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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 | THE BUZZ: California’s endangered House incumbents avoided extinction this month, but frontline state legislators could soon be back to private life. Members of Congress targeted for defeat — both Democrats and Republicans — have held onto their jobs, or, in one case, led a too-tight-to-determine race. Despite the tens of millions of dollars spent to dislodge officeholders in tight districts, voters chose to return their representatives to the House. But Republican challengers have a clear path to picking up a couple of seats in the Legislature by ousting Democratic state lawmakers — something we haven’t seen in several cycles — and a Republican could be unseated. To add to the drama, several races are separated by fewer than a thousand votes and two by fewer than twenty. While Republicans managed to wrest control of the House from Democrats, in California the two parties have fought to a draw. GOP Reps. Michelle Steel, Ken Calvert, Mike Garcia and Young Kim all bested Democratic challengers; Democratic Reps Katie Porter, Mike Levin, Julia Brownley and Josh Harder rebuffed GOP opponents. Rep. David Valadao has consistently led Democratic Assembly member Rudy Salas and had a 4,500-vote margin on Friday, although the race has not been called (and we should note that, in 2018, it took weeks for Valadao to lose his lead for good). A prime legislative race came off the board on Friday as Democratic Assembly member Brian Maienschein’s Republican opponent, Kristie Bruce-Lane, conceded and ended one of the CAGOP’s preeminent seat-flipping opportunities. | 
California Assemblyman Brian Maienschein smiles at a news conference in Sacramento, Calif, on Jan. 24, 2019. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo |
But multiple Sacramento incumbents are in trouble. Republican Assembly member Suzette Valladares Martinez, whose rare pickup of a formerly Democrat-held open seat was a bright spot for the party in 2020, fell 511 votes behind Democrat Pilar Schiavo over the weekend. Democratic Assembly member Ken Cooley slipped a mere 16 votes behind Republican staffer Josh Hoover on Friday, while state Sen. Melissa Hurtado — forced by redistricting to move rather than take on fellow Democratic Sen. Anna Caballero — trailed Republican farmer David Shepard by a few thousand votes. Democratic party PACs and outside interests spent more than $4 million protect Hurtado and about $3.5 million to safeguard Cooley in the general.
STILL OPEN: The final balance of power will swing on a few nailbiter contests for open seats: In the Central Valley, Republican farmer John Duarte had an 865-vote advantage over Democratic Assembly member Adam Gray for a spot in Congress and Democrat Esmeralda Soria sat a couple thousand votes above Republican ex-Sheriff Mark Pazin for a seat in the Legislature. Further south, Democratic Palm Springs Council member Christy Holstege was just nine (9) votes ahead of Republican staffer Greg Wallis for a battleground Assembly seat. Both Holstege and Soria have participated in new member activities, including the speakership fight. BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. A gentle reminder that counties have until December 8 to certify their vote counts — which happens to be a few days after the Legislature is set to reconvene. The Secretary of State estimates around one million votes remain untallied statewide. 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 . PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off for Thanksgiving this Thursday and Friday but back to our normal schedule on Monday, Nov. 28. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “A lot of people in my party would disagree with me — they think ‘oh no, a California governor is never gonna make it’ — but I think Gavin Newsom is someone that would be dangerous for Republicans. I do think that he’ll moderate — I know most Republicans are like ‘oh no, you can’t get over all the crazy California liberal stuff that goes on’ — but I think he would be a formidable Democrat.” Former Republican National Committee head and Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus on Gov. Gavin Newsom at USC. BONUS QOTD: “I did consider a role in leadership in the House, but I was persuaded by many of my colleagues to consider running for the Senate if Senator Feinstein decides not to run for reelection in two years, so I am exploring it.” Rep. Adam Schiff publicly admits to NBCLA his Senate ambition. TWEET OF THE DAY |  Today's Tweet of the Day | Twitter |
WHERE’S GAVIN? Out of the state with family through Thanksgiving.
