Jon Slavet

So there is some movement for transparency in California, but it's not retroactive.

Chuck, this is the bait and switch that happens with taxpayers.

It's not like it's unsealing every NDA sign.

And we're already overtaxed.

This is like a slippery slope to lots of other ideas of taking more money from taxpayers, giving it to government to spend on dumb shit or stuff that doesn't work.

That's my argument.

I'll say one other thing on this, and then I'm sure you're going to go lots of places that you want to go in this conversation.

Well, you know, I'll give a quick anecdote from Willie Brown, who I sat down with from my podcast last July.

But I've said a few times now since I announced for governor that I would do the major negotiations with third parties with lights on and cameras rolling.

This is prior to Kamala getting out of the race.

I think he's awesome.

I think that there should be much more transparency on the major discussions that the governor and team have with counterparties.

One of the biggest examples is with the very powerful unions in California that exert such huge influence.

Well, actually, he told the story that when he was elected Speaker, more Republicans voted him in than Democrats, which you may know because you're such a student of politics.

You know, public sector unions in California, they raise about a billion dollars in dues and they're donating $300 million in California annually to buy, sell and trade politicians.

It's such a great story.

But anyway, it's a great story.

And there are plenty of areas of disagreement I might have with Willie Brown.

And mostly what they've done is cow Democrats who are so afraid to oppose them.

Mm hmm.