| | | | | |  | | By Carla Marinucci, Jeremy B. White, Graph Massara and Mackenzie Hawkins | Presented by The Great Courses Plus | THE BUZZ — KNIVES OUT FOR NEWSOM: It's getting rough out there. Gavin Newsom has had an unusually charmed political career spanning decades — but the first two years of his governorship have been the most treacherous he's faced. The shifting economic and social winds brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with some of Newsom's own self-inflicted wounds, have not gone unnoticed by the California governor's political foes and potential challengers. And now some of them are beginning to sense an opening for political maneuvers to test his vulnerabilities. Newsom's mentor, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, opined this week in the SF Chronicle on the now-infamous French Laundry debacle, for which the governor has publicly apologized. "There was no real damage done to anyone, no laws broken and no money stolen,'' he noted. "Let's also keep in mind that Newsom did an excellent job securing the resources and equipment to address the virus in the early days of the pandemic. But then came the line most will remember: "I hear the wine bill was $12,000." The editorials came fast and furious. A brutal Sac Bee editorial read, "Nothing will launder the stain of stupidity from his reputation after this ill-conceived outing." In the Mercury News, Dan Borenstein wrote that Newsom "ceded moral authority to guide California out of the depths of the pandemic." Now California Republicans, long dismissed as feeble in a state where they lag in voter registration by nearly 2:1, are suddenly feeling empowered. Possible gubernatorial challengers, like San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer — who is seriously considering running for the post — have begun making the public case for voters to consider a Newsom alternative. Businessman John Cox, who lost to Newsom in a landslide, is already exploring another shot at him. | 
Demonstrators carry a sign calling for a recall on Gov. Gavin Newsom, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, during a protest in Huntington Beach, Calif. | AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez | THE LATEST TWIST… RECALL REDUX? — "French Laundry snafu, court reprieve reignites longshot Newsom recall drive,'' by POLITICO's Carla Marinucci: Newsom's pandemic group outing to the French Laundry and his decision to send his kids to in-person private school are reigniting talk of a recall that was once relegated to the fringes of conservative groups in deep blue California. In a collision of unfortunate events for Newsom, conservative activists last week won a 120-day court extension to continue gathering recall signatures, and they're hoping to capitalize on events so damaging for the governor that he has avoided reporters for seven days despite an escalating pandemic crisis. Nearly two decades after California Republicans successfully fueled the drive to recall Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and catapult Arnold Schwarzenegger to the state's top spot, the GOP faithful are hoping the court ruling will be a "game changer," said Tom Del Beccaro, chair of the RescueCalifornia.org drive. BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. It's what California's talking about (see our story below) — "Keep the Seat: Who Should Succeed Kamala Harris in the U.S. Senate?" is the title of the big Commonwealth Club panel tomorrow, Tuesday, 3-4 p.m. — featuring Kimberly Ellis, former director of Emerge California, state Assemblymember Shirley Weber and Carolyn Wysinger, president of SF Pride. The program's free to all: Register here. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It's an honor to be considered and be part of that conversation. ... I do think a diversity of perspectives is important in the representation for California in the United States Senate. The Latino community specifically represents 40 percent of the population, but that diversity is one of a number of considerations. ... We'll respect his his decision, whenever he makes it known." — California Secretary of State Alex Padilla addresses Latino leaders lobbying for his appointment to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' Senate seat on Sunday Morning Matters with host Alex Balekian. BONUS QOTD: "COVID's not going away, by the way. … Can I just be honest with you? You can't hide from it. It's a virus. You're gonna get it eventually." Fresno pastor Brad Well, whose Well Community Church says it will continue to hold meetings indoors, albeit with masks, via GVWire's Jim Jakobs. TWEET OF THE DAY: What a class-act concession statement looks like, from Christopher Cabaldon, mayor of West Sacramento. WHERE'S GAVIN? In quarantine. More below. 