Episodes

Elizabeth Warren, the POTUS candidate with a plan for nearly everything, has finally released her Medicare for All plan. We dive in and look at her proposal examining the mathematical, moral and incentive angles that she is putting forward. We particularly look at this through the lens of our inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Does Warren’s policy match up with the founding ideals of our nation? We also cover the closing of the Town Park Villas Golf Course...

Lyft is offering free rides to job interviews. We break down this great community service and public relations move by Lyft within the context of the government attacks on the gig economy. We also discuss how the gig economy empowers workers by giving them more income streams, more control over their schedule and a better work-life balance. We also discuss the recent news on Twitter and the banning of paid political ads. Finally, we touch on the upcoming announcement by the Padres to int...

I’ve had a great few weeks connecting with people doing special things in their life, pursuing their own happiness. But do we create our own barriers that prevent us from experiencing this joy? We take a look at various examples pf people pursuing their happiness and talk about ways to overcome self-inflicted blockages. We also get into the epic showdown between Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Mark Zuckerberg, and touch on a variety of news topics here in the Poway, Rancho Bernardo area. We share ...

David Leland is back in the JRP podcast studio to break down the San Diego Padres hiring of new manager Jayce Tingler. We get into Tingler’s resume, the upgrade over Andy Green and the reactions from our friends on #PadresTwitter. Then we take look at the San Diego State Aztec basketball roster for the 2019-20 season. Aztecs are projected to be the #2 team in the conference and could bet set for a great season. Finally, we get into Aztec football, the World Series, the Chargers and much ...

I was so pleased to get to know Kathryn Cloward and her incredible story. Kathryn is an award-winning book series author, performing songwriter, media publisher and producer, and serial entrepreneur. She is also the founder and CEO of Kandon Unlimited, Inc., a heart-centered mindful media company intent on creating positive and empowering media for people of all ages. Our conversation covered so much ground including her childhood dreams, important values and lessons passed on from her parents...

This is such a confusing topic. How much should you tip? Who do you tip? What are the rules? What are your standards? Why does tipping seem to happen in the shadows? How are tips distributed amongst the staff? I share numerous examples of my own journey as a person that originally was jaded by the idea of tipping. Even as an employee that received tips, I was perplexed by the whole idea and wondered why the system needed to exist this way. But I evolved tremendously due to 2 significant ev...

Jennifer Klein joined us to talk music, Poway, Synanon and so much more. We discussed her organic creation process and capturing her emotions in song. Jennifer shared her experience making her first music video at her Poway home for her song “Lean into Joy”. We also learned about her experience making the songs “So Good” about a special relationship, “Waste of Time” about feeling not appreciated, and “Passing You By” about cell phones and her children. Jennifer also shared the thrill of doing a ...

We break down the Democratic Presidential Debate on October 15, 2019 with a special spotlight on Elizabeth Warren. In my opinion, Warren had a terrible night. She was dishonest, deceptive and ungrateful. This podcast covers wealth inequality, wealth taxes, morality, Medicare for All, opioids, automation, trade, Corporate America and so much more. #JohnRileyProject #DemDebate #Warren #Bernie #Tulsi #YangGang #Biden #Klobuchar #Beto #MayorPete #Kamala #TomSteyer #Booker #DemocraticSociali...

A Pleasant Valley Sunday in Poway? Not so for the Poway Protesters. A very vibrant, positive group of political activists have been protesting against President Trump in Poway for 2.5 years and now the Pro Trump group has taken over the corner across the street. We decided to check in and see what was happening. The activists demonstrate at the intersection of Twin Peaks Rd and Pomerado Rd every Sunday morning from 11am-12noon. Zeke and I had a chance to visit with the them and we learned a ...

The elections are rigged, broken, warped, distorted. Pick your descriptor. It is anything but a fair, open and democratic process. Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard just called out the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for working in cahoots with the corporate media to game the system…. And he is 100% spot on. We break down a long list of topics that showcase how the system is rigged including the Commission on Presidential Debates, voter registration suppression, cancelling prim...

A whirlwind 2-week trip that included themes of civil rights, liberty and equality. A journey taking in the sweet sounds of country music, blues, jazz and rock ‘n roll. A personal tour that experienced the expanse of Big Sky Country and the narrow alleys of Bourbon St. Special people and places that connected us with family both today and yesteryear. There was so much to share in our trip that touched on the themes we discuss frequently in this podcast including entrepreneurism, liberty, electri...

Our favorite sports analyst, David Leland, joined me to break down the San Diego Padres 2019 season. We discuss the manager vacancy and candidates we’d like to see get the gig. Then we break down the entire roster, discuss player performance, propose a variety of trades and project what the line up and pitching rotation looks like for 2020. We also touch on the new #BringBacktheBrown uniforms, the front office, Aztec football and much more. So many topics and people were mentioned inclu...

