On the 100th anniversary of the L.A. Daily News first edition, Off the Presses interviewed DN columnist Kerry Cavanaugh about issues that inspire attention in her column. Next up, we spoke with Occupy L.A. spokesperson Lisa Clapier about the mood of the activists and what they are protesting. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.

Today's Off The Presses program featured interviews with L.A. City Council district 15 candidate Joe Buscaino, who is an LAPD officer in San Pedro, followed by civil rights pundit David Lehrer of Community Advocates about the "Irvine 11" who were recently convicted for their roles in interrupting the Israeli ambassador's appearance at UC Irvine, L.A. County redistricting, and the "anti-greed" protesters at L.A. City Hall. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.

Today on Off The Presses, we interviewed CA Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes about his filmmakers tax credit legislation and his candidacy for L.A. City Council. Next, we spoke with USC’s Unruh Institute director Dan Schnur about how the GOP’s presidential race is shaping up and who is positioned well to be L.A.’s next mayor. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.

Today’s episode of Off the Presses featured interviews with Daily News editorial writer Mariel Garza and attorney Sherman Ellison who is battling the City of L.A. over its troubled red-light camera program. Other topics included the recent stabbing on the Red Line subway and the Santa Mountain Mountains Conservancy’s revenues from its stop sign cameras. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.

Today’s Off The Presses program featured interviews with L.A. City Councilmember Ed Reyes and former Daily News editor Ron Kaye, both of whom shared their thoughts about the city’s agreement with AEG to construct a football stadium and rebuild parts of the convention center. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.

Today on Off The Presses, we checked in with L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl about his concerns about AEG’s Farmers Field proposal to bring an NFL team to the city and asked him why he decided to support it and how he things taxpayers are protected. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.

Off the Presses kicked off the program with Al Abrams, President of the City of Los Angeles Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (BONC), who was in studio to talk about civic engagement, “Shop LA” and the Los Angeles neighborhood council system.  Then OTP spoke to Eric Bauman, Vice Chair of the California Democratic Party, about the debt ceiling, our top two primary system, and party registration in California.  Listen to the show to find out who reads Hindu Sanskrit poetry and listens to Gladys Knight.   Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc. and the OTP media partner, The City Maven.

On today’s program, Off The Presses interviewed the Sacramento Bee’s senior editor Dan Morain about his recent columns about presidential candidate Mitt Romney and the state budget mess as well as the politics of capital punishment, unions and redistricting.

In the last minutes before CARmageddon, Off The Presses interviewed economist Christopher Thornberg of Beacon Economics about California’s slow recovery and how policymakers impact the economy. Next up, we spoke with Alan Jackson who successfully prosecuted Phil Spector last year and is running to replace District Attorney Steve Cooley. Special thanks to our sponsor, PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.

Today, on Off The Presses, we chatted with San Francisco Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders about her recent pieces about the economic collapse in Europe, presidential candidate Herman Cain, and the SF ballot measure to ban circumcisions. Our next guest, CSUN political science professor Tom Hogen-Esch, joined us in studio to examine the legislative efforts to disincorporate the City of Vernon. Special thanks to our sponsor, PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc..

With California’s political landscape changing dramatically due to redistricting and top-two primaries, Off The Presses spoke with Bob Stern of the Center for Governmental Studies and Stuart Waldman of the Valley Industry & Commerce Assn. (VICA) about how these reforms might impact officeholders and voters. Special thanks to our sponsor, PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc..

Following some insightful discussion about the state budget impasse and whether legislators should be paid or not when the budget deadline expires, Off The Presses spoke with L.A. Business Journal editor Charles Crumpley about legislation to disincorporate the business friendly city of Vernon, L.A.’s best venues for football and baseball stadiums, and the L.A. City Council’s controversial indecisions about extending the city’s red-light camera program at busy intersections. Special thanks to our sponsor, PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc..

Today on Off The Presses, L.A. City Councilman Paul Krekorian called in to discuss his motions to improve L.A.’s neighborhood council system. He also commented about proposed DWP rate hikes and the city’s process to consider a new football stadium and musicians you might find on his iPod. Special thanks to our sponsor, PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc..

