News: POLITICO California Playbook: NEWSOM mandates curfew — FAULCONER ‘seriously considering’ run for governor — 750K Californians could lose UNEMPLOYMENT benefits

Friday, November 20, 2020

POLITICO California Playbook: NEWSOM mandates curfew — FAULCONER ‘seriously considering’ run for governor — 750K Californians could lose UNEMPLOYMENT benefits — COVID ‘skyrocketing’ in Bay Area, LA

Nov 20, 2020

By Carla Marinucci, Jeremy B. White, Graph Massara and Mackenzie Hawkins

Presented by American Land Title Association

THE BUZZ — FAULCONER'S MOVE: Game on in pandemic-era politics.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer — moderate, business-friendly, head of the state's second-largest city — has long been viewed as the Republican best positioned for a statewide run for office in solidly blue California. And now, as he told POLITICO Thursday, he's "seriously considering" challenging Gov. Gavin Newsom, whom he says has failed to lead in the current Covid-19 crisis. Newsom's new mandatory curfew is just the latest failure on that front, the mayor said. (More on that below.)

In this Sept. 7, 2019 photo, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer speak in Indian Wells, Calif.

In this Sept. 7, 2019 photo, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer speak in Indian Wells, Calif. | AP Photo/Chris Carlson

AND SO IT BEGINS..."I've had a lot of very positive conversations with people throughout the state," Faulconer said in his most detailed comments on his plans to date. "They want change, and they know we need that change in leadership now. … We need someone who can win, and who can step up with the change our state needs."

Newsom's office on Thursday issued a statewide curfew order extending from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in counties in the state's most restrictive coronavirus tier, where 95 percent of all Californians live. Faulconer sharply criticized that move, saying it was just the latest blow against businesses and would deliver more economic hurt to California residents. "A curfew is not the way to go about this,'' he said.

He also seized on Newsom's recent French Laundry dinner with lobbyist Jason Kinney and bigwigs from the California Medical Association, saying that it's an example of the Democratic governor's hypocrisy — something most Californians can no longer tolerate.

REALITY CHECK: California is a solidly blue state, where Democratic registration bests that of Republicans by a whopping 46 to 24 percent. So any statewide candidate with an "R" after their name is automatically behind the eight ball. Newsom's chief strategist, Dan Newman, said Newsom — whose approval polls are still in the high 50s — will continue a laser focus on Covid and the well-being of Californians. And Democratic strategist Garry South said of Faulconer, "Nobody knows who he is."

BUT... THE TIMES, ARE THEY A'CHANGIN'? In the 2020 presidential election, Americans signaled they didn't want one party to run the whole show: They delivered the White House to Democrat Joe Biden, but also dealt losses to Democrats in the House. Republicans could well hold the Senate.

Faulconer has seen that writing on the wall ; he argues that the GOP's retaking of at least two House seats so far, plus Californians' votes on Propositions 15, 16 and 22 — rejecting the positions of leading Democrats and labor unions — may hint at a new course ahead.

THE ELEVATOR PITCH: "Californians are tired of a one-party system,'' Faulconer told us. "They want competition. The competition of ideas, a competition of leadership — somebody who can actually get that balance returned back to California. … It's time.''

BOTTOM LINE: Faulconer could run against Newsom in 2022, when the governor's term is up. Or he could benefit from the longshot moves by Republicans and conservative groups to push for a recall of Newsom in 2021. More from POLITICO's Carla Marinucci. Stay tuned.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. Wanna listen to some good podcasts over the weekend? Try "Inside Golden State Politics" with Sherry Bebitch Jeffe and Bill Boyarsky , as they look at "American Diversity: Impacting Elections from Orange County to Georgia." Or check out the always interesting "Passing Judgment" with Loyola Law School's Jessica Levinson, who sits down for "The Art of Being Barbara Boxer" with the former senator and takes a look at California's political landscape.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I rise this morning in defense of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who recently defied his own idiotic COVID edicts as he partied at one of the few restaurants that's not yet been forced out of business. … Gov. Newsom's night of partying should be a wakeup call for every American. … This crisis has revealed that fools abound in public office and that a fool in office can quickly become a petty tyrant. And that leads us back to Gov. Newsom." Republican California Rep. Tom McClintock addressing the House of Representatives Thursday, via C-SPAN.

TWEET OF THE DAY: NYT opinion writer Binyamin Appelbaum @BCApplebaum on the governor's curfew: "This is exactly the kind of policy we need to defeat the vampires."

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: California Playbook will not publish on Thursday, Nov. 26 and Friday, Nov. 27. We'll be back on our normal schedule on Monday, Nov. 30.

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TOP TALKERS

STAY AT HOME, REDUX — Newsom orders California curfew as coronavirus cases surge, by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White and Victoria Colliver: More than 94 percent of Californians must remain in their homes between 10 p.m and 5 a.m. unless performing essential activities. The requirement applies to the 41 counties that have landed in the state's most restrictive tier due to wide coronavirus spread.

