There’s yet another transition of power in Virginia. What election scenarios might happen under the new political maps published by the Supreme Court? How will COVID impact the state legislature? What can we expect during the upcoming General Assembly session?

Sarah Graham Taylor is on Pod Virginia to preview legislation to be considered by the new General Assembly and she explains the importance of local autonomy when a municipal government has a philosophical disagreement with its state government.

Michael and Thomas also responded to listener messages.

See more at linktr.ee/JacklegMedia.

Michael Pope

I'm Michael Pope.

Thomas Bowman

I'm Thomas Bowman.

Michael Pope

And you're listening to the season three premiere of Pod Virginia, podcast that used to be called Transition Virginia. We dropped that name, but we're still documenting the ongoing transition of power in Virginia politics.

Thomas Bowman

So it's Monday morning, ugh.

Michael Pope

But you know, your Monday morning commute is about to get a whole lot spicier, because we're now dropping episodes right at the beginning of the week.

Thomas Bowman

Sunday is the first day of the week, Michael.

Michael Pope

Okay. All right, fine. So we're not dropping at the actual beginning beginning of that week, not the first day of the week, but early in the week. So as you're driving to that 8am subcommittee meeting in the Pocahontas Building, Thomas, I know you remember those, that's when you're going to get your new episodes of Pod Virginia.

Thomas Bowman

Yes, you will get your marching orders while you're marching.

Michael Pope

Okay, let's get to the news. Imagine this scenario for Republican Senator Emmett Hanger, if he decided to run in the newly created Senate District Two, he might have to run in a primary against longtime Republican Senator Mark Obenshain, and then in the general election against longtime Democratic Senator Creigh Deeds. That's one scenario that might happen under the new political maps drawn by the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Mark Rozell

Now imagine that facing an incumbent member to win the party primary, and then facing another incumbent to win the general election.

Michael Pope

That's Mark Rozell, Dean of the Schar School at George Mason University, and friend of the podcast. He says the maps that the Supreme Court justices have come up with are much better than the old gerrymandered districts.

Mark Rozell

And what they've created are remarkably compact, continuous districts, which is the constitutional standard, without regard to incumbency status, and who's likely to keep their seat, or who's likely to lose it. They kind of let the chips fall where they may.

Michael Pope

More than 50 members of the General Assembly are now in districts that include two incumbents, a dozen members are in districts that now have three incumbents. Steven Farnsworth at the University of Mary Washington, friend of the show, says, this is unprecedented, at least in modern times.

Stephen Farnsworth

Incumbent versus incumbent races are very challenging, because both of the candidates, or in some cases, all three of the candidates, have already demonstrated they can win elections.

Michael Pope

Now, unlike members of Congress, members of the General Assembly are required to live in the districts they represent. That means almost half of the existing members of the General Assembly will soon face a difficult choice, run against an incumbent, move to a new district, or find some way to gracefully bow out. It's a challenge that's especially difficult for those 12 General Assembly members who are now in districts with three incumbents. So, you know, Thomas, if you look at this list of General Assembly members that are now in three member districts, the one that really jumps out at me as being the most interesting, is the new Virginia Senate District Two that has Creigh Deeds, and Emmett Hanger, and Mark Obenshain, that's in the Shenandoah Valley area. Then if you get out to Virginia Beach, you've got another senate district that has Bill DeSteph, and Jen Kiggans, and Lynwood Lewis. Over on the House side, you've got a Richmond area seat that's fascinating, that has Don Adams, and Jeff Bourne, and Betsy Carr. Then out in Virginia Beach, you've got another three member district on the House side, with Glenn Davis, and Barry Knight, and Kelly Convirs-Fowler. Thomas, what the heck is going on with a three member district? How's this gonna play out?

Thomas Bowman

Well, the realtors are going to make a lot of money off of these elected officials moving all of a sudden. I imagine that Creigh Deeds will not be interested in running in a double digit Trump district, he will probably move right next door to Charlottesville, and represent the community that he's been representing. I also happen to live in the Betsy Carr, Jeff Bourne, and now Don Adams district that was newly created, and there's a bunch of districts right around it that do not have an incumbent. So if someone like Betsy Carr is still interested in being an elected official, she's probably going to have to move.

