[00:00] Speaker 1: (Instrumental music plays) Everyone faces questions and decisions that require insight and answers as we move forward personally, professionally, and corporately in all areas of this thing we call life in America today. Hello, this is Joe Schofield and I invite you to tune in every Monday evening from 6:00 to 7:00 PM as we talk together and hear from key leaders of all ages and backgrounds about your questions. Interesting, informative, intuitive, but always encouraging. Tune us in on BBS Radio Network. Join Pastor Joe and co-hosts Ron Greer, Dr. Paul Hall, Stephanie Thayer, and Dr. Craig Thayer in Raising Expectations. (Instrumental music plays) Hey, good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is Monday night and you're here on your show, Raising Expectations. And we've got a great show tonight. Uh, we have one of the next leaders in California which are going to turn the ship around and put it on the course for a great values, great light, and, uh, keep people from leaving.

[01:46] Speaker 1: But other than that, it's gonna be a really good show tonight. (laughs) And, uh, again, I'm Pastor Joe, and this is my wife Melva right here. And if you forget, the M is on the wall behind her and just go with the word with him and that'll be good. (laughs) It will get you all set, won't we? So, uh, again, it's Monday. Great expectations ahead for you for the whole week and they hope, uh, we hope that they'll start tonight. We've got a great team of people. You know most of them. We're the, Your Raising Expectations family. And we've got great people on the team that come in that are leaders in their fields across the nation and some around the world that you'll be seeing this year. And, uh, we're just thrilled to be able to all be a family. All of us on this team, as you know, we're people of faith and that faith rests solidly in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that He's the son of God, just like God said He was.

[02:35] Speaker 1: That He came to earth to die on the cross to pay the price for our sins. And like we say every week, many of you ask sometimes and text it, very simply, this is the answer. We know what's happening on this life because God's working in our life. He has footprints prepared for us and all we do is tune in with Him. When we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we surrender our lives to Him and then strap in and hang on 'cause He's got a ride ahead that's gonna glorify Him and bless everybody who knows You. So also when it's time for us to leave this world, we know where we're going so we have that peace that passes understanding knowing where it comes from. Uh, so without wasting any time here, because we wanna make sure you know that, we wanna move right into our team so you'll know them once again. On the West Coast, we have near Lompoc, in Lompoc near Santa Barbara, we have Dr. Paul Hall. And, uh, Dr. Paul is a retired pastor and he is a theologian. He's a great scri- uh, scribe.

[03:32] Speaker 1: He's our scribe for the show. If you see him looking down sometimes, he's writing great words of wisdom (laughs) off of notes that we'll all be tuning into later. And, uh, he's one of the greatest guys you could ever meet and we hope he's feeling well today. A lot of us get these little cold things going out here. We've had some rain. It's been kind of different weather. You doing good tonight, Paul?

[03:52] Speaker 2: I'm okay. I'm okay.

[03:53] Speaker 1: Okay.

[03:54] Speaker 2: Thanks.

[03:55] Speaker 1: There we go. There we go. Well, we're praying for you. I hope you're feeling better, man. And so Paul and Melva and I, we're gonna join up together and go across the nation to the Southeast, which is the East Coast on the north side of the south part of it, so that comes right into Dalton, Georgia. And there we have Dr. Craig and Stephanie Thayer in Dalton, Georgia. Boy, that's a hard place to find, but d- don't worry, you'll find it there. And, uh, they're the most wonderful people also you could ever meet. Uh, Stephanie is a great mother, wife, homemaker, business lady, counselor for helping ladies. You name it, God uses her in so many ways to bless and to help people everywhere. And also with that, she did a great job taking care of Tank. We call him Tank, his nickname, and that's Dr. Craig Thayer, and she helped him to become all that he is. He's a brother in Christ. He's a surgeon. Uh, he's not only a surgeon, but, uh, they've done mission trips together.

[04:50] Speaker 1: Like we say, we love the way they help People with a capital H. And, uh, he also has a book. He's a new surgeon... Uh, excuse me. He's a new author about being a surgeon all of his life. And that book, we want to welcome you to try to find that because it's right on our website, which is bbsradio.com/raisingexpectations. And you can read about each of the team members there. You'll see last week's guest the, the next week. And you can read about the program. Many of you people tune in and get their copy of that. You'll also find them there, uh, written up like this, each of our shows back to almost five and a half, six years now. And, uh, read about, uh, the folks right there. You can follow there. There's Dr. Hall and there's, you get our next ge- our next member coming up who was a guest first (laughs) and then he became a real beloved friend to us. So anyway, in Dalton, Georgia right there, uh, you'll find our books listed underneath there.

[05:43] Speaker 1: You'll find, uh, there's my book, Legitimate Faith: Producing Authentic Hope. Hope you look at that. It's a great study of the 11th chapter of Hebrews. And right under that is a great book we're talking about from Dr. Craig, and that is Saved F-... finding God in the ordinary. You want a copy of that because all of us live at times really in the ordinary way when we look at our lives. And there's God in the middle of it following the... getting those footsticks ready for you to walk on so you'll know exactly what He wants you to do. So you'll want a copy of that book. So you'll find them right there on the website. You'll be hearing from them in a bit. And, uh, Stephanie's a great reader too. That's her special thing among all the people tonight. (laughs) So you want to know she's a great reader. You'll want to, uh, check in on them both, each and every one (laughs) of them.

[06:26] Speaker 1: So also, if you'll go back from the East Coast to the West side with us, to the, uh, the footstool of America, the great centerpiece, Texas. And you'll find (laughs) in Texas, right, there's one of our favorite pastors in the whole world. He's right there in McKinney, and that's Pastor Ron Greer. And there's Ron right there. Ron is a pastor, a counselor. He's done r- (laughs) he's done so many different things. And all the things that he's done when God got ahold of his life have just been huge, like I said before, to help people to know who they are, especially men. He works with Man in the Mirror, which is located there, I believe, in Florida, where you'll find his story with him there in his position, uh, with Man in the Mirror there in Texas. And, uh, he helps men to get into the Word and discover all along there's things they thought were devastating were really, as Terry used to say, train wrecks to- led to triumph in their lives.

[07:21] Speaker 1: He's another one of our family that, uh, on our team. But, uh, you'll want to, uh, get to know Ron. Uh, you can write, uh, a text or a question, anything you want to these folks, and, uh, they'll get right back to you. They love the Lord and they care about you. So that brings us all together now. And, uh, we want to welcome our guest tonight. That is Elizabeth Wong Ours, who's running for the California Assembly District 40, as you know. And, uh, Elizabeth has quite a story. She and her husband, Ron, who's a tremendous guy, you'll want to get to know them both. Elizabeth is running there, as you can see, uh, for 4aassembly.com. Get her site right there. And, uh, there's an opportunity for you to donate also to help her in the cause, because, uh, she's someone who will help to bring people to realize that California, uh, was created for a- it's a beautiful, beautiful state, but most of all, God has his footprint all over California.

[08:17] Speaker 1: A lot of the great evangelical movements in the nation began in California. Billy Graham began in the Tent Crusade back in 1949, I bel- believe, and you find many other, uh, that have begun there. There she is in a- in one of the debates, and she is a woman of faith. She loves the Lord. She loves her family. She has a tremendous family, you'll see, and, uh, there's folks that are running with her or are part of her guests there. So you'll want to remember Elizabeth in your prayers, as you've been doing. Appreciate you getting back to us and letting us know how much you're praying for her, because she is the voice of not only wisdom, but of understanding. She understands families, her incredible family, which she homeschooled. And then she understands education, the education she and Ron worked hard to get. Nobody gave it to them. They worked hard for it, and, uh, the education they've used now blesses the lives of everybody. She knows how to do things, as you're going to find out.

[09:12] Speaker 1: We're going to talk about some of those tonight, that can change this state and turn it back where it needs to be. So, uh, without any further ado, we're going to go ahead and welcome Elizabeth tonight, and we want to give her the round of applause. So Elizabeth and Ron from Southern California, welcome to Raising Expectations, and, uh, we're so glad (laughs) that you are here. And, uh, we're going to look at some things tonight. We listed the questions and so, uh, I'll let you go ahead and begin sharing. But all of us have been able to pray for you specifically from suspending the gas tax all the way through regulations and other questions that you spoke about. So Elizabeth, Ron, hey guys, all of us, huh? Welcome to Raising Expectations. We're sure glad you're here.

[09:56] Speaker 3: Thanks for having us back, Pastor Joe, and it's so good to be with the team. You guys have encouraged us so much and everyone around the world praying. Um, bec- we- prayer is so- is really the beginning of it because it's all-

[10:13] Speaker 1: (coughs)

[10:13] Speaker 3: It's such a battle. And so I- I know that not all of the audience is a Christian in the way that we are, but you need to see that when there's things in the world that are evil and we can't understand, um, how p- how can people th- how can people behave like this or think like this? It's because it's a spiritual battle. And so it begins with prayer, and so we th- we really appreciate the prayer of the team here and, uh, and everyone around the world. And this is Ron. I appreciate Ron. He is always praying for, for me, and we're praying together. We've got our, our family and he's leading our family. Our children are grown. We've got four, four girls, two boys. The youngest one's 19. So, so it's time for us to expand our, our energies to serve the state of California, running for assembly.

[11:18] Speaker 1: Amen.

[11:19] Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. (laughs)

[11:20] Speaker 4: I love that most people say, "I've raised six kids, I'm gonna, you know, take a nap." And you're like, "It's time for the next thing," and work and go-

[11:29] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[11:29] Speaker 1: That's-

[11:29] Speaker 4: ... and love on our community. And I love to hear that.

[11:32] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[11:32] Speaker 5: It's more, it's more than that. You just said, "And I'm ready to put on the armor of God."

[11:37] Speaker 3: Yeah. (laughs)

[11:39] Speaker 4: (laughs)

[11:39] Speaker 5: It takes an armor like bringing out the sword and the, yeah, all those things. So that, that's nice.

[11:44] Speaker 3: (laughs) Yeah.

[11:46] Speaker 1: Sit-

[11:47] Speaker 3: Mm-hmm. We need that, the helmet of the hope of salvation.

[11:52] Speaker 5: Yes.

