- California
- State & Local
- Empowering State and Local Governance
California Governor Gavin Newsom pads his frequent-flier miles: after two trips to Europe already this year, a nationwide tour promoting his new memoir (and presidential prospects). Meanwhile, political upheaval finds its way to disaster-prone Los Angeles with a plot twist in an already contentious mayoral race and calls for the chair of LA’s 2028 Summer Olympics to resign over his ties to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s California on Your Mind online journal, discuss the latest in the Golden State, including how Newsom’s autobiography squares with his governance record and the prospects of Los Angeles joining the ranks of cities ruled by “Democratic socialism”.
Recorded on February 19, 2026.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Lee E. Ohanian is a senior fellow (adjunct) at the Hoover Institution and a professor of economics and director of the Ettinger Family Program in Macroeconomic Research at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
His research focuses on economic crises, economic growth, and the impact of public policy on the economy. Ohanian is coeditor of Government Policies and Delayed Economic Recovery (Hoover Institution Press, 2012). He is a frequent media commentator and writes for Hoover’s web channel, California on Your Mind. He has won numerous teaching awards at UCLA and the University of Rochester.
Bill Whalen, the Virginia Hobbs Carpenter Distinguished Policy Fellow in Journalism and a Hoover Institution research fellow since 1999, writes and comments on campaigns, elections, and governance with an emphasis on California and America’s political landscapes.
Whalen writes on politics and current events for various national publications, as well as Hoover’s California On Your Mind web channel.
Whalen hosts Hoover’s Matters of Policy & Politics podcast and serves as the moderator of Hoover’s GoodFellows broadcast exploring history, economics, and geopolitical dynamics.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Matters of Policy & Politics, a podcast from the Hoover Institution, examines the direction of federal, state, and local leadership and elections, with an occasional examination of national security and geopolitical concerns, all featuring insightful analysis provided by Hoover Institution scholars and guests.
To join our newsletter and be the first to tune into the next episode, visit Matters of Policy & Politics.
