Talk Policy To Me
Personal stories and creative solutions from the next generation of public policy leaders.
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Professor Robert B. Reich speaks at Goldman School commencement
05/18/2023
Professor Robert B. Reich speaks at Goldman School commencement
Professor Robert B. Reich was voted by the graduating students of UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy to be their faculty speaker. Always a beloved teacher, this occasion was especially meaningful because it marked Professor Reich's retirement from teaching. Robert Reich was introduced by Master of Public Policy student speaker Abraham Eli Bedoy. See show notes and full transcript here:
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TN Rep Justin Jones speaks at Goldman School commencement
05/18/2023
TN Rep Justin Jones speaks at Goldman School commencement
Tennessee Representative Justin Jones addressed the graduates at the Goldman School of Public Policy's commencement on May 14, 2023. Representative Jones came into the national spotlight when he was expelled from the Tennessee legislature for taking to the assembly floor to protest gun violence and the refusal of the legislature to take up this issue. See show notes and full transcript here: https://gspp.berkeley.edu/research-and-impact/news/podcast/bonus-episode-tennessee-representative-justin-jones-speaks-at-gspp-commencement
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Episode 512: Talking Agriculture, Drought, and Resilience
05/05/2022
Episode 512: Talking Agriculture, Drought, and Resilience
This year, researchers found that the last 22 years were the driest consecutive years in the North American southwest in over a millennium. The pace and scale of climate change is forcing states and counties to adapt rapidly. In California, one of the industries at the forefront of the adaptation predicament is agriculture. In today’s episode, reporter Elena Neale-Sacks speaks with resilience researcher Amélie Gaudin, Sacramento Valley farmer Scott Park, and water policy research fellow Caity Peterson to understand how farmers and growers are, and aren’t, building resilience to drought. See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 511: Talking the Rise of Anti-LGBTQ Legislation
04/28/2022
Episode 511: Talking the Rise of Anti-LGBTQ Legislation
The annual number of anti-LGBTQ bills filed has skyrocketed over the past several years, from 41 in 2018 to 240 and counting in the first three months of this year. Half of these bills are targeting transgender people specifically. At the same time, surveys of the general public show over 70% say they support same-sex marriage and laws preventing discrimination across the LGBTQ community. And Gen Z are proudly and loudly identifying with both gender and sexual fluidity. How do we square these two realities? In this episode, Talk Policy to Me reporter Amy Benziger dives into how the rise in representation of people from across the gender and sexual spectrum in media, business, and government has caused a policy backlash by the old guard to solidify their conservative base. Our guests include Fran Dunway, Founder of ; Corey Rose, a student at UC Berkeley Journalism School and former reporter for ; and Pau Crego, Executive Director of the . See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 510: Talking Social Equity Cannabis
04/07/2022
Episode 510: Talking Social Equity Cannabis
Show Notes In 2016, California voters legalized recreational cannabis through Prop 64. Now, five years after legalization, city’s are grappling with the difficulty of prioritizing social equity in the cannabis licensing process for Black, brown, and formerly incarcerated small business owners who were negatively impacted by the war on drugs. In this episode, Talk Policy to Me Reporter Noah Cole talks with Amber Senter, a cannabis advocate and Executive Director of Supernova Women and Chaney Turner, Chair of the Oakland Cannabis Regulatory Commission. This episode was supported by research from Nabil Aziz and Victor Vasquez of the Cal in Sac Diversity and Entrepreneurship Summer 2021 fellowship program. References See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 509: Talking Race-Class Fusion
03/17/2022
Episode 509: Talking Race-Class Fusion
The Republican Party and the Democratic Party take different approaches to talking about race and racism. While politicians in the Republican Party have used coded language or “dog whistles” to stoke racial division, politicians in the Democratic Party either avoid talking about race in favor of talking about class issues or talk about race as a matter of white over nonwhite conflict. Each of these approaches have had difficulty resonating with a broad multiracial coalition of voters needed for electoral success. Berkeley Law Professor Ian Haney López has an alternative approach to messaging around race that could resonate with most Americans: Race-class fusion politics. In this episode, Talk Policy to Me Reporter Noah Cole speaks with Ian Haney López (Author of 2019’s “Merge Left: Fusing Race and Class, Winning