| | | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White, Carla Marinucci, Graph Massara and Mackenzie Hawkins | Presented by The Great Courses Plus | THE BUZZ — California took major steps on Monday away from two overlapping eras: a pandemic and a presidency. First, Gov. Gavin Newsom looked on at a Los Angeles hospital as an emergency room nurse became one of the first Californians to be vaccinated against the coronavirus — a critical milestone if California is to move past a time of profound pain and economic dislocation. Soon after Newsom wrapped up, electors gathered in the Assembly's chambers to formally cast California's 55 Electoral College votes for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris — a vital development if California is to exit a political period that has spurred immense angst among Democrats and endless conflict between Sacramento and Washington. | 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on, far right, as ICU nurse Helen Cordova receives the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. | AP Photo/Jae C. Hong | It was a fitting coda to California's time as self-proclaimed leader of the anti-Trump resistance that the state's Democratic electors officially put Biden over the presidency-securing, 270-vote threshold. The federal changing of the guard has immense repercussions for America's most populous state. California Democrats have spent much of the past four years sparring with an antithetical White House. In turn the administration has specifically targeted California, both by seeking to blunt or dissolve its immigration policies and environmental rules and with an endless stream of derogatory tweets. Now California Democrats are getting an administration that doesn't only share much of their policy vision but, in VP-elect Harris, their heritage, too. But the vaccine rollout's ebullience was tempered by the sobering knowledge that the virus will be moving silently among us long after President Donald Trump leaves office. The initial batch of some 327,000 doses that arrived in California on Monday, with about 2 million doses expected to arrive by year's end, was but a down payment on the enormous task of inoculating tens of millions of Californians in the months ahead. That slog beckons as the virus continues to take lives and force restrictions that are hamstringing businesses and livelihoods. Newsom noted that California registered as many new cases as vaccine doses yesterday. | 
Tayte Williams a member of California's Electoral College holds up her ballot for Vice President-Elect, Sen. Kamala Harris at the state Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. | AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool | Both developments converge in another prominent Californian who could have a key role in that complex mass vaccination: Attorney General Xavier Becerra, whom Biden has tapped to lead the Health and Human Services Agency, tweeted on Monday that "help is on the way" and vowed that under "President-elect Biden's HHS, we will lead with science and be laser-focused on safely, equitably, and freely distributing the vaccine." That is surely a welcome message for Newsom as he prepares for a long vaccine partnership with the feds — one that won't necessitate Newsom extolling Trump's virtues, as the governor has had to do throughout the pandemic to ensure federal help keeps coming. BUENOS DÍAS, good Tuesday morning. California voters could again have a chance to end the death penalty, as Assemblymember Marc Levine unveils a constitutional amendment for the 2022 ballot. Voters have rejected prohibition repeatedly — but an x-factor here could be Newsom, a capital punishment opponent who halted executions early in his tenure. WHERE'S GAVIN? Providing updates on California's Covid-19 response at a 10 a.m. briefing, streamed on Twitter and Facebook. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "We hold that horror and that hope together." Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on cases surging as vaccines arrive. TWEET OF THE DAY: Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer @R_JonesSawyer: "Republicans are furious. Not because 300,000 Americans are dead but because democracy worked." BONUS TOTD: California GOP chair Jessica Millan Patterson @MillanPatterson rallies recall troops: "Last week, the Recall Newsom team reached a major milestone - have you signed the petition? Make sure your voice is heard, sign the petition today." | | | | 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 | | SKINNER'S SCORE — California Senate announces committee assignments, including Skinner as budget chair, by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White. — " For years, California police agencies have rejected almost every racial profiling complaint they received," by the LA Times' James Queally and Ben Poston: "Police agencies across the state upheld just 49 racial profiling complaints from 2016 to 2019, less than 2% of the roughly 3,500 allegations filed, a Times analysis of California Department of Justice statistics found. Of the 250 law enforcement agencies that received at least one racial profiling complaint in that time frame, 92% of them upheld none of them, according to the analysis." ALOHA, CALIFORNIA — "Tech billionaire Larry Ellison has moved to Hawaii," by Recode's Theodore Schleifer: "Ellison's announcement comes just days after Elon Musk, a close associate of Ellison's, confirmed that he had moved to Texas in part