‘CalCare’ begins its long crawl to passage

From: POLITICO California Playbook - Wednesday Jan 12,2022 02:15 pm

Jan 12, 2022

By Jeremy B. White, Chris Ramirez and Graph Massara

THE BUZZ — PAYING IT FORWARD: Single-payer health care will be a multidimensional battle.

The legislative landscape evolved on Tuesday as California’s “CalCare” policy bill advanced out of the Assembly Health Committee. Nearly a year after Assemblymember Ash Kalra introduced it, Assembly Bill 1400 got its first vote and cleared a critical hurdle en route to a potential Assembly floor vote. Because it was introduced last year, it will need to clear that house by the end of the month if it has any chance of landing on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

Formidable opposition has already started mobilizing. The California Chamber of Commerce branded its first “job killer” labels of the year on A.B. 1400 and its companion funding measure. The California Medical Association linked arms with Assembly Republicans in demanding Democrats hold off until they have a cost analysis. That wasn’t enough to halt the bill’s advance: Unlike with a 2017 iteration, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon worked with Kalra to craft a viable proposal. Assembly Health Chair Jim Wood — a dentist who typically aligns with medical interests — voted to push it closer to a floor vote, along with 10 other Democrats.

But major question marks still hover over the bill. One is how Newsom will respond. The Democratic governor ran on single-payer in 2018, as proponents never tire of reminding him. But he deflected questions this week about legislation that could land on his desk. On Tuesday Newsom again talked up seeking federal waivers, and said he’s still studying the issue because governors must be “in the how business.” Some single-payer supporters believe Newsom’s push to extend Medi-Cal to all low-income residents, regardless of immigration status, could stymie single-payer by letting Newsom tout an alternative route to universal coverage. “I campaigned on universal health care,” he said on Tuesday. “We’re delivering that.”

Another factor: The policy bill and its funding mechanism could have different fates. A.B. 1400 and a constitutional amendment levying taxes to pay for it are not double-jointed, which means the Legislature could send Newsom the policy vessel (which would need a majority vote) without moving the funding mechanism (which would need a two-thirds vote). Paying for single-payer was the major issue last time around. It will still be a sticking point, even with a more concrete payment plan in the Legislature. And as the campaign season intensifies, you can count on Republicans continuing to press Democrats on what single-payer will look like when all is said and done.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. Lawmakers are opening a push to expand California’s renter tax credit today. And it’s State of the City speech night in Long Beach and San Diego, where mayors Robert Garcia and Todd Gloria will lay out their respective civic visions.

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

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “This is the man who saved Christmas.” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti introduces Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, after Buttigieg toured the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

TWEET OF THE DAY: California Republican Party chair @millanpatterson on single-payer: “@CA_Dem’s plan to implement socialized medicine is reckless and costly. We deserve answers and details on the half-baked healthcare takeover that they are irresponsibly proposing. #CantAffordCA”

WHERE’S GAVIN? On a swing through SoCal, with a visit to a San Diego homeless encampment at 8:45 a.m. and an event in Los Angeles at 12:30 p.m. focused on the state’s Covid response. Stream via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

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TOP TALKERS

— Newsom issues executive order to ease school staff shortages, by POLITICO’s Chris Ramirez: Newsom said the executive order would help alleviate the shortage by giving retirees and substitute teachers "more hours of opportunity" and speeding up the hiring process, which he described as "laborious." The order also allows substitutes to extend their assignments, eases supervision requirements for student teachers and temporarily suspends limitations on post-retirement compensation for retired teachers.

AGAINST THE GRAIN — “ How School Closures Made Me Question My Progressive Politics,” by POLITICO’s Rebecca Bodenheimer: “There was no recognition of the fact that we were advocating for our kids, who were floundering in remote learning, or that public schools across the country (in red states) opened in fall 2020 without major outbreaks, as did private schools just miles from our home.”

— “ It’s Time to Close Guantanamo,” by Sen. Dianne Feinstein for Lawfare: “The United States is much more secure today than it was on 9/11. We have vastly increased our homeland security capabilities and degraded the terrorist threat emanating from overseas. We can and should work with host countries to ensure returnees don’t pose a threat, as we have for more than 700 detainees already released from Guantanamo.”