Elections, and Saving America”) about the race-class fusion approach to building a multiracial coalition for elections. Noah and Professor Lopez discuss the historical precedent for the approach, the focus groups that demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, and criticisms of the approach. References - - Ian Haney Lopez Medium Article - Ian Haney López - Ian Haney López - Fusion politics messaging focus group findings - Poor people's campaign People’s action Race-Class Academy resources for learning about race-class fusion politics Audio credits - The Young Turks (Youtube) - Fox News (YouTube) (Full Debate) | NBC News NBC News (Youtube) (Youtube) (Youtube) See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 508: Talking a Voting Overhaul, Part 2
03/10/2022
Episode 508: Talking a Voting Overhaul, Part 2
This is the second episode in a two-part series about changing how we vote in the United States. In today’s episode, Talk Policy To Me reporter Elena Neale-Sacks talks with voting systems researchers Sara Wolk and Clay Shentrup about what they think the order of operations should be to get to a place where everyone can vote their conscience and votes accurately translate into who ends up in power. GSPP researcher and policy analyst Charlotte Hill will be back with her thoughts too. To learn more about STAR voting, which Sara discusses in the episode, go to . For more information on ranked-choice voting, go to . And check out a brand-new initiative to bring proportional representation to the House of Representatives at . See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 507: Talking a Voting Overhaul, Part 1
03/03/2022
Episode 507: Talking a Voting Overhaul, Part 1
In recent months and years, legislation meant to make it more difficult to vote, especially for Black and brown people, has proliferated in some state legislatures. But problems with the way we vote in the United States go deeper than these laws. In Part 1 of this two-part episode, Talk Policy To Me reporter Elena Neale-Sacks talks to GSPP researcher Charlotte Hill about what it would look like to fundamentally change how we vote in this country. Look out for Part 2 next week. To learn more about proportional representation and what it could look like in the U.S., go to . See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 506: Talking Dating in a Digital World
02/17/2022
Episode 506: Talking Dating in a Digital World
As of 2021, there were 30 million online dating users in the US and 321 million users worldwide. Despite this massive number of users, there's very little policy that regulates how users behave on these platforms. Studies show that a majority of women have experienced sexual harassment online and that rarely is any action taken by law enforcement in situations where technology is being used to commit acts of gender-based violence. Talk Policy to Me host Amy Benziger joins Ziyang Fan, the head of digital trade at the World Economic Forum, to interview Nima Elmi, head of public policy at . Most people know Bumble as the dating app that challenges outdated gender norms by only giving women the ability to send the first message when they connect with a match on the app. What you might not know is that Bumble has a female-led policy team doing amazing work to keep women safe, both online and offline. We'll explore how their team is challenging legislators in both the U.S. and the U.K. to protect women and how she views the future of dating in today's current digital landscape, the metaverse, and beyond. See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 505: Talking Fair Chance Housing
12/16/2021
Episode 505: Talking Fair Chance Housing
In February 2020, the Oakland City Council passed Oakland's Fair Chance Housing ordinance. The legislation was the first in California — joining cities nationwide like Seattle and Portland — to ensure that people returning home from the criminal justice system can legally live with family members and access, on their own, nearly all other forms of previously off-limits rental housing. In this episode, Talk Policy to Me host Amy Benziger talks to housing activists Margaretta Lin and Lee “Taqwaa” Bonner about the fight to bring this legislation nationwide. To support fair chance housing, visit See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 504: Talking Vaccine Deniers
12/01/2021
Episode 504: Talking Vaccine Deniers
With 59% of the US population fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the increased availability of booster shots, and the rise of a new variant, having a highly vaccinated public is incredibly important to the fight against COVID in the months ahead. In this episode, Talk Policy to Me reporter Noah Cole talks to psychologist and behavioral scientist Philipp Schmid and public health expert and data scientist Crystal Son about the do's and don'ts of effective vaccine communication. Referenced in the Podcast See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 503: Talking Oakland A’s—Will they still or will they go?
11/18/2021
Episode 503: Talking Oakland A’s—Will they still or will they go?
