Another California Republican makes her move

From: POLITICO California Playbook - Thursday Jan 26,2023 02:12 pm

Jan 26, 2023

By Lara Korte, Jeremy B. White, Matthew Brown and Ramon Castanos

Presented by Southern California Edison

THE BUZZ: If there’s something that Elon Musk did right with Twitter, Harmeet Dhillon says, it’s that he cleaned house of everyone who wasn’t down with the agenda of “WINNING.”

The bombastic and litigious Dhillon, who has spent the last few years fighting Covid restrictions and the results of the 2020 election in court, is making her pitch to members of the Republican National Committee this week as they gather in Dana Point to choose the next leader. Her argument: Trim the fat and keep the loyalists.

Dhillon is challenging Incumbent Ronna McDaniel, who has served since 2017 when she was hand-picked by former President Donald Trump. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is also in the running.

If Dhillon wins, she would join fellow Californian Kevin McCarthy in the upper echelons of the Republican Party — a bit of a phenomenon given Democrats’ decades of dominance in this state. We caught up with the San Francisco-based attorney for a chat ahead of Friday’s vote. Some highlights from our conversation:

On why she thinks it’s time for a change: “My biggest concern here is really not anything other than I need our party to win in 2024. Our country needs our party to win in 2024. And if we have a leadership that’s been unable to lead us to victory, has lost collectively numerous governor’s races, the House, the Senate and the White House — which is, by the way, no one person’s fault — but the leader should take responsibility for the failures.”

On whether she sees herself as the Elon Musk of the party: “I don’t mind being the Elon Musk of the party without the HR violations — but I’m not saying there are any HR violations. What I’m saying is that I’ve worked with a lot of people inside the building at the RNC for many years. Many of them are great people, I wouldn’t want to replace. The question is whether they want to be replaced.

Some people are going to leave because it isn’t a place to get rich. It’s a place to do well and help your country, help your party and then get to do something else if you don’t want to keep earning the sort of nonprofit salary that we pay.”

On who she wants in the RNC: “You have to be loyal to the organization and want to win elections for Republicans. That’s basic. And that includes supporting the [presidential] nominee, whoever that is.”

On how the CA GOP can do better: “There are no shortcuts. You have to first of all, hold the territory that you have and then expand out from there. We need better data for that.

I’d like to see us work with, or somehow start some kind of tech incubator for conservative political causes and needs. We need technology to service these needs. Democrats have great technology. We aren’t nearly using enough peer-to-peer texting in our work here.

We have to raise more money to pay for election integrity efforts in our own state instead of relying on RNC handouts for that. We have to bring back the confidence of the donors in our state that Republicans can expand, not just continually be playing defense.“

On whether the culpability for recent GOP losses extends to McCarthy: “I don’t think it would be fair to hold Kevin McCarthy accountable for leadership losses when he wasn’t the speaker of the House ever before.

I do think he has earned his place. He worked his way up here to this place to be speaker. But I am sure members of his caucus are going to hold him accountable. And he has to be given a chance first.”

On whether her platform to cut out the RNC’s high-paid consultants includes her own firm, which has been paid more than $1 million by the party since 2019: “It’s kind of silly — the RNC has about 100 different legal vendors, I’m not even in the top 10. I’m not sure I’m in the top 20. And half of that work, at least, is defending RNC members and staff in the January 6th committee subpoena effort.

I will say, there are few law firms in America willing to do that work right now ... and of course, if I win, I’ll have no influence over whether my firm is selected for that work, that would be a conflict of interest.

If anything, running for RNC chair is contrary to my financial interests.”

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BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. Senate President pro Tempore Toni Aktins and Minority Leader Brian Jones will join a panel hosted by the Public Policy Institute of California in Sacramento today to talk about the most pressing issues this legislative session.

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.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The state is teaching us a powerful lesson about what our future could look like if this one-sided style of democracy is mimicked elsewhere, or goes unchecked in the Golden State.” McDonald's President Joe Erlinger in a letter Wednesday after a referendum to challenge the FAST Act qualified for the 2024 ballot. Relatedly, McDonalds’ employees in Vallejo will go on strike today over alleged sexual harassment and wage theft.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

daveweigel

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

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TOP TALKERS

— “Suspect in Half Moon Bay farm killings faces 7 murder counts,” by The Associated Press’ Olga R. Rodriguez and Jocelyn Gecker: “Chunli Zhao, 66, was set to make his first court appearance Wednesday but it was postponed until Feb. 16, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. His two attorneys did not immediately respond to calls and emails seeking comment.”

— “Here are the 7 victims who were killed in the Half Moon Bay shooting,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Alexander E. Petri, Salvador Hernandez, Luke Money and Terry Castleman: “The victims are identified as Zhishen Liu, 73, of San Francisco; Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50, of Moss Beach; Qizhong Cheng, 66, of Half Moon Bay; Aixiang Zhang, 74, of San Francisco; Jingzhi Lu, 64, of Half Moon Bay; and Yetao Bing, 43 years, whose residence was unknown. ‘The seventh victim has been tentatively identified; however, we are withholding the name pending positive identification and next of kin notification,’ Coroner Robert J. Foucrault said.’”

PAUL PELOSI ATTACK — A San Francisco judge on Wednesday granted a media coalition’s request (The coalition includes POLITICO.) for evidence from the trial of Paul Pelosi’s alleged attacker, including SFPD body camera footage, audio of Pelosi’s 911 call and accused assailant David DePape’s police interview and footage from surveillance cameras. The San Francisco District Attorney’s office and DePape’s public defender unsuccessfully argued the evidence — which has been played in open court — could be manipulated or foment conspiracies, prejudicing a jury. DePape faces numerous federal and state charges for allegedly breaking into the Pelosi’s San Francisco residence and assaulting Paul with a hammer. A trial date should be set next month.

