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Presented by Southern California Edison: 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 | Presented by Southern California Edison | THE BUZZ: A shrinking Los Angeles mayoral field is clarifying voters’ choices – and may just lead to an early conclusion. City Attorney Mike Feuer on Thursday became the latest candidate to suspend his campaign, endorsing Rep. Karen Bass as he exited. Feuer’s farewell came just days after Los Angeles City Council member Joe Buscaino bowed out and threw his weight behind businessman Rick Caruso. Put another way, Feuer joined the establishment-Democrat coalition rallying behind Bass while Buscaino remained in the public safety, law-and-order lane where he struggled to compete with Caruso’s cash colossus. That consolidation, three weeks from the primary’s conclusion, lends itself to a little speculative campaign chess. Bass, Caruso, and City Council member Kevin de León are the remaining candidates with the type of political base, name identification and resources to garner a significant vote share. But polls suggest that the race has really become a two-way contest between Bass and Caruso. An LATimes/IGS poll last month had them in a dead heat with about a quarter of the electorate apiece (Feuer and Buscaino combined for about three percent). Fewer candidates means a larger vote share for those who remain. And that increases the still-long odds that one of those candidates manages to win outright and avoid a November runoff altogether by eking out a 50-percent-plus-one majority. Caruso has already converted some of his immense fortune into a rapid rise in the polls. A lower-turnout midterm primary of the kind that tend to favor more conservative voters, in a city infamous for its disengaged electorate, could open the door. The race also features some less-known progressives who could draw votes away from Bass after her policing rhetoric has discouraged some on the left. De Leon will be a key factor in who advances. He has consistently polled in single digits, suggesting a steep climb to the top two. But he will likely draw in a decent chunk of the Latino electorate: a NALEO poll of Latino voters released this week had de León picking up the plurality of that vital bloc, although Caruso ran a close second and Latino voters were more than twice as likely to be undecided as they were to pick either candidate. De León, who sits closer on the political spectrum to Bass than to Caruso, is about to make his paid advertising debut with a digital and television spot featuring Danny Trejo (celebrity counters: Snoop Dogg endorsed Caruso and Bass has Magic Johnson). But undecided voters could ultimately be the most important. That aforementioned LATimes poll found around 40 percent of voters had yet to make up their minds. Ample advertising and campaigning in the weeks since has likely moved the needle some. But the window to sway voters is beginning to close: more than 80,000 of the 5.6 million-plus Angeleno voters who were mailed ballots have returned them already. BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s climate adviser Lauren Sanchez will be among the expert speakers at POLITICO’s climate summit today — you can check out the schedule here and tune into the livestream here. 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: “She was the first to call me, saying ‘you’d better appeal it.’” Gov. Gavin Newsom says First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom wants California to appeal a ruling overturning the state’s corporate gender diversity mandate. Secretary of State Shirley Weber said later she would indeed appeal. TWEET OF THE DAY: Incoming California Labor Federation chief @LorenaSGonzalez on housing production legislation that has won union support but has yet to unify labor: “Housing bills that give broad advantages and rights to developers must also ensure the men & women building that housing are protected, make a solid wage & have an opportunity for a career in construction. That’s social responsibility. That’s what we expect. #SkilledAndTrained” WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
| | | | A message from Southern California Edison: We believe everyone should have the right to breathe clean air. That’s why we’re leading the charge for more clean, renewable energy. We’re a national leader in battery storage and delivering solar energy to our customers. We’re working to cut emissions from buildings and freeways. And we proudly support the growth of green jobs. | | | |  | Top Talkers | | RETURN OF THE MASKS — “Small California school district reinstates indoor masking,” by the AP: “ Pacific Grove Unified School District at the south end of Monterey Bay announced the requirement Monday after the Monterey County Health Department reported a seven-day average test positivity rate of 5.2% and a seven-day average of 12.4 cases per 100,000 residents.” NEWSOM DOUBLES DOWN — “Newsom explains why he is avoiding statewide water cuts ,” by POLITICO’s Juhi Doshi: Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to avoid imposing unpopular statewide water cuts like his predecessor did during the last major drought — and is leaning on local water districts to reduce water usage. — “Finding a place to rent in Los Angeles has become a competitive sport ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Andrew Khouri and Jack Flemming: “The availability of apartments in Los Angeles and surrounding counties is so tight that some renters are paying above list price to secure a high-quality unit, while others jostle for the remaining stock of apartments.” GOOSE POOP— “ Concerns over goose poop may lead this Bay Area city to kill off hundreds of Canada geese,” by SF Chronicle’s Annie Vainshtein: “Activists and concerned residents in Foster City plan to protest the city’s proposal to potentially euthanize more than 300 Canada geese and goslings that some say are taking over — and contaminating — the city.” | | | | 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. | | | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — SF HEADWINDS: A new EMC Research poll commissioned by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce adds a data point to the mosaic of discouraging data facing District Attorney Chesa Boudin in the final weeks of a recall campaign. The survey, conducted between April 27 and May 3, found two-thirds of San Francisco’s electorate would vote to recall Boudin. An overwhelming majority said crime has worsened and a majority ranked public safety as a major issue — a massive increase from a 2020 iteration of this poll, when about a quarter said so. Important disclaimer: the chamber has contributed $90,000 to the Boudin recall. BALLOT BOOST? — Abortion counteroffensive could buoy California Democrats, by POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White: Unlike most other states, California Democrats can deploy the state's storied ballot initiative system to drive voters to the polls — with a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution. That action could transform the contours of midterm elections, expanding California Democrats' margins in the statehouse and shoring up the national party's defense of its House majority. Control of Congress will hinge in part on a half-dozen California races where turnout could be the difference. PRIMARY PROTECTION: As moderate Democratic Assembly member Mike Gipson fends off a left-flank challenge from progressive Fatima Iqbal-Zubair, he’s getting some outside help: a PAC funded by business interests, charter schools, the apartment industry and prison guards has collected more than $100,000 so far to help Gipson retain his D+50 Los Angeles seat. NATIONAL SUPPORT: Republican John Duarte, who is seeking the open CA-13 House seat, became the latest California candidate to snag a spot on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s “Young Guns” program supporting promising GOP contenders. The race also features Democratic Assembly member Adam Gray and Democrat Phil Arballo, who challenged former Rep. Devin Nunes in 2020. | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | |
CORRUPTION PROBE — “Feds Charge Anaheim’s Chamber of Commerce CEO in Corruption Probe,” by the Voice of OC’s Brandon Pho: “As public corruption allegations rain down on Anaheim from the FBI, the former president and CEO of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce now faces actual charges.”
— “DA Boudin and Fentanyl: Court Data Shows Just 3 Drug Dealing Convictions in 2021 as Immigration Concerns Shaped Policy ,” by SF Standard’s Anna Tong and Josh Koehn: “Despite a surging fentanyl crisis that killed nearly 500 people last year in San Francisco, the office of District Attorney Chesa Boudin did not secure a single conviction for dealing the deadly opioid for cases filed during 2021, according to a review of court data.” — “ Ex-City Real Estate Chief: 101 Ash Landlord Denied Paying ‘Volunteer’ Adviser,” by the Voice of San Diego’s Lisa Halverstadt: “The city’s ex-real estate chief says the city’s 101 Ash St. landlord at least twice denied paying a real estate guru who volunteered for the city.” CASE FOR CONCERN — “ Scientists find new and mysterious DDT chemicals accumulating in California condors,” by the LATimes’ Rosanna Xia: “In a sophisticated chemical analysis published Tuesday in Environmental Science & Technology, the team found that DDT-related chemicals were seven times more abundant in coastal condors than condors that fed farther inland. Looking at the birds’ coastal food sources, researchers found that dolphin and sea lion carcasses that washed ashore in Southern California were also seven times more contaminated with DDT than the marine mammals they analyzed along the Gulf of California in Mexico.” — “ ‘Living with COVID’ in the Bay Area might mean coping with big swells in cases for years,” by SF Chronicle’s Erin Allday: “Experts say even highly immune places like the Bay Area probably should expect these kinds of swells regularly for at least another year or two, until the virus settles into a — hopefully — milder, more predictable pattern, and more tools are developed to effectively stop transmission. There’s no guarantee such a pattern will ever emerge, though experts agree that the virus is unlikely to spread chaotically forever.” | | | |   | | |
DENTAL CARE — “‘Like torture’: For Californians with special needs, getting to see a dentist can take years,” by CalMatters’ Kristen Hwang: “Tens of thousands of Californians with disabilities require special accommodations for dental care, but only 14 centers in the state can treat them.”