Michael Pope

Yeah, actually, I had an opportunity to speak with Delegate Buddy Fowler about a bill that he had introduced. And after the conversation was over with, I said, "Hey, you know, I noticed that you're now drawn into a district with Scott Wyatt. So how is that gonna play out?" And he said, "Well, it's actually going to be pretty easy for him to establish residency in the district that he has been representing, but now no longer lives in." So I think we're going to see a lot of that whole, you know, the, the concept of establishing residency, is going to be the currency of people, kind of, quote, unquote, "living," where they want to represent.

Thomas Bowman

Yes, and these are not necessarily the final districts. Even still, Michael, because there are bound to be lawsuits from this, and the, and the Justice Department has not yet signed off on these new maps. And there's a couple interesting things to consider here. One, the special masters said they actually deliberately excluded race as a consideration when drawing these districts, which is actually illegal. So you know, it's in their memo. And that's going to be problematic, because the Supreme Court said that when you can draw a majority/minority district, you have to draw a majority/minority district. Now Republicans use this to pack Democrats in by putting one district full of 70% or 80% Black people, who happen to also vote 98% for Democrats. And what that does is it converts all of the districts around it, say four or five surrounding districts, into Republican districts. So that is a problem by the special masters, saying they deliberately excluded race. Well, that's going to give a pretty big piece of ammunition to any party that wanted to sue over these districts. The other thing too, is thanks to the intrepid tweeting of Ben Tribot @NotLarrySabato, turns out the Supreme Court and the special masters, which is a weird name, didn't draw the districts alone. They had help from the American Enterprise Institute, a Koch funded group.

Michael Pope

I saw that tweet. Yes. I thought that was pretty interesting. Yes, all of what you just said is fascinating. And it's certainly worth digging into the details. So stay tuned for episode two of season three, because our next episode will be devoted to this topic.

Thomas Bowman

Also in the news, Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin's choice for Secretary of Natural and Historic resources. He wants to appoint a former coal lobbyists, the guy who is Donald Trump's EPA Chief, Andrew Wheeler. So Michael, Virginia political twitter is all abuzz, because, one, it's very uncommon to have somebody from D.C. muddying up the waters here in Virginia, but two, Scott Surovell thinks it's actually going to be a bipartisan vote to reject this nominee.

Michael Pope

Yeah, you've seen environmentalists call this, "The absolute worst pick the Governor- Elect could do." As you mentioned, Democrats are already trying to figure out how they could deny this guy the appointment. And I will point out, there is some history behind this. If you look back at the Kaine administration, way back in 2006, Governor Kaine had a pick for the Secretary of the Commonwealth, who was a labour leader, by the name of Daniel LeBlanc, and the Republican majority House rejected the Kaine pick for Secretary of the Commonwealth, which Kaine described as, "McCarthy style politics," nevertheless, Kaine did not get his pick, and the the Secretary of Commonwealth was rejected, and Kaine had to find somebody else. So there certainly is precedent for the General Assembly rejecting a cabinet pick. And I think Democrats, of course, lots of Democrats, are interested in seeing if they could deny Andrew Wheeler the nomination for Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources. Thomas, the problem they're gonna have with that, is the margins are so thin in the Senate. And so like the House is going to nominate this guy, no problem. The action is going to be in the Senate, which is so tight. And I guess the real question is, do the Democrats really have the votes to deny this guy the nomination?

Thomas Bowman

This is not unprecedented, but it is uncommon. You're having to reach all the way back to 2006 to find a recent example. And I would argue at this point, 2006 is not that recent. So it hasn't happened in quite a while.

Michael Pope

Yeah, true. There is precedent, but it's actually not common precedent. And so like, that's the situation that we're in. The Democrats have the ability to deny Andrew Wheeler the nomination, but that's gonna be a fight. So stay tuned to Pod Virginia, and we will continue just discussing this.

Thomas Bowman

You know, to quote, Lacey Putney from 20, I believe, 2013, when the Republicans were trying to hold up some nominees of Terry McAuliffe, Lacey Putney, who used to be a Democrat, became an Independent, then was a Republican, bangs his cane that he had on the ground. He goes, "Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, if the Governor wants his man, the Governor gets his man." That was a quote from Lacey Putney, I think it's going to apply here, unfortunately, if you're not a fan of Andrew Wheeler, because usually the Governor gets, who the Governor wants.

Michael Pope

Thomas, I didn't know that you did impressions.

Thomas Bowman

Not well.