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. | | | | A message from The Great Courses Plus: Don't be stagnant, keep your mind active with The Great Courses Plus . Learn at your own pace with the ability to stream lectures like the Art of Investing anytime, anywhere. Tap into an expansive selection of over 13,000 video streaming lectures from some of the world's greatest minds. Learning should be enjoyable, so start learning today with The Great Courses Plus! | | | |  | TOP TALKERS | | GOVERNOR QUARANTINES — One of Newsom's children quarantines after potential exposure from classmate at school, by POLITICO's Carla Marinucci: Gov. Gavin Newsom and his family are quarantining for 14 days after learning three of their children were exposed to a California Highway Patrol officer who has tested positive for Covid-19, his office announced late Sunday night. The entire family tested negative Sunday for coronavirus, according to press secretary Jesse Melgar. The governor learned of the CHP exposure during the "late evening" Friday, around the time POLITICO reported that one of Newsom's four children had to quarantine due to exposure to a classmate at school who had Covid-19. Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom had no direct interaction with the officer, Melgar said. THE PRESSURE IS ON — Top Dem donors, Willie Brown push hard for woman of color in Senate seat, by POLITICO's Carla Marinucci: As speculation grows that Newsom is leaning toward Padilla to fill Harris' Senate seat, a crowd of top Democratic donors and Brown are launching an aggressive campaign to argue that another woman of color should fill that seat. Brown, the former longtime speaker of the California Assembly, said he's launching a drive Monday to organize Black churches, pastors, civic leaders, fraternal organizations and prominent members of the Black press statewide to urge Newsom to consider leading Black women for the seat. Among the leading choices, he said, are Reps. Barbara Lee, Karen Bass and Maxine Waters; San Francisco Mayor London Breed; and state Sen. Holly Mitchell. "There's no way that Gavin Newsom should allow anyone other than a Black woman to fill the seat of Harris, who's only the second Black woman in the history of the U.S. Senate," Brown told POLITICO on Sunday. "There should be no contest." Brown's campaign comes as some 150 of the state's top female Democratic donors on Monday will publish full-page newspaper ads with an open letter urging Newsom to pick a woman of color, Vox's Theodore Schleifer reported Sunday. HUFFMAN'S OUT — "CA NAACP leader resigns amid conflict-of-interest backlash," by CalMatters' Laurel Rosenhall: "Political consultant Alice Huffman has resigned as president of the California NAACP after a turbulent election season in which several Black leaders criticized her for endorsing ballot measures they saw as bad for African-American communities — while she was paid $1.7 million to work on the proposition campaigns." — "I Traced My Covid-19 Bubble and It's Enormous," by the NYT's Farhad Manjoo: "Once I had counted everyone, I realized that visiting my parents for Thanksgiving would be like asking them to sit down to dinner with more than 100 people." — " Did the Dodgers really need to slash jobs after winning the World Series?," by the Athletic's Bill Shea. | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | ALARMING UPTICK — "Coronavirus cases surge 53.4% in California," by USA Today's Mike Stucka: "New coronavirus cases leaped in California in the week ending Saturday, rising 53.4% as 82,368 cases were reported." THANKSGIVING TRAVEL — "At SFO, travelers take coronavirus risk in stride during Thanksgiving rush," by the SF Chronicle's Tatiana Sanchez: "At SFO, travel was down 70% compared with Thanksgiving last year, according to airport duty manager Russell Mackey. But with about 615 flights per day, 'it's still the busiest time period probably since the pandemic began.' he said." PEAK PROBLEMS — "Daily California coronavirus cases triple as pandemic dramatically worsens,'' by the LA Times' Rong-Gong Lin: "The coronavirus is now infecting more Californians daily than at any previous point in the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about a new peak in coronavirus-related deaths by Christmas." TOUGHER RULES AHEAD — " L.A. County suspends outdoor dining at restaurants as coronavirus surges," by the LA Times' Alex Wigglesworth: "The new rule takes effect at 10 p.m. Wednesday and restricts restaurants, along with breweries, wineries and bars, to takeout and delivery only for the first time since May. They will remain in place for at least three weeks, officials said." THUMBING THEIR NOSES? — " Experts, California residents question curfew effectiveness,'' by the AP's Don Thompson: "'The Order itself lacks direction regarding methods, specific statutes, and enforcement criteria, as to whether the Governor intends to try to hold violators of this Order accountable in criminal courts,' Fresno County's district attorney said in a statement Friday, adding that her office would 'not be initiating criminal charges for any felony or misdemeanor violations of this Order.'" ESSENTIAL AUTOS? — "California's new coronavirus curfew does not apply to Tesla workers -state health dept,'' by Reuters' Tina Bellon: "Asked whether the order applied to workers at Tesla's Fremont factory, the California Department of Public Health in a statement said it did not apply to employees deemed essential workers, with manufacturing listed as an essential workforce." — " Is anyone