The $7 Hamburger Case That Could Transform California’s Bail System

The $7 Hamburger Case That Could Transform California’s Bail System

From Political Breakdown by KQED

May 21, 2026 · 34 min

About this episode

Marisa and Guy discuss the latest polls and a significant California Supreme Court ruling that could change the bail system.

Now that all of the governor debates are behind us, Marisa and Guy discuss what the latest polls reveal about where the candidates stand. They also examine the closing arguments from the top two Democratic contenders: Xavier Becerra is asking voters to judge him by his record, while Tom Steyer wants them to judge him by his enemies. PG&E Spends Millions Against Tom Steyer. What’s Behind the Clash? Xavier Becerra Says He Will Fight for California. Who Did He Fight for as AG? Plus, a recent California Supreme Court ruling in favor of a man who spent six months in jail after using someone else’s credit card to buy a $7 hamburger could fundamentally reshape the use of cash bail in the state. Marisa is joined by Marsanne Weese and Rose Mishaan, the two attorneys who litigated the case and won. Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠, delivered straight to your inbox. And join us for a town hall at KQED with Tom Steyer, a top Democrat in the race for governor. Steyer will be talking with KQED’s Guy Marzorati and taking audience questions on Tuesday, May 26 at 6:00pm at KQED headquarters in San Francisco. You can register for the event at KQED.org/events. Learn…

People in this episode

Hosts: Marisa, Guy

Guests: Marsanne Weese, Rose Mishaan

Topics covered

  • California bail system
  • governor debates
  • poll analysis
  • Democratic candidates
  • legal case
  • cash bail reform

Keywords

  • California
  • bail system
  • Xavier Becerra
  • Tom Steyer
  • PG&E
  • legal case
  • cash bail
  • governor debates

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PG&E, KQED

Places: California

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