The Drain

Today we're taking a look at the new polls surrounding the California gubernatorial race, now that establishment darling Eric Swalwell's chances have, thankfully, fizzled out.
Obviously, the conversation includes Tom Steyer, Chad Bianco, Katie Porter, Steve Hilton, and--for some reason--San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.
But Kempa and Palma go over some new polls showing a surge for current Governor Gavin Newsom's new favorite, Xavier Becerra. We also take a moment for a potential id-pol favorite for liberals in dark-horse candidate Rafael Hernandez.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa

Today we're covering the meteoric fall of U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell, and what it means for the California gubernatorial race, now that its frontrunner is out of the picture.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa

**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**
Hey folks! We've both been working a lot this spring, so episodes have been hard to come by, but we're ramping up once again for you all -- expect your usual two per week.
Today we're discussing a couple of major things. To begin: Kempa's sweet baby pit bull (and The Drain's official mascot), Olive, needs a home.
That's right, Kempa's baby needs a forever space. She's a quirky 60-lb, 9-year-old baby, with a couple of special needs that I can give details on if you reach out. Olive's currently in a wonderful foster home just a mile away from me, but I'm desperate to find a place that's just perfect for her. So if you might have that (and you preferably live in northern California), please reach out to the show at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
Beyond that, we're discussing how the Sacramento Bee absolutely bodied Congresswoman Doris Matsui with a promise of no endorsement since she ran away from a discourse between herself and Mai Vang for her seat in Congress. We also discuss Matsui's missteps on Iran.
Speaking of which, we take a look at the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, and how they're trying to sour the race between Ammar Campa-Najjar and Marni von Wilpert in the Dem-on-Dem race for CA-48.
Finally, we take a look at one of our faves fucking things up in the race for Nancy Pelosi's open Congress seat in San Francisco. Why is Track AIPAC giving all this airtime to Saikat Chakrabarti and not a true progressive in Connie Chan? We have the info.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa

Hasan Piker has somehow dominated liberal and rightwing discourse in recent weeks, to the point that leftists are just making fun of the mainstream for their obsession with the leftist streamer.
Today we're discussing Democrats' and conservatives' manic rantings against Piker, and looking at two of California's presidential hopefuls--progressive U.S. Representative Ro Khanna and eely Governor Gavin Newsom--who would be happy to go on his show (eat your heart out, CIA asset/U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin).
Governor Newsom, you might remember, recently stepped back on his statement that Israel is an apartheid state--presumably because he is vying for zionist groups' funding in his 2028 presidential run. We talk about that, through the lens of Sacramento Bee columnist Robin Epley's phenomenal takedown of the governor (free link).
We also take a look at some of the debacles in the California governor's race. Note: this was recorded before the Swalwell news broke, but rest assured we'll be covering that in the coming week.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa

**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**
For this week's episode, Palma and Kempa are exploring the what and why of one of San Francisco's foremost venture capital projects: Y Combinator.
Venture capital has become the scourge of San Francisco culture. And Y Combinator stands at the forefront of that cancer.
We take a look at some of the dumbest shit that ghouls like Garry Tan and his ilk have been willing to invest in. We're sure you'll enjoy.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa

Today we're joined by Caledon Myers, founder and Executive Director of the ProRep Coalition, which is fighting to bring proportional representational democracy to California and beyond.
You might have read his case for a new form of governance in Cal Matters or the San Jose Mercury News (free link). That's because he's been working with experts for years to analyze just why the United States' first-past-the-post electoral system (as well as California's top-two "jungle" primary system).
We discuss just what's broken here at home, and what steps we can take to make our democracy actually reflect the diversity of its constituents.
Want to join the fight? Sign up at the ProRep Coalition's website to stay tuned for their next steps. A lot is on the horizon...
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**
It finally happened. On The Drain's one-year anniversary, we visited the Lake Berryessa Glory Hole.
That's right: Kempa and Sweet Palma wrangled up their two favorite guest hosts, Kat and El Güero, to take a trip out to the Monticello Dam's Morning Glory Spillway last weekend.
We originally planned to record an episode off one of the hiking trails below the dam. And, in fact, we did trek our supplies out a good mile looking for a nice, shaded spot--but that just wasn't in the cards for the crew.
That said, it was a lovely, odd little hike, with a phenomenal snake greeting us on the walk back. We were also joined by Joe Biden!
Here's our patron-only episode on all the fun we had. If you're not a patron yet, sign up for as little as $5 per month! It'd be a lovely anniversary gift for the crew.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

Hello friends,
Kempa here. I'm publishing a somewhat overdue episode while preparing for the crew's Hole Hajj to the Lake Berryessa Glory Hole (patron-only recording on that forthcoming). It's a good one.
For our one-year anniversary, Palma and I are discussing some of our faves, including:
President Donald Trump's obsession with California in his marathon-length State of the Union
California Democratic Party head Rusty Hicks's plea to loser Democrats in the state gubernatorial race to take a step back after polls show two Republicans leading the pack alongside three Dems.
Why leftists should not put their time or money into the state gubernatorial race
The major topics that ought to be nonstarters with Democratic candidates (including Medicare for All, Israel, and the billionaire tax)
Thank you so much for your love in our first year of existing. We've got so much more coming for you in 2026, including some phenomenal guests <3
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**
Today we're discussing a few bizarre California stories, including:
Britney Spears's incredible wherewithal in responding to a suspected drinking and driving incident in southern California.
A registered sex offender posting up at a church across from a school (free link) while he holds a press conference for his mayoral run in Fresno.
A good deal of MMA discourse, related to Lou Holtz and a couple of our Sacramento faves (which is what makes this town so oddly special).
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

Hello, Drain-iacs!
Max and Kempa are back this week with a real corker of an episode, with someone who we've been a fan of for quite some time – San Francisco's very own Connie Chan! As supervisor for SF's District 1, Connie is one of the progressive voices in the foreground of the local fight against the Tech Right, the Doom-Loopers, the Hacker News set and the Faux-gressives swarming City Hall – not to mention the SF Dems' propensity for supporting DINO politicians like Daniel Lurie and London Breed, at the expense of more progressive, even more popular, candidates. Now that Nancy Pelosi is (finally [lol]) retiring, Chan is running for her seat in Congress to truly represent a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, immigrant-plurality district like CA-11.
We talk to Connie about her background as an immigrant, and how growing up in San Francisco's Chinatown has given her a unique perspective among elected officials when it comes to pretty much all the hot-button issues that have been cropping up this cycle – Immigration, of course, but also cost of living, housing, labor and worker's rights, and healthcare. In short, she champions a politics of dignity and love, a politics that is sorely needed in Congress. Though her stances on the genocide of Gaza and campaign finance set her apart from her challengers (Scott Weiner and Saikat Chakrabarti, respectively), it is this respect for human life and desire for dignity for all that truly places her a cut above the rest.
In the 2026 congressional primaries, it's more important than ever for progressives in California to fight back against Silicon Valley's capture of local and state Dem parties by supporting local candidates with proven track records like Connie Chan.
You can find out more (or even get involved directly) at her congressional campaign website: https://www.conniechansf.com/
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Support us at https://www.patreon.com/c/thedrain. 
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social