On today’s show, Off The Presses interviewed L.A. City Councilwoman Jan Perry, who is also running for mayor, about possible DWP rate hikes, NFL stadiums, and her favorite bands. Next, we spoke with political strategist Garry South about his old nemesis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as why he thinks the Democrats will make sizable gains in 2012. Special thanks to our sponsor, PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc..

Off the Presses’ first guest today was L.A. Weekly reporter Gene Maddaus whose recent article on Vernon raised eyebrows among the political class for its candid look at the troubled city’s battle to stay incorporated.  Author, pundit and thought leader Joe Mathews followed with a lively discussion on Governor Brown, political reform, birtherism and the fall of the House of Schwarzenegger.  Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.

Off The Presses’ first guest today was L.A. Times reporter Kate Linthicum whose recent article about the declining number of women running for elective office struck a nerve with many Times readers. Political science professor Jack Pitney of Claremont McKenna College followed with an interesting discussion about which GOP candidate could give President Obama a strong challenge next year. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.

As another politician got implicated in a sex scandal, Off The Presses happened to have booked former Congressman Jim Rogan, who prosecuted the impeached of former President Bill Clinton. Now a judge in Orange County, Rogan couldn’t comment on current events, but he did discuss his new book, “Catching Our Flag,” which chronicles the whole story of the Clinton impeachment. Then, we interviewed Varity’s Ted Johnson about Hollywood’s reaction to the Schwarzenegger-Shriver separation. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.

Today on Off The Presses, we interviewed L.A. City Councilman Richard Alarcon about his focus on home foreclosures, business taxes, redevelopment and his plans to run for the State Assembly next year. Next up, we spoke with Stanley Stalford, a local developer who is leading an effort, OwnTheDodgers.com, to purchase the Dodgers as a non-profit syndicate of L.A. baseball fans modeled after the Green Bay Packers ownership structure. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.!  

Today’s featured guest on Off the Presses was Joel Fox, the publisher of FoxAndHoundsDaily.com, who explained controversies surrounding the CA Redistricting Commission and the Assembly Speaker’s efforts to dissolve the City of Vernon. We also discussed the latest developments with the Dodger ownership, who might be the next L.A. City Council president, and L.A. city parking enforcement employees appearing in adult films—while on duty. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.!  

Off the Presses (OTP) kicked off the show with Los Angeles’ former First Deputy of Economic and Business Policy, Austin Beutner, to discuss his mayoral campaign, business acumen and leadership experience.  Grabbing from recent headlines, OTP then spoke with L.A. Times investigative reporter, Ruben Vives, about winning a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service on his coverage of Bell.  Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.!  

Just a day after Mayor Villaraigosa unveiled a proposed budget, L.A. City Councilman Tony Cardenas called in to Off The Presses and shared his views about spending priorities, mayoral candidates, the proposed NFL stadium and more. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.!  

Today on Off The Presses, we spoke with KFI reporter Steve Gregory about celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s feud with LAUSD and brought in KCAL-9’s political reporter David Bryan to analyze Mayor Villaraigosa’s annual state of the city speech. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.!  

Today on Off The Presses, we interviewed L.A. City Councilman Bernard Parks about the city’s ongoing fiscal challenges and why labor targeted his recent reelection campaign. Next we spoke with L.A. Times reporter Michael Finnegan about his recent investigative series on millions of dollars of L.A. Community College District’s construction bond being misspent. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.!  

Today's Off The Presses featured an interview with CurbedLA's editor, Dakota Smith, who updated us about Gov. Brown's stymied efforts to eliminate redevelopment agencies as well as the new blueprints for the Wilshire Grand Hotel property in Downtown L.A. Then we spoke with the Orange County Register's Martin Wisckol about OC politics and why the GOP keeps falling further behind Democrats in voter registration in California.

Today on Off The Presses, we spoke with Daily News editorial page editor Mariel Garza about the recent city elections and why all the incumbents were reelected despite so much vote angst. Next we interviewed political consultant Mike Trujillo about his experience on Jose Huizar's reelection campaign including an infamous email about "putting a political bullet" in another candidate's head. Special thanks to our sponsor Pacific Federal Benefit Administrators!

