Change can be slow

From: POLITICO California Playbook - Thursday Apr 07,2022 01:27 pm

Apr 07, 2022

By Jeremy B. White, Lara Korte, Chris Ramirez and Juhi Doshi

THE BUZZ — DEMOCRACY INACTION: Midterm elections could reorder California’s political landscape — but the elections procedures themselves may not change much.

In the heady afterglow of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s overwhelming recall victory, Democrats coalesced behind the imperative to change the process for ousting elected officials. Elections committees held hearings intended to yield proposed constitutional changes. Secretary of State Shirley Weber weighed in strongly in favor of changes that would cut down on a cascade of recalls around the state — a phenomenon she argued suggests the recall process is being abused and threatens to produce undemocratic outcomes.

But those hearings wrapped months ago — and the momentum has slowed. Neither elections committee chair has released a proposal. Sen. Josh Newman’s SCA to change up the replacement process has yet to be scheduled for a hearing; same for a Sen. Ben Allen SCA that’s languished since 2021. Other proposed changes that don’t rise to the level of constitutional amendments have similarly failed to garner hearings yet.

Recent polling shows that voters don’t particularly love any of the ideas for changes. Republican lawmakers and voters have generally looked askance at Democrats pushing changes that could tighten their hold on power. Without a signal from their elected officials — and some money to run a campaign — they may retain that tepid level of enthusiasm. Lawmakers have until the end of June to muster the two-thirds vote to put this before the public in November. But the sense of urgency that followed Newsom’s recall win seems to have dissipated.

ON THE OTHER HAND … Bay Area mayors and city councils had a clear sense of purpose when it came to defeating legislation that would have banned the ranked-choice voting systems operating in cities like Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco.

Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell’s bill to outlaw the practice perished in its first committee without a vote Wednesday, as opponents lined up against the measure’s sole supporter: O’Donnell himself. “We should avoid fads like term limits and ranked choice voting,” the outgoing Long Beach Democrat said, arguing the process confuses and thus disenfranchises voters. His colleagues were not persuaded.

However we run elections, democracy remains viable and vibrant in California — and sometimes bizarre. Witness the animal rights activist who glued her hand to a table in the Assembly Agriculture committee on Wednesday, protesting the lack of progress on legislation that sought to prevent new commercial animal feeding operations. Members moved to a different hearing room while sergeants used WD-40 to extricate the protester’s hand, after which she left.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. State lawmakers will head back to their districts after floor sessions this morning for an 11-day spring recess. And Happy Baseball Opening Day! Whether you root for the 2019 world champion Washington Nationals or one of those teams from California, we could all use the diversion.

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: “When this bill first came up, I was like ‘what the hell, O’Donnell?’” Assemblymember Chad Mayes on O’Donnell’s lonely crusade.

TWEET OF THE DAY :@CAGOP on the Sacramento shooting's aftermath: “Bullets hit our CAGOP HQ windows in Sunday's tragic shootings that needlessly took 6 lives. We're still waiting for @GavinNewsom @CA_Dem to condemn the early prison release of one of the suspected shooters & the soft-on-crime policies that allowed it to happen.”

BONUS TOTD: Comedian Alexis Gay @yayalexisgay: “The San Francisco accent is so weird—I’ve never understood why ‘I don’t want to go to that’ is pronounced ‘yeah, I might be down.’”

WHERE’S GAVIN? On vacation with his family in Central and South America until April 12.

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Top Talkers

— “How a tech billionaire’s bid to uplift the poor became a windfall for the rich,” by the LA Times’ Evan Halper: “Billions of dollars’ worth of tax breaks for the wealthy are being generated by the Opportunity Zone program, often in pursuit of luxury high-rises, high-end hotels and swank office space. It has subsidized hulking self-storage units nestled alongside freeways and upmarket apartments for employees of the hottest Bay Area tech firms. One thing the tax break has fallen short on: creating opportunities in low-income communities.”

