Will Swaim is the CEO of the California Policy Center and, with David L. Bahnsen, a co-host of National Review’s Radio Free California podcast.
National Review’s Radio Free California Podcast
National Review’s Radio Free California podcast is a show about the perilous state of the Golden State — and what that means for you, wherever you live.
The Labor Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight
A California tax dispute, Chavez allegations, and lawsuits against Meta and YouTube highlight this week’s policy and culture flashpoints.
The union behind the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act says it will generate $110 billion for public health programs, but Hoover Institution researchers calculate that it will actually cost California $25 billion. In the “Why Now Department,” Will and David consider multiple hypotheses about the timing of claims that United Farm Workers founder Cesar Chavez raped young women half a century ago. The legal case against Meta and YouTube asks us to believe that social media companies bear absolute responsibility for addictive use of social media. Will tells the true story of Ah Louis, a California Gold Rush-era immigrant who became the unofficial mayor of San Luis Obispo’s Chinatown. Bonus! Lance Christensen provides a first look at the year’s legislative Race to Absurdity. Music by Metalachi.
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Show Notes:
- Read the Statement From Dolores Huerta on Cesar Chavez’s Abuse
- From streets to murals, the erasure of Cesar Chavez is fast underway in California
- The complicated legacy of César Chávez
- ‘I will miss them’: Khanna mocks tech billionaires threatening to leave California for wealth tax
- Kathy Hochul’s Seller’s Remorse
- The Fiscal Losses from California's Billionaire Tax Act
- Gavin Newsom’s $114 Million Butterfly Bridge
- Jury deliberations continue in landmark social media addiction trial against Meta, Google
- Social media use is tied to well-being, according to the new World Happiness Report
David L. Bahnsen is the managing partner of a wealth-management firm and a frequent writer and public commentator on matters of economics, faith and work, and markets.




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