With another Election Day behind us, Off The Presses caught up with Dan Schnur who is back at USC’s Unruh Institute after a stint as Chair of the CA Fair Political Practices Commission where he tackled ethics issues involving campaign disclosures and posting of pending investigations of candidates on the state’s website. After that we spoke with Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Bill Whalen about his recent articles suggesting reforms to the nation’s presidential primary schedule and which Republicans pose serious challenges to Obama in 2012. Special thanks to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.

With a legislative deadline looming, the Sacramento Bee’s capitol reporter Torey Van Oot updated us on recent developments in negotiations between the governor and GOP legislators. Next up, we heard the latest on Charlie Sheen’s rants from journalist Amy Wallace who just interviewed him for GQ Magazine. She also told us about her recent interview with Dr. Laura for Los Angeles Magazine. Special thanks to our sponsor, PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.

Political author/journalist Joe Mathews kicked off today’s show with insightful commentary about Gov. Brown’s budget proposal, how the GOP is responding, and the political stalemate in Wisconsin. Then we spoke with L.A. Business Journal editor/columnist Charles Crumpley about L.A.’s unfair business tax structure and whom the business community might rally around for mayor in 2013. Special thanks to our sponsor, PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.!

Today on Off The Presses we spoke with Daily News city hall reporter Rick Orlov about budget shortfalls and local races. We also interviewed former LA Times and LA Weekly reporter Daniel Hernandez who is in town to promote his new book “Down & Delirious in Mexico City.” And thank you to our sponsor PacFed Benefit Administrators!

On today’s episode of Off The Presses, we spoke with Downtown News editor Jon Regardie about the exciting (and increasingly harsh) campaigns for L.A. City Council district 14 as well as how the city is handling proposals for a new NFL stadium near Staples Center. Then we switched gears and talked about the state’s upcoming budget battle with the Ventura County Star’s state editor and columnist Timm Herdt. And thank you to our sponsor, PacFed Benefit Administrators!

Following Gov. Brown’s first state of the state speech, Off the Presses interviewed longtime L.A. Times columnist George Skelton about his Feb. 3 piece describing how illogical the GOP’s reaction was to asking voters to extend the 2009 tax increases and how out of control California’s initiative system is. We also announced our new partnership with TheCityMaven.com’s Alice Walton, who will join us in studio each week. Special thanks to our new sponsor, PacFed Benefit Administrators, Inc.!

Today's Off The Presses program featured and interview with outgoing LAUSD Superintendent Ray Cortines who commented on the recent shootings at local schools as well as the impact of budget cuts on education but how the school district still manages to improve. We also spoke with Jack Humpreville who owns the Recycler newspapers and has made quite a name for himself in L.A. as an informed critic of DWP and more recently on how he thinks the L.A. City Council has messed up the leasings of its parking garages.

Today on Off The Presses, L.A. Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner called in to talk about the new General Manager for LADWP and the city’s new job creation initiatives. He also plugged the new Los Angeles City Fellows program which is seeking to develop new talent in City Hall. We also spoke with David Abel about emerging alternative energy technologies and his upcoming VerdeXchange conference. And we announced a new partnership between Off The Presses and TheCityMaven.com starting in February and will include regular in-studio appearances with City Hall reporter Alice Walton.  

CNN’s Paul Begala joined Off The Presses for an in-depth conversation about the tone of political rhetoric in America and how politicians and pundits are responding to the tragic shooting in Arizona last weekend. We also discussed President Obama’s job performance thus far, potential GOP presidential candidates, issues of which Democratic and Republican lawmakers can collaborate, and hunting in Alaska.

Is L.A. ready for some football? Off The Presses sure is after we spoke with John Semcken, who is Majestic Realty Co’s point person on their proposed stadium in the City of Industry where ground is ready to be broken. (We also got some questions in about John’s naval career and his technical advisor role in the movie Top Gun). Staying on the land use theme, we also interviewed Cary Brazeman of LAneighbors.org, a group that is challenging the City of L.A.’s proposed zoning rules, some of which could result in more development in lower density neighborhoods.

For the last show of 2010, Off The Presses interviewed L.A. Times columnist/editor at large Jim Newton regarding his recent columns focusing on the mayor and LAUSD superintendent as well as his books about Earl Warren and Dwight Eisenhower, which will be released next fall.

