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Presented by the California Clean Cars Campaign: Jeremy B. White’s must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State | | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White, Chris Ramirez, Juhi Doshi and Graph Massara | Presented by the California Clean Cars Campaign | THE BUZZ — TEXAN TENSIONS: That California-Texas contrast is looking clearer than Lake Tahoe’s crystalline water. Transgender rights were the fault line on Wednesday, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered his state’s child welfare agency to investigate parents and doctors who provide gender-related medical care to minors. The reaction was a mixture of condemning the Lone Star State and underscoring the Golden State’s more inclusive approach — the kind of comparison-drawing that allows electeds in both states to sharpen their stances.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks on February 23, 2022 in Houston, Texas. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images |
“To fearful families in Texas right now — California’s door is always open to you,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Twitter. “California will continue to stand strong for trans children and for all LGBTQ people,” state Sen. Scott Wiener said. And Attorney General Rob Bonta vowed that “unlike Texas, California will always stand up for trans rights.” Bonta has filed briefs challenging red states’ laws restricting medical treatments or athletics options for transgender minors, and invoked a 2016 law to ban official California travel to five states that have passed laws doing the same. (Texas was already on that list, which now includes 18 states — encompassing more than a third of America’s population.)
California Democrats assailing Texas Republicans is a time-honored political tradition, in the same vein of Fox News segments portraying San Francisco as a liberal dystopia or Texans gloating about priced-out Californians moving east. Newsom has never tired of favorably comparing California’s coronavirus record with that of Texas and Florida. He took direct aim at Texas this year by seeking a bill allowing Californians to sue illegal gun manufacturers — an idea that Newsom explicitly modeled on a Texas law enabling private citizens to sue abortion providers. Newsom encouraged donors this week to become “citizen co-sponsors” of that bill. But California particularly stands out on LGBTQ rights. This is the state that passed a law letting students use facilities and join sports teams matching their gender identities back in 2013, before bathroom bill battles had enveloped other state legislatures. Subsequent years saw laws mandating gender-neutral single-stall restrooms, letting Californians list their gender as nonbinary on state-issued documents and allowing transgender inmates to choose if they will be housed in men’s or women’s prisons. Two of the last three Assembly speakers were openly gay; arguably no interest group influenced redistricting more than LGBTQ powerhouse Equality California. Pause to consider just how swiftly California’s status quo has shifted. Less than 15 years ago, a majority of California voters chose to ban same-sex marriage. That result would be inconceivable in today’s political environment — though that’s perhaps little consolation now for LGBTQ Texans and their allies out here. BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. Hey, early risers. Curious to know what Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf thinks about crime, coronavirus, California politics and more? Tune in at 7:10 a.m. as Jeremy interviews Schaaf for part of POLITICO’s interview series The Fifty: America’s Mayors. Click through to check it out. Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit jwhite@politico.com or follow me on Twitter @jeremybwhite. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “This, my friends, is our moment. This is the Sudetenland, that's what people were saying there. You cannot ignore what Putin is doing.” Speaker Nancy Pelosi compares the Russia-Ukraine situation to the eve of World War II. TWEET OF THE DAY: SF Supervisor@RafaelMandelman on a deadly homeless encampment fire: “It is deeply wrong and infuriating that a City as wealthy as ours, a City that spends as much as ours does responding to homelessness, still fails to provide the bare minimum of safe shelter for those willing to take it.” BONUS TOTD: Brief thread, via NPR’s Domineco Montanaro @DomenicoNPR: “Ukraine is not a small country. It’s 7th-largest by pop in Europe & larger than any U.S. state. … 7. UKRAINE 44m … California, the largest U.S. state by population, has roughly 40 million, TX 30m, FL 22m, NY 19m” WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. | | A message from the California Clean Cars Campaign: DROUGHT. WILDFIRES. SMOG. Exhaust from cars and trucks is the number one source of climate and air pollution in California. Electric vehicles are pollution-free. Strong standards that put more electric vehicles on the road faster will protect public health, fight the climate crisis and create jobs. We need our regulators to adopt electric vehicle sales targets that achieve 75% pollution-free car sales by 2030. Click here to learn more about how we can improve California's landmark Advanced Clean Cars program. | | |
|  | Top Talkers | |
AID TO UKRAINE — “Want to help Ukraine? These California organizations need your support,” by the LA Times’ Karen Garcia.
