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From: POLITICO California Playbook - Friday Oct 14,2022 01:23 pm

Oct 14, 2022

By Lara Korte, Jeremy B. White, Sakura Cannestra and Owen Tucker-Smith

THE BUZZ: You’ve got to start some pretty big drama to overshadow a visit from the President of the United States.

President Joe Biden is on the last of a three-day spin through Los Angeles today, where he’s been meeting with local leaders, touting his infrastructure investments and trying to rally Democrats less than a month out from a key election.

But the commander-in-chief didn’t seem to capture the same level of attention as the leaked audio revealing racist remarks in a conversation among Los Angeles City Council members, which was still dominating conversations across California on Thursday. Biden had already called for resignations earlier in the week, via his spokesperson, saying Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León should step down. But he has made no mention of it during his California visit (so far at least). Fox’s Elex Michaelson apparently tried to ask about it yesterday, but the president “looked at me, waved, and kept walking.”

It’s not a surprise that Biden would rather focus on the matters at hand in the election — inflation is still hammering the country, ballots are in the mail, and there are several battleground districts in California that the Democrats need to win if they want a chance at keeping control of the House.

Biden gave remarks yesterday afternoon at an LA metro purple line expansion site, along with Rep. Karen Bass (whom he has endorsed for mayor) and other LA leaders. He didn’t touch on social issues, like abortion, which California Democrats have leaned heavily on this election cycle. Instead, he talked about “kitchen table” issues like the price of groceries and gas (note: the CA average was $6.20/gallon yesterday).

"We've got an election in a month. Democrats are working to bring down the cost of things to talk about around the kitchen table, from prescription drugs to health insurance to energy bills and so much more,” Biden said.

President Joe Biden applauds as Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., right, speaks at the LA Metro, D Line (Purple) Extension Transit Project - Section 3, in Los Angeles, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. They both stand behind a podium adorned with the presidential seal.

That’s the kind of rhetoric Democrats in tight races are hoping will sway voters their way in these final weeks of the campaign. Rhetoric, of course, can only get you so far.

After his infrastructure event, Biden popped over to Brentwood to join House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at a fundraiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. As Deadline reported earlier this week, tickets started at $5,000 per person, rising to $10,000 per couple and $50,000 per couple to host. Per the DCCC, the event raised $5 million for House Democrats.

And if that weren’t enough, the Democratic National Committee transferred another $1 million each to both the DCCC and its Senate counterpart, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee yesterday, as POLITICO’s Christopher Cadelago reports.

Today, Biden is heading back to the campaign trail — and, presumably, that kitchen table rhetoric — when he heads to Irvine Valley Community College in Orange County to talk about “lowering costs for American families,” per the White House.

Orange County, which has grown more contested in recent years, is home to several closely-watched Congressional races this year. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Katie Porter is fending off a challenge from GOP candidate Scott Baugh. And the party is working to flip seats away from Republicans in the area, including Reps. Michelle Steel , who is running against Democrat Jay Chen, and Young Kim, who faces a challenge on the left from Asif Mahmood.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. There was supposed to be another Los Angeles City Council meeting today, but acting Council President Mitch O’Farrell called it off, saying the council shouldn’t convene until Cedillo and de León resign. (Coincidentally — If you know when, or if, that’ll happen, we’d love to hear about it.)

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.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I know that a lot of people are working on helping them to understand the imperative for them to resign.” O’Farrell on the continued push for Cedillo and de León to resign, in an interview with POLITICO Thursday evening.

TWEET OF THE DAY

Today's Tweet of the Day. | Twitter

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced

TOP TALKERS

FINDING LEAKS — “The mystery behind L.A. racist tape scandal: Who leaked it — and why?” by the Los Angeles Times’ Harriet Ryan, Terry Castleman, Summer Lin and Matt Pearce: “The strategy session was supposed to be a discreet backroom conversation, but as it got underway in a private room at the headquarters of the L.A. County Federation of Labor, someone was recording it.”

— “A pivot on desalination plants: California approves project in Orange County ,” by CalMatters’ Rachel Becker: “After rejecting a controversial proposal in Huntington Beach, the state Coastal Commission greenlights another in Dana Point. While environmentalists raised concerns, the commission calls it a well-planned project.”

— “ USC offered Karen Bass scholarship before she was admitted to social work school, records show,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Matt Hamilton: “But the documents released by Bass’ campaign are not actually an application for admission to USC’s social work master’s program, The Times has learned. The form is an application to attend classes on ‘limited status.’”

CAMPAIGN MODE

CLINTON ON PROP 1: Hillary Clinton stumped for California’s proposition to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution at Planned Parenthood’s San Francisco headquarters on Thursday with the message that the Proposition 1 campaign is about more than abortion, POLITICO’s Victoria Colliver reports.

“We’re here to talk about Prop 1, but let’s understand this is part of a much broader agenda to turn the clock back on the values, the rights, the freedoms that this country has been struggling to achieve in concert with our founding values,” the former first lady and Democratic presidential nominee said.

Clinton appeared with Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, and the visit drew state lawmakers including Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), Assemblymembers Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda). The campaign’s first official ads debuted on radio, television, print and digital media a day before the event, putting the pressure for California to stake its claim as an abortion sanctuary in high gear.

Even though Prop 1 appears headed for a victory — it has the support of 71 percent of likely voters, according to an August poll — its backers aren’t taking anything for granted.

— “ Latinos are increasingly leaning more Republican. But not so much in California,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Mathew Miranda: “Polls and recent election results show California Latinos by and large remain rooted in the Democratic Party, reflecting the legacy of the anti-immigrant rhetoric California Republicans employed in the 1990s and the rise of left-leaning Hispanic leaders who have focused on delivering for their communities.”

