Political Breakdown Election 2018

Californians at the Center of the Kavanaugh-Ford Hearings If you are having trouble reading this email, [read the online version](. [KQED Logo]( October 02, 2018 Hey there! It's been a busy few days for our Political Breakdown team at KQED. We dedicated our whole show this past week to the Senate Judiciary committee hearing of Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford. And next week, election coverage will kick off in earnest with our October 8 Governor's Debate, and the launch of our online voter guide the same day. More to come! Scott, Marisa, Katie, and Guy [Californians at the Center of the Kavanaugh — Ford Hearings]( Palo Alto professor Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh gripped the nation with their testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary committee last week, with questions from Californian Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris. We analyzed the testimony, the questioning, and the political fallout with former Senator Barbara Boxer, Loyola Law School professor Jessica Levinson, and Slate writer Libi Loofbourow. Gavin Newsom on His Childhood, Personal Growth, and Teenage Wine Cellar We'll have plenty of time to talk policy (more on that below), but we also want to help you get to know the two candidates for Governor, Gavin Newsom and John Cox. First up is Newsom, who came on Political Breakdown for a wide-ranging conversation. "The narrative is well established and it's hard to break it," Newsom said of his childhood, which he mostly spent with his mom. "She came from no wealth whatsoever and she struggled her entire life," Newsom said. Time with his Dad, well-connected judge Bill Newsom, was a "once-a-year world." We'll dig into the beginning of Newsom's business career, the affair that rocked his mayoral tenure, fatherhood, and what was in his teenage wine cellar. TUNE IN to the episode on Thursday at 6:30pm on KQED, or [subscribe to the podcast](. ["And now onto the Promised Land--Colusa County!"]( Those were the final words of Governor Jerry Brown's final bill signing message. Before the governor signaled his move to the family ranch, he weighed in on hundreds of bills, including legislation on net neutrality, criminal justice, and sexual misconduct. # ['Felony Murder' Law Repealed]( One of those criminal justice measures signed on Sunday was a bill we've been following closely this year. The bill repeals a long-standing law that allows prosecutors to charge accomplices with first degree murder. Now, hundreds of California inmates serving sentences for murder will be able to challenge their convictions. Brown also signed two bills that will be make it harder for juveniles to be charged with crimes, as well as a bill that could potentially shorten many criminal sentences. Taken together with previous changes in criminal law that Brown has overseen, the bills mark a huge shift in criminal justice policy in California. He’s spent a lot of political capital the last eight years to roll back harsh sentencing laws that originated during his first terms as governor four decades ago, and helped pack state prisons to the brim. [Not Your Typical Election Cycle]( Mark Meuser, the Republican challenging incumbent Alex Padilla for Secretary of State, recently visited all 58 California counties...by bike. Listen to him talk about the tour, and how he views the role of the state's top elections officer. [A]( a Question for KQED's Governors Debate Next Monday, Republican John Cox and Democrat Gavin Newsom will be quizzed on their vision for the state, in what could be the [only debate]( of the general election. Have a question to ask the candidates? Leave a message at [415-553-3300](tel:415-553-3300), with your name, town, and phone number. Then tune in to KQED Public Radio (and stations around the state) at 10:00am on Monday to hear the debate. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [YouTube]( [Manage Subscription]( | [Privacy Policy]( KQED 2601 Mariposa St. San Francisco, CA 94110 Copyright © 2018 [KQED](. All Rights Reserved.