Shows
California Future SocietyCalifornia is Becoming a Trust Fund SocietyCalifornia has been the greatest economic miracle in modern history. People came here to build, to dream, and to better their lives. But today I believe we are living off the inheritance of past generations instead of building a future of our own.In this solo episode, I make the case that California has become a “trust fund society.” We are coasting on the wealth and institutions created before us while making it harder to build, harder to afford a home, and harder to run a business.I walk through the anti-growth movement, the housing cris...
2025-08-2528 minCalifornia Future SocietyHow El Segundo Became the Capital of Hard Tech with Mayor Chris PimentelSubscribe at californiafuturesociety.comEl Segundo is five square miles of extremes: a small-town beach community with Fortune 500 headquarters, a refinery, three pro sports teams, toy showrooms, rocket labs, and more PhDs per capita than almost anywhere in California. Mayor Chris Pimentel pulls back the curtain on how this tiny South Bay city became one of the most dynamic economic hubs in the state and the culture within city hall. We dig into El Segundo’s advantages, the culture that attracts global innovators, and what other cities can (and can’t) copy.Chapters00:00 – Intro
2025-08-1738 minCalifornia Future SocietyHow AI is Transforming Silicon Valley and Could Cure All Diseases w/Chris Lengerich of Context FundI sit down with my friend Chris Lengerich, a researcher, investor, and founder of Context Fund, to map the AI “gold-rush” reshaping California’s most important economy. After talking about how we ended up with nine-figure talent bidding wars for AI talent, we discuss how smaller teams, AI-accelerated funding, and vertically-integrated TechBio firms will upend SaaS economics and, could let us “asymptote to having no disease.” We finish by weighing whether California’s network effects keep it the epicenter of the AI boom and what get Chris most excited about the future. Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction03:47 – The AI...
2025-07-3050 minCalifornia Future SocietyHow do you change California’s Politics?In this solo episode, I reflect on a question I keep coming back to: How do you actually change California politics? After nearly 20 episodes of California Future Society, I’ve started to see clear themes focused around a desire for change. I walk through historical examples of movements that drove real change, from the Progressive Era to Prop 13 to modern groups like GrowSF and YIMBYs. Movements, not parties, are what shift political incentives and lead to lasting outcomes. I also lay out two buckets of reforms: foundational fixes like housing and affordability, and bold, future-oriented moonshots. Finally, I share wh...
2025-07-2631 minCalifornia Future SocietyThe Most Pro-Tech Politician in California - Asm. Candidate Dick LucasDick Lucas isn’t running a typical campaign. In this episode, the Assembly candidate for California’s 51st District joins to talk about housing, energy, and why California needs to rediscover its appetite for building growth. An entrepreneur turned political insurgent, Lucas argues for CEQA reform, nuclear revival, and making space for brand-new cities. We talk about California's stagnation, his viral launch video, and what it means to be the most pro-tech politician in the state.00:00 – Intro04:51 – Dick's Entrance to Politics09:01 – Who is Dick Lucas?15:53 – Technology Equals Progress22:39 – California Nee...
2025-07-1654 minCalifornia Future SocietyThe Evolution of the California DreamCalifornia has always been a mirror—and a magnifier—of the American spirit. In this solo episode, I trace the evolution of the California Dream: from gold rush ambition to postwar abundance to modern gridlock. Drawing heavily on the work of historian Kevin Starr, I explore how California came to represent both utopia and disillusionment and ask what it would take to dream again. Chapters00:00 - The Evolution of the California Dream07:29 - The Dream is Born:1850-190018:38 - Industry, Imagination, and Infrastructure: 1900-WWII34:24 - Post-War California: Maturity and Growt...
2025-07-0753 minCalifornia Future SocietyDynamism, AI Job Loss, and California’s Resilience w/Virginia PostrelAuthor and thinker Virginia Postrel joins me to talk about California’s past, present, and future, from anti-growth politics to the rise of AI. We get into what dynamism really means, why creative destruction is inevitable, and how housing and regulation shape everything.00:00 Intro 03:58 California's Changing Landscape: A Historical Perspective 07:43 Political Shifts: The Republican Party's Decline in California 10:27 Change in the California Ideology 16:24 CA vs. TX 22:45 The Impact of AI 27:22 AI Displacing White Collar Jobs 30:50 We've Seen This Before 37:30 Lessons for California's Futur...
