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Presented by CVS Health: 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 | Presented by CVS Health | THE BUZZ — DANGER AHEAD: Another day, another poll blinking warning signals at California Democrats. A new Public Policy Institute of California poll ( which you can check out here ) will no doubt fuel the frets of candidates and campaign managers on the left. Two Democratic standard-bearers, Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden, have seen their numbers slide in the less than two months since PPIC’s last poll: Newsom is down to 50-45 approval from 57-41 two months ago, and Biden has dipped underwater, to 46-51 approval from 49-49 (Sen. Dianne Feinstein plunged to a new nadir of 55 percent disapproval.) That doesn’t mean Newsom is in serious peril of losing reelection. But it does indicate a broader disillusionment — something Democrats will need to surmount. And according to the poll, most Republican likely voters said the upcoming midterms were more important than the last round, a significantly greater share than Democrats. It can be easier to rally the troops to take back the House than to defend it, as Democrats’ massive 2018 gains in an anti-Trump wave demonstrated — particularly when the majority party is contending with significant headwinds on some key issues. Among those issues, inflation is unmistakably the one that’s most directly pinching Californians. Roughly two-thirds of voters said price increases have caused them financial hardship — a third, serious hardship — all amid high housing prices. Two-thirds called homelessness a big problem and said it has worsened in the last 12 months. “Uncertainty around the economy and that uncomfortable feeling about prices rising” are taking their toll, PPIC director Mark Baldassare said, while a lack of progress on homelessness “makes (voters) feel that government is failing.” Financial relief could be forthcoming in the critical area of gas prices. Newsom and legislative leaders agree on the need to offer some relief — a windfall that could boost voters’ moods ahead of elections — but not the means. Those negotiations took another twist on Wednesday as the governor unveiled a plan that breaks significantly with what President Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon had proposed. The governor wants Californians to get $400-per-vehicle payments regardless of income and a gas tax freeze; Atkins and Rendon want $200 per person, unless their households earn more than $250,000 annually, and don’t want to touch the gas tax. The central sticking points of this year’s budget talks are becoming clear (more on the dueling proposals here). RECALL REFORM RELUCTANCE — Voters said they broadly support the Legislature placing an overhaul of the recall process on the ballot. But no one idea for changing the system — changing the qualification threshold, eliminating the two-question ballot, changing the timeframe — won majority support. If legislators are indeed looking to alter California’s direct democracy mechanisms, it looks like they have some work to do on persuading their constituents. BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. We hope all you Sacramento parents are managing a return to juggling kids and work at home as teachers strike. Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit jwhite@politico.com or follow me on Twitter @jeremybwhite. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “This has been a very difficult situation, especially for Director Simon who moved her family for safety reasons and to live steps away from the transit system she relies on for transportation and that she proudly represents. We want to express our deepest apologies to Lateefah and all stakeholders for how this has played out.” BART Board President Rebecca Saltzman and BART General Manager Bob Powers on reinstating Board Member Lateefah Simon after she was ousted in a residency dispute. TWEET OF THE DAY: S.F. City Attorney @DavidChiu on Sen. Ted Cruz wondering if he could “ decide I was an Asian man”: “Please don’t. We’ve been through enough.” WHERE’S GAVIN? In Napa County, promoting his “Care Court” proposal to compel homeless people into treatment. | | A message from CVS Health: Throughout the pandemic, in California and communities across the country, CVS Health has been there. We’ve opened more than 4,800 COVID-19 test sites, administered 41 million tests and given 59 million vaccines. We’ve expanded access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine, increased remote access to mental health services and invested in affordable housing to help build healthier communities. We’ve been on the frontlines, making health care easier to access and afford. Learn more. | | |
