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Presented and Paid for by the Coalition for Clean Air: Jeremy B. White’s must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State | | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White, Chris Ramirez and Graph Massara | Presented and Paid for by the Coalition for Clean Air | THE BUZZ — HERE COMES THE SUN: California’s climate change debate du jour revolves around the sun and your roof. The California Public Utilities Commission is set to vote on a proposal that would significantly curtail the benefits of installing rooftop solar panels. California has long incentivized people to generate solar electricity by letting them return their excess wattage to the grid, thereby reducing their energy bills. The PUC proposal would slim that sweetener and impose a new monthly fee, which would dissipate some of the financial benefits of rooftop solar. That may sound wonky, but opposition to this change has come from the highest echelons of California politics. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday urged the PUC to reconsider , warning the proposal could undercut California’s climate change goals and echoing a similarly concerned December missive from eight California House Democrats. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and California Rep. Nanette Barragan have written op-eds lambasting the plan. Gov. Gavin Newsom said there was “work to do” on the PUC proposal, and his potential Republican gubernatorial opponent has blasted “the solar tax.”
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Solar panels on rooftops of a housing development in Folsom, Calif. | AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli |
UNCOMMON FAULT LINES— This struggle has pitted environmentalists and the solar industry against an alliance of utilities, their unionized employees and some consumer advocates. Proponents argue the current setup simply transfers costs to grid users who don’t have the financial wherewithal to put panels on their own roofs — an argument they’ve advanced in an ad campaign defending the PUC proposal. Former Assemblymember and incoming California Labor Federation leader Lorena Gonzalez, whose utility union-sponsored solar bill was overwhelmingly repudiated on the Assembly floor, has made the same argument .
Opponents of the PUC’s plan are ramping up with their own ad campaign, releasing a radio spot and a TV ad that will run in Sacramento and the Bay Area. The mid-six-figures buy is funded by an industry group called the California Solar and Storage Association and the solar customer group Solar Rights Alliance. The latter has also floated a pair of ballot initiatives that would block the PUC framework, although that may be a leverage play, since they’re unlikely at this point to qualify for the 2022 ballot. And this could all come to a head soon: the PUC could vote on the plan as soon as February 10. More on all the solar shenanigans for Pros from our Colby Bermel. BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. California’s coronavirus positivity rate dipped below 20 percent on Tuesday for the first time since a post-Christmas omicron surge pushed it into the 20s, the latest hopeful signal that we’ve crested the wave. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles City Council is set to vote today on regulating oil exploration. Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit jwhite@politico.com or follow me on Twitter @jeremybwhite. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “ You can do these things because you want to be associated with dudes with AR-15s, or you want to be associated with Meta. A lot of it is hype and hot air.” UC Davis professor Finn Brunton on the rise of crypto-mayors, via NYT. TWEET OF THE DAY: @TeamPelosi confirms Speaker Nancy Pelosi is running for 2022 re-election: “While we have made progress much more needs to be done to improve people’s lives. This election is crucial: nothing less is at stake than our Democracy. But we don’t agonize-we organize. I am running for re-election to Congress to deliver For The People and defend Democracy. -NP” WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
| | | | Paid for by the Coalition for Clean Air: Thank you, Governor Newsom, for California’s Climate Commitment! What state lawmakers do next will decide if we preserve a safe, equitable and healthy future for all or leave behind a damaged state to our children. Learn more.
