Florida abortion bill ups contrast with California

From: POLITICO California Playbook - Wednesday Mar 08,2023 02:10 pm

Mar 08, 2023

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

THE BUZZ: The coast-to-coast contrasts keep getting sharper.

Less than 48 hours after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis swept through California to tout his state as a preferable paragon, he backed a state bill that would ban abortions after six weeks in one of the nation’s strictest restrictions. “We are proud to be pro-family, and we are proud to be pro-life,” DeSantis said in his State of the State speech Tuesday.

That line may as well have been a direct rebuttal to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s inaugural speech, in which he criticized states for banning abortion and touted California’s safeguards for the procedure. Newsom also wants to wield his state’s economic might against Walgreens by severing state business with the chain for refusing to distribute abortion pills.

National Democrats swiftly condemned the Florida proposal. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre accused DeSantis of “attacking the freedom to make one’s own healthcare decisions.” The Democratic National Committee telegraphed a campaign theme by saying DeSantis and “2024 Republican hopefuls are desperate to prove their anti-choice bonafides.” Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to “fight back,” reprising a February speech on the hostile turf of Tallahassee. She’s set to return to Florida today for a fundraiser in Miami.

California Democrats joined the fray. Attorney General Rob Bonta called the bill “despicable” and told Floridians they are welcome in California, which has passed laws and allocated money to make the state a sanctuary for abortion-seekers from other states. Bonta’s appeal to red states recalled Newsom’s decision last year to purchase Florida ads and Texas billboards bidding disillusioned residents to head west.

Those appeals may not persuade many Floridians to rent moving trucks. But they speak to the growing gulf between America’s largest states — a divide that leaders emphasize to make a case for national leadership. Both Newsom and DeSantis preside over legislative supermajorities that allow them wide latitude to enact conservative or progressive policies. Voters rewarded both governors with overwhelming 2022 reelection victories.

The fall of Roe v. Wade furthered the divide in the country. In the aftermath, the abortion laws Newsom signed last year already have other states looking to California. He’ll have the opportunity to sign more this year, elevating California’s standing in a multi-state reproductive rights alliance. Across the country, DeSantis will be pushing in the other direction. Both could campaign on the results.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. Happy Women’s History Month. A coterie of powerful women is talking politics at the Sheraton Grand today under the auspices of PPIC: Former California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye will moderate a talk featuring Sen. Janet Nguyen, Sen. Nancy Skinner, Assemblymember Liz Ortega and Assemblymember Tina McKinnor — part of the Legislature’s largest-ever class of women.

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 @JeremyBWhitat and @Lara_Korte.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I think voters are going to be very confused by this choice facing them. Three members of Congress, each with powerful histories and personal profiles, each with powerful endorsements — how do you make your choice? And that’s why endorsements can make a difference. Voters look to validators to help them make their choice.” Democratic consultant Rose Kapolczynski on a difficult U.S. Senate choice, via the Pro Politics podcast.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

Twitter

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced today.

SPOTTED: Lawmakers hobnobbing over drinks and apps at an event hosted by Govern for California Tuesday night at Prelude Kitchen & Bar.

Attendees included, but were not limited to, Rick Rivas, brother of Assembly Speaker-to-Be Robert Rivas, as well as legislators from both chambers, including: Assemblymembers Mike Fong (D-Alhambra), Marie Waldron (R-Escondido), Freddie Rodriguez (D-Ponoma), Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills), Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park), Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) and Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) as well as Sens. Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), Josh Becker (D-San Mateo) and Anna Caballero (D-Merced).

PLAYBOOK MEET & GREET! Join California Playbook and POLITICO’s growing team in Sacramento at Smic’s Sip & Quip on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, for an evening of cocktails and conversation. As POLITICO expands in California, we want to more frequently convene our most influential readers in Sacramento and beyond. Swing by and have a cocktail on us—you never know who you might run into! Register here.

