Latest / The Orange Report with Kira Davis / Ep.33 California Governor Debate and special guest Gloria Romero
Transcript
- Kira Davis: you Well, hello everybody. Welcome to another episode of the orange report with Kira Davis. I am your host Kira Davis, and this is the show that gives you California views, Orange County news and America news because California news is America news. Just excuse me for one second while I pin this to the top of my ⁓ profile here. So everybody can find us. We broadcast live to X Monday through Wednesday, X YouTube and Facebook. ⁓ And you can tune in there or watch the replay later. We also repost to YouTube and we will be Starting our own sub stack very shortly here. So tune in for that All right. We got debate. We got debate roundup to talk about we had another gubernatorial debate last night ⁓ Can you believe it? I was talking to some ladies this morning from my Republican Women's Club, Southern California area Republican women, and we meet every month in Lake Boris. You can find info for them on my Instagram at Jost Keira Davis, J-O-S-T Keira Davis. I was talking to the ladies this morning and they were saying, that debate was so terrible. It was awful. It was just so negative. And those Democrats, they lie about everything. And I said, you know, I... I actually thought it was great. know, think about how little we have had to hear from our Democrat politicians in California over the years. We rarely get the privilege of a debate. And typically when it's been a debate, it's between Democrats. ⁓ And you know, if you recall Gavin Newsom, I don't think he did one debate ever. And he's been... Here, he's been the governor for 43 years. I don't know. It's been a long time. It feels like 43 years. So it was, I felt it was a great opportunity to see all of those Democrats on stage and the, the nation really, cause this was on CNN, the nation got to listen to their retardation in real time. And I think that is valuable. I do because. All of the Democrats on stage sounded retarded. They sounded absolutely ridiculous. It was, get it. I am not a Democrat. So obviously everything they say is going to sound ridiculous to me, but I do pride myself on reading the room and catching the vibe. I don't know if that's a science, but I do it well. And I will tell you, I think the vibe among the Democrat voters in California, the true There's, there's the true blue people. Okay. You're never going to convince them. That's the base that still thinks Gavin Newsom should be the president of the United States. You're never going to convince them. They're the ones that got 50 booster shots and, ⁓ and still wear masks out in public. Okay. Forget about those people. But I think the average Democrat in California, the average Democrat who's a citizen in California, there's a difference. I think this is so loose. Sorry about that. I think that they are fatigued. And I said at the beginning of 2025, when we watched the inauguration, I said the word of 2025 is going to be fatigue. And I think that is still trailing through to 2026 because Democrats have been running on the same talking points in this state across the the country really, but in this state, they've been running on the same talking points for the last 20 years. And for the last 16 years, they've been exclusively in charge in this state. They even have a super majority. There is no Republican opposition, basically. They have had their opportunity to do whatever they want here, to enact their every dream and whim. without opposition and they have done so. And here we are in the year of our Lord, 2026, with many average Californians having to wade through human feces and human tragedy and crime and gang activity just to get to school in the morning, just to get to work in the morning. And everyone is tired here. Everyone is. And so then to hear those Democrats on stage last night rehashing their same talking points, rehashing their same promises, the same ones they've been making for the last 16 years of one party rule in this state? It's fatiguing. It's exhausting. Not a single one had a new idea. Every conversation that came from the Democrat side. last night was just exclusively about how much of your money California they're going to take. That's all there. That was their solution to everything. think Matt Mahon one time, the whitest guy you know, Matt Mahon one time said, Hey, maybe we need to, ⁓ think about how we're spending the money before we ask Californians to fund more. And he got what for, for that, right? Katie Porter was like, or I think Sarah, somebody was like, You said you want to shrink government like that's taboo on the left. ⁓ my God, shrink government. You might as well say you want to kidnap everyone's firstborn son. And that, and then that energetically. Defended himself. didn't say, I didn't say I wanted to shrink government. just said we need to maybe like audit it before we grow it. It's just the same stuff over and over and over again, not a single. ⁓ new idea or fresh idea, and they all looked utterly boring standing next to those two Republicans on stage. Look, you can say what you want about Chad Bianco and I do often, but he has personality, you know, and Steve Hilton also is an interesting guy. That's why he had a successful talk show for a decade. Right. They're both interesting people. They're interesting to look at. You know, they don't look like the typical Democrat, the typical Democrat candidate. up there and they're interesting to hear from largely because they're Republicans and we never get to hear from Republicans on a statewide stage. So it wasn't hard, shockingly, you know, it wasn't hard for them to stand out. But if I was a Democrat voter and I was looking for You see, in the past, Democrat voters really genuinely could. They could. ⁓ They could just get away with the social talking points, right? Life in California was good enough for them to do that. Hey, I want to give more people more money, more healthcare, ⁓ fewer police. We want more programs for education and LGBTQ. You could run on all that and everybody would be like, yay, that's great. We really do want to help homeless people. We really do want to help the gay community. We really do want more education programs. And then they could... vote for it and then forget about it because life was fine in California. It was chugging along. And then the engine started to sputter right when I got here, almost 20 