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Jeremy B. White’s must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State | | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White, Juhi Doshi, Chris Ramirez and Graph Massara | THE BUZZ — POLL TEST: To paraphrase Paul Simon, California voter confidence is backslidin’ away — with midterms just over the horizon. Pick your metric from the latest Public Policy Institute poll and you’ll likely find eroded optimism or durable disillusionment. Various measures of how California voters feel about the economy, their federal representation and the arc of things in general capture a markedly grimmer outlook. That’s unwelcome news for the incumbents already apprehensive about upcoming elections. It looks especially bleak for President Joe Biden and the Democratic-controlled Congress. The president’s California approval rating has slipped to the lowest point of his presidency, a statistical tie that belies double-digit disaffection numbers among California’s sizable no-party-preference voter bloc. Biden’s marks for Covid, while still positive, are the worst of his tenure. Three-quarters of voters disapprove of Congress, a party-spanning rejection that is the broadest since 2019. Not even Democrats believe Biden and Congress can produce substantial results — a 40-point plummet since the inauguration. “People really had high hopes for the change in presidential leadership,” PPIC President Mark Baldassare told us, but “today, people are feeling very different about the way things are working in Washington.” More California voters see America headed in the wrong direction or anticipate rough economic times ahead than at any time since 2020. A plurality sees California veering down the wrong track, and a majority say they have endured hardship from price increases. People of both parties are pessimistic that Americans can overcome their differences and think we’re headed for more political violence. And vaccine, shmaccine: more California voters think the worst of the pandemic is yet to come than they did in 2021, and more are worried about hospitalization than in May. A bright spot for Democrats: Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature both fared better than their federal counterparts. Newsom boasts a 57-percent approval rating and his coronavirus management backing has rebounded 10 points from its January 2021 nadir, to 60 percent. The Legislature is underwater but still perceived far better than Congress. Most voters think Newsom and lawmakers can work together and “accomplish a lot.” So what to make of that split result? All indications are that at the start of 2023, Newsom will be governor. But the down-ballot picture is murkier, even if district demographics suggest Democrats will retain their Sacramento supermajority. Newsom’s decisive 2021 recall win and lack of credible 2022 challengers could give Democrats less reason to turn out this year. And if the tone is set at the top, particularly with politics becoming ever-more nationalized, it’s not looking like a good year for elected officials who, out here, signify the status quo. BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. Facebook recorded a first on Wednesday , and not the kind Mark Zuckerberg wants, as the California-born social media giant continues to fend off controversy. Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit jwhite@politico.com or follow me on Twitter @jeremybwhite. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I will leave you with this: I'm Italian. I like Italian food. ... The case that the government is attempting to feed you has a giant cockroach in the middle of the plate. Would you eat that dish, or would you send it back? I submit that you would send it back.” Attorney Michael Avenatti’s closing argument in a trial alleging he stole from client Storm Daniels. TWEET OF THE DAY: S.F. Supervisor and Assembly candidate @MattHaneySF on a BART press conference touting the reopening of a bathroom that was closed for 20 years: “I'm really glad this bathroom is reopening and grateful that @SFBART is prioritizing this. I also look forward to helping us bring about the day when having open public bathrooms in public places 24/7 is entirely unremarkable and normal. Inshallah.” ( Video via SFBay’s Jerold Chin.) WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
| | | | 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. | | | | | |  | Top Talkers | | BOUDIN BACKLASH — “ SFPD Pulls Out of Agreement with DA Chesa Boudin on How to Investigate Police Shootings,” by the SF Standard’s Michael Barba: “In a letter Wednesday, Police Chief Bill Scott notified Boudin that his department would be withdrawing from the agreement over allegations that a DA investigator felt pressured to withhold evidence in a case against an officer accused of using excessive force.” STRUGGLE FOR SHASTA — “ Militia-aligned group will control a Northern California county if recall vote totals hold,” by the Sac Bee’s Ryan Sabalow: “After two years of threats and conspiracy theories, the militia-backed movement seeking to seize control of one of California’s most conservative counties, so far, appears to have prevailed — a major victory for far-right factions vying to replace more moderate Republican elected leaders across the state.” WARNING SIGNS — “ UCLA instructor’s behavior alarmed students before threats of mass campus violence” bytheLA Times’ Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, Nathan Solis, Richard Winton and Teresa Watanabe: “What galled and frustrated some UCLA students Tuesday was what they deemed a slow and nebulous response by university administrators to threats of mass violence, allegedly made by Harris, that surfaced a day earlier. ASSAULT — “ 49ers fan in coma after apparent beating outside SoFi Stadium during NFC championship,” by the LA Times’ Harriet Ryan.
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | |
ONE TO WATCH: Opponents are mobilizing against a proposed but not-yet-qualified ballot measure — spearheaded by the California Business Roundtable, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers and the California Business Properties Association — that would raise the bar for approving state and local taxes. An alliance of local government and labor organizations like the League of California Cities and SEIU California came out swinging, arguing the idea would undercut government financing. The Business Roundtable backed a similar tax-limiting initiative in 2018 that the soda industry used as leverage to win a reprieve from local taxes.
REDUCE, REUSE … Rendon endorses plastics recycling initiative , by POLITICO’s Debra Kahn: Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon's endorsement of the ballot initiative, which industry groups are largely opposing, puts more pressure on the ongoing legislative negotiations over a potential alternative to the measure.
