The Drain

Today we're joined by Caledon Myers, founder and Executive Director of the ProRep Coalition, which is fighting to bring proportional representational democracy to California and beyond.

You might have read his case for a new form of governance in Cal Matters or the San Jose Mercury News (free link). That's because he's been working with experts for years to analyze just why the United States' first-past-the-post electoral system (a...

**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**

It finally happened. On The Drain's one-year anniversary, we visited the Lake Berryessa Glory Hole.

That's right: Kempa and Sweet Palma wrangled up their two favorite guest hosts, Kat and El Güero, to take a trip out to the Monticello Dam's Morning Glory Spillway last weekend.

We originally planned to record an episode o...

Hello friends,

Kempa here. I'm publishing a somewhat overdue episode while preparing for the crew's Hole Hajj to the Lake Berryessa Glory Hole (patron-only recording on that forthcoming). It's a good one.

For our one-year anniversary, Palma and I are discussing some of our faves, including:

• President Donald Trump's obsession with California in his marathon-length State of the Union

• California Democratic Party head Rusty Hic...

**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**

Today we're discussing a few bizarre California stories, including:

1. Britney Spears's incredible wherewithal in responding to a suspected drinking and driving incident in southern California.

2. A registered sex offender posting up at a church across from a school (free link) while he holds a press conferenc...

Hello, Drain-iacs!

Max and Kempa are back this week with a real corker of an episode, with someone who we've been a fan of for quite some time – San Francisco's very own Connie Chan! As supervisor for SF's District 1, Connie is one of the progressive voices in the foreground of the local fight against the Tech Right, the Doom-Loopers, the Hacker News set and the Faux-gressives swarming City Hall – not to mention the SF Dems' propen...

This was some of the most fun we've had recording in The Drain's 50-week existence. So if you're not a patron yet, subscribe today to listen to the full episode.

We begin with a couple of excerpts from Kempa's favorite modern poet: California gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell. Does he yearn for another night with star-crossed Fang Fang? Move us to tears with vivid verse on uncontrolled farts? You'll have to listen to find out.

...

We're joined this week by a friend of the show, who we're going to call "Tommy", to discuss the continuing crisis in California's school funding. Tommy is a member of the California Teachers Association, working in our local unified school district, and has firsthand (and quite deep) insight into how Labor is dealing with the effects of the state's chronic school under-funding, while also expecting so much more from its staff.

As s...

It's official: The Supreme Court is letting Proposition 50 stand (free link), allowing California Democrats (led by political GURU Paul Mitchell) to slice up the state's congressional districts in a manner that will obliterate Republican representation in D.C.

This is another embarrassing loss for Assistant Attorney General/longtime state GOP attorney Harmeet Dhillon, who made headlines weeks ago by arresting former CNN anchor Don ...

We begin today with a look at Californians' responses to ICE agents murdering Alex Pretti in the streets of Minneapolis. By and large, the Golden State is horrified by what it's seeing--even members of some of the Golden State's most right-leaning, rural Second Amendment rights groups.

But not all of the state's mayors are living up to the population's standards.

Down in California City, for example, Mayor Marquette Hawkins and his...

**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**

Today we're joined by El Güero to discuss the Costa-Gavras classic, État de Siège.

Based on the 1970 killing of an American official by the Tupamaro guerrillas in Uruguay, this film examines how police states backed by the United States in Latin America forced the hands of rebels.

We all know how this ended up for Uruguay...

Hey folks,

We recorded this episode before ICE murdered VA nurse Alex Pretti in the streets of Minneapolis last weekend, but Max hopped on to lead us in with a note on that horrible escalation by state-sanctioned terrorists. We will certainly be covering this story in the weeks to come, particularly as it affects our undocumented neighbors here in California.

Today, however, we're covering a potpourri of California storylines, incl...

U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA17) may have more billionaires in his affluent San Jose district than any other member of the House of Representatives, but he's showing that he's not afraid to go against the grain.

He staunchly supports California healthcare workers' signature initiative for a state billionaire tax. He visits ICE detention centers, using his stature to elevate just how dangerously inhumane their living condition...

**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**

Today we're looking at California Governor Gavin Newsom just after his final State of the State address, posturing himself for a 2028 presidential run.

Can our favorite AI-era Patrick Bateman find his way into the White House?

We touch in his latest profile in The Atlantic (free link), which would not have been written ha...

Today we're having a talk about the illegal kidnapping of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro. How did Sacramento respond? (free link)

And how did the rest of California respond? (free link)

John Fetterman discussed the state of "Venezwenians," for whatever that's worth.

We then dive into the California oil industry's ties to Venezuela--a la Chevron--(free link), and what that means for us in the freest state in the union.

Don't for...

We start our first episode of the year on a somber note after ICE terrorists murdered Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Here in California, the people are pushing back hard against the jackboots. Hundreds showed up to the capital's ICE headquarters to show their disdain, after which agents descended from the building to deface Good's memorial. (If anyone has information on the name of the agent, please reach out to us.)

Beyond that, we en...

We've hit a pretty big milestone in listeners as 2025 comes to and end, so we're coming to you with a Long Boy.

Palma and Kempa are joined by a mysterious, handsome, young guest-host to discuss what's in and what isn't in the year to come.

Is this the year of the billionaire's tax in California? Will Antichrist Peter Thiel finally reveal himself after a particularly violent hangover? Will NIMBYs and YIMBYs go the way of the dodo an...

Welcome to your holiday episode of The Drone--er, Drain.

We've got plenty for you to enjoy as you hide from your family this holiday, starting with drone wars in San Francisco!

The Bay Area's strongest lefty on the SF Board of Supervisors, Jackie Fielder, is coming out strong for workers in her city. And the billionaires can't stand it.

Fielder has ruffled the feathers of the DoorDash folks with a new city policy demanding that the...

**This is a preview of our premium weekend show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**

Merry Christmas, to all who celebrate.

For this week's Plug we're looking at a couple of issues facing AI behemoths as the year comes to a close:

First, we touch on a potential new iteration of The Big Short, wherein Wall Street is starting to short AI, leaving many wondering if this is the bubble the industry has...

Hello.

Today we're discussing a phenomenal piece in Politico written by Jeremy White, exploring the "Massacred" California Republican Party (free link) as they wrestle with the fallout of Proposition 50, which has hatcheted their representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

GOP members of Congress are now forced to run against one another, and they are truly showing their capitalist scarcity mindset colors.

Remember just tw...