Josh Molina of Santa Barbara Talks podcast joins Newsmakers' Jerry Roberts as co-moderators of the first debate among candidates for Mayor of Santa Barbara in the November election.  All six candidates- incumbent mayor Cathy Murillo, and challengers James Joyce III, Matt Kilrain, Randy Rowse, Deborah Schwartz, and Mark Whitehurst- met via Zoom while the hosts were at TVSB's studio, to discuss the State of the City, Homelessness, State Street & Economic Development, Housing, Equity and Governance.

NM Mayoral Debate 2021

In the first full-length interview of her re-election campaign, Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido breaks down the powers and limitations of her often-misunderstood office and why she thinks she deserves re-election to it, while discussing hot button issues in education from literacy, low test scores and learning loss to absenteeism, anti-vaxxers and anxiety among the Covid generation of students.

Susan Salcido, S.B. County Superintendent of Schools

Jun Starkey, Josh Molina, Nick Welsh and Ryan P. Cruz join the genial host for a far and wide look at the week’s top local news stories, from Gabe Escobedo’s swift emergence as a front-runner for an SBUSD seat and Superintendent Hilda Maldonado’s corporate-style, team-building retreat, to the arrival of Monkeypox in the county and a scary spike in opioid overdoses, and the burning of Pride flags in the Valley and the latest on Ed St. George’s bid to build a hotel on the Westside. Plus: axe throwing, Krav Maga and the passing of Olivia Newton-John.

Journalists Panel; August 12, 2022

In a wide-ranging interview, Rep. Salud Carbajal discusses the threat to democracy posed by Donald Trump's domination of the Republican Party, along with a number of key issues facing the Central Coast, from the fate of the Diablo Canyon power plant to the impact of several huge new federal spending bills.

One on One with Salud Carbajal

Los Angeles Times Political Columnist Mark Z. Barabak – a rare member of the MSM press corps who did not predict a “Red Wave” – returns to Newsmakers with analysis and insights on the (almost) final results of the congressional midterm elections, along with his takeaways on this week’s announcements by Donald Trump, that he’s running again for president, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, that she’s stepping back from Democratic leadership in the House.

press clips: Mark Z. Barabak; Nov. 18., 2022

KEYT’s Lily Dallow returns to the panel on this week’s edition of Newsmakers TV to talk about the historic and cultural significance of a Chumash elder being selected to play a major role in this year’s Fiesta celebration, as Josh Molina details the bad political optics of Board of Supervisors members voting themselves a pay raise and Nick Welsh breaks down the fiscal and policy debate over the future of the county jail. Plus: housing, homelessness and Chubby Checker.

Journalists Panel; May 19, 2023

Bill Carrick, Dianne Feinstein's longest-serving political strategist, returns to Newsmakers TV for a one-on-one conversation recalling the high, lows and in-between of the extraordinary career of California's late senior U.S.Senator, and examining whether the physical and mental decline she suffered in recent years will taint her legacy.

Jerry Roberts and Bill Carrick Reminisce about Dianne Feinstein's Legacy; Sept. 29, 2023

Jason Harris, Santa Barbara's new -- and first --- economic development manager, accepted the job back in February, when all he thought he had to do was develop a sweeping strategy to revitalize downtown and bring the local economy into the 21st century. Then the pandemic hit and now, he tells Jerry, he's hustling and laboring 12 hours a day to help bring hundreds of local businesses back from the brink of extinction, working on short-term tactics he hopes at some point evolve into a long-term effort to stabilize and grow a solid new business core for Santa Barbara.

Jason Harris, City of Santa Barbara Econ.Development Mngr. May 21, 2020

Hilda Maldonado, the new Superintendent of the Santa Barbara Unified School District, joins Jerry to talk about her educational values and vision, the implications for local students and teachers of the multiple public health, economic and social crises facing the nation, the challenges of re-opening schools in August and a host of other policy and political issues that will confront her when she formally takes over on July 1.

Hilda Maldonado, June 16, 2020

Roger Goldman has spent  almost four decades working to create police licensing and decertification laws across the country.  He is perhaps the nation’s foremost expert in this area, sought after by journalists and legislators for his insights and perspectives.

Roger’s crusade got a tragic boost recently with the murder of George Floyd. In this interview with his longtime friend and former colleague Hap Freund, Roger talks about the importance of legislation that tracks, monitors, and prohibits police departments from hiring officers dismissed from other police departments for misconduct and explains why California is one of only five states currently without such legislation.

Roger Goldman, police licensing and decertification, July 2, 2020

As the deadline arrives for candidates to file for the November election, Delaney Smith and Josh Molina join Jerry to break down the race for three seats on the Santa Barbara school board and assess the chances of two newcomers to oust one of the trio of incumbents running. Plus all the rest of the local news of the week, from parents scrambling to find alternative schooling for their kids to the controversial transfer of a precious retail marijuana license in the city.

Journalists Panel, August 7, 2020

Veteran journalist Jerry Roberts interviews Santa Barbara media figures and  public officials about local issues and politics.

Journalists Panel; May 19, 2023

Newsmakers with Jerry Roberts