|
Presented by The California Environmental Justice Alliance Action: Jeremy B. White and Lara Korte’s must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State | | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White , Lara Korte and Sakura Cannestra | Presented by The California Environmental Justice Alliance Action | THE BUZZ: Fast food restaurants are once again at the core of California labor politics. Legislation to create a council overseeing industry workplace standards is fueling one of the marquee battles of the remaining legislative session. The measure is a priority for organized labor and a primary target for business. Revelations of poor pandemic working conditions lent momentum. But the bill isn’t a novelty. It extends California unions’ years-long effort to forge inroads in the fast food industry by attempting to secure better pay, improve working conditions, and advance collective bargaining among a huge pool of low-wage workers. Burger-flippers and brethren have been central to the Fight for $15 campaign, which produced a breakthrough California minimum wage deal in 2016 but has so far not achieved the overarching dream of widespread unionization. The quest for AB 257 builds on that effort and enlists veteran players: SEIU California and Fight for $15 are co-sponsoring the bill. Fast food workers were also among the main intended beneficiaries of thwarted labor-priority legislation that would have established more predictable scheduling. The latest bill’s path has been steep. An earlier version of the measure – carried by then-Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez, who now leads the powerhouse California Labor Federation – collapsed on the Assembly floor. Assembly member Chris Holden revived the bill this year and softened its reach with amendments depriving the oversight council of subpoena power and stating the body couldn’t make policy itself (it would submit proposed regulations to the Legislature). That was just enough to push the measure out of the Assembly on the last possible day with a one-vote margin. But it did not neutralize the pushback. If the bill is going to clear the Senate, lawmakers will need to resist strenuous opposition from the restaurant/franchise industry and the California Chamber of Commerce. Dissenters argue the bill would exacerbate inflation and burden women and minority franchise owners. Decision-makers are being plied with dueling studies asserting the bill’s necessity or its downsides . FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: California House Democrats are also plunging in. Rep. Ro Khanna and seven of his colleagues wrote the governor and legislative leaders urging them to support the bill and stressing the national stakes. “I hope we will see these councils across the country — not just for the fast-food industry but for other low-wage service jobs,” Khanna told POLITICO. He said it would create a “neutral space” in which workers could unionize, pointing to a burst of Starbucks organizing drives as an indicator of growing interest. “I think it’s time workers in the service industries unionize,” the Silicon Valley Democrat said. That argument surely appeals to union supporters who would like to see their movement expand nationwide. It’s also an impetus for business opponents to derail this idea in California before it can spread elsewhere. As always, California’s size and financial might give its economic and workplace policies broad market-shaping clout. BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. Lawmakers and candidates are gathering in Napa today for a technology policy summit sponsored by a foundation affiliated with the Legislature’s tech caucus . It’s a chance for industry representatives to build ties with current and prospective members while the Legislature considers high-profile bills like an effort to hold social media accountable for harms to kids. 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: “Whether it’s certain insecurities on the part of the president of China as to his own political situation that he’s ratting his saber, I don’t know.” Speaker Nancy Pelosi jabs at Chinese President Xi Jinping as she departs Taiwan. TWEET OF THE DAY: San Francisco District Attorney @ BrookeJenkinsSF cracks down on drug crimes as she moves to revoke plea offers: “It is not progressive to allow our residents to die from these deadly drugs. It is not progressive to have residents in the TL & SOMA live in fear of just being outside in their neighborhood. It does not further reforms to allow repeat offenders back on the streets.” WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. | | | | A message from The California Environmental Justice Alliance Action: Gov Newsom and the CA Legislature: With a $54 billion climate budget, Californians deserve investments that prioritize community resilience, not short-sighted spending on unreliable fossil fuels. California