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Presented by CVS Health: Inside the Golden State political arena | | | | |  | | By Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner | | | |  California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a Clean California event in San Francisco on Nov. 9, 2023. | Jeff Chiu/AP | THE BUZZ — A hotly-contested bill meant to protect California kids from long-term brain injuries just got a big downvote from Gov. Gavin Newsom. In a statement shared exclusively with POLITICO last night, the governor vowed to veto a bill banning tackle football for players under the age of 12. The legislation, authored by Sacramento Democrat Kevin McCarty, hadn’t even gone up for a floor vote yet, but was already the subject of fierce debate in the Capitol. Newsom, in his statement, said he is deeply concerned about the health and safety of young athletes, but that “an outright ban is not the answer.” “My administration will work with the Legislature and the bill’s author to strengthen safety in youth football — while ensuring parents have the freedom to decide which sports are most appropriate for their children,” the statement said. Newsom’s decision to weigh in on the football legislation speaks to its potential as a culture war issue, our colleagues Eric He, Rachel Bluth and Christopher Cadelago write. Critics, including Democrats in the state, had moved to characterize the proposal as unnecessary government overreach and another example of politicians thinking they know better than parents. Newsom has been sensitive to headline-grabbing proposals that he believes cast the state as out-of-touch and put Democrats in a tough position heading into the election year. His vow to veto McCarty’s bill was the second time in a week the governor has shut down a measure in its infancy. Newsom also poured cold water on Assemblymember Alex Lee’s wealth tax last week, hoping to fend off unsavory headlines about California liberalism run amuck ahead of an unexpected hearing on the bill. The wealth tax, while always a longshot, stalled in its first committee hearing following the governor’s comments. The question now is whether the football bill will move forward in spite of Newsom’s veto threat, or shrivel under the heat of his scrutiny. Neither McCarty nor Speaker Robert Rivas’ office immediately returned a request for comment about the governor’s statement, or whether lawmakers would shelve the proposal. GOOD MORNING. Happy Wednesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. 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 X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. DEBATE ALERT: WE WANT YOUR HELP — POLITICO is co-hosting the first debate for California's Senate race on Monday, Jan. 22. All four major candidates have accepted our invite to appear onstage: Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee and Republican and former Dodgers player Steve Garvey. This will be a televised battle between those top candidates. Tell us what we should ask them, and we just might use your question during the debate. Fill out this form by TODAY to be considered.
| | A message from CVS Health: Learn how we’re delivering the future of health care. More here. | | | |  | THE SCOOP | | |  State Sen. Monique Limon, D-Santa Barbara, in 2020. | AP | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: FLIPPING THE TABLE — If President Joe Biden wins reelection and Republicans try to overturn the results, Democrats’ ability to swiftly block them could hinge in part on what party controls the Legislatures in a handful of purple states. State Sen. Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, will be in the trenches to help battleground state Democrats wage down-ballot campaigns that could influence that balance of power. She has been elected to serve on the board of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the party’s arm focused on legislative contests, as the DLCC exclusively told POLITICO. Limón said in an interview that she will focus on helping Democratic candidates fight back against GOP efforts to curtail voting and reproductive rights at the state level. “Over the last decade, we’ve really seen why it’s so important,” she said of the effort to flip statehouses. Leslie Martes, vice president of political and strategic initiatives for the DLCC, said Limón was chosen for a top role because she is a rising star in the California Capitol and understands how legislative campaigns in places like Pennsylvania and Michigan are crucial. “She gets the big map,” Martes said.
