Mission Accomplished

From: POLITICO California Playbook - Friday Sep 01,2023 01:07 pm
Presented by Heat Pump Nation Inc.: Inside the Golden State political arena
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POLITICO California Playbook

By Christopher Cadelago, Dustin Gardiner, Lara Korte and Sejal Govindarao

Presented by Heat Pump Nation Inc.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Thanks for reading California Playbook. We're taking a break for Labor Day, but will be back in your inboxes Tuesday. 

DRIVING THE DAY: Happy Suspense File Day, to all those who celebrate! The Assembly and Senate appropriations committees will decide the fate of hundreds of bills with a significant fiscal impact. Read here for our guide on what major bills legislators are hoping to squeeze through the infamous suspense bottleneck.

Ammar Campa-Najjar

Ammar Campa-Najjar | Courtesy of Adrian Eng-Gastelum

THE BUZZ — IN THE NAVY: The USS Midway — the aircraft carrier at Navy Pier in San Diego — has loomed over Ammar Campa-Najjar’s life for nearly two decades.

Seventeen years ago, Campa-Najjar longed to be a sailor, staring off at the Midway during Fleet Week and imagining himself in a Navy uniform. But for family reasons, including helping his single mom care for his brother, he wasn’t able to serve. Life took him elsewhere.

Campa-Najjar ran for political office, including for Congress against then-Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, and there was the Midway again. In 2018, Hunter’s father, former Rep. Duncan L. Hunter, held a news conference in front of the aircraft carrier and attacked Campa-Najjar as a security risk. The elder Hunter, part of a GOP political dynasty in East San Diego County with deep military roots, went after Campa-Najjar’s own father and grandfather.

It was painful for Campa-Najjar, who attended the elder Hunter’s news conference in front of the Midway, listening as his patriotism was questioned. At the time, Campa-Najjar told reporters that it was actually the younger Hunter who would have trouble passing a security screening, given the federal indictment he was under.

On Thursday, Campa-Najjar was back on the Midway and surrounded by loved ones. They gathered to witness his next chapter: The 34-year-old being commissioned as a Navy officer.

“How fitting it is to be at this place, reclaiming my family's story and writing the next chapter of service and patriotism,” Campa-Najjar told POLITICO.

At the ceremony, he was joined by his longtime partner, Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) and mom, Abby Campa, a product of nearby Barrio Logan. Campa-Najjar called the moment “surreal,” an only-in-America story for a Latino-Arab American whose childhood was spent shuttling between the Middle East in Gaza and the middle class in America.

“I always wondered if I'd be able to serve in this capacity, especially when I was being attacked because of my heritage, my ethnicity, or where I spent a couple of years of my childhood,” he said. “And the military said those are strengths, those are assets, those aren’t liabilities. And that was a huge redeeming, validating moment for me.”

Rep. Jimmy Panetta, a former Navy intelligence officer, said Campa-Najjar’s background “strengthened his fidelity to our country and values,” and pointed to other attributes, including his command of Arabic and Spanish.

Two hours before the ceremony, Campa-Najjar said he was deeply grateful to the Navy. “Sometimes a lot of us children of immigrants or people of color tend to feel like we have to prove ourselves twice as much to be seen, or to be granted the same opportunities,” he said.

He circled back to the Midway, describing how unlikely this all would have been as he stood in the shadow of the aircraft carrier in 2018 under attack by Hunter.

“I would not have thought that it would be an anchor in my life, a defining place for a career I’ve wanted to have for a very long time,” Campa-Najjar said.

 

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We need a plan NOW to fight the climate crisis and protect our communities from extreme heat. AB 593 directs California to develop a comprehensive emissions reduction strategy for homes and buildings that safeguards low-income households, supports clean energy jobs, and creates resilient communities. Learn more at https://theheatpumpnation.org/california-ab593/.

 

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FRESH INK

MAYBE HAVE SOMEONE ELSE DRIVE: It’s been a busy week in court for California politicians who’ve gotten behind the wheel while under the influence. A day after state Sen. Dave Min pleaded “no contest” to a drunken driving charge on Tuesday, another candidate from Southern California made headlines for her second DUI conviction.

Clarissa Cervantes, a candidate for Assembly District 58 and a Riverside City Council member, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges on Wednesday, according to court records. She was sentenced to 102 days in jail, credited with more than half that time served and completion of rehab. She’ll serve her remaining 57 days through work-release.

Cervantes, also convicted of a DUI in 2015, must also pay $2,248 in fines and have an ignition interlock device installed in her vehicle. She apologized after her arrest. Cervantes is running for the Assembly seat held by her older sister, Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, who is running for state Senate in District 31.

 

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WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY

— 'TIS THE SEASON: The largest fire in the U.S. right now is burning in northern California, a cluster of fires known as the Smith River Complex that’s less than 10 percent contained.

— SKID ROW CRISIS: The fentanyl overdose crisis is hitting Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighborhood especially hard. Last year, 148 people overdosed in the area — a 70 percent increase from five years ago. Most of the deceased were Black men.

THE OC: And the award for the most expensive zip code in the U.S. goes to that ultra-ritzy stretch of coastline between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach, where the median house list price is now north of $10.6 million. It’s 92657, if you’re wondering.

 

GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.

 
 
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Extreme heat is here to stay. California needs a statewide plan to upgrade homes and buildings with clean cooling. AB 593 ensures that Californians can create safe and healthy climate-ready homes and communities.

YES on AB 593 for:

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