needs a community solar program to make clean energy accessible for low-income and disadvantaged communities. We can keep the lights on, lower bills and keep communities safe with: $1B for Community Solar and Storage, $1B for Healthy Home Upgrades & Equitable Building Decarbonization, and $1B for Community Resilience Centers. | | | |  | TOP TALKERS | | CHASING TRUTHS — “ A Russian thug and a fake Yelp account: An ex-doctor’s wild campaign against reporters ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Jack Dolan and Brittny Mejia: “In his request to the court, [Newport Beach cosmetic surgeon Michael Mario] Santillanes didn’t mention the people he named were Times reporters. Instead he described being menaced by a Russian thug, Dolan, and he suggested Mejia didn’t exist — claiming her Yelp profile was a fictitious identity created to stalk his former clients.” SALVING A BURN — “ ‘Scarred, but not moving’: A year after the Dixie Fire, a town strives to recover ,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Amelia Davidson: “[Jason] Glover, 43, delivers mail to the small Plumas County town of Greenville, and has done so for the 20 years since he graduated from Greenville’s high school. He knows what the mountains have looked like for decades, and what they look like now.” | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | — “ Exclusive: Sacramento’s homeless shelter measure could be pulled from November ballot ,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Theresa Clift: “Daniel Conway, who led the drive to put the initiative before voters, said city officials are considering withdrawing or changing the ballot question because the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors has not agreed to place a companion measure on the Nov. 8 ballot.” RECALL ANXIETY — “ Editorial: Anti-Gascón drive extends era of destructive, distracting recall mania ,” opines the Los Angeles Times’ Editorial Board: “The D.A. has become the latest vessel into which residents wrestling with anxiety over disease, lockdowns, political turmoil, violence and societal disruption have poured their fears — and into which opponents of criminal justice reforms, and opportunists of various political stripes but most notably from the far right, have placed their hopes.” BASS FOR BUSINESS— “LA Mayor Hopeful Bass Sees City Gripped by ‘Hostile’ Business Climate ,” by Bloomberg’s Brian Eckhouse and John Gittelsohn: “Bass said that the Los Angeles area has too many layers of government and a frustrating mix of rules, and she promised to appoint a deputy mayor primarily focused on business issues, if elected. She also championed the idea of California aggressively marketing itself in places like Texas to attract business, just like the Lone Star state has done to encourage companies to relocate there.” | | | | 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 . | | | | | | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | — “ A California Man’s ‘Painful and Terrifying’ Road to a Monkeypox Diagnosis ,” by Healthline’s Jackie Fortiér: “It took [Kevin] Kwong, 33, six virtual appointments with doctors and nurses, one call to a nurse hotline, a trip to an urgent care clinic, two emergency room visits, and two incorrect diagnoses before an infectious disease specialist diagnosed him with monkeypox in early July.” THE JENKINS ERA — “ Targeting fentanyl dealers, new S.F. D.A. to revoke plea offers in drug crimes made under Boudin ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Megan Cassidy: “The directives would amend the prosecutors’ treatment of bail, drug-free school zones and and diversion programming — all potentially boosting the time a defendant remains behind bars.” — “ Kaiser mental health workers plan to strike this month at Northern California sites ,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Cathie Anderson: “Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers have been working for nearly a year without an agreement, and they say their central concern is the length of time that patients must wait to get regular sessions.” PEOPLE’S PARK SHOWDOWN — “ UC Berkeley pauses People’s Park construction after protests against closure ,” by the Daily Californian News Staff: “Around midnight, community members gathered at the park after receiving a ‘bulldozer alert’ sent by the People’s Park Council. Barricades on the surrounding street intersections leading into the park blocked the entrance of pedestrians and vehicles and were guarded by both UCPD and Apex Security Group officers, a third-party security firm.” — “ McKinney fire has hit the stratosphere, spewing the ‘fire-breathing dragon of clouds’ ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Corinne Purtill: “Four separate times, columns of smoke rose from the flames beyond the altitude at which a typical jet flies, penetrating the stratosphere and injecting a plume of soot and ash miles above the Earth’s