Podcast
The Drain
Hosted by The Drain · EN
The Drain is a podcast covering California news and culture. Hosted by Kempa (founding editor of VOICES: River City) and Max (a.k.a. Sweet Palma, cofounder of Seeking Derangements), we discuss the liberal California hegemony through a leftist lens, just steps from the state Capitol.
Free episodes (The Drain) every Wednesday. Premium episodes (The Plug) every Saturday at: patreon.com/thedrain
Tips/Pitches/Questions to thedrainpodcast@gmail.com
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thedrain.bsky.social, https://bsky.app/profile/palma.ltd, https://bsky.app/profile/yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Getting out the meemaw vote, with Robin Epley
5d ago01:38:54Tap to summarizeToday Kempa is joined by Sacramento Bee columnist Robin Epley to discuss the latest polling in the governor's race, which shows Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton and Tom Steyer in the lead in the final days before the California election ends on Tuesday. We also look into the latest reporting from political guru Paul Mitchell, who has been making the rounds on national media to explain why our liberal meemaws--who are among the most reliable voters in US elections--haven't yet sent in their ballots. We take one final look at Mai Vang's push to unseat Doris Matsui in Congress, a race that has captured national attention, and also spend too much time discussing the race to replace Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco. Finally, we discuss a few of Robin's latest columns. This was originally supposed to be a voter guide, of sorts, but Kempa and Robin are two old industry colleagues who haven't had a chance to catch up in quite some time. So, naturally, things go a bit off the rails. 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
Transcribe →
*UNLOCKED* The curious federal case of Sean "Baby" Loloee
1w ago00:39:01Tap to summarizeHey all, Kempa here. As a welcome to all of our new listeners from the Chapo boost, I wanted to unlock a bizarre little patron-only episode from a little while back. It's local, yes, but it's fucking wild. I promise you'll enjoy: This is a thrilling six-year saga of a California municipal elected official riddled with drama and controversy (free link), resulting last week in his pleading guilty to federal charges (free link) of abuse of undocumented employees in his Viva supermarkets, and to fraudulently receiving COVID-era stimulus funding. It's also a tale of a Sacramento city council member who claimed he did not live with his wife and children in their Placer County home, but instead with his employee in a small house in his district known for raucous parties, police calls, and guns. Ah, Sean Loloee. Kempa has waited a long, long time for the end of this timeline. We go over Loloee's full story, including Kempa's initial public claims that he did not live in his district, the Sacramento Bee's Theresa Clift's dogged, unflinching reporting on the disgraced politician, and his eventual political demise at the hands of federal prosecutors. 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
Transcribe →
*Preview* Busting the trust
1w ago00:05:06Tap to summarize**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.** It's a new Plug, folks. We're discussing Kempa's latest trip to weird-California-town, Mojave--an eerie stop-off in the desert west of L.A. that is home to a mysterious air-and-space port--as well as billionaire Stephen Cloobeck's most recent post-Swalwell antics involving threats/tampering against victims of his OnlyFans fiancee's alleged crimes. We also do a little reading series involving one of Kempa's favorite California political villains, Steve "America's Landlord" Maviglio. 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
Transcribe →
Heidi Hall for Congress (with Heidi Hall)
3w ago00:50:00Tap to summarizeToday we're speaking with Nevada County Supervisor and progressive candidate for Congress in US District CA-03, Heidi Hall. Heidi is up against conserva-Dem juggernaut Ami Bera for this seat, and it is crucial that he doesn't carpetbag his way into office in 2026. We're discussing the big issues facing the northern California foothills and Sacramento's progressive pockets such as Tahoe Park, and learning how we can help Hall defeat one of the Democratic Party's worst electeds this election season. 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
Transcribe →
*Preview* Yogi Becerra
3w ago00:05:11Tap to summarize**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.** On the other end of a week's worth of gubernatorial debates and town halls, we're taking a look at all the ways that Xavier Becerra--the presumed frontrunner in the California governor's race--has shot himself in the foot. From his former chief of staff's troubles in court, to his ties with Chevron, all the way to his former White House colleagues' bemusement that a dolt like him might end up in the largest corner office in Sacramento... Becerra's looking like the fool who might just surprise us all. 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
Transcribe →CSUEU President Catherine Hutchinson's baffling union-busting bullshit
4w ago00:42:40Tap to summarizeLast week, journalist/attorney Matt Breunig published a piece about a union president's bizarre decision to engage in union-busting--forcing the California State University Employees Union (SEIU Local 2579) to waste tens of thousands of dollars of labor movement money in a tiff with rightly annoyed attorneys at UAW Local 2350. All because CSUEU President Catherine Hutchinson refuses to respect her own staff's collective bargaining agreement. Today, we're joined by UAW Local 2350 President Nick Gleichman to parse out the baffling saga that will inexorably result in an embarrassing loss for Hutchinson and, in all likelihood, a frustrating waste of CSUEU and UAW union members' dues. We also discuss the battle's implications for the greater American labor movement. 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
Transcribe →
Building a Bitter California (or, the battle of the billionaires)
May 401:05:30Tap to summarizeToday we're discussing the billionaires trying to ruin California politics with their Building a Better California "nonprofit," as well as the cynical neoliberal argument against the one viable gubernatorial candidate who supports the billionaire's tax and Medicare for All. We also get deep into the weeds on Google cofounder Sergey Brin's gut-health MAGA girlfriend, Gerelyn Gilbert-Soto. You may have heard that Brin cornered Governor Gavin Newsom (free link) at a lavish party late last year to lean on him to fight against the billionaire's tax (which Newsom did a month later--ruining any chance he had for a 2028 presidential run). Like a true coward, Brin ran away to Nevada months before the initiative reached its signatures to get on the ballot. Brin has a weird girlfriend who Donald Trump loves, which likely explains a large part of his rightward shift in recent years. As a result, he's picking up the mantle in the fight to stop another billionaire, Tom Steyer, from becoming the next governor of California. Steyer, you might remember, is the one viable candidate in support of the tax, as well as a slew of other progressive policies, including Medicare for All. We take a look at Brin's cynically named "nonprofit" advocacy group, Building a Better California--into which he's personally thrown $57 million. We also look at some of the bad writing by political operatives trying to put a stop to the state's surging economic populism. Paging Mahyk Muhdrid (free link). 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
Transcribe →
*Preview* The curious federal case of Sean "Baby" Loloee
Apr 2600:39:01Tap to summarize**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.** This is a thrilling six-year saga of a California municipal elected official riddled with drama and controversy (free link), resulting last week in his pleading guilty to federal charges (free link) of abuse of undocumented employees in his Viva supermarkets, and to fraudulently receiving COVID-era stimulus funding. It's also a tale of a Sacramento city council member who claimed he did not live with his wife and children in their Placer County home, but instead with his employee in a small house in his district known for raucous parties, police calls, and guns. Ah, Sean Loloee. Kempa has waited a long, long time for the end of this saga. We go over Loloee's full story, including Kempa's initial public claims that he did not live in his district, the Sacramento Bee's Theresa Clift's dogged, unflinching reporting on the disgraced politician, and his eventual political demise at the hands of federal prosecutors. 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
Transcribe →
"I see a broken California!" (Rafael Hernandez for governor?)
Apr 2301:00:22Tap to summarizeToday 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
Transcribe →
Swal's well that ends swell ?
Apr 1901:06:58Tap to summarizeToday 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
Transcribe →