News: POLITICO California Playbook: FEINSTEIN backs PADILLA — #DINNERGATE dilemmas for Dems — TRUMP’s fury with SILICON VALLEY

Thursday, December 3, 2020

POLITICO California Playbook: FEINSTEIN backs PADILLA — #DINNERGATE dilemmas for Dems — TRUMP’s fury with SILICON VALLEY — SF City Hall corruption scandal grows

Dec 03, 2020

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

Presented by General Motors

THE BUZZ — CALL IT #DINNERGATE: California politicians are suddenly trending. And not in a good way.

A parade of #DinnerGate scandals has fired up the political mediascape, from Fox to Twitter to the White House. Pol after pol has walked right into a public relations fiasco about where and with whom they dine — "rules for thee, and not for me,'' as Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany rather gleefully put it on Wednesday. And yes, the public has grown furious watching political leaders make coronavirus rules and then blatantly break them.

BOTTOM LINE: These days, a politician's worst nightmare is no longer headlines about an affair or sex tape. It's getting spotted at a restaurant or a packed party. Extra points for no mask. Triple points for an expensive wine bill.

The story from POLITICO's Carla Marinucci : Few places have as many errant officials as California, a deep blue state with some of the strictest rules in the nation — and where politicians have wagged their fingers this fall to control surging infections.

Just this week, San Francisco Mayor London Breed was shamed for admitting she attended a November dinner party for eight at the luxurious French Laundry, the same Michelin 3-star restaurant that drew California Gov. Gavin Newsom to a lobbyist's birthday bash the night beforehand. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo had to admit he was part of a five-household family gathering for Thanksgiving, a high social crime in the ever-strict Bay Area.

San Jose, Calif., Mayor Sam Liccardo speaks during a news conference in Sunnyvale, Calif., March 28, 2020.

San Jose, Calif., Mayor Sam Liccardo speaks during a news conference in Sunnyvale, Calif., March 28, 2020. | Beth LaBerge/KQED via AP

The reveals couldn't come at a worse time for leaders whose best shot at curbing coronavirus spread is convincing the public to stay home and stop gathering. California leaders have been unwilling to resort to the strict enforcement methods seen in Europe and Asia and have acknowledged that social pressure is their only weapon — one that has been seriously undermined by each meal with friends and family.

ALL POLITICS IS PERSONAL: "After all these months of a pandemic, most people aren't in a slack-cutting mood," said Jack Pitney, a former operative for the Republican National Committee who teaches politics at Claremont McKenna University. "When politicians are acting in ways that look inconsistent with their policies, people don't have a lot of patience anymore. It's a reminder that these days the personal is political."

BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. It's official: The California State Assembly will convene Monday, Dec. 7 at 12 p.m. in Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. You can watch the livestream on the Assembly's website.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It's not that hard to opt out of a birthday party at the French Laundry. It's not asking people to storm the beaches of Normandy. It's just stay home and get takeout and celebrate holidays over Zoom." — Loyola Law professor and political analyst Jessica Levinson on politicians dining out.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Jon Fleishman @FlashReport: "If I were on the California Parole Board my first question of staff would be whether the person seeking parole had fraudulently claimed unemployment payments from the state. If the answer was yes I would take that as a sign that the inmate is not ready to be back in society."

BONUS TOTD: @RepKatiePorter: "When I tried to read @stevenmnuchin1 the law that contradicts his bogus claim to get people less COVID relief, he questioned whether I'm a lawyer. Just want to make sure he has the answer: one of us is a lawyer, and it's not him."

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

A message from General Motors:

READY TO RISE TO THE CHALLENGE: When the nation needed PPE and ventilators, GM and UAW workers came together and came through. We turned around an automotive facility in four weeks, and in four months delivered 30,000 critical care ventilators to hospitals and the National Strategic Stockpile. This team's experience, skill, and determination has solved challenges for the nation for a long time. Whatever comes next, we'll be ready for that too.

