55.840 for a long long time. I started my career actually 0:03:55.880 --> 0:04:01.520 in media. I came to California at Third Right Sorry Scene, 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:04.720 which was sort of an early tech meeta company. Well 0:04:04.720 --> 0:04:06.680 it was. I didn't work for see Ed, but I 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:09.280 worked for a company that joint ventured with them, so 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:12.520 you got it partially right. I worked for the founder 0:04:12.520 --> 0:04:14.720 of the entertainment a guy named Yarroman used to be 0:04:14.760 --> 0:04:17.479 Lee Masters. He was the former CEO of NPR before 0:04:17.520 --> 0:04:20.880 the current CEO. So I came out to California to 0:04:20.920 --> 0:04:24.479 work for the founders of Wired magazine nineteen ninety five, 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:30.640 prior to the Internet actually being a thing. So interested 0:04:30.640 --> 0:04:33.119 in politics, interested in media for a long long time. 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:38.560 But I'd say that becoming a civic entrepreneur, which I've 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:42.120 done the last year with my own podcast really gave 0:04:42.120 --> 0:04:48.120 me access to people in the state, Republicans, Democrats, independence activists. 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:51.520 I mean, I've had journalists like you on my podcast, 0:04:51.520 --> 0:04:55.480 to Alex Michaelson that really got me underneath the issues 0:04:55.600 --> 0:04:58.880 out in the state, traveling the state every week and 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:02.320 talking about what ails the state, and my passion initially 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:06.159 was to create a forum to have serious conversations about 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:09.880 problem solution in California. I'd say it was death by 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:14.160 a thousand cuts to decide to run, because you know, 0:05:14.240 --> 0:05:17.440 it's it's a fraught time to actually run for something. 0:05:18.080 --> 0:05:22.279 It's it's crazy, it's dangerous on multiple levels and difficult, and. 0:05:22.320 --> 0:05:25.960 Its reputationally damaging to you even even no matter if 0:05:26.000 --> 0:05:27.000 you do everything correctly. 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:27.920 And that's not. 0:05:27.960 --> 0:05:30.200 Fair, but it's just the way Paul could be. It's 0:05:30.240 --> 0:05:31.720 becomes so huge holistic. 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:34.560 Sure, I have my eyes wide open, but I'd say 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:36.400 that it was death by a thousand cuts, Chuck. There 0:05:36.400 --> 0:05:40.960 wasn't one thing. It was many things. And in California, 0:05:41.040 --> 0:05:47.360 I think the challenge, like many states, is civic engagement, right, 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:50.839 just the number of people who actually care. I think 0:05:50.880 --> 0:05:53.680 in California right now, unfortunately, there are more people who 0:05:53.720 --> 0:05:58.120 care about national politics, and some of those fights, you know, 0:05:58.160 --> 0:06:01.599 the Newsom Trump fight, right, so much energy, but it 0:06:01.640 --> 0:06:04.400 doesn't actually have anything to do with what's ailing the state. 0:06:04.960 --> 0:06:07.000 And then people care about some of their local stuff. 0:06:07.040 --> 0:06:09.160 But the reality is what happens at the state level 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:11.920 has a bigger impact on people's lives than anything else. 0:06:12.279 --> 0:06:13.520 It's true in every state. 0:06:13.600 --> 0:06:15.800 And I'll tell you an example of sort of that 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:20.760 frustration you're expressing about the lack of interest in state civics. 0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:24.239 I was when I first started as political director at NBC. 0:06:24.360 --> 0:06:26.360 I was and even before then, when I was at 0:06:26.360 --> 0:06:29.200 the Hotline, I was really excited about getting to know 0:06:29.240 --> 0:06:32.000 all the political reporters at all the NBC local affiliates 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:34.400 just around the country, and I thought, boy, what a 0:06:34.560 --> 0:06:37.960 powerful I had my own thought of what this could be. 0:06:38.839 --> 0:06:41.200 And then you come to find out there are like 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:44.080 there were like ten local news stations in the country 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:47.520 