| | | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White, Carla Marinucci, Graph Massara and Mackenzie Hawkins | Presented by American Land Title Association | THE BUZZ: In the annals of unforced political errors, Gov. Gavin Newsom attending a gathering at an opulent restaurant as Californians struggle with pandemic restrictions will stand out as a glaring one. California coronavirus indicators are flashing red this month: Cases are climbing, positivity rates are picking up and hospitalizations are rising. Newsom has repeatedly exhorted residents to stop the state's backsliding by wearing masks, socially distancing and avoiding mixing with other households, and has warned that people are "letting their guard down" by "starting to get together outside of their household cohorts." That last one is an especially bitter pill to swallow with the holidays approaching. Amid those straitened circumstances, the SF Chronicle's Alexei Koseff scooped that Newsom, first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and 10 other people gathered at the French Laundry — a storied Napa outpost of fine dining — to celebrate lobbyist, adviser and California Democrat fixer Jason Kinney's 50th birthday. The governor and Kinney's lobbying firm asserted that they broke no rules, noting that the outdoor, distanced meal occurred at a restaurant that remains open because it has followed state guidelines. | 
The French Laundry restaurant in Yountville, Calif. | AP Photo/Eric Risberg | Newsom swiftly conceded that he had erred, saying in a statement that "I should have modeled better behavior and not joined the dinner." But the damage was done. A ferocious backlash saw Republicans from California to Kentucky accusing Newsom of "for me, not for thee" hypocrisy. Not a few pointed out that Newsom's kids are returning to in-person instruction at a private school even as public schools remain shuttered around the state. Frustrated Californians wondered why they're canceling plans and being told to stay home even as their leader chooses to join a group at one of the state's fanciest restaurants. They recalled Newsom encouraging them to re-mask during bites. L'Affair French Laundry played out the same day Newsom and top state public health official Mark Ghaly implored Californians to avoid large, mixed Thanksgiving gatherings. Two levels of fallout to watch: Politically speaking, the campaign ads write themselves. Prepare yourself for a deluge of King Gavin messaging as his 2022 re-election campaign ramps up. And keep an eye on Newsom's so far solid coronavirus approval ratings, which could take a hit. And on a public health level, Newsom has endlessly emphasized the importance of individual action, of modeling good behavior and of remaining vigilant even as Covid fatigue sets in. His actions could make it likelier that Californians will disregard his pleas, potentially unraveling the progress Newsom has urged us to protect. MEANWHILE, IN D.C., Congress faced similar criticism for hosting new member dinners — check out the ratio on NBC's Leigh Ann Caldwell's tweet sharing an image of the ornate dining room and passing along Speaker Nancy Pelosi 's reassurance that the area is "very spaced." After outrage rippled across the Internet, members ended up taking their meals to go. BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. We got more election decisions last week — including Republicans picking up two House seats and protecting a state Senate seat, with Rosilicie Bogh claiming SD-23, and Democrats claiming two state Senate seats — but we're still waiting on some races, with the deadline for vote-by-mail ballots to arrive hitting Friday. Republican David Valadao leads Democratic Rep. TJ Cox; Republican Rep. Mike Garcia is beating Democratic Assemblymember Christy Smith by a mere 104 votes; and Republican state Sen. Scott Wilk is in position to win reelection. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I will not be voting for Nancy Pelosi. I have no idea if people are gonna run against her, or who might run against her. And I will of course have this conversation directly with her. But I believe we need new leadership. I would love to see more Midwesterners, because if you look across the leadership. … I respect these people, but it's New York and California." Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin crystallizes House Democrat discontent, via POLITICO's Tim Alberta. TWEET OF THE DAY: San Diego Mayor and potential gubernatorial contender Kevin Faulconer @Kevin_Faulconer on Newsom: "His kids can learn in person. But yours can't. He can celebrate birthday parties. But you can't. He can dine on a $350 meal at one California's fanciest restaurants during the worst recession in generations. But you definitely can't. Can you believe this? I can't." WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. | | A message from American Land Title Association: While the work of land title professionals is behind-the-scenes, and they may sometimes go unseen, the joy from what they do can be seen on the smiling faces of millions of Americans when they finally get the title of "homeowner." Land title professionals have safeguarded