[11:53] Speaker 3: Um, because it's- because what we're doing is not just temporary, it's not just for us, but it's for the next generation. And as I was sharing with my son this morning, um, what- the things that we invest our life into-... can be of eternal value. And, um, I look forward, I look forward to when we get to heaven and the Lord says, um, "Well done! Well done!" And th- and there will be reward. Um, so that's what, that's every- everything we're investing our family into, is for eternal reward, and we want to see impact here, now, on the earth, as we say, um, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." And so, we believe that we need, we need to put into, um, practice and every... an actual, um, manifestation in, in our natural world the goodness of God, so we can see the goodness of God and his principles worked out, um, specif- specifically in our government. And our government, um, touches every part of our lives.

[13:13] Speaker 3: It touches-

[13:14] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[13:14] Speaker 3: ... our kids' education, it touches our businesses, it touches our, our personal finance, our, our commute to work. (laughs) Um, every aspect of our lives, um, and our futures. So...

[13:32] Speaker 1: Amen. That's right. Elizabeth, would you like us to play that, that 60-second reel for you right now, give them an idea? Some of the folks, I'm sure, don't know you yet. Most all our people do. Would you like to hear that now?

[13:44] Speaker 3: Yeah. Go ahead.

[13:46] Speaker 1: TJ-

[13:46] Speaker 3: Thank you.

[13:46] Speaker 1: Yes. TJ, could we run that for them? I may have thrown them a curveball, but, uh, there we go.

[13:51] Speaker 3: Hi. I'm Elizabeth, a fifth-generation Californian. Born here, married here, raised and homeschooled my six kids right here. I'm your classic California mama bear. After earning my doctorate, I chose family over career because I saw our educational system failing our children. We all feel it daily. Schools skipping the basics, sky-high gas prices, exploding homelessness amid rising taxes, unsafe streets, and businesses fleeing. That's no accident. It's one-party rule gone too far. During my time as councilwoman, I've seen the possibilities of what we can do if we fought back together. My roots are deep. I'm staying to reclaim our state of innovation, opportunity, beauty, and freedom. Don't just hope. Let's make it happen. Stand with me. I'm Elizabeth Wong Ahlers, running for State Assembly. Join me. Let's make California a place where we can all prosper.

[14:59] Speaker 3: (instrumental music)

[15:04] Speaker 1: Right. That's excellent.

[15:05] Speaker 6: No! (laughs)

[15:07] Speaker 3: Doesn't she have a beautiful district?

[15:09] Speaker 1: Right.

[15:09] Speaker 3: It's, it's, uh, right in, uh, the North San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County and Santa Clarita Valley. And so, if you are familiar with California, it's where the 5 and the 14 freeways cross, um, and if y- if any of our listeners are here in Southern California, you have the s- the areas of Northridge, North Hills, Chatsworth, Granada Hills, Porter Ranch, Rocky Peak, and then all of Santa Clarita Valley up to Castaic, and out to canyon country. And so, that's the area that, um, if you live there, you can vote for me. My name will be on the ballot coming out May 4th. And then, if you know people in San Fernando Valley, Southern California, and Santa Clarita Valley, email them, send them. Go to my, go to my Facebook, uh, Instagram, Elizabeth Wong Ahlers. Send them the link. That video's up there, and the website, that video's on the website, elizabethforassembly.com. And, um, get, yeah, get pe- get the vote out.

[16:25] Speaker 3: The ballots come out so, very soon, and the last day to vote is June 2nd. Um, also, please go to the website and donate. We've got, we've got the last few weeks before this primary. Now some people, some candidates don't really have to spend money during the primary because, um, there's, there's one Republican and one Democrat, and they'll, they'll both be on the ballot in November. But here in California, um, in the primary, uh, it's the top two that get on the ballot for November, and I've got some competition there, so we, so we have to spend some money and do a lot of advertising to get into the top two this June, uh, for my name to be on the ballot in November. So, it's, it's a f- so some people don't have to work too hard in the primary, but we're battling all the way through and we're, we're standing. (laughs) So...

[17:28] Speaker 1: (laughs) Now, so does anybody have a question they wanna delete as we look at these two, Elizabeth? Thoughts you might have on it?

[17:37] Speaker 6: Well, uh, my question, I'll go back again to, uh, our last show. Uh, how did you... What, what kind of response have you gotten from churches?

[17:46] Speaker 3: Oh, well, that's very encouraging. Um, we've got... So in S- in Santa Clarita, we not only have... Well, there's like a good Bible... It's almost... I, I don't know. Maybe it's like Texas, (laughs) because-

[18:00] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[18:00] Speaker 3: ... because it's like every five minutes, there's actually a Bible teaching church. So there-

[18:06] Speaker 1: Wow.

[18:06] Speaker 3: Yeah. So if we can get those Christians out to vote for this primary, I will win.

[18:12] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[18:12] Speaker 3: And also, we've got... So I have several of the pastors that have met me, that know me, and if we can get, get them to be a little bold enough to actually mention-

[18:26] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[18:26] Speaker 3: ... something to their congregations, I can, I can win just by the Christian vote. And then, um-

[18:33] Speaker 1: Absolutely. (laughs)

[18:34] Speaker 3: Yeah. There's a university in the district. Um, Master's University is-

[18:39] Speaker 1: Yes, sir.

[18:40] Speaker 3: Yeah. John MacArthur was president, uh, there for so many years, 40 years or more. Um, and so those, there's about 1,400 students on that campus.

[18:54] Speaker 7: Wow.

[18:54] Speaker 3: And I have been invited to that campus next Monday.

[18:58] Speaker 7: Amen.

[18:58] Speaker 8: That's great.

[18:59] Speaker 7: Amen.

[19:00] Speaker 3: There's a prayer request that, that next Monday, um, the Holy Spirit will stir up those students, um, a- with, um, interest in the political process, and, um, conviction to register to vote there in Santa Clarita Valley. 'Cause they may be students coming from all over the country, but if they will register to vote in the district where this y- where, in Santa Clarita, where the university is, um, and then, and harvest the ballots, I will win. Um, and, and I'm also hoping that these students will have, will have an interest in, um, participating, not just by voting, but by, um, door knocking and canvasing, using their youthful energy to get, get my cards out all over the neighborhoods. Um, and so that's, so I will be speaking there to those students next Monday.

[20:06] Speaker 7: That is great.

[20:06] Speaker 3: And I'm so grateful for that opportunity because, um, I ha- do have the trust of the, uh, leadership at the school. So-

[20:17] Speaker 1: I, I just gotta jump in. That is so exciting. I didn't know that, but John MacArthur was my youth pastor.

[20:24] Speaker 3: Oh, really?

[20:25] Speaker 1: When I was a kid in school, yeah. And my dad and mother were very close to his dad, Dr. Jack MacArthur.

[20:31] Speaker 3: Right.

[20:32] Speaker 1: And he, he helped found the first church with them. That's why I went to Sunday school as a kid. So I had no idea that they were right there, so... And they're good people. Boy, they will-

[20:42] Speaker 3: Good.

[20:42] Speaker 1: We're gonna send them some notes. (laughs)

[20:44] Speaker 3: So, yeah. So that, that's part of the reason why there are so many good Bible churches in this district.

[20:53] Speaker 1: Amen.

[20:53] Speaker 3: Um, and I... There, you know, John MacArthur was hesitant to be politically involved as a pastor himself. Um, as, and, um, God bless him, he graduated to heaven last year. Um, but he left, he did, he left a beautiful legacy of teaching Biblical principles.

[21:18] Speaker 1: Yes.

[21:18] Speaker 3: So, um, uh, he, he got a little bit political during COVID because, um, LA County was taking his parking lot away. (laughs)

[21:29] Speaker 7: (laughs)

[21:30] Speaker 3: And so, so he had to get involved and fight for, fight for, um, the freedom of speech to keep his church open and to keep preaching, and to keep the parking lot so people could come. (laughs)

[21:44] Speaker 7: (laughs)

[21:45] Speaker 3: Um, and, and, you know, we, we had a lot of, uh... I don't know if he was using that part of the parking lot for services also. But, um, yeah. God bless him. He won his lawsuit against the LA County, um, and so there's, there comes a point where the pastors, um, feel the pain when our government is, is acting, um, without restraint. (laughs)

[22:15] Speaker 7: Okay.

[22:15] Speaker 3: So, so it's, yeah. I app- so I appreciate, I really appreciate this, the master's university, um, opening up to letting a c- a Christian candidate speak to their students.

[22:28] Speaker 7: Mm. So, now if there are- Have you guys had... Do you have any plans for having a, say a, a campus, uh, campaign, uh, person leading there, organize the students there?

[22:41] Speaker 3: They-

[22:42] Speaker 7: Have any chance of doing that?

[22:43] Speaker 3: They have a political... I, I don't know, I'm not sure if it's one club or two clubs that are, like, political and law clubs.

[22:55] Speaker 7: Right.

[22:55] Speaker 3: And so those are the students that are sponsoring me to come on Monday.

[22:59] Speaker 7: That's awesome. Okay, right.

[23:00] Speaker 3: Um, and after, after the murder, assassination of Charlie Kirk, um, there are students at that university that want to, that are starting a club that's not directly under Turning Point but it, it's inspired by. (laughs)

[23:22] Speaker 7: Okay. All right.

[23:23] Speaker 3: So yeah. And I-

[23:24] Speaker 7: The other thing-

[23:25] Speaker 3: ... I expect to work with those students.

[23:28] Speaker 7: Okay, good. Gonna say, that, that might be a, a great resource for you. Uh, young, young folk on the ground talking to other young people and going door to door

[23:38] Speaker 8: Yes.

[23:40] Speaker 7: Uh, they have the energy and the, and the fire to, to, to be very effective. Trust me. (laughs)

[23:46] Speaker 3: And they'll, yeah. And they'll learn a lot. Yeah. They'll, and by doing it-

[23:49] Speaker 7: They'll learn a lot and they're cheap. (laughs)

[23:53] Speaker 3: (laughs) Yeah, yeah.

[23:56] Speaker 8: That is great.

[23:58] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[23:58] Speaker 8: Uh, can we talk about, um, the gas tax right now? I know you have some ideas of perhaps...

[24:03] Speaker 3: Uh, well, uh, you know, we just need, we just need to eliminate the gas tax.

[24:08] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[24:08] Speaker 3: Give our people some relief. Um, I think that that puts a stress on... It's like $1.60 extra per gallon just by taxes.

[24:21] Speaker 8: Woo!

[24:21] Speaker 3: And the list of all the items that are, that these fees and taxes are going to with every gallon of gas is so long.

[24:31] Speaker 7: Yeah.

[24:32] Speaker 3: Nobody can remember or understand what it's all for.