WINING AND DINING — Want to influence a state lawmaker? Skip the office meeting and invite her to get a meal or a drink. That’s the conclusion of a new study conducted in part by California redistricting commissioner and Pomona professor Sara Sadhwani with USC professor Christian Grose . The study found that lobbying is more effective when it takes place in social settings out of public view, fortifying personal ties — a conclusion that flows from the experience of an unnamed lobbyist who sought to influence California state legislators, mostly at the former Chops.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

BACK IN SESSION — “More than 62,000 LAUSD students, staff out with positive coronavirus cases as schools open,” by the LA Times’ Paloma Esquivel, Melissa Gomez and Colleen Shalby: “L.A. Unified holds a unique position among school districts with the largest weekly coronavirus testing program in the nation, a massive effort that tests every student and staff member — more than 500,000 people — every week. The program is key to the school district’s ability to identify positive cases as a soon as possible to help fend off outbreaks.”

LIFE GOES ON … “No new restrictions for most Bay Area counties despite record-high COVID cases, ” by the SF Chronicle’s Erin Allday: “‘We know this is a really tough time. But like I’ve said in the past, we are learning to live with COVID, and that means everyone assessing their own risk, it means making smart choices. ... It does not mean imposing new restrictions,’ said San Francisco Mayor London Breed in a news briefing Tuesday.”

… BUT MAYBE IT SHOULDN’T — “L.A. County urges residents to postpone nonessential gatherings, activities as Omicron surges, ” by the LA Times’ Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II, Marissa Evans and Emily Alpert Reyes: “The recommendation is voluntary and officials have not imposed any new restrictions that would force the cancellation of any events. In fact, Ferrer said last week she didn’t see the Super Bowl being disrupted.”

— “Clinics Say State’s New Medicaid Drug Program Will Force Them to Cut Services,” by California Healthline’s Samantha Young: “[Newsom’s proposed budget allocation] falls far short of what clinic officials say they need to keep critical health care services funded in some of California’s neediest areas. California’s federally qualified health centers, which operate more than 1,000 clinics across the state, have filed a lawsuit in federal court to exempt them from the program, but a judge on Monday denied their request for a temporary reprieve while the lawsuit proceeds.”

— “ San Francisco supervisor: Recology might still owe city’s customers more money,” by the SF Chronicle’s J.D. Morris: “In light of the revelations arising from the Nuru scandal, Peskin and other San Francisco officials have sought to reform the city’s waste management practices. At Tuesday’s meeting, Peskin and Mayor London Breed introduced a potential June 7 ballot measure that would provide greater regulation of Recology. Peskin said it would ‘reform the broken system that has been the law of this land for almost one century.’”

— “California county employee’s COVID-19 death could have been prevented, lawsuit alleges,” by the Press Enterprise’s Jeff Horseman: “A family alleges that Riverside County is liable for an employee’s death from COVID-19 and his wife’s debilitating ‘long-haul’ virus symptoms after ignoring his pleas to work from home and implement safeguards at his workplace.

MISCOMMUNICATION — “ Officials probe collision of train into crashed plane in Los Angeles; police said they had asked for tracks to be closed,” by the Mercury News’ Eric Licas: “But the engineer at the helm of Metrolink Train 266 said he wasn’t aware of the aircraft wreckage in front of his speeding train. An investigation was underway focusing on whether Metrolink controllers had been made aware of requests by police to shut down the tracks.”

STEP IT UP — “ Mayor Breed Threatens Healthcare Providers with $10K Daily Fines for Slow Tests; Ongoing Shutdown of 6 Testing Sites ‘Extraordinarily Concerning,” by the SF Standard’s Kevin Truong: “Providers will need to attest to the city’s Department of Public Health that at least 90% of patients who request a test because of symptoms or an exposure are receiving one within 24 hours, said Dr. Susan Philip, the city’s health officer.”

— “ City Attorney investigating operator of local test site,” by Mission Local’s Anlan Cheney: “In addition to a valid laboratory license and a permit to operate on public property in San Francisco, the Office of the City Attorney also asked Community Wellness America to demonstrate the tests used at the site are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is required to obtain the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments [CLIA] laboratory license from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMC).”

CRIMINAL JUSTICE — “LAPD officers were trained in ‘background awareness’ a month before Burlington shooting,” by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune’s Josh Cain: “Whether the officer, William Dorsey Jones, had enough time to consider other options at his disposal before firing his rifle will play into the department’s decision to mete out discipline or not.”

— “ After 2021 spike in shootings by officers, LAPD will audit its training on use of deadly force,” by the LA Times’ Kevin Rector: “Of the 37 people shot last year, 22 had weapons such as knives or blunt objects but did not have firearms.”

CORRECTIONS — “Northern California jail reopens to immigrant detention,” by the SF Chronicle’s Deepa Fernandes: “The move dealt a blow to activists who hoped California’s last county to contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would finally get out of the detention-for-profit business, and who now worry that the jail is refilling beds as the highly contagious omicron variant pulses through the country.”

