Is California Becoming a Poacher Sanctuary? | Jerry Karnow on Wildlife Crime & AB 1950

From Concerned Mom to School Board President | Jessica Spaid

What happens when a concerned mom stops complaining from the sidelines and runs for school board? Jessica Spaid says her fight for students, parents, and local control turned into a political battle she never expected. On this episode of the Powerhouse Podcast, host Topo Padilla sits down with Jessica Spaid, a Placer Union High School District board member and board president, to talk about California schools, parent involvement, COVID-era education policies, local government accountability, and why school board elections matter. Jessica shares what pushed her to run in 2022, how parents in Placer County organized around school closures, masks, learning loss, and student well-being, and what happened after she unseated a longtime incumbent. She also discusses the importance of faith, courage, transparency, teachers, Career Technical Education, adult education, and the district’s work with Placer County Jail programs that help inmates earn diplomas, GEDs, and job skills. This conversation is about more than one school district. It’s about parents, students, community leadership, and the power of getting involved where decisions are made closest to home. If this episode matters to you, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with parents, teachers, and community members who care about the future of local education. Watch more from Sacramento Life TV and the Powerhouse Podcast for conversations about public safety, civic life, faith, community issues, and the stories shaping Northern California.

Jail Scam Warning: Fake Bail Calls Are Targeting Families | Brandon Padilla

Scammers are calling families, claiming their loved one is in jail, and pressuring them to send money fast. In this episode of the Powerhouse Podcast, Topo Padilla sits down with licensed bail agent Brandon Padilla to expose how these jail and bail scams work, including spoofed sheriff’s department phone numbers, fake GPS monitor payments, AI voice tricks, and high-pressure tactics aimed at parents, grandparents, and vulnerable families. Brandon explains what to do if you receive one of these calls: pause, hang up, verify the information directly, call the jail or law enforcement non-emergency number yourself, and talk to a trusted family member before sending any money. Please share this episode with anyone who could be targeted by these scams. A five-minute conversation could save someone thousands of dollars.

California’s Second Amendment Fight | Tim Macy of Gun Owners of America

On this episode of the Power House Podcast, Topo Padilla sits down with Tim Macy, President and Chairman of the Board of Gun Owners of America and Gun Owners of California, to discuss the history of GOC and GOA, the legacy of Senator H.L. Richardson and Sam Paredes, California gun legislation, Second Amendment lawsuits, and GOA’s no-compromise approach to defending gun rights. The conversation covers the origins of Gun Owners of California, the expansion into Gun Owners of America, the battle over California gun laws, and why Macy believes the Second Amendment remains one of the most important constitutional fights in the country. Learn more about Gun Owners of America: gunowners.org [http://gunowners.org/] Watch more episodes of the Power House Podcast on SacLife.TV [http://saclife.tv/] and YouTube.

Is California Becoming a Poacher Sanctuary? | Jerry Karnow on Wildlife Crime & AB 1950

Retired California Fish and Wildlife Officer Jerry Karnow returns to the Power House Podcast to talk with Topo Padilla about the political fight over wildlife protection in California.In this episode, Jerry explains how changes to misdemeanor probation laws under AB 1950 affected Fish and Game Code enforcement, why many serious poaching cases are harder to prosecute, and why he believes California wildlife may be less protected than ever. He also discusses his work at the State Capitol, past bipartisan efforts to strengthen penalties for egregious wildlife crimes, and the letter he recently delivered to Governor Gavin Newsom’s office urging action.Topo and Jerry also discuss mountain lions, bears, wolves, public safety, depredation laws, and what citizens can do to contact their legislators and speak up for wildlife protection.Watch Part 1 with Jerry Karnow for more on his career as a California game warden and his work protecting wildlife.Topics include:California wildlife crime, poaching laws, AB 1950, Fish and Game enforcement, mountain lions, bears, wolves, depredation permits, California legislation, and protecting wildlife.Watch Power House Podcast on SacLife.TV, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart.

Funding Cuts Threaten Local TV

Sacramento’s local PEG channels — Public, Education, and Government access television — are facing serious funding cuts that could impact community programming, student media education, public access shows, local nonprofit coverage, and important Sacramento-area storytelling. In this episode of the Power House Podcast, host Topo Padilla sits down with Aaron Heinrich from the Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium, Joe Barr from Access Sacramento, and Ron Hermann from Sacramento Life TV to discuss what PEG channels do, why they matter, and what Sacramento could lose if funding is cut. These channels help train future filmmakers, journalists, content creators, and media professionals. They provide a platform for community voices that often do not get coverage anywhere else. They also support programming that highlights nonprofits, schools, veterans, public issues, faith communities, local government, and stories that directly impact Sacramento residents. The guests also explain why they are asking for more time, more public input, and a better conversation before major funding decisions are made. What can you do? Visit AccessSacramento.org [http://accesssacramento.org/] and use the call-to-action link to email the Sacramento Cable Commission. You can also contact your city council members, county supervisors, and local representatives to ask them to preserve funding for Sacramento’s PEG channels. Local media matters. Community voices matter. Sacramento stories matter. Tackling the topics that impact our community the most.