[24:35] Speaker 7: Yes.

[24:35] Speaker 3: Um, you know, basically if, if gas taxes went to repairing our roads, then man, we should have the most beautiful roads in the country.

[24:45] Speaker 7: (laughs)

[24:46] Speaker 8: (laughs)

[24:46] Speaker 3: (laughs) Instead of what we've got. Um, so, uh-So just cut out the whole gas tax, but now they're... okay, so this is... so California's been trying to pressure everyone to go electric cars, right? And so that we... so that we're going green and, uh, foss- no fossil fuels, but if we are not buying as much gas because now we have electric cars, then the tax (laughs) revenue is going down. So then they're thinking-

[25:21] Speaker 7: And there's a...

[25:22] Speaker 3: ... we need more taxes because now they're not buying the gas that we're taxing as much. And so, so they want to tax us on mileage. So even if you have an electric car, you're gonna be taxed on how far you drive your electric car.

[25:42] Speaker 9: My extension cord is not that long.

[25:44] Speaker 7: Here's a question. I'm sorry. This is one of those things that, that, I guess, most people don't know. Uh, California was actually, up until recently, one of the largest oil producers in the country.

[25:55] Speaker 9: Yes, sir.

[25:55] Speaker 7: Uh, what are they about a quarter million barrels a day, uh, now, this year, around this time?

[25:59] Speaker 9: Chevron, yeah.

[26:00] Speaker 7: That's down, that's down what, down five... half, half a million barrels?

[26:04] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[26:04] Speaker 7: So your state is a major oil produc- producing state, but has the highest gas anywhere. Explain that to people. Explain it.

[26:11] Speaker 3: Right. Yeah. Chevron has left, um, I think w- we've got may- I don't know, just one... five, five oil refineries left. Um, and so we're importing gas to California e- from foreign countries and so our state-

[26:31] Speaker 9: Not even Texas. Not even Texas.

[26:34] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[26:36] Speaker 10: (laughs)

[26:36] Speaker 3: Not... Yeah, not even importing it from Texas. So-

[26:40] Speaker 9: Texas is a foreign country.

[26:42] Speaker 3: Yeah. (laughs) Wait a minute.

[26:44] Speaker 11: They make raw gas.

[26:46] Speaker 3: So the carbon-

[26:48] Speaker 11: They make the raw gas.

[26:48] Speaker 3: What was that? What gas?

[26:51] Speaker 11: No, I'm just gonna say California makes some special environmental blend of gas.

[26:56] Speaker 7: Yeah. Yeah.

[26:57] Speaker 3: Yes.

[26:57] Speaker 11: And nowhere else could produce it, so-

[26:59] Speaker 3: Right.

[26:59] Speaker 7: Correct.

[27:00] Speaker 11: ... themselves.

[27:01] Speaker 7: Oh, gracious.

[27:02] Speaker 3: Right, yeah. We've got a s- a special cocktail just for California.

[27:07] Speaker 7: Yes. (laughs) It's one of, one of the most bizarre scenes back in the day where you're standing there looking at these oil tankers lined up, getting filled up by, up by Oakland and one of the places there going to foreign countries and going... Something about that is just insane.

[27:23] Speaker 9: That's right. That's right.

[27:24] Speaker 3: Right.

[27:24] Speaker 10: When I was a kid, we would drive from Northern California to Southern California to visit my family all the time.

[27:29] Speaker 7: All right.

[27:29] Speaker 10: And you would see the grasshoppers the whole way.

[27:32] Speaker 7: Yep.

[27:32] Speaker 10: And now, I mean, my kids know what they are, but they never saw them operating, so-

[27:37] Speaker 7: Wow.

[27:38] Speaker 10: Very sad. Yeah.

[27:40] Speaker 7: That's amazing.

[27:41] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[27:41] Speaker 7: Now what... Now here... Well, just quickly, uh, then explain to people what brought that about. What, what's the major force behind not producing?

[27:50] Speaker 3: Well, um, yeah, it's government, government policy against fossil fuel.

[27:57] Speaker 7: Okay. All right.

[27:58] Speaker 3: Um, but if you think about the, uh, footprint... What are they called? The, the, the footprint of the, um-

[28:06] Speaker 7: The car- the carbon footprint?

[28:07] Speaker 3: Carbon... Yeah, the carbon footprint. These, uh, ships that are going across the ocean to bring us our oil from other countries are creating a greater carbon footprint than our, our little cars.

[28:24] Speaker 7: Yeah. Absolutely.

[28:25] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[28:26] Speaker 10: It's quite the conversation about people that are environmentalists and then they're on their private jets, you know, for a four-hour visit and turn around. It's-

[28:33] Speaker 7: Yeah.

[28:33] Speaker 10: It's ironic, really.

[28:36] Speaker 11: So-

[28:36] Speaker 7: I got, I got another word for it. (laughs)

[28:39] Speaker 10: Me too.

[28:40] Speaker 9: Ron, you got... What was that? Tell it.

[28:42] Speaker 7: I got another word for it, but it's, it's a family show.

[28:46] Speaker 9: (laughs)

[28:46] Speaker 10: Another show. (laughs)

[28:48] Speaker 9: Yes. You, uh-

[28:49] Speaker 11: So the, the, the Teslas and probably all the, uh, uh, electronic, purely electronic vehicles, didn't calculate in their early... Was this economically feasible? Tire dust. These cars weigh so much that the curb parking structures and bridges will not hold them if they're all, uh... But the other thing was the carbon footprint. The, the, the dust from the tires, they have to replace their tires every like 10 to 15 years or, or miles.

[29:20] Speaker 10: 10 to 15,000.

[29:20] Speaker 7: Miles, right, that's right, miles.

[29:22] Speaker 9: (laughs)

[29:22] Speaker 10: And then what about the batteries?

[29:24] Speaker 11: Uh, the batteries, yeah.

[29:25] Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, batteries and then, yeah, and then disposing of... Well, that goes into other things, like even disposing of solar panels is, is very dangerous to the economy. But Ron, you had something else to say.

[29:38] Speaker 11: Yeah, I was gonna say solar panels.

[29:39] Speaker 9: Ron, Ron had three fingers up. What was that, Trace? (laughs) So it's, uh, back to your government comment, Ron. It is two unelected boards and commissions in California that have ruined the oil industry. The one is the California Coastal Commission

[29:56] Speaker 7: Mm-hmm.

[30:00] Speaker 10: Oh, no, frozen.

[30:02] Speaker 3: Frozen.

[30:02] Speaker 7: Oh. (laughs)

[30:04] Speaker 3: No.

[30:05] Speaker 7: Down the offshore oil drilling and then-

[30:07] Speaker 10: Hold on, Ron.

[30:09] Speaker 7: Yeah.

[30:09] Speaker 10: We lost the internet but you said-

[30:11] Speaker 7: There you go.

[30:12] Speaker 10: ... California Coastal Commission and then we heard nothing.

[30:16] Speaker 9: Okay. The California Coastal Commission has basically shut down the offshore oil drilling off the coast of California. So that's one area. And then the California Air Resources Board, CARB, has shut down a lot of the onshore or on-land oil drilling because of "smog" and the release of, of the carbon on all of the... how they extract the oil out of the, out of the ground. And then there's other, uh, boards and commissions either from county or other government agencies that have basically just choked off all the oil-... the ocean. You're right. We could be an actual oil exporter instead of an importer.

[31:09] Speaker 12: Yes. Yes.

[31:09] Speaker 9: And then our crazy-

[31:11] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[31:11] Speaker 9: ... California cocktail of gas is also where we created ourselves as our own island. We can't even import gas from Arizona, Nevada, or Oregon, which are our border states if we come into a crisis, and our-

[31:28] Speaker 12: Oh.

[31:28] Speaker 9: ... elected officials at the governor down to our assembly and our senate have actually forced major refineries to close because it's not viable. And think about how huge Chevron is.

[31:43] Speaker 12: Yeah. Yeah. Right.

[31:45] Speaker 9: And Chevron is, has left the building. They-

[31:49] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[31:49] Speaker 9: ... .............................. Elvis. They left the building, and they're not coming back because the business climate is so-

[31:55] Speaker 12: Yeah. Yeah.

[31:56] Speaker 9: ... anti-business-

[31:58] Speaker 13: Mm-hmm.

[31:58] Speaker 9: ... that they are forcing the shutdowns. They want everybody electric, and they are gonna force it by having $12 gas.

[32:06] Speaker 12: Hmm. Geez.

[32:09] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[32:09] Speaker 12: Wow.

[32:09] Speaker 3: And speaking of Tesla and the business climate, Tesla was a California company. And-

[32:16] Speaker 9: Yeah.

[32:17] Speaker 3: .... uh. (laughs)

[32:18] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[32:18] Speaker 13: When they- Welcome to Texas

[32:20] Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, and when they said they were gonna do the large plant in Nevada and not-

[32:26] Speaker 9: Yeah.

[32:26] Speaker 3: ... California, I remember that was a big deal. And while we're on companies leaving, In-N-Out has moved their headquarters to Nashville, and I cannot tell you how happy I am to see locals here.

[32:37] Speaker 12: (laughs)

[32:37] Speaker 3: And they're like, "We went on a family trip," and they're going to In-N-Out 'cause they've never had In-N-Out here.

[32:42] Speaker 12: (laughs)

[32:43] Speaker 3: It's really fun. Yes. Well, the, the blessings of California are getting ......................... Thank you (laughs She's blessing everybody here. (laughing)

[32:53] Speaker 3: Well, you know, so, so my-

[32:54] Speaker 9: Heal it. Then heal it.

[32:55] Speaker 3: ... my dream is that as the, as the companies like Tesla, In-N-Out, Chevron have left California and, um, well, In-N-Out technically is still in California, they kinda have two headquarters now, but, um, that, that we will see a comeback California, where we will, we, 'cause we still, you know, every, every Californian still has that, um, potential for innovation and creativity. And people, I talk to people all the time that have great ideas for their startup companies and, and they're always dreaming of how things can get better. And when the government makes a block, um, on, on how to, how to produce something, people are always thinking of a workaround and how do we get around that? There's, so there's always a creativity and an innovation, but it needs to be, it needs to be released. It needs to have the freedom to, again, um, uh, grow something in California that's going to actually draw people back and have the jobs.

[34:07] Speaker 3: I mean, just thinking of all the possible jobs that we could have with, um, the oil business.

[34:14] Speaker 12: That's right. That's right.

