News : POLITICO California Playbook: DEE DEE MYERS joins NEWSOM’s team — FEINSTEIN firestorm — AIRBNB IPO: Another SF company cracks $100B

Friday, December 11, 2020

POLITICO California Playbook: DEE DEE MYERS joins NEWSOM’s team — FEINSTEIN firestorm — AIRBNB IPO: Another SF company cracks $100B — PELOSI defends SWALWELL

Dec 11, 2020

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

THE BUZZ — POLITICO EXCLOO: Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic — and the avalanche of social and economic problems that's come with it, along with some damaging headlines — it's been many long, difficult months since the California governor has been able to "drink from the keg of glory," to use a phrase from "West Wing."

A new adviser, Dee Dee Myers, may be just what he needs for a reboot. Long familiar on cable TV as a top-notch political analyst, Myers is a seasoned political warrior who broke the glass ceiling as the first female (and second-youngest) presidential press secretary in history, during the Clinton administration. She was the model for tough-but-fair fictional White House press secretary C.J. Cregg, played by Allison Janney on "West Wing" — a show for which Myers served as a consultant for six years and 119 episodes.

EVP of Warner Brothers Dee Dee Myers speaks onstage during an event on October 4, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California.

EVP of Warner Brothers Dee Dee Myers speaks onstage during an event on October 4, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. | Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

But not too many know her chops as an executive and board member in business sectors critical to California's future. She was an executive vice president for five years at Warner Brothers, a $25 billion revenue company and one of the world's "big five" movie studios, a post she left earlier this year. Myers also served as a board member with Nevada-based Wynn Resorts, the hospitality, restaurant and hotel giant. Prior to that, she was a top manager for the Glover Park Group, a powerhouse D.C.-based communications shop that has handled clients like the NFL.

Tapped by Newsom chief of staff Ann O'Leary earlier this year, Myers volunteered to assist Newsom's team on strategy, crisis communication and the setup of his business and economic task force. Newsom's team has lacked a key business and economic point person since Lenny Mendonca resigned last April, and with O'Leary soon leaving her post , Myers' expertise in business and politics and her solid reputation could help his whole team navigate out of the rough waters of 2020.

She spoke to Carla about the challenges ahead — and the post she will take on starting today.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. Happy Hanukkah and chag sameach to all our Playbookers celebrating the Festival of Lights! And a less festive reminder from POLITICO's Jake Sherman: "Govt shuts down at midnight...Senate still needs to pass a funding bill."

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "They have been a lifeline to their communities. They have transported healthcare workers to hospitals, delivered food to people socially distancing at home, and helped local restaurants stay in business." — Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in a letter to Newsom this week urging him to let Uber drivers get priority access to the Covid-19 vaccine, via the LA Times' Hugo Martin.

TWEET OF THE DAY: San Diego Republican Mayor @Kevin_Faulconer's classy move on his last day in office, wishing the incoming Democrat success: "I started here as a city councilmember. I leave as a mayor filled with gratitude for the opportunity to serve you. Please join me in lending Mayor @ToddGloria our support, prayers, and trust to overcome today's challenges — and keep San Diego leading well into the future."

PODCAST OF THE DAY: Rep. Eric Swalwell joins Loyola Law professor Jessica Levinson on her podcast, " Passing Judgment."

WHERE'S GAVIN? At the 89th Annual California State Capitol Virtual Tree Lighting Ceremony with First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. The event will be livestreamed at 5:30 p.m. on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

TRACK THE TRANSITION & NEW ADMINISTRATION HEADING INTO 2021: President-elect Biden is pushing full steam ahead on putting together his Cabinet and White House staff. These appointments and staffing decisions send clear-cut signals about Biden's priorities. What do these signals foretell? 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 and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today.