The A’s proposal for a new waterfront baseball stadium at Oakland’s Howard Terminal is a multi-use development site that would include shops, parks, and housing. As the City of Oakland and Alameda County negotiate with the A’s over how these benefits are paid for, much has been made about the impact that sports stadiums have on communities. In this episode, reporter Noah Cole speaks with Dr. Richard Noll of the Stanford Economics Department and Veronica Cummings of the Oakland’s City Administrator’s Office about the economic impact of sports stadiums on cities and the equity-focused community benefits process for engaging the community in the proposal. Additional Reading Oakland City Council approved a Howard Terminal ballpark roadmap, but not on the terms the A’s want- Sports stadiums do not generate significant local economic growth, Stanford expert says- Oakland Waterfront Ballpark District at Howard Terminal Community Benefits- Community Benefits Agreements - Alameda County votes Yes to help fund Oakland A’s Howard terminal ballpark project- See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 502: Talking Trade-offs and the Electric Grid
11/04/2021
Episode 502: Talking Trade-offs and the Electric Grid
As Congress struggles to pass a spending bill that includes some of the biggest climate legislation the U.S. has seen, there’s another big hurdle the country needs to clear to make big moves on climate change —the electric grid. In this episode, reporter Elena Neale-Sacks talks to energy policy expert Steve Weissman, environmental scientist Grace Wu, and energy equity researcher Daniel Raimi, to better understand how the grid needs to change to better adapt to the effects of climate change and mitigate future effects. See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 501: Talking "Your Neighbor, the Bounty Hunter"
10/21/2021
Episode 501: Talking "Your Neighbor, the Bounty Hunter"
Today's episode explores the new wave of "rights suppressing laws" with New York Times Op-Ed writers and legal scholars Jon Michaels and David Noll. Reference: See show notes and full transcript here:
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Season 5 Trailer
10/19/2021
Season 5 Trailer
Season 5 of Talk Policy To Me is dropping soon, with new hosts Noah Cole and Amy Benziger. Listen and subscribe! See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 415: Talking with David C. Wilson
06/03/2021
Episode 415: Talking with David C. Wilson
In this final episode of TPTM Season 4, we say goodbye to hosts Reem and Colleen and hello to the incoming Dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy, Dr. David C. Wilson. See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 414: Talking Lies Your High School Econ Teacher Told You
05/20/2021
Episode 414: Talking Lies Your High School Econ Teacher Told You
Cash transfers discourage work, price ceilings and floors (like the minimum wage) are economically inefficient, and trade makes everyone better off. If you’ve ever taken a basic economics course in high school or even in college, these were probably the major takeaways. But these are myths --dire oversimplifications at best, and outright inaccuracies at worst --that often represent the most basic building blocks of conservative arguments against critical safety net policies. In this episode of Talk Policy To Me, GSPP economist Hilary Hoynes and TPTM reporter Reem Rayef unpacked the most nefarious myths to surface the truth about the impacts of economic policies, and imagine a better way to teach and learn economics. See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 413: Talking Black Police Unions
05/06/2021
Episode 413: Talking Black Police Unions
CONTENT WARNING: This episode involves mention of police violence against people of color. Since the 1970s, Black police officers have formed informal unions in response to racism within their departments and in the greater community. In this episode, reporter Elena Neale-Sacks talks to an economist, a law professor, and a former president of a Black police union to better understand the purpose these organizations serve, their limits, and the ways in which they differ from police unions with bargaining power, like the Police Benevolent Association and Fraternal Order of Police. See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 412: Talking Public Spaces
04/29/2021
Episode 412: Talking Public Spaces
As vaccine rates rise and health experts give more public activities the stamp of approval, people have begun shifting from private spaces to public ones. Today, we’re talking about what public spaces are and the policies that govern them. We’ll also talk about the unhoused folks for whom the distinction between public and private space is less clear. Archival audio from YouTube user Saul Rouda. See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 411: Talking philanthropy—yesterday, today, and tomorrow
