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ICYMI - Six Stories In CA Politics From This Week And A Video On The Dems Going After Newsom! And On This Date In 1971 - Elvis Visits Nixon In The White House!
The “So, Does It Matter?” Substack featured a lot of great, original content this past week. Below are the highlights!
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SIX GREAT COLUMNS THAT RAN THIS WEEK ON - SO, DOES IT MATTER?
The first column below was afternoon content earlier in the week so it was mostly behind the paywall for our paid subscribers. But now it’s been unlocked, so I would encourage you, if you weren’t able to at the time, to read it! Important stuff…
![[UNLOCKED] Karen Bass Wants Four More Years. Los Angeles Deserves Better. It Has To Have Better.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W2cL!,w_1300,h_650,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F00047896-75ee-4cf8-8a97-fe09a20a0d8b_1536x1024.png)
Below is a two-part series that ran earlier in the week… With twice the length, this one-two series packs twice the punch!
Gavin Newsom’s State Capitol Expansion Has a $1.1 Billion Budget - But No Final Cost Estimate | ||||||
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This is Part One of a two-part investigation into the State Capitol annex project. Both parts are available to all readers. If you value this reporting, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support sustains our work and provides full access to premium content. | ||||||
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With Presidential Ambitions, Gavin Newsom’s $1.1 Billion Capitol Problem Becomes Harder to Ignore | ||||||
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This is the second part of a two-part series looking at the controversy around California’s State Capitol Annex project. The first part covered the project’s rising costs, secrecy, and lack of transparency. You can read it here. | ||||||
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Democrats Tried to Project Confidence at a National Gathering in L.A. Here’s What They Couldn’t Hide. | ||||||
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Our morning content is available to all subscribers and visitors. For our premium subscribers, I have uploaded a video commentary on the same topic as this column… | ||||||
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California vs. Florida on Split Roll Taxation: The Divide Between Newsom and DeSantis | ||||||
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Our morning content is available to all subscribers and guests. That said, there is something extra or our paid subscribers below this column! | ||||||
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Top Ten Winners & Losers In California Politics For The Week Ending 12/19/25 - Dhillon, Newsom, Swalwell, Cox, the loathsome Mayor of Richmond, and more... | ||||||
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Below is our Top Ten List of Winners and Losers for the Week. This feature is available to all of our subscribers, free and paid. | ||||||
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A Great Video!
It makes sense that, with Gavin Newsom coming off a strong 2025 (politically), the long knives would be out for him from other Democrats. I detail it here… This video has already gotten over 30,000 views on YouTube — don’t miss out!
FOMO? No, no.
There were several other posts last week that you will not want to miss. If you want to check them out, you can go to the archive here and scroll down!
On This Date In 1971
PRESIDENT NIXON WELCOMES ELVIS PRESLEY TO THE WHITE HOUSE!
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On this date in 1971, Elvis Presley made one of the most unexpected visits in White House history, meeting with Richard Nixon in the Oval Office. The meeting was not a publicity stunt dreamed up by aides. Presley, deeply concerned about the rise of drug culture and anti-American sentiment, wrote Nixon a handwritten letter offering his help in the fight against drugs—specifically requesting a federal badge that would allow him to assist law enforcement.
Nixon agreed to see him, and the result was an improbable handshake between the King of Rock ’n’ Roll and the president he had publicly supported. Presley arrived in full style—purple velvet cape included—and left with an honorary Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge.
The photograph from that meeting, shown above, has since become the most requested image in the National Archives’ presidential collection. More than a novelty, the moment captured a rare intersection of pop culture, politics, and patriotism—an unforgettable snapshot of early-1970s America.
Here’s a cool video with a bunch of photos. There were no movies taken, and the… audio capabilities of Nixon’s Oval Office… were not yet installed!
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