TOP TALKERS

DELTA DEEP DIVE — "California's water wars have created a dilemma in the delta: fishing or fresh water?" by the SF Chronicle's Kurtis Alexander: "The project, like Gov. Gavin Newsom's even larger vision of a tunnel to carry Sacramento River water to the south, has renewed questions about what must give, and who must sacrifice, when it comes to protecting this coveted estuary and providing fresh water to 30 million Californians."

TARNISHED GOLD — "The Golden State's future? Most Californians are pessimistic," by the LA Times' Margot Roosevelt: "In a wide-ranging new survey of attitudes toward the economy, 6 in 10 residents said they expect California's children to be worse off financially than their parents."

— "They're Among the World's Oldest Living Things. The Climate Crisis Is Killing Them," by NYT's John Branch: "The wildfires that burned more than four million acres in California this year were both historic and prophetic, foreshadowing a future of more heat, more fires and more destruction. Among the victims, this year and in the years to come, are many of California's oldest and most majestic trees, already in limited supply."

ONE-PARTY STATE — " California's Democratic dominance may soon prove deadly," by Bill Whalen for WaPo: "It is precisely because California is so heavily Democratic that Democratic officials don't feel the need to be responsive to their constituents. But there is mounting evidence that even in this one-party state, voters are no longer unquestioningly swallowing what their leadership is feeding them."

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

VACCINE COMING — "Here's how California plans to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine in coming weeks," by the LA Times' Soumya Karlamangla, Maya Lau, Laura J. Nelson and Jaclyn Cosgrove: "By the end of the year, California expects to have given the first dose of the vaccine to 2.16 million people who are in the group that's first in line — healthcare workers, as well as residents of long-term care facilities. Follow-up doses will come in further shipments."

— "Some unemployed Californians could be forced to repay part of pandemic benefits," by the SF Chronicle's Kathleen Pender: "Nearly a million Californians who received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance have been told they could have to repay some of their benefits if they can't document the 2019 income they reported on their unemployment application. The repayment could amount to hundreds or thousands of dollars."

DEFYING ORDERS — "Backlash to Newsom's lockdown order grows — rural communities refuse to comply ," by the SF Chronicle's Kurtis Alexander: "The order, following months of shifting and often unpopular restrictions, appears to be only fanning frustration, if not outright defiance."

MAKING THEIR OWN RULES? — "California Towns Rebel Against Pandemic Restaurant Restrictions," by NYT's Adam Popescu: "This time, angry at the order and worried it would be the death knell for many of the 30,000 eateries sprawled across the vast county's patchwork of 88 independent jurisdictions, several cash-strapped municipalities have pushed back and banded together — with votes to form their own health departments."

— "Southern California is a main driver of state's record COVID-19 deaths, with no signs of a letup ," by the LA Times' Rong-Gong Lin, Luke Money and Maura Dolan: "Of nearly 950 deaths reported in California in the last week, a Times analysis shows that more than 300 fatalities were reported in L.A. County, followed by nearly 80 in San Bernardino County, about 70 each in Riverside and San Diego counties and nearly 60 in Orange County."

THE TRUMP ERA

SIDING WITH SWALWELL — Pelosi rallies behind Swalwell amid Chinese spy firestorm, by POLITICO's Nick Niedzwiadek: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave a vote of confidence Thursday to Rep. Eric Swalwell after revelations of his interactions with a suspected Chinese spy set off a furor among Republicans in Congress. … Pelosi also admonished House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for calling for Swalwell to lose his seat on the House Intelligence Committee.

— CAGOP lawmakers back amicus brief to toss out election results in four swing states — Reuters' @BradHeath: "Now 106 members of Congress filed a brief in favor of Texas' request to throw out the results of the presidential election in 4 states that didn't vote for Trump, partly because it's important the government operate 'based on the consent of the governed.'" Californians signing on: Reps. Ken Calvert, Tom McClintock and Doug LaMalfa.

TRANSITION TIME

SKELTON ON XAVIER BECERRA — "In Becerra as first Latino health secretary, Biden gets a team player who's tough in a fight," by the LA Times' George Skelton: "He's … a truly nice guy who won't be an administration troublemaker, but he can be tough in a fight. And he's Washington-ready, not a naïve outsider who needs D.C. training wheels. But, unlike many in politics, he's not a media-seeking grandstander."

