What does the future hold for the CA GOP? Black Lives Matter teams up with New York ad agency to shine a spotlight on black businesses, the impact of overdraft fees.
What does the future hold for Republicans in California?
New presidents often provide a down ballot boost for their parties — not so in California.
On Election Day, President-elect Donald Trump lost the state by a 2-1 margin, while Democrats clinched the majority in both state houses.
Republican lawmakers hoping to regain footing stand at a unique crossroad: how do you serve your state while avoiding a fight with a polarized party?
For answers, Take Two spoke to two California Republicans from two generations:
- Pete Wilson, former Governor of California (1991-1999)
- Mary Perez, vice president of the USC GOP
(Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.)
Highlights
Governor Wilson, from your vantage point, why did Trump fare so poorly in California?
Wilson: California is an outlier, and it has been for a couple of reasons that I think are going to change.
One is that there has been a financial advantage in most elections. In the 2010 governor's race, Meg Whitman was criticized for spending so much of her own money, which was hypocritical on the part of the people making the criticism because they — through the coalition of public employee unions — spent at least as much for Jerry Brown.
But do you think the issues just didn't resonate? That the issues that Trump used as the base of his campaign simply did not resonate with a lot of Californians?
Wilson: I think that there was the same component that exists in the other large states, in which people who are willing to work for the state are compelled by state law to join a public employee union and then to suffer the monthly extraction of an involuntary political contribution from their paychecks. That's a huge advantage for the Democratic Party. I think that we've seen that it's been decisive in states like New York, Massachusetts, and California.
Many analysts have said that Proposition 187 was a turning point for Republicans in the state. That was back in 1994. It aimed to make illegal immigrants ineligible for public benefits. This was a proposition that you supported. Do you think that this had some unintentional consequences in a state where Latinos now make up 28 percent of the state's voting-age citizens?
Wilson: I think what you're really asking, Libby, is, 'was it unwise not to pander?'
Don't you think that it still is something that current Republican leaders are coping with? The feeling that maybe Republicans didn't have their backs in the 90s?
Wilson: Well, it's a false belief if they do have that. It's not surprising because the campaign that was undertaken against [Proposition] 187 was one that was aimed at trying to persuade Latino Californians, those who were in the country legally, that they were not welcome. That was not true. It did not have anything to do with race. It did have to with abiding by the law of the land.
Mary, what is your take on how the relationship between Republicans and communities of color has evolved over the years, and what can be done in the future to repair that relationship or grow that relationship?
Perez: I think a good example for the California Republican party to follow is the Texas Republican Party emerging in the 90s with George W. Bush's inclusive, pro-immigration approach, and by emphasizing economic and opportunity and education for Latinos.
Being a Latino myself, our community is very focused on educational opportunities for our youth and jobs. We're one of the hardest-working minority groups out there. I think a lot of us are concerned — does the middle-class have a place for Latinos?
I think that the outreach has waved in different spectrums. Some of it has been successful, and some of it has been not so successful. Coming from the Orange County Republican Party, we've made efforts reaching out to Latinos within communities like Santa Ana, who have a proportionally high number of Latinos living there.
I think if we continue to follow the path and reach out to Latinos by a grassroots approach, to continue to talk to them, to explain to them what conservative principles are, we may find that a lot of Latinos do espouse conservative principles.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue media player above.
LA's black business owners face unique challenges
Choices, choices, choices. Holiday shoppers have a lot of them when it comes to what and how they buy. Some people look for fair trade goods: others might choose to support mom and pop shops.
But now, you can shop based on another criterion: is that business owned by a person of color? Black Lives Matter has teamed up with a New York ad agency to create a directory of black-owned businesses across the country. It even plots them on a map.
So why is it important?
Brandi Jordan is a black business owner. She's the founder of the Cradle Company in Pasadena. She shared her take with Take Two.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue media player above.
With Prop 66 blocked by California Supreme Court, the death penalty debate continues
Last month, California voters approved a proposition that would limit appeals by inmates on Death Row.
