How Newsom will frame the State of the State

From: POLITICO California Playbook - Tuesday Mar 08,2022 02:24 pm

Mar 08, 2022

By Jeremy B. White, Juhi Doshi, Chris Ramirez and Graph Massara

THE BUZZ — THE STATE OF THINGS: State of the State (or union, or city) speeches are fundamentally about telling a story: where we are and where we are going. What tone will Gov. Gavin Newsom’s narrative strike tonight?

The governor customarily embraces his role as California’s cheerleader-in-chief. He regularly refers to this “nation-state” as “America’s next coming attraction,” touting its diversity, iconic destinations, world-class research institutions and booming budget as counterpoints to conservatives’ cautionary tales of decay and mismanagement. You can probably expect Newsom to blast that trumpet tonight, particularly in comparing California’s Covid recovery to that of other states.

But Newsom has lately also felt some headwinds. He has acknowledged that Californians are worried about crime as he’s vowed to crack down on theft, lamenting that the scene of a Los Angeles train robbery made California resemble a “third-world country.” He has repeatedly said the state is “too damn dirty ” as he cleans up trash around homeless encampments. And he has spoken about the “unacceptable” state of California’s homelessness crisis as he pushes for a system to compel people into treatment, saying “there's no compassion stepping over people sleeping on the streets and sidewalks.”

Californians are sorting through a mixed bag. On one hand, California’s rebound has fed a flush budget. Mask mandates are lifting, with school districts set to let kids go maskless next week. But poll after poll has captured broad voter discontent, with the electorate expressing pessimism about inflation, their economic prospects and the state’s overall trajectory. Newsom has received failing grades on homelessness and crime and a lukewarm response to how he has handled other issues.

That is the needle Newsom will seek to thread tonight. With midterm elections around the corner, he has an incentive to offer a positive prognosis. But downplaying or sidestepping California’s obvious challenges could reduce his credibility among voters who want to see solutions. Let’s see what kind of tale Newsom will tell.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Tuesday morning. The governor is getting started around 5 p.m. today, again eschewing an earlier hour for the primetime slot — although the setting this time should be more conventional than last year’s empty Dodger Stadium backdrop.

BIG PLAYBOOK NEWS — The memo just went out to the newsroom: "We are excited to announce that Lara Korte of The Sacramento Bee will be joining our California team to co-write California Playbook, the signature newsletter covering California politics. Lara and Jeremy White, who has been part of our powerhouse Playbook team since 2018, will cover this year’s gubernatorial race, the impact of California on national political trends and the ins and outs of Sacramento and the state capitol."

"Lara has been a state political reporter for the Bee since 2020 and a contributor to the paper’s morning politics newsletter. In that role, she closely covered the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Before reporting for The Bee, Lara covered higher education for the Austin American-Statesman. She is a native of Wichita and graduated from the University of Kansas, where she was editor in chief of the University Daily Kansan."

— Give her a follow at @lara_korte, and look for more great coverage from her to come!

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

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The first time I went to Mira Loma, you could taste the metal in the air. My eyes burned. The toxicity in the air was that thick. … The fact is there are many Mira Lomas all over our country, communities that have been left out and left behind, and where pollution from heavy-duty trucks and buses has made the air poisonous to breathe.” Vice President Kamala Harris relays California-centric stakes at a clean transit event.

TWEET OF THE DAY: S.F. Mayor @LondonBreed weighs in on a hot-button issue: “I support the proposed closure to car traffic on JFK Drive. This has been an essential space for our residents and families during this pandemic, and I believe it can be a long-term benefit to this city. We have a lot of work to do to address a number of issues we've heard.”

WHERE’S GAVIN? Getting ready for tonight’s speech.

HAPPENING TODAY, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY, AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION ON THE WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN: Join Women Rule editor Elizabeth Ralph for a panel discussion on the future for Afghan women. Guests include Hawa Haidari, a member of the Female Tactical Platoon; Cindy McCain, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture; Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan's first female ambassador to the U.S.; and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). Learn how female Afghan veterans are planning their futures, what the women still in Afghanistan face, and what the U.S. can do to help. REGISTER HERE.