because of Tesla's and SpaceX's business operations. A number of tech billionaires have voiced discontent with California's business climate and tax policies, which would matter tremendously to someone like Ellison, who has a net worth of more than $80 billion." | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | — "Los Angeles, San Francisco counties break COVID-19 records," by the AP's Stefanie DeFazio: "The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Los Angeles County, which again broke a record for coronavirus hospitalizations this weekend as San Francisco County reported its highest number of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began." VACCINE ROLLOUT — "Who will be at the front of the line for vaccines in California? Here's what we know," by the LA Times' Alex Wigglesworth and Soumya Karlamangla. — "California teachers push to be near front of COVID vaccine line ," by the SF Chronicle's Dustin Gardiner: "Teachers unions, led by the powerful California Teachers Association, say it's one of the most important steps needed before the state can safely and fully return to in-person instruction for students who have been out of the classroom for nearly a year." — "San Quentin doctors, lawyers question plan to transfer inmates amid outbreaks," by the SF Chronicle's Nora Mishanec: "The inmates, who were identified as medically vulnerable, were told they would be moved to other prison facilities, including one Central Valley prison, located in Corcoran (Kings County). Those who refused the move had to sign a waiver accepting liability for injury or death if they chose to remain at San Quentin and contracted the virus, according to documents reviewed by The Chronicle." NURSES ON STRIKE? — " A 'moral and ethical struggle': California nurses threaten Christmas Eve strike over work conditions," by NBC's Doha Madani: "The Hospital Corporation of America on Monday received a 10-day notice of the intent to strike by about 2,450 registered nurses and licensed professionals across three of its hospitals, according to the SEIU Local 121 union chapter, which represents them... The call to picket follows frustration in contract negotiations for four bargaining units over workplace safety and staffing, said Terry Carter, spokesperson for SEIU Local 121." | | | | BIG SCOOPS IN TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: In the runup to Inauguration Day, president-elect Joe Biden's staffing decisions are sending clear-cut signals about his 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, this scoop-filled newsletter is breaking big news and analyzing the appointments, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | THE TRUMP ERA | | — "Lawmaker faces possible ethics inquiry for role in VA sexual assault investigation scandal," by the Military Times' Leo Shane: "Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., and the head of the House Armed Services Committee's panel on military personnel, blasted Crenshaw's alleged involvement in the scandal as "abhorrent" and said her colleagues need to fully investigate the issue." — "The new (Kevin) McCarthyism is even worse than the old one," Max Boot opines for WaPo: "Today, we are threatened by a new McCarthyism — Kevin McCarthyism. This consists of Republicans indulging and even promoting insane conspiracy theories and anti-democratic actions to placate the Trumpists who now dominate their party." | | TRANSITION TIME | | NIXING NICHOLS? — Transition 2020: Nichols no longer frontrunner for Biden EPA, by POLITICO's Zack Colman: Despite previous expectations that she was the leading candidate to take the helm at the Environmental Protection Agency, Mary Nichols, California's top air regulator, is no longer considered the frontrunner. That change comes after Biden's team received complaints about her record on protecting California's low-income and communities of color that face disproportionately high levels of pollution, according to six people familiar with transition's thinking. | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | — "Voters in California Swing Seats Reject Trump, But Back House Republicans," by KQED's Guy Marzorati: "That path included factors the campaigns could control, like recruiting diverse candidates with local roots, focusing on issues close to home and making selective (though rare) breaks with the president. The campaigns also may have benefited from having Trump on the ballot to bear the brunt of voter disappointment in his performance, potentially shielding down-ballot candidates." — "Meet Suely Saro, the first Cambodian American elected official in Long Beach history ," by the LA Times' Frank Shyong: "When she is sworn in Tuesday, Saro, 40, will become the first Cambodian American council member in the history of Long Beach, which has since the 1980s hosted the nation's largest concentration of Cambodian American refugees. She may also be, as she has stated, the first Cambodian American elected to office in California." | | GAVINLAND | | DAVIS ALUM'S WARNING — "Some lessons for Newsom and Democrats from the last recall effort," by Democratic strategist Garry South: "At first, the recall was a ragtag movement, relying on social media, talk radio and volunteers among networks of conservatives to collect the million-plus signatures needed to qualify for the ballot. Until it wasn't." | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | — "California lawmakers remain sidelined as pandemic crisis