OPPORTUNITY FOR CA — "With Becerra as HHS Pick, California Plots More Progressive Health Care Agenda," by KHN's Angela Hart and Samantha Young.

CAMPAIGN MODE

THE FEINSTEIN FIRESTORM: Jane Mayer's New Yorker piece, a close-up and painful look at Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-Calif.) performance and age-related difficulties, has been the subject of concern, and speculation about how it may affect California politics.

Mayer's story follows a piece by POLITICO's John Bresnahan and Marianne LeVine regarding Democrats' whispered worries regarding her ability to effectively navigate the confirmation hearing for Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Her hometown paper, the SF Chronicle, ran an opinion piece last week titled, "Is it time for Dianne Feinstein to contemplate retirement?"

But the fallout from the New Yorker story has been brutal. "The Democrats are too old,'' The New Republic headlined. "It's time for Feinstein to retire,'' tweeted UC Irvine political science professor Rick Hasen. In the LA Times, columnist Erika D. Smith speculated on the potential should Feinstein retire — leaving Newsom two U.S. Senate seats to fill.

But Jerry Roberts, former managing editor of the SF Chronicle and the senior California senator's biographer said those fueling the discussion should proceed with caution and respect, especially when it comes to a groundbreaking female legislator who has weathered tragedies and legislative battles in office and survived some bone-chilling political fights. The East Coast media outlets largely feeding the story, he said pointedly, should give equal treatment to male legislators in the congressional gerontocracy.

CNN's Chris Cilizza reports that Feinstein's spokesperson responded Thursday to the Mayer story: "Senator Feinstein works as hard today as she ever has and continues to get bills passed even as the Senate's legislative work has slowed to a crawl. She gets more done for California than anyone, especially now as the state faces so many major challenges. That will remain her focus."

TWO TWEETS TO THINK ABOUT — California Target Book's Rob Pyers @RPyers : "The latest attempt to recall California Governor @GavinNewsom has hit the 10% threshold required to get county registrars to begin verifying signatures. That would indicate at least 149,571 signatures have been submitted, so far." ... Proponents of the @GavinNewsom recall have submitted 297,567 signatures to date, 242,055 filed between November 6th and December 7th. Backers have until March 17th to get their signatures in.

GAVINLAND

HALFWAY THERE — "Midway through plagued first term, Newsom's career hits make-or-break point," by CalMatters' Laurel Rosenhall: "The moment is consequential not only for California — with more than 10,500 people hospitalized with COVID and 77% of the state's population on the strictest state-ordered lockdown since spring — but also for Newsom's political career. He's approaching the midpoint of his four-year term just as California confronts a critical phase of the pandemic. How he manages it will shape his political future."

DEBOO DISCUSSIONS — " By making a lobbyist his top aide, Gov. Gavin Newsom raises troubling ethical questions," by the Sac Bee's editorial board: "DeBoo has personal and business relationships with some of the most connected corporations, special interests and political consultants in California politics. He also has a consulting partnership with some of Newsom's closest political advisors."

— Newsom taps Luis Céspedes for judicial appointments secretary, by POLITICO's Mackenzie Hawkins: Céspedes, 68, fills a vacancy created when Newsom appointed Martin Jenkins, a former moderate prosecutor, to the California Supreme Court in October.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

SCHOOL REOPENING — "San Francisco takes first formal step to reopen public schools with more return dates in focus," by the SF Chronicle's Jill Tucker: "San Francisco students with moderate to severe disabilities would be among the first to return to classrooms, followed by those in transitional kindergarten through second grade."

… AND ASSIGNING — "S.F. is embracing a totally new elementary school assignment process. Will it create more diverse classrooms?" by the SF Chronicle's Jill Tucker.