Paid for by the Coalition for Clean Air. | | | |  | Top Talkers | | ONE MORE TIME — “ Nancy Pelosi says she’s running for reelection, ” by CNN’s Annie Grayer: “Pelosi’s decision to run for reelection but not announce her run for speaker comes amid a larger conversation Democrats are having internally: whether it is time for the party to give way to younger leadership or whether Pelosi remains crucial to holding the party together at a moment when it needs a clear leader.” ESCALATION — “ Sacramento-area anti-mask conspiracists target elementary school principal at his home, ” by the Sac Bee’s Jason Pohl: “While conspiracy-driven gadflies have long voiced their grievance at public board meetings, the standoff at an elementary school principal’s house signals a worrisome shift that experts say raises questions about public employees’ safety in what stands to be an especially contentious year.” THREE STRIKES — “ Bonds not elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in final year on ballot,” by NBC’s Alex Pavlovic: “Like Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens, Bonds will be kept out of the Hall of Fame because of the PED connections. Sosa and Clemens also fell short Tuesday in their 10th attempt.” DOGGONE — “ String of dognappings, some at gunpoint, shakes up Bay Area pet owners,” by the SF Chronicle’s Andres Picon: “Dognappings — specifically of French bulldogs — received national attention last year when Lady Gaga’s two Frenchies were taken by force.” SHORT STAFFED — “ As Super Bowl nears, 2,500 LAPD and sheriff’s employees out with COVID-related issues,” by the LA Times’ Richard Winton: “He said the department has not had to take other measures to combat decreased staffing levels due to COVID-19, including the cancellation of days off or vacations, but that “those levers are still very much available to us.’”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | DRAPER’S DONE: Venture capitalist Tim Draper has officially halted a ballot initiative seeking to ban public employee unions, Puck’s Teddy Schleifer scooped . Draper’s 2016 bid to split California into six states similarly did not advance beyond the signature-gathering phase. This comes after one school voucher campaign folded and another opening up legal challenges to teacher employment rules shifted its focus to 2024. It all adds up to fewer campaign dollar targets for organized labor this year. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK— LGBTQ POWER: LGBTQ rights organization Equality California is announcing 2022 endorsements as it sets a goal of 10 percent representation in the Legislature (the eight current openly LGBTQ legisators translates to 6.6 percent). The nominees are: former San Diego City Council President Georgette Gómez in open AD-80; Palm Springs City Councilmember Christy Holstege in the open AD-47; and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Joseph Rocha, who is challenging GOP state Sen. Brian Jones in SD-40. NEW BEGINNINGS — “ Former California Republic legislator Jeff Stone seeking state Senate seat in Nevada, ” by the Palm Springs Desert Sun’s Tom Coulter: “Stone’s move to Nevada came partly as a result of his career change in late 2019, when he accepted a position with the Department of Labor under the Trump administration. But Stone, a Republican who was among the minority ranks throughout his time in Sacramento, says it was also the political environment of the California Legislature that drove him away from the state.” ADIOS — “ Retired SJPD assistant chief drops out of Santa Clara County sheriff race,” by the Mercury News’ Robert Salonga: “In explaining his decision to this news organization, Knopf said he appears to have underestimated the burden of entering politics for the first time.”
| | | | JOIN FRIDAY TO HEAR FROM GOVERNORS ACROSS AMERICA : As we head into the third year of the pandemic, state governors are taking varying approaches to public health measures including vaccine and mask mandates. "The Fifty: America's Governors" is a series of live conversations featuring various governors on the unique challenges they face as they take the lead and command the national spotlight in historic ways. Learn what is working and what is not from the governors on the front lines, REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | SICK DAY — “ COVID-19 sick pay in California would return under deal between Newsom, lawmakers,” by LA Times’ Taryn Luna and Melody Gutierrez: “Companies across California would have to absorb the costs of additional paid time off for workers. In an attempt to help some businesses, the agreement includes separate proposals to restore tax credits that were suspended and capped two years ago when state officials feared the pandemic would cause California’s economy to collapse.” SMOKING— “ No ifs, ands or butts: California bill would ban single-use smoking products like cigarette filters,” by the LA Times’ Christian Martinez: “The bill also targets vape products that, although advertised as disposable, contain batteries and fluids that damage the environment.” NOT IN SERVICE — “ Transit worker shortage ripples through California economy, ” by CalMatters’s Sameea Kamal: “The labor shortage is part of a nationwide trend and isn’t limited to transit workers. But because transit systems are arteries that get employees to work – especially lower-income workers – the impact is reverberating throughout the California economy.” — “ Edens says Brightline high-speed rail project is ‘at the 1-yard-line,’” by the Las Vegas Review Journal’s Mick Ackers: “The Federal Railroad Administration is in the process of approving the environmental review and permitting for the 49-mile extension between Victor Valley and Rancho Cucamonga. That process is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, according to the FRA.” NO FLY ZONE — “ In wake of crashes, could Pacoima’s Whiteman Airport close? LA County supervisors lay groundwork,” via The Los Angeles Daily News: “The county has not yet decided whether to initiate such a request, but the motion approved on Tuesday, introduced by Supervisors Sheila Kuehl, who represents the area, lays the groundwork for such an action should such a recommendation move forward.”
