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Presented by YES on 26, NO on 27 - Coalition for Safe, Responsible Gaming: Jeremy B. White and Lara Korte’s must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State | | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White , Lara Korte , Sakura Cannestra and Owen Tucker-Smith | Presented by YES on 26, NO on 27 - Coalition for Safe, Responsible Gaming | THE BUZZ: Your California forecast for the final week of this election cycle: The political winds are blowing rightward. California Democrats have long been bracing for a red wave that could wipe out their remaining 2018 House gains and swamp their prospects of reclaiming Republican seats in Orange County, Los Angeles and the Central Valley. They’ve hoped some favorable redistricting outcomes, significant fundraising sums and a Democratic base galvanized by the disintegration of Roe v. Wade could buoy their candidates. But signals in the homestretch have not been encouraging. Forecasters have been moving their predictions toward Republicans in the cycle’s final weeks as prominent party figures make late efforts to safeguard vulnerable incumbents. Voters continue to report inflation-laced economic pain and gloominess about the future, which could both bode ill for the majority party. Our handy POLITICO race tracker has reflected those trends. It recently moved GOP Rep. Mike Garcia’s CA-27 from toss-up to leans-Republican as national Democrats backed off a race once seen as eminently winnable given Garcia’s minuscule 2020 margin. Our prognosticators also see Democratic Rep. Mike Levin as a straight toss-up, erasing Levin’s advantage. The DCCC yesterday put the second-term San Diegan on its “ red alert” list of the incumbents who have joined snow leopards on the endangered list. President Joe Biden will be in California to campaign for Levin on Thursday. | 
Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., speaks on the floor of the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Washington on April 23, 2020. | House Television/AP | TWO ON THE MOVE: The trajectories of two SoCal incumbents help capture the landscape. We’re closely watching what happens to Rep. Katie Porter, an ascendant party luminary and prolific fundraiser who is facing a fierce challenge from GOP former Assemblymember Scott Baugh. In a plea to California Democratic Party members yesterday, Porter warned “Republicans are polling well across the country, and we’re seeing especially concerning trends in blue states like California,” noting redistricting had substantially redrawn her seat. Baugh was celebrating Cook having moved the race to toss-up status. The LATimes’ Melanie Mason has more on the marquee race. And then there’s Rep. Julia Brownley. While Porter’s Orange County seat has long been viewed as competitive, the last-minute reinforcements Democrats are marshaling to fend off an upset in Brownley’s D+15 seat illustrate a broadly challenging landscape for Democrats. Other members and leadership PACs are channeling money into the race. “My friend Congresswoman Julia Brownley is in trouble,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote in a fundraising plea for Brownley last week — and if that’s true, the peril for California Democrats goes far beyond Brownley’s district. BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. We learned more yesterday about the alleged motives of Paul Pelosi’s purported assailant — including his desire to harm other political figures. More below. 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 . Send us your political mailers! We’re looking to bring more transparency to the elections process. How you can help: Send us photos of the campaign ads you’ve gotten in the mail. You can upload photos here or email them to mailers@politico.com . QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I don’t believe it’s at all representative of the state of public safety in San Francisco. I think it’s more so representative of the state of politics in the United States that people believe that enacting violence against members of our political government is OK.” San Francisco DA Brooke Jenkins on the Pelosi assault. TWEET OF THE DAY:
|  Today's Tweet of the Day | Twitter | WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
| | | | A message from YES on 26, NO on 27 - Coalition for Safe, Responsible Gaming: Cardroom casinos have a well-documented history of flouting the law and have been fined millions of dollars for violating anti-money laundering laws, racketeering, and illegal gambling. Now, cardroom casinos and their gambling bankers are spending millions attacking California Indian tribes and tribal gaming. Hold these bad actors accountable! Get the Facts about Cardroom Casinos: www.FactsAboutCardrooms.com | | | |  | Top Talkers | | LAST RESORT — “ This city paid $1.1M to keep faucets running through March as the price of water skyrockets in California ,” by CNN’s René Marsh: “Miles of brittle, uprooted almond trees lay dead on their sides on parched farmland in Coalinga, California, as an intensifying drought, new restrictions and skyrocketing water prices are forcing farmers to sacrifice their crops.” OMINOUS OVERSIGHT — “ Stanford knew about the campus imposter for a year. He kept coming back ,” by the Stanford Daily’s Theo Baker: “Stanford administrators and the public safety department have been aware since at least December 2021 that William Curry, the Alabama native who was removed from campus Thursday, had pretended to be a Stanford student and lived in multiple University dorms, according to communications obtained by The Daily.” PELOSI ATTACK — 'Take them all out': New details from Paul Pelosi assault emerge as suspect arraigned , by POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White: Prosecutors released disturbing new details on Tuesday about the man accused of breaking into the home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband — including an alleged statement in which he threatens to attack the country’s top Democratic officials.