that bother to have a full time political reporter, let 0:06:47.560 --> 0:06:52.240 alone a political producer, And in fact, I believe there 0:06:52.320 --> 0:06:54.960 was only one in the state of California. And Kevin 0:06:55.080 --> 0:06:59.560 Riggs I think was his name at KCRA in Sacramento 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:02.400 was sort of a Soccermano being the state capital, that 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:05.480 would make sense. But I remember, you know, you've got 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:09.680 you got my buddy Colin Conan Nolan down in LA 0:07:09.800 --> 0:07:12.240 who you know, and you you brought up like Michaelson. 0:07:12.280 --> 0:07:14.920 But it is shocking to me the and this is 0:07:15.080 --> 0:07:17.320 look we have. Local media is now in a different 0:07:17.360 --> 0:07:19.760 place because of the whole media disruption, But even before 0:07:20.280 --> 0:07:23.440 sort of media disruption of legacy media in general and 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:27.880 linear television, there was always a lack of interest in 0:07:28.600 --> 0:07:31.160 local in state politics in California. 0:07:31.200 --> 0:07:32.360 It's always been nationalized. 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:34.000 And I didn't know if that was because of how 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:37.280 poorly we on the East Coast report on the West coast. 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:40.560 You know, I've never understood that. But how long have 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:43.280 you lived in California and how long have you experienced that? 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:45.920 Well? Actually, I was going to say, we've got the 0:07:45.960 --> 0:07:49.280 California Post about about to launch, right New York Posts 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:50.440 California Post. 0:07:50.680 --> 0:07:53.400 I mean, so an East Coast news. You know, I'm 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:54.520 not I'm skeptic. 0:07:54.880 --> 0:07:59.880 Look, I'm skeptical that it's going to help teach people 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:02.400 about what's happening in California. I think it's just going 0:08:02.440 --> 0:08:05.240 to be page six for California. But we'll find out, right, well. 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:07.400 We'll find out. I think I think that maybe it 0:08:07.560 --> 0:08:10.520 instigates some good trouble to borrow a phrase, and we 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:13.240 need more good trouble in California. I've been here thirty years, 0:08:13.320 --> 0:08:17.960 so I moved here to follow, you know, my California dream. Sure, 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:20.560 as I mentioned, to work for the founders of Wired magazine. 0:08:21.160 --> 0:08:25.920 And you know, I've worked in three different sectors in California. 0:08:26.400 --> 0:08:30.720 Uh and and had five kids along the way. And 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:35.560 to answer your question in terms of just California, do 0:08:35.679 --> 0:08:39.720 people care? You know, why isn't more California state coverage 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:42.960 a thing? I think it's becoming more of a thing. 0:08:44.040 --> 0:08:45.760 And I think that if I look at my own 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:49.840 podcast upwards, if half our audience is outside of California 0:08:49.960 --> 0:08:52.040 and depends on the episode, so there's just a ton 0:08:52.080 --> 0:08:55.000 of interest in California, as you know, from outside California 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:58.079 looking in. If we could replicate that with the passion 0:08:58.120 --> 0:09:01.120 and interest of people inside CALIFORNI we want to get 0:09:01.160 --> 0:09:03.320 involved to change the state will do great. But I 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:07.240 think it's actually happening. I think that Ashley Zavala, who 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:12.720 is an amazing local reporter and Sacramento is becoming iconic 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:15.440 for actually pressing elected officials to get to the bottom 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:18.800 of issues. For instance, the California State Capital. You may 0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:22.360 be familiar with this boondoggle that's happened where there's a 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:26.000 renovation project going on in the state capitol. So elected 0:09:26.000 --> 0:09:27.760 officials is going to have a better home to work in, 0:09:27.800 --> 0:09:29.960 which is fine. It was supposed to cost a few 0:09:30.000 --> 0:09:32.600 hundred million. Now apparently it's over a billion and two 0:09:32.679 --> 0:09:36.320 thousand people under NDA on the projects of people are 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:40.800 actually can't muffle to actually talk about it. So there's 0:09:40.840 --> 0:09:44.120 a ton to talk about. In California. We have the 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:48.520 most interesting opportunity and interesting people and it's a shame 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:51.160 there's not more coverage. 