BLOOMBERG BOOM — “ Michael Bloomberg is almost single-handedly bankrolling California's Prop. 31,” by SFGate’s Eric Ting: “Of the $17.3 million raised by the 'yes' on Prop. 31 committee, $15.3 million has come from Bloomberg, California campaign finance records reviewed by SFGATE show. The 'no' committee has raised just $2.1 million, meaning that 79% of the money spent in the race has come from just one person: Bloomberg.”

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CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

AND THE RESPONSE — “Nury Martinez’s ‘little Latina girls’ line in resignation letter backfires: ‘Girl WHAT?’,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Christi Carras: “Actor Melinna Bobadilla, writer Myriam Gurba and TV host Areva Martin were among many Twitter users who criticized Martinez’s announcement — particularly the part where the disgraced politician addressed ‘all little Latina girls across the city’ and said, ‘I hope I’ve inspired you to dream beyond that which you can see.’”

WATER WATCH — “ Los Angeles is running out of water, and time. Are leaders willing to act?” by the Los Angeles Times’ Hayley Smith: “Over the last decade, the city has made significant investments in its future, including major projects to expand its ability to capture, store and recycle water. But now, on the eve of an election, much of the work remains unfinished — with target dates for some major water projects set as far as 2050.”

CROSSING THE BRIDGE — “ ‘We’re not going to close the equity gaps’: Despite progress, California Community Colleges won’t reach Newsom’s aspirational goals,” by CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn: “With even progress across the board, the groups already behind can’t catch up unless community colleges graduate them at faster rates. For this reason, it’s unlikely that the graduation rates will narrow to remove the so-called “equity gap” among regions and demographic groups.”

— “S.F. exodus: More people say they intend to leave than in any other major metro area,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susie Neilson: “The data was released by the American Housing Survey, a survey conducted once every two years by the U.S. Census Bureau, and shows that about 18% of residents of the San Francisco metropolitan area plan on moving from their home in the next year.”

— “Feds spare Laguna Honda Hospital with funding extension ,” by the San Francisco Examiner’s Sydney Johnson: “The announcement comes after a months-long battle between hospital officials and state and federal regulators over how to move forward after the facility was decertified in April when it failed a series of on-site inspections.”

— “ State Housing Probe Begins as SF Races to Meet Key Deadline,” by the San Francisco Standard’s Sarah Wright: “Last week, planning department officials received what they said was new guidance from the state’s Housing and Community Development department (HCD), which said that the city must have a compliant Housing Element—a state-mandated housing plan that’s updated every eight years—by Jan. 31, 2023, if the city wants to avoid ‘the builder’s remedy,’ or a temporary loss of power to deny new projects due to zoning inconsistencies.”

— “Cause of death released for Kiely Rodni, missing California teen found in reservoir,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Rosalio Ahumada: “The Truckee teen had been missing for two weeks and was the focus of a massive search in August before her remains were found in her submerged vehicle in the reservoir. The Sheriff’s Office said her death was ‘accidental.’”

GUZZLING GAS — “How fast are California gas prices dropping? Compare costs as US expense rises ,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Jacqueline Pinedo: “Regular gas prices in California have decreased 22 cents on average in seven days, though the state average remains well above $6 per gallon as of Thursday.”

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

— Jan. 6 committee to subpoena Trump, by POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu and Kyle Cheney: And there are plenty of factors cutting against the panel’s ability to obtain Trump’s cooperation. There is little precedent for such a move against a former president, which would raise thorny separation of powers issues that have rarely, if ever, been litigated.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

PINCHING PENNIES — “Leaked Amazon slides instruct employees to 'double down on frugality' in all-hands meeting,” by Business Insider’s Ashley Stewart and Eugene Kim: “The comments signify a tone shift at Amazon, as the giant retailer tightens its belt in the face of slowing growth and a deteriorating economic climate.”

— “Social media can still avoid a 2020 repeat, civil rights groups say,” by Protocol’s Ben Brody: “Even as the platforms try to stop new electoral disinformation and misinformation, they should also ensure they're enforcing policies prohibiting lies claiming the 2020 election was stolen, 11 groups led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights said in a letter to the companies.”

HOLLYWOODLAND

ACROSS STATE LINES — “Mark Wahlberg left California for Nevada to give his kids ‘a better life’,” by CNN’s Marianne Garvey: “‘I want to be able to work from home. I moved to California many years ago to pursue acting and I’ve only made a couple of movies in the entire time that I was there,’ he said.”

STAYING SAFE — “‘You’re obviously a target’: Rappers rethink security protocols in wake of PnB Rock killing ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ August Brown and Kenan Draughorne: “But artists and managers face a more complex set of threats today than a decade ago. Social unrest and economic inequality have raised tensions across the country, while social media offers new ways for criminals to find potential victims.”

MIXTAPE

— “Felon accused of California family’s massacre enters plea to four counts of murder,” by the Fresno Bee’s Robert Rodriguez.

FORCE TO BE RECKONED— “Salesforce, San Francisco’s largest employer, conducts layoffs,” by SFGate’s Joshua Bote.

— “ Scapegoating Of Asians And Asian Americans Is Major Element In Reported Hate Incidents: Report,” by KQED’s Alexander Gonzalex and LAist staff.

CRUISING UP THE COAST — “Highway 1 Road Trip: Six itineraries along California’s iconic coast ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Gregory Thomas, Alissa Greenberg, Leilani Marie Labong, Jill K. Robinson, robert Earle Howells and David Ferry.

— “Ski season is coming. What you need to know before heading to California’s most popular resorts ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Brian Clark.

BIRTHDAYS

Daniel Castro of the Center for Data Innovation … Microsoft’s Dave Leichtman

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