
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
More episodes of Political Breakdown
- The Dust Settles on California’s Primary · June 12, 2026 · 27 min
- Two Democratic Challengers Make the Case for Change · June 11, 2026 · 31 min
- Is California's Election System 'Crooked'? An Election Integrity Expert Weighs In · June 10, 2026 · 37 min
- San Francisco Voters Are Buying What Daniel Lurie Is Selling · June 5, 2026 · 27 min
- California’s Slow Count and What the Results Mean So Far · June 4, 2026 · 31 min
- California Races to Watch as Election Results Roll In · June 3, 2026 · 28 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Political Breakdown podcast page.