[34:15] Speaker 11: You, you just made me think of a car, a, a car that has a governor on it. I don't know if you follow what I'm saying.

[34:22] Speaker 12: Yes.

[34:22] Speaker 11: But if you rent a U-Haul, it, it has a 65 mile an hour governor. So you can't go above that. It just shuts it down. That's what California has, is a governor, no pun intended-

[34:36] Speaker 12: Yes. (laughs)

[34:36] Speaker 11: ... that is 65 miles an hour.

[34:38] Speaker 12: Yes, that's right.

[34:38] Speaker 11: If you have Genesis in that state-

[34:40] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[34:40] Speaker 11: ... you can open it up to 100 miles an hour-

[34:43] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[34:43] Speaker 11: ... but there's a governor on their car.

[34:45] Speaker 3: How do you know that you're wrong?

[34:46] Speaker 11: That's what you're racing for, is to take those Genesis to get rid of the governor on the car, no pun intended, um, and, uh, allow them to just go.

[34:59] Speaker 3: Right.

[34:59] Speaker 12: That's right.

[35:00] Speaker 3: Right. So I, I don't have all the, I don't have all-

[35:03] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[35:03] Speaker 3: ... the expertise for all of, all of the problems in California, but there are people who do. And-

[35:11] Speaker 12: Yes.

[35:11] Speaker 3: ... we... And so I would like to just go, go to Sacramento, bring some common sense, and say, "Let's re-, let's reverse some of these laws. Let's, or let's, um, unleash the potential here. Let's take those governors out and, um-"

[35:30] Speaker 12: (laughs)

[35:30] Speaker 3: "... let the people go."

[35:31] Speaker 12: (laughs)

[35:31] Speaker 3: It's almost like, I almost feel like Moses, "Let my people go." Oh, go. Yeah

[35:35] Speaker 13: That's right. There you go. (laughs) What do you think, Paul? (laughs) I think all of us can-

[35:43] Speaker 12: I'm just, uh, I'm just realizing how wise Forrest Gump really was, you know? Stupid, stupid does. You know, I, it, it just, it, it just astounds me. Um, l- I, I, I'd like to go, go back just really quickly. W- when there was a blowout in the '60s, there was an oil well blowout offshore and it, it, it created all kinds of problems. We had a driller. I was, I was pastoring in Carpinteria, which is on the coast, and, uh, we had one of the drillers, the platform drillers in our church, and he said, "You know, they're shutting everything down so that we're not gonna be able to drill, but if you've ever walked on the beach in California, you probably get tar on the bottom of your foot." And he said, "What they don't realize is if they'll allow us to drill in a practical way, it takes the pressure off of those underground things and it, and it cuts down on the leakage that gets into the ocean, which creates, you know, all kinds of problems like that." Uh, and then, um, Elizabeth, could you

[36:44] Speaker 12: speak, could you speak to, uh, funding Proposition 36? Um, I, I think, you know, that's a, that's an area I don't think a lot of people have really given attention to or we hear about. So could you, could you expound on that and just expand our understanding? Prop 36

[37:03] Speaker 3: If you go on social media, there's all these videos of what they call smash and grabs-

[37:10] Speaker 12: (laughs)

[37:10] Speaker 3: ... where, where, like, gangs of, gangs of thieves, and they're, they can be all wearing black and masks. They can go to, like, the, like, a beautiful Louis Vuitton store here in Glendale where they did this. And th-this crowd of thieves rushes in. They can, they smash the, um, the counters, and just grab all that they can at once. If it's 90, $950 or less of, of merchandise that they've taken, they're not, they're prosecuted only as a misdemeanor. They don't even get prosecuted. They pretty much walk, and we have a, we've been really fighting the, um, the cash bail system. And I, um, but anyway, that was, that smash and grab was starting to be a thing because of Prop 47, which allowed the, allowed the thieves to just go do this without consequence.

[38:12] Speaker 3: And so, um, the voters here in California passed, by 70%, Proposition 36-

[38:21] Speaker 12: Mm-hmm.

[38:21] Speaker 3: ... because we needed to reverse what was happening with Proposition 47. And so Proposition 36, it, it puts back consequences to, for the criminals, um, puts in place that, uh, the prosecution needs to go, need, these people need to be put away, and, uh, there needs to be deterrents to this again. Um, and so the legislature and the governor have not funded what needs to be done to implement Proposition 36, which was passed by the voters overwhelmingly. Um, and so that's one of the things that I would do in Sacramento, is, is, is say, "We, we have good laws.

[39:15] Speaker 3: We need to implement them." And instead of, we, instead of, uh, having $100 billion of fraud, um-

[39:24] Speaker 12: (laughs)

[39:24] Speaker 3: ... and money that can't be found for, um, unemployment from COVID, money that can't be found for homeless, 24 billion. The, this, this nee- this kind of money could really help our public safety and this crime situation. And we've got, we've got the good laws. They need to be funded and implemented, and the law enforcement empowered.

[39:53] Speaker 12: Well, okay-

[39:53] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[39:54] Speaker 12: ... I, I tried to, I tried to really kind of understand Prop 36, you know? So I, I'd, I read about it, you know, today, and to get ready for the program tonight. And it also applies for, uh, certain theft and drug-related offenses, and, uh, targets, uh, repeat offenders-

[40:11] Speaker 3: They, yeah.

[40:11] Speaker 12: ... okay? And, you know, put them in jail. Now, here's the complex thing, and maybe you can help me understand this. It costs a, according to what I read, statistically, it costs about $132,000 a year to keep one person in California incarcerated.

[40:29] Speaker 3: Mm-hmm.

[40:30] Speaker 12: $130-, $132,000 because of a rise in the healthcare that they provide to the, to the convicts, and, uh, the rising cost of paying the employees to take care of the things like that. So, eh, in light of that- (laughs)

[40:47] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[40:47] Speaker 12: ... our, our g- Uh, I can't find the right ad- adjective for our governor.

[40:54] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[40:55] Speaker 12: Uh, well, in light of that, he has, he has closed, he has closed three prisons with two more on the chopping block, so that, w- closing down five prisons in California.

[41:08] Speaker 3: Mm-hmm.

[41:08] Speaker 12: And if we up, up the rate of people going to prison, wh- what are we gonna do? Okay? What are we gonna do?

[41:17] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[41:17] Speaker 12: I mean, any- I, I mean, that just doesn't seem to register with me.

[41:20] Speaker 3: No.

[41:20] Speaker 12: How does that work? Especially when California's looking at a, what, a $21 billion deficit, uh, in its-

[41:27] Speaker 3: Mm-hmm.

[41:27] Speaker 12: ... you know, in its budget, or higher than that, and it's-

[41:30] Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah.

[41:30] Speaker 12: I mean, uh, uh, this just, it just blows my mind that we have a Proposition 36 that hasn't been funded even though it took effect in 2024. Uh, if I, if I know that's the case. So, h- how do you, as an Assemblyperson, um, uh, begin to broach things like that in a practical manner, especially when you go out, uh, campaigning, and people ask that question? You know, w- where, where do you start? Where do you put your foot in the water (laughs) , I guess, is what I'm asking for.

[42:04] Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, uh, as you say, it doesn't make sense. So, we, the, I think that the, the common people would also say, "That doesn't make sense."

[42:13] Speaker 12: Right.

[42:14] Speaker 3: We, we need the prisons to hold the criminals, because when they close the prisons, they're released, right? And then-

[42:22] Speaker 12: Right.

[42:22] Speaker 3: ... they commit more crimes. So, there's the repeat offenders.

[42:25] Speaker 12: Right.

[42:25] Speaker 3: Um, and the people begin to be afraid. Um, we c- we're afraid to, to go out, to, um, go out to dinner. I mean, it's like, and, and the children, and my daughter who works for In-N-Out, she gets out of, out of work at 3:00 in the morning. So, so yeah, we need to actually, um, have... Don't close the prisons. Uh, maybe we need to build more prisons. We need, but we need to prosecute those criminals and have a place to keep, to put them. The, um, yeah, the expense of keeping the prisoners-I'm sure there's a lot of, um, auditing that needs to be done with, uh, that $132,000 per prisoner. Um, but it... but on the other side, it's worth it to not release them back into the community when they will just, uh, repeat their crimes.

[43:25] Speaker 12: Yes. Yeah.

[43:26] Speaker 3: Uh, so-

[43:27] Speaker 14: The word I come up with is accountability.

[43:30] Speaker 3: Mm-hmm. Yes.

[43:30] Speaker 14: Whether it's government, whether it's law breakers, whether it's anything.

[43:36] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[43:36] Speaker 14: No one's holding anybody accountable. We need... like, like you said, we need to convict the criminals and put them somewhere and make them pay.

[43:47] Speaker 3: Mm-hmm.

[43:47] Speaker 14: Don't do the crime unless you can pay the time.

[43:49] Speaker 3: Ron has something.

[43:50] Speaker 12: Yeah. Well, I guess-

[43:52] Speaker 7: I guess that was part of my, my, my comment as well. Um, I, I, I did prison ministry, and we did research for probably 20 years. And one of the, um, complaints, and, and it really wasn't a complaint, it's, it's a scheme to get people to go along with reducing prison population. So, you pass a law where you don't lock people up, the population dropped, and I close the prisons. And then you say, "Well, if we, we lock people up, start locking people up again, then we got this prison population that explodes." And my question to them is, "Okay, tell me what it costs to, uh, build a prison." I think it...

[44:27] Speaker 7: back 30 years ago, it was $85,000 per cell to build a prison-

[44:31] Speaker 12: Hmm.

[44:31] Speaker 7: ... and then much more after that. So, much more now. So, my question to them is, "Tell me the economic impact of crime on your state?" And, and if I, if I remember right, California has one of the highest impacts. It's somewhere around $60 to $70 billion a year crime impact. So-

[44:51] Speaker 12: Hmm.

[44:51] Speaker 3: Right. Yeah.

[44:51] Speaker 7: ... I go, okay, how much does it cost to build a prison and maintain it? What's the economic impact? Uh, I'll take the prison. (laughs)

[44:58] Speaker 3: Yeah. And we're losing-

[45:00] Speaker 7: I'll take the prison.

[45:00] Speaker 12: (laughs)

[45:00] Speaker 3: Yeah. And like, we, we're losing our shopping. You know, the Walmarts are leaving.

[45:05] Speaker 12: Yes.

[45:05] Speaker 3: The, uh-

[45:07] Speaker 12: Yes.