surface.” — “ California Has Taken A Slow Approach To Dyslexia. A Lot Of Families Have Lost Patience ,” by the LAist’s Adriana Pera and Jill Replogle: “According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 37% of California fourth graders are unable to read at a basic level. The percentage of below-basic readers is dramatically higher among low-income (49%), Black (58%) and Latino (47%) students — and, especially, students with disabilities (74%).” — “ The price gap between renting and owning a home in the Bay Area reaches new high ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Kellie Hwang: “What’s more, that gap, called the price-to-rent ratio, is higher in the San Francisco and San Jose metropolitan areas than anywhere else in the nation, according to Moody’s Analytics. The last time the ratio reached nearly this high was right before the housing bubble of the early 2000s burst, presaging the Great Recession.” | | | | A message from The California Environmental Justice Alliance Action:   | | | | | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | | DELICATE BALANCES — “ News Analysis: As Pelosi leaves Taiwan, stability in Asia grows more precarious ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ David Pierson and Stephanie Yang: “But while those ties might have been strengthened during a visit lasting less than 24 hours, the biggest consequences of Pelosi’s trip are expected to unfold in the coming days, weeks and even months, analysts say, as China reacts furiously to what it deems an affront to its sovereignty over Taiwan.” — “ Congress could give seniors a break on prescription drug costs. Here’s how the plan works ,” by the Sacramento Bee’s David Lightman and Cathie Anderson: “The legislation would cap out-of-pocket costs for medications at $2,000 a year, a provision that the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation estimates would benefit 114,775 Californians.” | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | — Fight over online political ads heats up ahead of midterms , by POLITICO’s Mark Scott: At stake is how transparent Facebook should be about how people are targeted with partisan messages and how much data it should give to outside researchers. That standoff is heating up ahead of the midterms. — “ Robinhood, headquartered in Bay Area, announces mass layoffs amid regulatory scrutiny ,” by SFGate’s Joshua Bote: “Robinhood, the controversial, fledgling stock and cryptocurrency tech firm headquartered in the Bay Area, announced mass layoffs on the same day that it was slapped with a $30 million fine by the state of New York.” | | | | INTRODUCING POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY . | | | | | | | HOLLYWOODLAND | | — “ Gov. Gavin Newsom Endorses $1.65 Billion California Film and TV Tax Credit (EXCLUSIVE) ,” by Variety’s Brent Lang: “The extension also comes as Newsom is attempting to lure more business to California and away from states such as Texas or Florida that have imposed new restrictions on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision last June to overturn Roe v. Wade.” | | MIXTAPE | | — “ This Orange County city to consider banning abortions, becoming ‘sanctuary for life’ ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Itzel Luna. REMEMBERING SCULLY — “ With Scully in the Booth, California Baseball Took Root ,” by the New York Times’ George Vecsey. — “ Woman, 25, charged with allegedly setting 10 fires in a single day in Los Altos Hills ,” by the Mercury News’ Maggie Angst. — “ Fresno School Board Member Fighting DUI Charge ,” by the GV Wire’s David Taub. — “ Paul Pelosi pleads not guilty to DUI misdemeanor charges ,” by the Associated Press’ Janie Har. | | BIRTHDAYS | | Former President Barack Obama … Uber’s Hayley Prim … Amazon’s Kartik Das ... Meghan Markle … | | | | A message from The California Environmental Justice Alliance Action: Governor Newsom and the CA Legislature:
California is a solar leader, but is falling behind Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Washington, D.C on developing community solar programs that prioritizes clean energy investments in disadvantaged communities, lowers energy bills, and increases grid reliability.
Instead, California has committed part of the $54 billion climate budget to prolong the life of coastal fossil fuel gas plants.
There is a better way to meet power demand, one that is equitable, cuts pollution, and increases grid resiliency.
Gov. Newsom and the CA Legislature: make things right by investing in community-based climate solutions like community solar and storage, energy efficiency, and home upgrades that target low-income customers and renters.
Keep the lights on and communities safe with:
• $1B for Community Solar and Storage
• $1B for Healthy Home Upgrades & Equitable Building Decarbonization
• $1B for Community Resilience Centers | | | 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 | | | | |  |
