The dwindling (but powerful) class of 2012

From: POLITICO California Playbook - Tuesday Nov 30,2021 02:20 pm

Nov 30, 2021

By Jeremy B. White, Isabella Bloom and Graph Massara

Presented by Our Health California

THE BUZZ — AND THEN THERE WERE 24: Member by member, a once-historic class of lawmakers is evaporating.

The Assembly’s first-year class of 2012 was a historically large one: 38 lawmakers would tread the green carpet for the first time. The influx followed a term limits revamp that allowed legislators to spend 12 years in either house — an effort to slow the constant game of musical chairs when Assembly members were restricted to three two-year terms. Within a few years, 2012’s Anthony Rendon had ascended to the speakership, with a core of classmates on his leadership team. Some in Sacramento believed the 2012 bloc’s longevity would lead to better, more thoughtfully crafted policy.

Now we’re watching to see how many of those members make it the full 12 years. Monday brought news that yet another 2012-er would be moving on: Assemblymember Ed Chau has been appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to a Los Angeles superior court judgeship, a move long rumored to have been in the works. Chau’s imminent departure will expand a larger exodus that we’ve been tracking here at California Playbook.

Of that 38-member class of 2012, 13 members have since left the Assembly (14 if you include Chau). Some lost reelection campaigns or resigned amid scandals. Others have moved on to other political posts, whether to a spot in the state Senate, in Congress or as California’s attorney general. Four more incumbents — so far — have announced they’re vacating their seats to run for the next office. Others are still exploring what other opportunities might be available. (In case you were curious, about half of the Assembly’s 2014 class has already turned over.)

Such is the natural order in a term-limited ecosystem. The seasons change, legislative deadlines approach and pass and special elections test the electorate’s appetite for low-turnout contests. We’ve already seen four elections to fill open seats in the Legislature this year, with another to replace former Assembly member and San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu (class of 2014) on the horizon. With redistricting drawing to a close, we’re guessing there’ll be more to come.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Tuesday morning. Today’s the deadline for Sacramento City Unified teachers and students 12 years old and older to submit proof of vaccination if they want to physically show up at school, although enforcement won’t begin for a couple more months. (Capital Public Radio’s Janelle Salanga has more on what that means.) This comes a day after Los Angeles started enforcing its city-wide mandate that customers prove they’re vaccinated to enter indoor businesses.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit jwhite@politico.com or follow me on Twitter @jeremybwhite.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “No one wants to deal with the oil companies, but the reality of the situation is you’re gonna have to create a structure that works for everybody. Otherwise, we’re going to continually be in this situation and there will be another spill.” State Sen. Bob Hertzberg on the challenges of ending offshore drilling, via the LATimes.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Twitter founder @jack tweets some big news: “not sure anyone has heard but, I resigned from Twitter”

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

TOP TALKERS

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GO GET THOSE SHOTS! — “Omicron may surface in Bay Area within weeks or days, experts say,” by the SF Chronicle’s Kellie Hwang.

THERANOS TRIAL BOMBSHELL — “ Elizabeth Holmes accuses former lover, business partner of abuse,” via the AP: “Disgraced entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes described herself as the abused puppet of her former lover and business partner Sunny Balwani in tearful testimony Monday, part of her attempt to refute accusations that she lied about a flawed blood-testing technology she had hailed as a major breakthrough.”

VACATING THE ANNEX — “ California lawmakers relocate to make way for new building,” by the AP’s Adam Beam: “In 1952, the Annex was connected to the Capitol, where it has housed lawmakers offices — including the governor — ever since. That ends this year as part of a plan to demolish the Annex and replace it with a more modern structure that will comply with new rules designed to withstand earthquakes and fires all while making the building more accessible for people with disabilities.”

MAJOR MISUNDERSTANDING — “Cal State blunder may mean loss of 3,000 new student housing beds,” by CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn: “Thousands of affordable student housing slots are in jeopardy after the Cal State system misread the fine print for a new $2 billion state student housing program, CalMatters has discovered. With the deadline for applications passed, a solution remains unclear.”

ODE TO CALIFORNIA — “California is awesome,” by Matt Fleming in the OC Register: “I went to all 58 counties because I love California. I want to know everything about it. But it’s hard to describe what I love about it so much, even after living here nine years and after enjoying the many works of art dedicated to the topic.”

BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

LOW SNOW, NO SNOW — “Snowpack in California’s Sierra Nevada could disappear in just 25 years,” by the SF Chronicle’s Kurtis Alexander: “Scientists and water managers say that at some point California’s snowpack could simply disappear. This would leave the state without the crucial spring and summer melt-off that fills rivers and streams, nourishes plants and animals, and provides a huge chunk of the water supply. It would also be devastating for the ski industry.”

— “Oakland officials to propose growing police department ranks to address violent crime,” by the SF Chronicle’s Andres Picon: “Oakland officials said Monday that they want to grow the city’s police force in an effort to confront a rising tide of violent crime that has gripped the city this year. Mayor Libby Schaaf said her office was developing a proposal for the City Council to consider that includes boosting the number of active police officers and maintaining a larger overall police force.”

