National Review's Radio Free California Podcast

Emergency Episode: Federal Judge Schools California on Gender Policy [424]

California Justice Center attorney Emily Rae explains Judge Roger Benitez’s blistering rebuke of California policies that encourage school officials, including teachers, to lie to parents about students’ changing gender identity. Benitez on Monday said state AG Rob Bonta's defense of those policies has constitutional law “upside down.” The judge also ordered state officials to notify parents and guardians of their constitutional right to be informed -- and of teachers to inform them -- “when the student expresses gender incongruence.” Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Judge’s Permanent Injunction in Mirabelli v OlsonJudge’s legal opinion in Mirabelli Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 423: The End of the Year As We Know It

In their annual Year in Review, David and Will consider Gavin Newsom, Donald Trump, TikTok, Sean Penn, Nathan Hochman, the Turtle Island Liberation Front, Karen Bass, Julie Hamill, the Oakland A’s, Nancy Pelosi, the Los Angeles Times, Kamala Harris, Ivanpah Solar, the SEIU, Prop 50, Leonardo DiCaprio, the Beach Boys, Julie Su, One Battle After Another, fire, AB 218, Larry Ellison, homeless people, Lyle Menendez, Bill Essayli, Zizians, ExxonMobil, Patrick Soon-Shiong, Wiener Watch, Brian Wilson, Zohran Mamdani, Lorena Gonzalez, Mayor Amy Bublak, and more. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Wildfire of the Vanities: California’s Political Model Has FailedTrump’s First 100 Days Have Shattered California’s Left-Wing IllusionsLawmakers urge $1-billion annual investments to save high-speed railSan Diego migrant shelter hailed as national model will shut down, with 100-plus layoffsGavin Newsom warms to Big Oil in climate reversal$2B California solar plant to shut down after a decade – for the most frustrating reason (Ivanpah)California’s War on Oil Finally Prompts a ResponseThe Public-Sector Union Behind L.A.’s Immigration AgitationGavin Newsom holds mirror to Maga by trolling TrumpCalifornia Approves New House Maps in a Major Win for Democrats and NewsomLarry Ellison Retakes No.3 Richest Spot From Jeff Bezos As Oracle Shares Rise On TikTok DealHarris' score-settling, elbow-throwing, bridge-burning memoirAlready thinking about the 2028 election? You’re not aloneLyle Menendez denied parole, will remain in prison along with younger brother ErikZohran Mamdani picks failed progressive Biden nominee Julie Su as top ‘economic justice’ aideCalifornia businesses bear brunt of growing unemployment benefit debtThe Pol Who Wants to Replace Pelosi Makes Her Look NormaBrian Wilson, Pop Auteur and Leader of the Beach Boys, Dies at 82L.A. Times owner says he intends to take newspaper public in coming yearD.A. to investigate claims of fraud in L.A. County’s $4-billion sex abuse settlementGavin Newsom’s Shameless Dodge on the Homeless CrisisFor L.A.’s mayor, a Palisades recovery marked by missteps, reversals and delays Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 422: ‘I See Trans Kids’

In March, Gavin Newsom told the late Charlie Kirk that male athletes competing against females is “deeply unfair.” This week, on Ezra Klein's podcast, he told a very different story. Will and David discuss the great movies and misguided politics of the late Rob Reiner, and the role of Greg Bahnsen in David’s life. The FBI arrests four members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front who hoped to bomb multiple Los Angeles targets on New Year's Eve. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:The moment my life changed forever, December 12, 2025Rob Reiner was more than a Hollywood liberal. He was a sophisticated political operator.What did California’s novel approach to funding early-childhood programs achieve?Cigarette Taxes and Cigarette Smuggling by State, 2023Newsom taps former CDC leaders critical of Trump-era health policies for new initiativeStates Plan to Continue Regulating AI, Despite Trump’s OrderWells Fargo cuts 100+ Sacramento-area jobs as CEO says AI prompts ‘efficiency’Has Gavin Newsom really signed the most pro-trans bills of any governor?California orders Tahoe-Truckee schools to join CIF sports over gender lawsFBI Arrests Four Alleged Members of Pro-Palestinian Terror Cell, Foiling New Year’s Eve AttackWhat is Turtle Island? FBI foils Pro-Palestinian group terror attack planned for NYE in California Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 421: Newsom to Dems: ‘Be More Normal’

Governor Gavin Newsom spent much of last week in New York City, criticizing Wall Street, Democrats, SEIU, and Trump at a New York Times books conference -- and then went begging for handouts in D.C. with predictable results. Back home in California, things got less normal. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:America 250: Presidential Message on the Anniversary of the Monroe DoctrineNewsom Warns That Trump Is ‘Trying to Wreck This Country’Newsom takes it to Wall StreetGavin Newsom fires back after Halle Berry accuses him of ‘devaluing’ womenHalle Berry’s Respin HealthNewsom accuses Trump of wildfire aid snubThe Los Angeles Times Misses the Forest Fire Scandal for the TreesTo protect underage farmworkers, California expands oversight of field conditionsSFUSD escapes worst fiscal rating, but looming cuts and a strike threat cloud recoverySource: S.F. General staff raised fears about troubled patient in weeks before fatal stabbingDPH Security Services Staffing Plan ProposalSan Francisco sues nation's top food manufacturers over ultraprocessed foodsWith state pushing back, Oakland delays vote on controversial homeless encampment policyStudents push for LBCC to ditch the Viking mascot, become the Dolphins Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 420: The Noise Behind Newsom’s Very Quiet Week

California Governor Gavin Newsom did almost nothing this week. But if you listen carefully, you can hear the state budget crashing and his erstwhile allies beginning to rebel. Bonus! Two hundred and seven years ago this month, a French-born pirate attacked California and broke the back of the Spanish empire. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Gov. Newsom orders Capitol flags to fly at half-staff after Stockton birthday party shootingGavin Newsom Trolls Donald Trump’s MRI Scan With His Own Medical MemoNewsom 2028: Hollywood Donors Start Lining Up Behind Expected White House Bid; “He’s A Fighter, That’s What We Need!”Newsom’s 911 debacle is California’s latest failed tech adoptionGov. Gavin Newsom reacts to ex-aide’s arrest — ‘real surprise and shock’Silicon Valley’s Man in the White House Is Benefiting Himself and His FriendsAmerica’s AI future lies in the hands of California’s governorWhat does CA’s dreary budget mean for state worker negotiations in 2026?Should billionaires pay more? California unions want voters to decideCalifornia Loses a Taxpayer Per Minute Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.