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:52.080 Can pet peeve of. 0:09:52.240 --> 0:09:54.840 You brought up NDAs and Donald Trump does this in 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:55.959 the federal government level. 0:09:56.240 --> 0:09:57.560 You just brought it up there. 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:01.400 If taxpayer dollars are involved, the NDA should be illegal. 0:10:03.440 --> 0:10:05.439 I mean, I don't understand. I mean, I just think 0:10:05.440 --> 0:10:07.800 it should pure and simple. If the if you are 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:11.320 getting compensated by federal tax any taxpayer, state or federal 0:10:11.400 --> 0:10:13.120 right the government, you. 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:17.000 Shouldn't be able to hide an audit from the public 0:10:17.040 --> 0:10:17.640 in any form. 0:10:18.080 --> 0:10:19.720 Well, you bring up a good point. There's there's an 0:10:19.760 --> 0:10:23.640 assemblyman named Joe Patterson who's in the California State Assembly, 0:10:23.640 --> 0:10:25.920 who I had in my podcast a while ago, and 0:10:26.000 --> 0:10:30.200 he actually is the number one, I guess instigator for transparency, 0:10:30.640 --> 0:10:34.559 and he created legislation to ban the use of NDAs 0:10:35.760 --> 0:10:40.120 with elected officials in California when they're you know, discussing 0:10:40.200 --> 0:10:43.640 debating important issues for the state. Knewso signed it to 0:10:43.720 --> 0:10:48.640 his credit. So there is some movement for transparency in California. 0:10:48.760 --> 0:10:52.520 But it's not retroactive. It's not like it's un sealing 0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:53.600 every NDA sign. 0:10:53.679 --> 0:10:56.520 Oh look, I get that, and I understand. Look, you've 0:10:56.520 --> 0:10:58.559 been in business. You know that you can't have every 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:01.760 meeting in public in the sometimes you need to have. 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:04.840 Space to make a decision. But eventually there. 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:07.040 Should be available to the public, right, Like I think 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:10.240 you can agree, Okay, you know within a year, it 0:11:10.280 --> 0:11:13.360 should be public within you know, a reasonable period of time. 0:11:13.440 --> 0:11:19.360 I mean, I understand the need for some discretion, not secrecy, discretion, 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:24.000 but like I assume common sense that actually create better 0:11:24.080 --> 0:11:24.840 legislation on that. 0:11:25.360 --> 0:11:27.880 I'll say one other thing on this, and then I'm 0:11:27.920 --> 0:11:30.160 sure you're going to go lots of places that you 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:33.400 want to go in this conversation. But I've said a 0:11:33.400 --> 0:11:37.320 few times now since I announced for governor that I 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:41.320 would do the major negotiations with third parties with lights 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:44.400 on and cameras rolling. I think that there should be 0:11:45.280 --> 0:11:48.680 much more transparency on the major discussions that the governor 0:11:48.679 --> 0:11:51.959 and team have with counterparties. One of the biggest examples 0:11:52.080 --> 0:11:55.640 is with the very powerful unions in California that exert 0:11:55.720 --> 0:12:00.959 such huge influence. You know, public sector unions in California. 0:12:01.000 --> 0:12:03.080 They raise about a billion dollars in dues and they're 0:12:03.120 --> 0:12:06.520 donating three hundred million dollars in California annually to buy, sell, 0:12:06.520 --> 0:12:09.760 and trade politicians. And mostly what they've done is cow 0:12:09.800 --> 0:12:14.000 Democrats who are so afraid to oppose them, you know, 0:12:14.080 --> 0:12:18.800 in legislation. And so I would actually have these counterparties 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:21.640 across the table, put my priorities on the table and 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:22.400 show it. 