TOP TALKERS

DIFI'S PICK — Feinstein backs Padilla for Harris seat, by POLITICO's Andrew Desidiero and Jeremy B. White: Secretary of State Alex Padilla has long been perceived as the frontrunner, and Feinstein's imprimatur — first reported by HuffPost on Wednesday — lends additional momentum to his bid. The two elected officials have a longstanding relationship that stretches back to a young Padilla working for Feinstein in the Senate.

LATEST CRUSADE — How Trump's fury at Silicon Valley fixated on the little-known Section 230, by POLITICO's Cristiano Lima: President Donald Trump's yearslong crusade against social media titans like Facebook and Twitter has turned into a concentrated attack on one previously obscure technology statute from the mid-1990s — a fixation that's only escalating in the twilight of his presidency.

PORTRAIT OF A CA SERIAL KILLER — "Samuel Little was charged with attacking women again and again. But he escaped justice and kept killing ,'' by the Washington Post's Mark Berman, Wesley Lowery and Hannah Knowles: "The man, Samuel Little, is now believed to be the deadliest serial killer in U.S. history, having confessed to killing 93 people, virtually all of them women, over four decades in 19 states. … Now locked up for life in a California prison, Little, 80, has told police that he intentionally targeted women who would not be missed if they vanished or believed if they survived — sex workers, people with addictions and others on the margins of society, many of them women of color."

DEEP DIVE — "An infant dies, a millionaire doctor calls 911, and a tale emerges of drugs, love and suspected crime," by the LA Times' Matt Hamilton and Harriet Ryan: "Homicide investigations are rarely easy or quick, but Boaz's case is notable for the time and resources that law enforcement committed to seeking justice. It's a case that demonstrates the challenges of child death investigations and the particular complications of a wealthy and connected suspect — in this case, a world-renowned physician with a legal team and private investigator at his disposal."

— " City Administrator Naomi Kelly takes leave of absence amid City Hall corruption scandal," by the SF Chronicle's Megan Cassidy: "Kelly has not been charged with a crime. But the criminal complaint against her husband alleges she attended a 2016 family vacation that federal investigators believe was intended as a bribe for Harlan Kelly."

BAGHDAD BY THE BAY — " Is San Francisco trying to hasten its own demise? Recent blunders point to yes," by the Hoover Institution's Bill Whalen in WaPo: "While voters embraced laws to kill jobs and make San Francisco more expensive, authorities have been busy imposing regulations to sap the joy out of city living."

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

GAVINLAND — "Newsom's staff members in quarantine after one tests positive for coronavirus," by the SF Chronicle's Lauren Hernández: "Officials did not release the name and position of the staff member who tested positive on Wednesday afternoon. Governor's officials said they are working with state public health officials to do contact tracing... Newsom was not exposed to the infected staff member because he and his family have been in quarantine after three of his four children were exposed to a California Highway Patrol officer who tested positive for the coronavirus."

— " What could California's new coronavirus restrictions look like? Here are some clues," by the Mercury News' Nico Savidge.

— "Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones tests positive for coronavirus, is isolating," by the Sac Bee's Michael McGough: "Jones tested positive shortly after 'a workplace exposure to an employee that later tested positive.'"

ALMOST AT CAPACITY — "COVID Surge: Santa Clara County Approaching ICU Bed Capacity Amid Alarming Spike In Cases," by CBS SF: "Only 44 ICU beds were available countywide, according to officials."

MORE THAN A JOB — " For contact tracers, COVID-19 fight is personal: 'I understand hardship,'" by the LA Times' Colleen Shalby: "The conversations are confidential and sometimes surprisingly intimate. Some last minutes, others hours. And ... much of the job relies on intuition shaped by cultural and familial ties — bonds that make the work personal."

DINING PUSHBACK — " Beverly Hills Formally Opposes County Order Banning Outdoor Dining," via City News Service: "The resolution demands a motion be placed on next Tuesday's agenda of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to repeal the health order. Council members also called on the county to focus on implementing restrictions based on data and where outbreaks of coronavirus occur, whether that be in a particular industry, sector or area, and not apply restrictions unilaterally throughout the county.

— "Fontana Pastor Dies Week After Being Hospitalized For COVID-19," via CBSLA.

