THE BUZZ — The billionaire-backed group launching an audacious plan for a new city in Northern California has enlisted the state’s top political players to make it happen. California Forever, the company behind the secretive purchase of more than $1 billion of land in Solano County, is in the early stages of a decades-long, politically onerous effort to convert 52,000 acres of farmland into an affordable, environmentally-friendly city. The group already has financial backing, thanks to the investment of Silicon Valley big-timers like Marc Andreessen and Laurene Powell Jobs, but landing a project of this magnitude will require more than just oodles of cash. In the few months since going public, leader and former Goldman Sachs trader Jan Sramek has compiled a team of political and policy experts with decades of institutional knowledge and ties to power figures in Sacramento — including Gov. Gavin Newsom — to make his vision a reality. The first order of business will be a ballot measure, put to Solano County voters in November, to rezone the land for development. After that, it’s a gauntlet of environmental, labor and construction barriers that could take a generation to overcome. The cohort of consultants and strategists, many reported here for the first time, highlights the steep grade of the political challenge ahead. Ana Matosantos, policy and strategy adviser Matosantos was “one of the very first calls” Newsom made as he built out his administration. Before serving as Newsom’s cabinet secretary, Matasantos was director of finance under Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown. Matosantos is an expert at balancing different interest groups, said Keely Martin Bosler, a former cabinet secretary in the Brown administration and later Newsom’s director of finance. She helped steer California through both the Great Recession and the Covid-19 pandemic, Bosler added. "She's always thinking 3, 4, 5, 6 steps ahead,” Bosler said. She’s advising California Forever on the policy side: working out the mechanics of building a city from scratch in a state known for its red tape around housing and construction. Angie Wei, labor outreach Wei served as Newsom’s legislative affairs secretary between 2020 and 2022, guiding the governor’s agenda in the Capitol. Before that, she spent nearly two decades in the powerful California Labor Federation, first as legislative director and public policy director and later as chief of staff. Wei’s task will be to court labor giants, like the carpenters' unions and the State Building & Construction Trades Council of California — important players that could make or break a building-heavy project like California Forever. Mike Murphy, campaign strategist The veteran Republican political consultant resides in Los Angeles but is nationally known for his work advising GOP governors and senators like Jeb Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney. He ran Schwarzenegger’s campaign for governor and is an outspoken Never Trump-er. He has been involved in the effort for several years and was instrumental in bringing the new team together. Matt Rodriguez, campaign manager Rodriguez is a Democratic consultant who has served public and private clients including AT&T and Uber. Last year he worked with Newsom in opposing Proposition 30, which would’ve raised income taxes to subsidize electric vehicle programs. He runs the day-to-day of California Forever’s campaign operations. Brian Brokaw and Dan Newman, senior advisers These two NorCal-based Democratic consultants comprise The Media Company and are helping California Forever craft its public message. Both are longtime Newsom campaign advisers and have worked on a slate of statewide ballot initiatives and candidates, including supporting Vice President Kamala Harris throughout her political career. Andrew Acosta, political adviser Another longtime Democratic consultant, Acosta is a prominent name around Sacramento, having advised numerous legislative, statewide and Congressional campaigns including the legalization of marijuana. Jennifer Hernandez, land use attorney Hernandez is the expert on California environmental and land-use law. She has written extensively and critically about the state’s environmental quality act, or CEQA: blaming it for slowing down development and contributing to California’s housing crisis. Thomas Hiltachk, initiative attorney Hiltachk has historically worked with conservative causes, including defending the California GOP’s ballot harvesting operation, and is helping California Forever craft the ballot measure that will be key to moving the project forward. GOOD MORNING. Happy Tuesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. We had the best time sorting through all your holiday pet pictures yesterday. Scroll down for a few of our favorites and more info on how to submit a photo of your own furry friend. PLAYBOOK TIP LINE — What is your most memorable/funny/cringy political moment from 2023? Give us a ring or drop us a line. Now you can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on Twitter —@DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte WHERE’S GAVIN? Out of state on personal vacation; locale not disclosed. 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