It’s Porter v. Lee … for now

From: POLITICO California Playbook - Thursday Jan 12,2023 02:11 pm

Jan 12, 2023

THE BUZZ: STARTER PISTOL —The shadow race to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein has officially moved into the spotlight.

The election is nearly 20 months away and Feinstein’s seat isn’t even vacant yet. But conversations about which Californian will replace the senior senator, who will be 91 if reelected in 2024, have been quietly percolating for months. With dual announcements from two heavyweight Democrats this week, it’s clear California is in for a lively senatorial election.

Rep. Katie Porter was the first of the speculative candidates out of the blocks on Tuesday — launching a campaign that touted the third-term congresswoman as an anti-special interest “warrior” who's looking to bring accountability back to the upper chamber.

But Rep. Barbara Lee was not far behind. On Wednesday, she told fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus of her intentions to run for Feinstein’s seat, as POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu first reported. She’s not formally launching yet, she said, noting her focus on the severe storms battering California.

The biggest question now is when Feinstein will announce her plans. Potential successors have been careful to show deference to the long-serving Democratic senator, even in light of recent concerns about her mental acuity. Per Nicholas’ reporting, Lee spoke to Feinstein and Gov. Gavin Newsom last month about her plans. And as Jeremy reported in December, Rep. Adam Schiff has also informed Feinstein of his intentions. Porter told the Los Angeles Times she, too, spoke with the senator before announcing. Progressive Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna has also been fielding entreaties to jump into the race and has said he will decide in the coming months.

As of Wednesday, Feinstein remained noncommittal.

Porter has spent the last four years in Congress gaining widespread attention for her acerbic questioning of corporate executives using a white board and was able to defeat a Republican challenger this past cycle in her closely contested Orange County race. Her formidable fundraising ability is likely to serve her well in a Senate bid; she reported collecting $1.3 million in the 24 hours since she announced.

Lee has spent decades as a progressive firebrand in Washington and was the lone member of Congress to vote against authorizing war after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. She is widely celebrated in her Oakland-centered district and was already considered to top the shortlist of Feinstein replacements if the senator retired early and Newsom had to name a successor. Her Bay Area roots could be an asset against southern Californians like Porter and Schiff and help counteract their fundraising might.

Then, there’s the domino effect: With Porter, Lee and (likely) Schiff gunning for the Senate seat that could mean three high profile House races in districts with plenty of ambitious Democrats.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. Severe weather is expected to take a brief reprieve before picking back up again next week. California’s confirmed death count from the storms is now at 19.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: California Playbook will not publish on Monday, Jan. 16, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We’ll be back to our normal schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up at jwhite@politico.com and lkorte@politico.com or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte.

FOR OUR PRO S:Today at 10 a.m. PT, join Lara Korte, Wes Venteicher and Jeremy B. White for a discussion on the biggest California stories of the year — from the budget deficit to climate change to a Senate showdown. POLITICO Pro s can register here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I have grave concerns about the deeply disturbing tapes that were released today.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass following the LAPD’s release of body cam footage from three officer-involved shootings this year. Bass has pledged full investigations into the deaths of Takar Smith, Keenan Anderson and Oscar Sanchez.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

Twitter

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

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TOP TALKERS

— “California parents describe horror of losing 5-year-old son swept away by floodwaters,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Summer Lin: “‘I just want parents to give their own children an extra squeeze,’ Lindsy Doan said. ‘We missed that opportunity with Kyle.’”

RISING FROM THE ASHES? — “R.J. Reynolds pivots to new cigarette pitches as flavor ban takes effect,” by The New York Times’ Christina Jewett and Emily Baumgaertner: “The campaign is viewed by critics as a provocation of California authorities who are supposed to enforce the ban, which includes a provision outlawing packaging or claims that suggest a product has a flavor.”

— “Head of NYC supervised drug consumption sites challenges S.F. to open them: ‘Do what you know is right’,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mallory Moench: “Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a law that would have allowed pilot programs in three cities, including San Francisco, citing vague ‘unintended consequences,’ but critics said he bowed to political pressure. [San Francisco Mayor London] Breed faced similar criticism when she pulled back last year from the sites.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

ROUDA UP — The race to claim Porter’s Orange County House seat is quickly coalescing. Former Democratic Rep. Harley Rouda said Wednesday he’s running in CA-47, joining former Republican Assemblyman Scott Baugh. After losing his House seat to Rep. Michelle Steel in 2020, Rouda explored a 2022 run but bowed out after redistricting scrambled his potential constituency and led him to direct some barbs at Porter.

As for Lee's and (quite likely) Schiff’s seats — stay tuned. We’re already hearing potential contenders for the two solid-blue districts, in the Legislature and beyond.

RNC RUMBLE — Whisper campaign about RNC chair candidate’s Sikh faith roils campaign, by POLITICO’s Natalie Allison: As Harmeet Dhillon seeks the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, opponents have begun raising concerns about her Sikh faith — a development that has left some members of the committee unsettled.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

OC INCUBATOR — “From Nixon to Porter, Orange County has given America colorful politicians,” opines Teri Sforza for The Orange County Register: “While Orange County has given the nation a colorful cast of political characters, Katie Porter’s recent bit of political theater stands out.”

A FAMILIAR FIGHT — “It's on: Gavin Newsom, Republican lawmakers in D.C. launch a verbal slugfest,” by The Sacramento Bee’s David Lightman and Jenavieve Hatch: “‘I will continue to do everything I can to expose Newsom’s failures, using all the new tools at my disposal to hold him accountable. Our movement for sanity in California will continue to grow,’ [Rep. Kevin] Kiley wrote.”

— “Amid heavy rain, Bass takes on a huge, long-standing homeless encampment in Venice,” by the Los Angels Times’ David Zahniser and Genaro Molina: “Bass said she picked the Venice encampment because it has been a source of not only great human suffering, but also anger in the surrounding neighborhood. After a year of campaigning, she concluded that Angelenos will not view her initiative as a success until their communities are free of encampments.”

— “Natural-gas prices have fallen back to earth — except in California,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Ryan Dezember: “Spot natural-gas prices in southern California have this month averaged about $19.40 per million British thermal units. That is roughly five times the U.S. benchmark.”

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

— “White House: Jill Biden has two cancerous lesions removed,” by The Associated Press’ Darlene Superville: “Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer, but also the most curable form. It’s considered highly treatable, especially when caught early.”

SILICON VALLEYLAND

UH OH — “Are tech layoffs a sign of looming Bay Area recession? Here's what experts say,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Chase DiFeliciantonio: “The classic indicators of a severe economic storm are job numbers turning negative while unemployment rates spike. But that isn’t happening, at least not yet, on the local, state or national level, said Stephen Levy, the director and senior economist at the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy.”

CATFISHED — “Laid-off workers are flooded with fake job offers,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Imani Moise: “These schemes—which often involve fictitious job listings, interviews with fake recruiters and sham onboarding processes to steal job seekers’ money or identities—proliferated during the pandemic alongside virtual hiring and remote work, according to Federal Trade Commission data.”

DON’T @ US — “Twitter said to consider selling user names to boost revenue,” by The New York Times’ Ryan Mac and Kate Conger: “Engineers have discussed running online auctions where people can bid for the user names, which are the words, numbers or string of characters that follow the @ sign by which accounts are identified on the platform.”

MIXTAPE

— “Maps and charts of California storms show impacts of rainfall, floods,” by The Washington Post’s Dan Stillman.

— “New LAPD policy lowers off-duty drinking limit,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Libor Jany.

— “Kevin Costner misses Golden Globes due to California storms,” by KTLA’s Christine Samra.

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