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PROFILE

Joe Mathews Guest
Joe Mathews

Host, "Zocalo's Connecting California"

KCRW contributor and Connecting California editor at Zócalo Public Square; co-president of the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy;  Irvine senior fellow at the New America Foundation; author of The People’s Machine: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy and California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It; former contributor to the Washington Post and writer of its Class Struggle blog; former contributor to NBC's Prop Zero blog 

FROM Joe Mathews

A vote to end sheriff elections
Zócalo's Connecting California

A vote to end sheriff elections Californians are either really bad at choosing county sheriffs, or the system isn’t working. Maybe it’s both.

5 min, 45 sec Jan 17, 2019

Do it for the kids, Gavin
Zócalo's Connecting California

Do it for the kids, Gavin Gavin Newsom’s early policy proposals offer a glimmer of hope for California’s youngest residents.

5 min, 36 sec Jan 10, 2019

Throw caution to the wind
Zócalo's Connecting California

Throw caution to the wind Zocalo commentator Joe Mathews has some advice for incoming California Gavin Newsom: don’t follow in the footsteps of Jerry Brown.

5 min, 15 sec Jan 03, 2019

High-speed rail hits speed bumps even as Fresno builds
Design and Architecture

High-speed rail hits speed bumps even as Fresno builds The Tehachapi Mountains are “effectively a wall that divides the state and has divided the state throughout its whole history,” says Joe Mathews, Connecting California columnist.

28 min Jan 01, 2019

Character study
Zócalo's Connecting California

Character study If you’re looking for a New Year’s resolution that will really make a difference, consider swearing off the phrase “character of the community.”

5 min, 35 sec Dec 20, 2018

Hot for the holidays
Zócalo's Connecting California

Hot for the holidays The Coachella Valley is the next best thing to the Judaean Desert when it comes to Christmas.

5 min, 8 sec Dec 13, 2018

It’s a wonderful state
Zócalo's Connecting California

It’s a wonderful state California’s story needs a rewrite, and Zocalo Public Square commentator Joe Mathews knows just the man for the job.

5 min, 16 sec Dec 06, 2018

DOING ‘BIG’ BETTER
Zócalo's Connecting California

DOING ‘BIG’ BETTER When it comes to getting big things done in California, the Bay Bridge between San Francisco and Oakland offers important lessons about what not to do.

5 min, 23 sec Nov 29, 2018

The roofs above our heads
Zócalo's Connecting California

The roofs above our heads What do our houses reveal about us – and what do they say about living in California?

5 min, 35 sec Nov 22, 2018

Too rich for our own good
Zócalo's Connecting California

Too rich for our own good Affluent communities put their futures as risk when they become unaffordable for everyone but the wealthy.

5 min, 10 sec Nov 08, 2018

The vilification of amnesty
Zócalo's Connecting California

The vilification of amnesty Americans would be wise to look to Ronald Reagan for lessons on how to deal with immigration.

5 min, 37 sec Oct 25, 2018

Keeping it fresh
Zócalo's Connecting California

Keeping it fresh The intersection of Salinas, California and Yuma, Arizona is in your salad bowl.

5 min, 14 sec Oct 18, 2018

Timber Troubles
Zócalo's Connecting California

Timber Troubles California has 4 billion trees, and it’s time they took some responsibility for their actions.

5 min, 36 sec Oct 11, 2018

The fall of the American empire
Zócalo's Connecting California

The fall of the American empire The United States may not dominate the 21st Century the way it did in the 20th. What does that mean for California?

5 min, 34 sec Oct 04, 2018

The little engine that could
Zócalo's Connecting California

The little engine that could There’s one small commuter train in California that does exactly what it’s supposed to.

5 min, 27 sec Sep 27, 2018

Is it time to take Camp Pendleton public?
Zócalo's Connecting California

Is it time to take Camp Pendleton public? Wresting Camp Pendleton from the Marine Corps won’t be easy, but pressure is building for California to reclaim the largest piece of open coastal space between Santa Barbara and the Mexican border.

5 min, 35 sec Sep 20, 2018

Recommended

No end in sight
Left, Right & Center

No end in sight More than 800,000 federal employees continue to go without pay in what could soon be the longest government shutdown yet.

51 min, 31 sec Jan 11, 2019

What AMLO Means to Los Angeles
KCRW Features

What AMLO Means to Los Angeles Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador has forged a special connection to Angelenos and Mexican-Americans.

5 min, 49 sec Jan 11, 2019

Trump‘s Wall and the Politics of ‘Us Versus Them’
To the Point

Trump‘s Wall and the Politics of ‘Us Versus Them’ Politically, Trump’s great wall may not be worth the government shutdown. But it appeals to his base, including evangelical Christians. As the country’s white, protestant majority gives way to diversity, some fear that the essence of America is changing. Opposition to immigration in Western Europe is no coincidence.

57 min, 37 sec Jan 17, 2019

Do it for the kids, Gavin
Zócalo's Connecting California

Do it for the kids, Gavin Gavin Newsom’s early policy proposals offer a glimmer of hope for California’s youngest residents.

5 min, 36 sec Jan 10, 2019

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