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:26.440 Let me let's talk about your political evolution, because you 0:12:26.480 --> 0:12:28.920 talk about yourself as a lifelong Democrat. You say you've 0:12:28.960 --> 0:12:31.840 never voted for Donald Trump. Now you want his endorsement. 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:38.839 What has he done now that has convinced you? Do 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:40.720 you think it was a mistake that you didn't vote 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:42.120 for him the first three times. 0:12:42.640 --> 0:12:44.840 Well, let me say this, you're correct and what you 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:50.080 said so far. You know, Republicans in California have been 0:12:50.200 --> 0:12:53.440 very cute about the Trump endorsement. I think Steve Hilton 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:56.080 and Chad Bianco, the other two serious Republicans in the 0:12:56.120 --> 0:12:59.280 race who we can talk about, they've said different things 0:12:59.320 --> 0:13:02.959 about endorsed by Trump. I think Chad Bianca said, well, 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:08.360 I accept it in private, so that's all just weird cuteness. Yeah, 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:11.240 President of the United States wants to endorse the Republican running. 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:14.240 You accept the endorsement, But I think it's unlikely Trump 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:17.199 endorses me because I'm the only Republican who's going to 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:19.640 call balls and strikes about where I agree and disagree. 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:22.080 And we can get into that. But if Trump endorsed me, 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:25.360 it would be because he endorses where I agree and 0:13:25.400 --> 0:13:27.760 where I have very independent minded ideas that may be 0:13:27.840 --> 0:13:30.120 at odds with his ideas. 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:33.240 You know, I had Steve Klubeck on here about nine 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:38.120 months ago before he dropped that, and while while your 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:41.160 personalities might be different, he was sort of preaching the 0:13:41.200 --> 0:13:41.680 same thing. 0:13:42.480 --> 0:13:45.360 Well, and he had his own way. Yeah, he had 0:13:45.400 --> 0:13:45.960 his own way. 0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:48.840 I mean, you know, and I get this with Trump, right, 0:13:48.920 --> 0:13:52.640 there's always parts of Trump You're like, you know, he 0:13:52.679 --> 0:13:54.960 doesn't know how to build something, but he was correct 0:13:54.960 --> 0:13:57.840 to knock something down, right, Like I've always thought that, 0:13:58.040 --> 0:14:03.120 you know, Trump, the disruptor is the necessity, but he 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:06.280 may himself not have any good answers on what to 0:14:06.800 --> 0:14:11.280 put in after you've done the disruption, right, And I 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:15.040 think that's always been I think that's the struggle that 0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:17.320 change agents, whether they're on the left or the right, 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:21.920 who want to take some of Trump right, but but 0:14:22.080 --> 0:14:25.080 not be associated with all of Trump. That is that 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:26.120 sort of where your head is. 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:30.640 At, Well take some of Trump, Listen. I think we 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:34.880 have to focus on policy. So I mean, for instance, uh, 0:14:35.520 --> 0:14:38.680 you know, there are there are many areas on policy 0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:43.360 where I agree, but I think I have a much better. 0:14:43.440 --> 0:14:47.120 Uh like what is tell me what he's doing and style? 0:14:48.400 --> 0:14:50.640 Well, listen, I'm gonna I'm going to use a California 0:14:50.720 --> 0:14:54.360 frame here, Chuck, because I'm running in California. Should I'm 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:57.120 not gonna. I'm not gonna, you know, go global and 0:14:57.280 --> 0:14:59.000 judge every single and going on. 