RAKING IN THE DOUGH — “ California Reps. McCarthy, Pelosi, Porter and Schiff among nation’s biggest fundraisers,” by the LA Times’ Seema Mehta: “Because they won’t need to spend large amounts to hold on to their seats, they can use it to enforce party discipline — rewarding members who fall in line with them with donations and withholding money from those they find difficult.” — “ A city fee increase is headed to Sacramento voters this month. Here’s what it would fund,” by the Sac Bee’s Theresa Clift: “All Sacramento property owners will this month receive ballots in the mail to consider a stormwater fee increase.” MONEY MOVES — “ S.F. supervisors are gunning for re-election. Here’s how much they’ve already fundraised,” by the SF Chronicle’s Mallory Moench. | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | MASK FIGHT — “ The battle over masks in schools is getting ugly, even in the Bay Area,” by the SF Chronicle’s Jill Tucker: The battle has become ugly in recent weeks, dividing Bay Area communities — including people who previously fought together to expand mitigation efforts such as masking and vaccines. Now they find themselves angry enemies, the vitriol and threats on full display across every social media service. NEW TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD — “ The governor’s mansion is empty. Should we let homeless people move in?” by the LA Times’ Anita Chabria: “California sends the wrong message by leaving the People’s House empty while rents shoot up and homeless people wander by. The governor isn’t using the place. Should we give it to someone who can?” PREVENTATIVE MEASURES — “ California school officials could mandate searches of backpacks, lockers under shooting threat,” by the LA Times’ Hannah Wiley: “Starting in 2023, public and charter schools would have to annually provide educational material on safe firearm storage to parents or guardians of students. Families would be required to notify the school during student registration of any guns in the home ‘and to answer questions about the ownership, storage, and accessibility by the pupil of the firearms,’ the draft bill states.” FACING TRIAL — “ Judge refuses to toss charges against Northern California man in Jan. 6 Capitol riot case,” by the Sac Bee’s Sam Stanton: “McHugh faces eight felony and two misdemeanor counts charging him with assaulting or resisting officers, obstructing an official proceeding and violence on Capitol grounds, and had argued that his actions during the insurrection were an exercise of his free speech and that he never physically entered the building.” — “ Delayed San Francisco homeless shelter with 250 beds moves forward amid Tenderloin emergency,” by the SF Chronicle’s Mallory Moench and J.D. Morris: “A newly formed neighborhood group organized in opposition to the project late last year, prompting the supervisors’ budget committee to delay it in January.” THE HARDEST HIT — “ Omicron landed in affluent L.A. But poor communities of color ended up being hit hardest,” by the LA Times’ Hayley Smith: “Though county officials have worked to overcome disparities through community-driven efforts, such as door-knocking and mobile clinics, many barriers remain, and the virus continues to take the highest toll on L.A.’s most vulnerable residents.” — “ Afghan refugees find generosity, chaos as they settle in Orange County,” by the OC Register’s Brooke Staggs: “Another 100-plus refugees are expected to arrive in Orange County in the next few weeks, as the State Department transfers the final 10,000 people still living in temporary mini-cities on three U.S. military bases.” — “State under fire for granting PG&E safety license,” by CalMatters’ Emily Hoeven: “The news comes a week after PG&E exited five years of criminal probation for the 2010 San Bruno natural gas pipeline explosion that killed eight people. Although the utility said it “has become a fundamentally safer company,” the federal judge charged with overseeing it disagreed.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | I DON’T KNOW HER — “Tesla, Who? Biden Can't Bring Himself to Say It — and Musk Has Noticed,” by Bloomberg’s Dana Hull and Jennifer Jacobs: “The president has long enjoyed the support of unions in his political campaigns, including the United Auto Workers, and while Tesla employees enjoy generous pay and benefits including equity in the car maker, Musk is hostile toward unions and company workers aren’t organized.” — “ California city attorneys press Uber on ID practices for transgender drivers, citing Times report ,” by Suhauna Hussain: “City attorneys in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego questioned Uber’s treatment of transgender drivers and called on the company to explain how it verifies accounts for transgender drivers.”
| | CANNABIS COUNTRY | | — “ California’s First-Ever Statewide Cannabis Industry Union Contract Ratified,” by the SF Standard’s Kevin Truong: “Shryne’s labor agreement includes a number of key worker protections and benefits including local starting hourly wages of $18.50 with a minimum of 50 cent raises every six months until the end of the contract in 2024.”
| | MEDIA MATTERS | | — Katy Murphy will be POLITICO new California editor, taking over the top spot from Kevin Yamamura as she moves up from her current deputy editor role. — The USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy is adding three new nonresident fellows: MedPAC chair and Harvard Medical School professor Mike Chernew; Sherry Glied, the dean of NYU's graduate school of public service; and Rachel Sachs, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis. — Glenn Rudebusch is joining the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution as a non-resident senior fellow focusing on the economics of climate change. Rudebusch recently finished a stint as executive vice president and senior advisor at the San Francisco Fed, where he has worked since 1994.
| | MIXTAPE | | — “ Woodside freezes SB 9 projects, citing an exemption for mountain lion habitats,” by The Almanac’s Angela Swartz. — “ Rick Caruso, weighing a run for L.A. mayor, says he had a mild case of COVID-19,” by the LA Times’ James Rainey. — “ Roaring Camp’s beach train at center of Santa Cruz railroad tussle,” by the Bay Area News Group’s Sal Pizzaro. — “ California has an answer for worker abuse in the fast-food industry,” opines the LA Times’ Michael Hiltzik. — “Will California become the first state to pay Black people reparations?” by USA TODAY’s Orlando Mayorquin. — “ Over 200 Santa Clara County workers disciplined after not following booster mandate,” by the Mercury News’ Gabriel Greschler. — “ Californians have hope for Gavin Newsom and lawmakers – while Biden drops in new survey,” by the Sac Bee’s David Lightman.
| | BIRTHDAYS | | Amal Clooney … Virginia Boney … Meta’s Dave Arnold … Rebecca Mark 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. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
