out into the united center and saying the convention floor, that stage. it was just so beautiful. all the democrats across the country representing a diverse group of people, group of views and perspectives. it is quite something. >> the house will be in order. >> this year, c-span sucked -- c-span celebrates 40 years of covering congress like no other. we've been your primary source for capital news, providing balance fund -- balanced, unfiltered looks a government, all with the support of america's cable companies. c-span, 45 years and counting. powered by cable. stern on c-span2. >> the house will be in order. >> this year c-span celebrates

45 years of covering congress like no other. since 1979 we have been your primary source for capitol hill, providing balanced unfiltered coverage of government, taking you to where the policy is debated and decided with the support of america's cable companies. c-span, 45 years and counting, powered by cable. >> "washington journal" continues. host: joining us from chicago, joe garofoli, senior political writer for the san francisco chronicle, a chronicler of kamala harris. things were giving us your time. guest: thank you for inviting me. host: remind our viewers about the extent of your coverage of kamala harris. guest: i cover her throughout her career in california politics and when she started in 2003. as we can see has it has been an

incredibly meteor cries. host: when you talk about her career in politics, -- an incred in office a young police officer was shot by a gang member in san francisco. she said i am not going to pursue the death penalty here because that is what she ran on. she did it before the officer was buried, something she regretted later. she went to the church service where the officer was buried. senator dianne feinstein come at the time the most powerful and influential figure in california politics stood up and said this case absolutely should have called for the death penalty with harris right there. all of the officers in the church in uniform, hundreds of officers stood up and cheered. that was a very difficult moment for her but she stuck by her guns so to speak. it strained her relationship

with police officers the years. when she ran for attorney general several years later in 2010 officers supported her republican opponent. one of the first thing she did as attorney general's she went around to every county, met with police unions, and when she ran for reelection she got the support of several police unions. that is one thing. another thing she did was as attorney general, the bank settlement. california was hit very hard during the mortgage meltdown in 2008 and 2009. a lot of people lost their homes. she negotiated with the banks. initially they were posing a settlement of $3 billion or $4 billion. she said that is not enough. we are the largest state and our folks deserve more. governor jerry brown was for many years her senior said i hope you know what you're doing. it was a very risky move.

she also went against her friend president obama at the time. it turns out she got over $20 billion in the settlement and it was a risky move that defined her in that way. host: when you talk about the law enforcement aspect of kamala harris. the former president is highlighting the fact that at one time he said she supported the idea of defunding the police. where is the truth in that? host: she has talked about to -- guest: she has talked about different ways of policing. she has always talked about that. she said it is not -- an officer arresting someone on the street is not always the best solution. sometimes it involves -- she started programs for low-level offenders. one was called back on track. instead of a low-level drug

offense, instead of imprisoning these folks she would offer them a path to stay out of prison if they completed certain tasks. this has led to a conversation about harris that has followed her throughout her career. often progressives say kamala is a cop and is too conservative, and conservatives say she is too progressives. one of the things she did, she was concerned about truancy rates. she noticed a lot of the people who were committing crimes had not finished high school. one of the reasons was they were not going to school. she set up a program where educators would work with young people and their parents if they missed more than 50 days. that is roughly one third of the school year.

the parents would be penalized. progressives are saying you are criminalizing poverty and what are you doing? that was something where conservatives embraced her. the truancy rates went down. only a couple dozen parents in san francisco were charged. that said that governor arnold schwarzenegger in california replicated the program statewide and there were some counties where many parents did go to jail because of the truancy of their children. she has always at this duality. that is why it has been very hard for many people to characterize her. is she a cop and embracing her prosecutor role or is she progressive? another issue where she has gone back and forth is on cannabis legalization. she opposed the legalization measure in 2010, she opposed it

in 2014 when she ran for reelection as attorney general even though her republican opponent supported it. she opposed it in 2016 when the rest of california supported it. cannabis is legal for recreational uses. then when she went to washington as a senator in 2016 she embraced it and now she is on the leading edge of the administration's role to make cannabis -- to use it for research and such. she has changed on that. as san francisco district attorney she prosecuted cannabis crimes. that is one of those issues where she has taken different stances over the years. host: this is joe garofoli joining us from the san francisco chronicle. if you want to ask questions about the political career of kamala harris, you can call on the lines. (202) 748-8001 for republicans.

