Guest:
Rob Lapsley, President – The California Business Roundtable
Guest Bio:
Rob Lapsley is the President of the California Business Roundtable, where he advocates for economic growth, job creation, and pro-business reforms across the state. A former U.S. State Department official and Chief of Staff to California’s Secretary of State, Lapsley has deep roots in both public policy and private enterprise. He’s one of the loudest voices warning about the damaging effects of Prop 50, regulatory overreach, and the state’s addiction to hidden taxes.
Show Summary
Are voters being misled about what Prop 50 really means for California? In this wide-ranging conversation, Rob Lapsley breaks down the massive implications of California’s latest redistricting proposal and why it could permanently tilt power away from voters and toward politicians.
He explains how the progressive agenda is crushing business confidence, why special funds are just hidden taxes, and how thousands of job losses are the result of runaway regulation. Lapsley doesn’t just point fingers — he offers a path forward rooted in economic sanity, balance, and restoring California’s promise.
Chapters
00:00 – Meet Rob Lapsley: Business Leader & Policy Advocate
01:10 – What Prop 50 Really Does (And Why It’s Dangerous)
03:45 – Why This Redistricting Plan Undermines Voters
06:30 – Economic Uncertainty and the Progressive Agenda
09:05 – California's Job Market: Fast Food, Logistics, & Government
12:00 – What the Legislature Gets Wrong About Growth
14:45 – Time to Pause the Insanity: Lapsley's Plan
17:00 – Hidden Taxes: The $30B Nobody Talks About
20:00 – How Unemployment Insurance Became a Shell Game
22:00 – Why Rob Still Has Hope for California
Connect with Rob
Twitter: https://x.com/roblapsley
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-lapsley-6152761/
Website: https://www.cbrt.org/
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