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:01.400 By the way, I don't think the governor of California 0:15:01.440 --> 0:15:03.920 needs to have a position on NATO right now. 0:15:04.640 --> 0:15:07.400 Yeah, no, I agree. I mean, listen, there are lots 0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:11.120 of policies that will positively impact California that people may 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:14.880 not know about. So, for instance, under Trump, HUD actually 0:15:14.920 --> 0:15:17.520 came out with a radical new policy on homelessness and 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:20.760 funding for homelessness. This is a national policy, but will 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:24.600 dramatically impact California in a positive way. I think since 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:26.600 they announced it, they've kind of pulled it back and 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:30.800 are tweaking it, but just on homelessness. As you know, 0:15:31.040 --> 0:15:33.840 as everyone knows, we lead the nation to homelessness. Twenty 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:36.120 five percent of the nation's homeless, one hundred and ninety 0:15:36.200 --> 0:15:38.920 thousand of our brothers and sisters basically living and dying 0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:42.000 on the street. It's a total moral tragedy. And what 0:15:42.120 --> 0:15:45.280 HUD said under Trump is that they're going to totally 0:15:45.320 --> 0:15:48.560 flip the script on the way that funding for homelessness 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:52.120 is granted to states. To date, the way it's been done, 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:56.400 and this is a part of democratic ideology. In many 0:15:56.400 --> 0:16:00.600 states and also in California, funding for homeless blessness has 0:16:00.640 --> 0:16:04.480 been targeted at what's called permanent housing. Permanent housing is 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:09.320 generally a affordable housing unit in an apartment building. The 0:16:09.400 --> 0:16:12.520 problem is in California that takes ten years to build 0:16:12.560 --> 0:16:15.320 and cost a million dollars. We can get into why 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:19.640 it's insane. The Trump administration flipped that and said, listen, 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:22.680 instead of eighty percent of the money going to long 0:16:22.760 --> 0:16:25.200 term permanent housing, eighty percent of the money should go 0:16:25.200 --> 0:16:28.160 to temporary housing. And I want to give credit to 0:16:28.200 --> 0:16:31.200 Mayor Matt Mahon, who's a Democrat moderate in San Jose, 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:36.320 who I really like because he's actually working with Dignity Moves, 0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:39.240 the founder of which is an advisor to me. Dignity 0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:43.240 Moves is the number one organization in California deploying the 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:47.000 tiny home communities. And you've probably seen these in various states, 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:49.720 and other states have done this really well, particularly Texas 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:52.920 in Houston and Austin. But essentially, you get a crane 0:16:52.960 --> 0:16:55.280 and you drop in a small unit that locks from 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:58.000 the inside, and you do one hundred and one hundred and 0:16:58.000 --> 0:17:01.520 fifty these on a site. Usually the land is donated 0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:04.480 by a wealthy landowner who can get a tax right 0:17:04.520 --> 0:17:07.359 off for leasing that land to the city for a 0:17:07.440 --> 0:17:11.399 dollar a year, can write off the taxes, and then 0:17:11.440 --> 0:17:14.119 you bring in the services that are needed in that 0:17:14.280 --> 0:17:18.320 site at mental health, services, security, et cetera, and you 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:21.560 triage people who actually can live in a tiny home 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:25.160 versus need the mental health system, which unfortunately is more 0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:29.200 than half of our homeless in California. And the reason 0:17:29.680 --> 0:17:33.040 that that is opposed by what I would call the 0:17:33.040 --> 0:17:37.600 homeless industrial complex in California is the set of incentives 0:17:37.600 --> 0:17:41.600 for the structures and then nonprofits in California to serve 0:17:41.640 --> 0:17:44.880 that population are very much oriented to building long term 0:17:44.920 --> 