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Presented by Southern California Edison: Jeremy B. White’s must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State | | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White, Chris Ramirez and Juhi Doshi | Presented by Southern California Edison | THE BUZZ — PLUS ÇA CHANGE: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s endemic-transition recipe calls for a dollop of change and a healthy serving of continuity. If you were expecting Newsom to triumphantly declare we had vanquished the coronavirus during Thursday’s highly anticipated announcement — perhaps with the aid of Minions or a Transformer — then you came away wanting. The governor instead delineated a strategy for living long-term with this virus. Increasing vaccinations and decreasing transmissions have California on a promising trajectory. But the message on Thursday was that California needs to be ready to respond swiftly to what comes next. We’ve come a long way, Newsom said, but “there is no end-date. There is not a moment where we declare victory.” | 
Gov. Gavin Newsom removes his face mask before speaking at a press conference to announce the next phase of California's COVID-19 response. | Watchara Phomicinda/The Orange County Register/SCNG |
That means the focus is now on reinforcing California’s capacity for testing and vaccination, its mask stockpile, the scope of its contact tracing efforts and more, rather than on specific restrictions or Covid benchmarks. (We should remind you here that the 2022 ballot could include an initiative funding pandemic detection with higher taxes on the wealthy.)
“We aren’t announcing thresholds of disease transmission that trigger this or that,” Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly said. POLITICO’s Victoria Colliver has the details. The coming weeks could still see other Covid developments. The Newsom administration is set to announce its school mask mandate plan in 10 days. California has been one of the most stringent states with regard to Covid rules, but it is increasingly a blue-state outlier, as other Democratic governors have moved to relax school strictures. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday announced kids can unmask in classrooms next month. Newsom acknowledged on Thursday that California is in the minority on that issue but vowed “the masks will come off.” The Legislature is set to debate ending the state of emergency Newsom has maintained since the pandemic’s onset. Republicans have been hammering this for months, unsuccessfully trying to force votes to halt the emergency and even challenging Newsom’s assertion of executive powers in court. State Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins announced on Thursday that a committee would take up GOP state Sen. Melissa Melendez’s resolution to terminate the emergency in mid-March, the first time such legislation will get a hearing. Newsom’s endemic blueprint noted that about 15 percent of his nearly 600 pandemic orders remain operative, and he committed to “terminate provisions as they cease to be necessary.” Former White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt was on hand to trumpet California’s plan as “a model” for other states. The California Republican Party was unimpressed, deriding Thursday’s briefing as “the most over-hyped announcement since the opening of Al Capone’s vault.” The virus will be with us for the foreseeable future — and so will the political disputes over how to handle it. BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. On the policy side, today is the deadline for state lawmakers to introduce bills. On the political side, the California Democratic Party will vote this weekend on whose campaign money they will reject — more on that below. Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit jwhite@politico.com or follow me on Twitter @jeremybwhite. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We aren’t out of the woods. We are just more familiar with the woods and don’t need to live fully afraid of what’s behind the next tree.” Ghaly on the endemic phase. TWEET OF THE DAY: Recalled SF schools commissioner Gabriela López @lopez4schools on the result: “So if you fight for racial justice, this is the consequence. Don’t be mistaken, white supremacists are enjoying this. And the support of the recall is aligned with this.” BONUS TOTD: Oakland A’s pitcher Chris Bassitt @C_Bass419 on MLB labor negotiations stalling again: “Ok it’s time… every man has to leave. Send in the women. This gets done by 9pm” WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. | | | | A message from Southern California Edison: We believe everyone should have the right to breathe clean air. That’s why we’re leading the charge for more clean, renewable energy. We’re a national leader in battery storage and delivering solar energy to our customers. We’re working to cut emissions from buildings and freeways. And we proudly support the growth of green jobs. | | | |  | Top Talkers | | — Elon Musk accuses SEC of 'harassment campaign,' by POLITICO’s Katy O’Donnell: The SEC sued Musk in 2018 after he tweeted that he had secured funding to take the company private at $420 per share. As part of the settlement, Musk and Tesla were each ordered to pay $20 million fines, which were supposed to be distributed to shareholders. SFPD CONDUCT — “Officers review Dacari Spiers beating footage: ‘This was f****d from the start,’” by Mission Local’s Joe Eskenazi. — “Ex-Angels employee Eric Kay convicted in death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs, faces minimum of 20 years in prison,” by USA TODAY’s Gabe Lacques: “Kay’s conviction brings a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. Judge Terry Means set sentencing for June 28, according to ESPN.” STEPPING DOWN — “Head of nation’s largest university system resigns under fire,” by POLITICO’s Chris Ramirez: “Lawmakers and faculty had been calling for the CSU to open an internal investigation into the chancellor since early February, when USA TODAY reported Castro failed to respond to sexual harassment claims against a top administrator he had recruited to the campus.” GOING FOR GOLD — “Eileen Gu wins gold in freeski halfpipe, earning her third medal in China,” by NYT’s John Branch.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | CADEM CASH: Two major utilities are out. One is in. Police unions? We’ll see. Those are the toplines, with California Democratic Party leadership set to expand the party’s prohibited donors list in a Sunday vote.