— “ At least 5 shooters involved in downtown Sacramento shooting, which police called gang-related,” by the Sac Bee’s Rosalio Ahumada and Sam Stanton: “Law enforcement sources have been saying since Monday that the incident appeared to be a shootout between rival factions rather than the ‘mass shooting’ that officials initially described.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

NO BEGGARS HERE — Dem moderates get choosy in midterm recruits as GOP headwinds grow, by POLITICO’s Sarah Ferris: In its first endorsements of the cycle, the Blue Dogs’ political arm is prioritizing a pair of centrist candidates in California’s Central Valley, in seats that President Joe Biden would have won by double digits: Assemblymember Adam Gray (D-Merced) in the sprawling 13th district and Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) just below in the 22nd district.

WARNING FOR DEMOCRATS — “ California won’t feel the Republican wave during midterms, but its moderate Democrats will,” opines Matt Rexroad in the Sac Bee: “By almost every objective measure, Republicans are about to have a big year. It won’t be as big in California, but it will end any chance for Biden to implement anything in Washington.”

— “ Fundraising emails for and against Chesa Boudin push alternate views of San Francisco,” by SF Chronicle’s Joshua Sharpe: “Boudin, in his own emails, said the recall is being driven by conservatives who want to backpedal on criminal justice reform, which the pro-recall side strongly denies.”

— “ Reelect DA Diana Becton for Contra Costa justice reform,” by the Mercury News’ editorial board: “To continue needed criminal justice reforms and ensure police accountability, voters in the June 7 election should reelect District Attorney Diana Becton, who was a Superior Court judge for 22 years before the county Board of Supervisors in 2017 appointed her district attorney.”

HOMELESSNESS — “ Ballot measure to force Sacramento to act on homelessness likely headed to voters,” by the Sac Bee’s Theresa Clift: “The Sacramento City Council will hold a special meeting Wednesday to consider placing a homeless measure on the November ballot that would legally require the city to create shelter beds for the majority of its homeless population.”

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

MAYORS SPEAK — “Ranked choice voting is under threat,” opine Jesse Arreguin and Libby Schaaf for CalMatters: “Assembly Bill 2808, which describes ranked voting as too complicated, threatens those gains. Berkeley and Oakland, along with several other cities that use ranked voting, would be prohibited from using the election model we voted for, and all Californians would be deprived of fairer representation.”

— “ ‘So exhausted.’ She helped win an early gay rights fight but now sees the country moving backward,” by the LA Times’ Mark Z. Baraback: “Now, with lawmakers across the country passing laws to restrict what teachers can say about sexual orientation and how parents can engage with their transgender children, it seems as though events, if not exactly repeating, are traveling full circle and landing with blunt force.”

MASS SHOOTING — “Sacramento mayor wants Gavin Newsom to spend $3 billion on crime prevention after mass shooting,” by the Sac Bee’s Lindsey Holden: “The crime prevention spending package Steinberg and others presented will be on the table along with other spending priorities Newsom could consider.”

DEEP DIVE — “Sheriff Villanueva launches criminal investigation into leak of use-of-force video,” by the LA Times’ Alene Tchekmedyian: “Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he is launching a criminal investigation to find out who leaked security video of an incident in which a deputy knelt on the head of a handcuffed inmate for more than three minutes.”

— “From scandal to scrutiny: How intense citizen oversight reshaped Oakland police,” by CalMatters’ Nigel Duara: “A 22-year-old scandal exposing abuses by Oakland police resulted in a higher rate of complaints sustained against officers, and many are leaving the department amid the heightened scrutiny.”

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS — “UC and CSU deliver thousands of rejection letters. Arizona State wants to fill the void,” by the LA Times’ Teresa Watanbe: “The upstart program is too tiny to measure now. But California public university leaders have taken note — and are watching whether ASU President Michael Crow’s alternative vision for higher education will be a trendsetting incubator launched in Los Angeles or a failed incursion into a neighboring state.”

BURNING OUT — “ S.F. teachers are resigning in big numbers. The payroll fiasco likely isn’t helping,” by the SF Chronicle’s Heather Knight: “School districts in other parts of the state and country are seeing far more midyear resignations than normal too due to pandemic burnout, but the payroll fiasco is an only-in-San-Francisco wrinkle potentially making the numbers here even worse.”

