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
20episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Socialists humiliate NYC Democrats, with Peter Lucas
2d ago01:10:24Tap to summarizeToday Kempa sits down with The Drain's chief Mamdanistan correspondent, Peter Lucas, to discuss the wave of astounding political victories that New York's democratic socialists and their lefty union allies enjoyed over the Democratic establishment in last week's primary elections. The Democratic Socialists of America celebrated a gentleman's sweep of their endorsed candidates last Tuesday, leaving Democratic leadership scrambling to shift blame off themselves and onto their voter base, and establishment members of Congress fighting off anxieties over the precarity of their own seats (free link). As I publish, DSA's New York chapter has added over 600 members to their ranks since election night, putting the national organization on the verge of becoming the largest socialist political organization in America's 250-year history (edging out Eugene Debs' Socialist Party of America, which had nearly 120,000 members at its apex). We discuss the organizing that led to a week of jaw-dropping electoral victories, examine how the Socialists In Office Project is working to stop the "Pelosification" of DSA-backed officials, and walk through some of the biggest races from last week: Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old self-described communist who once tweeted "Fuck Kamala Harris," took out longtime Democratic incumbent and head of the Congressional Latino Caucus, Adriano Espaillat, in New York's 13th congressional district. Progressive Brad Lander (who is no longer a member of DSA) ousted incumbent Dan Goldman in New York's 10th, after scouring Goldman over his support of AIPAC and his refusal to acknowledge the genocide in Gaza. This race carries a very important lesson for politicians on what unions such as the United Auto Workers expect of their elected officials. Claire Valdez, with DSA and UAW support, narrowly defeated progressive Antonio Reynoso in New York's seventh district, despite Reynoso's backing from the Working Families Party and a slew of old-guard labor unions. We also touch on three state legislature races that included candidates interviewed by Peter in Jacobin: Samantha Kattan, Aber Kawas, and Conrad Blackburn. But don't rest on your laurels, 'cause the Wet Hot Socialist Summer isn't over yet. We let our listeners know about a few incredibly important races coming up with DSA-backed candidates throughout the country, including Melat Kiros's run for Congress in Colorado, Abdul El-Sayed's push to be Michigan's next U.S. Senator, and Francesca Hong's exciting bid to be the next governor of Wisconsin. Want to be a part of all the winning? Consider joining DSA and helping to make it the largest socialist organization this country has ever seen. 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
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*Preview* Solo en Sivar
2w ago00:05:00Tap to summarize**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.** Hi all!! Sweet Palma here. By the time you read this, I'll be 'pon di island, if you will--I'm taking a brief two-week vacation to Taiwan during the last half of June. Don't fret! I'll be back before the end of the month to talk more California politics with Kempa, and will be using my time away to work on a special California history series in collaboration with our long-time friend and associate, the ever-mysterious "El Güero." More updates as they come. Until then... For our patrons, we have a little update on what we got up to the last time I was out of town, at the end of last month--Kempa linked up with Film God Tommy Wiseau; Palma was in El Salvador visiting family and catching up on the latest events in the country. The last little bit of the episode involves "looking ahead" at CA's primary results, which should by this point be just about completely counted and ready for certification by Dr. Shirley Weber.
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Ballot dump: no votes refused
3w ago01:04:14Tap to summarizeAs late votes have been counted throughout California, leftists all over have secured their spots against Democrats in the November runoffs. And MAGA is furious. It's not just the Twitter ghouls, either. Donald Trump lost his shit in a corrugated shed during a feisty Meet the Press interview last week in Wisconsin. And Nick Shirley is traveling the Golden State, harassing people he believes to be listed as 126 years old in our voter rolls. Republicans are at a loss as to why their candidates are not making it to the next round in the most liberal state in the union. As we recorded this episode, a ballot dump dropped showing leftist Mai Vang now leading incumbent octogenarian Doris Matsui in the lead-in to their November showdown. We discuss that, as well as why we're not all that broken up about Tom Steyer not making it to the next round in the governor's race. Finally, we take a moment to discuss the shit-show of the US hosting the World Cup. Is there a glimmer of hope in all of this? And who do you have to win it 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
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*Special* Prattlefornia: how the Left is faring this election
3w ago01:02:28Tap to summarizeListen: Some of our faves have been out there showing frustration with the initial votes in the California elections, referring to our state's voters as "Cattlefornia." But we'd like to push back on that. Here are some big wins for DSA and Working Families Party candidates in the state, as we see it: Mai Vang (CA-7) Connie Chan (CA-11) Aisha Wahab (CA-14) Randy Villegas (CA-22) Angela Gonzalez-Torres (CA-34) On top of that, DSA-adjacent candidate Nithya Raman seems poised to be the top-two challenger to Karen Bass down in Los Angeles. Oh, and have we mentioned Jane Kim in the lead for statewide office in Insurance Commissioner? Tom Steyer may not make it to the top-two against Xavier Becerra, with Republican Steve Hilton holding on by a thread. But that's okay. The Left has done phenomenal work here in California this election, and we don't need to import any organizers from NYC, thank you very much. 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 →Getting out the meemaw vote, with Robin Epley
4w 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
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*UNLOCKED* The curious federal case of Sean "Baby" Loloee
May 3000:39:01Tap 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
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*Preview* Busting the trust
May 2800:05:06Tap 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
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Heidi Hall for Congress (with Heidi Hall)
May 2000:50:00Tap 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
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*Preview* Yogi Becerra
May 1700:05:11Tap 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
May 1300:42:40Tap 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
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