(202) 748-8000 for democrats. independents (202) 748-8002. text us at (202) 748-8003. when you hear the term border czar applied to kamala harris, what goes through your mind? guest: what goes through my mind is it is a republican talking point for the most part. the democrats have a hard thing to explain. she was appointed by president biden to what was essentially a diplomatic post to connect with governments in central america, to address the root causes of crime. she is not responsible for the border. that is the secretary of homeland security come the secretary of hhs, that is their job. she is not the border czar in

that aspect. the problem was the border czar tag stuck with her early and that has become a talking point in conservative media and it will be hard for her to shake. you've seen over the last couple of days for the democrats are trying to push back on that and say there was a border deal on the table, the toughest border deal ever written by republicans, and trump waylaid it. basically because it would hurt his reelection chances if there was a deal in place, he cannot use that as an attack issue. there is a nuance there. she was part of looking at the root causes of crime. she is not the person deciding how many people will come in and out. now she is part of the administration. in terms of her direct responsibility, i think that is overblown. host: let's hear from linda in maryland. democrats line. go ahead.

caller: good morning. the reason i am calling in is because i believe in kamala. i believe she has been a person who went from down and out, pulled herself up and made something of herself. is there more to doing that that she has done that we are not aware of yet that you can make us aware of? guest: when you say aware of, make you aware of her upbringing? caller: more in the way of her career. guest: i will give you a little bit of background of where she is coming from. that is something i've noticed at the convention, a little bit of it is being scrubbed. i saw the video at the night of the convention played in between

speakers and it says -- it showed her home, which is berkeley, it showed her parents, but it did not mention the words berkeley, where she was raised, or oakland, where she was born. i am concerned someone on the campaign or the democratic party might think she is too california. she will be the first democrat from california to be nominated for president. she grew up, her parents were academics. her mother is an immigrant from india went to college at 18 or 19 years old. she was a cancer researcher. her father was an economist. they met at berkeley in the middle 60's. they met at civil rights demonstrations. this is how she grew up.

she grew up surrounded by activists. she grew up in berkeley at a time of great intellectual ferment. she meant to a place -- a community center. it was auto -- it was also an intellectual hub for a lot of black intellectuals. maya angelou was there. these people were popping in and out. this shaped her as a child. that is why when you hear the phrase we've been hearing all week at the convention and since she assumed the nomination, "when we fight, we win," this is something we hear commonly at demonstrations, at labor union rallies and all kinds of rallies in california in particular, which is a hub of progressive activism. when we fight, we win. this is something harris has heard her entire life. she grows up in this family of progressive activists and intellectuals. when she said i want to be a

prosecutor her family is like what? these are the folks we are often fighting against because of the actions police take, particular against communities of color. that is going back to the duality, if she progressive, is she a cop, these forces have been shaping her. host: this is from lena in connecticut, democrats line. go ahead please. caller: i am listening and i am taking it all in with all of this going on. i would love to see a woman president. that would be fantastic. the only thing i am having a hard time trying to place her where she really wants to go.

on the border, i don't know if she did anything for the border. that is very important for this country. we have tons of people that we need to support. we all know. the economy is not good. that is very concerning. i am in a certain age where i live a fixed income. the way things are going, i don't think our country could support all of these expenses they are trying to make. like on the border. where does she stand? host: that is lena in connecticut. you did talk about the border a little bit but if you want to

elaborate, go ahead. guest: thank you for your call. what she has said recently issue would implement that border deal that was on the table before trump scuttled it. she would embrace the toughest border deal we have seen in a long time. if that continues to be on the table -- that bill was written by james lankford, one of the more conservative members in the senate. that is where she is on that. you're right, all of this enthusiasm. you cannot get elected on vibes and good feelings. the economy is the most pressing concern for a lot of people. democrats will talk about everything is getting better, inflation is coming down, prices are coming down a little bit. prices are still higher than they were. a lot of people like yourself are struggling with that.