years ago, the engine started to sputter and now we're at a complete halt. And so now really Democrat voters, what they do want to see is solutions. They don't want to see those solutions from Republican candidates. They don't, right? But right now, Republican candidates are the only ones offering solutions. So if I were a Democrat and I were looking at that debate, I would look at all of my candidates that I'm supposed to vote for. And I would say not a single one has offered a plan that sounds different from the thing they've been offering us for the last 16 years. And if that's the case, we're just headed for more grief. That's what I would be thinking. And maybe I would be thinking of staying home. Cause folks, that's all that. ⁓ Republicans need to win. We don't even really need a bunch of Democrats to come over to the other side. A depressed Democrat vote is the same as a Republican vote. And if I were a Democrat voter, I would be very depressed with what I saw last night. Now as a Republican voter, I was pleased with what I saw. ⁓ Again, I'm looking at it from an analyst point of view that my friends that I was talking to today, they were like, you know, they didn't like, they don't like the lies, right? And I get that they don't like that the Democrats just tell lies all the time and they just get away with it. But that's how it is. And CNN is a Democrat machine. So I thought for what we got from them, it was fairly good. Caitlin Collins, I think, you know what? Put Caitlin Collins on the statewide debate beat. She can't do a lot of damage there cause she doesn't know enough. So she just asked some pretty general questions. She did get Bianca good one time. I will say I got it. I got to give this girl credit. She dug in for that one and it tripped him up. And it was probably one of the few moderator induced missteps that happened last night. ⁓ Alex Michaelson, we could have done with more of him. because he's the California boy. know, Caitlin's the, you know, I guess she has seniority over there. So you put your senior face up there, but it was interesting that CNN hosted it. But I think the problem with a national outlet like CNN hosting a gubernatorial debate for a state is that their questions are very general and they're aimed at a national audience. They're aimed at informing a national audience. So we didn't get the drill down on Maybe a lot of details that people want it. ⁓ I'm going to play a couple of clips here. We're not going to spend too much time on this though, because I do have a guest who's going to be coming in at about, in about 20 minutes or so. ⁓ Gloria Romero, she's running for Lieutenant Governor here in the state of California. And she is on the golden ticket with Steve Hilton, who had a great performance last night. So she's going to join us to talk about her campaign and what. is a lieutenant governor and what do they do? I don't think a lot of people understand what a lieutenant governor does. And I think information is half the battle. And the more informed you are, the more likely you are to vote for these people. I'm going back and forth right now with Stacey Korsgaarden, who is running for insurance commissioner here in the state of California. Again, that It sounds like a boring office. kind of is a boring office. When Stacey comes on, you're to be like, yeah, she looks like she's running for insurance commissioner. Like she looks like someone you want to, to trust with, you know, your insurance. And I mean that, I don't mean that to be insulting by the way, I guess that did sound insulting. It's not, it's just, she looks like a serious person. And, but, you know, this is an office that doesn't get a lot of publicity. doesn't get a lot of opportunity to. to highlight what it does for people. And that's another reason why we are in this disaster because people just check a name on a box. And then 10 years later, they realize, ⁓ crap, there's no insurance in the state of California anymore. So I'm looking forward to having Stacey on. Michael Gates is going to join us on Monday. ⁓ He's running for AG here in California. And then in two weeks, I'll have Steve Hilton. I'm trying to get through and then Herb Morgan. Yes, I'm going to have Herb on. I've already interviewed her, but I did it on Drew's show. I'm going to do it here as well. I'm going to have the entire golden ticket. ⁓ and no, I'm not interviewing Chabianco because I'm not team Chabianco. I'm team Steve Hilton. And since this is my show, I get to highlight who I However, you know, speaking of Bianco, I thought he had a good night last night though. And he said some things that needed to be said. Maybe had the worst moment of the night. That's unfortunate for him, but fortunately for him, no one watches CNN. So as he pointed out today on X, I think he said. I should have saved this tweet, but it actually was funny. ⁓ you know, actually let me go find this. He was talking about the CNN debate, ⁓ last night he said. CNN debate in the books. I'm glad we finally got a chance to speak exclusively to those in airports on layovers. Good one, Chad. All right. Well, speaking of Chad, let's get to Chad's best moment of the night. Um, I didn't number these Scott, sorry, but this is number two, Bianco's best moment. He was asked by Caitlin Collins and Alex Michaelson. Um, Why do Democrats, well, the question was, why do Democrats deserve another chance? It's been 16 years of one party rule. They are basically delivering all the same talking points. What is your, again, that's a question for a national audience, but a good question for the local audience to pay attention to. I thought Chad's answer was great. Go ahead and play this. destroyed our B. I just want to actually answer your question. was why do Democrats deserve it? You just listened to probably 10, 15 minutes of why they don't. We are going to get nothing but the same from them. They brought us here. Every single one of these career politicians brought us to the point where we are here today. They do not deserve another chance. They have broken us with endless regulations that have destroyed California, destroyed our businesses, destroyed the cost of gas. We need a unbelievable change to get back. And unfortunately for all of them, I'm the only one on this stage that has spent a career making California lives better. We're going to talk about the economy. Yeah. I thought that was a killer answer. You just spent 10 to 15 minutes