— "Faulconer 'Changed the Dialogue' on Housing, But Results Remain Elusive ," by Voice of San Diego's Andrew Keatts: "Seven years later, he mostly made good on his pledge to seek supply-side reforms intended to make it cheaper and easier for developers to build homes in the city's urban core. … But after years of housing deregulation, San Diego is not building significantly more homes now than when he took office."

SILICON VALLEYLAND

ROCKET SHIP TO RICHES — "Airbnb shares more than double in Wall Street debut, by the SF Chronicle's Carolyn Said: "San Francisco gained another $100 billion company as Airbnb had a staggeringly successful stock offering Thursday. The company's shares soared 113% as they traded for the first time, more than doubling the value insiders had placed on it late Wednesday as bankers ratcheted up the share price a third time on the vacation-rental company's way to Wall Street."

TAXES FROM TEXAS — "Musk Flees California. He Now Faces a Battle to Escape Its Taxes ," by Bloomberg's Ben Steverman: "Residency audits can take years to complete, and include scrutiny of business relationships, family and community ties, and the location of prized possessions like artwork and heirlooms. … What's more, the state's rules say even non-residents must pay taxes on income that come from California sources."

HOLLYWOODLAND

— "2020 Was Supposed to Be a Banner Year for Women Directors. Then COVID-19 Hit," by TIME Magazine's Eliana Dockterman: "It's a rather anti-climactic conclusion to a year that I and other prognosticators had hoped would be a turning point for women directors in the industry, the year in which studios trusted more women than ever to make money on movies with expensive CGI, explosions and plenty of action."

— "Ellen DeGeneres has COVID-19; feels 'fine' but will pause her talk show," by the LA Times' Christie D'Zurilla.

— "LeBron James named Time's athlete of the year for work against voter suppression.," by the LA Times' Dan Woike.

CANNABIS COUNTRY

— "Cannabis review site Weedmaps, based in Irvine, agrees $1.5 billion deal to go public," by Reuters' Joshua Franklin: "The deal to take Weedmaps public … is a rare example of a business focused on the cannabis sector listing on a U.S. stock exchange."

MEDIA MATTERS

— "Reporters Seek Priority in California Vaccine Distribution," by Variety's Gene Maddaus: "Newspaper reporters are one of several groups asking the state to declare them 'essential,' which would put them in line just behind high-priority groups like health workers and nursing home residents."

MIXTAPE

— "Family of Oscar Grant demands murder charges for second BART officer," by the SF Chronicle's Rachel Swan.

— " Black-owned restaurants kept me in the Bay Area. If they close, there could be a cultural exodus," by the SF Chronicle's Justin Phillips.

— "Fewer high school graduates enrolled in college this fall amid COVID-19 pandemic, study shows," by the LA Times' Teresa Watanabe.

— "The voice of the Angels sells Dodgers championship T-shirts," by the LA Times' Bill Shaiken.

— "NASA picks 4 San Diego university graduates to train for missions to the moon," by the San Diego Union-Tribune's Gary Robbins.

— "Granddaughter of Charles Manson victim is stabbed to death in her home," via Bay Area News Group.

— "Another family hightails it out of California to Texas only to have car, trailer and everything inside stolen," by Fox's Michael Ruiz.

— "'Serving up sweet justice:' Ben & Jerry's releases flavor for Colin Kaepernick," via KTVU.

BIRTHDAYS

BELATED: Kevin de Leon, Friday … Sunday: Former Secretary of State George Shultz is 100

JOIN TODAY - A PATH TO CLEANER SKIES: Before the pandemic, increased demand for air travel resulted in rising global emissions. Then, Covid-19 changed everything. As airlines start to recover from the resulting financial fallout, what is happening with the use of cleaner jet fuel, investments in technology, and international pacts to cut the airline industry's carbon footprint? Join POLITICO for a conversation on the future of air travel, climate change, and sustainability, as well as an executive conversation between POLITICO CEO Patrick Steel and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby. REGISTER HERE.

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