Top Talkers

NOT SO FAST — Cooper stopped at airport security after loaded gun found in bag, by POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White: Officials with the Transportation Security Administration last week found a loaded pistol in California Assemblymember Jim Cooper’s luggage and contacted the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, which confiscated the weapon and held it until Cooper returned from his trip, the sheriff's office confirmed.

RECIPE FOR DISASTER — “' Fractured and ruined': How Fresno State's understaffed Title IX office failed students on Joseph Castro's watch,” by USA Today’s Kenny Jacoby: “Castro left Fresno State in December 2020 to become chancellor of the entire 23-campus CSU. He resigned last month amid mounting pressure after a USA TODAY investigation revealed he mishandled years of sexual harassment complaints against a top administrator as president of Fresno State.”

JOURNEY OUT OF UKRAINE — “How a Silicon Valley exec escaped Ukraine and became a digital soldier,” by SF Chronicle’s Ally Markovich: “With his U.S. passport and personal connections, Galanter had advantages over many Ukrainians, more than 1.5 million of whom have already sought refuge in nearby countries since Russia’s invasion began. Even as he prepared to leave, many of his friends had to stay behind to care for elderly parents who couldn’t, or wouldn’t, leave.”

SETTLEMENT REACHED — “ Former S.F. planning commissioner settles lawsuit against city for $1.8 million,” by SF Chronicle’s J.K. Dineen: “A former San Francisco planning commissioner, who had sued the city’s Department of Building Inspection in federal court for allegedly retaliating against him for criticizing the agency, has agreed to settle the lawsuit for $1.8 million.”

THE VERDICT — “ San Francisco police officer found not guilty in beating of unarmed Black man,” by LA Times’ Gregory Yee: “A San Francisco police officer has been found not guilty of three felony counts in what is believed to be the first excessive-force trial for an on-duty officer in the city’s history, according to authorities.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

A BAD PAST — “He’s been convicted, disbarred and called a slumlord. Now he’s endorsed by the California Democratic Party,” by SF Chronicle’s Michael Cabanatuan: “An 84-year-old San Diego man with an ignominious past won the endorsement of the state Democratic Party over the weekend, despite a history that includes spousal abuse, legal sanctions for being a slumlord and a restraining order keeping him away from an actor on a beloved TV sitcom.”

— “How far-right militia groups found a foothold in deep-blue California ,” by the Washington Posts’ Scott Wilson: “The combination of California’s pandemic-prompted mask regulations and President Donald Trump’s reelection loss have fused together a conservative group of angry mothers, militia leaders and disaffected Republicans adrift in a blue state. Trumpists are voting out Trumpists. Veteran Republican politicians are seeing their terms cut short.”

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

CASE FOR CONCERN —“Climate change is like war, California’s Jerry Brown says,” by the AP’s Kathleen Ronayne: “Brown is living off the grid in retirement, but he’s still deeply connected on two issues that captivated him while in office and now are center stage globally: climate change and the threat of nuclear war.”

HOUSING — “San Francisco may embrace fourplexes — while undercutting part of state density law ,” by SF Chronicle’s Dustin Gardiner and J.D. Morris: “And while the city is generally embracing the concept of greater density — unlike other places throughout the state that have gone to comical lengths to avoid the 2021 law — local officials are weighing whether to let San Francisco go its own way. They may gut a key piece of SB9: a provision to streamline permit reviews.”

MENTAL HEALTH — “ Newsom mental health plan needs full airing,” by CalMatters’ Dan Walters: “Newsom should get credit for trying to solve a long-running and very knotty issue, but so far his proposal is just an outline that needs to be fully fleshed out and civil rights advocates remain skeptical.”

— “ UC Berkeley declines group’s offer to admit 1K more students,” by the AP: “A group of residents that successfully challenged the University of California, Berkeley to limit its undergraduate enrollment offered to allow 1,000 additional students in the upcoming academic year, but the university declined, saying the decision isn’t up to “a small group of litigants.”

STRICTER RULES — “Environmental groups press California on electric car rules,” by Reuters’ David Shepardson: “More than 80 environmental groups and other organizations on Monday urged California Governor Gavin Newsom to impose tougher rules promoting electric vehicles even as the state is moving faster than President Joe Biden's administration.”