listening to why they don't. Cause all they did was rehash the same boring talking points, the same idiot. I mean, it's like a script. It's a script really. And they can't. flesh them out, they can only stick to the script because they don't even understand their own ideas. ⁓ but this was Chad's worst moment. Let's play that first clip. ⁓ Caitlin Collins, who I'm going to give credit to for this one. I don't know if this was, ⁓ something that she dug up her producer or maybe Alex did, and she took it from him. But she pointed out to Bianca that he made some pretty insulting remarks about Steve Hilton in an interview. And Bianco denied it. said he didn't, he did the all I do not recall thing. And, she had the receipts though, and he had no answer for it. And this is what troubles me about Bianco. This is why I don't think he is the better candidate over Hilton. ⁓ go ahead and play this clip. I'll break it down. Chair Bianco on this issue of leadership, I saw the two of you chatting earlier, you and Mr. Hilton. ⁓ You've actually had some harsh words for your fellow Republican on the stage tonight. You've called him, quote, unethical and dishonest and said that he is trying to, quote, manipulate Californians and, quote, swindled his way into the Republican side. Are you saying that you don't think Republican voters can trust Mr. Hilton? I will tell you, I don't know where that came from. wouldn't tell you in my entire life. I don't think I've used the word swindle. So I don't know if you were quoting something or if you were saying that if you were saying that it's a quote from you to the Atlantic. No, I don't. I've never used the word swindle. Have I Steve and I disagreed? Absolutely. We have. We had our ⁓ quite big disagreements and battles in this in this election because he's running his campaign. I'm running mine and But you're denying that you said these quotes. No, I'm saying that I don't know where that came from. I would never I would never use the word swindled. But the context. Yes, I have said that I it's unethical that I'm the only person up here that their entire existence in their job revolves around honesty, integrity and leadership. I'm the only one right now. You just got caught lying can get me removed from my job. Can I just clarify? what they're saying with because this says it's from an interview with KBAK that happened in April of this year where you said he's trying to figure out how he can manipulate Californians to put him in this position in a time when we know that California Democrats have failed and we are going to vote for a Republican governor and he has swindled his way into the Republican side even though he's not. I probably did say that I didn't use the word swindled whatever it was but that context I will agree with that 100 % so I do believe that. Okay, so you did say the quote. Sure. Mr. Hilton. Look, this is a very serious moment for California. The ballots are out there in your hands and we have a really big choice to make, which is do we go for another four years of one party rule that's given us the highest taxes for the worst results, the highest poverty rate, highest unemployment rate, highest cost of living, serious policy questions, homelessness. We need to stop homelessness and end it. We need to stop funding. fiascos like high speed rail. We need to lift burdens on our business. That's what this debate needs to be about. the only way to get the change we need is to not vote the same way and think you're going to get a different result. I do have to go back to Secretary Becerra. All right. I, that was, that moment made me cringe and I'm not even team Bianco, but that moment made me cringe for him and his team. I mean, he said like, I'm the only one who's built a career on honesty and integrity. And then he was like, but I didn't say that it's in the Atlantic, sir. One of the most prestigious publications in the nation. ⁓ and the problem here that. people outside of the borders of California might not be able to discern is that, ⁓ is that ⁓ there's Chad's team has been accusing Steve's side, including me of going negative, of going negative first, because we've been talking about Chad's feelings on immigrations. We've been playing clips from interviews that he's done. And that is considered going negative. ⁓ and although no one in the Hilton camp has ever lobbed an insult at Chad Bianco, I've never heard it. I've never lobbed an insult at Chad Bianco. only talked about what I think his weaknesses are, which that's fair game, right? that's neither here nor there. I don't need to defend this. Some people are very sensitive about this, about the political game and how it's played. But that's what's been going on behind the scenes, frankly. And I said this after the GOP convention and I've just, I'm always trying to be very careful about this because I have so many friends who are Bianco supporters and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Especially people that I have relationships with. But I said this at the GOP convention, like Bianco's people are mean. They're really mean. They lob insults. They say horrible things. They lie, you know, like. lying in their daily lives, which is when they talk about Steve, they lie, they'll say, they'll say things like you're, just a foreigner. You're not even a real American. ⁓ You're a liar. You're a Democrat plant. You're fake. Like they just say all kinds of things. And I've never heard the Hilton camp say anything like that about Chad. And in fact, ⁓ we, we have all been playing by the rule that no, you don't waste your energy. tearing down your opponent. You point out their weaknesses, but you don't waste your energy getting insulting. And so that's what's been going on behind the scenes here. And so that's why that was actually a really big moment. The truth is, is that the Bianco camp went negative first and they've gone very negative, not pointing out Steve's broken record because he doesn't have a broken record. He's never run for office before. ⁓ but just making accusations against Steve personally. I sat in a private meeting that I also was I was speaking at an event with Chad and I, this was months ago when I thought we were all still friends to be honest with you. Nothing had come out about Chad that not even the BLM kneeling wasn't a thing, nothing. And I sat in front of him and watched him go negative on Steve. And I just thought to myself, ⁓ I didn't know we were doing