04/15/2021
Episode 411: Talking philanthropy—yesterday, today, and tomorrow
On this episode of TPTM, we’re talking philanthropy yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Since the Gilded Age, philanthropists have positioned themselves as gracious, charitable forces in society who are experts in identifying and solving our social ails. But the institution of philanthropy has had its critics from day one. What are the origins of modern philanthropy in the US, and how did they lead us to where we are today? What role (if any) does philanthropy have in a democratic society? And if there are real problems with philanthropy, how should we address them? Should we focus our efforts on implementing regulations and reforms of modern philanthropic institutions? Is our goal to tear down the institution of philanthropy writ large, and put in place a (potentially erosive) wealth tax? Or should we rely on rich people to voluntarily spend down their wealth? Colleen and Reem will dig in to explore the past, present, and possible futures of modern philanthropy in the US. Want to learn more? Check out these follow-up resources: Resource Generation’s , , and Resource Generation’s National Partners, and by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence by Edgar Villanueva Read Find Philanthropy and Social Movements by Harvard Kennedy School students See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 410: Tok Policy To Me—Youth Political Mobilization through TikTok
03/25/2021
Episode 410: Tok Policy To Me—Youth Political Mobilization through TikTok
With over 100 million users and counting in the US, TikTok is beginning to play a major role in the political education and mobilization of its young user base. In this episode, which was written and recorded in the aftermath of the November 2020 election, Talk Policy to Me reporter Noah Cole spoke with Aidan Kohn-Murphy and Toni Akande, two of the teens who run the “Gen Z for Change” TikTok page. Aidan and Toni touched on how they used traditional organizing practices to get out the vote through TikTok in the last election cycle, the tradeoffs between producing popular and substantive political content, and where they think the future of online political mobilization is headed. Noah also heard from four additional political TikTok creators during a speed round of questions on politics, policy, and online civic engagement. More info on: Gen Z for Change Quentin Jiles Elise Joshi Matthew Rein “The Dem Hype House” Colton Hess “Tok the Vote” See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 409: Talking Anarchism and Direct Action
03/11/2021
Episode 409: Talking Anarchism and Direct Action
Last summer, as a part of the public reckoning with racialized police violence, chants and mantras like “Whose Streets? Our Streets” and “We Keep Us Safe” and “We Are The Change We’ve Been Waiting For” resounded in the streets and all over social media. What would it mean to take these slogans seriously? To actually imbue people and communities -- rather than political representatives and corporations -- with the power to create and change the world around them? Talk Policy To Me reporter Reem Rayef delved into the practice and philosophy of anarchism, in search of an answer. In this episode, Reem speaks with Bryce Liedtke (friend, anarchist, GSPP alum, and Policy Director of the Scout Institute) about how he reconciles the principles of anarchism with his work in the policy space. Then, we hear from Dana Ward (anarchist, professor emeritus at Pitzer College) about the historical and philosophical origins and transformations of anarchism, in the United States and around the world. Additional Reading The basics of anarchism as defined by Kim Kelly in Dana Ward’s by David Graeber See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 408: Talking Black History Month 2021
02/25/2021
Episode 408: Talking Black History Month 2021
Black History Month 2021 has been an eventful occasion at the Goldman School of Public Policy. One student organization, Black Students in Public Policy (BiPP) has been responsible for putting together a weekly speaker series on health and wellness, economic policy, politics, and social impact in the Black community. In this episode of Talk Policy To Me, we hear from 7 students in BiPP who share their path to public policy and the ways that they are celebrating Black History Month. For more information on the Black History Month Speaker Series, visit See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 407: Talking the U.S. Senate—Is It Still Relevant?
12/31/2020
Episode 407: Talking the U.S. Senate—Is It Still Relevant?