Now, Proposition 66 has been put on hold by the California Supreme Court.
Alexei Koseff has been following this for the Sacramento Bee.
He spoke with Take Two's Libby Denkmann for more.
On what led to Proposition 66
There's been a lot of frustration for a long time because California has the largest death row in the country, but we've only ever executed 13 people. And opponents of the process have been fighting it for years. They've challenged the lethal injection protocol in court, they've tried multiple times to overturn it through the ballot box and supporters of the death penalty finally said, 'You know what? We're gonna take the same tactic. We're gonna go straight to the voters and we're gonna put forth a proposal that we think will finally get things moving again in California.'
On why the California Supreme Court halted the voter measure
There's no denying that Proposition 66 was a very complex measure. It dealt with how to house inmates, the appeals process with introduced timelines changing the rules for which types of lawyers can represent inmates, so there's a lot in there and as a result, people were undecided about this until very close to the election. If you look up polling, nearly half of voters remained undecided even just a few weeks before the election. It is possible that people didn't quite know what to make of this and just decided at the last minute that 'Well, I support the idea of the death penalty so I'm just going to vote for this.'
Why proponents of Prop 66 have reason to be optimistic
I think there's definitely frustration because they have been fighting against these efforts to abolish the death penalty for decades now at every turn. At every turn, they have defeated measures to overturn it and now, here they've presented their own proposition to speed it up and won. And it's already in the courts being put on hold. That said, I think they're cautiously optimistic that it will be upheld and it will eventually be instituted.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue media player above.
Sports Roundup: the NFL first round picks and the relationship between sports and media
Potential NFL picks, and covering sports -- how it can sometimes be a rocky relationship between athletes and the press.
For that and a lot more, A Martinez spoke with
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue media player above.
The Styled Side: Black Santa Claus is coming to town
Imagine jolly old St. Nick: he's a rotund man wrapped in a bright red suit, smiling behind rosy red cheeks.
He's usually white, too.
But African-American Santa Claus is an institution in some communities. He's a familiar holiday sight at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles, for example.
Now, he's going big-time.
"I'm seeing a new category of Christmas merchandise with Black Santa," says Michelle Dalton Tyree of Fashion Trends Daily. "You can his face on t-shirts, ugly winter sweaters, hoodies, wrapping paper, ornaments and more."
And he has a specific look: he takes after former NBA point guard Baron Davis.
"That's because Davis – an L.A. native – launched The Black Santa Company, based here in Los Angeles," says Tyree.
Davis dressed up as Santa for Halloween last year and says he was a big hit. He then trademarked his company, selling merchandise featuring an illustration of his Black Santa look.
"There has to be more than one Santa Claus and there has to be a Santa Claus that represents black people," Davis told The Undefeated. "It was also about bringing us together, getting us in the spirit of giving, celebrating diversity in ourselves and others, being proud of who we are."
This trend builds on last year when musician 2 Chainz launched a line of Dabbin' Santa sweaters (dabbing is a dance move where you raise one arm and bow your head into your elbow like you're sneezing).
"And Dabbin' Santa made a big comeback in 2016," says Tyree. "There's a big market for all kinds of black Santa merchandise."
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue media player above.
What would be the economic impact of mass deportations?
With the inauguration just a month away, local leaders have been busy trying to respond to one change they expect to see from the incoming Trump administration: an increase in the deportation of unauthorized immigrants.
On Tuesday, L.A. County Supervisors voted to contribute $3 million to a legal aid fund for those fighting deportation. The ultimate goal is to combine $2 million in city money plus private donations to create a $10 million defense fund.
Supervisors cited the economic contribution that immigrants— including undocumented immigrants— make. And they pointed to the costs of deportation.
For a closer look at the economic impact of deporting millions of immigrants without legal status, Kevin Johnson, dean and professor of public interest law and professor of chicano studies at UC Davis, joined Take Two.