Today’s show featured Calpeek’s Dick Rosengarten who provided some interesting commentary about how the unusually productive lame duck session in Congress has given President Obama higher approval ratings. Next up, we spoke with L.A. journalist Alice Walton, who is covering City Hall through her new blog TheCityMaven.com, about several issues such as pension costs, voter apathy, and how one city councilman’s relationship with a lobbyist has put her client at the center of a debate about city contracts. And, Larry Kaplan, the winner of the Off The Presses Election Results Challenge joined us in studio to help interview our guests.

Today, Off the Presses spoke with L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel about her recent audits of city agencies and how inaction can cost taxpayers money. Next, we chatted with Lee Alpert who recently announced his retirement as president of the L.A. Water & Power Commission and shared his thoughts on DWP’s deliverables and functions.

Off The Presses spoke with GOP leader Jon Flesichman of FlashReport.org about the future of the Republican Party in California as well as with Howard Fine of the L.A. Business Journal about efforts to raise the minimum wage on hotels throughout the city of Los Angeles along with his thoughts about Jack Kyser and Joe Cerrell, both of whom had passed away in the past week.

Political journalist/author Joe Mathews ably served as guest host of Off The Presses and interviewed Olivia Calderon, who is the California legislative director for the New America Foundation, talking about a series of ideas (from college accounts for San Francisco kindergarteners to automatic IRAs for small business employees) to make Californians wealthier, and Bruno Kaufmann, a Swiss-Swedish journalist and president of the Initiative & Referendum Institute Europe, calling in from Sweden about how the California experience has helped shape a new initiative process for Europe.

Off The Presses spoke with Common Cause Executive Director Kathay Feng about political reforms in that state of California and what is being discussed in Congress—and why reformers are optimistic.  This was followed by an engaging conversation with Los Angeles Community College Trustee Board Member Mona Field who spoke about her commitment to education and the role of community colleges in Southern California.  Thought leader Joe Mathews was in studio for some political banter, insight and analysis.

Nutrition was the topic of the day on Off The Presses and how lawmakers try to combat obesity through the land use and legislative processes as we spoke with Sen. Alex Padilla and L.A. Times reporter Sharon Bernstein who wrote a recent article about the L.A. City Council’s efforts to strengthen moratoriums on standalone fast food restaurants.

Off The Presses spoke with L.A. Daily News columnist Kerry Cavanaugh about some of her recent articles about interpreting DWP bills and what city officials will eventually have to do to reign in rising pension costs. Next up, we interviewed longtime lobbyist Harvey Englander about some of the regulations imposed on contract lobbyists and about how the business community could be more influential in city elections.

Just 14 hours after the polls had closed, Off The Presses asked several experts for their reactions to the historic election results including San Francisco Chronicle columnist Carla Marrinucci, KCAL 9 political reporter Dave Bryan, and Claremont Mckenna political science professor Jack Pitney. This ranks as one of our best shows yet!

With less than a week before Election Day, Off the Presses spoke with CA Assemblyman Dan Logue, the author of Prop. 23 to suspend California’s climate change law, and Stuart Waldman, the president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Assn. (VICA) about various state and local issues impacting the business climate.

With Election Day just 13 days away, Off The Presses spoke with Chase Davis, political reporter for CaliforniaWatch.org about the gubernatorial races and how some of President Obama’s fiercest critics in Congress are lobbying for the federal stimulus funds they vociferously opposed, according to his latest article. Then, we spoke with longtime radio personality Bill Moran about how talk radio has evolved from in-depth interviews to entertaining rants and raves.

Off The Presses interviewed Larry Kosmont, who is co-author of the annual Kosmont-Rose Institute Cost of Doing Business Survey, and discussed which cities measure up to being business friendly and which ones fall short—with some surprises! We also spoke with Sacramento Bee political reporter Torey Van Oot about last night’s gubernatorial debate and what the candidates have to do to finish strong.

En route to Sacramento vote on the state budget, Assemblyman Cameron Smyth called in to talk about the state’s fiscal needs and other legislative issues. We also heard from L.A. City Councilman Jose Huizar and Trent Lange of the CA Clean Money Campaign who are working together on some proposals to improve voter turnout for L.A.’s municipal elections.