| | | | Paid for by the Coalition for Clean Air:   | | | CONSERVATION — “ ‘An important victory’: Native American tribes reclaim a redwood forest in Northern California,” by the SF Chronicle’s Kurtis Alexander: “The Sinkyone Council intends to work with Save the Redwoods League, which retains an easement on the property, to care for the land and restore its natural character. There is no plan for public access, though tribal members may visit in the future for cultural purposes.” CRIMINAL JUSTICE — “ Mayor Breed proposes $22.5 million in OT funding for police, fire,” by the SF Chronicle’s Megan Cassidy: “If the funding is not approved, police may need to reduce the deployment of officers throughout the city and both departments may be forced to suspend planned training academies, the mayor’s office said.” — “ ‘That is alarming’: Hate crimes against AAPI community in S.F. jumped more than sixfold in 2021, police say,” by the SF Chronicle’s Annie Vainshtein: “Scott said police suspect that a single person arrested last August was responsible for at least 31 of the 60 reported incidents last year.” — “ Fresno city manager retires after reported outburst during meeting, sources say,” by the Fresno Bee’s Brianna Calix. — “ Santa Clara County lawmakers approve new jail,” by the San Jose Spotlight’s Eli Wolfe. GUNS — “ San Jose could be the 1st in the nation to require gun liability insurance,” by the San Jose Spotlight’s Jana Kadah: “Liccardo said gun insurance would work the same way as auto insurance and could adjust premiums to encourage gun owners to purchase gun safes, install trigger locks and take safety classes to potentially lower gun violence in the community.” — “ For one Pasadena neighborhood, gun violence is unrelenting,” by the LA Times’ Nathan Solis: “The shootings in Pasadena have been concentrated in the northwest part of the city, home to mostly Black and Latino residents. In response, city leaders and police have increased patrols in the neighborhoods hardest hit by the gun violence and have pledged to bolster after-school programs and invest in ShotSpotter technology.”
| | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | SLOW AND STEADY… “ GM to spend $6.6 billion on EV plant investments in bid to dethrone Tesla in electric car sales by 2025,” by CNBC’s Michael Wayland: “GM has a lot to catching up to do in just three years. Tesla, which does not release U.S. sales specifically, delivered 936,172 electric vehicles globally in 2021. GM sold less than 25,000 EVs last year — ranking third in U.S. EV sales behind Tesla and Ford, which sold 27,140 of its Mustang Mach-E EVs.” — “ Mark Zuckerberg’s lawyers publicly revealed the name of an employee who accuses one of his former aides of sexual assault,” by Business Insider’s Becky Peterson and Rob Price: NEXT IN NFTS … “ YouTube’s CEO Says the Company Will Explore NFT Features for Video Creators,” by Bloomberg’s Mark Bergen.
| | HOLLYWOODLAND | | ROCK THE VOTE — “ How the Oscar best picture race stands as voting begins this week,” by the LA Times’ Glenn Whip: “The academy returned this year’s best picture slate to a fixed 10 nominees. It’s a wide-open race. Nearly a dozen contenders are competing for the final few spots, and there’s no clear front-runner in sight.” RADIO SILENCE? — “Spotify takes Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s podcast ‘into its own hands’ after couple produce NO content for a YEAR ,” by the Sun’s Ben Leo. — “Kim Kardashian Visits L.A. Coffee Shop with Hillary and Chelsea Clinton,” by People’s Dory Jackson: “PEOPLE has confirmed that the meeting was tied to Hillary and Chelsea’s upcoming Apple TV+ series.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | MIXTAPE | | —“ For SRO Residents in SF’s Chinatown, Getting Covid Is the Start of a Nightmare,” by the SF Standard’s Han Li. — “ The fight to save Elkhorn Slough’s Olympia oysters, ” by the Mercury News’ Brian Phan. ON TRIAL — “ South Bay teen faces murder charge for allegedly selling fentanyl that killed a 12-year-old San Jose girl,” by the SF Chronicle’s Ryce Stoughtenborough. CA GROWN — “ Walmart invests in indoor vertical farming startup Plenty,” by the AP’s Annie D’Innocenzio. GUILTY — “ L.A. man pleads guilty to wire fraud in million-dollar luxury car lease scheme,” by the LA Times’ Christian Martinez. — “ The logical flaw at the heart of the City Attorney’s vindication of DBI director,” by Mission Local’s Joe Eskenazi. REDUCE, REUSE … “‘You Can’t Recycle Your Way Out’: California’s Plastic Problem and What We Can Do About It,” by KQED’s Monica Lam. — “ Man shot and killed by police at SFO identified, ” by the SF Chronicle’s Rachel Swan.
| | BIRTHDAYS | | — Assemblymember Mia Bonta, who is celebrating by launching her reelection bid.
| | | | Paid for by the Coalition for Clean Air: Thank you, Governor Newsom, for California’s Climate Commitment!
This decade offers a narrow window of time - our last chance - to fight polluters and prevent irreversible damage to California caused by climate change and air pollution. Such high stakes make Governor Gavin Newsom’s California Climate Commitment so important. It’s an unprecedented $37 billion action plan to:
• Protect Californians from the extreme effects of climate change
• Lead the world in reducing carbon and air pollution
• Ensure that those most harmed by climate change, often communities of color, are empowered to fight for climate justice.
What state lawmakers do next will decide if we preserve a safe, equitable and healthy future for all or leave behind a damaged state to our children. Learn more.
Paid for by the Coalition for Clean Air. | | | CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this -only service offers,click here. Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
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