Michael Pope

We're gonna need a separate segment where Thomas does impressions, I like it. Okay, let's get to listener mail. Last week's show on our most our top 10 most popular podcasts for 2021 created some buzz. Friend of the show, Gonzi Aida tweeted, "I'm just going to assume my episode was the 11th most popular." Thomas was Gonzi's episode, the 11th? I'm not looking at my list now, but I'm sure it was very popular, right?

Thomas Bowman

Yes, it was Michael, and yes, it was Gonzi. It was the 11th most popular episode.

Michael Pope

You know, it was a great episode. We actually got into some supply chain issues that were fascinating. In fact, I learned a whole bunch about catalytic converters I had- that I didn't- that was news to me.

Thomas Bowman

And theft, which there is a bill this year to make theft of catalytic converters a felony.

Michael Pope

Thanks to Gonzi Aida.

Thomas Bowman

I don't know if it's his bill or not, but a Republican definitely put it in. Zach Lincoln tweeted, "The best way to prepare for a flight, is with 12 hours worth of Transition Virginia, (now Pod Virginia) and, 'The Circus' on Showtime downloaded to your phone." Zach, I agree.

Michael Pope

Yes, I have to say, I've watched, "The Circus," on Showtime, but I've never listened to the podcast. I'm sure it's a great podcast, and maybe even as good as Pod Virginia maybe? But you know, there are lots of great podcasts out there. I mean, since I've got the opportunity to plug a podcast, I'm going to plug a podcast from a friend of mine, a former colleague. It's a podcast that's about cancel culture. It's called, "Cancel Me, Daddy," that I happen to be good friends with one of the CO hosts Oliver Ash Klein, and every episode they get into specific topics in the sort of hysteria around canceled culture, and why people are going crazy about certain kinds of things. And you should definitely check it out if you have an opportunity.

Thomas Bowman

Cool. Thanks for that recommendation.

Michael Pope

Any podcasts you want to plug Thomas?

Thomas Bowman

Pod Virginia. It's the only podcast I listen to, and I do binge it, 12 hours worth of Pod Virginia, the podcast formerly known as Transition Virginia, is nothing. I listen to the whole series on repeat, over and over, but I skip all of the segments and go straight to the commercials so we get a couple cents.

Michael Pope

Fred Hussain tweeted that, "[We] should have Glenn Youngkin or Winsome Sears on the show to describe their agenda," adding that he would particularly be interested in hearing about affordable housing. Well, Fred, let me tell you something. I've invited Glenn Youngkin onto the radio, and I've invited Winsome Sears onto this podcast, and I'm hoping that one of them will say yes to my entreaties. So far that has not happened. But yes, 100%, we would love to get them on there. If you're listening to this podcast, and you have some sway with Glenn Youngkin or Winsome Sears, ask them to come on our podcast, because we want to chat with them. We want to know what their agenda is, and we want to have our listeners hear what their agenda is, as well.

Thomas Bowman

I wonder if Glenn Youngkin will invite us to the Executive Mansion the way Ralph Northam and his Chief of Staff, Clark Mercer, did?

Michael Pope

We had a great time at the Executive Mansion. Thank you again to Clark Mercer for giving us the invitation. I'm going to say, yes, Thomas. I'm going to say yes. That's my hope.

Thomas Bowman

Hope springs eternal, Michael.

Michael Pope

Yes, I will continue to hope that one day, you and I, will, once again, grace the doors of the Executive Mansion. And I want that to be in the Glenn Youngkin administration, and I want to chat with the Governor-Elect, and I want to hear what he has to say, our listeners want to hear what he has to say, too.

Thomas Bowman

I'm also particularly interested in hearing about affordable housing from Glenn Youngkin, or any policy, really. Okay, also one of our most popular guests ever, Sean Perryman. He tweeted about being on our top 10 list twice. He thanked us for the invitation, and for our work covering Virginia politics. Well, thank you, Sean, and thanks for being on the show. And thanks for your friendship and guidance over the years now.

Michael Pope

Yeah, he was on, as we pointed out in our last episode, two of our most popular episodes ever. He helped us walk through the election like right before the election, we had an episode with him and Mike Allers, where we talked about the upcoming election, and all the dynamics heading into Election Day. And he was also on one of our most popular episodes ever, which was about Critical Race Theory. He, along with Virginia Commonwealth University Professor Jatia Wrighten, helped us understand what the heck is Critical Race Theory, and why people are talking about it, and why they're saying the things that they are saying. If you have not heard the episode, you should go back and listen to it, because in 2022, this is going to be a topic that you will hear a lot about in the General Assembly, because Republicans want to ban Critical Race Theory from the classroom. And this is a discussion that will occupy a lot of oxygen this year. And so this is clearly something that people are going to be talking about.