Off The Presses spoke with Sen. Fran Pavley, a legislative champion for environmental causes, primarily about her climate change legislation and how Prop. 23 seeks to undo it. Next we interviewed L.A. Business Journal editor Charles Crumpley about a variety of issues impacting the local business climate including the controversy over lunch trucks, the gross receipts tax, and TV news coverage of public policy.

Off The Presses spoke with Alex Rubalcava, a local financial planner who has teamed up with former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan in recent years to expose the flaws and potential disasters if public pension fund liabilities are not addressed. Next up, we chatted with former L.A. Daily News editor Ron Kaye about next year’s city elections and how his group, Operation Clean Sweep, seeks to shake things up at City Hall through a savvy political effort.

L.A. City ethics issues took center stage on Off The Presses today as we interviewed L.A. Times city hall reporter David Zahniser and City Ethics Commissioner Marlene Canter, who is also past president of the LAUSD board. Both guests talked about proposed rules aimed at limiting elected officials’ use of performing “ceremonial or official city business” at big events such as NBA games or the awards shows without paying for admission. We also covered some of the controversies surrounding the selection of new restaurants approved for operations at LAX.

Off The Presses enjoyed some stimulating conversations with CA Assemblymembers Bob Blumenfield and Mike Feuer, covering a variety of topics including the budget impasses, political reforms, water, and cracking down on unsightly mobile billboards.

Off the Presses waxed political with returning OTP champion and pundit, Joe Mathews, and former investigative reporter for Talk Radio 790 AM and KNX 1070 News Radio, Michael Linder.  Mathews talked about the Legislature and reform measures proposed in his new book, California Crackup, while Linder spoke about his year investigating City Hall and the body politic.  Both guests referenced recent developments in the City of Bell and who is ultimately responsible for it.

Off The Presses had double doses of politics, public policy and punditry with Calbuzz co-creator and Feinstein biographer Jerry Roberts and former state Senator and Founding Director of the Public Policy Institute at Santa Monica College, Sheila Kuehl.  Kuehl announced that she is indeed running for termed-out Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky’s seat and offered a tough critique of the current governor.  Roberts gave thoughtful commentary on the role of the media, scripted candidates and statewide contests.  

Many interesting topics were covered on Off the Presses as we started off speaking with Downtown LA News editor Jon Regardie about homelessness, waste at City Hall, and using public funds to build hotels. Next we chatted with L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich about similar issues, specifically his ideas to address chronic homelessness.

Off The Presses enjoyed a fun conversation with Variety’s managing editor Ted Johnson about net neutrality, Levi Johnston and gay marriage as well as politics as a reality show. Next we spoke with Fox & Hounds’ publisher Joel Fox, a small business advocate who has a new mystery book out, “Lincoln’s Hand.” He commented on several tax proposals in Sacramento to help balance the state budget.

Dave Bryan, KCAL-9 TV’s legendary political reporter called in to Off The Presses to preview interviews he had just completed with gubernatorial candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman and to add more insight to the political chaos in the City of Bell. Speaking of which, municipal law expert Julie Biggs of Burke Williams & Sorenson, LLP chimed in with more comments about the proper roles of city attorneys for charter cities, such as Bell.

L.A. Daily News opinion page editor Mariel Garza was the featured guest on Off The Presses radio this week and discussed her paper’s recent front page editorial criticizing Mayor Villaraigosa’s perceived distractions from city business and his prompt responses. Next we spoke with journalist and author Walter Brasch, whose new book “The Sinking of the Ship: the Presidency of George W. Bush” comes out soon.

On Off The Presses this week, we spoke with Bob Stern of the Center for Governmental Studies who commented on the organization’s new report, “Money & Power in the City of Angels.” Among its findings is that L.A. city incumbents were all easily reelected and outraised their opponents, 19-1, and that 99.993% of L.A. City Council votes were unanimous last year. We also chatted with PR guru and political pundit Michael Levine who publishes the LBNElert and explained why we’re fascinated with Lindsay Lohan’s and Mel Gibson’s troubles and how he’s leading a boycott of Scotland over its role in releasing convicted Lockarbie terrorist Abdel Baset al-Megrahi.

