Guest:

Lance Christensen, Vice President of the California Policy Center

Guest Bio:

Lance Christensen is a policy expert and former candidate for California Superintendent of Public Instruction. He currently serves with the California Policy Center, advocating for education reform, school choice, and smarter government. With a bold voice on California’s economic and energy challenges, Lance is a leading thinker on how to restore prosperity and common sense across the state.

Show Summary

Is California’s K-12 system beyond repair — or just in need of bold reform? In this energetic conversation, Lance Christensen joins Jon to unpack the deep-rooted challenges in public education, from low literacy rates to union influence, and why many teachers still don’t know about their right to opt out of unions. They also dive into California’s failing energy policy, sky-high living costs, and the long-term economic damage of misguided climate mandates.

Lance shares what he’d do on day one if he were Governor, and why real change requires more local accountability, not just new policies. Whether you’re a parent, policymaker, or frustrated Californian — this one’s for you.

Chapters

00:00 – Why Education Affects Everyone

01:29 – California's Failing K-12 System

02:15 – The Federal Tax Credit No One’s Using

03:41 – The Power of Teachers Unions & Janus Decision

05:25 – The Impact of DEI in Schools

07:45 – The Economic Fallout of Policy Failures

09:15 – Why California Sends Jobs to Other States

10:37 – What’s Driving Sky-High Energy Prices

12:42 – We Need an “All of the Above” Energy Plan

13:37 – Wildfires Are Undermining Climate Goals

15:24 – First Moves as Governor: Expand the Legislature?

17:06 – California Leader Lance Most Admires

17:50 – Why California Is Still Worth Fighting For

Connect with Lance Christiansen

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lancechristensen
• X: https://x.com/Lance4CASuper
• Website:lancechristensen.com/

Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast

Connect with State of Gold

• X: https://x.com/realjonslavet
• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en
• Website: www.stateofgold.com

Guest:

Ethan Penner, Independent Candidate for Governor

Guest Bio:

Ethan Penner is a prominent investor and finance innovator best known for helping to create the modern commercial mortgage-backed securities market. Now, as an independent candidate for California governor, he’s proposing sweeping reforms—from an audacious flat tax plan to a state-run insurance mutual and a unified solution to homelessness. A thought leader who blends economic insight with a community-first vision, Penner offers a bold roadmap for revitalizing the Golden State.

Show Summary

In this compelling episode, independent gubernatorial candidate Ethan Penner lays out his radical blueprint for a better California. He breaks down his proposal to eliminate all state income and corporate taxes in favor of a single 15% consumption tax—with a built-in “prebate” for lower-income residents to avoid regressive impacts.

Penner also unveils his plan for a public, non-profit property insurance mutual to address California’s insurance crisis, plus his vision to replace the “homeless industrial complex” with one accountable statewide model. He finishes with powerful insights on education reform, including pay-for-performance family incentives, extended school hours, and working around entrenched systems like CTA to honor great teachers.

Whether you agree or not, Penner's ideas will challenge your thinking and spark conversation.

Chapters
00:00 – Ethan Penner’s Bold Tax Proposal

01:46 – Making the Tax Non-Regressive with a Pre-bate

03:51 – Tax Implications for High Earners & Behavioral Impact

06:32 – Audit Spending, Not Income

08:08 – A New Public Insurance Model for CA

11:16 – Rewarding Good Behavior with Premiums

12:54 – Statewide Fire Prevention + Early Warning Systems

14:12 – Fixing the Homelessness Crisis with One Plan

16:05 – Why the Incentive Structure Must Change

17:25 – The Education Crisis: Real Incentives for Families

18:28 – Rethinking Time in School & Homework Support

20:04 – The CTA Barrier and Talking Directly to Teachers

22:22 – Rapid Fire: First Action & Final Thoughts

Connect with Ethan Penner

• Website: https://www.pennerforgovernor.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pennerforca/
• Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pennerforca?_t=ZP-8yGvZjgEJGZ&_r=1
• X: https://x.com/pennerforca?s=21

Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast

Connect with State of Gold

• X: https://x.com/realjonslavet
• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en
• Website: www.stateofgold.com

Guest:

Graham Knaus CEO, California State Association of Counties

Guest Bio:

Graham Knaus is CEO of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) – whose mission is to serve, support, and advocate for the state's 58 counties to ensure they can effectively serve their communities. With deep experience in public finance and governance, Knaus has been a fierce advocate for empowering counties to address core issues like homelessness, affordability, housing, and disaster response. He believes in a commonsense formula: Let the state set the goals, and let local governments decide how to get the job done.

Show Summary

What if California’s most expensive problems—homelessness, housing, affordability—aren’t being solved simply because no one knows who’s responsible? In this episode, Graham Knaus delivers a powerful breakdown of why top-down state mandates keep failing and what it will take to rebuild from the bottom up.From misaligned funding and broken incentives to the absence of clear accountability regarding homelessness, Knaus calls for a simple but radical shift: give local governments the authority, tools, and flexibility to meet their communities’ needs. He also shares candid insights into California’s affordability crisis, overregulation, CEQA’s unintended consequences, and what it would really take to let our counties thrive. If you're ready to understand California’s dysfunction—and how to fix it—this episode is a must.

Chapters

00:00 – The Role of Counties vs. the State

01:30 – Why Homelessness Efforts Keep Failing

04:25 – Who Should Be Accountable?

06:00 – Where the $30B Homeless Funds Went

07:25 – A Broken Housing System

09:30 – Planning for Water, Disasters & the Future

11:55 – Affordability Crisis and Overregulation

13:30 – California’s Hidden Strengths

14:08 – Rapid Fire: Governor for a Day, Jerry Brown, and What Outsiders Get Wrong

Connect with Graham Knaus

• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-knaus-4102596b/

Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast

Connect with State of Gold

• X: https://x.com/realjonslavet
• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stateofgold/about
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en
• Website: www.stateofgold.com