this. Okay. I guess the gloves are off now. So I think what Chad was responding to is that he got caught, right? He got caught. He's the one that's been going negative. That was, those are very nasty things to be saying about your Republican opponent. ⁓ and I think the proof is in the pudding because you saw how Steve responded. Honestly, that's how he responds every time. That's how he responds in private. When I, when you talk to Steve in private, if you talk to Steve about whatever negativity is coming out of the Chad camp, his response is always the same. promise you, we're not going to get caught up in that. We're running for Californians. And that was what I saw on the stage last night. And there were a number of times when people on that stage came for Steve personally. mean, Jose Bagoria could not ⁓ control himself from mentioning Trump 1 billion million, 11 billion trillion times. And he did pull out the Trump's your daddy, which sounds so freaking childish. It's so childish Trump's his daddy. And you know what? Steve didn't even respond to that. He was like, you know what? I'm not even going to respond to that insult. I'm going to respond to the comment that Katie Porter made about universal healthcare and what a disaster that is and why I don't support it. And that's why I do think that Hilton is the better candidate here. Has nothing to do with personal feelings. Although I was always going to support Steve because he's a friend of mine, but as far as who Chad is and what he believes, nothing personal, buddy, nothing personal at all. I just do not think he has the temperament for to run a general election against a Democrat. And if maybe there was a real chance for two Republicans to poke through the top, maybe that would be one thing, but there isn't. And in fact, I'm worried that Chad's already tanked our opportunity to get a Republican through. He should have dropped out long before now. He's polling consistently, consistently below the top two or three. In some polls, he's all the way down at the bottom. And I think in internal polling, he's actually all the way down at the bottom. People don't want it to seem on the left like he's not because it's better for the field to split. ⁓ I think in my sources say internal polling looks a lot worse for Chad Bianco than what we get to see in the general public. And I just don't think he has a juice. So I'm worried that he's already kind of tanking this, but this is again, What there's it's neither here nor there. You can't do anything about it. You have to run your race You have to run your race and you have to ⁓ Make sure to communicate what you believe That's what Californians want to hear and I think that that's what Californians heard last night from Hilton and yeah from Bianco too. I think you know, there's no doubt about where Bianco stood or what he believed and I like that. I like that. He's kind of salty You know up there again. I don't think that's a good temperament for governor Or to run the general race the way it's probably going to need to be run But I as a you know, just as a viewer. Yeah, I think it's fun. It's something interesting He's not afraid to tell people when they're being dumb. All right, here's Steve's best moment I think let's go to Steve's best moment here I will break it down Yeah, i'll break it down after he's done I didn't think Steve had a worst moment to be honest. I was trying to be objective about it, but I really didn't see it. There really weren't a whole lot of utter failures. There's bickering and stuff, but it wasn't anything unexpected. I just thought that Chad moment was probably the worst moment of the night. And that's saying something because he was on that stage with all these other Democrats. They could have had terrible moments, but... Everybody else managed to keep it even. Maybe it's just, have lower expectations for Democrats, but I just, this was a real misstep for Chad, but here's Steve's best moment of the night. dollars a year. Listen to these Democrats arguing about whether to go left or even further left when that's the direction that's got us into this mess. The highest cost, the highest taxes in the country. I'm the only person here with actual experience of single payer healthcare. both as a patient and as a policymaker. As a patient, it nearly killed me. That's another story we don't have time for. As a policymaker, you end up with the worst patient satisfaction, cost that you can't afford, taxes sky high to pay for it. It is a total disaster. And the actual way we deal with healthcare in this state is to at least stop spending $20 billion a year on free healthcare. for illegal immigrants who shouldn't even be in the country in the first place. to these And that was every word that came out of the Democrats' mouth last night was, how can we help illegals? How can we give illegals more healthcare? How can we give them more healthcare? How can we give them more health? Illegals are the Democrat base. Listen to how much ⁓ Democrats in any state talk about illegal aliens and what they're going to do. for illegals and how they're going to expand care for illegals, how they're going to oppose ICE, that's their base. Whatever the candidate talks about the most is their base. Their base are illegals. And now you understand why they're fighting so damn hard to ignore. voter ID. Hey, God Flava, good to see you, welcome. You just beat Gloria Romero. She's coming in in just a minute, so we're gonna talk to her. I love her, she is great. Breaking down the debate. Yeah, everybody sounded the same and the Democrats, all they had to talk about was illegal aliens. That's their base. That's who their, that's who their voters are. And they're not even making it a secret anymore. And that should disturb you. That should worry you. All right. Let's do one more clip, see if we can get in one more before Gloria logs in. ⁓ I think this is a big deal. Actually let's do Steve and Javier Becerria. Let's do that clip. Okay. And yeah, the Democrat field is sad. Godfrey says, damn, the Democrat field is sad. Scott, do you have Gloria? I don't know. I'm just saying when you, when she does holler. ⁓ yeah, it is sad. ⁓ you know what? It's sad if you're a Democrat. And I guess it's sad if we know we're going to get a Democrat, but I don't know this. And I know that there are some people out there who are saying like, it doesn't matter. The national pundits, they're saying it doesn't