— "Pasadena Issues Temporary Limited Stay-At-Home Order, Outdoor Dining Still Allowed," via CBSLA.

— ''Overcrowding Is Fueling California's Worst Active COVID-19 Prison Outbreak, Advocates Say,'' by KQED's Holly McDede: "Nearly 1,000 inmates at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran have active cases of the virus — nearly all reported within the last two weeks."

TRANSITION TIME

BILLION DOLLAR BET — "Biden could help San Francisco win billions from Big Oil over climate change," by the SF Chronicle's Kurtis Alexander: "The growing front against the oil industry could decide nothing less than who covers the cost of perhaps the priciest problem in modern times. Fossil fuel companies are understandably putting up a fight, and the suits are currently tangled in a prolonged battle over the procedural question of whether state or federal judges should hear the cases. Next year, the Supreme Court is scheduled to help break the stalemate."

THE TRUMP ERA

PANDEMIC RELIEF BILL — Last-minute snags complicate massive spending deal, by POLITICO's Caitlin Emma and Heather Caygle: The longer talks drag out, the more likely it becomes that congressional leaders will need extra time to close out an agreement on fiscal 2021 funding. Further hampering matters is the last-minute push by top lawmakers to address the surging coronavirus pandemic alongside annual spending.

— 9th Circuit rules against Trump 'public charge' rule, by POLITICO's Victoria Colliver: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld orders blocking the Trump administration's "public charge" rule in a divided decision. The Trump regulations could have made it more difficult for immigrants to obtain legal status if they used public benefits like Medicaid and food stamps.

TRACK THE TRANSITION: President-elect Biden has started to form a Cabinet and announce his senior White House staff. The appointments and staffing decisions made in the coming days send clear-cut signals about Biden's 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 and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today.

CAMPAIGN MODE

— "Senator X -- who's California's next memorable honorable?" by the LA Times' Patt Morrison: "Senators are little monarchs in the kingdom of Washington, but apart from the 16 senators who have become president – recently, Nixon and JFK, Lyndon Johnson and Barack Obama – few stay in the memory. And Californians? I'm a political reporter and it takes me a minute."

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

— "L.A. signs off on $1-billion 'mini-city' in the west San Fernando Valley," by the LA Times' David Zahniser: The new development will replace a closed shopping mall "with a new 'downtown district' featuring a supermarket, public plazas, high-density housing and a 10,000-seat entertainment and sports venue."

— "Oakland bans natural gas in new residential and commercial buildings," by the SF Chronicle's Sarah Ravani: "The measure requires all developers to design new residential and commercial buildings without natural gas. Developers can apply for waivers for "technology feasibility reasons" to avoid abiding by the new regulation. Existing buildings, additions and accessory dwelling units are not affected by the legislation."

— "San Jose adopts historic natural gas ban — but with a controversial exemption," by the Mercury News' Maggie Angst: "A controversial exemption that allows new facilities that wish to generate and store energy on-site to continue using natural gas has some environmental advocates concerned that San Jose will set a bad example for other cities that might want to follow in its footsteps."

FLIPPER'S BACK! — "Big increase in porpoises off Northern California," by the Mercury News' Paul Rogers: "Their population has more than doubled since the late 1980s off Monterey Bay, San Francisco and the Sonoma Coast in what scientists are calling an inspiring example of nature's resilience similar to the recovery of the California condor, the gray whale, elephant seal and brown pelican. The marine mammal has increased seven-fold in Morro Bay, and porpoises have repopulated San Francisco Bay."

— "How safe is the water off the coast of the San Onofre nuclear plant?," by the LA Times' Rob Nikolewski: "Southern California Edison, the plant's operator, insists the levels are safe for marine life and the humans who swim and surf at San Onofre State Beach. But the Surfrider Foundation just announced a collaboration with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts to double-check the water quality surrounding the now-shuttered plant to provide an extra layer of transparency."

DROUGHT WATCH — " State allows only 10% of requested water to farmers as rain stays away," via KCBS.