[45:07] Speaker 3: ... the, um, CVS is going out.

[45:10] Speaker 12: Yes.

[45:10] Speaker 3: So, and, um, so we're losing our way of life.

[45:14] Speaker 7: Absolutely. Absolutely.

[45:15] Speaker 12: And it's-

[45:15] Speaker 14: Absolutely. ... a reminder too that the more you can have local control over what's happening, the better. Because you can

[45:23] Speaker 3: Exactly.

[45:24] Speaker 14: ... make a decision in Sacramento that impacts the whole state. And for people that have not been to California, I mean, you just drive and drive and drive and drive, it's still California.

[45:32] Speaker 12: (laughs)

[45:32] Speaker 14: It is a huge state, right? We moved, we moved to the East Coast and we could do seven states in a day. Well-

[45:39] Speaker 12: (laughs)

[45:39] Speaker 14: ... on the West Coast, you could never leave California driving- ... all day

[45:43] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[45:44] Speaker 14: So, I just think it's a, a reminder that when decisions are made and they don't impact-

[45:51] Speaker 3: Mm-hmm.

[45:51] Speaker 14: ... the population that's making those decisions, it's very dangerous. And that's true not just in-

[45:56] Speaker 12: Right.

[45:56] Speaker 14: ... California.

[45:57] Speaker 3: Mm-hmm.

[45:57] Speaker 14: That's true across the board. And the more that we can have it be localized decision-making, the better for everyday people.

[46:06] Speaker 12: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

[46:06] Speaker 3: Yes, exactly. So yeah, the, the more, the more Sacramento and the state level have power that dictates over the local control instead of the local governments making those decisions-

[46:23] Speaker 12: Yes.

[46:24] Speaker 3: ... the waste there always is. And the more-

[46:26] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[46:26] Speaker 3: ... the more, um, inefficiency there always is.

[46:29] Speaker 12: Nice.

[46:30] Speaker 3: So, I think-

[46:31] Speaker 12: Uh, yeah, I think there's a gentleman... Go ahead, Ron. Go ahead, Ron.

[46:35] Speaker 7: The other question, uh, you mentioned the com- the commissions there. The commissions are put in place by the legislature, by, by, by law, or are they, they, um, chosen and pointed... appointed positions by the governor or, or something? What, what's, what's-

[46:51] Speaker 2: It's, it's both, but the governor chooses who to appoint.

[46:54] Speaker 12: Right.

[46:55] Speaker 2: They're created by the legislature with the governor's signature.

[46:59] Speaker 12: Yes.

[46:59] Speaker 7: So, the legislature could, could actually rescind those commissions as well?

[47:03] Speaker 2: Yes.

[47:03] Speaker 7: Okay.

[47:03] Speaker 2: And the governor could also, you know, not-

[47:07] Speaker 7: Veto, veto that? (laughs)

[47:09] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[47:10] Speaker 7: But, but God is able. He's able.

[47:13] Speaker 3: Yes. (laughs)

[47:14] Speaker 12: Amen.

[47:14] Speaker 2: God is able. Amen.

[47:16] Speaker 3: And if you saw the governor race, there's movement going on. I know that's not today's conversation-

[47:22] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[47:22] Speaker 3: ... but the Lord is working.

[47:23] Speaker 12: I was going to say-

[47:24] Speaker 3: Whoo.

[47:24] Speaker 12: ... there's a guy with the initials SH that have a lot to say that-

[47:27] Speaker 7: Hmm.

[47:27] Speaker 12: ... and I'm sure he would vote for you. (laughs)

[47:30] Speaker 7: So, the... so the propolded... supposled front runner is no longer running.

[47:34] Speaker 12: (laughs)

[47:34] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[47:36] Speaker 7: God's moving. Yes.

[47:37] Speaker 14: Or he's running from something. (laughs) He's still running, but not-

[47:44] Speaker 7: (laughs) I think Steve Hilton's really been covering bases talking with everyone. And, um, I think, I think he would make a great person to understand these, and we're just what you've all been saying, just like Elizabeth brings out. Keep it local, keep it open, keep it understanding. It's like me going to, you know, it's another country and they're saying, "Well, I'm going to tell you what works good for you." You, you can't. You don't understand all those things. And that's what Steph was saying. It's really true. Um, we don't know what other people have in certain areas. We got so many things in California. We got engineers, cowboys, cowgirls, farmers, ranchers. I could keep going, pecan growers, the famous, um, raisins, California raisins. We got all kinds of stuff.

[48:28] Speaker 12: Aves. Yeah, but they all need to be, be saying what they're doing You know, uh, it's interesting how they cut the water off to the Central Valley, which was part of the ... breadbasket of the state. And if you drive up ... to the Central Valley now, it brings you to tears, you know

[48:45] Speaker 3: Oh.

[48:45] Speaker 12: And to see the signs saying, "Give us our water," you know, "Give us our water." And it used to be so lush. I mean, it was a joy to drive through those almond orchards and things.

[48:54] Speaker 3: Yes.

[48:55] Speaker 12: Now, they've just been turned under, you know, and it... it's, um, it's just amazing the, the beauty and the resources of this fabulous state of California-

[49:07] Speaker 3: That's right.

[49:08] Speaker 12: ... and, and, and what's happened to it. So, uh-

[49:12] Speaker 7: Oh. So-

[49:13] Speaker 15: No.

[49:13] Speaker 7: ... so you, so you stop, get rid of your, your oil. You don't produ- don't make money from the oil you produce.

[49:18] Speaker 12: Right.

[49:18] Speaker 7: And you get rid of the water. You don't-

[49:20] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[49:20] Speaker 7: ... make money from the water you produce.

[49:22] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[49:22] Speaker 7: So-

[49:24] Speaker 12: Well, they use water to save the little fish, you know, so uh-

[49:28] Speaker 10: (laughs)

[49:28] Speaker 12: ... that, that makes a lot of sense.

[49:30] Speaker 10: You see-

[49:30] Speaker 7: Yeah.

[49:31] Speaker 10: So I was at the grocery store today and I always buy the Cuties or the Halos. We have friends that they own a company that-

[49:37] Speaker 12: Right.

[49:37] Speaker 10: ... Halos.

[49:38] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[49:38] Speaker 10: They're all from California, right? But there were, there are these really big mandarins right now and they're $3.50. And so the kid that's checking you out, he's like, "Those are so expensive." And I said, "Well, have you tasted one?" He goes, "No."

[49:51] Speaker 7: (laughs)

[49:51] Speaker 10: And they're from the Central Valley and I said-

[49:53] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[49:54] Speaker 10: ... "They are-"

[49:54] Speaker 7: Yeah.

[49:55] Speaker 10: "... so good. There's nothing..."

[49:57] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[49:57] Speaker 10: I said, "I just eat half and then I eat half another day." And so that also breaks my heart, Paul, because for people that don't know, the Central Valley-

[50:05] Speaker 12: Right.

[50:05] Speaker 10: ... the produce that comes out of it, also the Central Valley is a very conservative area.

[50:11] Speaker 12: Yes. Yes.

[50:11] Speaker 10: And so what a shame. Most of your, um, uh, berries will come from there as well.

[50:17] Speaker 12: Mm-hmm.

[50:17] Speaker 10: Just amazing produce. Like the best country.

[50:21] Speaker 3: Yes. Our California agriculture is the beauty of our state.

[50:27] Speaker 7: Yes.

[50:27] Speaker 3: We've got-

[50:27] Speaker 7: Breadbasket, we should call it.

[50:29] Speaker 3: San Francisco, right. San Francisco used to be a beautiful city, a fin- you know, financial headquarters. And then, and LA has, has entertainment industry as well as so much, um, business. There's Silicon Valley. But our agriculture in the Central Valley is the, um, is really, is really the gem of California.

[50:53] Speaker 7: Yeah. Yeah.

[50:53] Speaker 15: (clears throat)

[50:53] Speaker 3: And yeah, we feed the world. And-

[50:56] Speaker 7: Yeah.

[50:56] Speaker 3: ... some of the water management here in California, it, it needs to... It needs to be, um, it's a, it's a huge undertaking, but it can be done.

[51:08] Speaker 7: Unleashed.

[51:08] Speaker 3: God gives us enough water to grow-

[51:12] Speaker 7: Yes.

[51:12] Speaker 3: ... the, the, in... To grow the almonds, to grow the oranges-

[51:16] Speaker 7: Yeah.

[51:16] Speaker 3: ... to grow all these things, send it around the world-

[51:18] Speaker 7: Yes.

[51:18] Speaker 3: ... and still, um, have drinking water in our sinks in the city.

[51:23] Speaker 7: Exactly.

[51:23] Speaker 3: Um, and I believe we have enough, we have enough water if it's managed well to also have the sprinklers on so the kids can run on the grass.

[51:32] Speaker 7: Right.

[51:32] Speaker 3: You know, if I, I just personally don't want to put cactus on the front lawn because the kids can't play. So-

[51:40] Speaker 7: (laughs)

[51:40] Speaker 10: Yeah.

[51:41] Speaker 7: (laughs)

[51:41] Speaker 3: So it needs, it needs some management there. Um, my, my dad and my grandfather both worked on water projects here in California in LA County.

[51:51] Speaker 7: Mm-hmm.

[51:51] Speaker 3: Um, and, and just as, uh, Paul was saying, the engineers on the, the oil rigs, they, they understand that there are ways that science can, um, accomplish-

[52:05] Speaker 7: Yes.

[52:06] Speaker 3: ... so, so much more than, you, what the, um, in, what the, the, the kind of, I don't know, I feel like they're the anti-environmentalists environmentalists now.

[52:18] Speaker 7: Yeah, right. (laughs)

[52:18] Speaker 3: 'Cause we're actually destro- destroying our forests. We're destroying-

[52:24] Speaker 10: Hmm.

[52:24] Speaker 3: ... our oceans. W- you know those windmill things? They, they kill the birds, they kill the whales.

[52:30] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[52:30] Speaker 3: Um, so, um, there, but, but there are... There is wisdom with the, the people who, who are the experts.

[52:41] Speaker 12: (laughs)

[52:41] Speaker 3: Um, so we-

[52:42] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[52:42] Speaker 3: ... I was talking to the, uh, water district, um, in Glendora a few years ago. And, uh, they were explaining to me how up where those little fish are, the smelt fish in the Bay Area, that those tunnels that would go under where the fish are and not harm the fish, but bring the water down to Southern California, that the, the whole process took so long to get the, those two tunnels started that now the costs have gone so much that they can only afford one tunnel now.

