On the morning after President Obama’s first State of the Union Address, Off the Presses spoke with political strategist Matt Klink and former Assemblyman Marty Gallegos of the CA Hospital Assn. about health care reform and how it is impacting congressional races nationwide and how lawmakers in California are responding to actions on Capitol Hill.

Award winning author and OC Weekly columnist Gustavo Arellano (Ask a Mexican) participated in a thought-provoking discussion about race relations with in-studio guest David Lehrer, a longtime Jewish leader in Los Angeles and president of Community Advocates, Inc. Among the topics were academic freedom, examples of race baiting politicians, border control, and where Wally George got his hair cut.

USA Today correspondent Bill Welch called in from Nevada where he is covering Sen. Harry Reid’s re-election bid and smarting from calls for his resignation after disclosure of racially insensitive comments about Barrack Obama when he was running for president. In studio, was political pundit Joe Mathews, an Irvine Fellow at the New America Foundation and author of “The People’s Machine” about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gubernatorial run in 2003. He commented on California’s races for governor, Sen. Boxer’s seat, and all the initiatives that could end up on the Nov. ballot.

Calpeek publisher and political pundit Dick Rosengarten goes off on the political establishment!

L.A. Daily News reporter Rick Orlov talks shop and CA Small Business Action Committee CEO Joel Fox discusses state issues.

L.A. City Councilman Richard Alarcon joins FilmLA CEO Paul Audley and Jordan Kitaen of Quixote Studios address runaway film production.

Gabriella Holt of Citizens for California Reform explains why she wants to put a part-time legislature initiative on the 2010 ballot, and L.A. school board member Tamar Galatzan presents ideas for improving public schools.

Former L.A. Daily News editor Ron Kaye and financial manager Alex Rubalcava explain how the public pension problems can be fixed.