— "San Jose spends nearly $5 million on new Tasers while vowing to 'reimagine' public safety," by the Mercury News' Maggie Angst.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

GONE GIRL — "HPE, a touchstone of Silicon Valley, moving headquarters to Houston to save costs, recruit talent," by the SF Chronicle's Roland Li.

ACROSS THE POND — " Apple faces lawsuits in Europe over slowing down older iPhones," by CNN's Hanna Ziady: "The Euroconsumers cases mirror a class action lawsuit against Apple in the United States that led to a proposed settlement of $500 million in March. Last month, Apple paid $113 million to settle an investigation into the matter by 34 American states, including California and Arizona."

— " U.S. to accuse Google of labor violations in clampdown on protests, fired employees say," by Reuters' Paresh Dave: "The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint on Wednesday accusing Alphabet Inc's Google of unlawfully monitoring and questioning several workers who were then fired for protesting against company policies and trying to organize a union."

— " Salesforce struck out with Chatter, but a Slack acquisition may be another matter," by the Silicon Valley Business Journal's Dawn Kawamoto: "This transaction, should it materialize, would come together quickly. … As for the price, Slack already sports a market capitalization north of $24 billion. The rush toward an expensive acquisition brings up the question: Did Salesforce wait too long to buy Slack?"

— " Watch This Google Hacker Pwn 26 iPhones With a 'WiFi Broadcast Packet of Death,'" by Vice's Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai.

HOLLYWOODLAND

NEW TV SERIES BASED IN OAKLAND — Helen Hunt Boards 'Blindspotting' Series at Starz," by the Hollywood Reporter's Rick Porter: "Blindspotting will continue the story of the film, centering on Ashley (Hamilton and The Photograph alum Jones), who's on the verge of middle class life in Oakland when her partner, Miles (Casal), is suddenly incarcerated."

ROYALS IN CA — "Prince Harry and Meghan Are So Excited to Decorate Their Montecito Home for Christmas," by the Observer's Morgan Halberg.

'HOUSEWIVES' HUSTLE? — " Suit alleges L.A. attorney stole to splurge on 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star Erika Jayne," by the LA Times' Harriet Ryan and Matt Hamilton: "The lawsuit alleges that Girardi embezzled proceeds of settlements that plane manufacturer Boeing paid out as compensation to dozens of families earlier this year."

CANNABIS COUNTRY

— "U.N. Reclassifies Cannabis as a Less Dangerous Drug," by the NYT's Isabella Kwai: "A United Nations commission voted on Wednesday to remove cannabis for medicinal purposes from a category of the world's most dangerous drugs, a highly anticipated and long-delayed decision that could clear the way for an expansion of marijuana research and medical use."

LOOKING UP — "2021 bodes well for California marijuana companies, business opportunities," by Amy Steinfeld and Jack Ucciferri for Marijuana Business Daily: "While we foresee continued – and possibly substantial – growth of California's licensed cannabis market, there are also several converging trends that may make 2021 a volatile year for all but the most experienced industry players."

NEXT WEEK - 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.

MIXTAPE

SPOOKY — "Mystery Obelisk Appears on Pine Mountain," via the Atascadero News.

— " New way of detecting prostate cancer wins FDA approval for UCSF, UCLA," by the SF Business Times' Ron Leuty.

— "Lakers' LeBron James agrees to two-year contract extension," by the LA Times' Dan Woike.

— " Why the Bay Area's pets are behaving strangely," by the Mercury News' Joan Morris.

— "After a rare shooting by a deputy at Lake Tahoe left a Silicon Valley engineer paralyzed, a huge payout," by the LA Times' Richard Winton.

— " How Monterey's Rachel Luba is upending the man's world of baseball agents," by the SF Chronicle's Susan Slusser.

BIRTHDAYS

Assemblymember Laura Friedman … Daniel Chao, chief of staff for Rep. Grace Napolitano

IN MEMORIAM

— "CHP officer dies from injuries sustained in crash while responding to call for service," by Fox 11's Mary Stringini.

— " WWE legend Pat Patterson dies at 79," by KTVU's Kelly Hayes.

— "Rafer Johnson Dead at 86, Olympic Legend and American Hero," via TMZ.

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