2025-07-0145 minCalifornia Future SocietyBringing Back Space Age Optimism in CaliforniaFrom Star Trek to Skunk Works, California once led the world in space-age dreaming. What happened? In this solo episode, I trace the roots of that generation of techno-optimism and ask what it might look like to summon it again in an era of cynicism, scarcity, and political drift to get Californians dreaming again. 00:00 Intro 03:31 Defining the First Space Age 05:28 The Twin Boosters of the Space Age 08:07 Southern California: Epicenter of the Space Age 11:19 Competing Views of the Space Age 12:47 Fostering Techno-Optimism in California
2025-06-2419 minCalifornia Future SocietyHow High Can CA Gas Prices Go? w/Professor Michael MischeCalifornia has the highest gas prices in the country, and they may rise even further. USC Professor Michael Mische drew attention with a projection that upcoming refinery closures could push prices past $8 per gallon. In this conversation, we explore what’s behind California’s fuel costs from shrinking in-state production and growing reliance on imports to the state’s unique regulatory structure. Professor Mische challenges the narrative around price gouging, outlines trade-offs in the state’s energy transition, and shares what better policy could look like. Newsletter: californiafuturesociety.comApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/po...
2025-06-1649 minCalifornia Future SocietyWhy LA’s Government Is So Weird And How It’s About to Change w/Dr. Raphe Sonenshein**Editor's Note: Dr. Sonenshein later corrected that West Altadena, not East Altadena, did not receive notifications**Despite its dysfunction, LA has always been a place where people come to live the good life. So why is it so hard to govern? Dr. Raphe Sonenshein has spent decades inside LA politics as a teacher, author, and reformer and is the leading expert on LA governance. In this conversation, we discuss the structure of LA’s governance, LA’s political culture, the rare moment of charter reform we’re living through, and why he’s cautiously optimistic about the...
2025-06-0941 minCalifornia Future SocietyCalifornia May Never Have Spectacular Growth Again w/Bill FultonIn this episode, I sit down with Bill Fulton - urban planner, professor, former Ventura mayor, and author of one of my favorite books (The Reluctant Metropolis) - for a wide-ranging conversation on how California stopped growing and what it will take for the state to build again. We explore how the state’s postwar growth machine broke down, how laws like Prop 13 and CEQA warped local incentives, and why so many cities now chase warehouses and retail instead of housing.This is also a conversation about California’s evolving identity from the death of the suburban drea...
2025-06-0145 minCalifornia Future SocietyWhy Californians Are Having Fewer Kids and Policy Can’t Fix It w/Dr. Noah JohnsonCalifornia’s fertility rate is near historic lows. Politicians keep proposing pro-family policies—but what if none of them actually work?In this episode, I talk with policy researcher and fellow Californian Noah Johnson about the hard truths behind declining birthrates. Why aren’t paid family leave, baby bonuses, and daycare subsidies moving the needle? What can California learn from other countries—and where is our state uniquely falling short?We also explore the cultural and economic reasons behind shrinking families, the rise of black-market daycare, and why California cities are losing their grip on the next...
2025-05-2751 minCalifornia Future SocietyRebuilding LA, 1 Billion Californians, and the Future of Homebuilding with Alexis Rivas of CoverWhat if building a home was as fast and seamless as assembling a car?In this episode, I sit down with Alexis Rivas, co-founder and CEO of Cover, to talk about his company's bold efforts to reinvent how homes are built and the slow-motion disaster of LA's permitting system.Alexis shares how Cover is rethinking every step of the building process—from design and engineering to manufacturing and on-site assembly. We explore how they set a new record for the fastest ADU ever built in Los Angeles (3.5 months from contract to occupancy), and why the bi...
2025-05-1838 minCalifornia Future SocietyNY's Fintech Advantage, AI-Washing, and Why Sheel Mohnot is Proud to be a CalifornianI sat down with Sheel Mohnot of Better Tomorrow Ventures to talk FinTech and whether a state that struggles to build can maintain its edge as the global leader of innovation. We get into why New York has an advantage in FinTech, his thoughts on SF and CA local politics, and some startup ideas he’d like to see in the world (even though they not make money!). Enjoy!Chapters 00:00 — Introduction and Personal Background 06:02 — The Vision of Better Tomorrow Ventures 08:23 — The Human Impact of FinTech 12:47 — Comparing FinTech Hu...
2025-05-1237 minCalifornia Future SocietyLA’s ~$1 Billion Deficit and the Future of Local GovernmentChapters00:00 Introduction04:43 The Importance of City Budgets08:10 Los Angeles Budget Challenges and Deficits14:08 The Fires on LA Budget21:35 Civic Engagement and Community Leadership30:20 Lessons From 40 Years of City Reform36:27 The Future of Local Government43:42 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsLos Angeles is facing a billion-dollar budget shortfall. But this isn’t a blip. It’s a structural crisis with lessons that apply to cities far beyond LA.In this episode, I sit down with Rick Cole, one of the most resp...