matter. I watched CNN. I did their, I watched their pregame last night. ⁓ Or you talk to a lot of people on Fox news even, and they'll say, it doesn't matter. Whoever is a top Democrat, that's going to be, that's going to be the Democrat. That's going to be the governor. And first of all, it should worry every single candidate that you can just decide before we even run an election who's going to win. Like something is deeply wrong here. It's not supposed to be that way. Third, second of all, third of all, where am I hearing this count? don't know. Next. ⁓ Democrats are. ⁓ They're in trouble here. And if you're outside of this state, yeah, you look in and you're only looking in from the outside. You only see the polling numbers. You only hear the news coming out of CNN or MSNOW and you only know that California is blue. You see Gavin Newsom out there and you only know that California is blue and you don't know what else is going on inside the borders of this state. And no, it's not the same here anymore. Things have changed. cannot. expressed to you who live outside of California. What happened to us during the LA fires last year, the immense psychological change that swept across this state after the fires. I cannot tell you the fact that you're even talking about Republican candidates. All right, great. Gloria's here. We'll get her in in a second. The fact that we're even talking seriously about Republican candidates, the fact that Spencer Pratt is running this incredible campaign in Los Angeles that is breaking through the Democrat echo chamber. That alone is proof that things have changed here. I don't know if it's enough to change the leadership. I don't know, but I know that we've never had a better chance. And I know that we don't need negative Nellies from outside the state pretending that they know what life is like inside the state. Cause let me tell you, you don't. You don't know a damn thing about California if you don't live here. You can, you know, have your opinions. That's fine. We're all in the opinion game, but this state looks a lot different when you're living it than when you're just observing it. I promise you that you don't get all the news. You don't get all the reporting and you don't know the vibe. And the vibe has changed. My friends, it has really changed. Flavis says, how do you prioritize illegal aliens over hardworking Americans? It just don't make sense. It's true. But again, I think when you look at it as the illegals are their base, so that's their base. That's why we're having a lot of these troubles. All right. Let's bring in our guest. I'm super excited for this guest. She's become a new friend. I've gotten to know her a little bit as she's been beating the campaign trail with Steve Hilton as a part of the golden ticket. And she is a ⁓ state, a former California state Senator, Gloria Romero. She is a nationally recognized leader on education reform and school choice. She was first elected to the state Senate in 2001 and she represented East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley arose quickly through the ranks, becoming the first woman to serve as Senate majority leader in California history. She was widely regarded as one of the legislature's most. effective and forceful leaders. Prior to the Senate, Romero served as Majority Whip in the California State Assembly on the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees and on the Los Angeles Elected Charter Reform Commission. As chair of the Senate Education Committee, she became one of the most influential voices shaping California education policy, and we could definitely use her back in that arena. Welcome to the show, Gloria Romero. There she is. Gloria. Hello. Hello. Good to see you. Hi, Gloria. It's so great to see you. you so much. It's my pleasure to have you. I'm so glad you're here. ⁓ Gloria, I have gotten to know you a little bit better over this past year as you've been running around campaigning with Steve on the golden ticket. And I have to say you are lovely. I have just really enjoyed getting to know you a little bit more. ⁓ and I think you are, ⁓ an amazing political figure, as well as just an interesting person to know. But I have to say, perhaps my favorite part about you is Tubby the dog. Wonderful. Oh, thank you so much. I mean, I'm a big advocate for our pets, our animals. In fact, you know, when elected lieutenant governor, I really want to put a focus statewide on our, you know, the quality, the condition of our animal shelters in the state. really emphasizing no-kill shelters and encouraging adoption, fostering and rescue. So thank you so much. And Tubby, I'll let Tubby know that you're his fan. Yeah, well, I love that, Gloria. I actually had not heard that, had you heard you talk about that as a part of your platform. I think that's amazing because we have just seen, now we've got a mayoral debate tonight in Los Angeles. I know you're going to be tuning in. And, but we've just seen Spencer Pratt was down there on Skid Row. highlighting the horrible conditions for animals down there and the state sort of turns a blind eye, the city turns a blind eye. Some of those people, it's a lot of drug issues, they're giving drugs to their dogs first to see if the drugs are quote safe for them to use. It's just horrifying conditions, Gloria. Talk a little bit about that, you know, what you might do as Lieutenant Governor. Right. Well, also, you I have also been on Skid Row working with a number of animal rights organizations. I have personally toured those streets. I've seen those streets and also have witnessed dogs being chained. ⁓ I have heard the stories about the breeding because the breeding of these animals is used to basically then take the pups and sell them for drugs, for cigarettes, for sex, a number of issues overall. We have heard also from many about the drugging of dogs, the testing to see if this particular drug will poison somebody or not. So there's a lot of issues related to just animal cruelty that we should not have on the streets of Los Angeles. So I know Spencer Pratt has been there as well. There are some fabulous animal rights organizations, not only in Los Angeles, but in other parts of the state. And I have an ability to be able to connect them statewide. That is one of the issues I have spoken about in some of the town halls and meetings that I've had. And there are some very strong animal rights advocates who are voters in