DNA TO THE RESCUE — “DA: DNA from fingernails helped solve 1988 cold case killing,” by the AP: “A suspect in a 1988 sexual assault and killing of a 79-year-old woman in a small Northern California community has been identified thanks to advanced DNA testing done on scrapings from the victim’s fingernails, authorities said Tuesday.” — “Environmental groups oppose longer life for CA nuclear plant ,” by the AP’s Michael R. Blood: “Dozens of environmental and anti-nuclear organizations expressed opposition Tuesday to any attempt to extend the life of California’s last operating nuclear power plant, challenging suggestions that its electricity is needed to meet potential future shortages in the nation’s most populous state.” ABORTION ACCESS — “ Blue states expand who can provide abortions as they brace for a flood of patients,” by POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein and Megan Messerly: “States bracing for a likely flood of patients seeking abortions are changing their laws to allow nurses, midwives and other non-physician health care workers to provide the procedures — and setting aside millions to train the expanded workforce.” THE MORE YOU KNOW — “New tool shows places with the highest wildfire risk in California,” by S.F. Gate’s Amy Graff: “Even more alarming, the number of California properties with a 1% or greater annual chance of being affected by wildfire is expected to increase 538% over 30 years.” | | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | |
STUCK IN DC — “Kamala Harris wants to get out of DC more. But she literally can't,” by POLITICO’s Eugene Daniels: With a 50-50 Senate, the need for Harris to be on hand for possible votes has frustrated some aides who said she would much rather be traveling the country, touting the administration’s accomplishments on replacing lead pipes or repairing highways and bridges. That’s especially true as the Covid-19 pandemic has receded. Harris, those around her say, would prefer amplifying support for abortion rights, voting rights and other issues important to her and the administration. But tie votes need breaking, and she has that constitutional honor.
GET YOUR TESTS — “The White House opens up another round of free, at-home virus tests to order through the Postal Service,” by the NYT’s Noah Weiland: “ The White House said on Tuesday that Americans were now eligible for a third order of free, at-home coronavirus tests shipped through the Postal Service. The move doubled to 16 the total number of tests the program has made available to each household.” — “Rep. Swalwell shares 4-year-old son’s reaction to N.Y. shootings in call for gun control ,” by SF Chronicle’s Tal Kopan: “Rep. Eric Swalwell called for a swift gun control response to the allegedly racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., tweeting that his 4-year-old child was asking him questions about the attack.” HAND IT OVER — “Justice Dept. Is Said to Request Transcripts From Jan. 6 Committee ,” by the NYT’s Glenn Thrush and Luke Broadwater: “The Justice Department has asked the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack for transcripts of interviews it is conducting behind closed doors, including some with associates of former President Donald J. Trump, according to people with knowledge of the situation.”
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CRYPTO TALK— “Crypto gets its first big political test,” by POLITICO’s Sabrina Rodriguez: Protect our Future, a super PAC largely backed by cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, has spent more than $11 million backing Democrat Carrick Flynn in a crowded House primary where the super PAC’s stratospheric spending has generated hard feelings.
| | HOLLYWOODLAND | |
— “Man who provided drugs to Mac Miller sentenced to 17.5 years,” by the LATimes’ Hyeyoon Alyssa Choi: “Stephen Andrew Walter, who is about 50, had agreed to a plea agreement last year to serve 17 years. But U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II rejected it and added to the sentence, saying that Walter continued to distribute dangerous substances even after Miller’s death.”
CUTS MADE — “Netflix cuts 150 jobs after slump, revenue slowdown ,” by the LATimes’ Wendy Lee and Ryan Faughnder: “The announcement comes after Netflix reported a loss of 200,000 s in the first quarter for the first time in more than a decade. The Los Gatos, Calif.-based streaming service expects to lose 2 million more s this quarter. After its earnings report, the company’s stock declined 35.1% to $226.19 on April 20, its biggest one-day drop since 2004.” | | MIXTAPE | |
COVID SURGE — “How the latest COVID surge is wreaking havoc on Bay Area restaurants — again,” by SF Chronicle’s Elena Kadvany.
CONCERT ALERT — “Outside Lands festival announces daily lineups, ticket sales,” by the Mercury News’ Jim Harrington. — “ Commentary: Nationals fired scout for refusing COVID vaccine. He’s now selling cars — and suing,” by the LATimes’ Bill Shaikin. | | |
— Ananda Rochita is joining the California Manufacturers & Technology Association as vice president of communications, starting the Sacramento-based gig next month. She is currently an investigative reporter and weekend evening news anchor for ABC 10.
| | IN MEMORIAM | |
— “Roberto De La Cruz, a farmworker activist who was trained by Cesar Chavez, dies at 75,” by Sac Bee’s Bryant-Jon Anteola.
| | BIRTHDAYS | | WaPo’s Cristiano Lima … Snap’s Sofia Rose Gross … Linda Goldenberg Mayman ... Jon Glickman ... Joe Teplow … Fay Sliger
| | | | A message from Southern California Edison: This is a time of great change and uncertainty. But what remains constant is our commitment to building a clean energy future for everyone. That’s why SCE is standing with California, leading the charge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve local air quality and support continued economic growth. We’re a national leader in battery storage and delivering solar energy to our customers. We’re working to cut emissions from buildings and freeways. And we proudly support the fastest the growth of green jobs. We’re more than 13,000 employees serving 15 million Californians. When we work together, we can move full speed ahead into a clean energy future. | | | 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. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
