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Presented by Southern California Edison: 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 Southern California Edison | THE BUZZ: It happened again. This time, it was in Monterey Park. Thousands were out and about celebrating the start of Lunar New Year festivities Saturday night when a gunman opened fire in a dance hall, leaving 10 people dead and 10 more injured. Witnesses described a scene of chaos and anguish on a night that was supposed to be filled with joy for the city’s large Asian-American population. The lone suspect was located by authorities on Sunday in Torrance before he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound outside a strip mall. The motive remains a mystery. The pain is still fresh, but the aftermath is chillingly familiar. This was the fifth American mass shooting in 2023, and the deadliest since the Uvalde elementary school massacre in May. Condolences, pain, and outrage poured in from around the country and the state, but underscoring it all was an unsettling reality — that the threat of gun violence is persistent even in a state with some of the tightest firearms restrictions in the nation. If this incident is anything like the dozens of other mass shootings that happen every year, we can expect calls for more legislation and measures restricting guns in the coming weeks. California has historically been on the forefront of those efforts, but even the strongest of political wills are not insulated from the chilling effects of the judicial system, and lawmakers here have called for more federal protections as a backstop. Gov. Gavin Newsom spent Sunday in Monterey Park with leaders and victims. "No other country in the world is terrorized by this constant stream of gun violence," he tweeted. "We need real gun reform at a national level." The conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court has already undercut some long standing protections thanks to its expansive interpretation of the Second Amendment. A landmark decision last June nullified one of California's concealed carry requirements. The state’s decades-old assault weapons ban and its ammunition restrictions are also winding through respective legal challenges in the court system. Gun violence has been a frequent hammering point for Newsom on the national stage. Last year, in the wake of Texas’ controversial abortion bounty law, the California governor championed a bill allowing private citizens to sue illegal gun manufacturers. Federal Judge Roger Benitez struck down that law last month, setting up a potential clash at the Supreme Court — which is what Newsom is hoping for. Unperturbed, California Democrats this year are retrying two notable gun violence bills that failed in the Legislature last year. State Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-Glendale) is once again proposing a bill modifying California’s concealed carry permitting system in response to last year’s Supreme Court decision. In the Assembly, Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills) is reupping a bill to impose new excise taxes on the sale of guns and ammunition. In the meantime, members of the California Asian American and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus will host a vigil on the west steps of the state Capitol today at 2:30 p.m.. Caucus Chair Evan Low: “Our community once again faces another tragic incident of gun violence that continues to escalate during these times.” BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. Abortion rights activists are gathering at the Capitol this morning at 10 a.m. to observe the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California President and CEO Jodi Hicks will be there to unveil a traveling, interactive art installation along with members of the Legislative Women’s Caucus and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. 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: “I could say we did this together. We really did. And when there’s tragedy, we have to lean on each other, and that’s what we did.” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna Sunday evening after identifying the shooting suspect as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran. BONUS QOTD: “All of us in this room and in our country understand this violence must stop.” Vice President Kamala Harris addressing the tragedy in her home state. TWEET OF THE DAY:
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Twitter | WHERE’S GAVIN? In Monterey Park.
| | | | JOIN POLITICO ON 2/9 TO HEAR FROM AMERICA’S GOVERNORS: In a divided Congress, more legislative and policy enforcement will shift to the states, meaning governors will take a leading role in setting the agenda for the nation. Join POLITICO on Thursday, Feb. 9 at World Wide Technology's D.C. Innovation Center for The Fifty: America's Governors, where we will examine where innovations are taking shape and new regulatory red lines, the future of reproductive health, and how climate change is being addressed across a series of one-on-one interviews. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | TOP TALKERS | | — “‘My heart is broken’: Lawmakers swiftly respond to Monterey Park mass shooting,” by Ryan Carter and Kaitlyn Schallhorn in The Orange County Register: “‘This shooting in my hometown of Monterey Park has torn a hole through all of our hearts. My thoughts and condolences go to the victims of this horrific crime, and to their families and loved ones who woke up this morning to the worst news imaginable,’ said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, whose district includes the city.” — “A powerful nonprofit owns apartments for poor tenants. Why are some tenants trapped in their rooms?,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Liam Dillon, Benjamin Oreskes, and Doug Smith: “In recent years, the L.A. nonprofit has become one of the biggest funders of pro-tenant causes in the country, pouring tens of millions of dollars into political campaigns to expand rent control in California and organizing renters against eviction and exploitation by landlords.” BOOKMARKED— “‘We’re talking about one term’: How Barbara Lee plans to tackle the age question in California Senate race,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Joe Garofoli: “Lee will be a transitional candidate, a person close to Lee’s Senate campaign told me. They asked not to be identified so they could speak freely about the campaign. The newspaper agreed to do so under its policy on confidential sources.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — ROUDA ENDORSEMENTS: Former Democratic Rep. Harley Rouda is announcing endorsements from three of his former colleagues as he seeks to return to Congress by claiming the seat Rep. Katie Porter is giving up. California Rep. John Garamendi and Reps. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Dean Phillips of Minnesota are backing Rouda to keep the frontline CA-47 blue.