California and who want to see government at all levels do better. So this is something that I have launched and I feel very passionate about. ⁓ so to the race of Lieutenant Governor, do you want me to ask questions or just for me to talk a little bit about what it is, what I Yeah, let me, let me guide us through because one of the reasons why I wanted to have, I'm going through the entire golden ticket. I'm going to end with Steve. And, one of the reasons I wanted to have you on Gloria, and I want to have everybody on is because a lot of these offices, Californians don't understand them. They don't know what they do. They sometimes, oftentimes Californians overlook. those offices when they're going down their ballot, or they just pick a name that looks familiar to them, which is very dangerous. Don't do that. Everybody, just want to reiterate, you don't have to fill out every box on the ballot. It's not a multiple choice quiz. If you have an office you don't understand, feel free to skip it. But I want to make sure that you are as educated as possible. about what these offices are and why they're important to you. And Lieutenant Governor is one of those offices that I think people just think, oh, it's just the assistant governor. It's just somebody, in case the governor croaks, then the Lieutenant Governor, you know, goes to work. So why don't you start, Gloria, by telling us a little bit about what the position of Lieutenant Governor is and why you think you're qualified for it. Thank you so much. You're absolutely right. Most people have no idea, first of all, who even is. the Lieutenant Governor today. In virtually every town hall, I start by asking this question, and maybe in a group of about 200 people, maybe, maybe four hands go up. And I think it shows that the current Lieutenant Governor, whose name I'm not going to advocate for, is basically non-existent. And I think it's a real shame because it undermines and contributes to the disrespect of the role that it should be. So, Number one, yes, the lieutenant governor is the next in line, the heartbeat away from being governor should, God forbid, something happen to the governor of the state of California. So I would step in to be that governor. Also, whenever the governor is out of state, ⁓ I would be the acting governor during the time that the governor is out of state. Let's go through the exact responsibilities in addition to that. I would be president of the Senate. And what does that mean? Most Lieutenant Governors treat it as a ceremonial position. Well, once upon a time, as you know, I was the majority leader of the California Senate. I'm the only Lieutenant Governor candidate who has had that direct experience with the Senate. And the reason why this is so important is because all gubernatorial nominations for appointments to be confirmed as secretaries, as cabinet appointees, departmental heads, they go through the California Senate. And that's where, because of my experience having served on the very powerful Influential Rules Committee many years ago and working with the senators, knowing the rules of the Senate, it's very important to make sure that we get essentially the government that we voted for, which includes all the departmental heads and the secretaries, et cetera. So I would be a president of the Senate that wouldn't just show up on the days of the festivities, but actually be there meeting with senators, introducing the gubernatorial appointments, working with them, helping to vet that. And Kira, I think this is so important because I anticipate that when we win, There is going to be lawfare in Sacramento. There's going to be a resistance to getting the cabinet. And as we know, it can't just be a governor. You've got to get the cabinet, the department. ⁓ So that's critical. That's one major, major role that I would do. And day one, I'm going to meet with every single senator, both sides of the aisle, because this is now about the people's choice. and I'm going to be talking with them about working with them, introducing the gubernatorial candidates. You have to have dialogue. And so that's going to be very important starting day one. The next thing is, and this is my favorite part of being Lieutenant Governor, is that the Lieutenant Governor serves on every, every board of higher education in California. The University of California, the Cal State System, the community colleges. You know my background. I am nationally recognized as an education reformer and leader. So I will serve on these boards and I'm not stopping there. I am going to create an education pipeline starting with transitional kindergarten, kindergarten through high school and into college to be able to oversee and monitor and track. you know, Kira, the reason why this is so important also is because even though we have a top quality higher education system. Just a few weeks ago, the University of California San Diego released a report showing that one out of eight of its incoming freshmen, they're not able to do remedial math or reading. This is the University of California. So we have a ⁓ push-pull issue in our education system. And so I'm one that's going to be really focused on meritocracy. I don't believe in grade promotion. I believe in getting the students ready in the K through 12 system, ready for college to do both college ready and workforce preparedness in a new economy. that's going to be me stop you there, Gloria. Sure. Let me ask you about this because I know that you are or have been an advocate for school choice as well. So how will that play into your approach to education ⁓ when you win? Well, think again, that's why I want to create the education pipeline to work with our, before they even get to college, which I begin to oversee, making sure that we have curriculum ⁓ in place, meritocracy. I believe in merit pay. I believe in looking at performance and student outcomes, linking those together. Getting rid of the woke ideology and basically working with our boards, our regions, our school districts who actually do adopt the curriculum. I wouldn't, but I can oversee and ask questions about this to say, look, we've got to have our children reading by age nine because if they are not, and today in California, they are not reading by age nine, then we're just passing along and pushing forward kids. who really don't have a plan to succeed. Many parents today then are forced to accept this, but the good news is