Choose your own opponent

From: POLITICO California Playbook - Tuesday May 24,2022 01:21 pm

May 24, 2022

By Jeremy B. White, Lara Korte and Juhi Doshi

Presented by CVS Health

THE BUZZ: For a rumble in the jungle, it’s best to pick your sparring partner.

In the years since California adopted a top-two primary system — which allows the highest vote-getters to advance to the general regardless of party — campaigns have perfected the art of strategically elevating the opponent they’d most like to face in November. That often takes the form of “attack” ads that actually serve to elevate a desired, further-right foe among his conservative base. Another cycle has brought a fresh round of machinations and accusations. Depending on whom you ask, it’s the type of disingenuous and cynical tactic that toxifies politics for most voters — or it’s just savvy strategy.

Republicans gathered yesterday to decry Democratic Assembly member Kevin Cooley’s move on this front. The moderate Democrat looks vulnerable to a challenge from Capitol GOP chief of staff Joshua Hoover in a D+5 district during a Republican-tilting year. But a mailer from Team Cooley doesn’t mention Hoover. It spotlights Republican Jeffrey Perrine as “a pro-Trump patriot who calls himself an ‘anti-establishment’ conservative,” noting Perrine got booted from a local GOP organization without clarifying it was afterPerrine was outed as a Proud Boy. Cooley “is playing with fire,” Hoover warned. He is “better than this,” Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher added.

Allies of Attorney General Rob Bonta are following a similar script. Few analysts think conservative Republican attorney Eric Early is best positioned to ride public safety concerns to unseating Bonta — no-party-preference Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert is seen as the bigger threat, or Republican former U.S. Attorney Nathan Hochman. Hence a labor-funded, pro-Bonta PAC spending nearly $750,000 so far attacking Early, including with spots that call Early a “Trump Republican” who will “end Obamcare” and for whom “protecting the Second Amendment is everything.” Another pro-Bonta PAC has run radio spots nominally stumping for Bonta while characterizing Early as the “pro-Trump, pro-guns, pro-life” candidate.

So it goes. A primer on earlier iterations: Gov. Gavin Newsom “assailing” Republican John Cox in 2018 for standing “with Donald Trump and the NRA,” sidestepping well-funded Democratic challenger Antonio Villaraigosa and going on to crush Cox in November. National Democrats in 2018 “attacking” Assembly member Rocky Chavez for backing a gas tax increase, after which Republican BOE member Diane Harkey made the general and lost by 13 points. A 2020mailer promoting an obscure Republican in the open, heavily Democratic CA-53. Real estate players spending around $175,000 in the last primary boosting the scandal-beset Democratic former Assembly member Steve Fox, who in November didn’t come close to knocking GOP Assembly member Tom Lackey from a D+11 seat.

California doesn’t hold a monopoly on this strategy. Pennsylvania Democrat Josh Shapiro just deployed it effectively in the state’s gubernatorial race, funding ads that helped get hoped-for Republican Doug Mastriano into the general by “blasting” him as “one of Donald Trump’s strongest supporters.” But the particular vagaries of the top-two system have helped make it a campaign season fixture as reliable as recycling bins overflowing with mailers.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Tuesday morning. Jeremy is moderating a Los Angeles mayor panel today, featuring Rep. Karen Bass and Councilmember Kevin de Leon. Tune in via this link at 4 p.m. to see what these two former legislative leaders have to say about their visions for LA.

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: “To Big Tech: the era of unfettered social experimentation on children is over, and we will protect kids.” GOP Assembly member Jordan Cunningham argues for legislation curbing social media’s effects on young people before it passes the Assembly floor.

TWEET OF THE DAY: @ConsumerWatchdog on the culmination of a long quest to raise California’s medical malpractice damages cap: “History is being made today as Gov. @GavinNewsom signs AB 35. Thank you to the members of the Patients for Fairness Coalition for turning your pain into power so that future Californians will have equal access to justice when they are harmed or die because of medical negligence.”

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

A message from CVS Health:

Californians want the lowest prescription drug costs possible and CVS Health’s pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) team is delivering for them. With big drug companies continually increasing the price of prescription drugs, we negotiate lower prescription drug costs for employers, consumers and working families across the state. That saves Californians and employers tens of millions of dollars each year so they can continue to provide affordable coverage that keeps their employees healthy. Learn more.

Top Talkers

SIDHU STEPS DOWN — “Anaheim mayor resigns amid corruption investigation involving Angel stadium deal,” by POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White: Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu has resigned in the face of a growing federal corruption investigation alleging Sidhu sought to wring campaign donations from baseball stadium negotiations.

— “SF mayor, gay supe join police in skipping Pride parade,” by Bay Area Reporter’s Eric Burkett: “San Francisco Mayor London Breed and gay District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey have joined the city's LGBTQ first responders in saying they will not march in the Pride parade if organizers continue to prohibit police from marching in uniform.”

