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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: With the election finally behind us, now the policymaking begins — and lawmakers have plenty of ideas. Barely 24 hours into the new legislative session, dozens of bills have emerged. Many deal with pressing issues like housing, guns, criminal justice and the economy. Some would revisit recurring fights. This is but a prelude of the hundreds of bills that are coming — but here’s a sample of what we are watching so far: — HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS: A shortage of affordable homes and the ubiquity of people living on the street remain urgent issues for California. Sen. Scott Wiener and allies are again attempting to expedite building on religious and higher education land, a concept that has been attempted and failed in past sessions. Newly selected Senate Republican leader Brian Jones hopes to ban encampments near schools and other sensitive sites — a policy that Democrat-led cities have enacted to contend with homelessness in public spaces. Another bill by Assemblymember Matt Haney would prohibit landlords from collecting security deposits greater than the cost of one month’s rent . | 
Republican State Sen. Brian Jones listens to the discussion about a bill during the Senate session at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, March 15, 2022. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo |
— POLITICAL POWER: Los Angeles’ redistricting process came under heavy scrutiny following the leak of a recording in which Los Angeles City Council members used racist language as they discussed carving up the contours of power. Now L.A. Democrats have a bill to create an independent panel, like the one used by the state. A separate bill would create an independent redistricting commission for Orange County.
— GUN VIOLENCE: A pair of gun proposals are back after failing last session. One would impose an excise tax on firearm and ammunition sales; another would modify California’s concealed carry permitting system in response to a Supreme Court ruling upending restrictive state laws. Bills containing those respective proposals stalled last year for want of two-thirds votes. — LABOR GAINS: Staffer-turned-Assembly member Tina McKinnor is picking up the baton on allowing legislative employees to unionize. Last year’s effort cleared the Senate floor but died in Assembly committee. Neither that committee’s former chair, now-Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper, nor union skeptic Ken Cooley are now serving in the Legislature. — CLIMATE AND THE ECONOMY: Gov. Gavin Newsom ’s oil profits penalty has commanded most of the attention so far ( another special session bill would limit refinery maintenance). Legislators could also vote on legislation to accelerate climate targets . In the broader spheres of taxes and finance, lawmakers are also pushing to exempt student loan forgiveness from taxes and to regulate cryptocurrency after Newsom vetoed last year’s crypto bill. BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. We’re also on the cusp of budget season. Assembly budget chair Phil Ting is unveiling his blueprint this morning — the first concrete proposal in a fiscal cycle that could be shadowed by a significant revenue shortfall . PERSONNEL NOTE: We are thrilled this week to welcome Wes Venteicher to POLITICO’s California bureau, where he’ll cover all things energy and climate. Wes joins the team after a distinguished four years covering state workers for the Sacramento Bee. Drop him a line at wventeicher@politico.com or follow him on Twitter @wesventeicher QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The extreme homophobic and transphobic rhetoric that has escalated on social media and right wing media outlets has real world impacts. It leads to harassment, stalking, threats, and violence against our community. People are dying as a result. Responsible political leaders on the right must call it out and stop tolerating it.” Sen. Scott Wiener on receiving a bomb threat after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and pundit Charlie Kirk accused him of causing harm to children. TWEET OF THE DAY
|  Today's Tweet of the Day. | Twitter | BONUS TOTD |  Bonus Tweet of the Day | Twitter |
WHERE’S GAVIN? Joining Oregon Governor Kate Brown, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and tribal leaders along the Klamath River, talking about the nation’s largest river restoration project.
| | | | 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 | | — “ Sen. Scott Wiener Blames Charlie Kirk Tweets for Bomb Threat ,” by the San Francisco Standard’s Sarah Wright and Sophie Bearman: “The email was sent by a person using the name Zamina Tataro, the email said that they placed bombs at Wiener’s San Francisco home and threatened to shoot up his Sacramento office ‘in 20 minutes, I am willing to die.’” AND THE WINNER IS — “ Cesar Zepeda Wins Richmond City Council Race After Name Is Drawn From Red Shopping Bag ,” by KQED’s Matthew Green and Katherine Monahan: “The unusual process, which was livestreamed but not open to the public or the press, was conducted to break a tie between Zepeda and his opponent, Andrew Butt, who received the exact same number of votes last month in their bid for the seat.” — “ Controversial plan that could replace longtime S.F. elections chief blocked by Mayor Breed and supervisors ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mallory Moench: “Controversy erupted in mid-November when the Elections Commission voted to launch an executive search for the position, citing a need for greater racial diversity in City Hall leadership. The decision sparked a firestorm, putting the city on the defensive from critics who said officials were prioritizing ideology over competence.” | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | — “ Smittcamp Interview: Why She Dropped Esparza Case ,” by GVWire’s David Taub: “Until [Fresno City Council President Nelson] Esparza read his statement, prosecutors did not know his side of the