Building a Bitter California (or, the battle of the billionaires)

*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]

*Preview* Yogi Becerra

**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].** On the other end of a week's worth of gubernatorial debates and town halls, we're taking a look at all the ways that Xavier Becerra--the presumed frontrunner in the California governor's race--has shot himself in the foot. From his former chief of staff's troubles in court, to his ties with Chevron, all the way to his former White House colleagues' bemusement that a dolt like him might end up in the largest corner office in Sacramento... Becerra's looking like the fool who might just surprise us all. 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]

CSUEU President Catherine Hutchinson's baffling union-busting bullshit

Last week, journalist/attorney Matt Breunig published a piece [https://www.nlrbedge.com/p/the-president-of-the-california-state?utm_campaign=posts-open-in-app&triedRedirect=true] about a union president's bizarre decision to engage in union-busting--forcing the California State University Employees Union (SEIU Local 2579) to waste tens of thousands of dollars of labor movement money in a tiff with rightly annoyed attorneys at UAW Local 2350. All because CSUEU President Catherine Hutchinson refuses to respect her own staff's collective bargaining agreement. Today, we're joined by UAW Local 2350 President Nick Gleichman to parse out the baffling saga that will inexorably result in an embarrassing loss for Hutchinson and, in all likelihood, a frustrating waste of CSUEU and UAW union members' dues. We also discuss the battle's implications for the greater American labor movement. 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]

Building a Bitter California (or, the battle of the billionaires)

Today we're discussing the billionaires trying to ruin California politics with their Building a Better California "nonprofit," as well as the cynical neoliberal argument against the one viable gubernatorial candidate who supports the billionaire's tax and Medicare for All. We also get deep into the weeds on Google cofounder Sergey Brin's gut-health MAGA girlfriend [https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3343710/meet-google-co-founder-sergey-brins-maga-girlfriend-influencer-gerelyn-gilbert-soto], Gerelyn Gilbert-Soto [https://gghealthcoach.com/]. You may have heard that Brin cornered Governor Gavin Newsom [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/27/us/politics/sergey-brin-gg-soto-trump-california-billionaire-tax.html] (free link [https://archive.ph/UdTyy]) at a lavish party late last year to lean on him to fight against the billionaire's tax (which Newsom did a month later--ruining any chance he had for a 2028 presidential run). Like a true coward, Brin ran away to Nevada months before the initiative reached its signatures to get on the ballot. Brin has a weird girlfriend who Donald Trump loves, which likely explains a large part of his rightward shift in recent years. As a result, he's picking up the mantle in the fight to stop another billionaire, Tom Steyer, from becoming the next governor of California. Steyer, you might remember, is the one viable candidate in support of the tax, as well as a slew of other progressive policies, including Medicare for All. We take a look at Brin's cynically named "nonprofit" advocacy group, Building a Better California--into which he's personally thrown $57 million. We also look at some of the bad writing by political operatives trying to put a stop to the state's surging economic populism. Paging Mahyk Muhdrid [https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article315549407.html] (free link) [https://archive.ph/kSPmV]. 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]