— “Failures of California’s first plan to stop offshore oil drilling cast shadow over new efforts ,” by the LA Times’ Phil Willon: “The failure of California’s ‘Rigs to Reefs’ program, an effort to transform oil platforms into underwater artificial reefs, stands as a cautionary tale to those who have called for a drilling ban after thousands of gallons of crude washed ashore in Orange County in October.”

— "In one California city, rising prices overshadow economy’s strength, spelling trouble for Democrats," by The Washington Post's Erica Werner: "As the economy picks up momentum in the final weeks of 2021, inflation fears are washing over this politically divided city north of Los Angeles. Consumer spending is strong and some residents acknowledge they’re more secure financially because of the stock market’s performance in the past 12 months. But as they watch prices go up at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and wholesalers, the painful sting of inflation is seeping deep into their mindsets, hardening political views that Democrats across the country could struggle to change ahead of next year’s midterm elections."

— “San Francisco may be small, but it’s among America’s most densely populated cities,” by the SF Chronicle’s Nami Sumida: “Over the past decade, San Francisco’s population grew by 8.5%, or nearly 70,000 residents. Yet despite this increase, the city’s population remains tiny compared with giants such as New York and Los Angeles, which have nearly 9 million and 4 million people, respectively. With roughly 900,000 residents, San Francisco is only the 17th most populous city in America.”

— "Mayors scramble for face time with Buttigieg with billions of infrastructure dollars at stake," by The Sac Bee's Bryan Lowry and Douglas Hanks: "With hundreds of billions of dollars in federal grants up for grabs under the infrastructure law President Joe Biden signed this month, mayors from Sacramento to Miami-Dade are anxiously seeking face time with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a former mayor who could green-light their pet projects."

‘STAND FOR FREEDOM’? — “To protest COVID mandates, this California town declared itself a ‘constitutional republic,’ ” by the LA Times’ Hailey Branson-Potts: “For Oroville Vice Mayor Scott Thomson, the father of two young boys, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mandate requiring schoolchildren to be vaccinated against COVID-19 was the final straw. … And so, he came up with a grandiose, headline-grabbing nom de guerre for his small Northern California city. Oroville declared itself a constitutional republic. A place where the local leaders pledge to fight mandates they say go too far.”

— “ As costs rise, Bay Area restaurants weigh an unpopular step: raising menu prices,” by the SF Chronicle’s Janelle Bitker.

A message from Our Health California:

CAMPAIGN MODE

— Initiative challenging teachers unions gets $800K donation, by POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White: Venture capitalist Arthur Rock has contributed $800,000 toward a proposed initiative that could challenge teacher protections next year. It marks the first significant donation for the proposed measure that would enshrine a legal right to a quality education for California schoolchildren.

— “Politicos launch attacks against Santa Clara County redistricting map,” by San José Spotlight’s Eli Wolfe: “As Santa Clara County lawmakers prepare to approve new political boundaries, some local politicians are raising complaints about the process.”

SILICON VALLEYLAND

AMAZON UNION FIGHT, REDUX — Amazon ordered to hold new union election at Alabama facility, by POLITICO’s Rebecca Rainey: A federal labor relations official has ordered a second union election at an Amazon facility in Bessemer, Ala., after finding that the tech giant interfered and violated workers’ labor rights during a high-profile, but unsuccessful, union drive earlier this year.

TWITTER’S NEXT STEP — Twitter’s CEO is leaving. The storms that consumed his company won’t end, by POLITICO’s Emily Birnbaum and Alexandra S. Levine: Whatever direction Twitter takes post-Dorsey, the social media platform that he founded in 2006 as a forum for “short burst[s]” of seemingly “inconsequential information” promises to continue having an outsize impact on American politics in 2022 and beyond, even without a co-founder at the helm.

‘BROADBAND GOLD RUSH’ — Why billions in broadband money may go to the wrong places , by POLITICO’s John Hendel: The administration and Congress are devoting tens of billions of dollars to closing the digital divide. But a key ingredient is missing: an accurate picture of Americans' internet access.

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

HOLLYWOODLAND

— “Bill Cosby prosecutors ask U.S. Supreme Court to review case that overturned conviction,” by the AP’s Maryclaire Dale.

MEDIA MATTERS

— Sacramento-based politics reporter Alexei Koseff is leaving the SF Chronicle to take on the Capitol beat for CalMatters.

MIXTAPE

COMMENCEMENT, COMMENCING — “Sacramento State announces in-person graduation ceremony for 2022 at Golden 1 Center,” by The Sac Bee’s Michael McGough.

— " California now limits medical parole to those on ventilators," by the AP's Don Thompson.

— “1 dead, 2 rescued after 100,000-pound oak tree smashes into Encino home,” by the LA Times’ Lisa Seidman.

— “ To survivors of Mao’s Great Leap Forward, the pandemic has been a cakewalk,” by Mission Local’s Yujie Zhou.

HISTORIC FOOTAGE — “Unearthed footage shows a long-gone 1960s San Francisco,” by SFGATE’s Andrew Chamings.

— “ Here’s what brought king salmon back to Bay Area rivers,” by the Mercury News’ Lisa M. Krieger.

BIRTHDAYS

Steve Haro … Belated: J&Z Strategies Vice President Christopher Guerrero was Saturday.

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