0:17:48.480 permanent housing. But what we need is to get people 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:53.359 off the street tomorrow, chuck. Because in California, day one, 0:17:54.240 --> 0:17:57.800 a homeless person seventeen percent or mentally ill. By day thirty, 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:00.119 thirty five percent or mentally ill because they have to 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:02.600 get on a drug to stay awake, to not get 0:18:02.680 --> 0:18:06.880 raped or robbed or beaten or stolen from. So that's 0:18:06.920 --> 0:18:09.719 an example where Trump has it completely right. He just 0:18:09.760 --> 0:18:12.159 came out with another policy on real estate that I 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:15.160 really agree with what's kind of progressive, which is to 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:18.359 ban the huge funds from buying up all the single 0:18:18.400 --> 0:18:23.160 family homes. That's another example. You know, there are many 0:18:23.200 --> 0:18:27.240 others I think that I think that being generally pro 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:31.560 business is a good thing. And in California. California has 0:18:31.720 --> 0:18:34.760 an inferiority complex about being pro business. 0:18:37.040 --> 0:18:39.399 This episode of the Chuck Podcast is brought to you 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:42.520 by Quints and I love me some Quints. New Year, 0:18:42.640 --> 0:18:45.760 colder days. This is the moment your winter wardrobe really 0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:48.560 has to deliver. If you're craving a winter reset, start 0:18:48.560 --> 0:18:52.160 with pieces truly made to last season after season. 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So refresher winter 0:19:59.800 --> 0:20:02.919 war rope with quints go to quins dot com slash 0:20:03.000 --> 0:20:05.760 chuck for free shipping on your order and three hundred 0:20:05.760 --> 0:20:08.680 and sixty five day returns. And it's also available in Canada. 0:20:08.720 --> 0:20:13.399 That's qui nce dot com, slash chuck, free shipping and 0:20:13.560 --> 0:20:17.320 three hundred and sixty five day returns quints dot com 0:20:17.359 --> 0:20:23.080 slash chuck. So let me ask you about that, because 0:20:23.119 --> 0:20:26.879 I vacillate about California myself, and I sort of I 0:20:26.920 --> 0:20:31.000 would align myself with the times. It feels overly bureaucratic 0:20:31.040 --> 0:20:32.760 at times, and at the end of the day though 0:20:33.160 --> 0:20:35.480 it's still the best. It seems to be a great 0:20:35.520 --> 0:20:37.880 place to build a business, still seems a great place 0:20:37.920 --> 0:20:43.359 to find a workforce. So you've been a very successful entrepreneur. 0:20:44.160 --> 0:20:46.280 Do you think you could have been as successful in 0:20:46.280 --> 0:20:49.840 another state was there was California. You've you've had all 0:20:49.880 --> 0:20:54.760 your success in California. You know the state must be 0:20:54.760 --> 0:20:57.600 doing something right. What are they doing right that you 0:20:57.680 --> 0:20:59.360 think has helped you succeed? 0:21:00.280 --> 0:21:03.840 That's a great question. Well, I did do it in California, 0:21:03.880 --> 0:21:05.560 so I can't speak to whether I could have done 0:21:05.560 --> 0:21:07.600 it anywhere else. I mean, I've done it in California. 0:21:07.640 --> 0:21:10.320 I have California to thank for lots of things, including 0:21:11.040 --> 0:21:14.400 my kids and you know, my professional life. So I'm 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:19.399 hugely grateful to California, and despite all of our problems, 0:21:20.040 --> 0:21:24.159 I wouldn't live anywhere else. You know. I think anyone 0:21:24.160 --> 0:21:26.320 who says, though that they've not considered moving out of 0:21:26.400 --> 0:21:29.680 the state is lying, because even I have, everyone has. 0:21:29.840 --> 0:21:32.880 But you know, I want to make my life here 0:21:32.920 --> 0:21:35.920 and help turn the state around. So I'm staying to 0:21:36.280 --> 0:21:42.760 your point. I made an analogy the other day that 0:21:42.760 --> 0:21:47.000 that sunshine is to California like old spices to many 0:21:47.200 --> 0:21:52.360 men's under arms. It's basically just it's covered up all 0:21:52.400 --> 0:21:52.760 the bad. 0:21:52.880 --> 0:21:55.520 I think if deltorizes everything else is what you're saying. 0:21:55.720 --> 0:21:58.680 You know, if we had. If we had the year 0:21:58.760 --> 0:22:01.800 round weather of Seattle in Portland, we would have lost 0:22:01.840 --> 0:22:05.400 half our people. So so yes, people love living here. 0:22:05.400 --> 0:22:08.280 We have an amazing climate, we have I think the 0:22:08.320 --> 0:22:12.200