Patricia Bower and Don Simmons

Participants share about why they joined the interview today.

Participants discuss their earliest memories of politics. PB shares about becoming aware of the Vietnam War in high school. DS shares about becoming aware of racial tension during his childhood in South Carolina.

PB talks about her relationship with her parents and the inflammatory impact of Ronald Reagan.

DS shares about his own relationship with his parents and similarities between his and PB’s experiences.

PB shares about her experience with race through the lens of her parents attitudes and how it impacted her growing up in Ohio.

DS shares about his experience growing up in a fundamentalist Baptist church and how that impacted him as a gay man.

PB shares about her experience being a self-identified "lapsed Catholic" and some of the things that informed her stepping back from the church.

DS shares about the first time he encountered Catholic people through experience with a convent. It greatly expanded his worldview.

PB shares about her move from Columbus, Ohio to California. She loved the transition and has never returned. DS shares about his childhood aspirations of moving to Laguna Beach, California and his life path to moving there.

PB discusses the cost of living in California and the impact on her children.

Participants discuss California politics and some of the things they would like to change versus things they think are done well. Homelessness is an important issue for both of them. PB mentions the frustration with self-interested decisions being made by politicians and questions why California hasn’t put roofs over people's heads when we have the money to do so.

PB and DS discuss their experience with the NextDoor app and how it can fuel vitriol for people who are experiencing homelessness.

PB discusses her frustration with people who tell her she should not give money to homeless people.

PB expresses her frustration with staunch positions taken within the Democratic Party and wants to see more compromise and cohesion within the party.

DS reciprocates some of PB frustrations and highlights his frustrations with waffling on environmental issues from the Biden Administration and California Democrats.

DS discusses the use of fireworks in California and the equating of controlling fireworks use to an attack on the 2nd Amendment or being anti-American. PB adds her experience growing up in Ohio where fireworks were illegal.

Participants share closing thoughts with one another.