CAMPAIGN MODE

CA-45 CANDIDATE — California’s 2024 House landscape continues to take shape, with Democratic Garden Grove City Council member Kim Bernice Nguyen launching a challenge to Republican Rep. Michelle Steel in the D+5.6 Orange County swing seat.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

IT’S ABOUT TIME — “California weather to be shaped by an 'omega block' this week. Here's how it impacts the Bay Area,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Gerry Díaz: “The warm, dry winds over the foothills and mountains across California will continue to ferry above-average temperatures to the Bay Area. This warming trend started earlier in the week as a ridge of high pressure over the Pacific Ocean began marching toward the West Coast.”

NOT ENOUGH? — “California already has nation's strictest gun laws. Mass shootings could spur push to go further,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Hannah Wiley: “California already ranks among the states with the most restrictive gun control laws. And by some measures they are working: the state has among the lowest rates of gun deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a report by the Public Policy Institute of California found the state had a lower rate of mass shootings than the national average.”

FILLING THE GAPS — “Mayor Sheng Thao to rebuild top Oakland staff with key posts awaiting permanent picks,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sarah Ravani: “Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has tapped two interim replacements for the next city administrator, a key official tasked with overseeing day-to-day operations while she works to find a permanent replacement. She also needs to name a new homeless czar and housing policy director, among other top positions.”

— “California bill empowers counties to create homeless death review committees,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Andrew Sheeler: “Assembly Bill 271, by Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, authorizes — but does not require — counties to establish homeless death review committees to identify the root causes of homeless mortality and to improve coordination of services for that population, according to a legislative summary of the bill.”

— “Sacramento Assemblyman introduces bill to ban homeless encampments near parks and schools,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Jenavieve Hatch: “Assemblyman Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, has introduced legislation that would prohibit homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools, daycare centers, parks and libraries. Assembly Bill 257 is one of the first measures proposed by Hoover, who was elected last November in a tight race with then-incumbent Assemblyman Ken Cooley.”

‘VOTERS SEE THROUGH THEIR TRICKS’ — “California's fast-food council faces a referendum in 2024. Workers say they won't back down,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Maya Miller: “An industry-backed referendum officially qualified for the 2024 ballot Tuesday evening after the Secretary of State’s office announced it had received enough valid signatures. The approval sets up an expensive showdown between labor advocates and the fast-food industry, with spending potentially reaching into the hundreds of millions of dollars.”

— “California mass shootings add to Bay Area Asian Americans’ years of pandemic trauma,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Roland Li, Claire Hao and Ricardo Cano: “On Lunar New Year’s Eve, Stop AAPI Hate co-founder Cynthia Choi went to bed hopeful. Before going to sleep, she sent out a tweet: ‘I am all in for a year of calm, kindness and peace.’ The next morning, Choi woke up to the news of the Monterey Park mass shooting, where 11 Asian Americans were killed at a dance studio.”

— “More Californians are dying at home. Another Covid 'new normal'? by California Healthline’s Phillip Leese: Nearly 40 percent of deaths in California during the first 10 months of 2022 took place at home, up from about 36 percent for all of 2019, according to death certificate data from the California Department of Public Health. By comparison, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that about 26 percent of Californians died at home in 1999, the earliest year for which data on at-home deaths is accessible in the agency’s public database.

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

‘WILL DRIVERS CARE?’ — Republicans launch newest fight against Biden's oil drawdowns by POLITICO’s Josh Siegel: Republicans are aiming to neutralize one of the main tools that President Joe Biden used to lower gasoline prices before last year’s elections — his prolific releases of oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

— Biden finally gets a win against inflation by POLITICO’s Victoria Guida: Americans’ average income has beaten inflation for the past six months, driven by the plummeting cost of gas, along with drops in furniture, cars and other goods. If the trend continues, it could be a boost for President Joe Biden as he gears up for a tough reelection campaign, undercutting one of the main Republican arguments against his handling of the economy.

— McCarthy broaches Santos, Omar and other panel dramas in closed-door meeting by POLITICO’s Olivia Beavers and Sarah Ferris: The GOP leader noted Santos will continue to serve on his two committees but would lose those assignments if he were ultimately charged with a crime — the same rules that any House Republican is subject to, according to three Republicans who attended the closed-door conference meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity.

— ‘A f--king idiot’: Man who breached Pelosi suite says he’s guilty of bluster, not crime by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney: Richard “Bigo” Barnett, who took the stand in his own defense, grew heated with prosecutor Michael Gordon after Gordon spent hours picking apart Barnett’s story. Gordon pressed Barnett whether he believed he would get away with his actions because of his hubris.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— “Elon Musk explores raising up to $3B to help pay off Twitter debt,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Berber Jin and Alexander Saeedy: “Paying off the debt would provide welcome financial relief to Twitter, which has struggled to keep advertisers on the platform. In November, Mr. Musk said Twitter had suffered “a massive drop in revenue” and was losing over $4 million a day.”

MIXTAPE

— “Why Lowell isn’t the SFUSD high school with highest UC admissions rate,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Danielle Echeverria.

— “4.2 earthquake, flurry of aftershocks off Malibu coast rock Los Angeles,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Alexandra E. Petri.

IN MEMORIAM

— Victor Navasky, journalist and historian, dies at 90 by The Associated Press.

BIRTHDAYS

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy … HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra … Sarah Pompei … Chenyu Zheng … Morgan Pearlman … Eric Nelson

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