The inaugural KHTS Antelope Valley Sacramento Road Trip finished up its historic trip to the state’s capitol Tuesday, with dozens of community leaders having the opportunity to meet and discuss topics like finance, public safety and pensions.

The day of meetings kicked off with a discussion about industrial hemp with Eddie Bernachi, who serves as the president of the Sacramento-based lobbying firm Politico Group.

“They believe that industrial hemp is a $1 billion dollar industry for (the) state of California,” Bernachi said. “They expect that to double by the end of next year.”

After a discussion on aerospace and a brief break, participants had the opportunity to talk about state finances with H.D. Palmer, deputy director for external affairs at the California Department of Finance.

“We’re doing really well revenue-wise,” Palmer said. “By July, we’ll have reached the longest period of economic expansion in the nation’s history. But one (of) the things Gov. Newsom is mindful of is the fact all of this is not going to last forever.”

Then, State Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, joined the group to discuss public safety, the death penalty and cannabis.

“We’re trying to bring some common sense into these problems,” Lackey said.

Following a break for lunch, the group met with contract lobbyist Kris Rosa for a dialogue regarding the role of lobbyists in state politics today.

“Having a job like a lobbyist is, of course, not a common job,” Rosa said. “It’s perceived as being shrouded in a lot of mystery and drama. ”

Finally, State Senator John Moorlach, R-Orange County, spoke to attendees about the need for pension reform.

“Everything is always going well until it doesn’t,” Moorlach said. “I’m not trying to be too ‘doom and gloom,’ but I’m old enough to have been through this a few times.”

Lackey and State Senator Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, closed out the historic trip with several remarks thanking the group for making the trek out to the state’s capitol.

Sponsors for the trip include the Antelope Valley Board of Trade, Wilk, Lackey, SoCal Edison, SoCalGas and the Antelope Valley East Kern Water Agency.

The trip is based off the highly successful KHTS Santa Clarita Sacramento Road Trip, which just finished up its 14th trip in March.

For more information, or to find out how to be involved in next year’s trip, email Carl Goldman at [email protected].

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.