[53:18] Speaker 12: Hm.

[53:18] Speaker 3: And, and how much progress have they made that, on that? Zero.

[53:23] Speaker 7: (laughs)

[53:24] Speaker 3: So, um, basic, basic management of our basic resources, um, can be reformed. Um, nothing, nothing is impossible, but there's got to be a starting place.

[53:41] Speaker 10: I think it's-

[53:41] Speaker 12: Well, I'll lead the charge to get on our, uh, get on our high-speed rail system and, uh-

[53:46] Speaker 10: (laughs)

[53:46] Speaker 12: ... go far past, you know what I mean? (laughs) Going over the pass, not one-

[53:51] Speaker 10: (laughs)

[53:54] Speaker 3: There, there's your reminder that-

[53:55] Speaker 10: No words.

[53:55] Speaker 3: ... California is so rich in resources.

[54:00] Speaker 12: Yep.

[54:00] Speaker 3: And what is happening is clearly a mismanagement. It really-

[54:04] Speaker 12: Yes.

[54:05] Speaker 3: ... and people don't understand when I tell them it was such an amazing place to grow up.

[54:10] Speaker 12: Yes.

[54:10] Speaker 3: There are so many wonderful things about California-

[54:13] Speaker 7: Yeah.

[54:13] Speaker 3: ... and it is being improperly stewarded.

[54:17] Speaker 12: I, I-

[54:17] Speaker 3: And that can be fixed.

[54:19] Speaker 12: Uh, that goes back to Cain and Abel.

[54:21] Speaker 7: I would, I would, I would disagree.

[54:23] Speaker 12: Oh, boy.

[54:23] Speaker 3: What would you say, Ron?

[54:25] Speaker 7: I, I, uh, mismanagement is one thing.

[54:27] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[54:28] Speaker 7: When you intentionally, uh, destroy-

[54:31] Speaker 10: (laughs)

[54:32] Speaker 7: ... a place, I think that's more the case. You have folks-

[54:36] Speaker 3: Okay, so you're, you're being-

[54:36] Speaker 7: ... who say they hate-

[54:37] Speaker 3: ... more assertive than I was.

[54:40] Speaker 7: Because they hate petroleum. They hate the up and, they, they hate them. So they put things in place-

[54:45] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[54:45] Speaker 7: ... I think sinisterly on some levels-

[54:48] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[54:48] Speaker 7: ... to, to stop or get rid of certain things.

[54:50] Speaker 12: (laughs) Yeah.

[54:50] Speaker 7: It's, it's, it's not a... When you think about it, right, it's, it's not a simple, uh, simple thing of mismanagement because even a mismanagement after a point, you go, oh, this isn't working.

[55:00] Speaker 10: That's true.

[55:00] Speaker 7: Let's, let's reverse it.

[55:00] Speaker 3: Beyond negligence. You're, you're correct.

[55:03] Speaker 7: Right.

[55:03] Speaker 10: Right. Yeah.

[55:04] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[55:04] Speaker 7: And that, that's, and that's the sort of evil, wicked part about it. It's a-

[55:08] Speaker 3: Right.

[55:08] Speaker 7: ... it's intentionally destroying the, a, an amazing place. And I, it's, it's just me, right? I'll go back to my...... conspiracy theories, right? (laughs) I, I, I see places like California, you know, back in the day we called it God's country. I, I think some people took that seriously and said Satan's just gonna attack it. (laughs) .

[55:27] Speaker 2: For sure.

[55:28] Speaker 16: Yeah, yeah.

[55:28] Speaker 7: It, it's-

[55:29] Speaker 2: Sure.

[55:29] Speaker 7: It, it, the, the, I... And one of the things that I've, uh... So I spent time in the, in the '70, '73, '74. Went back again in '79, and then went back again in '91, uh, for a period of time, and then, uh, back again in the 2018, '19. Every time I went back, the last three sit- trips, I literally went places and it brought tears to my eyes.

[55:54] Speaker 16: Yes.

[55:54] Speaker 7: And places I was familiar with, it brought tears to my eyes. Oakland is one of them.

[55:59] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[55:59] Speaker 3: That really hurts, yes.

[55:59] Speaker 7: It literally had me crying. It just, it, it's mind-boggling. You look at it and you go, this is not, this is not ignorance, it's not mismanagement. This is alt-right, wicked, intentional destruction.

[56:13] Speaker 16: Mm-hmm.

[56:13] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[56:13] Speaker 7: Can't-

[56:14] Speaker 3: Yeah, the-

[56:14] Speaker 7: I, I can't describe it any other way.

[56:16] Speaker 3: The current-

[56:16] Speaker 7: So-

[56:16] Speaker 3: ... state leadership has definite animosity towards just the th- the-

[56:24] Speaker 7: (laughs)

[56:24] Speaker 3: ... the wellbeing of our-

[56:27] Speaker 7: Yes.

[56:27] Speaker 3: ... our working families-

[56:30] Speaker 7: Yes, yes.

[56:30] Speaker 3: ... um, and our businesses.

[56:32] Speaker 7: Yes.

[56:33] Speaker 3: I was making a, a call today, actually asking for a donation to, um, one of my friends that has a business in Pasadena, and she, she was telling me, um, that (laughs) she's not able to help me this time because the property taxes on the building for her business were, were as- were assessed, were reassessed without anybody even coming to the physical-

[57:05] Speaker 16: Yes.

[57:05] Speaker 3: ... property. They reassessed it from five, five million to 11 million-

[57:12] Speaker 7: Hmm.

[57:12] Speaker 3: ... so that her yearly property tax would be 117,000 a year.

[57:19] Speaker 2: Wow.

[57:19] Speaker 7: Well, you got, and you gotta make up for the business that left, so now they're gonna whack everybody else.

[57:23] Speaker 3: Right.

[57:24] Speaker 16: Mm-hmm.

[57:24] Speaker 3: So, yeah. And so if, if people that own-

[57:28] Speaker 7: Yeah.

[57:28] Speaker 3: ... businesses, that have, that serve the community with their business leave California because they just, they cannot survive-

[57:38] Speaker 7: Yeah.

[57:38] Speaker 3: ... and then the families are gone, um, then, and the homeowners are being attacked the same way with property taxes, and we need to protect our Prop 13 here in California.

[57:52] Speaker 7: Yeah.

[57:52] Speaker 16: Mm-hmm.

[57:53] Speaker 3: Um, because our-

[57:53] Speaker 7: 'Cause I, I'd like for all the California, California, at least a lot of Californians to go back to California from Texas. They're killing me on pr- on my property price this year. (laughs)

[58:02] Speaker 3: (laughs) Yeah.

[58:02] Speaker 2: I think the rest of the country would stay the same, yeah.

[58:04] Speaker 16: Yeah. (laughs)

[58:05] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[58:05] Speaker 7: (laughs) I love you, but, you know, hey, go back home. (laughs)

[58:09] Speaker 3: (laughs) Yeah, but your values are going up. (laughs)

[58:12] Speaker 16: (laughs)

[58:12] Speaker 7: Yeah, that's why I'm rooting for you and all the, all the other Christians behind you-

[58:15] Speaker 16: That right.

[58:15] Speaker 7: ... who have kind of made California great again, so you reduce the property price. (laughs)

[58:18] Speaker 3: That's right. Yeah, yeah.

[58:20] Speaker 7: Go back. (laughs)

[58:21] Speaker 3: Uh-huh. Yeah, we'll take them back when we get the state in shape. Uh-huh.

[58:26] Speaker 16: I've heard the-

[58:27] Speaker 7: My personal, uh, story was that our son had a business there in, in, uh, in, uh, Oakland, and had all sorts of publicity, featured on television, magazines, all sorts of social media attention, and he shut the restaurant down, moved back to Atlanta.

[58:43] Speaker 16: Yeah.

[58:43] Speaker 7: It just, it, it was, it was absolutely mind-boggling-

[58:46] Speaker 16: Yeah.

[58:47] Speaker 7: ... the, the, the obstacles and the regulations. And then decided to, uh, to sell the business, shut it down. Well, he decided to sell it instead of shutting it down because they were gonna penalize him if he left the state and shut his business down.

[59:02] Speaker 3: Right, right.

[59:02] Speaker 7: And I'm thinking, you don't get more wicked than that. That just-

[59:05] Speaker 3: Uh-huh.

[59:05] Speaker 7: It just, you know, we g- we gotta... And the, the other individual who I, I've gotten to know, they were penalized after the fact because they sold their house in California and moved here.

[59:15] Speaker 3: Mm-hmm.

[59:16] Speaker 7: And they were, they were penalized. I'm going, that just, it's mind-boggling to me. It just, uh, which is why I go back to, it's not by accident. This, this is-

[59:25] Speaker 3: Right, right.

[59:25] Speaker 7: ... this is, this is, you know, intentional. Sorry.

[59:27] Speaker 3: Yeah, and that story is, that story is like a story from a communist country, because it's the communist countries that don't allow you to leave. (laughs)

[59:38] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[59:38] Speaker 3: Right?

[59:39] Speaker 7: (laughs)

[59:40] Speaker 3: It's like the countries that are, are the worst to live in.

[59:44] Speaker 7: Yes, absolutely. They don't allow you to leave, they overtax you, they-

[59:49] Speaker 3: So, yeah. That is-

[59:50] Speaker 7: ... they suppress your business. Yes.

[59:53] Speaker 3: Right, so yeah, there's an-

[59:55] Speaker 7: Oh.

[59:55] Speaker 3: ... ideology that, um, s- seems to be very familiar with some of our California pr- policies.

[01:00:05] Speaker 7: And, and here's, the other question I had was, uh, the, is there a, is there a, um, widespread or, um, sort of intentional effort among churches as far as praying and, uh, fasting and praying (laughs) for you and other folks en- engaged in the process there? I'm assuming it is, but any folk that you're, you're familiar with or connected with?

[01:00:28] Speaker 3: I've got... I have organized three groups myself to pray for the campaign.

[01:00:35] Speaker 7: Okay.

[01:00:36] Speaker 3: Um, but it's been very, it's been very hard to, to do the, um, organizing and the motivating, and I, I think that, um... So I send out my prayer requests to these groups, and they will, they will personally pray for me when we've got, um, events coming up, um, and, and even interviews like this. So, but I was, I was just talking to, uh, one, one of m- I call him my Republican mom here, and then she was saying, "I'm going to, I'm gonna talk to my church and organize the prayer group for you, and then I'm gonna talk to the other church down the street and organize a prayer group for you." Um-

[01:01:22] Speaker 7: There you go.