story, [Fresno County District Attorney Lisa] Smittcamp said.” RACE TO RECALL — “ Recall effort against L.A. Councilman Kevin de León is cleared to gather signatures ,” by the City News Service: “To qualify for the ballot, organizers must collect 20,437 signatures from registered voters of the 14th Council District by March 31, according to the city clerk’s office.” LIVING IN THE FUTURE — “ Amid outcry, San Francisco pauses on ‘killer police robots’ ,” by the Associated Press: “The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to explicitly ban the use of robots in such a fashion for now. But they sent the issue back to a committee for further discussion and could vote in the future to let police use robots in a lethal manner in limited cases.” HOUSING PRAYERS — “ Building homes in ‘God’s backyard’: New bill would permit housing at California’s churches, mosques and synagogues ,” by the Mercury News’ Marisa Kendall: “As the housing shortage continues to price people out of the overpriced market, Bay Area places of worship have shown growing interest in converting unused property — such as parking lots they don’t need — into homes.” PANDEMIC PLANNING — “ L.A. County facing a full-blown coronavirus surge as cases double, deaths rise ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Luke Money and Rong-Gong Lin II: “Also on the rise is the number of coronavirus-positive patients being cared for in hospitals, sparking concerns about renewed stress on the region’s healthcare system and raising the specter of an indoor public mask mandate if the trends continue, possibly shortly after New Year’s Day.” PANDEMIC PANICKING — “ COVID levels are ‘skyrocketing’ in Bay Area wastewater. Is the surge here? ” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Aidin Vaziri: “On a chart illustrating the concentration of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in four South Bay sewer sheds, [Santa Clara County health officer Dr. Sara] Cody noted that the lines tracking the most recent levels were heading ‘straight up.’” BLOWN AWAY — “ First-ever California offshore wind auction nets $402 million — so far ,” by CalMatters’ Nadia Lopez: “Several dozen companies are competing for leases to build massive floating wind farms in deep ocean waters off Morro Bay and Humboldt County. The auction is the first major step toward producing offshore wind energy off the West Coast.” — “ Attorney General asks California Supreme Court to restore worker protection law rolled back by SCOTUS ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Bob Egelko: “[Attorney General Rob] Bonta and labor advocates are seeking to reinstate employees’ right under the 2004 law to represent the state and seek penalties against employers that violate legal standards for minimum wages, overtime, meal and rest breaks and other workplace mandates.” | | | | POLITICO AT CES 2023 : We are bringing a special edition of our Digital Future Daily newsletter to Las Vegas to cover CES 2023. The newsletter will take you inside the largest and most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the event. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of CES 2023. | | | | | | | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | | — McCarthy or bust? House GOP stuck in ‘burning building’ over speaker's gavel , by POLITICO’s Olivia Beavers and Jordain Carney: The pro-McCarthy camp is privately at odds over how potent a threat they will face on Jan. 3, when the full House meets to elect a speaker — and when dissenters are vowing to deny the California Republican the votes he’ll need. MCCARTHY’S BIGG PROBLEM — “ REP. ANDY BIGGS: I’m Running To Replace Kevin McCarthy As House Speaker And Break The Establishment ,” by Rep. Andy Biggs for the Daily Caller: “We actually have the opportunity to dislodge the establishment and reinvigorate the America First movement that was founded by former President Donald Trump. Yes, that Donald Trump.” — Doug Emhoff emerges as the face of Biden’s fight against antisemitism , by POLITICO’s Eugene Daniels and Sam Stein: The issue had long concerned him. And in private conversations with other Jewish figures, he’d conveyed a desire to do something more forceful about it. | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | — “ S.F. officials investigating allegedly illegal bedrooms at Twitter HQ, as Elon Musk criticizes Mayor Breed ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Roland Li: “Twitter owner Elon Musk appeared to confirm that the company had installed beds and criticized Mayor London Breed for scrutinizing the company rather than focusing on the city’s drug crisis.” | | MIXTAPE | | LESSONS PLANNING — “ L.A. teachers union seeks 20% raise, saying educators are stressed out and priced out ,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Howard Blume. — “ Warriors’ Stephen Curry is Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year ,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s C.J. Holmes. — “ Intel plans mass layoffs, including at its Folsom campus. How many jobs will be cut? ” by the Sacramento Bee’s Michael McGough and Alex Muegge. — “ Bay Area's 3 best-compensated CEOs made a combined $444 million in 2021 ,” by SFGate’s Alex Shultz. NAVIGATING… “ San Francisco Plans 12 New Drug Consumption Sites Despite Legal Hurdles ,” by the San Francisco Standard’s David Sjostedt. WITHOUT THE CENTER — “ ‘There’s going to be bodies everywhere’: Why S.F.’s streets are about to get even grimmer ,” opines the San Francisco Chronicle’s Nuala Bishari. | | TRANSITIONS | | REVOLVING DOOR — Former Assembly member Chad Mayes is joining powerhouse lobbying firm Capitol Advocacy as a partner. — Alumni of Lighthouse Public Affairs are launching a new SF-based communications and political advocacy firm called Progress Public Affairs. Juliana Bunim, Jason Overman, Alex Clemens, Will Reisman, Anne Flanigan and Alexis Travis will be partners and Warren Logan a principal adviser. | | BIRTHDAYS | | Suhail Khan … Kate Tummarello 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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