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California Insider

The Epoch Times

California, as the wealthiest and most populated state in the nation, carries many leading roles in policy making, economic growth, cultural influences and technology development. California Insider, hosted by Siyamak Khorrami with The Epoch Times Southern California, showcases leaders and professionals across the state with inside information about trending topics and critical issues. Our mission is to inform California residents through the experiences and knowledge of our guests.

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Thursday · 39 min· Video
Why California Birth Tourism Is Part of a National Security Debate | Joshua Philipp
Southern California businesses have arranged hotel-style maternity stays for women traveling from China to give birth in the United States. Clients from China have also hired American surrogates, some of whom entered those arrangements believing they were helping someone build a family. In one case, a surrogate learned that the intended father was a billionaire in China who allegedly has dozens of children born the same way. Some children born through these arrangements leave California as infants and grow up in China. If they return as adults, they do so as U.S. citizens. The years between birth and return have become part of a national-security debate. Joshua Philipp, senior reporter at The Epoch Times, draws on years of reporting about Chinese Communist Party networks in the United States. He distinguishes between the ruling communist regime and the Chinese people as he examines who may become vulnerable when the CCP’s reach extends outside China. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
Monday · 33 min· Video
What California’s November Tax Measures Could Change | Susan Shelley
California counties begin mailing November ballots by Oct. 5. This year’s ballot carries 14 statewide propositions, and several of them deal with taxes. Some proposals revisit earlier decisions, such as whether an income tax increase first approved as temporary in 2012 should become permanent. Others are new, including a proposed one-time tax on the state’s billionaires. Susan Shelley, vice president of Communications at the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, offers a taxpayer advocate’s assessment of the measures and what they could change for people in California. The outcome of one measure could determine whether another becomes law. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
October 1 · 35 min· Video
What Is California’s School Spending Delivering for Students? | Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
California’s 2026–27 budget provides more than $150 billion for TK–12 education. School districts still say they are underfunded, and many parents are asking what that level of spending delivers for students. University of California faculty have documented a growing number of incoming freshmen who arrive with strong high school math grades yet need remedial math once they reach campus. That leaves open whether strong grades reliably reflect how prepared students are for college. Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, a former teacher and vice chair of the Senate Education Committee, sits on the budget subcommittee that reviews school funding requests. She weighs in on how well California’s education spending translates into student learning, and where she believes accountability should start. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
September 27 · 39 min· Video
Inside California’s Push to Fast-Track Townhomes | Jennifer Hernandez
For many California households, including families with two working parents on a median income, buying a home is out of reach. A bill to make townhomes easier to build would open another route to ownership, and how far it lowers prices for buyers is part of the conversation. Proposition 45, a measure on the November ballot, would set deadlines for reviewing and approving projects. That process decides how long it takes for approved homes to reach the people waiting to buy them. Jennifer Hernandez, a partner at Holland & Knight who leads its West Coast Land Use and Environmental Group, explains what she sees in the townhome approach and how project approvals shape California’s housing supply. Her work permitting projects for housing developers gives her a close view of what happens to homes after they are approved. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
September 23 · 35 min· Video
What California’s Healthcare Spending Doesn’t Guarantee | Sally Pipes
Patients in California can enter a hospital without knowing what their care will cost. For people covered by Medi-Cal, another problem can come earlier, when they face long waits or struggle to find a physician who accepts the program. Few other purchases are made without knowing the price, which leaves patients with little to compare before deciding where to go. Sally C. Pipes is president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute and its Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Healthcare Policy. She examines what she would change about how healthcare is paid for in the United States and which parts of the system she believes should be preserved. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
September 19 · 38 min· Video
California Is Changing Its Housing Rules. What Happens to Prices?
For many people in California, buying a home remains out of reach. Prices stay high, while limited listings leave buyers with fewer choices. California is changing where and how new housing can be built, with laws intended to increase supply. Whether more approvals will lead to homes at prices buyers can manage remains unsettled. Jim Righeimer, a former Costa Mesa mayor and housing developer, and Stephen R. Sheldon, CEO of SRS Land & Capital Holdings, examine what happens after the rules change and before new homes reach the market. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider. You can go to our sponsor https://aura.com/californiainsider to try 14 days for free.