|  | Top Talkers | | ANTI-BULLYING EFFORTS — “What makes some California school districts so much better at preventing bullying?,” by The Press-Enterprise’s Beau Yarbrough: “A new Southern California News Group analysis finds that about one in three middle and high school students surveyed reported being bullied or harassed over a five-year period.” — “A ‘blood money’ betrayal: How corruption spoiled reparations for Armenian genocide victims ,” by the LA Times’ Harriet Ryan and Matt Hamilton: “In the decade that followed, however, the much hoped-for reparations devolved into a corrupted process marked by diverted funds and misconduct that even the lawyers involved characterized as fraud, The Times found in an investigation that drew on newly unsealed case filings, other court documents, official records, and interviews.” BACKTRACKING — “ BART Reverses Course, Says Lateefah Simon Remains on Board of Directors,”by KQED’s Dan Brekke: “The transit agency now says that only its elected board of directors or a court can declare a seat vacant and that Simon continues to represent BART's District 7, which currently includes western Contra Costa County and slivers of Alameda County and San Francisco.” GARCETTI ON HOLD — “Ernst places ‘hold’ on Biden India nominee,” by Axios’ Hans Nichols: “Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) has placed a ‘hold’ on Eric Garcetti’s nomination to be ambassador to India, demanding details about how the Los Angeles mayor handled allegations of sexual harassment by his staff — and whether he's been honest explaining them to the Senate. | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | RELEASE HIS RETURNS — “LA mayor hopeful Feuer releases his tax returns after challenging Caruso,” by Los Angeles Daily News: “A day after challenging real estate developer and mayoral candidate Rick Caruso to release his tax returns, City Attorney Mike Feuer, who is also running for mayor, released his own personal income tax returns from the last five years.” NO THANKS — “Henry Cuellar becomes latest Democrat to distance himself from Koch Industries over company’s Russia ties ,” by CNBC’s Brian Schwartz: “Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., told CNBC that he too was no longer accepting campaign contributions from the PAC as long as the company continues to do business in Russia.” RAVE REVIEWS … “We had a real L.A. mayoral debate. It can happen when idiot protesters don’t spoil it ,” by the LA Times’ Erika D. Smith.
| | | | JOIN TODAY FOR A CONVERSATION ON CRYPTOCURRENCY AND REGULATION: Cryptocurrency has gone mainstream. With the market now valued at $1.8 trillion, Washington’s oversight of the fast-growing industry remains in its infancy. How should Congress and federal agencies shape future regulation of digital asset markets? Join POLITICO in person or virtually for a deep-dive discussion on what’s next for crypto, regulation and the future of finance. Programming will run from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. EDT with a reception from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | |
— CSU names Koester as interim chancellor, by POLITICO’s Susannah Luthi: The appointment follows the February resignation of Joseph I. Castro amid allegations that he mishandled sexual misconduct complaints about a top administrator at Fresno State.
OTHER CHANGES — “California State University system will no longer use SATs, ACTs for student admission ,” by the Sac Bee’s Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks and Andrew Sheeler: “California State University will permanently remove SAT and ACT standardized test requirements from its undergraduate admission process, a move that university officials say will help the nation’s largest four-year university system more equitably assess prospective students.” ‘GANG-LIKE CLIQUES’ — “ The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and its secret societies,” by the LA Times’ Michael Hiltzik: “Hundreds of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies have said that they have been recruited to join secretive, sometimes gang-like cliques that operate within department stations, sheriff’s deputies themselves disclosed in a survey.” GUN SALES UNDER REVIEW — “ Firearms sales by LAPD captain, LASD deputy referred to feds for possible charges,” by the LATimes Kevin Rector. CAUSE FOR CONCERN? — “ Proportion of Omicron BA.2 cases rising rapidly. Is a surge coming or just a ripple?,” by the LA Times’ Rong-Gong Lin II and Luke Money: “It’s hard to know for certain what BA.2’s growth will mean for the nation. It’s possible BA.2 could develop into a full-blown surge and strain hospitals, especially in areas with poor vaccination and booster rates. But BA.2 could also plausibly just result in