the American dream for more than 125 years. Meet the people who help protect homebuyers and sellers when they make the most important financial decision of their lives. Learn more | | | |  | TOP TALKERS | | — "An 800-mile firebreak once traversed California. What happened?" by the SF Chronicle's Matthias Gafni: "Nearly lost to history and nature, the Ponderosa Way, which spanned from Mount Shasta to Bakersfield, was one of the largest projects of the Depression era. It still holds lessons for a fire-stricken California." YUGE SUPPORT — "Donald Trump just broke California's record for most Republican votes," by the Mercury News' Emily DeRuy. FOR SENATE, TOO — State Sen. Nancy Skinner has accumulated the most votes for a state Senate candidate since proportional California districting began in 1966, per California politics sage Alex Vassar. Skinner, a Berkeley Democrat, rang up more than 402,000 votes — or 88 percent of the vote — as she dispatched token libertarian challenger Jamie Dluzak to win reelection. Amazingly, the next six highest post-Sims decision vote totals also happened this year. — "Jahi Turner was 2 when he vanished in San Diego in 2002. His mother still searches for answers," by the San Diego Union-Tribune's Dana Littlefield: "For more than a decade, Tameka Jones held onto the idea — a fantasy, really — that her son would come home one day." | | TRANSITION TIME | | — "Largely Out of Sight in Washington, Kamala Harris Preps for White House," by the NY Times' Michael Crowley: "One focus of her time is the quantum leap Ms. Harris is soon to make from the legislative to the executive branch. Whereas Mr. Biden will have virtually no learning curve upon returning to the White House after eight years as vice president, Ms. Harris has spent little, if any, substantive time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue." WINDS OF CHANGE — "Californians to have most power in the federal government since at least Reagan. Now what?" by the LA Times' Sarah D. Wire: "After four years as the face of the anti-Trump resistance, the state's elected leaders are practically giddy about the chance to advance California's priorities on a national scale, with the first and second in line for the presidency being from the state." — "Without Trump in the White House, what's next for California Republicans?" by the Sac Bee's Lara Korte: "Trump may be on his way out of the White House, but California Republicans still have reasons for hope. In an election cycle that many had hoped would bring a 'blue wave,' California Republican candidates have held onto existing congressional seats and could gain a few, depending on the results of some close races." | | | | JOIN WEDNESDAY - CONFRONTING INEQUALITY TOWN HALL "BRIDGING THE ECONOMIC DIVIDE": Although pandemic job losses have been widespread, the economic blow has been especially devastating to Black workers and Black-owned businesses. POLITICO's third "Confronting Inequality in America" town hall will convene economists, scholars, private sector and city leaders to explore policies and strategies to deal with the disproportionate economic impact of the pandemic and the broader factors contributing to the persistent racial wealth and income gaps. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | CAGOP RECLAIMS ANOTHER — "Republicans flip second California seat as Kim prevails," by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White: Former Assemblymember Young Kim's victory in a rematch of the 2018 election adds to Republican gains in the Golden State, where the Republican Party was intent on reclaiming territory it ceded during a midterm clobbering. Orange County Supervisor Michelle Steel had already won back the 48th Congressional District from Rep. Harley Rouda. CCPOA MISS — "California prison guards' union spent big and lost with tough-on-crime message," by the Sac Bee's Wes Venteicher: "A major backer of tougher laws in both eras has been the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. This year, after president Glen Stailey announced a new push to regain the union's former political might, some of the group's most expensive efforts fell short." — "Oakland ballots not counted after voters wrongly told they were receipts, civil rights groups say," by the LA Times' John Myers. PROP 22 PERIL — "What Happened in California Is a Cautionary Tale for Us All," Terri Gerstein opines in NYT: "Emboldened by the results in California, Uber and friends are apparently planning to take the show on the road. Potential targets could include Massachusetts or New Jersey, where state regulators have pursued them, or New York or Pennsylvania, where courts have rejected the argument by gig companies that workers run their own independent businesses." | | THE TRUMP ERA | | — "U.S. Supreme Court to hear case on union access to farm workers," by the SF Chronicle's Bob Egelko: "The Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear a challenge by California growers to state regulations allowing union organizers to enter growers' property during certain non-working hours to talk to farmworkers." | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | STAY PUT — West