Activists have pushed to cleanse the party's coffers of money from investor-owned utilities and law enforcement, saying the party’s fundraising must match its values. The resulting proposal cuts off PG&E and Sempra because they maintain gas lines but allows SoCalEdison cash because the SCE does not. It also rejects a blanket ban on police and sheriff unions, instead going-case by-case because the party must balance the demands of people “impacted by failures in law enforcement” with the needs of “working people in our party.”
That won’t mollify progressive activists who would like to see more — including the party prohibiting health care players that helped torpedo single-payer healthcare legislation. The party plans to revisit this list every two years. Its proposal offers a laundry list of potential future inductees, among them for-profit health care groups, tech and gig economy companies, the pharmaceutical industry and real estate interests. MOVING ON UP — “ Karen Bass takes early lead in L.A. mayor’s race, poll finds,” by the LA Times’ Benjamin Oreskes: “None of the other candidates have support above the single-digit level, and a large majority of likely voters said they didn’t know enough about them to have a favorable or unfavorable opinion. — ”“ Democrats' internal polling shows swing voters believe party went 'too far' on COVID,” by SFGATE’s Eric Ting: “Politico previously reported on the DCCC warning about the effectiveness of what they refer to as conservative ‘culture war attacks.’” — “ In solidarity with Trump, McCarthy backs Rep. Cheney’s primary challenger,” by the LA Times’ Seema Mehta: “Unlike Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who criticized the RNC for censuring one of its elected officials and for the language of the resolution, McCarthy at first avoided weighing in.” | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | — “‘Just transition’ bill for oil industry workers exposes labor rift,” by CalMatters’ Jesse Bedayn: “Instead, Trades officials say, the state should invest in big-ticket infrastructure projects such as high-speed rail and offshore wind projects that will create comparable jobs to what workers have been doing for decades.” — “California bills aim to curb anti-Asian attacks against women, vulnerable groups,” by NBC’s Claire Wang: “Advocates say the proposed pieces of legislation, shared first with NBC Asian America, are some of the first in the country to frame street discrimination and harassment as a public health issue, rather than a criminal one.” MORE AND MORE — “ Sacramento carries out biggest homeless sweep in months, tows 13 cars and orders more cleared,” by the Sac Bee’s Theresa Clift: “Following that action, Mayor Darrell Steinberg asked his colleagues to vote to stop towing vehicles used by homeless individuals unless the city can give them somewhere to go. Councilwomen Katie Valenzuela and Mai Vang supported that, but under pressure from business leaders, the council rejected it.” HEART OF THE CITY — “Can these Black business owners save the heart of Leimert Park from gentrification? ” by the LA Times’ Erika D. Smith: “There is a real fear that Leimert Park’s tree-lined streets — where, for generations, Black Angelenos have gone to protest and to celebrate, and to engage in everyday expressions of culture and empowerment — could turn into something bland and expensive.”