simply a slower decline in cases, with communities better protected since the winter Omicron wave infected so many people and left them with an extra boost to their immunity, at least for the short term.” REALITY CHECK — “ One year after LA evicted the unhoused from a park, few are in stable housing,” by the Guardian’s Sam Levin: “Out of 183 unhoused people who were removed from the park and tracked by the county’s homelessness agency, just 17 are confirmed to be in longer-term housing. Nearly 50 are in temporary shelter waiting for stable housing. The rest either returned to the streets or disappeared from the county’s tracking systems.” — “With NIL deals on the rise, California student athletes call for financial training,” by CalMatters’ Zaeem Shaikh: “Some California colleges are offering financial education designed to prepare athletes to navigate the new landscape. Advocates for the training say it can facilitate further deals, get more athletes to participate, and help athletes avoid agreements that can cost them money in the long run.” — “‘Fighting them all the way’: Santa Clara County sues more businesses for ignoring COVID fines ,” by the Mercury News’ Gabriel Greschler. — “How did Amazon end up renting city property to park delivery vans, in violation of the law?” by Mission Local’s Chris Roberts: “The problem wasn’t so much that Amazon managed to snap up even more San Francisco real estate without anyone noticing — it was that the real estate Amazon snapped up in this case is city property.” — “More than 500,000 in California will struggle to pay student loans once pause ends, study finds, ” by the Sac Bee’s David Lightman: “The average amount owed by the paused borrowers is $36,800. Average age of the borrower is 36, with 15% over 50.” | | | |   | | | | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | NOT ROCKET SCIENCE — “Tech billionaires rally around nuclear as energy crisis looms,” by Bloomberg’s Lizette Chapman: “The war galvanized a sentiment which has been building in recent years in the startup world, where billionaires including Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel have opened their wallets to back next-generation nuclear companies.”
| | CANNABIS COUNTRY | |
— How 'magic mushrooms' could follow in the footsteps of cannabis, by POLITICO’s Mona Zhang and Liz Crampton: Much like the changing attitudes toward marijuana use, nascent research and personal stories — particularly from military veterans — are convincing some lawmakers to rethink longstanding prohibitions on these drugs.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | MIXTAPE | | — “5th officer at Dublin prison charged in widening sex abuse scandal,” by KTVU FOX 2’s Lisa Fernandez. DONKEY ON THE LOOSE — “Redding police officer credits mustache for taming donkey named Kevin,” by Redding Record Searchlight’s Ethan Hanson. — “ Contra Costa County deputies shoot and kill a man armed with an archery rifle in Discovery Bay,” by SF Chronicle’s Dominic Fracassa and Andres Picon. — “The ugly reason the Kings shut down Richaun Holmes early: Domestic violence accusations ,” by Sac Bee’s Robin Epley. LABOR STRIKE — “A Strike at Chevron’s Richmond Refinery,” by KQED’s Alan Montecillo, Ted Goldberg, Maria Esquinca, and Ericka Cruz Guevarra. — “Aerial gondola at Dodger stadium sparks fears of accelerated gentrification,” by the LA Times’ Rachel Uranga. — “ University of Southern California Pulls Out of Education-School Rankings, Citing Data Errors,” by the Wall Street Journal’s Melissa Korn.
| | TRANSITIONS | | Megan Whilden has been named director of development at the Carmel Foundation. She most recently has served as executive director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College in western Massachusetts. | | BIRTHDAYS | | Maya Lau … Tim Bulakul … Heather Rothenberg | | A message from CVS Health: At CVS Health, we’re more than 300,000 caring employees ensuring Californians and millions of Americans can access health care services.
We have been offering COVID-19 vaccines at more than 9,600 CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide.
Nothing should stand in the way of mental health and well-being, so we have been increasing remote access to mental health services.
We have been supporting safer pregnancies and expanding access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine.
Recognizing the strong connection between housing and health, we have been investing in affordable housing to support underserved populations and build healthier communities.
Every day, CVS Health works to bring quality, affordable health care into neighborhoods, homes and hands—so it’s never out of reach for anyone.
Healthier Happens Together. Learn more. | | |
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