Participants in the focus group were vocal about their support for education. (Photo: Stephen Pottage)

With the national conventions behind them now, Republicans and Democrats say they’re all fired up and ready to go — sprinting toward the November election.

Four years ago Barack Obama marched into the White House beside an army of young volunteers. How are voters under 30 feeling about politics now?

As President Obama was giving his acceptance speech Thursday night, a group of younger citizens in Silicon Valley discussed their feelings about the election. Those focus groups are part of KQED’s campaign season series “What’s Government For?” — a joint project with the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California.

While the PPIC does public opinion polling, they also are conducting these smaller conversations to take the pulse of Californians this election year. KQED has already participated in Contra Costa, Fresno and Los Angeles. On Thursday night, 20 young adults — ages 18 to 29 — gathered to talk about their views on government and politics. The group was a mix of Republicans, Democrats, Independents and people who aren’t sure what their political beliefs are or even whether they will vote. KQED’s Political Editor Tyche Hendricks was there for the evening, watching through the two-way mirror. Participants were told only their first names would be used, to ensure candor.

Hendricks said there was a common thread, linking the group. While the 20 people spanned the socio-economic spectrum in terms of jobs and their backgrounds, all of them expressed worry about the state of the country and the economy. “Some blame President Obama, and others just say he was dealt a tough hand and he needs more time to get things right,” Hendricks said.

Some were students, some are working, others are looking for work. Some of them have children of their own. “But just about everybody wanted government to do more to improve schools and to make college more affordable,” Hendricks said, adding a specific point from a focus group participant named Ryan, who said he was the first in his family to go to college and that he’s already spent five years at San Jose State University, just trying to get the courses he needs to graduate. Ryan told the group that tuition has doubled since he’s been there and there are significantly fewer classes.

Proposition 30 on the ballot in November would raise taxes to avoid further cuts in classes and tuition hikes. The focus group was overwhelmingly in favor of Prop. 30 and Prop. 38, which would also raise taxes for education, Hendricks reported.

“Some people said they didn’t favor raising taxes in general,” Hendricks said, “but schools and colleges need the help. A young woman named Divia, who is an immigrant from India, (has) her Masters Degree, and she’s working in the field of food technology. She described herself as politically neutral, but she’s worried about finding a good school for her young daughter. And she thinks that quality education shouldn’t just depend on living in a fancy zip code. In the focus group, Divia said that education ‘should be accessible and available for everyone. … They should not have a choice that only it I have money then I can get an education.’”

This attention to education mirrors what President Obama discussed in his acceptance speech Thursday night. Still, Hendricks says this young group was markedly less excited about President Obama than young people were four years ago.

“Even the Democrats in the group didn’t seem very excited about the election,” Hendricks said. “They were willing to give Obama another chance, but there was a sense of unease that I heard from many of them, and a sense of disconnection from the political process. (One) young woman — a recent college graduate who’s now paying to put her sister through college — said she felt government leaders were ‘cut off’ from the people they represent. She said ‘government, I don’t trust you, but I need you. So, I hope you’re doing good for me.’”

The campaigns have about seven weeks to build trust with voters.

More:

Listen to Scott Shafer’s interview with KQED Political Editor Tyche Hendricks

More stories from the Public Policy Institute of California focus groups:

From Silicon Valley: Eroding Trust in Government Among Young Voters

From the Central Valley: Central Valley Voters Speak Their Minds at Focus Groups

Democratic National Convention Committee Unveils Stage For DNC (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

High profile Californians are making a splash this week at the speaker’s podium at the Democratic National Convention. This morning on The California Report, KQED’s Rachael Myrow talked with San Francisco Chronicle political reporter Joe Garofoli.

They started off with a look at Attorney General Kamala Harris’ speech last night. Harris made the case for President Obama, while touting her own campaign to win accountability for banks in the housing crisis.

Harris linked the two nicely in her speech. “That’s the choice in this election,” she said. “It’s a choice between an America where opportunity is open to everyone, where everyone plays by the same set of rules or a philosophy that tilts the playing field to help the wealthiest few. A choice between holding Wall Street accountable or letting it write its own rules.”

You can watch the rest of her speech here (and read below for more on other California Democrats):

Harris is getting a lot of buzz as a rising star in the Democratic party. Myrow asked Garofoli for his take.

“These conventions are a chance for a state politician to get the national spotlight, and that’s what Harris was doing here,” Garofoli explained. “To get a spot within an hour of Bill Clinton last night is a high-profile spot for her. I talked to her beforehand and here is someone who stared down the banks and helped to craft this billion dollar settlement, and she told me, ‘I’m kind of nervous.’ And so it is, they realize it’s a chance to go before the national media, to go before the grassroots activists who are in the party, and the people who are kind of the political nerds — the people who can talk up your candidacy or who can kill it if you think.