September 17 · 46 min· Video
Why Choosing to Change Is So Hard in California Prisons | Panel
California’s prison system is changing. The state is closing facilities, moving incarcerated people between institutions, and continuing to invest in rehabilitation. Inside prison, that goal meets a culture with its own long-standing rules, where choosing a different direction is rarely as simple as deciding to. Nhut Vo and Oscar Rodriguez entered California prisons as teenagers and spent decades behind bars before becoming professional dog trainers. They describe what it took to step away from gang life and how working with rescue dogs became part of rebuilding their lives. They are joined by Zach Skow, founder of the Pawsitive Change program, who shares what he has seen trying to run rehabilitation inside state prisons for more than a decade. Together, they examine what pursuing change can mean inside those walls, and why the conditions around them can make it harder. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
September 13 · 45 min· Video
What San Diego Voters Are Being Asked to Change | Joel Anderson
San Diego County voters will decide this November whether to change some of the rules governing accountability and oversight inside county government. The proposal comes as public spending and how that money is tracked remain part of a broader accountability debate in the county. The charter reform would change parts of a system most residents rarely see, including oversight and the relationship between elected officials and county administration. San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson supports some of those changes and argues that others deserve a closer look. Anderson, also a former state senator, explains why he believes safeguards matter regardless of who holds office. He makes the case that rules meant to prevent small shortcuts can matter most long before anyone realizes there is a larger problem. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
September 10 · 40 min· Video
The Crisis California’s Animal Shelters Are Facing | Gary Weitzman
When people in California surrender a pet to a shelter or send an animal to a sanctuary, they expect that animal to be cared for. What happens after that can remain largely out of sight until something goes wrong. In several recent cases around California, problems inside animal rescues went on for a long time before outside organizations were able to intervene. In this interview, we look at what can happen during that period before conditions become serious enough for outside intervention. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of San Diego Humane Society, helped lead the response to one of the most complex rescue operations his team has taken on. He joins us to explain what he has encountered at these properties and why animal welfare leaders are now asking the state for greater oversight of their own field. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
September 7 · 45 min· Video
California Students Are Preparing for a Changing Workforce | Panel
California families can spend years preparing a student for college, only for that student to reach graduation with little idea of what the work on the other side will actually be like. With the cost of going to college being so high, finding out too late that a career is the wrong fit can be an expensive lesson. Students are also entering a labor market that has changed since their parents entered it. Yet many are reaching those decisions about college, training, and careers with little direct work experience. April Barnes, president of Vital Link, and Brian Dozer, superintendent of Coastline ROP, work with students who are trying to make those decisions earlier. They join us to discuss why career exposure may need to start sooner than many families expect. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
September 3 · 40 min· Video
Public Safety, Housing, and What Could Decide the Los Angeles Mayor’s Race | Matt Klink
Los Angeles is heading toward a mayoral runoff with public safety, homelessness, housing affordability, and the city’s finances still weighing on the race. Karen Bass and Nithya Raman are the two names left on the ballot, but the November electorate may look different from the one that put them there. A significant group of voters backed someone else in the primary. Whether those voters return, and where they go if they do, leaves an important part of the race unsettled. We sit down with Matthew Klink, partner at California Strategies, to examine the voter coalitions beneath the mayoral race. He explains what to watch as Los Angeles moves toward November and why the final contest may depend on voters neither candidate started with. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
September 1 · 41 min· Video
Why California Street Takeovers Are Hard to Stop | Panel
Street takeovers can form quickly, leaving drivers, bystanders, and police facing a dangerous situation in the middle of a public road. In California, large groups can appear before authorities have much time to respond. Some of these gatherings can form and disperse within a short window. By the time police can mobilize, much of the event may already have played out. Heather Mac Donald, the Thomas W. Smith Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal, and Deon Joseph, an SoCal senior lead officer with 30 years on the job, join us to examine what is happening around these street takeovers and why they can be so difficult to contain once they begin. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
August 28 · 40 min· Video
Why Tech Startups Still Choose Silicon Valley | Aman Verjee
In the Bay Area, AI is bringing renewed attention and investment to Silicon Valley at the same time that many technology companies are expanding outside California. The region can remain important to a company even when more of its growth happens somewhere else. The movement out of California is only part of the story. Companies can remain closely connected to Silicon Valley as they grow their hiring and operations elsewhere. Aman Verjee, founder and general partner at Practical Venture Capital, explains what continues to draw AI companies to Silicon Valley and why that relationship can change as they grow. His view suggests California’s place in the AI economy is more complicated than either a comeback or a continuing exodus. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
August 24 · 41 min· Video
Why Some Crimes Go Unreported in California | Panel