"The virus is spreading at a pace we haven't seen since the start of this pandemic and the next several days and weeks will be critical to stop the surge. We are sounding the alarm," Newsom said in a statement. "It is crucial that we act to decrease transmission and slow hospitalizations before the death count surges. We've done it before and we must do it again."

INTERACTIVE: "Which California counties will have a curfew? Here's a map," via the Mercury News.

LOL — "Gavin Newsom Slammed For Eating At The French Laundry When Atelier Crenn Clearly Superior Take On Contemporary Cuisine," via the Onion (satire!)

PRO LIFE? — "Fresno bishop tells Catholics not to jump on 'vaccine bandwagon,''' by the LA Times' Haley Smith: "In a video shared by the diocese this week, [Bishop Joseph] Brennan said the race to produce a coronavirus vaccine has spurred researchers to make use of morally objectionable materials."

TREASURE TROVE? — "California Wants Its Imperial Valley to Be 'Lithium Valley,'" via Bloomberg's David R. Baker: "The region's Salton Sea contains a massive trove of the metal needed for electric-car batteries."

HOUSING HORRORS — "Black and Latino renters face eviction, exclusion amid police crackdowns in California," by the LA Times' Liam Dillon, Ben Poston and Julia Barajas: "The programs approved by cities vary, but are aimed at empowering landlords to evict or exclude tenants who have had brushes with law enforcement. Some cities have taken a strict approach, adopting laws requiring the eviction of tenants accused of breaking the law. Others provide police training for landlords on criminal background checks and anticrime lease provisions."

AND THERE'S MORE… "Here's how we found places in California with rules about 'crime-free housing,' " by the same LA Times team.

MORE 2020 WOES — "At least 750,000 Californians could lose unemployment benefits by end of 2020," by the SF Chronicle's Kathleen Pender: "An analysis released Thursday by the California Policy Lab estimates that 750,000 Californians will no longer receive benefits when two programs created under the federal Cares Act expire Dec. 26. The Century Foundation, in a report issued Wednesday, estimated that 9.1 million Americans, including 1.6 million in California, will lose benefits at year end."

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

WORKPLACE SAFETY — California approves emergency workplace safety standard, by POLITICO's Katy Murphy: California on Thursday unanimously approved strict Covid-19 workplace safety rules over the strong objections of industry groups, a move that labor unions and other worker advocates say is a necessary step to curb the pandemic's spread and save lives.

WHEN TRACING FAILS — "L.A. officials are still not sure how or why COVID cases are skyrocketing. It's a huge handicap," by the LA Times' Soumya Karlamanga: "The data limitations speak to the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic poses for contact tracing, a tried-and-true method that public health departments around the world use to track how an infection spreads. With so many people sick with COVID-19 or infected but showing no symptoms, identifying where someone contracted the virus becomes nearly impossible."

— "Charts show how Bay Area's current coronavirus surge is already worse than the last one ," by the SF Chronicle's Kellie Hwang and Mike Massa: "While the Bay Area overall has tended to do an effective job of controlling the virus throughout the pandemic, experts are deeply concerned about the trajectory of this latest surge."

— "Shopping, Dining on Again at Disney California Adventure," via City News Service.

— "East Bay teens develop sanitizing drone to help clean school during pandemic," by the Mercury News' Angela Ruggiero.

DON'T MISS NEW EPISODES OF GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS PODCAST: The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded in 2020 amid a global pandemic. Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, unpacks the roadblocks to smart policy decisions and examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. Subscribe for Season Two, available now.

TRANSITION TIME

SENATE PICK — "Could a Latino senator change 170 years of California history? It's up to the governor.," by NBC's Suzanne Gamboa: "The pressure is building for Newsom to do what hasn't been done since California, which used to be part of Mexico, became a state on Sept. 9, 1850 — send a Latino to Washington as one of its U.S. senators."

— "California Democrats face a decision: Do they go for Kamala Harris' Senate seat?," by Fox News' Chad Pergram: "One prominent Democrat ventured that practically the entire California congressional delegation is interested in that seat. Let the jockeying begin."

GET TOGETHER — "Biden to meet with Pelosi, Schumer on Friday,'' by POLITICO's Burgess Everett and Sarah Ferriss: The meeting will be the first in-person huddle since the election, and the trio will have plenty to talk about. Congress is stalled on coronavirus relief, the pandemic is getting worse, and Biden will have to begin charting out how to get his Cabinet through a narrowly divided Senate that could be under Republican control.

— "California Rep. Pete Aguilar wins vice chair position in House Democratic leadership," by the LA Times' Sarah D. Wire.

— "Biden looks to rehire diplomats, others fired by Trump to rebuild State Department," by the LA Times' Tracy Wilkinson and Noah Bierman: "That is expected to include an ambitious campaign to rebuild the department's ranks by recalling veteran officials like herself driven away and refilling many of the approximately 1,500 foreign-service and civil servant jobs lost under Trump, as well as vacant ambassadorial positions."