— “ ‘People are dying’: Fatal S.F. encampment fire provokes outcry over homelessness crisis,” by the SF Chronicle’s Jessica Flores and Sam Whiting: “The fire left one woman dead and three other people critically injured. Officials with the San Francisco Fire Department said it took around an hour to reach the four people trapped under the overpass.” LIFE IS A HIGHWAY — “ A Truck Caravan With Far-Right Links Heads to Washington, D.C.,” by the NY Times’ Shawn Hubler and Alan Feuer: “About 40 truckers were on hand with their rigs as the convoy rolled out on Wednesday in Adelanto, Calif., about 180 miles west of the Arizona state line. A flag-strewn send-off rally that resembled a Make America Great Again event drew about a hundred more vehicles.” — “S.F. police crime lab ends policy allowing investigators to match victim rape exam DNA to unrelated crimes, ” by the SF Chronicle’s Megan Cassidy: “San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen and State Senator Scott Wiener have both said they may seek legislation to ban the practice.”
| | | | JOIN TODAY TO HEAR FROM MAYORS ACROSS AMERICA: The Fifty: America’s Mayors will convene mayors from across the country to discuss their policy agendas, including the enforcement of Covid measures such as vaccine and mask mandates. We’ll also discuss how mayors are dealing with the fallout of the pandemic on their local economies and workforce, affordable housing and homelessness, and criminal justice reforms. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | |
OFF TO THE RACES — “California voters lean toward legalizing sports betting in new poll,” by the LA Times’ John Myers and Taryn Luna: “California voters are open to the idea of creating a legal market for betting on college and professional sports but fewer than half of those surveyed in a new poll are sure of their support, an unsettled finding that serves as a prelude to a multimillion-dollar political battle in November.”
UP THE LADDER — “The SF School Board’s Long History as a Political Springboard, ” by the SF Standard’s Maryann Jones Thompson: “Will Matt Haney become the next Tom Ammiano? Or will he follow in the political footsteps of one of the other famous—or infamous—SF school board members?” | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | HERE WE GO AGAIN … “Experts – once again — tell Senate panel that California’s key climate change strategy is flawed,” by CalMatters’ Julie Cart: “The current design of cap and trade presents ‘a very real risk’ that California’s next set of carbon-reduction goals will not be met, said Ross Brown of the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.” MASK OFF — “L.A. County bars, offices, gyms can drop mask rules with COVID vaccine verification,” by the LA Times’ Luke Money and Rong-Gong Lin: “While not a complete easing, the revised rules — which take effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday — represent a significant relaxation of the county’s universal indoor mask mandate, which has been in place since July.” TEMPORARY TRUCE — “ S.F. DA Boudin, police chief agree to extend memo covering police use-of-force incidents,” by the SF Chronicle’s Megan Cassidy: “The agreement spells out how San Francisco’s law enforcement agencies will interact with one another following allegations of excessive use-or-force and police shootings, dictating how they share information with one another.” — “Attempted Murder Case Against Black Activist Raises Questions About DA Spitzer’s Approach to Race,” by the Voice of OC’s Brandon Pho: “ The ongoing scandal surrounding Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer’s remarks about Black men during death penalty deliberations has renewed attention on Spitzer’s approach to an ongoing attempted murder case against a Black activist from Long Beach, Tatiana ‘Tia’ Turner.” WE ARE HERE — “Meet California’s ‘Blaxican’ elected leaders: ‘We exist, we’re out there, we’re present’ ,” by Fresno Bee’s Melissa Montalvo: “The trend among elected leaders mirrors national and local demographic changes that experts say reflect both the growing diversity of the nation and the way the census question was asked.” SNOW DAYS — “Snow falling: As climate warms, overhauling California water projections gains urgency ,” by CalMatters’ Rachel Becker: “State officials are altering their forecasts to take into account the myriad ways climate change is reshaping California, from warming temperatures to soil dryness. The stakes are huge: The Sierra Nevada snowpack provides about a third of California’s water supply.” WHO RUN THE WORLD — “ The number of women on boards of California companies has more than doubled since 2018,” by SF Chronicle’s Chase DiFeliciantonio. — “California officials approve plan to crack down on microplastics polluting the ocean,” by the LA Times’ James Rainey: “The Ocean Protection Council voted to make California the first state to adopt a comprehensive plan to rein in the pollution, recommending everything from banning plastic-laden cigarette filters and polystyrene drinking cups to the construction of more green zones to filter plastics from stormwater before it spills into the sea.”