| | | | POLITICO APP USERS: UPGRADE YOUR APP BY DECEMBER 19! We recently upgraded the POLITICO app with a fresh look and improved features for easier access to POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Starting December 19, users will no longer have access to the previous version of the app. Update your app today to stay on top of essential political news, insights, and analysis from the best journalists in the business. UPDATE iOS APP – UPDATE ANDROID APP . | | | | | |  | TOP TALKERS | | A TRUMP RETURN — Musk draws fire after lifting Twitter ban on Donald Trump , by POLITICO’s Rebecca Kern: Musk had posted a Twitter poll on Friday, asking users to weigh in on whether Trump should be allowed to return, and late on Saturday the tech billionaire tweeted that based on the results of the poll “The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated.” — “ Elizabeth Holmes gets more than 11 years for Theranos scam ,” by the AP’s Michael Liedtke: “The sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila was shorter than the 15-year penalty requested by federal prosecutors but far tougher than the leniency her legal team sought for the mother of a year-old son with another child on the way.” — “ Man accused of driving into cadets in Whittier area is released as probe continues ,” by the Los Angeles Daily News’ Brian Rokos: “Gutierrez was released under a Penal Code section that allows authorities to free someone after an arrest without first making a court appearance if there is insufficient evidence to charge him or her.” | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | MONEY CAN’T BUY MAYORSHIP — How Rick Caruso spent $104M and still lost the LA mayor’s race , by POLITICO’s Lara Korte and Alexander Nieves: The strategy of swamping his opponent with advertising, tagging her as a City Hall insider and sending out a paid army to knock on doors failed to sway voters across much of Los Angeles, according to preliminary precinct totals and political analysts, who say the avalanche of ads might also have caused some voter fatigue. — “ Civil rights attorney Pamela Price makes history as Alameda County’s next district attorney ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Joshua Sharpe: “Less than six months after San Francisco voters recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin, a former public defender, the Alameda County district attorney election was seen as yet another test for the region’s appetite for progressive versus more traditional prosecutors.” — “ Democratic U.S. Rep. Gomez triumphs in California district ,” by the AP: “Democratic U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez defeated rival Democrat David Kim on Saturday in a Los Angeles district after a battle on the party’s progressive flank.” LA HITS REFRESH — “ New Faces To Occupy Nearly Half The Seats On LA City Council ,” by LAist’s Josie Huang: “One council member has been suspended. Two council members were defeated in re-election bids. Two others left the council to make bids for other office that ultimately failed. Another resigned after the leaked audio scandal broke.” WHILE WE WAIT… “ California election results: The most interesting numbers ,” by CalMatters’ Ben Christopher: “There are still 1 million ballots left to tally, as of 5 p.m. today. That’s all part of a tried, true and prolonged process that often has the rest of the nation waiting for weeks on California’s vote totals.” | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | — Newsom agrees to unfreeze homelessness funding if California cities bolster goals , by POLITICO’s Blake Jones: Newsom stunned local officials earlier this month when he withheld homelessness mitigation funds from every local government in California, arguing counties and cities were deferring to the “status quo” with their plans to reduce the number of people living on the street. GOING OUT OF STATE — “ His term expiring, Garcetti pushes hard for job as ambassador to India ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ James Rainey and Dakota Smith: “It has been more than 16 months since President Biden nominated [Los Angeles Mayor Eric] Garcetti as the U.S. representative to the world’s largest democracy.” — “ East Bay organization led by Black Millennials fights food insecurity, one grocery bag at a time ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Schwanika Narayan: “The Oakland duo were among more than 200 volunteers who showed up on a cold Saturday morning in mid-November for the collective’s Feed the Hood food drive.” BACK TO THE TAPE — “ Kevin de León refuses to resign. What happens to his constituents? ” by the Los Angeles Times’ Rachel Uranga: “Once considered a trailblazer, De León has been politically isolated by the scandal, and his council