[01:01:23] Speaker 3: ... I, yeah, I'm, I'm praying that God will stir up the, the leaders in the churches to pray, um, because honestly, I...I am not able to stir everybody up. (laughs)

[01:01:37] Speaker 16: Right.

[01:01:37] Speaker 12: Yeah. Uh-huh.

[01:01:38] Speaker 3: Myself, Ron and I, we try... We, we, we kind of feel bad because we, we go church to church to church-

[01:01:45] Speaker 16: Yes.

[01:01:45] Speaker 3: ... um, to try to, try to s- you know, stir up that interest.

[01:01:49] Speaker 16: Yeah.

[01:01:49] Speaker 3: And we personally meet the pastors, um, but we, we're spread really thin. Um-

[01:01:56] Speaker 16: Yeah.

[01:01:57] Speaker 3: ... And, uh-

[01:01:58] Speaker 16: I'm going to pray for a prayer captain then on your team.

[01:02:01] Speaker 3: Yes.

[01:02:01] Speaker 16: Be- because that's their job for your campaign. So we'll get a prayer captain-

[01:02:05] Speaker 3: That-

[01:02:05] Speaker 16: ... and a college campus, uh, uh, coordinator. That's what we're going to pray for.

[01:02:09] Speaker 12: I like that. I'm writing that down. Yeah. Paul, you had a question too, didn't you? I think

[01:02:16] Speaker 16: (laughs)

[01:02:17] Speaker 12: Oh, you're off.

[01:02:18] Speaker 16: Uh-oh.

[01:02:19] Speaker 12: No, I was just... No, I didn't have a question.

[01:02:24] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[01:02:24] Speaker 12: I just heard last, was it last week that Hewlett-Packard announced that they were leaving California? Oh, they did

[01:02:30] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[01:02:31] Speaker 12: I was one of the babies, uh, you know-

[01:02:32] Speaker 16: Coming to Texas. (laughs)

[01:02:33] Speaker 12: ... that birthed the, the Silicon Valley, but they said, "We've had enough." And so HP, uh, they're leaving and, uh- Our daughter played volleyball with their granddaughter. Like, you're right. And his dad worked for them. Like that in the California

[01:02:48] Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And even on commercials on California is, uh, Kevin Costner saying, "Hey, if you want a place to film movies, go to Utah." You know? So-

[01:02:59] Speaker 12: Mm-hmm.

[01:02:59] Speaker 3: So even, even that's happening.

[01:03:01] Speaker 16: Oh.

[01:03:01] Speaker 3: And it's so subtle, you know, and, but it's happening on every front, you know. So there's the entertainment industry, and then you've got the high tech industry, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And to hear the In-N-Out is leaving California-

[01:03:14] Speaker 16: Yeah.

[01:03:14] Speaker 12: (laughs) I'm so sad. You can still get your burger

[01:03:20] Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, uh-

[01:03:20] Speaker 16: Well, she, she tried to stay. She tried to stay also. She tried.

[01:03:25] Speaker 3: Yeah, they have kind of a dual headquarters now.

[01:03:28] Speaker 12: (laughs)

[01:03:28] Speaker 16: There you go.

[01:03:29] Speaker 3: But it's, it's sad for us.

[01:03:32] Speaker 12: Yeah.

[01:03:32] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[01:03:33] Speaker 12: I met, I met the owner of, uh, of In-N-Out, the founder and the owner, and he-

[01:03:37] Speaker 3: Lindsay.

[01:03:38] Speaker 12: ... just a delightful, um, um, Christian man, um, unfortunately killed in a plane accident, you know, in Orange County. Um, but, um, you know, the business is... You know, still, still in In-N-Out on the bottom of their cups, if you look under there, there's a little scripture reference, you know, so keep it up. On the french fries. It's on everything. It's really cool Keep it up. Yeah

[01:04:05] Speaker 16: Wow.

[01:04:05] Speaker 1: Those, those are good news. Yeah.

[01:04:06] Speaker 3: Um, we stay a witness here. Those, those of us that are called to stay, we are, we are called to, uh, stay a witness, be a light. The Galatians, I think it's 6:9, that's kind of my theme verse these, these days, is, "Do not grow weary in doing good."

[01:04:25] Speaker 16: Amen.

[01:04:25] Speaker 3: "For in due time, you will reap if you do not lose heart."

[01:04:30] Speaker 16: That's right.

[01:04:31] Speaker 3: I, I think, um, Charlie Kirk used to quote Jeremiah also where it's, uh, he was... Jeremiah was speaking to the, the Hebrews that were in Babylon and saying, um, "You stay there, you bo- you build houses, you plant vineyards, you pray for the peace of your city, because as you prosper, the city will prosper."

[01:04:58] Speaker 12: Amen, amen.

[01:04:59] Speaker 3: And God, God wants, God wants us all to prosper. He wants-

[01:05:03] Speaker 12: Yes.

[01:05:03] Speaker 3: ... the be- he wants the best for us. He wants, uh, beauty, he wants hope, he wants joy, he wants the children to thrive. Um, and we're, we are feeling the consequences of, um, bad choices in California now. We are feeling the consequences of, um, maybe sins of omission and apathy by the church.

[01:05:29] Speaker 12: Yes.

[01:05:30] Speaker 3: Um, and so we are feeling the pain. Um, but God's heart is still to redeem. God's heart is still to prosper. And then that Jeremiah 29:11 that, um, I... God has plans for California for good and not for evil. He has a future and a hope. And so, so we stay and we, we, we, we put on the armor of God, and we put our light on a lampstand, and we shine it everywhere we can. And, um, we're not alone. There's another verse in, um, Acts that says, um, I don't... Uh, it was, it said...

[01:06:14] Speaker 3: I don't remember who it was for-

[01:06:16] Speaker 16: (laughs)

[01:06:16] Speaker 3: ... but God said, God said, "I have many people in this city. And so, so don't, don't be afraid. You're not alone."

[01:06:25] Speaker 16: That's right.

[01:06:26] Speaker 3: And we have many people in, in this city, in this county of Los Angeles and in California.

[01:06:34] Speaker 16: Yeah.

[01:06:34] Speaker 3: Um, and then I'm so grateful for all of you that are... that have left California and are sharing the blessings of California-

[01:06:45] Speaker 16: (laughs)

[01:06:45] Speaker 3: ... with the rest of the country. (laughs)

[01:06:48] Speaker 16: Amen.

[01:06:48] Speaker 3: Um, and you're, and you're praying for us, supporting us.

[01:06:53] Speaker 1: (laughs) Amen. Well, you know, there's a... Again, it, it's just interesting listening to everybody. Sometimes I sit back and I get so blessed by all of you. And, uh, Dennis Prager has the book out simply, I believe it's called God. And, uh, he speaks the Judeo-Christian ethic. And he goes to what you and Ron were both saying. Um, he said, "I'm not trying to tell anybody to believe in God or not believe in God, but this nation and California was founded...

[01:07:20] Speaker 1: All the greatest evangelical works of this nation came out of California."

[01:07:24] Speaker 16: Yeah.

[01:07:25] Speaker 1: And he said, "I'm just telling you, asking you to look at this, the morals, the love, the care, the understanding, all the practical terms you want to nail on the biblical truths that come from God's word."They're good. And how do you have those if you don't believe in somebody like God, who gave them to you? Otherwise, you do like Ron was saying, you make the choices on the changes for selfish reasons that end up destroying a beautiful state over a period of time. And the people don't need to be, you know, named, the governor and all these other people. They know who they are and they know what they've done and they know why Silicon Valley would basically just as soon we all left and went somewhere, gave up all the rosary believe that, leave them to traveling around in jets and playing in South Bay. And this came from someone who was from there to me.

[01:08:17] Speaker 1: So-

[01:08:18] Speaker 17: (laughs)

[01:08:18] Speaker 1: ... the- the bottom line on that all i- is- is what you just said, Elizabeth, huh, we're all here, right?

[01:08:24] Speaker 17: Yeah.

[01:08:25] Speaker 1: And God is in here with us and He knows whatever He's doing, and I believe you're spearheading that too. Whatever He's going to do here is gonna glorify Him, but it's going to bring back, I believe, we'll see it again, like Stephanie said, and- and- and what this state really has to offer is not gonna come all at once. But I think some of the net when He brings it through seeking the finish you know, is gonna bring in some of these people like you had said, Tank and others. They're looking at everything and they're not satisfied. They're not happy because they're still searching. We don't search 'cause we found who He is in Christ Jesus and we know that God has a plan.

[01:09:03] Speaker 1: So-

[01:09:04] Speaker 17: Yeah.

[01:09:04] Speaker 1: ... we-

[01:09:04] Speaker 3: I'd like to-

[01:09:05] Speaker 17: Go ahead.

[01:09:06] Speaker 1: Yeah. I'd like to bring it back to our Assembly District 40 where we are-

[01:09:11] Speaker 17: Yes, ma'am.

[01:09:11] Speaker 1: ... North- North San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita Valley. The reason why Ron and I are running particularly in this area is because it- it may be the most conservative ar- cities in Los Angeles County. And- and within the state of California, out of the 80 assembly seats-

[01:09:36] Speaker 17: Mm-hmm.

[01:09:37] Speaker 1: ... um, this may be one of the top targeted assembly seats in California to turn from blue to red.

[01:09:46] Speaker 17: Mm-hmm.

[01:09:46] Speaker 1: Um, and it... Because it's flip-flopped several times in the last-

[01:09:50] Speaker 17: Mm.

[01:09:51] Speaker 1: ... two decades. Um, and so- so it's- it's- it's possible to do and that's why, that's why we're doing it and we're- we're fighting hard. We have, there's a lot of good people. You know, I- I quoted that verse that, uh, God said, "I have many people in the city." Um, and so-

[01:10:09] Speaker 17: Mm-hmm.

[01:10:09] Speaker 3: ... in the last midterm election, 2022, the Republican assemblywoman, um, she lost to the current Democrat who's in the seat now four years ago only by 522 votes.

[01:10:26] Speaker 17: Mm-hmm.

[01:10:27] Speaker 1: Ooh.

[01:10:27] Speaker 3: Um, that was because they redrew the lines.

[01:10:30] Speaker 1: Mm-hmm.