— “L.A. County to pay $1 million to FBI informant in jail abuse scandal,” by the LA Times’ Alene Tcheckmedyian: “The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to approve the settlement agreement in a lawsuit filed by Anthony Brown, a convicted bank robber who worked as an informant for FBI agents investigating conditions in county jails. In 2011, when they discovered he was helping the FBI, sheriff’s officials attempted to hide him from agents to stop him from reporting brutality in the lockups.”

HOUSING — “ Proposed California law would require landlords to own property for at least five years before evicting tenants,” by ABC10’s Lena Howland: “On Jan. 12 this bill will be up for a vote in the Assembly Housing Committee before it’s expected to go to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Before the end of the month, [Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose)] said he's expecting it to be up for a vote on the house floor.”

NEW VOTERS — “ Should undocumented people vote in San Jose elections? Officials vote to study charter change,” by the SF Chronicle’s Lauren Hernández: “Council Member Devora Davis, who represents District 6, was the sole council member to vote against the motion on Tuesday night. Davis said she believes voting is a ‘right and a responsibility for citizens’ and said there are different groups of noncitizens, including people on tourist, student and H-1B visas who are in the country on a “short term” or “long term” basis and who have ‘allegiance to another country.’”

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

— “High court considers whether government can hold immigrants indefinitely in deportation cases,” by the SF Chronicle’s Bob Egelko: “The two cases before the court included a class-action suit filed in San Francisco by two men from Mexico who entered the United States separately in 2017 and were held in detention despite findings by federal asylum officers that both had a reasonable fear of persecution or torture if deported.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

— “Political Shocker: Borgeas Drops State Senate Re-Election Bid,” by GV Wire’s David Taub: “State Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, previously announced she would run in SD 12. … If [Andreas] Borgeas wanted to remain in the Senate, he would have had to challenge his GOP colleague or move into another district.”

AD-21 — Redwood City Mayor Giselle Hale officially launched a run for the Assembly seat Kevin Mullin is vacating, entering with a lengthy endorsement list that includes Rep. Anna Eshoo, Treasurer Fiona Ma, Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblymembers Marc Berman and Buffy Wicks.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

RESIGNATION — “Tesla’s Most Prominent Black Executive Steps Down From Top HR Job,” by Bloomberg’s Josh Eidelson and Dana Hull: “During her tenure, Tesla battled discrimination lawsuits, navigated pandemic surges, released its first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion report, and told employees that they could use one of their paid time off days to celebrate Juneteenth.”

MIXTAPE

GUILTY — “Richmond man trafficked girls in Oakland while on trial facing child pornography production charges, feds say,” by the Mercury News’ Nate Gartrell.

— “2 out of 3 Kroger workers struggle to afford food and housing, survey finds,” by the LA Times’ Jaimie Ding.

MASK HUNT— “Here’s where to look for N95 and KN95 masks in California. Plus, how to spot a fake,” by the Sac Bee’s Hanh Truong.

MASK UP — “How long can I keep using the same N95 respirator mask? Here’s what Bay Area experts say,” by the SF Chronicle’s Kellie Hwang.

— “Fresno man accused of cutting roommate’s body in half was out of jail on COVID rule,” by the Fresno Bee’s Robert Rodriguez

— “Google is giving employees access to free COVID tests, but a union says access is unequal,” by the SF Chronicle’s Chase DiFeliciantonio

— “San Jose State settles retaliation lawsuit, apologizes to swim coach who blew the whistle on trainer sex scandal, ” by the Mercury News’ Eliyahu Kamisher

— “California hospitals find that Omicron causes fewer hospitalizations and shorter stays,” by the New York Times’ Carl Zimmer

NO GO — “ Ben Affleck Says He's Glad He Never Ran for Congress: Ayanna Pressley 'Would Have Cleaned My Clock,'” by People’s Virginia Chamlee

TRANSITIONS

— Lighthouse Public Affairs has expanded to Los Angeles, tapping former Deputy L.A. Mayor Kelli Bernard to head its Southern California practice. The firm is also also hiring Warren Logan, an alum of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, and Will Reisman , who handled comms for the S.F. Public Utilities Commission and Mayor London Breed.

— Gregory G. Hayes has joined Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck as the managing director of its Sacramento office.

— Laura Yagerman is now head of corporate communications at Twitter. She most recently was SVP for corporate and investor communications at Navios.

— Shane Trimmer will be a legislative director for Rep. Jared Huffman, coming over from retiring Rep. Alan Lowenthal.

BIRTHDAYS

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