| | FOR GOOD MEASURE | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: PATAGONIA PUNCH — A ballot battle over oil extraction is getting a major infusion from outdoor apparel company Patagonia: The Ventura-headquartered firm’s nonprofit, the Holdfast Collective, is spending $500,000 to beat back an oil industry referendum targeting a landmark 2022 law, SB 1137, that requires a buffer zone separating new wells from schools and homes. The measure goes before voters in November. Most of the money to defeat the referendum has come so far from ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s Advocacy Action Fund ($1.5 million to date), with the Center for Biological Diversity contributing $350,000. The campaign to overturn SB 1137 has not reported raising money since quickly collecting millions to qualify the referendum in 2022, leaving it with around $175,000 on hand as of last June. Polls suggest the industry would need to spend to sway voters: a September Public Policy Institute of California survey found voters upholding the law by 22 points. “Of all the debates of how to fight climate change we should be able to agree we need to protect our communities from pollution. This is an easy vote for California,” Patagonia spokesperson J.J. Huggins said. — Jeremy B. White
| | | | CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So, we have something cool for you: our California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Cut through the jargon and get the latest developments in California as lawmakers and industry leaders adapt to the changing climate. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | CAMPAIGN YEAR | | | | 
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) speaks to supporters on Feb. 11, 2023 in Burbank, Calif. | Getty Mario Tama/Getty Images | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: FLOOD THE ZONE — Senate candidate Adam Schiff built up a commanding war chest over the last year — and now he’s pressing that advantage on air. The Burbank representative’s campaign today will reserve $10 million in television ads across the state on broadcast and cable for the final four weeks before the March 5 primary. This comes on top of the six-figure Bay Area buy that began last week, where Schiff pitches himself as a results-oriented lawmaker. Until now, Schiff and rival Rep. Katie Porter have been nearly equal when it comes to ad spending, each plunking down over $2 million on digital and television, according to AdImpact. (The other contenders have had a much smaller presence, save for a fall TV buy from a pro-Barbara Lee super PAC). But Schiff, who had $35 million on hand at the end of the year after another monster fundraising quarter, is in the best position of the pack for a pre-primary spending deluge. — Melanie Mason FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: THURMOND RAKES ‘EM IN — Superintendent of Public Instruction and 2026 candidate for governor Tony Thurmond today announced endorsements from 105 state and local officials, bringing his endorsement total more than 250. Among the backers announced today: Democratic Assemblymembers Laura Friedman and Juan Carrillo. Read the full list here. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: BONTA’S HAUL — He hasn’t yet jumped into the 2026 race for governor, but California Attorney General Rob Bonta is certainly raising money like he’s running. His campaign said he raked in $1.9 million in the second half of 2023 and has $5.2 million cash on hand. It's in his AG committee, which he could easily transfer to use in a governor's race.
| | | | A message from CVS Health:   | | | | | ON THE AGENDA | | LONG-TIMER — Politicos from across California are descending upon Sacramento today to celebrate political columnist George Skelton’s 50th anniversary writing for the Los Angeles Times. The Times will debut its mini-documentary on Skelton at an invitation-only cocktail party downtown tonight, and will publish it for the public on the LAT website Thursday morning. ICYMI: Skelton reflected on his half-century of work in a column over the weekend, where he revealed his simple secret for hanging around so long: “Don’t get ticked off and quit.” For those who didn’t snag an invite to the party tonight, fear not, you can catch Skelton in an interview with the Times’ Sacramento Bureau Chief Laurel Rosenhall next week, at an event hosted by the Sacramento Press Club. CALIFORNIA FOREVER ADVANCES — Leaders of a fledgling plan to build a new city in Northern California will introduce a ballot measure today in Solano County asking local residents to rezone 18,000 acres of farmland to make way for dense, urban living. The measure marks a critical first step for the billionaire backers hoping to build a sustainable city from scratch, but the odds of it passing are still in question. The group has faced spirited opposition from locals who are skeptical of the Silicon Valley elite.
| | | | EXCITING EVENT OPPORTUNITY: The USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, in collaboration with POLITICO and Unite America, hosts the Warschaw Conference on Practical Politics on January 30, 2024 at USC. Top experts from politics, government, media and academia will explore the upcoming election season as part of the following conversations: PRIMARY COLORS: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Beyond, NOVEMBER SHOWDOWN: Battle for the Presidency, TRUTH DECAY: Misinformation and Disinformation in Elections, RANKING REFORMS: The Cure for the Ills of Democracy Is More Democracy. Register to attend in person or virtually. | | | | | | | TOP READS | | DOOM LOOP, SCHMOOM LOOP: San Francisco loyalists are taking issues with the haters, saying not all is lost in the City by the Bay. (Los Angeles Times) OFFICE SPACE: A San Francisco developer wants to convert the historic Humboldt Bank Building in the city’s Financial District into apartments. Some hope it could become a model for other downtown spaces left vacant by the pandemic. (San Francisco Chronicle) | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | | TRANSITIONS — Anthony Williams, who left his gig as Amazon director of public policy earlier this month and once did a tour as Newsom’s legislative affairs secretary, will lead the new Sacramento office of lobbying firm Ballard Partners. PUT A RING ON IT — Chris Beckmann, a first-year student at Stanford business school, on Sunday proposed to Marie Baldassarre, communications director for Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). He proposed at Half Moon Bay by the cliffs in California. The couple met on Hinge. Pic ... Another pic BIRTHDAYS — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (7-0) … Mary Clare Rigali … Chris Gudmundson … (was Tuesday): Jeffrey Skoll … Amy Graiwer … Assemblymember Isaac Bryan … Jeffrey Skoll … Amy Graiwer (was Monday): Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav … (was Sunday): Andrew Baris … (was Saturday): Kristina Schake … Microsoft’s Kristin (Strobel) Emery MEA CULPA — Tuesday’s Playbook used an incorrect title for state Sen. David Min. Our apologies!
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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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