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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 and Owen Tucker-Smith | THE BUZZ: California’s preeminent Republican has had a rough start to 2023. Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s speakership tribulations have captivated the political world, with the leadership standoff grinding through a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth indecisive vote Wednesday. The outcome carries enormous stakes for the House Republican caucus — and could have profound implications for a California Republican Party that has looked to McCarthy’s leadership and campaign collaboration. The Bakersfield native has spent a quarter century in the trenches of California Republican politics: a Young Republican who went on to work for Rep. Bill Thomas , then led Assembly Republicans before winning election to Congress and climbing the House hierarchy while representing the California conservative heartland of the Central Valley. As his national profile rose, so too did McCarthy’s importance to his fellow California Republicans. He’s a prolific fundraiser who worked to recruit House candidates like the batch of front-liners that protected battleground seats in 2022 — with McCarthy’s political machine pouring in resources. It’s no coincidence that McCarthy protege Jessica Millan Patterson leads the California Republican Party.
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Rep. Kevin McCarthy looks on during the second day of the House speakership election at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | That stature has looked wobbly this week. A leader with McCarthy’s national clout is even more significant for a party that has been locked out of statewide office and relegated to small minorities in the Legislature. His influence and his (related) donor-wooing prowess bear directly on California Republicans’ prospects. California’s House GOP delegation has been loyal and united behind McCarthy. Republican state lawmakers who have watched the drama unfold on television have evinced a great deal of frustration toward the conservative dissenters who have consistently denied McCarthy the gavel. We heard words like “terrorists” and “incredulous” Wednesday. (California Democrats who believe McCarthy sold his soul for former President Donald Trump have been more exultant.). However this ends, it has many California Republicans on edge. Here’s our look at how the GOP’s Washington infighting affects its California operation. BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. Did you lose power Wednesday? A titanic winter storm deluged much of California, leading Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency and putting emergency officials on high alert. The rain is expected to continue today. 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: “Let’s stop with the campaign smears and tactics to get people to turn against us, even having my favorite president call us and tell us we need to knock this off — I think it actually needs to be reversed. The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that ‘sir, you don’t have the votes, and it’s time to withdraw.” Rep. Lauren Boebert appeals to Donald Trump, on the House floor, to abandon Rep. Kevin McCarthy. BONUS QOTD: “I just think it’s a little embarrassing that it’s taking so long.” President Joe Biden on the protracted House speakership fight. TWEET OF THE DAY:
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Today's Tweet of the Day | Twitter | BONUS TWEET OF THE DAY:
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Today's Bonus Tweet of the Day | Twitter | WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
|  | Top Talkers | | THE CASH FLOW — “The foundation: Inside the LAPD’s secretive, multimillion-dollar private funding arm,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Kevin Rector and Libor Jany: “The 25-year-old Los Angeles Police Foundation enjoys regular access to top LAPD officials, working closely with them to craft fundraising campaigns and host meetings with L.A.’s mega-rich and other philanthropic and corporate donors, a Times investigation has found.” EBAY ETHICS — “Disgraced eBay exec wielded power at San Jose City Hall,” by the San Jose Spotlight’s Brian Howey and Tran Nguyen: “Boys and Girls Club Silicon Valley CEO Steve Wymer, who was fired by eBay in September 2019 for his alleged involvement in the harassment scheme, joined [San Jose Mayor Sam] Liccardo’s communications team in December that year and worked for the former mayor for at least five months, emails obtained by San José Spotlight show.” — “Massive storm lashes Northern California, killing toddler and raising dire flood dangers,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Summer Lin, Hannah Fry, Rong-Gong Lin II and Jessica Garrison: “A powerful winter storm unleashed pounding rain and strong winds across Northern California on Wednesday, leaving a small child dead, triggering evacuations and power outages, and heightening fears of widespread flooding and debris flows.”
| | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | GETTING TO THE GOAL — Legislative analyst raises doubts about California plan to meet 2030 emissions goal, by POLITICO’s Camille von Kaenel: California’s climate plan does not provide enough detail about how the state intends to meet its 2030 emission-reduction goals, the Legislative Analyst’s Office said Wednesday. — Emergency declared as powerful storm threatens floods, outages in Northern California, by POLITICO’s Wes Venteicher: A powerful storm heading toward California prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare an emergency Wednesday, with large parts of the state expected to face flooding, power outages and hazardous conditions. GETTING READY — “How LA County Prepares For Massive Rainfall — Like The Storm Hitting Us Now,” by LAist’s Mariana Dale: “Los Angeles County Public Works is the agency responsible for keeping many area roadways clear and flood-free. … LAist talked to the agency's public information officer, Steven Frasher, about how the county helps residents — and how residents can help protect themselves — during a big storm.” — “Atmospheric river poses lethal danger for homeless people. California scrambling to help,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Hannah Wiley, Jessica Garrison, Summer Lin and Ruben Vives: “Ahead of a massive storm expected to drench an already sodden state in heavy rains, officials throughout California are rushing to bring some of the tens of thousands of unhoused residents living on streets and along waterways into shelter.” REPRESENTATIVES? — “How much does the Legislature look like California?” by CalMatters’ John Osborn D’Agostino, Sameea Kamal and Ariel Gans: “The California Legislature that reconvenes today is the most diverse ever: It includes a record number of women, occupying 50 of 120 seats, with one still being contested. It also includes an all-time high of Latino legislators, as well as lawmakers who openly identify as LGBTQ. And it now includes its first Muslim and Sikh members. But how representative are legislators of California as a whole?” NOT SO GOLDEN — “Kevin McCarthy’s troubles winning the House Speaker could mean trouble for California,” by the Sacramento Bee’s David Lightman and Gillian Brassil: “California’s massive congressional clout had already been diminished when Speaker Nancy Pelosi stepped down and Democrats lost control of the House. Now comes a fresh, largely unexpected new punch: the weakened position of Kevin McCarthy.” BACK AND FORTH — “Mayor Breed Claimed SF Wasn’t Warned About Last Week’s Big Storm. The National Weather Service Says Otherwise,” by the San Francisco Standard’s Kevin V. Nguyen: “One day after Mayor London Breed accused the National Weather Service (NWS) of misleading city officials into a false sense of security ahead of a New Year’s Eve storm, the agency has shot back, claiming it gave San Francisco considerable warning—well over a week in advance, in fact.” — “Medi-Cal will keep more insurance plans after pushback,” by CalMatters’ Kristen Hwang and Ana B. Ibarra: “In a significant course change, the California Department of Health Care Services announced it has negotiated with five commercial health plans to provide Medi-Cal services in 2024, scratching a two-year-long bidding process for the coveted state contracts.” LESSONS FROM THE LEGISLATURE — “California’s past shenanigans shed light on House speaker votes,” by the Orange County Register’s Kaitlyn Schallhorn: “For those who kept an eye on the California State Legislature about 30 years ago, the kerfuffle over the U.S. House speakership might seem a tad familiar. And politicos say that legislative melee is one that holds lessons for the ongoing turmoil in Washington, D.C.” — “OC sheriff’s deputy charged with sexually assaulting 2 women inmates,” by the Orange County Register’s Sean Emery: “A 30-year-old sheriff’s deputy accused of sexually assaulting two women inmates at an Orange County jail is facing criminal charges, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said on Wednesday, Jan. 4.”
| | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | | OUCH — McCarthy’s political operation spent millions on lawmakers now opposing his speaker dreams, by POLITICO’s Madison Fernandez: “Money can buy a lot of things. The speakership of the House may not be one of them. In the 2022 election cycle alone, political groups affiliated with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) spent over $1 million supporting Republican representatives who have now voted against him for speaker, according to a review of federal campaign finance records.” — “Who is Democrat Alex Padilla? Meet California’s first Latino U.S. Senator,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Gillian Brassil: “People from Alex Padilla’s childhood neighborhood did not become political leaders. They did not become lawyers or engineers or make Oscar-winning movies. At least that’s what they thought, said Xavier A. Velazquez, who became a fast friend of Padilla in fifth grade.”
| | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | WELCOME BACK — “Elon Musk's Twitter lifts ban on political ads,” by Reuters’ Sheila Dang: “Twitter Inc will reverse its 2019 ban on political ads, the company's head of trust and safety confirmed to Reuters on Wednesday, as the Elon Musk-owned company seeks to grow revenue.” OFF THE CLOUD — “Salesforce lays off around 8,000 in one of tech’s biggest cuts in years,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Roland Li and Chase DiFeliciantonio: “Salesforce will cut around 10 percent of its nearly 80,000-person workforce in one of the biggest rounds of tech layoffs in years. The cloud computing giant, which is San Francisco’s largest private employer, also plans to close an unspecified number of offices after growing too much during the pandemic, according to a regulatory filing.” — “Black Tesla employees just came a step closer to forcing changes to end discrimination at Fremont plant,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Bob Egelko: “Minority workers who have long accused Tesla of both tolerating and promoting racial discrimination at its Fremont plant gained legal ground Wednesday when a state appeals court ruled that they could seek an injunction requiring the electric car manufacturer to acknowledge a climate of discrimination and take actions to end it.”
| | MIXTAPE | | THE VERDICT — “Rick Singer, head of the college admissions bribery scandal, gets 42 months in prison,” by NPR’s Tovia Smith and Jaclyn Diaz. — “California’s aging levees are being pushed to the breaking point by climate whiplash,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Hayley Smith, Louis Sahagún and Jessica Garrison. PINEAPPLE WHAT? — “What is a Pineapple Express? California’s wild weather explained,” by The Washington Post’s Kelsey Ables and Matthew Cappucci. — “Floods show California’s climate dilemma: Fight the water, or pull back?” by The New York Times’ Christopher Flavelle and Raymond Zhong. — “Timeline: When will California storms hit hardest and how long will they last?” by the Los Angeles Times’ Grace Toohey, Nathan Solis and Hayley Smith.
| | Transitions | | — Bob Holste is now chief of staff for Rep.-elect Kevin Kiley. He was senior director of government relations at the Pew Charitable Trusts, and is a Phil English alum.
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