Thomas Bowman

Yeah, we're gonna have to have Sean Perryman back on the podcast, that's for sure.

Michael Pope

Totally.

Thomas Bowman

Alright, let's take a break. When we come back, we'll be joined by our first guest for season three. She also happened to be the first guest of season two, and she's one of our favorite people to talk politics and policy. Sarah Taylor will be joining us to preview the upcoming General Assembly session. What can you expect? What's gonna happen? What are the bills that legislators are putting in? Find out after the break.

Michael Pope

And we're back on Pod Virginia. We're joined by a longtime friend of the show. She made several appearances back in season one, she helped us launch season two, now she's back to help us launch season three. She's the Assistant City Manager and Legislative Director for the City of Alexandria, and she holds the record for making General Assembly predictions that come true. Sarah Taylor, thanks for joining us.

Sarah Graham Taylor

Thank you so much for having me, y'all. Glad to be here. Congratulations on kicking off season three. Looking forward to the 2022 General Assembly session here in a couple days. Days!

Michael Pope

We're starting the terrible twos. So on the note of terrible, we're still, of course, in a pandemic. And not only are we still in the pandemic, we're hitting record numbers, every day is a new record number for COVID cases. Sarah, what's this going to look like here, in a General Assembly in non pandemic years is kind of a cesspool for germs, frankly. That's a normal year. What's it going to look like this year as lawmakers and their staffs inevitably end up testing positive for COVID, and people have to take the five days off, and what is this actually gonna look like?

Sarah Graham Taylor

I think that's a really, really good question. I think it really depends on how careful people are, what choices they're making as far as their masking, and handwashing, and distancing. You know, are we back to the point where it is the usual and customary way of us cramming 15 people into this tiny office to hash out a deal on a piece of legislation, or are we still zooming, and you know, keeping ourselves distant? I think that's going to be the question is, you know, just how do we comport ourselves? You know, it is obviously easier to cram 15 people into an office to get a deal struck. But is it the smartest way to do business right now? And I think that's going to be what it comes down to.

Michael Pope

Or is there some kind of hybrid? I mean, I'm thinking like, is that that 15 person room going to have X number of people actually in the room? And then several people participating remotely? I mean, I think that's probably the most likely scenario, right?

Sarah Graham Taylor

Yeah absolutely. And I think it'll depend it'll differ office by office. You know, some offices may be focused on keeping people in small groups, they may say, you know, "Yes, we can negotiate this deal. But you can only bring three people. Everybody else needs to, you know, come in on a zoom, or on speakerphone, or whatever it is." I think some of that's going to differ office by office, I think some of its going to be personal decisions, whether members, or staff, or lobbyists, or advocates, whoever it is, decide to comport themselves. I am planning on taking the stairs a lot, not planning on getting into a lot of elevators, not planning on cramming myself into a lot of small offices. But I do know that this is a relationship business. And I do know that a lot of the work that we get done, gets done in person, face to face, but I'm going to continue to sort of make the best decisions I can in that environment, you know? Don't want to bring COVID home to my family, don't want to spread it around to people who are compromised. Planning on masking and washing my hands. I've you know, my Christmas present this year was enough rapid tests to test every other day during session. And I have a PCR test scheduled every Saturday when I get back. So you know, I'm trying to do the right thing. And I'm just hopeful that there's a lot of other folks out there who are trying to do the right thing as well.

Thomas Bowman

Sarah, that's fascinating. And the Speaker is going to have a lot of authority over these COVID protocols. Do you have any hint of what the new incoming Speaker, Todd Gilbert, is planning for, at least, COVID protocols in the House and the Capitol Building?

Sarah Graham Taylor

I have not, to this point. I mean, during the interim, there were a lot of protocols in place, you know, rooms were a distance, chairs were spread out, you know, some of it was self policed, others, you know, it was, you know, the only people allowed in certain rooms during certain briefings were members and things like that. I have not heard what the plan is for next week. But I'm hopeful that regardless of what rules are or aren't in place, that people are thoughtful and diligent and do the best that they can, regardless of what the rules in place are.