Crime statistics say things are improving in California, yet for some residents, that reading does not square with what they notice in their own communities. When the official numbers and what people experience seem to point in different directions, it becomes harder to know what each is telling us. Part of the difficulty is what never enters the official record. Some victims choose not to report crimes to police, so what the statistics can capture, and what may remain outside them, is an open question. Patricia Wenskunas, founder and CEO of Crime Survivors, Inc., and Michael Gates, former Huntington Beach City attorney and candidate for California Attorney General, bring two different perspectives to that question. Their conversation examines what happens before an incident is included in the official crime data and what may be missed along the way. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
August 20 · 1 hr· Video
California Has 14 Ballot Measures. What Would They Change? | Will Swaim
California voters can read a ballot title and still be left wondering what a measure would mean in practice. This November, 14 statewide propositions put some consequential policy choices into just a few lines of ballot language. A title can do more than summarize a measure. A name that sounds reassuring can influence a voter’s first impression before they read what the proposal would change, giving those few words more weight than they may seem to carry. Will Swaim, CEO of the California Policy Center, joins us to go through the propositions one by one and examine what each would change beyond its title. The conversation offers voters a way to read the ballot more closely, whether or not they agree with his conclusions. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
August 17 · 45 min· Video
Why Some New Affordable Housing Sits Empty in California | Tia Boatman
For families struggling to find a home they can afford, an available affordable unit can mean stability after months or even years of waiting. Yet in parts of California’s affordable housing system, some units are sitting empty while the need remains high. That gap affects more than housing statistics. It reaches the families still waiting and focuses on a harder issue: what happens after affordable housing is built, when some of those homes remain vacant? In this episode, Tia Boatman Patterson, president and CEO of the California Community Reinvestment Corporation, and Jim Righeimer, chief executive officer at Arbor Capital Partners, examine what they are seeing in California’s affordable housing system and what may be happening between an open unit and the person waiting for a home. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
August 13 · 31 min· Video
What California Chemical Fires Leave Behind | Michael Hogan
When a major industrial fire burns near a community, the danger is visible at first. Once the flames are put out and the smoke begins to clear, residents can still be left wondering what was in the air and whether the risk has passed. That can become harder to judge when the effects reach beyond the immediate fire site, and residents do not always have clear information about their level of risk. Physicist C. Michael Hogan joins us to explain what determines the area of concern around these fires and what that can mean for nearby residents after the visible emergency is over. Kim Bright, Founder of Brightcore, then looks at another concern tied to the aftermath of major fires. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
August 10 · 47 min· Video
California Wants Higher Standards for Security Guards. What Would It Take? | David Chandler
Security guards have become a more visible part of daily life in California, and the job itself has grown more demanding. Most people pass them at hospitals and businesses without thinking about what it takes to put someone there. Now something is being decided about what that protection costs and how it gets provided. For an industry this large, a change meant to help can carry consequences that are difficult to judge before it takes effect. David Chandler, president of the California Association of Licensed Security Agencies, Guards and Associates (CALSAGA), joins us from the security industry. Enrique Lopezlira, director of the Low-Wage Work Program at the UC Berkeley Labor Center, brings research expertise. Christopher Thornberg, founding partner of Beacon Economics, looks at what California’s recent labor rules can tell us about the questions surrounding this proposal. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
August 8 · 21 min· Video
Why Are Rare Forms of Cancer Proliferating in This California Community? | John Gresko
Families often choose communities like Ladera Ranch because they want a safe place to raise their children. In this Orange County community, several families have reported normally rare cancers affecting young people, with some only learning later that other families nearby had faced similar cases. As more families came forward, the community was left with a question that remains unanswered: are these cases connected, and if so, what connects them? Residents are seeking a formal investigation while the cause remains unknown, and there are still questions about whether what they are seeing is limited to Ladera Ranch. John Gresko, a Ladera Ranch resident, joins us to explain how the community is responding while it waits for answers, and what that process looks like in an unincorporated community with no city government of its own. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.
August 6 · 45 min· Video
What It Takes to Get People Off California’s Streets | Panel
Los Angeles has committed large sums to homelessness, yet residents continue to see people living on sidewalks and under overpasses. The distance between the public effort and what remains visible on the street has become difficult to ignore. The total amount spent tells only part of the story. A second question is what happens once those resources enter the system and whether the approach being funded is built to move people toward the outcome residents expect. Kenneth Schrupp, an investigative reporter at City Journal, interviewed more than 200 homeless people across Los Angeles and entered the Skid Row Care Campus. Zach Southall, director and founder of Charity on Wheels, has spent 15 years working directly with people on the street in Orange County. They join California Insider to explain what they have seen on the ground—and what a workable approach to helping people leave the street would actually require. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.

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