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Jeremy B. White and Lara Korte’s must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State | | | | |  | | By Lara Korte, Jeremy B. White, Sakura Cannestra and Owen Tucker-Smith | THE BUZZ: Rep. Karen Bass and billionaire developer Rick Caruso spent most of their hour-long debate last night seeking to undercut the other’s record — highlighting past missteps and ties to scandals that, they argued, make their opponent unfit to lead the nation’s second-most populous city. And there was a lot to talk about. In general, the debate was polite (and at times, even a bit light-hearted) but that didn’t stop the two from getting their talking points in. Caruso pitched Bass as someone who is part of the broken and corrupt system responsible for the homeless encampments, crime rates and other ills plaguing the city. Bass painted Caruso as a Republican masquerading as a Democrat, who would only work to inflict conservative ideologies on the deep-blue city. Quick recap — Caruso spent big in the primaries, and looks like he’s planning to do the same in the general. But he’s found himself trailing Bass in the polls recently, with the most recent numbers showing him falling behind by double digits. Last night was an opportunity to regain some of that lost ground. Lara and POLITICO’s Alexander Nieves were watching the blow-by-blow. Here’s a few key takeaways from the candidates on the big issues: On abortion: Caruso, who in the past has donated to anti-abortion rights politicians, has spent much of this campaign asserting himself as someone who has always been “pro-choice.” Bass sought to undercut that assertion. “It’s a question of values. It's a question of Democratic values,” she said of abortion rights. “We are a Democratic city. And I think that that is one of the differences between the two of us.” Caruso responded by saying he’s been on record as supporting a woman’s right to choose for “decades,” and noted that Bass herself once donated to an anti-abortion rights candidate in Georgia — an accusation a spokesperson for the congresswoman called “nonesense.” On party affiliation: Let’s be clear, Caruso is registered as a Democrat. But that registration has changed throughout the years. At various times he’s been a Republican and an independent. He registered as a Democrat just weeks before announcing his campaign for mayor. | 
Businessman Rick Caruso faces Congresswoman Karen Bass during the Los Angeles mayoral debate at the Skirball Cultural Center, Sept. 21, 2022, in Los Angeles, Calif. | Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via AP Photo |
Caruso worked to distance himself from the GOP on Wednesday, saying he was an early opponent of former President Donald Trump, and the main reason he supported Republican John Kasich was to knock Trump out of the running for president. He also decried the recent move by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to transport migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts as “wrong” and “disgusting.”
On crime: Much of Caruso’s messaging during the campaign has been on public safety, but on Wednesday, the focus was on Bass, who recently had two handguns stolen from her home during a burglary. In March, the congresswoman rated her feelings of safety, on a scale of one to 10, as a 10. Last night she downgraded that to a five — and Caruso quickly seized on it. “Whether it's a five or a four or an eight, it goes to your gut, in your soul, in your heart,” he said. “I don't want to put a five on my kid and say 'well it's a 50/50 chance you make it.'" For the record: both candidates said they support adding several hundred more officers to the Los Angeles Police Department. On the USC scandals: Bass has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after federal prosecutors said they were looking at the $100,000 scholarship she received to attend USC’s master of social work program as part of an investigation into separate bribery allegations at the school. Bass, to be clear, is not under criminal investigation, and she rebuffed the suggestion that it was bad judgment to accept the scholarship. “I was offered that scholarship so that I could be a better legislator to take care of the nation's most vulnerable children,” she said. Bass, in turn, has accused Caruso, who sits on the Board of Trustees, as being part of the coverup of a sexual assault scandal that rocked USC several years ago. He defended his record on Wednesday, saying that he actually led the effort to repair the school in the wake of the scandal. BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. Today labor advocates are celebrating 20 years since California instituted paid family leave. Gov. Gavin Newsom and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are among those scheduled to make remarks at a virtual event this afternoon. 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: “I woke up this morning to the troglodytes — the Wall Street Journal editorial board — take a look at their editorial today written by the fossil fuel industry, literally, the exact same talking points that were used two weeks ago in the state of California.” Gov Gavin Newsom responding to a not-so-friendly editorial during closing remarks at Climate Week NYC TWEET OF THE DAY:
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Today's Tweet of the Day | Twitter | WHERE’S GAVIN? Returning from Climate Week NYC.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO 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. | | | | | |  | Top Talkers | | — “L.A. sheriff stripped of control of Kuehl investigation by attorney general,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Alene Tchekmedyian: “[Attorney General Rob] Bonta’s unusual decision to strip the Sheriff’s Department of its own investigation comes amid mounting questions about the department’s handling of the probe and allegations from [county Supervisor Sheila] Kuehl and others that Sheriff Alex Villanueva is using it to attack political enemies.” — “Will women rule in the 2022 California election? ” by CalMatters’ Sameea Kamal and Ariel Gans: “A gift or a curse? For Angelique Ashby, running as a ‘women’s advocate’ in a heated state Senate race in Sacramento might be a little of both.” BEER BOMBS — “Trump backer who plotted bombing Democratic HQ in Sacramento blames beer for ‘huge mistake ,’” by the Sacramento Bee’s Sam Stanton: “[Ian] Rogers, 46, whose plea deal recommends a sentence of between seven and nine years, now blames his actions on beer drinking — lots of it — that began with a divorce several years ago, court papers say.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | BRACING FOR THE BALLOTS — “‘I never had to think about my personal safety.’ California election officials brace for mid-terms,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Stephen Hobbs: “While no evidence of widespread voter fraud has been substantiated, some California election officials are pushing for new levels of transparency in an attempt to quell doubts.” — “Gavin Newsom blasted Ron DeSantis’ immigration stunt. But he has his own Latino problem ,” Opines Marcus Bretón for the Sacramento Bee: “if we’re telling the sober truth about our representatives, we should also take stock of who Newsom really is.” ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT — “ At Dreamforce in San Francisco, Matthew McConaughey says presidential run may be 'inevitable,’” by SFGATE’s Eric Ting and Joshua Bote: “‘Yeah I'll consider it in the future, I'd be arrogant not to, absolutely I would consider it,’ McConaughey said. ‘If I got into any form of politics I'd be remiss not to also go in as an artist and a storyteller; help put a narrative together.’” — “ S.F. Mayor Breed opposes homelessness department oversight commission on the November ballot,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mallory Moench: “When [Supervisor Ahsha] Safaí proposed the measure, the mayor’s spokesman Jeff Cretan said she was open to supporting the proposal. But after an inquiry from the Chronicle into her stance, Breed revealed through a spokesperson Wednesday that she’s not backing Proposition C because she doesn’t believe it would improve efficiency or ensure accountability, but would create more bureaucracy.”
| | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | SOLAR STORAGE — “California is awash in renewable energy — except when it’s most needed,” by the Washington Post’s Erica Werner: “‘It all comes down to this problem of it’s not how much energy we have, it’s the when and the where the energy is being produced,’ said James Bushnell, an economics professor at the University of California at Davis. ‘Particularly the solar resources — it’s just in the wrong places and at the wrong times.’” — “ California seeks to ban sales of diesel big rigs in a bold bid to cut pollution,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Rachel Uranga and Christian Martinez: “New regulations would likely demand a radical buildup of electric charging infrastructure, placing new stresses on California’s already fragile power grid and force the trucking industry to reshape how it does business.” BUYING UP THE BAY — “ This map reveals who owns every property in the S.F. Bay Area,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Emma Stiefel and Susie Neilson: “To our knowledge, there has never been a centralized database where someone could see who owns any property in the nine-county Bay Area region, making it difficult to investigate connections between the powerful forces that shape the housing market for all. So The Chronicle built one.” — “California to create nation’s first office to combat gun violence,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Annie Vainshtein: “Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the state’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention, a first-of-its-kind unit that will work with multiple agencies to deal with the mounting issue of gun violence across the state.” — “LGBTQ seniors can struggle to find affordable housing. A Sacramento development is trying to help ,” by Cap Radio’s Felicia Alvarez: “The Sacramento region’s shortage of senior housing and care options is well-documented.” MULTI-MASKING? — “California is easing COVID-19 mask recommendations as conditions improve. Here’s where ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Rong-Gong Lin II and Luke Money: “Among the changes slated to take effect Friday is the end of state-ordered mandatory masking in jails and prisons, homeless shelters, and emergency and cooling centers located in counties with a low COVID-19 community level.”
| | | | DON’T MISS - MILKEN INSTITUTE ASIA SUMMIT : Go inside the 9th annual Milken Institute Asia Summit, taking place from September 28-30, with a special edition of POLITICO’s Global Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive coverage and insights from this important gathering. Stay up to speed with daily updates from the summit, which brings together more than 1,200 of the world’s most influential leaders from business, government, finance, technology, and academia. Don’t miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | | — Trump, company and family members sued by New York AG over alleged fraud scheme, by POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein, Erin Durkin and Kyle Cheney: “New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed suit against former President Donald Trump, three of his adult children and his business empire, accusing them of large-scale fraudulent financial practices and seeking to bar them from real estate transactions for the next five years. The attorney general’s civil suit alleges more than a decade of deception, including billions of dollars in falsified net worth, as part of an effort by Trump to minimize his companies’ tax bills while winning favorable terms from banks and insurance companies.” — McCarthy reaches for the GOP’s brass ring: A unifying agenda, by POLITICO’s Olivia Beavers: “Kevin McCarthy will announce it in a red Pittsburgh suburb, not on the Capitol steps. In most other ways, though, his Friday GOP agenda rollout will mirror Newt Gingrich’s 28-year-old Contract With America.”
| | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | — “Meta and Google Are Cutting Staff,” by the Wall Street Journal’s Jeff Horwitz, Salvador Rodriguez and Miles Kruppa: “ The reductions are expected to be a prelude to deeper cuts, according to people informed of the company’s plans. While some savings will come from cuts to overhead and consulting budgets, the people said, much of it is expected to come from reduced employment." SPLIT-STREAM — “Twitch plans to cut subscription revenue for some top streamers in push toward ads ,” by TechCrunch's Taylor Hatmaker: “Twitch plans to standardize its revenue sharing agreement with streamers, reshaping the earnings landscape for top creators who have historically been able to pocket a bigger portion of the money they generate through paid subscriptions on the platform.”
| | MIXTAPE | | — “What it’s like working at Amazon during a Southern California heat wave,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Suhauna Hussain. — “LA Aims To Add Thousands Of Bus Shelters Across The City, But The Plan Has ‘A Lot Of Ifs,’” by LAist’s Ryan Fonseca. — “ Here’s when the first batch of California inflation relief checks will go out,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Jessica Flores. BEHIND THE FALLS — “A religious group is strangling access to Calif.'s most beautiful waterfall ,” by SFGate’s Ashley Harrell. — “How AI rendering program Midjourney sees Los Angeles,” compiled by the Los Angeles Times’ Carolina A. Miranda.
| | BIRTHDAYS | | Meta’s Dara Levy … Ben Mueller of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation’s Center for Data Innovation … former Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) 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.
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