Michael Pope

What about on the policy side of all this discussion? I mean, are we going to be hearing discussion of bills about, you know, mandates, and even emergency powers? What are we expecting along those lines?

Sarah Graham Taylor

I mean, we've already seen several bills filed that have to do with COVID-19, whether its limitations on the Governor's authority, when it comes to issuing states of emergency, or emergency orders, and we've seen some related to vaccine mandates. You know, I'm sure we'll see more as the bill filing period continues. But yeah, I would not be surprised to see a lot of things in that area, whether it's about vaccine mandates, or other issues in that area. You know, I could see some related to, you know, coming with my local government hat on, you know, coming to, you know, make sure that I could see some limiting local authority to, you know, make certain decisions in communities when it comes to public health mandates, mask mandates, or vaccine mandates, or things like that, not that we've seen any localities in Virginia do that to this point. But we have seen it in the region, you know, we've seen Maryland and D.C. put in additional mask mandates, even vaccine mandates, for, you know, going into private businesses. So I wouldn't be surprised to see some efforts in that area from the new the new House majority.

Thomas Bowman

It sounds like there's a lot of unknowns still at this point. And let's pivot to another unknown, which is, how the D last ransomware attack is impacting the filing of bills, which are slowly starting to trickle in, and the operations of, well, a lobbyists activity, or local government's agenda.

Sarah Graham Taylor

Absolutely, um, you know, I think that first day when we all went to, you know, a login to check the code, or to, you know, to do some research on the history of a bill, and everything was was down, we all sort of, you know, panicked, and to this point, I mean, a lot of stuff is back up online. But practically speaking, from my experience, the first is, we our bill tracking system that we use uses the DLS back end to populate it. So like, you know, the information that's in there on bills, and committees, and hearings, and all that stuff, comes from DLS. So my concern was that my bill tracking system wasn't going to be working, and that I was going to have to move to paper, or some other less practical way of tracking our bills and getting comments from our subject matter experts. But to this point, our bill tracking system is working. So clearly the connection with the DLS back end is working. So that's good news. So we've been able to assign bills to our subject matter experts, and start pulling our tracking system together. I would say that it feels like the drafting process seems to be slower. And I don't know if that's because there are still problems, or whether it's just that initial time when everything was down, just put everybody behind. The conversation about the the ransomware attack, it's not really been clear what the problems still are. Other than, you know, we've heard that, you know, we're gonna do the best we can with the system we have moving forward. And luckily to this point, other than feeling a little slow. It hasn't really impacted my work to this point. But I'm sure staff and members are probably still seeing and feeling some impacts.

Michael Pope

One of the things that's going to be different about this session is these new maps, everyone has these new maps they're looking at in terms of the new House districts, the new Senate districts. You're a Legislative Director there in Alexandria, which is going to be losing two Senators, you'll be losing Dick Saslaw and George Barker, but you'll be gaining Alfonso Lopez. That's just Alexandria. Across Virginia, though, I mean, these new maps are going to play a role in how this session plays out. What is that influence going to be, Sarah?

Sarah Graham Taylor

There's clearly going to be an impact. I don't see how a member who is either redistricted in with another member in a primary scenario, or in a General Assembly matchup, or in some of these, you know, three way races that have been paired up, I don't see how that doesn't impact the choices that you make during this session. Because the choices you make during session are always, to some degree, about the next election. It's laying the foundation for your message, it's about doing things in your community that you can take credit for the next time you're up for election. And if you're looking at the possibility of a primary, or a general election against a sitting member, I'm sure that is built into your calculus of the choices that you're going to make this session. So I don't know exactly what those are, you know, whether they cause folks to focus more on the communities that they live in, or to shore up the, you know, the support there, or whether, you know, I'm sure for some members, they're less focused on filing legislation, and may be more focused on finding a good realtor to move into a district if they've been redistricted in with, you know, with another member.

Michael Pope

Several realtors in the General Assembly, also.

Sarah Graham Taylor

Yes, I'm sure they, you know, I don't know if that's a conflict or what, but you know, there's a, you know, I'm sure if you need a realtor or a title company, there's some folks you can call in the General Assembly. But I'm sure there- I am sure that it impacts the decisions that some legislators make. I am very much looking forward to working with the members of our delegation. I have already started, you know, while Delegate Lopez doesn't currently represent Alexandria, he will, you know, once these maps are in place after the next election, and so trying to get him up to speed on you know, what that area of the City looks and feels like, what the issues that are important to them are. So he's up to speed on that section of the City that he will be representing. Very sad to lose Senator Barker and Senator Saslaw, but looking forward to getting lots of attention from Senator Eben, hopefully.