The highly contentious Georgia Senate elections are right around the corner. The results will determine which party holds a Senate majority for the next two years. In this episode, we take a step back and examine the Senate as an institution in the current political context of hyperpolarization. Is it still functional as a mechanism of effective government? Maybe. Or, maybe not. To help make sense of it all, we spoke with UC Santa Cruz politics professor and co-author of The Invention of the United States Senate, Dan Wirls, and senior contributor at The Appeal, Jay Willis, who has written extensively on the Senate filibuster. Both Dan and Jay discuss the most worrisome aspects of the Senate—equal representation of states and the filibuster as a mechanism for gridlock—as well as potential paths forward. See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 406: Talking Urban Agriculture & Food Policy
12/17/2020
Episode 406: Talking Urban Agriculture & Food Policy
During the holiday season, food is often central to the celebration. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people are experiencing hunger for the first time, and food insecurity has become a daily reality for many. Today, we’re talking about what some say is a practical solution to rising hunger—urban agriculture and the policies that shape and support it. If you live in the Bay Area and are experiencing hunger this holiday season, check out these resources that may be able to offer help: (San Jose) West Valley Community Services () (Berkeley) Berkeley Food Pantry () (Peninsula) San Francisco-Marin Food Bank () (Oakland/Alameda) Alameda County Food Bank () (Richmond) Richmond Emergency Food Pantry () If you live outside the Bay, you can visit to find your nearest food bank. See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 405: Talking The Future of Community Engagement
11/25/2020
Episode 405: Talking The Future of Community Engagement
When shelter-in-place orders were mandated in cities across the US, city employees sprang into action to facilitate the transition. Day-to-day government happenings were instantly and radically transformed, but one thing that cities still needed to do? Community engagement. In the face of orders for folks to stay home and social distance, cities faced a reality where they needed to quickly and efficiently transition to new or unfamiliar modes of digital engagement. So… how’d they do it? In this episode, we hear from Meghann Lucy, a sociology PhD student who studied the transition to digital engagement in Boston this past summer, and Heather Imboden, an engagement practitioner and the founding principal of Communities in Collaboration in Oakland. Both Meghann and Heather discuss what cities are learning about how to meaningfully engage residents virtually, and how this moment is shaping the future of city-led engagement processes more broadly. See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 404: Talking Ballot Access & The Green Party
11/19/2020
Episode 404: Talking Ballot Access & The Green Party
Nothing in the US Constitution mandates or guarantees a two-party political system. Yet Americans are accustomed to understanding the political landscape as a binary of Democrats and Republicans; third parties are rarely taken seriously, particularly on the national scale. Members and candidates of political third parties, like the Green Party, argue that this is bad for democracy. With an increasing share of the electorate -- particularly young people -- growing disenchanted with the existing parties, third parties represent an opportunity to re-engage independent voters in civic life by better representing their worldviews and preferences. That’s why the typical Green Party platform reads like that of a very progressive Democrat, calling for deep investment in transformative climate policy, an end to all wars, and major social safety net expansion, plus electrical reforms that make third party candidates more visible and viable choices in the voting booth. In this episode, which was written and recorded before the November 3 election, Talk Policy To Me reporter Reem Rayef spoke with Jake Tonkel, a biomedical engineer who ran for San Jose City Council as a member of the Green Party. Jake shared his perspective on the positionality of local and national Green Party candidates in the political sphere, the damaging narrative around spoiler candidates, and the Green Party’s theory of change. Jake also charted a course for elevating the profile of the Green Party, and other non-major parties, through targeted electoral and ballot access reforms. Related Resources on the benefits of multi-party systems on “Vote Blue No Matter Who” politics, and their costs to democracy detailing ballot access rules for every state with Green Party Presidential Candidate Howie Hawkins Jake Tonkel’s See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 403: Talking Prop 22, App-Based Drivers, and Labor
10/29/2020
Episode 403: Talking Prop 22, App-Based Drivers, and Labor
On November 3rd, California voters will decide on Proposition 22. The Proposition aims to allow app-based drivers to maintain their status as Independent Contractors by carving out a special exception to Assembly Bill 5. We talk to Goldman Alumna Rebecca Stack-Martinez and the Chair of the UC Berkeley Labor Center Ken Jacobs about the implications of Prop 22 on labor and the influence of money on the most expensive ballot initiative in California’s History. Report- “,” Ken Jacobs and Michael Reich, UC Berkeley Labor Center See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 402: Talking Election Coverage
10/27/2020
Episode 402: Talking Election Coverage
Talking: Election coverage—where’s the policy? Hourly breaking news. An endless stream of push notifications. A backlog of political podcasts (but not this one, right?). Today we’re talking about how the news media covers elections, and how voters can find real information within the sea of coverage in the final weeks before the election. See show notes and full transcript here:
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Episode 401: Talking Election Media Diets
10/22/2020
Episode 401: Talking Election Media Diets
Welcome to Season 4 of Talk Policy to Me! It’s been a whirlwind of policy news and happenings since you last heard from us (to say the least) and there’s a lot to catch up on. While we work hard on new episodes, we thought we’d pop into your feeds for a brief moment to introduce a few new members of the TPTM team and take a moment to ask one another: What media resources are you looking toward for grounding and clarity in the lead up to the November election? Feel free to share with us what you’re reading or listening to and on Twitter and on Instagram and stay tuned for forthcoming Season 4 episodes! See show notes and full transcript here:
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