| | | | A message from Southern California Edison: We believe everyone should have the right to breathe clean air. That’s why we’re leading the charge for more clean, renewable energy. We’re a national leader in battery storage and delivering solar energy to our customers. We’re working to cut emissions from buildings and freeways. And we proudly support the growth of green jobs. | | | | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | ARAMBULA GOES FOR IT — Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) has launched an Assembly speakership bid. Multiple lawmakers told POLITICO on Friday that he sought their support last week for the speakership, and Arambula himself said in a brief interview that he was "considering it." He said he had been approached about the role, but wouldn't say by whom. His effort seems to have faltered for now, but doing so highlights the fragility of a deal to have Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) succeed outgoing Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood.) The Rivas camp maintains the resolution passed in November is final and binding. As Rivas representative Steve Maviglio put it: “Game over.” — “Voters turn sharply against Kevin de León, favor recall, poll finds,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Rachel Uranga and Melissa Gomez: “De León has pleaded for forgiveness for his words and argues he does a good job representing his constituents, many of whom are undocumented and Spanish-speaking.” — “Dueling rallies on abortion highlight tensions on Roe v. Wade’s 50th anniversary,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Rachel Swan: “The 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade prompted a tense standoff at San Francisco’s Civic Center on Saturday afternoon, as demonstrators on both sides of the abortion debate attempted to shout over one another, separated by a phalanx of police officers.” — “Environmental rules stoke anger as California lets precious stormwater wash out to sea,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Haley Smith: “In a series of strongly worded letters, nearly a dozen legislators — many from drought-starved agriculture regions of the Central Valley —have implored state and federal officials to relax environmental pumping restrictions that are limiting the amount of water captured from the delta.” — “After Madera's hospital closure, could others follow?” by CalMatters’ Ana B. Ibarra and Nicole Foy: “But years of financial struggles forced 106-bed Madera Community Hospital and its three clinics to shut down completely in early January. And state lawmakers and industry officials warn it could be only the first community hospital to close in California.” — “LAPD ban of 'thin blue line' flags is latest salvo in culture war,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Libor Jany: “The tension between those irreconcilable interpretations spilled over in the Los Angeles Police Department this month, when Chief Michel Moore ordered the flag, which was widely displayed in station lobbies around the city, to be removed from public view.” — “How the Goshen massacre in California shocked the country,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Ruben Vives, Rachel Uranga, Robert J. Lopez, Jessica Garrison and Genaro Molina: “Little-known rural enclaves such as Goshen — which many Californians glimpse from the window of car speeding between Los Angeles and Yosemite or Sacramento or Lake Tahoe — have become coveted transit points for methamphetamine, fentanyl and other drugs.” — “Oakland mayor says no decision made yet on police chief’s future,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Danielle Echeverria and Sarah Ravani: “Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao affirmed Saturday that an investigation is under way into Police Chief LaRonne Armstrong, two days after she placed him on paid administrative leave following a report released Wednesday that found the police department mishandled two misconduct cases.”
| | | | A message from Southern California Edison:   | | | | | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | | — “Karen Bass and Kevin McCarthy are old political pals. Does that mean anything anymore?,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Melanie Mason and Benjamin Oreskes: “It’s hard to imagine in these times of bitter partisan antagonism, but the top House Republican and the Democratic mayor of Los Angeles are friends. Not in the Washington sense, where “my friend” borders on insult, but a genuine affinity that has spanned two decades and both coasts.” — “Nancy Pelosi, liberated and loving it,” opines Maureen Dowd in The New York Times. “‘I was a woman of great power, and now I’ll be a woman of great influence,’ she said. ‘Whatever that happens to be.’”
| | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | — “How Apple has so far avoided layoffs: Lean hiring, no free lunches,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Aaron Tilley: “The iPhone maker has been better positioned than many rivals to date in part because it added employees at a much slower clip than those companies during the pandemic.”
| | MEDIA MATTERS | | —“The San Francisco Inquirer looks like local news. Here's why politicians are furious with the site,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Shira Stein: “The lawmakers expressed frustration over the Inquirer articles, particularly those directing criticism at Lofgren and those that they said misrepresented her positions. Nijmeh told lawmakers the posts about Lofgren were not attacks, but represented advocates seeking justice.”
| | | | 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 | | — “A 100-foot tree smashed a Sacramento family's home. How will they pay for the damage?” by The Sacramento Bee’s Maya Miller. WRITTEN IN THE STARS — “Astronaut Buzz Aldrin marries longtime love on 93rd birthday,” via The Associated Press. — “22-year-old college senior missing after ‘polar plunge’ in California,” by CBS News’ Cara Tabachnick.
| | BIRTHDAYS | | Antonio Villaraigosa … former Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) … Instagram’s Adam Mosseri (Was Sunday): Alan J. Heeger … (Was Saturday): Los Angeles Times’ Jen Haberkorn … Becca Glover … Jack Weiss ... Cindi Leive
| | | | A message from Southern California Edison: This is a time of great change and uncertainty. But what remains constant is our commitment to building a clean energy future for everyone. That’s why SCE is standing with California, leading the charge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve local air quality and support continued economic growth. We’re a national leader in battery storage and delivering solar energy to our customers. We’re working to cut emissions from buildings and freeways. And we proudly support the fastest the growth of green jobs. We’re more than 13,000 employees serving 15 million Californians. When we work together, we can move full speed ahead into a clean energy future. | | | 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 | | | | |  |