Thomas Bowman

Alright, you just mentioned the senators. So why don't we move on to how important the Senate committees will be to the City of Alexandria. There's going to be a lot of potential attacks on local authority, and local control, which is, obviously, your bread and butter. So this could come in the form of taxes, or marijuana regulation, schools, Critical Race Theory was something that Republicans ran on. And it's, as we've commented on before, it's kind of a gimme, because there is no Critical Race Theory curriculum taught in the schools. So passing any legislation on it doesn't do anything. So what is the role for the Senate Committees, from Alexandria City's point of view, and perhaps other localities?

Sarah Graham Taylor

I think from our point of view, you know, we see the Senate committees as being- and the Senate committee chairs, in particular, who choose what bills get on what dockets. That is where the real choices are going to be made about what does or doesn't move past the House. I think that's the way we're expecting some of these more challenging issues to flow, from the House to the Senate. I mean, we've already seen a bill filed that would preempt the local authority that was granted a couple years ago for localities to regulate firearms on local government properties. So you know, at City Hall, at our rec centers, you know, in our parks, you know, things like that. So the expectation is that the Senate committees are going to be where those issues, that had been previously blessed by the General Assembly, and by the Senate, obviously, in particular, that's where the stop would be on those issues. So the role of the Committee, the Senate committee chairs in particular, is going to be incredibly important this session in stopping those things. I mean, you know, from a local government perspective, you know, we're looking at everything from, for example, the local authority to regulate firearms on public properties, to the issue of whether retail marijuana is opt in or opt out by locality, what our zoning authority is, when it comes to marijuana. I mean, it's everything from, is there going to be an effort to perhaps scale back collective bargaining in local government environments? Is there ever going to be effort to scale back the authority for us to hold the community police review boards, because not only are these things that we supported and believed in, but they're, they're things that we are currently implementing. And so efforts to roll that back would have real practical impacts on our City government. We've hired people, we've stood up boards, we've invested in these things. And it's everything from, you know, the little things, investing in signage when it comes to the firearms issue, to hiring lawyers and staff as we implement collective bargaining. So really looking to the Senate committees to be where the things that were blessed, previously, by the Senate get reinforced this session.

Michael Pope

You mentioned marijuana regulation, I want to circle back around to that. So marijuana is legal. It's no longer illegal in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in certain amounts, in small amounts. But you can't buy it because nobody has a license. Last year, the General Assembly created this regulatory system, but they put a reenactment clause on it, it seems unlikely the Republicans would reenact everything that Democrats wanted to do. What the heck can we expect with marijuana legislation this year?

Sarah Graham Taylor

That is an excellent question. I think that sort of falls into the, "we don't really know a category." I think you're right, I think the expectation is that there will be some changes to what was passed last session. But if there's changes, then you know, that it sort of changes the whole calculus of it because of the the reenactment clause. So we would, I mean, I'm assuming we would sort of have to go back through the whole process.

Michael Pope

Yeah, you have to open up that can of worms again. I mean, like, a lot of the Republicans didn't like this, all this talk about the social equity licenses, right? So if you pull- it's like that game of Jenga, right, like you pull, you pull that out, the whole thing falls down. Yeah, I mean, I do we expect the discussion over marijuana regulation to be a major part of this upcoming session?

Sarah Graham Taylor

Um, I think if it is still a priority for Democrats in the Senate, then yes, I think we're gonna see an effort to come up with something that can move forward.

Michael Pope

Well, I hear you about whether or not to priority but but also, Virginia is in this weird, transitory state that nobody's happy with, which is that it's legal, but you can't buy it because nobody has a license. And in fact, this was one of the arguments Republicans made against legalization, is that you don't want to have this gray area. And yet here we are in the gray area. So even if it's not a priority, it's still like a problem that needs to be fixed. Right?