— “How UCSF’s data science team took on COVID,” by SF Chronicle’s Nami Sumida: “COVID-19 may turn out to be the biggest data event of the decade — perhaps even the century.”

HOUSING PROJECT — “San Francisco’s first tiny home village for unsheltered people opens. At $15,000 a pop, city says it’s cost-effective,” by SF Chronicle’s Sam Whiting: “Known as the DignityMoves Village, the site is San Francisco’s first experiment with tiny homes, an approach to homelessness that’s been used in Oakland, San Jose and other Bay Area cities.”

DON’T MISS POLITICO’S INAUGURAL HEALTH CARE SUMMIT ON 3/31: Join POLITICO for a discussion with health care providers, policymakers, federal regulators, patient representatives, and industry leaders to better understand the latest policy and industry solutions in place as we enter year three of the pandemic. Panelists will discuss the latest proposals to overcome long-standing health care challenges in the U.S., such as expanding access to care, affordability, and prescription drug prices. REGISTER HERE.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

CUT OFF FROM THE WORLD — “Russia, Blocked From the Global Internet, Plunges Into Digital Isolation,” by the New York Times’ Adam Satariano and Valerie Hopkins: “As Mr. Putin has waged war on Ukraine, a digital barricade went up between Russia and the world. Both Russian authorities and multinational internet companies built the wall with breathtaking speed. And the moves have ruptured an open internet that was once seen as helping to integrate Russia into the global community.”

LABOR PAINS, via POLITICO’s Leah Nylen: Shannon Wait, a former technician at a Google data center in South Carolina, was one of four workers to speak at the White House Monday, urging regulators to limit tech companies’ use of temporary workers and agreements that keep employees from talking about their working conditions. She said workers like her were “stuck” in a cycle of making $15 an hour, “working at a $2 trillion company with no path, no path to permanent employment,” adding that “Google uses this type of employment practice to subsidize their workforce, and it has to change.”

A contractor employed by Modis, Wait said she was suspended from her job for allegedly violating a nondisclosure agreement when she posted on social media about Google’s labor practices at the data center. She was reinstated after the Alphabet Workers Union filed an unfair labor charge with the National Labor Relations Board; Google and Modis settled the NLRB case last year and agreed to post notices informing contractors that they can join a union and discuss pay and working conditions with co-workers.

TESTING THE WATERS — “Google and Twitter reopenings launch grand experiment on the future of Silicon Valley work,” by the Mercury News’ Ethan Baron: “Technology giants Google and Twitter this week announc[ed] sharply different office reopening plans as other local firms wrestle with how and when to bring workers back to company desks.”

HOLLYWOODLAND

FLORIDA TENSIONS — “Disney CEO Bob Chapek Addresses Company’s Response to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill,” by the Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin: “Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek told staff Monday that the company ‘unequivocally’ stands with its LGBTQ+ employees in the wake of Florida passing its so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, but he also acknowledged that there is more the company needs to do.”

MIXTAPE

— “The five stages of Lowell admissions grief,” by Mission Local’s Joe Eskenazi.

— “Another large mixed-use apartment building planned for busy Sacramento corridor,” by Sac Bee’s Ryan Lillis.

SOARING PRICES — “ Every California metro breaks gas price record as state soars above $5 average. Check yours,” by Sac Bee’s Brianna Taylor.

NEED A PEP TALK?— “Press 3 for a pep talk from kindergartners. A new hotline gives you options for joy ,” by NPR’s Adrian Florido.

TRANSITIONS

— Azalea Candelaria has been appointed chief development officer of the California-based National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund.

— Brook Taylor is now vice president, government relations and strategic partnerships for EV maker VinFast. Taylor previously managed regulatory affairs at Mercedes-Benz and also served as deputy director for business and economic development under California Gov. Jerry Brown.

— Justin Shore is joining Alphabet’s Wing to work in partnerships on uncrewed traffic management solutions. He previously was chief of staff for FirstNet Authority at the Commerce Department.

— Hannah Stern is joining the David Lynch Foundation as government affairs manager. She previously was a senior legislative assistant for Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.).

BIRTHDAYS

Nathaniel Sobel
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