if republicans could focus on that, that would be the most difficult question they have to answer. if you look at the macro economic trends, they are getting better. macro economic trends do not mean a lot if you say i cannot believe eggs are so much or milk is so much or in my case pasta is so much. that will be their biggest challenge. host: she has a background in law. she put out a plan for the economy or at least some principles on the economy. what you think that revealed about her grasp on economic policy? guest: will largely see a continuation of the biden platform. one thing that is interesting to see it there was a focus on making it easier for young people to buy a house, to afford a house. that is one of the biggest

drivers of concern in california. it is phenomenally expensive to buy property in california. that is the cause of the wide income inequality gap. she knows that better than anybody as someone born and raised in the bay area. her family were renters for a long time. she understands that aspect viscerally. we will see how much of a discussion the housing policy will get in the next 70 days or so. i noticed that when she rolled out her plan the other day that that is something we do not hear a lot about the national level. certainly we are trying to do that in california. it is a struggle. host: this is from david in new york. republican line.

caller: i am watching the convention and i'm not hearing any solutions. none of the solutions for the border closing while she is in office. they never close the border, they tried to sue texas. none of her policies are together with the republican party. they voted against each other, they are constantly split. i do not see her reaching across the aisle. i do not see anybody helping anybody get out of poverty. i do not see her plan to make the deficit go down, i do not see any solutions from joe or from her. i she see what -- i see she wants to snatch patents from big pharma. it does not work in other countries, i do not see why it will work here. i do not hear anything from her. she is not doing any interviews with anybody. she is just out there waving and laughing and smiling and

promising everybody anything. i do not see how this country can afford her. host: that is david in new york. let me take on one thing. he said the ability of reaching across the aisle. i want to reflect that to her career in the senate and what it reveals about her as a potential president of the united states? guest: her career in the senate was pretty brief. she was elected in 2016. she thought she would be elected with a democratic president and she immediately went into opposition mode after donald trump was elected. most of her senate career was in opposition. it is difficult for a junior senator to get a lot done. most of the things we know about her is questioning trump appointees and supreme court justices. some viral moments she made there.

there is not allowed to love lead -- there's not a lot of legislative accomplishment. she started running for president in the 2020 campaign. then she returned to the senate after that campaign -- she became vice president after that campaign fell apart. then she was named to the biden ticket. i have a great list of accomplishments in the senate for her. she was there but it was a very brief time and much of the time was spent running for president. host: is a candidate in 2020. compare that to her ability and what she has to face going forward now? guest: is already backtracking on some of the things she was talking about in 2020. the dynamics are different. it was running against a dozen democrats.

she is new to the policy aspect of being an elected official. as attorney general you have a finite box of issues you talk about but now she is having to come up with different policies. because they are the democratic primary, they will always want to elect the most liberal people. she took very left-leaning stances. she gave a confusing answer on medicare for all. first she said do away with all of the private insurance companies, and then she said not really. i am for medicare for all. she went back and forth. finally she proposed a plan that would roll it out over 10 years. that was some of the challenges she had about nuance policy and coming up with what the specific policy prescription. another issue where she has rolled back -- she is not for medicare for all right now in this campaign. another issue where she has

changed her position is on fracking. when she was running for president she says we will ban fracking western pennsylvania, where i grew up in pittsburgh, that is a huge issue. now she has turned around. she realizes it is an important -- important to the folks who live in that area, it is an important industry. as this campaign spools out over the next several weeks, it will be a sprint. the gentleman was right. she has not done a major interview. she has not down a sit-down interview. she has answered a couple questions from reporters as she gets off a plane or something. she has promised to do one before the end of the month. we will see. host: in virginia, here is ronald. hello. caller: good morning.

