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Presented by Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment: Jeremy B. White and Lara Korte’s must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State | | | | |  | | By Lara Korte, Jeremy B. White, Ramon Castanos and Matthew Brown | Presented by Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment | THE BUZZ: PART THE CLOUDS — California’s gruesome parade of storms will finally come to an end this week, leaving in its wake 19 deaths, 24 trillion gallons of rain, and an estimated $1 billion in damages. The severe weather has had residents on high alert all month and occupied much of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s schedule, with visits to storm-ravaged areas interjected between his second inauguration and January budget presentation. The sheer relentlessness of the wind and rain has left Californians struggling to catch their breath and underscored just how punishing Mother Nature can be — especially in the era of climate change. The governor surveyed damage in Santa Barbara and Merced over the weekend, thanking first responders and vowing to support recovery efforts with state and federal resources. President Joe Biden on Saturday gave California a major disaster declaration, less than a week after an initial emergency declaration that authorized FEMA to coordinate disaster response in the state. The president, by the way, announced Monday night he’ll be visiting the Central Coast this week. The ninth — and final — atmospheric river is moving through the state now. Standing in a Merced shelter on Saturday, Newsom noted the rapid succession of storms is something “we’ve not experienced in our lifetimes.” It’s especially shocking given the recent drought. It was only last month that Southern California water officials expanded a drought emergency to 19 million people. The weather whiplash has renewed a conversation about how California captures water when it’s available, as POLITICO’s Camille von Kaenel reports today. To many, the storms highlight the need for changes to the vast system to capture rain and snow in the wetter northern part of the state and transfer it to the farms of the Central Valley and the cities of Southern California. A longtime concern for Republicans and farmers, additional water storage has become increasingly embraced by Democrats, including Newsom, who has also called for speeding up permitting for new water storage and flood reduction projects. In the meantime, disaster recovery efforts continue. The governor on Monday signed an executive order bolstering emergency response. BUENOS DÍAS, good Tuesday morning. With the storms moving out, new Senate hopefuls could be moving in. After Rep. Katie Porter launched her bid for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat last week — and is scheduled to host her first campaign event tonight in the Bay Area — we’re keeping an eye out for more campaign news from other rumored candidates. Stay tuned, and, as always, if you see something, say something (to us). 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.
| | | | A message from Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment: Californians are being ripped off by Big Oil at the gas pump. A price gouging penalty — or windfall profits cap — is sorely needed to protect Californians from greedy polluters. California already imposes a cap on profits for energy utilities that sell methane gas and electricity. We can cap profits on gasoline that protects consumers while ensuring reliable supplies. Governor Newsom and the California legislature must hold Big Oil accountable and pass a price gouging penalty. Learn more. | | |
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “These storms are amongst the most deadly natural disasters in the modern history of our state." California Office of Emergency Services Director Nancy Ward on Friday.
TWEET OF THE DAY: | 
Twitter | WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | |  | TOP TALKERS | | — “A canoe, a rope and a swimmer: Rescuing Californians stranded by recent violent storms,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Brittny Mejia: “In summer and fall — and increasingly year round — firefighters battle the wildfires that plague this drought-stricken state. When winter and spring are as wet as California is now, they post up against deluges. Either way, they’re in a fight against nature.” — “In California, a drought turned to floods. Forecasters didn’t see it coming,” by The Washington Post’s Dan Stillman and Diana Leonard: “The stark contrast between the staggering amount of precipitation in recent weeks and the CPC’s seasonal precipitation outlook issued before the winter, which leaned toward below-normal precipitation for at least half of California, has water managers lamenting the unreliability of seasonal forecasts.” — “Column: MLK had a dream about ending police brutality. In L.A., we're clearly still dreaming,” opines Erika Smith for the Los Angeles Times: “Despite decades of protests and agreed-upon reforms, the three men who died this month after their encounters with the LAPD were each in the midst of a mental health crisis. For whatever unacceptable reasons, none of the officers requested mental health workers to help de-escalate the situations.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | NOT SO FAST — A Sacramento judge on Friday ordered state officials to halt the implementation of Assembly Bill 257, also known as the FAST Act, until the Secretary of State’s Office determines a referendum effort has enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. Opponents have submitted more than 1 million signatures, and need roughly 623,000 to qualify. If the state determines they have enough valid signatures, the pause will extend until voters can decide at the next general election. — “Barbara Lee has far less money than other California Senate candidates. Here’s why you shouldn’t count her out,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Joe Garofoli: “Lee, who has represented the East Bay since 1990 in the Legislature and in the House, has $54,940. Or enough to cover Los Angeles in yard signs. Or maybe just half of it. That gap was an eye-opener for anyone who would like to see a Black woman in the Senate. Right now there are none.”
| | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | MISTER MAYOR — “A conversation with Sam Liccardo, who led San Jose for eight years,” by The New York Times’ Soumya Karlamangla: “Liccardo, 52, is also a former city councilman and led the Bay Area city for eight years — through a pandemic, a mass shooting, a homelessness crisis, a horrific flood and more. Just before Liccardo left office, I spoke to him about the city’s housing shortage, his proudest moments and what’s next for him.” — “On a poverty tour of California, an adviser to the governor chronicles agony, anger and hope,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Mackenzie Mays: “Tubbs, 32, is revered as a national expert on guaranteed income programs for the poor. Raised by a single mother, he grew up in a low-income household in Stockton, once the largest U.S. city to declare bankruptcy, a place often judged for high crime and low literacy rates. So what does he have to learn about poverty? It turns out, a lot.” — “'There's never enough.' Surge in need for shelter, housing overwhelms Bay Area providers,” by The Mercury News’ Marisa Kendall: “Pleas from people who were homeless or struggling to keep their housing spiked last year, according to new data from the Bay Area’s helplines — reaching a four-year high that highlights just how desperate the region’s affordable housing crisis has become.” — “UC Health doctors want stronger protections in contracts with faith-based hospitals,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Annie Sciacca: “As the University of California’s health system renews contracts with hundreds of outside hospitals and clinics — many with religious affiliations — some of its doctors and faculty want stronger language to ensure that physicians can perform the treatments they deem appropriate, including abortions for women or hysterectomies for transgender patients.” — “Californians' patience on homelessness wears thin,” opines Dan Walters for CalMatters: “Last week, a viral video showed the owner of a San Francisco art gallery using a water hose to spray a homeless woman camped outside the doorway of his business ... the incident dramatized the frustration that millions of Californians feel about the squalid encampments of homeless people that have become the defining feature of urban California.” — “She failed to save her daughter from fentanyl's grip. A year later, her daughter and S.F. remain stuck,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Heather Knight: “Jessica’s day-to-day life on the edge — exposed not only in this column but in frequent videos posted to Twitter by business owner Adam Mesnick, who has sought to help her — exemplifies so many of the city’s problems and tensions.”
| | | | A message from Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment:   | | | | | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | | — Katie Porter and the ‘bad boss’ problem, by POLITICO’s Katelyn Fossett: With a Senate bid, Porter, a former law student of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and a fast-rising progressive star, can expect more media attention — and she can expect to see some criticisms resurface with more strength, too.
| | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | — “Big tech companies prep for a tough year,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Sam Schechner: “A newly humbled cadre of globe-spanning tech giants are about to see their resilience tested.”
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE 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. 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. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | MIXTAPE | | — ”Bottlenose dolphins have migrated to the Bay Area for the first time, adapting to the changing environment,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Tara Duggan. — “S.F. barman enters burning building, saves 2 lives before firefighters arrive,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Nanette Asimov. “BIG TENT” MENTALITY — “The circus came to t own — and bought the place,” The Wall Street Journal’s Kirsten Grind. — “George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers is one of many residents without power,” by The New York Times’ Kris Rhim. — “$5M for each longtime Black resident? S.F. has a bold reparations plan to consider,” by Justin Phillips for the San Francisco Chronicle.
| | TRANSITIONS | | — Left Hook will be the media consultants for Rep. Barbara Lee’s Senate race. — L.A.-based Bryson Gillette is adding staff in California: Former L.A. County Board of Education President Alex Johnson will be a vice president, former California Pan-Ethnic Health Network comms person Monika Lee is coming on as a senior manager, and education advocate Michael Ocon will be a director. — Patrick Harbison will be a partner in Lighthouse Public Affairs’ Sacramento office, coming over from his own PR shop. — Take Back the Court Founder and President Aaron Belkin is stepping into retirement. Executive Director Sarah Lipton-Lubet, will take over as president.
| | | | A message from Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment: Californians are being ripped off by Big Oil at the gas pump. Last year, when Californians paid $6 a gallon for gas, $3 more than the national average, oil companies reported record high profits. A price gouging penalty — or windfall profits cap — is sorely needed to protect Californians from greedy polluters raising gasoline prices in the future. Under this type of regulation, oil refineries can still make profits but within reason so it doesn’t hurt consumers, especially low income and communities of color. Oil refineries should be limited in how much profit they can make to ensure Californians are protected from abnormally high gasoline prices. California can cap profits on gasoline that protects consumers while ensuring reliable supplies. Governor Newsom and the California legislature must hold Big Oil accountable and pass a price gouging penalty. Learn more. | | | 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. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