2025-05-0546 minCalifornia Future SocietyInside the Solarpunk Pop-Up Village Exploring California’s Future - Devon Zuegel of Edge EsmeraldaWhat if building better cities didn’t have to take decades?In this conversation, I sit down with Devon Zuegel of the Esmeralda Institute and Edge Esmeralda, to explore how a Solarpunk-inspired pop-up village in Northern California is creating new models for community, experimentation, and urban design.We talk about what it means to build spaces that are human-scale, how aesthetics shape culture, and why California’s future still holds enormous promise — if we’re willing to rethink how we build.Topics include:How Edge Esmeralda is shaping the design of a future...
2025-04-2845 minCalifornia Future SocietyStoking Techno Optimism for California’s Future with Sanjana Friedman of Y CombinatorI had so much fun talking with Sanjana Friedman from YC about the future of California and everything from SF politics to homelessness, AI, biotech, and the need for greater techno-optimism in the media. We dug into the gap between political narratives and real-world outcomes, the rise of PirateWires, and why emerging technologies could drive a new California technological renaissance. Enjoy!Sanjana on X: https://x.com/metaversehell?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorChapters00:00 Introduction07:30 The Craft of Writing and Starting to Cover San Francisco10:38 Major...
2025-04-2148 minCalifornia Future SocietyCA Wasn't Always Expensive! Nolan Gray of CA YIMBYI sat down with Nolan Gray to unpack one of the biggest challenges facing California today: housing. We got into how the YIMBY movement has evolved, what’s happening on the ground in 2025, and why things still feel so stuck despite all the momentum.We talked CEQA (of course), permitting bottlenecks, and what actually needs to change to make building easier. But we also zoomed out to look at the cultural story behind California’s housing crisis, how the "California dream" has shifted, and what it’ll take to bring it back.If you’re curious...
2025-04-141h 07California Future SocietyCA Wasn't Always Expensive! Nolan Gray of CalYIMBYI sat down with Nolan Gray to unpack one of the biggest challenges facing California today: housing. We got into how the YIMBY movement has evolved, what’s happening on the ground in 2025, and why things still feel so stuck despite all the momentum.We talked CEQA (of course), permitting bottlenecks, and what actually needs to change to make building easier. But we also zoomed out to look at the cultural story behind California’s housing crisis, how the "California dream" has shifted, and what it’ll take to bring it back.If you’re curious...
2025-04-111h 07California Future SocietyHow Anyone Can Reform Their City's Politics - Sachin Agarwal and Steven BacioWhat does it take to change the politics of a city like San Francisco? In this episode, we talked to the founders of Grow SF, the leading and most innovative civic organization in San Francisco that has already had a tremendous impact on the city's politics. If you live in SF, make sure to check out their site to find ways to get involved!Chapters 00:00 - The Birth of GrowSF 03:10 - Quitting to All in on GrowSF 07:37 - Political Landscape and Opportunities 10:25 - The Gift of Perfect Opponents 12:12 - Data-driven Pragmatic Idealism 14:12 - Relying...
2025-04-0942 minCalifornia Future SocietyCasey Handmer is Ride or Die for California (you should be too!) - Creating Energy Abundance in CACasey Handmer, PhD is the founder of Terraform industries (https://terraformindustries.com/) who recently wrote about California (https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2025/03/02/californias-path-to-redemption/)Find him on X (https://x.com/cjhandmer?lang=en)Get all my writing and interviews at californiafuturesociety.com00:00 Casey: The Gentleman Inventor 03:17 Casey's Path to California 04:55 "How Much Better Could California Be?"09:40 Is California's Status at Risk? 14:12 What Makes It Difficult to Build in California?17:51 Why Nothing Works and Broken Political Incentives23:25 People Aren't Evil - Large Orgs are Inefficient26:50 Does Scaling Require Leaving California? 31:30 California's Manufacturing Legacy 33:27 Casey's Unique Skill of Making Sci-Fi Real36:40 Alchemy38:48...
2025-04-0951 minCalifornia Future SocietyHow to Get People Excited About California's Future w/Cameron WieseIt's our first episode! I'm talking with Cameron Wiese, the founder of the World's Fair Company to talk about the future of California, the historical impact of past World's Fairs, and what it takes to get people excited about the future.00:00 - Intro 00:54 - The Role of World's Fairs 01:50 - 3 Ingredients Required to Get People Excited About the Future04:48 - The Importance of Stories 09:18 - Solving the Problem of Fractured Realities 12:53 - People Want to Share Inspiring Moments 14:31 - How Do You Get Builders Excited About the Future of California? 18:34 - Streets for All...
2025-04-0940 min
2024-06-0659 min