| | | | A message from the California Clean Cars Campaign:   | | |
| | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | |
WHO’S WHO — Leondra Kruger: Who is she? Bio, facts, background and political views, by POLITICO’s Myah Ward: She is praised as a consensus builder and known for her problem-solving style, someone who could potentially serve as mediator on the increasingly divided U.S. Supreme Court.
THE ONE FOR ME — “The case for Leondra Kruger: Why Biden should put the Californian on the U.S. Supreme Court,” by the Sac Bee’s Editorial Board: “Given the run of hyper-partisan nominations to the court under Donald Trump, the nation’s underrepresented liberals — many of whom are Kruger’s fellow Californians — may yearn for a far-left counterpoint.” | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | |
— “Black workers accused Tesla of racism for years. Now California is stepping in,” by the Guardian’s Kari Paul: “Tesla is accused of violating the Fair Employment and Housing Act and the California Equal Pay Act, and could face fines of millions of dollars in addition to enforced changes to internal policies.”
— “After years of pollution violations, Tesla is fined $275,000 by the EPA,” by the LA Times’ Russ Mitchell: “The settlement with Tesla ‘reflects EPA’s continued commitment to ensure compliance with federal clean air laws,’ Martha Guzman, the agency’s regional administrator, said in a statement Tuesday.” | | | | 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 | | WATER WARS — “California’s drought endures: Feds’ Central Valley Project announces 0% water for farmers,” by the Sac Bee’s Dale Kasler. — “ Ex-UCLA lecturer accused of making threats pleads not guilty,” by the AP’s Colleen Slevin. — “California adopts plan to tackle microplastic pollution — first state to do so,” by the SF Chronicle’s Kurtis Alexander. BUSTED — “Former Gilroy woman sentenced to 45 days for role in Jan. 6 riot,” by the SF Chronicle’s Bob Egelko. — “ Dodgers fan says he was partially blinded by LAPD projectile at World Series celebration,” by the LA Times’ Kevin Rector. — “Williams named host of All Things Considered,” by Talking Biz News’ Mariam Ahmed. — “LA Is Paying $600,000 Apiece for Units to House Homeless People,” by Bloomberg’s Linus Chua.
| | Transitions | | — Jeff Tsai is now managing partner of the San Francisco office at DLA Piper. He most recently was partner and co-chair of the state attorneys general practice at the firm. — Faith Mabry is now comms director for Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.). She most recently was deputy comms director for Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.). — Jalelah Ahmed is now comms director for Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.). She previously was comms director for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). — Joshua Soven is now a partner in Paul, Weiss’ litigation department. He previously was at Wilson Sonsini, and is a DOJ antitrust alum.
| | IN MEMORIAM | | — “San Jose State sports legend Lawrence Fan dead at 67,” by the Mercury News’ Laurence Miedema.
| | BIRTHDAYS | | Bruce Andrews … Howard Bragman … Meta’s Kevin Lewis
| | A message from the California Clean Cars Campaign: California is home to the most polluted air in the United States. The American Lung Associationranked seven California cities in the top 10 of the most ozone polluted cities in the country. Polluted air contributes to asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and premature death, and harms the those most vulnerable like our seniors and children.
It’s time to take big steps toward creating a safer, healthier future. If we don’t significantly cut our climate pollution the average 6-year-old today will live through roughly three times as many climate disasters and experience twice as many wildfires as their grandparents.
With stronger early electric vehicle sales targets we can help protect health and mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis.
We need Governor Newsom and the Air Resources Board to act boldly in setting new electric vehicle sales targets in the Advanced Clean Cars program! | | | 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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