colleagues are moving to cut off the little power he has remaining in the two years left of his term.” — “ As Nancy Pelosi steps back, California lawmakers are ‘going to have to work a lot harder’ ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Shira Stein: “Over the last 20 years, Pelosi has served as leader of the House Democratic caucus, but she has also “quietly protected the Bay Area,” said retiring Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, who has served with Pelosi for 15 years.” GRIZZLY FOLLOW-UP — “ Members of Congress demand answers from the Forest Service, following CapRadio/California Newsroom wildfire investigation ,” by CapRadio’s Scott Rodd: “More than a dozen lawmakers sent a letter to Forest Service Chief Randy Moore on Friday, calling the agency’s shortcomings ‘particularly egregious’ and ‘unacceptable.’” — “ Rob Bonta Investigates Hospital Algorithms for Racial Bias ,” by California Healthline’s Mark Kreidler: “As he charts a course for his next four years, the 50-year-old Democrat wants to target racial discrimination in health care, including through an investigation of software programs and decision-making tools used by hospitals to treat patients.” GAMERGATE-KEPT — “ How the Pelosi Attack Suspect Plunged Into Online Hatred ,” by the New York Times’ Tim Arango, Livia Albeck-Ripka, Soumya Karlamangla and Holly Secon: “Prosecutors, who have been scouring Mr. DePape’s copious online writings, say the attack was politically motivated, and that Mr. DePape intended to hold Ms. Pelosi, who is second in line of succession to the presidency, as a hostage and interrogate her.” | | | | GO INSIDE THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT: POLITICO is featuring a special edition of our “Future Pulse” newsletter at the 2022 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit from Dec. 6 to 8. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of health industry leaders and innovators solving the biggest global health issues to ensure a healthier, more resilient future for all. SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE . | | | | | | | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | | — Dems get in array on future leadership after Pelosi departs , by POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu: House Democrats are increasingly likely to elect their troika of top leaders for the next Congress without any major confrontation, ensuring a show of unity as they enter the minority. | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | A LITTLE BIRDIE SAID — “ Misinformation Threatens Twitter's Function As A Public Safety Tool ,” by NPR’s Lauren Hodges: “When the UVA shooting broke late Sunday night, people looking for more information complained that the top tweet was someone pretending to be Texas Senator Ted Cruz commenting on gun violence.” | | HOLLYWOODLAND | | ROBERT’S DISNEY REBOOT — “ In Hollywood stunner, Robert Iger returns to head Disney as Bob Chapek exits ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Meg James and Ryan Faughnder: “It’s not clear what triggered the board’s decision, but directors were said to be increasingly impatient with the company’s shaky financial performance and organizational changes Chapek made at the Mouse House, insiders said.” — “ Where To Watch Your Favorite World Cup Team Across Los Angeles ”,” by Alex Sasayama for LAist: “The FIFA World Cup is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, attracting fútbol aficionados and non-fans alike.” | | MIXTAPE | | — “ TCA chief resigns amid investigation into misconduct allegations ,” by the Orange County Register’s Tess Sheets. — “ Crowds greet delayed opening of S.F.’s Central Subway to Chinatown ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Ricardo Cano. — “ San Francisco to Host APEC Summit in 2023, Drawing Major Heads of State ,” by the San Francisco Standard’s Annie Gaus. BLOCKCHAIN LOCKDOWN — “ FTX’s downfall casts a shadow over other sports-rights deals. What’s up, Crypto.com Arena? ” by the Los Angeles Times’ Ronald D. White. — “ Large number of trails opening in Santa Cruz Mountains, thanks to conservation work ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Kurtis Alexander. | | TRANSITIONS | | — Michael Gomez Daly will be a political strategist for the progressive California Donor Table, coming over from Inland Empire United, where he was executive director. | | BIRTHDAYS | | SUNDAY: Robert Edmonson of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office … Google’s Courtney Corbisiero … Heidi Monkarsh … Amazon’s Samantha Boyd … SATURDAY: Sydney Cetner ... Hunter Sprole … Bob Hertzberg … Charlie Kaufman ... Calvin Klein 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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