[01:10:30] Speaker 3: Um, and so we're- we're dealing with those- those lines that were drawn those years ago, but, um, but we've got some other strategies to, um, get votes out that have never voted before, to get votes out that don't typically come out in a midterm election, um, to, um-

[01:10:54] Speaker 1: Mm-hmm.

[01:10:54] Speaker 3: ... get those students at that university.

[01:10:57] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[01:10:57] Speaker 3: Um, and G- God has strategies that can do this. Uh, but I did... I wanted to highlight to everyone that we are in a race that can be won, uh, for righteousness for what is good-

[01:11:13] Speaker 17: Mm-hmm. Yes.

[01:11:15] Speaker 3: ... and, uh, who to just put another stake in the ground-

[01:11:18] Speaker 17: Mm-hmm.

[01:11:18] Speaker 3: ... for, um, holding on to family values, to holding on to common sense, holding on to, um, let's bra... Let's- let's reverse some of these policies that are destroying our state and- and, um, release the- the tethers that are holding back the prosperity.

[01:11:43] Speaker 17: Mm-hmm.

[01:11:43] Speaker 3: Um, so remem... So remember as the District 40, which is in-

[01:11:48] Speaker 17: (laughs)

[01:11:48] Speaker 3: ... which is LA County, but- but we have a lot of good people here and they're working hard and working with us. So, um-

[01:11:57] Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah.

[01:11:59] Speaker 3: Yeah. Thanks for- thanks for coming alongside and cheering us on.

[01:12:03] Speaker 1: Amen. Well, that's it. So we're gonna kind of wrap and- and I'm gonna ask Stephanie maybe in- in just a minute to pray for you 'cause I know she was saying all that and- and boy, the input y'all have had tonight and, uh, one more time, let's- let's see if, um, uh, Stephanie maybe-

[01:12:22] Speaker 3: Would you like to pray?

[01:12:22] Speaker 1: ... maybe before just say a quick word how they can send some people. They always ask and I forgot last week. (laughs)

[01:12:29] Speaker 3: Because I wasn't done. I had something to say to Elizabeth and Ron.

[01:12:32] Speaker 1: That's it. (laughs)

[01:12:33] Speaker 3: And Ron gets the last word. No. Shoo, shoo, shoo. Okay.

[01:12:36] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[01:12:36] Speaker 3: We're so glad that you're here and you hung out extra long, uh, you can hang out with us anytime you like actually. You can go to bbsradio.com/raisingexpectations and you can listen in live every Monday. You can also scroll down and find prior shows. You can listen in. There's ways to give, which we always appreciate because it takes money to be on the air. Thank you, TJ. I'm making him go all over the place. You can continue to scroll down. You can connect with each of us individually as co-hosts. You can plug into Pastor Joe and into Craig's book. There's just a wealth of knowledge there. So bbsradio.com/raisingexpectations. And one of the things that I wanted to say to you, Elizabeth, but also to Ron, because being the spouse of someone going through this is, uh, not easy, right? It's a- it's a marital decision that you guys made.

[01:13:32] Speaker 1: Well, it's... Yeah. (laughs)

[01:13:33] Speaker 3: Ron- Ron grew very healthy, you know. I know your wife-

[01:13:35] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[01:13:36] Speaker 3: ... has also been through it. Um, I just wanna honor you guys because-

[01:13:41] Speaker 1: Yes.

[01:13:41] Speaker 17: Definitely. Yeah.

[01:13:41] Speaker 3: ... it would be easy to not-

[01:13:44] Speaker 18: ... make this choice.

[01:13:45] Speaker 1: Yeah. (laughs)

[01:13:45] Speaker 19: Yeah.

[01:13:45] Speaker 18: It would be much easier, right?

[01:13:47] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[01:13:47] Speaker 18: And the reality is that we need you.

[01:13:52] Speaker 1: Okay.

[01:13:52] Speaker 18: And I just think, as a mama, I also was a homeschool mom California. There's so many of us that feel like we don't have a voice, and it's really not true.

[01:14:03] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[01:14:03] Speaker 18: And so you rising up and you doing what the Lord has called you to do, I just appreciate it so much. And there are others watching how your character is in this entire process. So I just wanna honor that-

[01:14:17] Speaker 1: Okay.

[01:14:17] Speaker 18: ... for the two of you, and we thank you.

[01:14:20] Speaker 1: Amen.

[01:14:20] Speaker 18: We're praying for you. We're gonna continue to share about this campaign. Um, I know... Pastor Joe, you want me to pray over them?

[01:14:29] Speaker 1: Yes. I tell you, hold one thought and then... S- Stephanie, that was said so well. Ron, I think all the guys would say the same thing, uh, li- like Stephanie, just to support what she just said. You're- you're an incredible man, sir.

[01:14:41] Speaker 18: Yes.

[01:14:41] Speaker 1: You've raised a beautiful family with your wife, and, uh, the love you guys... You could... Everybody feels it, what you guys have together. And, uh, I mean, the traveling, the thinking, the praying you do (laughs) with the family, you're just, uh, our kind of guy, and we really appreciate you-

[01:14:57] Speaker 19: Yeah.

[01:14:57] Speaker 1: ... for what you've done their ways. And Stephanie, that was a beautiful thought you had there. And, uh, and I looked at a guy on your left, Stephanie, the same thing with tank there.

[01:15:04] Speaker 19: (laughs)

[01:15:04] Speaker 1: Same way right there. Amen. So that's great. So, uh, we're going to go off the air now. We took a little more time tonight. Um, Elizabeth, that was terrific. What you shared, uh, was terrific, the- the thoughts. Again, we just believe... We- we know you not only walk with the Lord, but you're personal with him and with everybody, and you make everybody feel. And everybody, guests are calling in now saying, "This is a fantastic show." We're getting things. So remember, ladies and gentlemen, you saw where- where to go, uh, to- to help her and support her, and you know where we are. We appreciate that, but we're gonna continue there. Before this election continues, we'll be in touch with you. We're gonna keep you all informed about what she's doing. Check all our Facebook pages. Check our- our Facebook page. We're in different spaces. Let- let her prayers be felt that way. All right, Stephanie, uh, E- Elizabeth, we're gonna pray for you now. Okay? We're gonna go from there.

[01:15:55] Speaker 1: Are y'all set?

[01:15:56] Speaker 18: Okay.

[01:15:56] Speaker 1: Okay.

[01:15:56] Speaker 18: I'm gonna say this thing just in case, because we said it at the beginning, but if you want to connect with Elizabeth, the website is Elizabeth, it's with a Z. I know some are with an S. It's a Z.

[01:16:06] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[01:16:06] Speaker 18: Elizabeth4, the number 4, assembly.com, so you can connect with her there. She's also on social medias.

[01:16:12] Speaker 1: Mm-hmm.

[01:16:12] Speaker 18: So look for her. Um, thank you, TJ. He just popped the website up.

[01:16:17] Speaker 1: There you go.

[01:16:17] Speaker 18: Okay.

[01:16:17] Speaker 1: Thanks, TJ.

[01:16:18] Speaker 18: He will now pray. Dear Lord, we just know You are the good, good Father, and we are so thankful for the framework that You put in place. We know that government is actually Yours, that You- You made it very clear in the Old Testament that we are to be a piece of it, we are to be active, we are to be vocal, we are to be kind, but also, um, to be a piece of it. And I just ask, Lord, that You cover Ron and Elizabeth during this season.

[01:16:47] Speaker 1: Yes.

[01:16:48] Speaker 18: Let them feel Your presence, Lord. Go before them. Um, guide them in their steps, in their word, Lord. Just as Ron Gurr asked earlier, Lord, we ask that you bring them a prayer captain that can-

[01:17:01] Speaker 1: Yes.

[01:17:01] Speaker 18: ... disseminate into the community, uh, that You have, that we know how powerful prayers are and how that lifts up, and what the impact can be, Lord. And we also pray for that campus coordinator that, uh, will just energize these young people to go out into the community, Lord. I ask for just a rising up, for just a- a murmuring, the voice of people saying, "Hey, have you heard about Elizabeth? She's gonna make change.

[01:17:27] Speaker 18: She's here to do it with me."

[01:17:28] Speaker 1: Mm-hmm.

[01:17:29] Speaker 18: Lord, I just ask for You to create that momentum. I know that You do the most amazing and wonderful things, and we are just excited to see Your awe and glory, and we thank You in advance-

[01:17:39] Speaker 1: Amen.

[01:17:39] Speaker 18: ... for all that You will do. We praise You and W- we honor You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[01:17:46] Speaker 19: Amen.

[01:17:47] Speaker 1: (clears throat) Amen.

[01:17:47] Speaker 19: Amen.

[01:17:47] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[01:17:48] Speaker 19: Amen. Amen.

[01:17:49] Speaker 1: All right, folks. And the guest speaker says to everybody, "Amen." We differ always coming across as men.

[01:17:55] Speaker 18: (laughs)

[01:17:56] Speaker 19: (laughs)

[01:17:56] Speaker 1: So, uh, yeah. Hey, God bless you. Love you guys. Uh, thanks team. You guys are the best. I love you. And- and folks, w- we're gonna see great things happen with Elizabeth. Ron, thank you. Thanks for everything you do too.

[01:18:07] Speaker 19: Yeah.

[01:18:07] Speaker 1: Elizabeth, God bless you. Keep those fires going and give you the energy you need, okay? We'll see you next week, ladies and gentlemen. Same time, same place, same station. BBSRadio.com. Radio, TV. The best there is you'll find anywhere. So, uh, check them out and, uh, also know that we pray for you and that God raises your expectations as he raises and gives you a new leader in District 40. See you next week. Bye-bye.

[01:18:32] Speaker 19: All right.

[01:18:33] Speaker 18: Bye.

[01:18:33] Speaker 19: God bless you.

[01:18:34] Speaker 18: Thank you.

[01:18:34] Speaker 19: God bless you, guys.

[01:18:37] Speaker 1: Friends, thanks for joining us on this week's program of Raising Expectations. We profoundly hope you found it engaging and, at times, humorous, but most of all uplifting, so that we may read with you one topic at a time each week, become more encouraged to move forward to an exciting future in, as we always say, this thing called life in America today. So let not your hearts be troubled. Your family, finances, faith, freedom. It can be a great future as we talk, listen, respect, and pull together. Please let me hear from you. You can reach me at 972-922-8556. That's 972-922-8556, or Joe Scofield on Facebook or LinkedIn. It'd be a pleasure to know you, and we hope you'll listen in again next week on the BBS Radio Network.