THE TRUMP ERA

NANCY'S NOT PLAYING — "Dems eye ways to fight back against GOP procedural 'game,''' by POLITICO's Sarah Ferris, Heather Caygle and John Bresnahan: "Republicans are already plotting ways to make Democrats — with their slimmer majority — squirm on the floor next year. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her deputies might have at least one way to fight back.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

MORE EDD TROUBLES — "Despite reports of unemployment fraud, California keeps sending mail with Social Security info," by the LA Times' Patrick McGreevy: "California's unemployment benefits agency, which has reported a deluge of fraudulent claims, has sent out more than 38 million pieces of mail containing Social Security numbers since the COVID-19 pandemic began, despite a call last year for the practice to stop because it could lead to identity theft, the state auditor warned Thursday."

OFFICE FRAT? — "Pimco Accused of 'Fraternity Culture' in Suit by Female Workers," by Bloomberg's Maeve Allsup: "Sue Collazo and Lisa Anthony, employees at the firm's Newport Beach office, say the company culture marginalizes, demeans and undervalues women and male leaders overtly favor other men regardless of their qualifications. Leadership encouraged worker gatherings at strip clubs, golf outings, and poker nights, alienating female employees, according to the complaint, filed Thursday in California's Orange County Superior Court."

— " Where California Stands with Women in the Legislature,'' by the Public Policy Institute of California's Jennifer Paluch: "Before the November election, the California Legislative Women's Caucus stood at an all-time high of 15 state senators and 23 assembly members. Although it is one of the largest caucuses in the nation, California is far from a national leader: at 38 of 120 members, women represent just 32% of state legislative offices."

PRICEY PRISONS — " Locking up young people in juvenile hall tops $500,000 in some California counties,'' by the SF Chronicle's Jill Tucker: "The report, published by the Youth Law Center and the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center, also documented how some young offenders were forced to buy essentials — such as deodorant or soap — with good-behavior points. Instead of the promised supportive homelike environments, many facilities have locked rooms with tiny windows, institutional furniture and barbed wire fences."

CASH BACK FOR CARS — "Up to $1,500 off: California rolls out a new incentive program for clean cars,'' by the San Diego Union Tribune's Rob Nikolewski: "Called the California Clean Fuel Reward, the program is open to all residents of the Golden State, provided they register the vehicles with the state's Department of Motor Vehicles."

— '' California's family-owned farms fight through COVID-19,'' by the LA Times' Lucas Kwan Peterson: "The novel coronavirus has wreaked havoc on every aspect of the food industry. It's been particularly taxing on California's smaller farms, some of which have seen their restaurant orders all but vanish and their farmers markets sales decline because of decreased foot traffic."

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— "PayPal co-founder hitting the public markets again, this time with fintech Affirm," by the SF Business Times' Dawn Kawamoto.

EAVESDROPPING? — " A Facebook Messenger Flaw Could Have Let Hackers Listen In," by Wired's Lily Hay Newman: "The vulnerability was found through the company's bug bounty program, now in its tenth year."

HOLLYWOODLAND

— "Even as COVID-19 surges, Triller planned a red carpet party in a Hollywood Hills mansion," by the LA Times' Wendy Lee and Rong-Gong Lin.

FULL HOUSE TO BIG HOUSE — Lori Loughlin's Husband Mossimo Surrenders to Serve Prison Sentence,'' via TMZ: "The 'Full House' star's hubby reported to authorities Thursday at the Federal Correctional Institution in Lompoc, CA ... about 2 and a half hours north of L.A."

EXOTIC STAR TRIPPING — "Airbnb Welcomes the First Bollywood Hosts."

— "Hollywood Man Arrested For Crashing Drone Into LAPD Chopper," via CBSLA.

ULTIMATE STATUS — "The Hollywood president: Here are the celebs Barack Obama name-drops in his new book,'' by LA Times' Christie D'Zurilla.

— "Wrongful death lawsuit filed over Naya Rivera's drowning," via the AP.

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.

MIXTAPE

WHO DOESN'T?? — "Want to save sea otters? The key might be moving them into San Francisco Bay — away from great white sharks," by the Mercury News' Paul Rogers.

— " Judge rejects Milpitas group's bid to block sale of hotel for homeless housing," by the Mercury News' Joseph Geha.

— "FBI: Reported Jet Pack Sightings Near LAX Unlikely To Involve Actual Jet Pack," via CBSLA.

— " Warriors' Klay Thompson suffers season-ending Achilles tear," by the SF Chronicle's Connor Letourneau.

— "Jury finds Roy Waller guilty of all 46 counts in NorCal Rapist's 15-year string of crimes," by the Sac Bee's Sam Stanton.

— " 'World's largest helitanker' demonstrates firefighting water drops in California," by the East Bay Times' Jonah Valdez.

— "How a Berkeley Police Chief Gave Rise to the Modern Force," by KQED's Katrina Schwartz.

— " Indigenous tribes took over Alcatraz 51 years ago. Read the 'holy grail' of the occupation," by the LA Times' Carolina A. Miranda.

BIRTHDAYS

Robert Edmonson, chief of staff of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's congressional office, is 36 … Jules Albertson, digital director and press secretary for Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) (h/t Heather Purcell)

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