enforcing COVID-19 curfew in Merced CA? Here's who,'' via Merced Sun-Star's Thaddeus Miller: "Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said this week his deputies will not enforce curfew." — "Kaiser Permanente begins testing Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine candidate on adolescents," by the Sac Bee's Cathie Anderson. | | | | TRACK THE TRANSITION : President-elect Biden has named his chief of staff and several other key White House positions. What's next? Treasury secretary? Secretary of State? These and other crucial staffing decisions made in the coming days send clear-cut signals about President-elect Biden's administration agenda and priorities. Transition Playbook is the definitive guide to 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. Track the transition. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | GAVINLAND | | STAR-STUDDED PANEL KAPUT — "Newsom ends California economic task force despite widespread pandemic closures," by POLITICO's Carla Marinucci: The group of more than 100 leaders concluded its work with a final report that outlines general principles and findings — but no specific new initiatives to protect California businesses in the pandemic. Newsom later announced the launch of a California Rebuilding Fund intended to help small businesses obtain loans to restart their operations when possible, which he said was one product of task force discussions. Read the panel's final report. TRANSITION TIME: SEC OF STATE — Biden will nominate Antony Blinken as secretary of State, by POLITICO's Natasha Korecki, Natasha Bertrand and Nahal Toosi: Blinken, 58, is considered a moderate who is well regarded by foreign diplomats and can pass muster with Republicans in the Senate, where he will have to seek confirmation. At the same time, he's served as an intermediary for Biden and members of the progressive community, engaging the latter on their demands for what a Biden foreign policy will look like. MCCARTHY's DILEMMA? — " California Republican leaders go all in on Trump's election subterfuge, but some are more vocal than others,'' via LATimes' Maya Lau and Laura J. Nelson: Yet "most state Republicans ... have remained silent, refusing to offer an explanation of their views even when asked." — "Costa earns lawmaker endorsements in race for House Ag chair," by POLITICO's Liz Crampton: "The California Democrat rolled out a list of endorsements from six committee members, along with 21 other House lawmakers, including influential Reps. Raúl Grijalva, Katie Porter and Zoe Lofgren." PLACE YOUR BETS NOW — "These seven Californians could get jobs in the Biden administration," by the LA TImes' Sarah D. Wire. | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | HOW IT'S GOING IN CA-25, via Saturday's California Target Book: Assemblymember Christy Smith has filed to run for the 25th District House seat again in 2022 on Friday. After L.A. County reported its updated totals, incumbent GOP Rep. Mike Garcia, declared victory, which drew a condemnation from Smith as "dangerous to our democratic process". STILL POPULAR — "Tax-weary California voters would pass Prop 13 again, Berkeley IGS poll finds," by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White: A newly released poll from the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies finds the 1978 initiative continues to draw strong support in California — and would likely pass again. A majority of registered voters (53 percent) said they would vote for Prop 13 if it were up for another vote, while just 18 percent of voters said they would oppose it. Similarly, the IGS poll uncovered broad discontent with current taxation levels in California. An overwhelming 81 percent majority of voters said state and local taxes are too high — a record level — with most of those voters (48 percent) saying taxes are "much too high." Voters resoundingly agreed (78 percent) that onerous taxes are driving people and businesses out of the state. — "Legislature campaigns: Did big political spenders get what they paid for?" by CalMatters' Ben Christopher. | | | | A message from The Great Courses Plus:   | | | | | THE TRUMP ERA | | — "Third Straight Weekend Of Protests, Violence As Trump Supporters Descend On California's Capitol," by Capital Public Radio's Scott Rodd. — " Public Outcry As California Inmate Firefighter Bounchan Keola Facing Deportation Upon Prison Release," via KPIX: Keola "is a legal resident of the U.S., having fled Laos with his parents when he was 2. But federal law allows for the deportation of immigrants with certain criminal convictions. And while California law prohibits local agencies from cooperating with federal immigration authorities for some crimes, it doesn't apply to the state prison system." BLUE BUTTE — "Why a county in the State of Jefferson rejected Trump this time," by SFGATE's Amy Graff: "Residents of far Northern California generally lean strongly toward Republican candidates in the presidential election, but the community of Butte County occasionally swings slightly left, as it did this year." | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | — "California workers hired back, but