Coast states issue travel advisory ahead of Thanksgiving week, by POLITICO's Mackenzie Hawkins: California, Oregon and Washington on Friday issued a joint travel advisory discouraging nonessential travel and urging visitors and residents returning from other states to quarantine for 14 days. — "L.A. County sees highest number of coronavirus cases in one day since the summer," by the LA Times' Liam Dillon. — "Weekend COVID-19 surge alarms L.A. officials amid talk of curfew, more actions ," by the LA Times' Alex Wigglesworth and David Zahniser. — "Indoor dining is getting shut down across the Bay Area," by the SF Chronicle's Janelle Bitker and Erin Allday. HOW DID WE GET HERE? — " It started with one sick woman in San Jose. Now, the coronavirus has spread to 1 million Californians," by the LA Times' Soumya Karlamangla: "Much like the promise of two-week stay-at-home orders and warm summer weather vanquishing the virus, the days of a clean narrative about California's experience with the pandemic are far behind us. The inescapability of the virus is clear, but so are California's persistent efforts to trudge through." | | | |   | | | | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | — "'If I don't go to work, I don't get paid': Pandemic still hitting California housekeepers," by the Sac Bee's Kim Bojórquez: "California considers domestic workers 'essential workers' for purposes of the pandemic. Yet housekeepers and others are treated as 'invisible' – not prominent in the public conversation about jobs to protect, said Rocio Ruiz, senior employment law counsel & state policy director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance." — "Falling rents, a result of pandemic, lure bargain hunters back to S.F.," by the SF Chronicle's J.K. Dineen: "For opportunistic urbanists, especially former city residents who have been priced out in recent years, the out-migration is an opportunity to get into San Francisco on the cheap." | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | — "Biden's resolve on tech will face early test in U.S. trade talks," by POLITICO's Cristiano Lima: While Biden has called for upending those legal protections — his most aggressive proposal targeting the tech industry to date — lawmakers, foreign leaders, industry executives and advocacy groups told POLITICO in interviews that his administration's stance on the trade front will signal how serious he is about following through. | | HOLLYWOODLAND | | — "Michael Cera, Maya Erskine & Michael Angarano To Star In Road Trip Movie 'Sacramento'," by Deadline's Andrea Wiseman. | | | | TRACK THE TRANSITION, SUBSCRIBE TO TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: As states certify their election results, President-elect Biden is building an administration. The staffing decisions made in the coming days, weeks, and months will send clear-cut signals about his administration's agenda and priorities. Transition Playbook is the definitive guide to what could be one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history. Written for political insiders, it tracks the appointments, people, and the emerging power centers of the new administration. Stay in the know, subscribe today. | | | | | | | CANNABIS COUNTRY | | — "Nerds candymaker files suit against California cannabis firm," via Marijuana Business Daily: "Chicago-based Ferrara Candy Co. has filed suit in a federal court against California-based Tops Cannabis, alleging the delivery company has been peddling marijuana-infused parodies of its popular Nerds brand and is infringing on its trademark." | | MEDIA MATTERS | | — "We turned over our letters page to Trump readers for a day. Here's what they wrote," by the LA Times' Paul Thornton. | | MIXTAPE | | — "Wayne Thiebaud turns 100 today: Sacramento celebrates its best-known artist," by the Sac Bee's Darrell Smith — " L.A.'s rejection of a 577-unit housing project violated state law, judge finds," by the LA Times' David Zahniser. — "San Francisco's indoor dining ban hits Indian restaurants hard ahead of Diwali," by the SF Chronicle's Janelle Bitker. — " San Diego Police Records Website Down After Posting Confidential Information," by KPBS's Katy Stegall. — "Former consultant for California high-speed rail project is cleared of ethics violations," by the LA Times' Ralph Vartabedian. | | BIRTHDAYS | | COMING SOON — Kamala Harris alum Jill Habig and partner Addisu Demissie, who ran Newsom's 2018 campaign, revealed they are having a baby. | | A message from American Land Title Association: While the work of land title professionals is behind-the-scenes, and they may sometimes go unseen, the joy from what they do can be seen on the smiling faces of millions of Americans when they finally get the title of "homeowner." Land title professionals have safeguarded the American dream for more than 125 years. Meet the people who help protect homebuyers and sellers when they make the most important financial decision of their lives. Learn more | | | 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 subscriber-only service offers, click here. Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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