California Labor: Lorena Gonzalez

Membership in California labor unions grew by over 100,000 members between 2024 and 2025, and California union membership currently stands at 2.4 million - the most of any state. These gains come in the face of strong anti-labor policies put in place by the Trump Administration.

Our guest today is one of the reasons for those gains. Former Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez is the President of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, which is made up of more than 1,300 unions, representing 2.3 million members. in the Legislature, Gonzalez was one of the most respected - and feared - members.  She has brought her patented take-no-prisoners approach to the Labor Fed, getting arrested at protests and sparring online with foes ranging from Elon Musk to centrist Democrats.

We spoke with Gonzalez about the status of the labor movement, the threat - and opportunities - of AI, and the impact of Cesar Chavez' sudden downfall. 

1:26 Capitol Briefs

2:18 Jacqui Nguyen

3:21 Remembering Sam Kieth

6:27 Lorena Gonzalez

8:53 Where is the governor on AI bills?

10:52 And the gubernatorial candidates?

14:13 "Everything is AI enabled"

16:04 What are the big issues for Labor in 2026?

17:25 "Labor grew in California last year by 100,000 members"

19:29 Quad endorsement

22:08 More union members voted MAGA in 2024 - where are they now?

25:47 Are the Dems hearing the Labor message?

29:00 The impact of the Chavez revelations

38:10 #WWCA

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