Newsom’s Spring Break trip to Florida

From: POLITICO California Playbook - Thursday Apr 06,2023 01:09 pm
Jeremy B. White and Lara Korte’s must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State
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POLITICO California Playbook

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

THE BUZZ: Gov. Gavin Newsom hit the Florida coast for his Spring Break. Gov. Ron DeSantis probably wishes he stayed home.

The California governor was hanging out Wednesday with students at the liberal arts college in Florida that has become the focus of DeSantis’ crusade against woke-ism — and a national symbol of the dividing line in the culture wars. For Newsom, it was too much to resist.

DeSantis launched an aggressive, conservative revamp of New College, a progressive, left-leaning public institution in Sarasota with around 700 students. He hand-picked six new members of the board of trustees, including Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist who describes critical race theory as an “existential threat” to America. The new board promptly fired the president without cause, replacing her with a DeSantis devotee instead, and eliminated all “diversity, equity and inclusion” initiatives. Newsom’s visit came just as a GOP-dominated state senate committee approved DeSantis’ appointees. 

"I want you to know you're not alone,” Newsom told New College students during his visit on Wednesday, per the Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s Zac Anderson. “This isn’t about you, it’s about a movement they want to export everywhere else.”

The stop in Sarasota capped off a week of touring civil rights landmarks in the South and bolstering liberal leaders. Newsom, along with first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and their four children, have attended Palm Sunday services at a Baptist church in Mississippi, spoken with students at the historic Little Rock Central High School, and met with criminal justice reform advocates in Alabama.

But this supposedly last minute visit to New College students sends a clear message that part of Newsom’s Campaign for Democracy will involve poking conservative enemies like DeSantis directly in the eye. The governor hardly gives a speech or public address without mentioning him or Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and after visiting the college couldn’t resist knocking DeSantis once more — telling reporters he believes the Florida governor will get “rolled” by Donald Trump in a presidential matchup. 

Another thing to note — DeSantis is listed as threat number one on the Campaign for Democracy website, which describes him as a “cowardly bully who has gained political power by scapegoating minorities.” Abbott and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are there, too.

The two are used to exchanging barbs on social media — something that tends to rile up their respective bases to mutual benefit. But this move by Newsom goes quite a bit further than teasing DeSantis about hair products. 

The Florida governor, as of Wednesday night, hadn’t reacted to Newsom’s visit or remarks, but we’re keeping our ear to the ground.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. California’s elections watchdog, the Fair Political Practices Commission, is meeting this morning to discuss how to implement last year’s Senate Bill 794, which allows campaign committees to accept donations in excess of the maximum limit under certain circumstances.

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

WHERE’S GAVIN? Wrapping up his tour for Campaign for Democracy, then taking time for personal travel.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Today's meeting between President Tsai of Taiwan and Speaker McCarthy is to be commended for its leadership, its bipartisan participation and its distinguished and historic venue." Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who visited Taiwan herself last year. 

TWEET OF THE DAY:

A tweet from Tsai Ing-wen thanking Speaker McCarthy for their reception at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley.

iingwen

 

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

— “Friends mourn Cash App founder Bob Lee, stabbed to death in S.F.,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Jill Tucker, Nora Mishanec and St. John Barned-Smith: “As the tributes poured in, the fatal stabbing outside luxury condos in the Rincon Hill neighborhood led to quick condemnation from high-profile business leaders and public officials of what they perceived as unchecked crime and assaults in the city.”

‘The label’s actually part of the problem’ by POLITICO’s David Siders: Was she running in the mold of Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren? Or, after Porter pointed to her electoral success in California’s ancestrally conservative Orange County, did she “feel that you can reach out more towards the center” than her opponents?

McCarthy, Taiwan's leader meet in California despite threats from China, by POLITICO’s Anthony Adragna: The high-profile confab, which occurred at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, marks a concrete step in furtherance of one of McCarthy’s top priorities: pushing back on the influence of China. McCarthy becomes the highest U.S. official to meet with Taiwan’s leader on domestic soil since the U.S. established formal diplomatic ties with China in 1979.

CAMPAIGN MODE

RFK RUNNING — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. running for president in 2024, by POLITICO’s Kelly Garrity: Kennedy, an outspoken anti-vaccine activist and the chair of the anti-vaccine nonprofit group Children’s Health Defense, is the second Democrat to officially enter the 2024 race. Self-help author Marianne Williamson launched her second White House bid in March.

 

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CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

— “The school where the pandemic never ended,” by The New York Times’ Meg Bernhard: “As the nation’s schools ‘return to normal,’ teachers in an L.A. neighborhood hit hard by Covid are left to manage their students’ grief — and their own.”

— “Why California public transit is at a pivotal moment,” by CalMatters’ Sameea Kamal: “Transit agencies across California are grappling with a 'fiscal cliff' — a decline in revenue and the end of federal funding that has been a lifeline for the last three years. Without the state stepping in, they say they may have to cut service or increase fares. That would hit low-income people the hardest, especially those who rely exclusively on transit to get around."

— “California population winners and losers: Why some counties boomed and others shrank,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Terry Castleman: “Demographic experts say the census data reflect movements of the population during the period when COVID-19 was still a major concern — and they point out that it is possible that the population losses have slowed and urban centers could soon see their populations rebound when numbers for 2022-23 are released.”

MIXTAPE

— “These parts of California face flood risk from snowmelt,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Hayley Smith.

— “Sacramento City Council bans loud speakers outside Planned Parenthood clinics,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Theresa Clift.

— “S.F. cop who was caught on video grabbing woman’s groin to face trial,” by The San Francisco Standard’s Jonah Owen Lamb.

— “Twitter users who canceled their paid verification still have check marks,” by NBC News’ Kalhan Rosenblatt and Kat Tenbarge.

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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