“Four years ago he hosted a major party here for young folks,” Garofoli said. “It featured Shepard Fairey, who did the iconic Obama poster — the “Hope” poster — and it was probably the hot ticket four years ago. This year Newsom has been next to invisible. He appeared before the delegation, but he has not had a major role. … I think he was only here for a day or two.”

Garofoli reminded listeners that California is a reliable vote for Obama. He doesn’t have to campaign here — although he does come to California for fundraising. But even though the convention is not directed toward California, Garofoli has interesting stories from within the delegation.

“A couple of days ago, I ran into a pair of twin Sikh sisters from Stockton,” he said. “They’re 21 years old, and there are 26 Sikhs in the delegation here, which is way more than anyone else. And it’s a very interesting coming-out party for Sikhs. They feel that they wanted to be more politically active. They’re coming forward, especially in light of the recent shootings in Wisconsin, and they want to say, “We’re here, we’re visible.” They want to raise their political voice and political profile.”

Watch on YouTube…

Earlier last night, Kamala Harris — California’s Attorney General and rising Democratic star took center stage and addressed the crowd.

The California delegation to the Democratic National Convention is staying at the Blake Hotel, seen here in 2009. Photo by Matt Johnson/Flickr.

As the Democratic National Convention got rolling, the news being reported about California’s delegation was, well, weird.

Over the weekend a member of the delegation was sent home following a drunken confrontation with emergency workers and the staff at the Blake Hotel, where the delegation is staying. From SFGate:

Some reports say he allegedly claimed to be a member of Congress and a state party official. The hotel staff called police but the man was not arrested.

Later Sunday, California party officials met with the man and “asked him to leave the hotel and not partake in convention activities,” said state party spokesman Tenoch Flores. “The delegate has apologized to hotel staff and earlier today agreed to leave the hotel and forgo official delegation activities in Charlotte.”

Party officials did not identify the delegates involved.

Hotel officials have had more to deal with than complaints from an intoxicated delegation member claiming to be a congressman. On Tuesday the Sacramento Bee reported that some members of the delegation have complained about the accommodations:

Gripes from delegates include the the quality of food at the on-site restaurant, a stalled elevator and damaged or unfinished rooms. One longtime Democratic consultant said the plaster on her room ceiling was still wet when she arrived.

“I was just expecting a little more,” said Horfa Aguilera, a delegate from Roseville.

Rick Gunther, a delegate and president of the Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley, had to ask to be moved to a different room twice. His first room was flooded. The second was missing a shower head.

“I lost my view, but I’m still happy,” he said of the room change. “I took pictures before I left the other one.”

Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, went through five rooms in two days. Issues included scalding water that almost burned his child, cockroaches, a broken lock and a “funny smell,” according to his tweets.

Rachel Binah, who doesn’t carry a cell phone, has been trying for days to get the voicemail in her room set up. She called the site a “pretend hotel.”

As noted by the Bee, state Sen. Ted Lieu has been Tweeting about his problems with the hotel:

My son almost got scalded at first #blakehotel room b/c shower had only 1 temperature: nearly boiling hot. #cadem

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) September 4, 2012

At second #blakehotel room, the room had a funny smell and couldn’t fit a roll-away bed. #cadem

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) September 4, 2012

At third #blakehotel room, the lock doesn’t work. They sent guy with electric gizmo and still locked out. #cadem

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) September 4, 2012

We are now waiting for our FOURTH #blakehotel room in two days. I’m not even going to mention the cockroaches. #cadem

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) September 4, 2012

Wow, I didn’t think it could get worse. Our fourth #blakehotel room has same scalding water problem. Now waiting for FIFTH room. #cadem

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) September 4, 2012

So what can we look forward to for the rest of the convention? Will former Gov. Gray Davis complain that his cable is getting browned out?

You can find out in the Storify below from Josh Richman, who covers politics for the Bay Area News Group. Richman will be providing updates on the California delegation as the convention continues.

http://storify.com/JoshRichman/the-democratic-convention-california-style

PBS NewsHour has complete online coverage and analysis.

NPR provides highlights of each day’s speakers, profiles, news and features as well as live radio coverage starting Tuesday at 6pm PT.

KQED’s Forum hosted an hour-long discussion about the Democratic convention with Representative Barbara Lee, Democratic political consultant Chris Lehane, John Perez, speaker of the California Assembly and Robin Abcarian, reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

Listen to Forum here:

More sources:

Politico

Fox News

Fox News Latino

CNN

C-Span

And here is the PBS video feed: