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Jeremy B. White and Lara Korte’s must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State | | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White, Lara Korte, Juhi Doshi and Chris Ramirez | THE BUZZ — CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER: And now, a very special episode of “Which Type of Democrat?” Voters are finalizing their choices today in a quartet of special elections. Three Assembly seats and one House post are open because incumbents departed halfway through two-year terms (three for private-sector gigs and a fourth who’s yet to land). None of those seats is likely to change party hands. But two reliably Democratic districts will host the latest skirmishes in an open-ended conflict among interest groups trying to shape who wields power in a one-party government. This particular playbook is now dog-eared and tattered from use. Sacramento players pour money into elections where Democrats are effectively guaranteed to prevail, hoping to elevate potential allies and block less-aligned candidates. We’ve seen that dynamic in the contests for the 62nd and the 80th Assembly districts. Some $1.7 million in outside spending has flooded into both areas. These are just the primaries, so they could end up being previews for June rematches. Anyone who wins outright, on the other hand, will become the prohibitive favorite to win a full term under new district lines. In San Diego, labor-funded committees are uncorking cash to buoy former San Diego City Council member Georgette Gómez while business groups backed the Chamber of Commerce, utilities, insurance, real estate and oil interests are backing former San Diego City Council member David Alvarez. A coalition of consumer attorneys, environmentalists and labor is also sending to stymie Alvarez; Sacramento-based Ramos Towing, LLC has spent $49,500 to defeat Gómez. But it’s clear who Democratic state lawmakers would prefer to work with: More than a dozen have sent money to Gómez. It’s a similar story in Los Angeles, where two former staffers for former Assemblymember Autumn Burke are vying to replace their erstwhile boss. Lawndale Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles has received ample support from an oil industry PAC, while labor and real estate interests have backed nonprofit director Tina McKinnor. Sacramento is more split on this race: Several state lawmakers have joined Burke in donating to Pullen-Miles — most of them generally seen as more centrist Democrats — while a half-dozen have channeled their cash to McKinnor. AROUND THE STATE: A familiar face and a foregone conclusion feature in two other specials today. Democratic Suisun City Mayor Lori Wilson is the only candidate on the ballot to replace former Assemblymember Jim Frazier, who resigned his AD-11 seat. There’s more competition to fill out the rest of former Rep. Devin Nunes’ term in CD-22 before redistricting turns the red seat blue come 2023. Among the contenders: former Assembly Minority Leader Connie Conway, who has committed to a short-term caretaker tenure. BUENOS DÍAS, good Tuesday morning. With Sacramento still reeling from a mass shooting, arguably this year’s most consequential gun control bill will get its first hearing today in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sponsored by Gov. Gavin Newsom and carried by Sen. Bob Hertzberg, the bill would let Californians sue anyone who makes, transports or sells assault weapons or ghost guns, as Newsom seeks to give Texas a taste of its own legislative medicine. Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up jwhite@politico.com and lkorte@politico.com or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We do know that 75 rounds were shot within 54 seconds, 300 steps from here. On the balcony outside of here you can see the crime tape, right outside of our state Capitol. This is not right. It breaks all of our hearts collectively to see young people running for their lives, to know that individuals were running like they were in a war zone like what we’re seeing now on BBC.” Assemblymember Kevin McCarty adjourns in the memory of people shot down in Sacramento, the city he represents. TWEET OF THE DAY: CNN reporter @IsaacDovere on Sen. Alex Padilla’s airline issues snarling a critical Senate Judiciary vote: “American democracy, where the process of the United States Senate to advance a Supreme Court nominee got held up for a few hours because of a flight delay on a Democratic senator’s plane and Republicans refused to allow a perfunctory vote to go through” WHERE’S GAVIN? On vacation with his family in Central and South America until April 12. | | | | DON'T MISS ANYTHING FROM THE 2022 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is excited to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage and insights from the 25th annual Global Conference. This year's event, May 1-4, brings together more than 3,000 of the world’s most influential leaders, including 700+ speakers representing more than 80 countries. "Celebrating the Power of Connection" is this year's theme, setting the stage to connect influencers with the resources to change the world with leading experts and thinkers whose insight and creativity can implement that change. Whether you're attending in person or following along from somewhere else in the world, keep up with this year's conference with POLITICO’s special edition “Global Insider” so you don't miss a beat. Subscribe today. | | | | | |  | Top Talkers | |
EYE ON EASTMAN — “How a California lawyer became a focal point of the Jan. 6 investigation,” by the LA Times’ Sarah D. Wire and Melanie Mason: John “Eastman was the architect of the legal theory at the root of Trump’s attempt to overturn the presidential election, a plan that U.S. District Judge David O. Carter denounced as obviously illegal.”
SHOOTING UPDATE — “Sacramento police make first arrest related to Sunday’s mass shooting downtown ,” by the Sac Bee’s Sam Stanton: “Sacramento police announced the first arrest Monday of a suspect related to Sunday’s mass shooting downtown, saying a 26-year-old man is being held on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm.” — “All 6 killed in downtown Sacramento mass shooting identified. Here are their names ,” by Sac Bee’s Michael McGough. CRISIS CALLS — “The number of 911 calls from one S.F. McDonald’s underscores a crisis in the fast-food world,” by the SF Chronicle’s Shwanika Narayan and Yoohyun Jung: “In San Francisco and across California, 911 call data shows fast-food workers regularly face disruptive and sometimes volatile situations, ranging from noise complaints and trespassing to assaults and armed robberies.” A CLEAR TARGET — “How Chesa Boudin’s life made him a lightning rod for the progressive prosecutor movement ,” by the LATimes’ Miriam Pawel: “Fueled by tech money, fears of crime, and San Francisco politics, the June 7 recall election has made Boudin a lightning rod for every tragedy in the city, the target of anger over homeless encampments, drug dealing, gun violence and home burglaries.” WALK OUT — “ Activision workers walk out over lifting of vaccine mandate. It ‘came as a shock to everybody.’” by the LATimes’ Jaimie Ding: “More than 100 Activision Blizzard employees participated in a virtual walkout Monday as the Santa Monica video game studio joined a growing wave of companies lifting COVID-19 vaccination requirements while pressing workers to return to the office.” | | CAMPAIGN MODE | |
LOW MORALE — “Why So Many Of DA Gascón’s Prosecutors Want Him Recalled,” by LAist’s Frank Stoltze: “Prosecutors opposed to DA George Gascón’s reform agenda and unhappy with his management practices overwhelmingly support his removal — just 16 months after he assumed office.”
— “Why Michael Shellenberger, A Centrist, Is Challenging California Gov. Gavin Newsom,” by HuffPost’s Daniel Marans: “Running for governor, Shellenberger explained, is ‘just a logical evolution of my advocacy to reform our policies on drugs, mental illness, housing, energy, and education.’”
| | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | |
FORGOTTEN — “Sacramento County supervisors ‘abandoned’ public health during COVID-19 crisis, grand jury finds,” by the Sac Bee’s Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks: “Sacramento County supervisors “abandoned” the public health department in the early months of the pandemic, failing to quickly provide support, oversight and funds to the agency at the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis, a grand jury report concluded.”
DEPUTY GANGS — “Judge rules Sheriff Villanueva must testify under oath about deputy gangs ,” via City News Service: “Sheriff Alex Villanueva will have to appear before the Office of Inspector General and answer questions about so-called deputy gangs while under oath and with his testimony transcribed by a court reporter, a judge ruled Monday.” GUN CONTROL —“ ‘Why do we do this to ourselves?’ The pandemic supercharged easy access to guns,” by the LA Times’ Anita Chabria: “The people I spoke with said there are more guns on the street than ever. The pandemic, they said, pushed up the numbers of every kind of weapon — the legally owned ones, ghost guns that are Frankensteined together with untraceable parts and guns stolen, traded, imported or otherwise not part of the official system.” — “Anaheim’s resort-area transit isn’t just for tourists, but should it get state funding?” by OC Register’s Alicia Robinson: “Now ATN officials want to grow even more, and they’re hoping a pot of state money for public transit can help pay for it. But they’re getting pushback from Orange County’s biggest transit provider, which worries ATN’s gain could be its loss, potentially in the tens of millions of dollars.” — “I’m a Scientist in California. Here’s What Worries Me Most About Drought ,” by Andrew Schwartz in NYT: “We no longer can rely on relatively short periods of rain or snow to completely relieve drought conditions the way we did with past droughts.” BIG BUCKS — “ Why is so much special interest money flowing into a California special election?” by CalMatters’ Ben Christopher: “Big labor and big business are spending big bucks in a special election on Tuesday for a San Diego seat in the state Assembly. The campaign previews battles to come in the 2022 campaign.” | | | | INTRODUCING DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR MORNING TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | |
| | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | TURMOIL WITH TRUMP’S APP — Trump upset with the state of his new social media site, eyes shakeup , by POLITICO’s Meridith McGraw and Emily Birnbaum: Top executives from Former President Donald Trump’s social media venture, Truth Social, have departed the company as the site has struggled to gain traction with users. — “Elon Musk bought a big stake in Twitter ,” by Protocol’s Sarah Roach: “Musk bought a big stake in Twitter — 73,486,938 shares, to be exact — according to a new Securities and Exchange Commission filing made March 14.” | | CANNABIS COUNTRY | |
— “Legalized Pot Was Supposed to Help Build Black Wealth in Los Angeles. It Failed,” by the New Republic’s Amanda Chicago Lewis: “Back in 2017, Los Angeles was among the first places in the United States to legalize weed with social equity in mind. Today, social equity dominates the conversation about who should be allowed to sell legal pot, with programs planned or up and running in Michigan, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut, Virginia, Arizona, and more.”
| | MEDIA MATTERS | |
MUSK’S MOTIVES — Why Elon Musk Is Buying into Twitter, opines POLITICO’s Jack Shafer: It seems that Musk has belatedly reached the altitude where many of his fellow oligarchs dwell, a place where owning big media conveys status upon them that is beyond money. Viewed from that angle, it’s not strange that Musk has invested in media, only strange that it took him so long.
| | MIXTAPE | |
— “No criminal charges for officers who killed Erik Salgado in 2020,” by the Oaklandside’s Darwin BondGraham and David DeBolt.
KANYE BOWS OUT — “Kanye West bails on Coachella, leaving festival less than 2 weeks to find a headliner,” by the LA Times’ Christie D’Zurilla. — “ Double earthquakes rattle Northern California coast south of Eureka, USGS reports,” by the Sac Bee’s Don Sweeney. — “What’s killing us? Data shows leading causes of death in Fresno, California and the U.S. ,” by Fresno Bee’s Tim Sheehan. — “French Bulldogs Taken at Brazen Home Invasion in Santa Clara,” by NBC Bay Area’s Marianne Favro. | | IN MEMORIAM | |
— “Francisco González, Los Lobos founding member and guitar-string pioneer, dead at 68,” by the LA Times’ Gustavo Arellano.
| | BIRTHDAYS | |
Former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler … PayPal’s Howard Wachtel … Camila Seta … Teri Galvez
WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Katie Rosborough, policy comms lead at Twitter, and Jon Rosborough, VP at Statler Nagle, welcomed Wesley Caldwell Rosborough on March 28. He just beat the clock and was born at 11:59 p.m., coming in at 7 lbs, 5.3 oz and 21 inches long. He joins big brother James and dog Harper.
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.
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