The California state government has radically changed the rules of the gig economy. Definitions of contractors and employees have changed, supposedly to offer benefits to the worker. But really, who wins? We follow the money and look at the entities that financially win with this legislation. But more importantly, we explore the idea of entrepreneurism and discuss all of the benefits of self-employment. We get into the business model of Uber, Lyft and other ride sharing and transportatio...

We explore the history of San Diego housing development over the course of the last 40 years and how we ended up in this housing crisis. It was interesting to retrace our memories of development in the 70s, 80s and 90s as communities in Mira Mesa, Rancho Penasquitos, Scripps Ranch and Carmel Valley were developed. We then get into the idea of working from anywhere where you can use technology to work remotely 100% of the time. We discuss a variety of different scenarios, the positive impa...

Chick-fil-A had their grand opening in Poway and the city is buzzing. People love CFA’s chicken. Powegians have a new restaurant to enjoy. There are smiling faces and neighbors meeting neighbors at the big event in town. City leaders are there to share the event and get a photo op, but are they unknowingly promoting CFA? What exactly should be the role of local government when it comes to managing the local economy? Which businesses should the city promote, push aside or make illegal? We d...

Interested in ordering that custom car of your dreams? We learn the hidden secrets and what happens behind the curtain when you place a custom car order with a dealership. Corvette enthusiast, Pete Neild, and San Diego’s favorite car guy, Mike Polite, joined us in this fascinating conversation which covered so much detail of the process of how the dealerships work and how the manufacturer does business. Here in Southern California people’s identities are often tied to the car they drive....

David Leland joined me to break down the San Diego State Aztecs 2019 football season. We take a close look at Rocky Long’s squad, go through the schedule and predict the outcome of each game. We also highlight many of the Aztecs including Kyrie Woods, Matt Araiza, Mark Salazar, JR Justice, Darren Hall, Juwan Washington, Ryan Agnew, Carson Baker, TJ Sullivan. David also shares stories of watching some of these players in Palomar League play at Poway and Rancho Bernardo High Schools. We ...

A Half Billion Dollar Poway School Bond and Santee’s efforts to make Granny Flats easier and less expensive to build are the topics in episode #71 of the John Riley Project. What? Another huge school bond in Poway? We discuss the recent survey to Poway Unified parents testing their interest in a new school bond. We also get into innovative strategies of financing schools to save taxpayer dollars and help save money to use for capital improvement projects without going to the voters for more ...

In this podcast we look at three hot topics in San Diego County: San Diego Climate Change/Green Energy, Oceanside Housing and the San Diego County Republican Party. We start by examining the City of San Diego’s “Climate Change Demonstration Project” to put solar panels, temperature controls and lighting reduction monitors in 3 of their libraries as a showcase of using sustainable energy technology to achieve a net-zero energy usage. Then we jump into the City of Oceanside’s heated discussion ab...

San Diego Sports Super Fan, David Leland, joined us for an amazing conversation about the teams and personalities in our local sports community. Leland, a Poway resident with a strong social media presence, combined incredible recall of statistics with insightful sports commentary during our conversation. We had a great time talking about the problems facing the Padres, whether manager Andy Green should get fired, defensive shifts and the trade of Franmil Reyes. We put Leland into the drivers’ ...

Rancho Bernardo author, citizen and independent voter, Steve Dow, joined us to discuss his new book: 15 Reasons People Voted for Trump in 2016 and Why These Don’t Apply in 2020. We traced his roots growing up in New Jersey, reliving the 1985 Villanova Wildcats NCAA victory over Georgetown, and his degree in civil engineering and minor in peace & justice. Then we got into his career, meeting his wife Gaby Dow (a previous guest on the John Riley Project), building a family and being a father and ...

Reverend Doctors Stephen and Abigail Albert joined us to discuss Interfaith Awareness Week here in San Diego County August 11 thru the 18th. During our conversation we shared stories and experiences of people of different faiths coming together and learning from one another. We talk about Steve’s Interfaith Manual where he documents 40 different topics, such as violence and love, and then breaks down the perspective of 12 different faiths on each topic. His discovery, which served as his disser...

The Trump response in the aftermath of the El Paso and Dayton shootings was about condolences, condemnation of hate and offering proposals to prevent these incidents from occurring again. But does the Trump response and his recommended policies actually make a difference? Do Trump’s recommendations violate our civil liberties? How does his condemnation of hate match up with his rhetoric at campaign rallies? We speak about the San Diego Padres rough second half and the future of Andy Green. We ...