California has long been the proving ground for America’s energy transition, and it’s also where the politics, culture, and storytelling around that transition are being tested in real time. Messaging comes from all corners of the public landscape, including movies, sports, and video games, in addition to the institutions like utilities. Where is there potential to do more with that storytelling?

In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with Sammy Roth, former climate columnist at the Los Angeles Times and voice behind the Climate-Colored Goggles substack, to explore how renewable industries are selling their story in a fraught political moment, why affordability and reliability are increasingly central to the climate conversation, and how rising demand is reshaping the debate around clean energy. Sammy argues that the energy transition is not just about economics, technology, and regulation, it’s also about culture.

The conversation digs into how utilities, policymakers, and clean energy advocates talk about tradeoffs, where messaging often falls short, and what successful storytelling looks like when the public is skeptical. From climate framing to the role of movies, sports, and media, the episode examines why clean energy progress may depend as much on narrative as on infrastructure. The discussion also looks at California as a case study for broader national politics. With energy and climate increasingly shaping elections and policy debates, Sammy shares what the state’s governor’s race reveals about voter priorities, how data centers are changing the conversation, and what lessons utilities and candidates should take into 2026.

Register for Energy Central’s live happy hour in DC on June 23: https://luma.com/hw57eoea

Climate-Colored Goggles: https://www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/

The obvious choice for California governor: https://www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/california-governor-climate

Vattenfall commercial with Samuel L. Jackson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uEpdIKzspA

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