Off The Presses caught up with civil rights veteran Joe Hicks of Community Advocates to talk about his recent op-ed in the L.A. Times suggesting that our UC college system needlessly goes around Prop. 209 to achieve racial equality in enrollment as well as his thoughts about NAACP’s relevance today. Next up, we spoke with Carmen Balber of Consumer Watchdog who addressed shortcomings in the pending financial reforms in Congress. Micah Weinberg of the New America Foundation batted cleanup and ended the show with some thoughts on how health care reforms will help more Americans in the most need obtain better care.

With Congress in recess, Off the Presses caught up with Dick Castner of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce who explained how the pending “DISCLOSE” Act will put  business interests at competitive disadvantages when supporting candidates. We also spoke with CSU Channel Islands political science professors Sean Kelly and Scott Frisch, who have co-authored a new book about Congressional pork spending, “Cheese Factories on the Moon: Why Earmarks are Good for American Democracy,” which will be published this summer by Paradigm Publishers. And seasoned lobbyist Christina Rose called in to plug Coro’s highly regarded leadership programs.

Meg Whitman’s policy advisor, Rob Stutzman, joined Off The Presses to talk about the gubernatorial candidate’s positions and strategies to win on Election Day. We also spoke with Joel Fox of the CA Small Business Action Committee and publisher of FoxAndHoundsDaily.com about the state’s budget fiasco and various tax increase proposals.

Off the Presses spoke with LAUSD board member Tamar Galatzan about her lone vote against a motion for the cash-strapped school district to boycott non-union carwashes (yes, carwashes). We also spoke with economist John Husing about how L.A. County’s seaports are recovering from the recession and creating jobs in new sectors related to international trade and goods movement.

With ballots from Election Day still being counted, Off The Presses spoke with Matt Cunningham of RedCounty.com who explained why Orange County Sen. Lou Correa has a tough reelection fight in November and which office tea party darling Chuck DeVore might pursue next. Howard Fine of the L.A. Business Journal also called in to talk about the business community’s ballot efforts for political reform and whom might be preparing to run for mayor of Los Angeles in 2013.

Just two days after Election Day, Off the Presses digested the returns with L.A. Times political reporter Kathleen Decker, Sacrament Bee reporter Torey Van Oot, and CaliforniasCapitol.com’s Greg Lucas. A taped exclusive interview with Lt. Governor Abel Maldanado was also played.

Off The Presses was pleased to welcome L.A. City Councilmember (and future mayoral candidate) Jan Perry in studio for an interesting segment on budget challenges and other issues facing the city. L.A. City Councilmember Jose Huizar called in to talk about his thoughts on political reforms, and New America Senior Scholar Mark Paul called in to discuss his new book (co-authored with Joe Mathews) California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How It Can Be Fixed.

A busy day at Off The Presses as we spoke with CA Assemblyman Hector de la Torre about his candidacy for state insurance commissioner, CSU Fullerton political science professor Raphael Sonenshein about L.A.’s mayoral politics, LA Weekly editor Jill Stewart about the Lt. Governor’s race, and political consultant Darry Sragow about the GOP’s hopes in this year’s mid-term elections.

Following the surprising returns in several primary elections across the country and with California’s own primary elections in June tightening up for governor and U.S. Senate, Off the Presses spoke with Dick Rosengarten, publisher of Calpeek, and political science professors Lara Brown of Villanova and Jack Pitney of Claremont McKenna. And we played a short interview with CA Assemblyman Cameron Smyth who chairs the Assembly Local Government Committee with his reactions to the governor’s proposed budget.

With the immigration debate raging across the country, Off the Presses spoke with former Sacramento Bee editorial page editor and columnist Peter Schrag, who has also recently authored the book “Not Fit for Our Society.” San Francisco Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders also chimed in with her perspective on how Arizona’s immigration laws impact the policy discussion.

It was a busy day for Off the Presses as we covered pot dispensaries, rent control rules in L.A., and California’s water challenges. First up, was Deputy L.A. City Attorney Terry Kaufmann-Macias explaining how 476 medical marijuana dispensaries will be shut down next month. She was followed by the Los Angeles Times’ city hall reporter David Zahniser who updated us with the city’s efforts to prevent landlords from raising rents for several months. Water experts Kevin Hunt of Municipal Water District of Orange County and Mario Santoyo of Friar Water Users Authority also called in to address the impact of the state’s water crisis on local users.