THE NEXT TARGET — “Businesses that help employees get abortions could be next target of Texas lawmakers if Roe v. Wade is overturned ,” by the Texas Tribune’s Zach Despart: “With Texas poised to automatically ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, some Republicans are already setting their sights on the next target to fight the procedure: businesses that say they’ll help employees get abortions outside the state.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — CLEAR THE AIR: A several-million-dollar ad buy launches today from the ballot initiative campaign seeking to fund zero-emission vehicle rebates and charging stations, along with wildfire prevention, by raising rich Californians’ income taxes. One television spot features firefighters talking about destructive blazes incinerating communities and befouling the air; the other talks more broadly about climate change, urging voters to “act now to reduce carbon emissions and prevent wildfires from destroying the state.” You can see the spots here. The campaign is primarily funded by Lyft, which has sunk in more than $12 million so far, and has submitted more than a million signatures as it aims for the November ballot.

L.A. SHERIFF RACE — “ L.A. County sheriff candidates ride ‘anyone but Villanueva’ wave, but lack name recognition,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Libor Jany: “With less than three weeks before the primary election, Villanueva’s opponents have plenty of ammunition with which to attack and force a runoff. Most of their attacks — in news interviews, debates and political ads — have focused on the sheriff’s fractured relationship with the Board of Supervisors, which oversees the department’s $3.5-billion budget.”

— “ California Rep. David Valadao voted to impeach. Can he keep his seat if Trump stays quiet?,” by the LA Times’ Melanie Mason: “But first, Valadao must get through his June 7 primary. Anger still simmers in some right-leaning corners of his tightknit Central Valley community — discontent that Valadao’s two GOP challengers hope to tap into.”

MAYORAL CANDIDATE FORUM—TODAY: As Los Angeles prepares to elect a new mayor, POLITICO and ICM Partners will host a candidates’ forum focused on homelessness and finding solutions to this growing policy challenge and humanitarian crisis. The forum will be moderated by California Playbook Co-Author Jeremy White. Don’t miss this important discussion, register to watch here.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

HARSHER MEASURES — “Californians could see mandatory water cuts amid drought,” by the AP’s Kathleen Ronayne: “ California Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened Monday to impose mandatory water restrictions if residents don’t use less on their own as a drought drags on and the hotter summer months approach.”

ACCOUNTABILITY — “California bill to hold tech companies liable for child addiction clears Assembly ,” by POLTICO’s Alexander Nieves: Social media companies like Facebook and TikTok could be sued for creating products that are shown to be addictive to children under legislation that cleared the California Assembly on Monday.

LEGISLATURE LABOR — Once again lawmakers are hoping to give legislative staffers the right to collectively bargain for the terms and conditions of their employment. With the absence of labor champion Lorena Gonzalez in the Capitol, Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Santa Cruz) is taking up the mantle by amending AB 1577 to establish the Legislature Employer-Employee Relations Act. Past efforts to allow staff to organize have been unsuccessful, but advocates like Gonzalez’s new organization, the California Labor Federation , say the wave of labor organizing happening around the country could put some wind in the sails. Stone will formally unveil the proposal at the Capitol today at 11 a.m. alongside fellow supportive Democrats.

— “California is beginning to bury its power lines to prevent wildfire ,” by the Mercury News’ Lisa M. Krueger: “The undergrounding project, costing $3.75 million a mile, represents the beginning of a 10,000-mile-long effort by Pacific Gas and Electric to bury the state’s distribution lines to cope with the growing risk of winds and wildfires linked to global warming.”

WATER WAYS — “‘Everyone loses’: Sacramento Valley struggles to survive unprecedented water cuts ,” by CalMatters’ Rachel Becker: “Sacramento Valley growers protected for decades by their water rights are suffering for the first time during this record-breaking drought. Wildlife refuges are struggling, too.”

A message from CVS Health:

SILICON VALLEYLAND

SUIT AGAINST ZUCKERBERG — “D.C. attorney general sues Mark Zuckerberg over Cambridge Analytica ,” by POLITICO’s Emily Birnbaum: D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine on Monday announced he is suing Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook’s parent company Meta, for failing to protect Facebook users during the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal.

HAPPENING WEDNESDAY—A WOMEN RULE TALK ON THE MIDTERMS : Join POLITICO’S Women Rule for a conversation with the women running the midterm campaigns and how they are shaping messaging and strategy for their candidates. The program will look into what a win for either party could mean for access to reproductive health care, economic advancement of women, and how the final stages of the Covid-19 pandemic are managed. REGISTER HERE.

MIXTAPE

— “The legacy of slain Oakland restaurateur: Lucky Three Seven is about more than Filipino food,” by SF Chronicle’s Jennifer Fergesen.

A NEW BEGINNING — “New Sacramento homeless site to open at Regional Transit lot after breakthrough with agency,” by Sacramento Bee’s Theresa Clift.

LIFE UPDATE — “ These five workers left restaurant jobs in the pandemic. Where are they now?” by the LATimes’ Samantha Masunaga.

Transitions

Chamber of Progress is hiring Tepring Piquado as senior director of state and local government relations for the western U.S. Piquado previously served as chief policy director for the California Issues Forum.

BIRTHDAYS

Chris Brock, Nanette Burstein

A message from CVS Health:

CVS Health manages prescription drug plans for millions of Californians.

Every day, our PBM is helping the people of California reduce their prescription drug costs while improving their health outcomes. This means patients can access and afford medications while getting personalized support along the way.

Through end-to-end coordination of care, we work hard to keep costs down and improve medication adherence — because we know that people who take their medications as prescribed have better results.

Healthier happens together.

Learn more.

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