TOP TALKERS

— “New details raise questions about why D.A. dropped case against S.F. Cop,” by The San Francisco Standard’s Jonah Owen Lamb: “In fact, many in the Independent Investigations Bureau (IIB), the unit tasked with investigating police misconduct, were hyperaware that Boudin’s promise to hold cops accountable invited scrutiny over every case it handled, Koltuniak said.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

S.F. SHUFFLE — San Francisco Supervisor Catherine Stefani has filed paperwork to run for the 19th Assembly District seat that Assemblymember Phil Ting is vacating in 2024 due to term limits (Stefani’s campaign folks declined to comment.). It could be a busy year for ambitious San Francisco politicos if Rep. Nancy Pelosi retires and Sen. Scott Wiener runs for Congress.

— “'Boy Meets World' star Ben Savage officially announces run for Congress,” by HuffPost’s Marco Margaritoff: “Savage filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission in January to run for Congress as a Democrat in 2024. He's seeking the House seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who announced in late December that he's running for Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat.”

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

— “California braces for flooding, snowmelt from a warm atmospheric river set to slam state,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Hayley Smith: “Though the brunt of the storm is currently expected to hit Northern and Central California, Southern California may feel impacts as well, including potential river and small-stream flooding in portions of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, said David Gombert, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard.”

— “Emergency calls, complaints are down near San Jose’s temporary housing sites. So why are they still politically risky?,” by KQED’s Guy Marzorati: “Staedler said almost any proposed development is bound to get some complaints from residents concerned with potential impacts to traffic or the oft-cited “neighborhood character.” But opposition to new housing for people exiting homelessness, he added, is often rooted in fear.”

— Disabled access: Why California leads U.S. in lawsuits, by CalMatters’ Nigel Duara: “That initial ruling in the Langer case, coupled with high-profile moves by liberal district attorneys in San Francisco and Los Angeles against a firm known for representing serial filers appeared to chill the number of disability claims filed against California businesses last year, according to data collected by Seyfarth Shaw. Last year, 2,519 cases were filed in California.”

— “Thanks to the Supreme Court, California gun cases hinge more on history than modern threats,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Kevin Rector: “The state questioned the appropriateness of that exercise by noting the Supreme Court did not call for governments to find a single “dead ringer” for their modern law among historical statutes, but to show that their current law would have been consistent with historical readings of the Constitution and the 2nd Amendment.”

— “Sausalito said it could build new housing — on underwater sites. Now it's getting sued,” opines Emily Hoeven for the San Francisco Chronicle: “By adopting a plan at the last minute, Sausalito appears to have been trying to avoid falling prey to the “builder’s remedy,” which allows developers to bypass local zoning standards in cities with noncompliant housing elements for residential projects with a certain percentage of low-income or moderate-income units.”

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BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

— “Senator Dianne Feinstein back home after hospital stay for shingles,” by Bloomberg’s Laura Litvan: “Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California said she is at home recuperating after a brief stay in a San Francisco hospital where she was treated for a case of shingles.”

— “Biden budget will propose tax increase to bolster Medicare,” by The New York Times’ Jim Tankersley and Margot Sanger-Katz: “The proposals would affect the so-called net investment income tax, which was enacted to help offset the cost of former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law. They would increase the tax rate to 5 percent from 3.8 percent for people earning above $400,000 a year and expand the income subject to it.”

—“Republican lawmakers split over Carlson’s false Jan 6. claims,” by The New York Times’ Luke Broadwater and Stephanie Lai: “Mr. McCarthy said on Tuesday evening that he had not watched the segment, but he defended his decision to give Mr. Carlson the footage, stating that he wanted “transparency.””

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— “FTC Twitter investigation sought Elon Musk’s internal communications, journalist names,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Ryan Tracy: “The FTC routinely seeks information that companies under a consent order provide third parties, including journalists, on grounds that the company couldn’t withhold that same information from the FTC, Mr. Farrar said.”

— “Silicon Valley's obsession with killer rogue AI helps bury bad behavior,” by Bloomberg’s Ellen Huet: “In Silicon Valley, the overlap between rationalists, EAs, and AI safety researchers forms a deeply influential subculture. While its borders are blurry, its hundreds or thousands of members are united by a belief that they need to work their butts off, or at least invest lots of money, to stop AI from going Terminator on us.”

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.

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