Today, Off the Presses discussed the state’s water challenges with Orange County Business Council’s Vice President for Economic Development Dr. Wallace Walrod and Municipal Water District of Orange County board member Jeffrey Thomas. Various water issues were addressed including storage, conveyance, Delta levees and the water bond on the Nov. 2 ballot. Also, Nick Karno called in; he is a leading candidate for a South Bay state assembly seat.

State Controller John Chiang and KTLA-5’s award winning entertainment reporter Sam Rubin called in to Off The Presses to talk about the state’s financial situation, pension costs, credit ratings, and how Mr. Rubin ruffled Perez Hilton’s feathers. Special thanks to our sponsor, Municipal Water District of Orange County.

On tax day, Off the Presses was pleased to welcome back Joel Fox, longtime anti-tax advocate and currently the president of CA Small Business Action Committee along with L.A. Daily News reporter Rick Orlov for a lively discussion about how lawmakers are handling large budget deficits, some of the initiatives on the June 8 ballot, and more coverage of the mismanagement of the LADWP rate hike proposals.

In the midst of a literal power struggle between the L.A. City Council, the mayor, and the LADWP over rate hikes and transfers to the city’s general fund, Off the Presses interviewed civic activists Ron Kaye and Jack Humpreville about whether rate hikes are needed and where the revenues would go. Off The Presses then began its series on candidates running in Assembly District 53 (LAX, Torrance), starting off with Manhattan Beach mayor Mitch Ward who is running in this open seat.

After some April 1 on-air tomfoolery, LA Weekly’s award winning news editor Jill Stewart called in to Off The Presses to explain the shenanigans behind the LADWP rate hikes being considered and criticized between the city council and board of commissioners. Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Assn. (VICA) also called in to present rate hikes’ impacts on employers. And history professor Bernard von Bothmer of the Univ. of San Francisco discussed his new book “Framing the ‘60s,” and how America is still fighting cultural wars from that tumultuous decade.

Tom Campbell, who is currently the leading candidate to face off against Sen. Barbara Boxer in November, called in to Off the Presses to discuss his campaign and address federal issues such as the new health care plan and foreign affairs. CA Attorney General candidate Rocky Delgadillo joined us in studio and talked about his background as L.A.’s City Attorney and his efforts to crack down on gangs and corporate fraud.

Off The Presses interviewed syndicated columnist Tom Elias about the changes his seen in 38 years of covering state politics as well as speaking with Assembly candidate Mike Gatto is who is running in the special election on April 13 in AD 43.

CA Assemblyman Alberto Torrico called in to discuss his efforts to improve higher education as well as his candidacy for attorney general. Off The Presses exchanged observations with Variety deputy editor Ted Johnson surrounding the controversies of Congressman Eric Massa and CA Sen. Roy Ashburn. We kicked off the morning previewing the L.A. Area Chamber’s annual advocacy trip to Capitol Hill with Chamber vice president Sam Garrison.

L.A. City Councilman Jose Huizar called in to discuss his thoughts on campaign finance reform for candidates running for office in the City of Los Angeles. Forbes Magazine columnist Joel Kotkin joined Off The Presses in studio to discuss his new book, “The Next Hundred Million” (published by Penguin Press) in which he forecasts more Americans living in suburbs and less dependency on traditional downtown areas as the primary job centers.

Rep. Henry Waxman called into Off The Presses and updated listeners on the status of the federal health care reform bill as and commented on energy related issues too.  (Is Rep. Waxman open to new nuclear power plants?). He was followed by Bill Corcoran who is director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign which seeks to end L.A. city’s use of coal power plants.

Former L.A. Daily News editor and vocal citizen journalist Ron Kaye visited Off The Presses in studio and chastised L.A. city officials for driving the city into the brink of bankruptcy. Tune in to find out what Ron is doing to organize Angelenos to stir the pot at City Hall.

With the Republican tide potentially rising in 2010, Off the Presses spoke with national GOP strategists Jason Roe and David All about recent elections, digital parity with the Democrats and how they plan to keep the momentum going.  Hear a first-hand account of the Rep. Joe Wilson “You lie!” incident and how he turned that into fundraising gold—as well as what will be the big political stories and trends.

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.