This week on Valley Edition we look at the future of politics in California, in the wake of a November election that saw Democrats gain a two-thirds majority in the Legislature, and Republican voter registration drop below 30 percent. FM89's Joe Moore brings us the second report a two-part series on the impact of California's new "top-two" election system. This week we learn how the new reforms may force some of the state's smaller political parties off the ballot entirely.
We also look at the future of the Republican party, both in the state and across the country, in the wake of President Obama's victory over Mitt Romney and Republican losses in the U.S. Senate. Selma resident and Hoover Institute fellow Victor Davis Hanson joins us to talk about how he thinks the GOP can become more competitive in the future, by adopting what he terms a more populist approach with future campaigns. And Fresno State political science professor Thomas Holyoke joins us to talk about how demographic changes in California and the nation will impact future elections.
Also this week, we visit our archives and learn more about the new Fresno Environmental Reporting Network, which aims to make it easier for residents to report instances of pollution in their communities. We close this week's program with a look at how a longtime Christmas tradition is returning to Kearney Mansion this year with Christmas at Kearney, in an interview with Cindy Wathen of the Fresno Historical Society.