recovery fears linger," by the LA Times' Margot Roosevelt: "California's pandemic-plagued economy perked up in October, as employers brought back tens of thousands of furloughed workers. But the state has regained less than half the jobs it lost in the spring's catastrophic downturn, and economists predict the recovery may have already stalled." — "'Silicon Valley dudes buying Teslas': California struggles to expand electric-car market," by the SF Chronicle's Dustin Gardiner: " California drivers who buy electric vehicles overwhelmingly fit a narrow demographic profile. Most are male, white or Asian American, and between the ages of 30 and 49. The majority earn more than $100,000 a year and live in expensive coastal areas." — "L.A. hits 300 homicides for first time in a decade," by the LA Times' Kevin Rector. — "Sheriff Villanueva faces contempt hearing for ignoring civilian board's subpoena," via City News Service. — "How Bank of America helped fuel California's unemployment meltdown," by CalMatters' Lauren Helper and Stephen Council: "Lawmakers are examining the bank's role in mass account freezes and untold amounts of missing money for thousands of struggling jobless Californians — as well as where the bank may have failed to keep unemployment money safe from fraud." — "California prison closings could save more than $1 billion," via the AP: But "closing prisons would be a change for the state, which for decades concentrated on building new ones." — "Video visits rolling out at five California state prisons," by the LA Times' Alex Wigglesworth. | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | — "Why Some Tech Workers Leaving Silicon Valley Are Changing Jobs," by WSJ's Katherine Bindley: "The remote-work era ushered in by the coronavirus pandemic is upending not only where tech workers want to live and how much money they can make, but also what kinds of opportunities they are willing to consider." SF SCENE via Mission Local: "Activists gather outside Zuckerberg's house to protest against misinformation," by Mission Local's Clara-Sophia Daly. ONCE THE QUEEN — "Elizabeth Holmes wants to block jurors from hearing about her luxurious lifestyle as Theranos CEO ,'' via CNBC. | | HOLLYWOODLAND | | — "Hollywood has resumed production — but can it last through a second wave?" by NBC's Ahiza García-Hodges: "The hope is that with stricter measures, Hollywood will be able to weather future waves. However, actors are still testing positive, some workers are still unable to return to work because of safety concerns, studios are still having to push movie releases or debut feature films on streaming platforms, and movie theaters are struggling to survive." | | | | DON'T MISS THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT 2020: POLITICO will feature a special edition Future Pulse newsletter at the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of global health industry leaders and innovators determined to confront and conquer the most significant health challenges. Covid-19 has exposed weaknesses across our health systems, particularly in the treatment of our most vulnerable communities, driving the focus of the 2020 conference on the converging crises of public health, economic insecurity, and social justice. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage from December 7–9. | | | | | | | CANNABIS COUNTRY | | TRENDWATCH — "San Diego Cannabis Shops Want To Form 'Business Improvement District,'" by KPBS' Andrew Bowen: "The vast majority of the funds would be used for marketing, public relations and policy development. But about 5% would be used for 'social equity' programming that would aim to help people who were harmed by the decades-long 'war on drugs' share in the profits of the legal market." | | MIXTAPE | | — "A child's death fuels questions about air ambulance system in OC," by the OC Register's Tony Saavedra. — " SF DA releases list of 822 convictions that involved lab analyst now accused of dealing meth," by SFGATE's Amy Graff. — "We need to talk about Gerald," by the Oaklandside's Ally Markovich. — " These bakers are done chasing the New York bagel. Say hello to the San Francisco-style bagel," by the SF Chronicle's Janelle Bitker. | | BIRTHDAYS | | Amy Schatz, VP at Glen Echo Group … Brittany Griffin SUNDAY: IBM's Sammy Jordan … Rob Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation SATURDAY: Beth Labson Freeman … Tom Rothman turned 66 … Jonathan Wornick | | | | A message from The Great Courses Plus: Are you an inquisitively curious individual that loves learning? Join a community of life-long learners, and learn more about any topic with The Great Courses Plus. Stream thousands of videos by some of this world's brightest minds. From the Art of Investing to the Theory of Everything, quench your thirst for knowledge with courses designed for the endlessly curious cat. With The Great Courses Plus, you'll enjoy being able to learn anytime, anywhere at your own pace. Now there's nothing keeping you from starting your educational journey. Learn now with The Great Courses Plus! | | | 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? 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