— “ Federal judge upholds S.F. law requiring SFO employers to provide no-cost health care to employees,” by the SF Chronicle’s Bob Egelko: “U.S. District Judge Edward Chen said Tuesday that San Francisco, as manager of the airport, was acting as a ‘market participant,’ not a regulator, and was entitled to determine health benefits for private employees.”

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BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ON THE HILL: Reps. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) are introducing a bill Wednesday that would incentivize health IT use by behavioral health providers, POLITICO’s Ben Leonard reports.

The bill, dubbed the BHIT NOW Act, would direct the CMS Innovation Center to set up a $250 million program funding providers’ maintenance, training and startup costs over three fiscal years. It would also tap the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to put together voluntary tech standards.

“This legislation will open up the door for more behavioral health providers to get their hands on the hardware, software and training they need to leverage vital technology that supports coordinated, high-value care,” Matsui said.

— “ Pelosi to Visit Taiwan in First Such Trip for 25 Years, FNN Says,” by Bloomberg’s Samson Ellis and Cindy Wang: “Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen would welcome the show of diplomatic support at a time when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised concern that China may follow through on its oft-repeated threat to take control of the democratic island by military force.”

HOLLYWOODLAND

OH BOY! — “Republicans target Mickey Mouse copyright after Disney opposes Florida's ‘Don't Say Gay’ law,” by CBS’ Caitlin O'Kane: “On January 1, 2024, Disney's copyright for Steamboat Willie will expire and the original iteration of Mickey Mouse will fall into public domain, according to the law school. It is not yet clear if Disney will lobby to revise copyright laws at that time, the way the company has in the past.”

— “‘Rust’ tragedy in mind, Directors Guild launches committee to buckle down on safety measures ,” by LA Times’ Anousha Sakoui: “The union, which represents more than 18,000 directors, unit production managers and assistant directors, recently formed the committee following the death of rising star cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on a low-budget film set in New Mexico last fall.”

SILICON VALLEYLAND

GOOGLE STEPS IN — “Google Bans Apps With Hidden Data-Harvesting Software,” by the Wall Street Journal’s Byron Tau and Robert McMillan: “Google has yanked dozens of apps from its Google Play store after determining that they include a software element that surreptitiously harvests data.”

— “Analysis: Musk's Twitter bet gins up meme stock hype,” by Reuters’ Krystal Hu: “Tesla is now among the world's most valuable companies with a market capitalization of more than $1 trillion.”

BEARING THE BRUNT — “When Gig Workers Are Murdered, Their Families Foot the Bill,” by Wired’s Caitlin Harrington: “Instead, gig workers are responsible for insuring against their own injury and death through a web of policies and supplemental policies that can be difficult to understand, navigate, or even know about.”

SO LONG — “Activision Harassment Suit Loses California Agency’s Top Lawyer ,” by Bloomberg Law’s Maeve Allsup and Paige Smith: “The agency’s lawsuit followed a two-year investigation into Activision, and included claims of gender discrimination regarding pay, promotion, and termination policies, among other violations of state law.

MIXTAPE

— “El Farolito to open North Beach location, overcoming S.F. ban on chain restaurants,” by the SF Chronicle’s Sam Whiting.

— “More California state workers might get COVID bonuses. Negotiations are underway,” by the Sac Bee’s Wes Venteicher.

— “ San Diego City Council OKs Police Department’s continued use of military equipment,” by the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Lyndsay Winkley.

— “Coachella 2022: Swedish House Mafia with the Weeknd to replace Kanye West as headliner on Sunday, ” by the Press Enterprise’s Vanessa Franko.

— “The anti-vaxxers’ campaign against public health advocates gets scarier and more rabid,” by the LA Times’ Michael Hiltzik.

TRANSITIONS

— Kristina Schake has been named EVP for global comms at the Walt Disney Co. She most recently led Biden’s Covid vaccine education campaign at HHS, and is an Instagram, Hillary for America and Obama White House alum.

— “ Seidman to cover mental health for LA Times,” by Talking Biz News’ Mariam Ahmed.

IN MEMORIAM

MPA’s Charles Rivkin (60) … Alex Tripiano

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