there are school choice options. There just aren't enough of them though. So there are charter schools, magnet schools, homeschooling. I believe in opportunity scholarships where basically parents can choose to send their children to a private school and begin to look at funding with public money because if a school is failing, over and over and so many are in California, then parents shouldn't be trapped in that school. They should have the choice. And so many parents, like take a look at Gavin Newsom as the governor of the state of California, he can afford to send his children to private schools, but most families in California cannot. Working class, low income, middle class, it's a lot of money. And so because of the lack of resources, parents shouldn't be forced to continue to send their children to a school that the state of California identifies as chronologically underperforming. And so that's one where that's where the school choice initiative comes in. And I've long championed that we've got to have it. I mean, think about our college system, for example, college runs on a very different system. In TK through 12, you're basically assigned your school. by Zoot Code, where you live. And there are great districts, there are great schools, but for too many in California, unfortunately, and we could go on and on about the reasons why, you know, kids are failing. Up to 80 % of children not reading at basic levels of proficiency. You look at the contract, what we call the dance of the lemons, all kinds of issues. College, if you think about it, that is school choice. And all that means is... You get to pick the college that you're interested in. Yes, you have to apply. Yes, you have to meet criteria. Yes, you have to be admitted depending on space. But that is a school choice option. And we don't even think that it's, you know, controversial. It's you apply, you are vetted, you go through. Well, TK through 12, it's basically you, this is your school, take it or leave it. even when the state identifies it as failing. And I recommend first and foremost, let's turn it around. Every school should be high performing. Let's look at what we have to do to turn it around. But when those schools don't turn around and you can't wait forever, then those parents should have the right to basically walk away with the resources to a school, a charter school, a private, a homeschooling with the funds. that the state of California, we the people are paying for, for that child to be educated. That's all that school choice is. So Gloria, you said something interesting. You said, people can't wait around forever. This is what made me a school choice advocate many years ago. Realizing that, you know, kids are going to cycle through this system. And, and then It's just sort of a reset for parents and, the same old administrators and bureaucrats are there running stuff and they get to have the final say and they just wait all of us out. But you said, ⁓ you said, ⁓ boy, it just slipped right out my middle age, Gloria. I guess what I'm, we're getting all of the same talking points on these issues. We watched the debates last night. I don't know if you, I'm sure you were. Were you there? No, I was not there, but I watched it as well, along with so many others in California. Yeah. And so I'd love to get some of your thoughts on this, but I think something you said reminded me of it because really what we're hearing is like the same old ideas, the same old solutions for the same old problems. And that's what I was hearing over and over and over again. The word I kept thinking of was fatigue. You know, it was just like, have, I am not hearing a single new idea, a single, I've gotten more new ideas from you, Gloria, in the seven minutes we've been talking than I heard coming from that debate stage last night. But I would love to have your thoughts about what, how you see your opponents in this, which are the Democrats, you're running on the Republican side. And we're going to talk about that in a little bit too, because I know people have questions about that, but you're running on the Republican side and. as a Republican, a Trump Republican, and you're, but you're, you've been doing this job for, or like you see, were the leader of the California, majority whip in the California Senate. You were one of the first women to do that job. You have a historic pedigree here in California. You've been dealing with Democrats, even as a Democrat at one point for years. How do you, how did you view what you saw on stage last night? As you're just hearing these same rehashed talking points and how does that affect? you know, your passion to run for lieutenant governor. Right. You know, at this point in the game and looking at the debate last night, it's clear that it's really jostling to see who is going to be in the top two. And that's really what we saw last night. There were, I mean, there were interesting questions, but you get the bickering because essentially with the, what was it, the four Democrats, I think, and the two Republicans, the two Republicans were giving some very sharp, concise answers. I mean, I support Hilton, but there are many who support Bianco. And they were answering the questions because they recognize one party rule has devastated California. The other four Democrats were basically saying they were going after the new top leader in the public opinion polling for the Democrats, Javier Becerra. So it was really sort of a, let's pile on and attack. So you had all these multiple levels. of what was happening in that debate last night. So if you'll notice, there was a lot of concentration on Javier Becerra from other Democrats basically saying, I'm gonna edge you out because I wanna be in the top two. So a lot of it was showmanship and gainsmanship. So that goes back to your point. There were many questions that were not really substantive and the answers were more political. Like even Katie Porter. complaining ironically about the temperament that was being exhibited on the stage. So all of those like issues that aren't real. How it impacts me is I think I want to keep focused on almost half California's budget is spent on education. And even still today, we have a failing, not even a passing, a failing education system when over 50 % of the kids are not reading at basic levels or doing math at basic levels. And then they go into the college system where they should be ready, but too many