i see kamala harris is doing such a great job. there is a lot of stuff we need to get changed in our country. the thing we often realize is that kamala harris is not the person creating the most problems we are having. if we take time and look at what is going on on both sides, we can see why we are having so much problems is not just democrats, it is the left-wing people that are not letting things get past. when we was trying to pass things they would not allow us to pass things. that is why we are having so much problems we are having today. guest: i want to add something to last. nancy pelosi from san francisco. we wrote story the other day that talked about what nancy

pelosi's advice to kamala harris is. cover and from the center. you would think that was interesting coming from nancy pelosi, everyone think she is super progressive. she is about winning and she realizes the seven battleground states, the people undecided are generally people in the middle. to appeal to them you say i will govern from the center. i would not be surprised if kamala harris does govern from the center. she has progressive sensibilities but she has made her way to the top of the political keep in two decades, which is pretty fast by being able to read the tea leaves. i think she is a much smarter politician now. she is had more experience, she has been in the white house for four years as the vice president. it is interesting to hear nancy pelosi say govern from the center. at the same time she says have a democrat run a message that is

bold, progressive, and i think she said not offensive or something like that. i asked her, was a policy that is not offensive? nancy pelosi said what works in san francisco will work in michigan. what works -- i am blowing the line. what works in san francisco will not work in michigan but what works in michigan will work in san francisco. stay in the centerline. pelosi -- you can say a lot of different things about her, but she is very good at winning. host: one more call from chris in florida. republican line. you are on. caller: being a reporter from the san francisco chronicle, i am sure you know the history of kamala harris. you said she grew up in oakland and berkeley. at 12, at nine her parents

divorced. at 12 she moved to montrealers, canada where she went to school. from second grade to her first years in college she lived in montrealers. that is where she went up. then she went to howard, then she was a fly girl for montel. then after that she put on her kneepads -- host: we will stop there. alan from hawaii also asked about her time in montreal. guest: her time in montreal is a time we do not know much about, it was a place you made a key decision in her life. that was when she decided to become a prosecutor. it was inspired because a friend she knew was being abused by an adult in her life and she felt

very protective of her. she asked her to come live with her family and that is what made her want to become a prosecutor. that was the key moment. even in her memoir she wrote when she was running for president the first time, there is not a lot in that part about her canadian years. it is an area we do not know too much about. host: he has received criticism -- she has received criticism for her relationship with former san francisco mayor willie brown. what was that relationship? guest: they dated about a year and a half in the mid-90's. this is unusual for people to hear outside of san francisco. willie brown was married at the time. he was -- i would not say estranged from his wife, they lead separate lives. they had been apart for maybe 10

years before that. they are still married. willie brown is 90 years old. he did appoint her to some state commissions when she was a young prosecutor. it is hard to say he made her career. it is kind of insulting in some ways, when she has been the twice elected san francisco district attorney, the twice elected attorney general of california, elected to the u.s. senate, vice president. there is someone else who willie brown helped out with an appointment to the parking commission in san francisco. it was a guy who lived in the marina district, and his name was gavin newsom. they have not had a romantic relationship as far as i know but this is something willie brown has done. he has also helped nancy pelosi, he is also helped dianne feinstein.

yes, they had a relationship, but frankly that is sexist and i think the caller from florida should maybe cut his phone off. host: what are you watching for tonight? guest: i am watching what many of the callers have talked about. i think kamala harris needs to introduce herself more to folks who do not know much about her and spell out where she will go. how is she going to be different from joe biden? what policies is she going to keep? it is a lot to ask in a one night speech but she has to mix the personal, who she is, acknowledge the historic moment of this, given who she is, and explain where in policy -- this is not a big policy speech, but outline where i'm going, what i want to do, does the other caller said she needs to sit