|
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: LATE NIGHT DROP — It’s been a marathon week for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signing pen, but the work’s not done yet. It’s the last day of the month, which means Newsom officially has less than 24 hours to sign or veto the final pieces of legislation that lawmakers sent to him at the end of August. Late last night, his office announced the fates of another 165 bills. But by our count, he’s still got 146 left to go today. Generally speaking, the major battles have been settled at this point. Newsom has already moved many of the big-ticket items off his desk: the massive climate package, social media safety bills, abortion protections, gun control laws, housing, the fast food workers’ council, and, of course, the closely-watched farm workers union bill he signed on Wednesday. For those who went to bed at 9 p.m., or just refused to be on Twitter that late (in either case — good for you), here’s a rundown of some of the more closely-watched bills that were signed and vetoed last night — and what we’re keeping an eye on today. SIGNED:
- Sealing criminal records (SB 731) — California will now allow almost all old convictions on a person’s criminal record to be permanently sealed, under this measure introduced by state Sen. María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) and state Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena). The law does not automatically seal serious or violent felonies or those convicted of crimes that require them to register as a sex offender — but it does give people who were convicted of more serious felonies to petition a judge to have their records sealed. Eligible conviction and arrest records will be automatically sealed once a person has completed their sentence and gone four years without further contact with the justice system. Arrests that don’t result in conviction will also be sealed.
- Gender-affirming care (SB 107) — People traveling to California in search of gender-affirming care will now be buffered from prosecution under other states’ laws that purport to penalize such care. In a signing message, Newsom said the bill, introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), was an important step in protecting transgender youth who are being increasingly targeted by state laws. “Parents know what's best for their kids, and they should be able to make decisions around the health of their children without fear. We must take a stand for parental choice,” the governor said.
- Extending the California Racial Justice Act (AB 256) — This bill, authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) extends a 2020 law that allows a person charged or convicted of a crime to challenge racial bias in their case. The act will now apply to judgments handed down before Jan. 1, 2021.
| 
When asked if he wouldn’t have any interest in 2028, especially if Harris wasn’t running, Newsom shook his head. | Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo | VETOED:
- Limits on solitary confinement (AB 2632) — Named the “California Mandela Act” after the late South African anti-apartheid icon, this bill by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) would have limited solitary confinement to 15 consecutive days, and no more than 17 days out of 180. In his veto message, Newsom said he agrees the practice needs reforming, but that AB 2632 would have applied “overly broad” standards and dangerous exceptions that could risk staff and inmate safety. Newsom is instead directing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to “develop regulations that would restrict the use of segregated confinement except in limited situations,” such as where the individual has been found to have engaged in violence in the prison.
- Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation (AB 2438) — This bill, by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) would have required the state to align billions of dollars for transportation every year to climate-specific metrics. Newsom, in a veto message, said the bill is unnecessary because several state agencies are already working to align transportation programs with the state’s climate plan.
Other notable bills we’re waiting on:
- Increased wage replacement (SB 951) — It’s been nearly 20 years since California implemented its Paid Family Leave policy, and this year lawmakers are hoping to raise the wage replacement rate for that program as well as the State Insurance Disability program. This bill, authored by Durazo, would extend the current rate of 60-70 percent wage replacement based on income through 2024, then increase it to 70-90 percent in 2025. If Newsom doesn’t sign it, the replacement rates will fall to what they were before 2016 — 55 percent — starting in January.
- Punishing doctors for spreading Covid misinformation (AB 2098) — Not a lot of Covid or vaccine related bills made it past the Legislature this year, which is why we’re keenly interested to see how Newsom acts on this one by Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell). The bill would classify the spread of misinformation related to Covid-19 as “unprofessional conduct,” which is punishable by state medical boards. The California Medical Association is a co-sponsor.
BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. As Hurricane Ian continues to rage, Newsom’s office yesterday said it would send five mass care experts from the administration’s Office of Emergency Services to Florida to assist with sheltering displaced residents. 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: "It will be a delicate game of letting right wingers back on Twitter and how to navigate that (especially the boss himself, if you're up for that)." A text message sent to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, apparently about reinstating former President Donald Trump’s Twitter access. The message, which came from an unnamed sender, was one of dozens revealed in Twitter v. Musk court filings yesterday. TWEET OF THE DAY:
| 
Today's Tweet of the Day | Twitter | WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
| | | | 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 | | HEARD ON THE HILL — “Sen. Dianne Feinstein chides staffers as they race to prep her for stopgap government funding vote: 'I don't even know what that is,’” by Business Insider’s Warren Rojas: “The internal discussion, which took place along a bank of elevators in the Senate basement and was loud enough for Insider to overhear, bubbled over into outrage as Feinstein struggled to get her bearings before the midafternoon vote.” — “Former PG&E executives to pay $117 million to settle claims over California wildfires ,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Dale Kasler: “The PG&E Fire Victim Trust announced Thursday that it had settled its lawsuit against former officers and directors of PG&E following the wine-country fires in 2017 and the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 85 people and destroyed much of the town of Paradise." — “ Newsom signs bill protecting transgender youths and families fleeing red-state policies,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Mackenzie Mays: “The new law prohibits California courts and attorneys from enforcing subpoenas requested by other states about gender-affirming care for minors, and healthcare providers from releasing medical information.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | SPOTTED AT THE SOIREE — “MAGA Trio Causes a Stink at Caruso Campaign Soirée,” by Los Angeles Magazine’s Jason McGahan: “Earlier this week, Rick Caruso threw a party at The Grove for employees and his Los Angeles mayoral campaign volunteers. And if the billionaire candidate was left with a big headache afterward, it wasn’t from the event’s free-flowing wine.” — “Fact checking ads for California’s sports betting propositions ,” by CalMatters’ Grace Gedye: “The ads are ‘oversimplified to a point of not being fully accurate,’ said Mary Beth Moylan, an associate dean and professor at the McGeorge School of Law at University of the Pacific who oversees a journal dedicated to California’s initiatives.” — “ Newsom breaks from fellow Democrats and aligns with the enemy on Lyft-backed Prop. 30,” Opines George Skelton for the Los Angeles Times: “This is very rare: a California governor on the opposite side of his state party on a major public policy issue.”
| | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | — “California will let millions of past offenders seal criminal records,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Dustin Gardiner: “Millions of Californians whose lives have been haunted by a past criminal record will find relief after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Thursday that allows them to have their rap sheet shielded from public view.” OIL EXODUS — “Chevron Sells Global Headquarters, Pares Back in California Amid Texas Expansion ,” by the Wall Street Journal’s Collin Eaton: “[Chevron’s] presence in California has been declining for years, particularly following a reorganization that began in 2019. Some of Chevron’s leadership have long wanted to move the company’s headquarters to Texas.” — “ Another ‘sanctuary city’ abortion ban dies in California after attorney general’s warning,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Summer Lin: “After California’s attorney general warned Temecula against passing a local abortion ban, the City Council in a heated meeting Tuesday voted not to pursue the measure.” BLAME GAME — “‘ Sometimes shaming is your best and only option’: Should California scorn people over water use?” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Kurtis Alexander: “Amid a third painfully dry year, the Bay Area’s biggest water retailer began releasing the names of customers using “excessive” amounts of water this week, a practice that may soon tee up hundreds of households for humiliation and shame.” — “ Cycle of terror, relief for parents amid school shooting,” by the Mercury News’ Jakob Rodgers: “For the second time in a month, hundreds of parents rushed from across Oakland to their child’s East Oakland school with only one question running in their minds: Is my child safe?” — “ Exclusive: No record of fire inspections at warehouse prior to California’s deadly Mill Fire,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Ryan Sabalow, Dale Kasler and Jason Pohl: “In the wake of the Mill Fire, The Sacramento Bee filed numerous California Public Records Act requests and interviewed local and state officials, experts on fire hazards and the spokesman for the building’s owner, Oregon-based timber company Roseburg Forest Products.” LASSEN LAYOFFS — “Layoffs possible at two California state prisons as plan to close one moves forward,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Wes Venteicher: “The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is moving forward with its plan to close a state prison in Susanville, including orchestrating a reshuffling of employees that could end with layoffs in June.” — “Every burned town is tragic. But Newsom needs to lead with science, not sentiment ,” Opine Anita Chabria and Erika D. Smith for the Los Angeles Times: “The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over — building and rebuilding in areas we know are deadly — with the same result: destruction.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | | — “New Trump impeachment book details Schiff’s role rallying moderates and Pelosi,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Sarah D. Wire: “California Rep. Adam B. Schiff counseled Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and the seven moderate freshman Democrats whose Washington Post op-ed supporting impeachment in essence forced the hand of House leaders.” VEEP WEEK — “Kamala Harris Under a Microscope: Deft Asia Diplomacy Despite DMZ Gaffe ,” by Bloomberg’s Justin Sink and Nancy Cook: “Kamala Harris’s whirlwind tour of Japan and South Korea this week amounts to a microcosm for the state of her vice presidency: an ambitious, historic and increasingly confident effort still beset by the occasional high-profile gaffe.” — Justices shield spouses’ work from potential conflict of interest disclosures, by POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs, Josh Gerstein and Peter S. Canellos: Now, as the Supreme Court prepares to begin a new term after a tumultuous summer in which Roe v. Wade was upended, the longstanding gaps in its ethical disclosures are being cast in a harsher light amid revelations of outsiders using perks and money to attempt to influence the justices.
| | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | BFFS — “Would You Invest $10,000 in a Friend’s Startup? Are You Friends If You Don’t?” by Bloomberg’s Ellen Huet: “For someone [Maia Bittner] considers a good friend, she’ll sometimes invest blindly, without knowing what the company does, because she trusts their judgment.”
| | HOLLYWOODLAND | | — “Expansion set for old Hollywood studio amid surging demand for L.A. soundstages,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Roger Vincent: “The owner of Television Center, once home to Technicolor’s filmmaking laboratory and Metro Pictures Corp., plans to turn the dated complex on Romaine Street into a bigger, more modern studio that will rent production facilities to people who make movies and television shows.”
| | MIXTAPE | | CLEAN CAR COSTS — “Driving Your Tesla in California Is Really, Really Expensive,” Opines Liam Denning for Bloomberg. — “How do you sell the California Dream in 2022? Think boba shops and taco trails,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s John King. — “ S.F. grocery store temporarily closed following ‘severe’ neighborhood rodent infestation,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Nora Mishanec. — “Lawsuit claims senior-care chain covered up third Bay Area death from caustic liquid ,” by the Mercury News’ Austin Turner. — “Gov. Newsom deploys specialized team to aid Florida after Hurricane Ian,” by KCRA’s Greta Serrin.
| | IN MEMORIAM | | — “James Gomez, who advised governors and led change in California nursing homes, dies at 73,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Cathie Anderson: “James Gomez advised California’s governors, shaped the careers of future leaders and dedicated himself to serving the public as he vaulted to the upper echelons of leadership in state government and ultimately the health care and financial industries.”
| | BIRTHDAYS | | Shawn VanDiver 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 | | | | |  |