| | | | NEW AND IMPROVED POLITICO APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. With a fresh look and improved features, the sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. Already a POLITICO app user? Upgrade today! DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID . | | | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | THIS AGAIN — “ Gavin Newsom says it's ‘not the moment’ for him to run for president ,” by CBS News’ Caitlin Yilek: “California Gov. Gavin Newsom insists he is not interested in running for president, although he's bought ads in Florida and Texas to troll their GOP governors, elevating his profile ahead of the 2024 election as President Biden weighs whether to run for reelection. “ — “ As housing prices surge, rent control is on the ballot ,” by AP’s Janie Har and Michael Casey: “With rental prices skyrocketing and affordable housing in short supply, inflation-weary tenants in cities and counties across the country are turning to the ballot box for relief. Supporters say rent control policies on the Nov. 8 ballot are the best short-term option to dampen rising rents and ensure vulnerable residents remain housed.” TESTING TURNOUT — “ Despite ‘election fatigue’ and Democratic discontent, California turnout looks promising ,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Jenavieve Hatch: “Two weeks before the 2018 midterms in Sacramento County, 75,403 mail-in ballots were returned to the elections office. That number last week was 88,878. County election officials take their task of educating voters about the importance of local midterms seriously.” — “ California elections for top judicial posts: Big stakes, little info available to the public ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Bob Egelko: “Of all the decisions facing California voters next Tuesday, few will have such significant consequences, based on such little information, as whether they should retain the state’s top judicial officers for terms of up to 12 years.”
| | | | A message from YES on 26, NO on 27 - Coalition for Safe, Responsible Gaming:   | | | | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | ONE BAD SIGN… “ Nearly a third of southern Sierra forests killed by drought and wildfire in last decade ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Hayley Smith: “As climate change continues to transform California’s landscape in staggering and often irreversible ways, researchers have zeroed in on yet another casualty of the shift: the forests of the southern Sierra Nevada.” … AND ANOTHER — “ Climate change is rapidly accelerating in California, state report says ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Hayley Smith: “The fourth edition of “Indicators of Climate Change in California,” released Tuesday, paints a stark picture of the escalating climate crisis and documents how global reliance on fossil fuels has had wide-ranging effects on the state’s weather, water and residents.” — “ California enables sexual assault victims to track rape kits ,” by the AP’s Don Thompson: “Delays in testing evidence from sexual assaults have been a lost opportunity for investigators and a source of frustration for victims for years, prompting California officials to announce Tuesday that they have created a way for survivors to track the progress of linking their rape kits with DNA evidence.” — “ Donald Trump shares unfounded conspiracy theory about Paul Pelosi attack ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Shira Stein: “Trump, who was appearing on the Chris Stigall radio show Tuesday morning, said falsely that ‘the glass it seems was broken from the inside to the out. And you know, so it wasn’t a break in, it was a break out’ — a theory for which police have said there is no evidence.” UNDER THE RADAR — “ He was accused of stealing huge amounts of water over 23 years. Here’s why no one noticed ,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow: “California’s water police struggle to track where water is flowing and whether someone is taking more than they’re supposed to. A criminal case unfolding in the San Joaquin Valley underscores how the federal government seems to have similar problems.”
| | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | | ANYONE’S GAME — The Biden gap and the partisan poll flood: Breaking down the latest Senate surveys , by POLITICO’s Steven Shepard: A spate of new polls arrived this week bearing a clear message for Democrats: They are still in the hunt for the Senate majority. The parties are deadlocked in Georgia and Nevada. Democrats have slight leads in Arizona and Pennsylvania — though there’s a lack of reliable polling since last week’s potentially game-changing debate in that race.
| | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | BLUE CHECK BLUES — “ Elon Musk Wants More Paying Twitter Users, Hinting at $8 a Month for Verified Accounts ,” by the Wall Street Journal’s Meghan Bobrowsky and Alyssa Lukpat: “Elon Musk is looking to quickly boost Twitter Inc.’s revenue by embracing subscriptions, a strategy that has had limited success in the social-media business.” AUTOPILOT — “ Tesla Gives Demo to Agency Probing Self-Driving Claims ,” by Bloomberg’s Dana Hull: “Tesla Inc. demonstrated a beta version of its driver-assistance system for California transportation officials, including outside consultants the automaker previously sought to bar from the event.”
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S 2nd ANNUAL DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/16: The United States is facing a defining moment in the future of its defense, national security and democratic ideals. The current conflicts and developments around the world are pushing Washington to reshape its defense strategy and how it cooperates with allies. Join POLITICO for our second annual defense summit, “At a Crossroads: America’s Defense Strategy” on November 16 in person at the Schuyler DC or join online to hear keynote interviews and panels discussing the road ahead for America’s national security. REGISTER HERE . | | | | | | | CANNABIS COUNTRY | | — “ California Governor Wants The State’s Marijuana Farmers To ‘Legally Supply The Rest Of The Nation ,’” by Marijuana Moment’s Kyle Jaeger: “California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) says he wants to see marijuana federally legalized, in part so that his state’s cannabis farmers can ‘legally supply the rest of the nation.’ The governor made the remarks in a video that played at the Oakland International Film Festival in September, where activists gave a sneak preview screening of a documentary on the local history of the marijuana reform movement that features Newsom.”
| | HOLLYWOODLAND | | “IT WAS HIS TIME TO SHINE” — “ Takeoff, of Atlanta Rap Trio Migos, Shot Dead at 28 ,” by the New York Times’ Joe Coscarelli and J. David Goodman: “The rapper known as Takeoff, a subtle vocal technician and one-third of the chart-topping group Migos, whose singsong flow helped define Atlanta’s ever-evolving, influential rap sound, was shot and killed overnight outside a Houston bowling alley, the authorities said. He was 28.” — “ Randall Emmett sued for race discrimination, hostile workplace by former assistant ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Meg James: “One of Randall Emmett’s former assistants has sued the once-prominent filmmaker, accusing him of racial discrimination and creating a hostile workplace that included the use of the N-word.”
| | MIXTAPE | | TRAIL TIPS — “ The 10 best hiking trails in the Bay Area, according to 600,000 reviews ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Nami Sumida, Gregory Thomas, Sarah Feldberg and Dan Kopf. — “ Mackenzie Scott gives $2.4 million to Sacramento housing project. ‘Completely out of the blue,’ ” by the Sacramento Bee’s Mathew Miranda. CROSSWORD ANYONE? — “ California election 2022: It’s a puzzle ,” by CalMatters’ Ben Christopher and Jeremia Kimelman. — “ Cold front to bring rain, snow, wind to dry California ,” by the AP. — “ Sacramento’s Measure O: Voters to decide whether to ban homeless camps on public property ,” by CapRadio’s Chris Nichols.
| | BIRTHDAYS | | Makan Delrahim … John Sampson of Microsoft Azure … Caitlin Heising … Tony Fazio … Katie Hogan
| | | | A message from YES on 26, NO on 27 - Coalition for Safe, Responsible Gaming: Cardroom casinos are contributing millions to politicians to curry political favors. These bad actor cardroom casinos have dished out more than $50,000,000 on contributions to politicians, party bosses and other political campaigns. It's time to finally crack down on cardroom casino's unlawful gambling and criminal activity.
Learn more about cardroom casinos: www.FactsAboutCardrooms.com | | | 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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