Sarah Graham Taylor

Yeah, I think that's I think that's exactly right. I think there is, you know, a problem that needs to be fixed. But I think that, you know, the question is, is the priority to, you know, which way are we trying to do this? Are we trying to undo it and say, "We're getting out of the gray area by making it illegal again," and then sort of revisiting it? Or are we going to fix the gray area by coming up with a way to have a retail environment that perhaps, you know, doesn't have the social equity, you know, lens on it, you know, or that has, again, an opt in versus an opt out for localities? I think that's where we're gonna see the conversation on this go. I don't expect it to be made illegal. Again, I don't think that's, you know, that's a likely scenario. But I think it's the, "how do you cobble together the pieces that make the retail environment palatable in the new general assembly environment?" And with the new Governor?

Thomas Bowman

Well, Sarah, we've asked you a lot, and is there anything that we missed that you're watching, or either excited for, or maybe concerned over, that we haven't covered yet?

Sarah Graham Taylor

One of our big focuses here in Alexandria, and one of the things that we've been talking with localities across the Commonwealth about, is issues related to flooding in our communities, and inland flooding in particular. You know, the Commonwealth's done a really good job of dealing with coastal flooding, inland flooding, we haven't sort of had the same diligent, multifaceted conversation about, so we've been talking with lots of localities about this. It's an issue that crosses political boundaries across geographic boundaries. It's not just a Northern Virginia issue. It's not just a Southwest or SouthSide or Richmond issue. So I think that's one of the things that we're really trying to have a very thoughtful conversation about this session. But it does intersect with that issue of the state's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, it intersects with how frankly can we talk about climate change in this new environment?

Michael Pope

Sarah, on that issue, I talked recently with Delegate Will Morefield, who has a bill that would set aside some of that Reggie money, specifically, to create a flood relief fund. What would you think the future that is?

Sarah Graham Taylor

I mean, I think it depends on whether or not there's you know, there's a you know, whether or not we're still participating in Reggie. But I think the issue of inland flooding-

Michael Pope

Well, actually, so his bill, there's two different options. One of them is, "Okay, here's the plan for if we are in Reggie," that seems unlikely, frankly.

Sarah Graham Taylor

Right.

Michael Pope

So but like if Virginia leaves Reggie, right, his bill actually has a payout. Right, which is like sets aside a certain amount of money, I think was $5 million to go to this new flood relief fund. Is that something- that's obviously, you know, Morefield is clearly a different part of the state than Alexandria is, but like, this is something where the the sort of urban and rural intersect in terms of-

Sarah Graham Taylor

Absolutely, I mean, it's a conversation that I've had with, you know, with several members of, Republican members, in the House about this. And I think that, I think that something will get done, you know, $5 million, doesn't really do a lot when it comes to these inland flooding issues.

Michael Pope

$50 million, I'm sorry, $50 million.

Sarah Graham Taylor

5o's better, I'll take 50 over five. But, but again, I think it's about more than just money. I think it's about, you know, it's about having these, you know, a really sort of multifaceted conversation about like, what, you know, what authority do localities need? Do they need different authority? You know, how do we, you know, how do we deal with this on a, you know, when it comes to land use, when it comes to planning, is the way you deal with it in Northern Virginia, slightly different than the way you know, in very densely packed urban areas different than the way you deal with it in, you know, Southwest. But I think it is an issue that we that we really do need to address. And I think bringing a lot of folks to the table to have that conversation is really important. So I'll take money any day, you know, that's, you know, you know, looking for money, this session for you know, our CSO here in Alexandria looking for money for some, an African Americans cemetery in Alexandria, which by the way, is experiencing flooding issues. But money is always good. But, you know, local authority is also helpful because, you know, the layer of government closest to the problem often has the best solutions, but we can't solve it without the authority.

Thomas Bowman

All right. Well, Sarah, we've had a great conversation today. Thank you for being the first guest on our rebranded Pod Virginia.

Sarah Graham Taylor

Well, thank you for having me on Pod Virginia. I look forward to more opportunities to talk with you all. If you see me in Richmond, I will have lots of brightly colored masks on, but look forward to seeing you all down there starting next week.

Thomas Bowman

The COVID consultant in me, says wear an N95.

Sarah Graham Taylor

Yes, I have brightly colored masks that go over my N95.

Thomas Bowman

Ah, very nice.

Sarah Graham Taylor

I can be stylish and safe.

Thomas Bowman

I love it. Alright, thanks again, Sarah.

Sarah Graham Taylor

Thanks y'all, appreciate you.

Michael Pope

Pod Virginia is a production of Jackleg Media LLC.