*Special* Prattlefornia: how the Left is winning in California

*Special* Prattlefornia: how the Left is winning in California

Listen: Some of our faves have been out there showing frustration with the initial votes in the California elections, referring to our state's voters as "Cattlefornia." But we'd like to push back on that. Here are some big wins for DSA and Working Families Party candidates in the state, as we see it: * Mai Vang (CA-7) * Connie Chan (CA-11) * Aisha Wahab (CA-14) * Randy Villegas (CA-22) * Angela Gonzalez-Torres (CA-34) On top of that, DSA-adjacent candidate Nithya Raman seems poised to be the top-two challenger to Karen Bass down in Los Angeles. Oh, and have we mentioned Jane Kim in the lead for statewide office in Insurance Commissioner? Tom Steyer may not make it to the top-two against Xavier Becerra, with Republican Steve Hilton holding on by a thread. But that's okay. The Left has done phenomenal work here in California this election, and we don't need to import any organizers from NYC, thank you very much. Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms. Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com [thedrainpodcast@gmail.com]. [thedrainpodcast@gmail.com] We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma [https://x.com/sweetxpalma] and @youknowkempa [https://x.com/youknowkempa]

Getting out the meemaw vote, with Robin Epley

Today Kempa is joined by Sacramento Bee columnist Robin Epley to discuss the latest polling in the governor's race [https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/california-governor-poll-xavier-becerra-steve-hilton-tom-steyer/3897267/], which shows Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton and Tom Steyer in the lead in the final days before the California election ends on Tuesday. We also look into the latest reporting from political guru Paul Mitchell, who has been making the rounds on national media to explain why our liberal meemaws--who are among the most reliable voters in US elections--haven't yet sent in their ballots. We take one final look at Mai Vang's push to unseat Doris Matsui in Congress, a race that has captured national attention [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/us/doris-matsui-mai-vang-congress.html], and also spend too much time discussing the race to replace Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco. Finally, we discuss a few of Robin's latest columns. This was originally supposed to be a voter guide, of sorts, but Kempa and Robin are two old industry colleagues who haven't had a chance to catch up in quite some time. So, naturally, things go a bit off the rails. Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms. Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com [thedrainpodcast@gmail.com]. [thedrainpodcast@gmail.com] We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma [https://x.com/sweetxpalma] and @youknowkempa [https://x.com/youknowkempa]

*UNLOCKED* The curious federal case of Sean "Baby" Loloee

Hey all, Kempa here. As a welcome to all of our new listeners from the Chapo boost, I wanted to unlock a bizarre little patron-only episode from a little while back. It's local, yes, but it's fucking wild. I promise you'll enjoy: This is a thrilling six-year saga of a California municipal elected official riddled with drama and controversy [https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article281064818.html] (free link [https://archive.md/LLWPm]), resulting last week in his pleading guilty to federal charges [https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article315474849.html] (free link [https://archive.ph/mvnqo]) of abuse of undocumented employees in his Viva supermarkets, and to fraudulently receiving COVID-era stimulus funding. It's also a tale of a Sacramento city council member who claimed he did not live with his wife and children in their Placer County home, but instead with his employee in a small house in his district known for raucous parties, police calls, and guns. Ah, Sean Loloee. Kempa has waited a long, long time for the end of this timeline. We go over Loloee's full story, including Kempa's initial public claims that he did not live in his district, the Sacramento Bee's Theresa Clift's dogged, unflinching reporting on the disgraced politician, and his eventual political demise at the hands of federal prosecutors. Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms. Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com [thedrainpodcast@gmail.com]. [thedrainpodcast@gmail.com] We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma [https://x.com/sweetxpalma] and @youknowkempa [https://x.com/youknowkempa]

*Preview* Busting the trust

**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain [https://www.patreon.com/c/thedrain].** It's a new Plug, folks. We're discussing Kempa's latest trip to weird-California-town, Mojave--an eerie stop-off in the desert west of L.A. that is home to a mysterious air-and-space port--as well as billionaire Stephen Cloobeck's most recent post-Swalwell antics involving threats/tampering against victims of his OnlyFans fiancee's alleged crimes. We also do a little reading series involving one of Kempa's favorite California political villains, Steve "America's Landlord" Maviglio. Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms. Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com [thedrainpodcast@gmail.com]. [thedrainpodcast@gmail.com] We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma [https://x.com/sweetxpalma] and @youknowkempa [https://x.com/youknowkempa]

Heidi Hall for Congress (with Heidi Hall)

Today we're speaking with Nevada County Supervisor and progressive candidate for Congress in US District CA-03, Heidi Hall [https://www.heidihall.com/]. Heidi is up against conserva-Dem juggernaut Ami Bera for this seat, and it is crucial that he doesn't carpetbag his way into office in 2026. We're discussing the big issues facing the northern California foothills and Sacramento's progressive pockets such as Tahoe Park, and learning how we can help Hall defeat one of the Democratic Party's worst electeds this election season. Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms. Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com [thedrainpodcast@gmail.com]. [thedrainpodcast@gmail.com] We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma [https://x.com/sweetxpalma] and @youknowkempa [https://x.com/youknowkempa]