After Swallwell’s exit, a new poll shows the current state of the California governor’s race

After Swalwell’s exit, a new poll shows the current state of the California governor’s race

The California governor’s race has shifted dramatically following Eric Swalwell’s departure. Many supporters were drawn to his anti-Trump rhetoric, but pulled support following multiple sexual sexual assault allegations. Now, Emerson College has released new polling, which was conducted earlier this week, showing a much different race. Republican candidates Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco continue to lead. Democrats round out the rest of the top 5, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and former congresswoman Katie Porter continuing to lead the pack. Although post-Swalwell, a third Democrat has surged to double-digit support: former Health and Human Services secretary Xavier Becerra. Along with candidate data, the poll also found that Californians' top two issues were the economy and housing affordability. So, how are these candidates looking to address these issues, and do we have a clearer picture of what the primary results will look like come June? Today on AirTalk, we’ll dig into the data with Fernando Guerra, professor of political science and Chicana/o Latina/o studies at Loyola Marymount University, and Jack Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College.

Larry Mantle is hosting a series of conversations with candidates for office, including Secretary Becerra, throughout April. You can find his conversations here.

PetTalk: all your burning pet questions, answered by a professional

Why is Fido barking at 3am? Why has Mr. Whiskers' palette suddenly shifted away from his favorite wet food? Why is Fido STILL barking at 4am? These are all valid questions, but also maybe ones not worth an entire trip to the vet. So today on AirTalk, we're bringing the vet to you! What are some burning pet care questions you have about your family's furriest member? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com. Joining us is dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and professor of Health Systems Sciences at Western University of Health Sciences Dr. John Tegzes for the heavyweight questions.

The LA Times Festival of Books kicks off this weekend

Book lovers wait all year for the L.A. Times Festival of Books and this year features a who’s who of authors and personalities from Larry David and Lionel Richie to Sarah Jessica Parker. This free, weekend-long event brings together hundreds of authors, storytellers, and book lovers for panels, signings, performances, and family-friendly activities across indoor and outdoor stages.There’s something for everyone, with authors and booths for adults, kids, and everyone in between. Some events require tickets, so plan ahead. For more on what the more literate members of our audience can expect this year from the fest, we're joined by Sophia Kercher, L.A. Times senior editor for books and Mattie Schaffer, L.A. Times associate director of event programming.

LAist participates and is a partner of the event. LAist will have two booths at the Festival of Books. Our Education Team will have a fun set up with books, bubbles, a train set and more. Check out our Marketing Booth to receive some LAist swag, free books and sign up for our newsletters to keep in touch with the latest happening in SoCal!

TV Talk: ‘Beef,’ ‘The Boys,’ ‘NBA Playoffs,’ and more!

Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network TV and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we will try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, listeners will get the latest scoop on what’s worth watching with Dominic Patten, executive editor at Deadline Hollywood and Liz Shannon-Miller, senior entertainment editor at Consequence.

TV Shows:

• Beef [Season 2] (Netflix)
• The Boys [Season 5] (Prime Video)
• Friends and Neighbors [Season 2 ] (Apple TV+)
• Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair [Mini-Series] (Hulu)
• Euphoria [Season 3] (HBO MAX)
• Margo's Got Money Troubles [Season 1] (Apple TV+)
• 2026 NBA Playoffs 
• American Gladiators [Season 1] (Prime Video)