are redirected towards remedial education or they can't get in. And that is something that is just horrendous. mean, think about changes of technology in our community and our state. We are competing now, not just with other states around the world, but by the way, the state of Mississippi has bypassed California, yeah, I mean, that's incredible. But we're competing with India and China and Europe. I mean, this is an international workforce. So I'm very laser focused there because this is an area where I will have a real voice and real power serving on these institutions of higher education that account for almost 50 % of our budget. And most people have no idea about that. But even more than that as well, In the jostling about so-called climate change and other far left woke issues, I look at being Lieutenant Governor, I will serve on the coastal and the land commissions. And Kira, you know that I live in Los Angeles. I was personally impacted, although thank God my home did not burn, although I was evacuated for part of this time. But we were impacted by the fires in Los Angeles, in the Palisades and Eaton Valley. And this is one where this was not caused by climate change. It was caused by an incompetent governor and mayor. And we need to focus on that. And that's an area where when I serve on the Coastal Commission, especially the rebuilding of permits, the delay of all of this, changing some of those woke policies that have allowed for all the underbrush to basically grow without being removed. it provides basically the tinder foil to basically set off when that arsonist set it off initially. So there's so much that I can do. And right now, the current lieutenant governor, silence, nothing at all, no mention, no comment. I'm going to speak for that. And also too on education, if I can go back to that, Title IX, you and I, we're women. We know what a woman is. We are mothers. We are not birthing people. I want to get sensitivity back to saying, you know, that the laws matter. So many girls fight for scholarships. They get into college. They try to go then and compete. And suddenly somebody who is just physiologically, biologically more powerful is going to jump into a swimming pool and immediately out compete. And there goes that young woman's scholarship and ⁓ This is one of the things that I love so much about your campaign. I've heard you four or five times on the stump now. And everybody's always surprised when you list all of the jobs of the lieutenant governor. A lot of people, I mean, me included, don't understand. But I want to take just one second, audience. I want you to hear what she just told you. This is not just an office that you brush over. This is not just a... You know, a token office, this office has power. It matters who you vote for. This office can influence what happens to your children at school, at college, and can also influence that the coastal commission. That's a big flippin deal. And to have somebody who, ⁓ will reside over the Senate with Gloria's experience. I just want everyone to start connecting these positions. to their day to day life. This position will have an effect on your day to day life. You don't just brush over these offices or think I'm just going to check this box for the Democrat that's already there because you're missing out on some really influential help. ⁓ If you just understand the office. So this is what I wanted to have you on for, but before we're coming close to the end of our time here to together, Gloria, but I do want to bring up your experience as the head of the California Senate and as a former Democrat, because this is one of the big criticisms that a lot of people will have on the Republican side, Democrats don't care, but on the Republican side, because we are running a race between two Republican candidates at the gubernatorial level, you're not, but you are on the golden ticket. A lot of people have questions. say, well, Gloria, you used to be a Democrat and Democrats have ruined this state. I have questions about you now being a Republican and running as a Republican. I don't, by the way, I don't, I know exactly who Gloria is and what she's doing, but I know that there are a lot of people out there who might have questions. could you, when did you decide to leave the Democrat party and why, and why are you running as a Republican? Donald Kira Davis Kira Davis used to be one Well, it's been an honor to have you on the show today and to talk more about this very important office. ⁓ you've got my vote, Gloria. I don't know if that you've got my vote. I definitely vote. have already voted actually, ⁓ vote for and endorse Gloria Romero here on the orange report. were, endorse her. We endorse the entire golden ticket. Gloria, we're going to leave it here. We're going to say goodbye. to our listeners. Thank you to the chatters, Scott Flava, good to see you. Appreciate your input and hey, yes, you can take my word for it. I wouldn't lie to you on this show. Gloria is good. She's good peeps, I promise you. Because I don't mess with messy people. I promise you that. So Gloria is good people. You can take my word to the bang. Gloria, God bless you. will catch you on the other side and good luck to you. And maybe we'll come back and get your thoughts later on at some point on the mayor's debate tonight. That should be interesting. Thank you, Gloria. We'll let you go. And thank you to everybody for tuning in today. As always, follow us on the Orange Report OC. Follow me, just Kira Davis on Instagram. Kira Davis here on X. We broadcast live Monday through Wednesday, and then we do our rap show on Friday, which is more Orange County focus. ⁓ But either way you get all of me. I mean, that's never a bad thing. Wherever you can get Kira Davis. You go get Keira Davis. Thank you, Warren. Warren says great show. Keira Warren, thank you so much. Thank you for ⁓ popping in the chat room. Appreciate you guys. And Godflava, saw you say, yeah, you're from outside California. Great. Well, you know what? You're going to be the most informed California outsider out there watching this show. I promise you, I got you. All right, guys, we'll wrap it up. This is it for lives this week. We'll be back on Friday with our wrap up show on YouTube, Facebook and ⁓ Yeah, that's where we mainly release YouTube and Facebook until we see you again. Don't forget, sunlight is the best disinfectant. So go out there and bring on the sunshine. Peace.