| | | |   | | | TIMES ARE A CHANGIN’ — “Mills-Northeastern merger a sign of challenges facing women’s colleges,” by Juhi Doshi for CalMatters: “Fifty years ago, the United States had 230 women’s colleges. Now, fewer than 40 remain, according to the Women’s College Coalition. The shrinking number is a sign of shifts to co-ed campuses and the financial pressure that many small, private colleges have faced over the years and seen worsen recently.” — “LA Sheriff Villanueva: Allegations About Jail Deputies ‘False’; Jail Staffers Say Problems Persist, ” by LAist’s Emily Elena Dugdale: “Calling LAist ‘a less than accurate source,’ the sheriff said that after our story was published his department ‘revisited the issue and reviewed inmate grievances,’ adding that ‘nothing was discovered which supported anything in these allegations.’” — “California eyes end to Medi-Cal premiums for children, vulnerable adults, ” by CalMatters’ Elizabeth Aguilera: “California is one of only four states charging premiums for children in its Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal in California, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation.” ENDLESS SUMMER — “ Southern California to see steep hike in fire danger due to warming, study finds,” by WaPo’s Diana Leonard: “For a scenario of high greenhouse gas emissions, the region could see 71 high-risk fire days per year by 2100, compared to the 36 it averaged during the 1970-1999 period.” — “What if California’s women on boards law is overturned?” by CalMatters’ Grace Gedye: “Judicial Watch argued that the law violates the equal protection clause of California’s constitution by explicitly distinguishing between individuals on the basis of gender.” — “Police Commission Allows DA Boudin, Chief Scott to Continue Negotiations on Interim Reform Agreement,” by the SF Standard’s Michael Barba: “Rather than offer to take over the investigations as the chief requested, California Attorney General Rob Bonta stepped in Monday to help Scott and Boudin renegotiate the deal behind closed doors.”
| | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | — “Do Federal Lawmakers Have the Stomach to Rein in Big Tech?” by KQED’s Rachel Myrow: “Federal lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have historically taken a relatively light touch toward regulating the technology industry. But that hands-off approach has recently shifted among a growing number of Democrats, and even some Republicans, as the power and size of these companies has grown exponentially.”
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| | MIXTAPE | |
— “‘It’s the Wild West’: One Bay Area marina has become the site of a nightmare eviction battle,” by the SF Chronicle’s Lauren Hepler.
— “ See Orange County’s Top 5 most expensive home sales of 2021,” by the OC Register’s Sandra Barrera. — “Sacramento to give stipends to community groups in areas with low COVID vaccinations rates,” by the Sac Bee’s Marcus D. Smith: — “ S.F. could ditch Lyft for its own public bike share system, at a cost of $18 million a year,” by the SF Chronicle’s Ricardo Cano. — “54 current, former CHP officers charged with overtime fraud at East L.A. station,” by the LA Times’ Richard Winton. ROOTED — “ ‘I Just Want to Stay in One Spot’: From Homeless to Housed in Rugged Del Norte,” by California Healthline’s Anna Maria Barry-Jester. — “What Happens When Angry Asian American Parents Get Organized, ” opinion by the New York Times’ Jay Caspian Kang.
| | Transitions | | — Ian Mariani is leaving his post as communications director for House Ag member Cindy Axne (D-Iowa). Mariani is heading over to fellow House Ag member Salud Carbajal ’s office, where he’ll serve in the same role for the California Democrat. Paige Godden will take over as Axne’s comms director.
| | BIRTHDAYS | | FT’s Janan Ganesh … James Hohmann … Ben Wofford … Stacey Gardner … Michael Siciliano ... Lori Tessel | | | | A message from Southern California Edison: This is a time of great change and uncertainty. But what remains constant is our commitment to building a clean energy future for everyone. That’s why SCE is standing with California, leading the charge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve local air quality and support continued economic growth. We’re a national leader in battery storage and delivering solar energy to our customers. We’re working to cut emissions from buildings and freeways. And we proudly support the fastest the growth of green jobs. We’re more than 13,000 employees serving 15 million Californians. When we work together, we can move full speed ahead into a clean energy future. | | | 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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