What Did We Talk About?
Yesterday afternoon, Jon hosted Will Swaim, President of the California Policy Center and co-host of Radio Free California, for this week’s So, Does It Matter? Live!
What started as a discussion about the California governor’s race quickly turned into a broader conversation about the fiscal crisis facing California, government unions, homelessness, illegal immigration, public-sector dysfunction, and whether Sacramento’s political class is capable of honestly confronting any of it.
If you know Will, you know this was not a surface-level conversation.
We started with Will’s political evolution from left-wing Orange County Weekly editor to one of California’s sharpest critics of government union power. He explained how the California Policy Center came to focus on what he believes is the driving force behind many of California’s structural problems: public-sector unions and their enormous influence over government policy.
From there, we dove into the California governor’s race and the now-infamous “Clusterfuckistan Debate.” We talked about why the campaign still feels disconnected from reality, why almost nobody on the debate stage is willing to discuss spending cuts, and why Republicans now face a very real possibility of being completely shut out of the November ballot.
We also discussed Xavier Becerra’s rise, Steve Hilton’s position in the race, and why conservatives may need to consolidate behind whichever Republican is best positioned to survive the top-two primary system.
Then the conversation shifted into something much bigger.
Will and I talked about how California’s homelessness crisis reflects a broader philosophical transformation in American life — the replacement of family, churches, synagogues, civic organizations, and local communities with an ever-expanding government bureaucracy. That led us into a discussion of Alexis de Tocqueville, Ronald Reagan, mental-health policy, and what happens when government becomes the “first resort” instead of the last.
From there, we turned to illegal immigration, sanctuary-state policies, and the growing tension between California and the federal government. We discussed SEIU’s role in immigration politics, the economic and political incentives behind California’s immigration policies, and why California increasingly behaves less like a state within the union and more like a separate political entity operating under its own rules.
And yes, along the way we also covered healthcare mandates, the “nanny state,” public-sector insolvency, BART, COVID-era government overreach, and why California’s political leadership still refuses to seriously discuss the state’s long-term fiscal reality.
Want To Watch A Particular Part?
00:00 — Welcome, Introducing Will Swaim, And His Political Evolution
05:56 — Radio Free California, California Policy Center, & Government Union Power
07:35 — The California Governor’s Race And The “Clusterfuckistan Debate”
13:01 — Xavier Becerra, Government Spending, And California’s Fiscal Crisis
13:49 — Homelessness, Civil Society, Tocqueville, And The Growth Of Government
21:05 — Reagan, Mental Health Policy, Origins Of CA’s Modern Homelessness Crisis
23:23 — Republican Strategy, Steve Hilton, And The Top-Two Problem
28:29 — Healthcare, And Government Control Over Personal Behavior
31:01 — Illegal Immigration, Sanctuary-State Policies, And CA Versus Federal Law
33:11 — SEIU, Union Incentives, And The Politics Of Illegal Immigration
35:25 — National Security, Border Policy, And California As An “Open Door” State
39:02 — Selective Enforcement Of Laws And El Cajon’s Lawsuit Against California
Listen To This On Your Favorite Podcasting App!
You can also listen to this live session — one of our two podcast feeds — So, Does It Matter? Podcasts! on your favorite podcasting app, or go here, or use the player below.
And of course, you can also watch the full Substack Live conversation on YouTube here (you can share the YouTube link on your social media!).