deepens, by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White and Kevin Yamamura: The rhythms of the legislative cycle mean that legislators have less authority to act swiftly than Newsom, who has introduced numerous executive orders this year, in addition to his administration issuing public health orders. Urgent legislative efforts to reopen schools, prevent evictions and aid businesses will need to proceed through a deliberative process that could take months when lawmakers return in January. CA V AMAZON — Becerra takes Amazon to court in workplace Covid-19 safety investigation, by POLITICO's Katy Murphy: Becerra described a series of requests and conversations with Amazon that had not resulted in the company producing the information he sought on Covid-19 infections at Amazon warehouses. His filing states that "the Attorney General's concerns grew as several reports regarding working conditions for individuals working at California Amazon facilities and the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 highlighted the potential risk to Californians." — Catharine Baker appointed to FPPC, by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White: Baker will be one of five members on the panel that investigates political money malfeasance and fines offenders. State law caps at three the maximum number of commissioners of any given political party, so Baker will fill one of two Republican spots. — " One Way to Remedy This Disastrous School Year: Redo it," by Voice of San Diego's Will Huntsberry: "A large percentage – some experts say it could be at least 20 percent – of students will not have picked up the skills they need to move on. … One radical idea that has been floated: a wholesale redo on the school year to ensure no one gets left behind." | | | | A message from The Great Courses Plus:   | | | | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | — "Covid-19 Pandemic Loosens Silicon Valley's Tight Grip on Tech Industry," by WSJ's Eliot Brown and Aaron Tilley: "These high-profile departures are causing some soul searching in Silicon Valley—taking some sheen off the area's reputation as the unparalleled tech capital. While reasons vary, many moves appear to have been sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic that has reshaped notions of where and how we work, and companies, investors and employees are generally moving to places that are warmer, with lower taxes and cost of living." BRUSSELS BLITZ — " Big Tech Turns Its Lobbyists Loose on Europe, Alarming Regulators," by NYT's Adam Satariano and Matina Stevis-Gridneff: "For many officials in Brussels, the document confirmed what they had long suspected: Google and other American tech giants are engaged in a broad lobbying campaign to stop stronger regulation against them. As the European Union has become the global leader in tech regulation, these companies have increasingly focused on Brussels in hopes of choking off even stiffer rules before they spread." — "Pinterest Settles Gender Discrimination Suit for $22.5 Million," by NYT's Erin Griffith: "The agreement may signal a shift in how Silicon Valley handles such suits. In the past, tech companies have typically fought back." — "FTC launches sweeping privacy study of top tech platforms ," by Axios' Ashley Gold: "The Federal Trade Commission will announce Monday that it's launching a new inquiry into the privacy and data collection practices of major tech firms including Amazon, TikTok owner ByteDance, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook as well as its subsidiary WhatsApp, Axios has learned." — Uber faces $59M fine for lack of info on sexual assaults , by POLITICO's Colby Bermel. | | | | JOIN THURSDAY - CLOSING THE HEALTH CARE GAP: Another Covid-19 outbreak is taking a significant toll on the health of the Latino community. As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to assume office, how will his administration address the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on communities of color, particularly Latinos? Join POLITICO for a virtual conversation on the policy, economic and cultural barriers Latinos confront in accessing quality health care and how the pandemic can create an opportunity to identify solutions. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | HOLLYWOODLAND | | — "WarnerMedia Chief Has Become a Movie Villain to Some in Hollywood," by NYT's Nicole Sperling: "This month, Warner Bros. announced that its 17 films scheduled for 2021 — including big-budget offerings like 'Dune' and 'The Matrix 4' — would be released simultaneously in theaters and on the company's struggling streaming service, HBO Max. The move, orchestrated to deal with the continuing challenges brought on by the pandemic, upended decades of precedent for the way the movie industry does business and sent Hollywood into a frenzy." — " 2020 Box Office: Domestic Revenue Falls to 40-Year Low," by the Hollywood Reporter's Pamela McClintock: "Mid-December is usually a launching pad for yuletide-fueled holiday blockbusters. That isn't the case this year as Hollywood and theater owners grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and a virtual nine-month standstill in moviegoing that will result in the worst showing for domestic ticket sales in at least four decades." ICYMI — "Hollywood Deployed Lobbyists to Be Exempt From California Lockdown," by the Intercept's Lee Fang. | | CANNABIS COUNTRY | | — "LA Can't Slip Latest Suit Over Social Equity Pot Licenses," via Law360: "A lawsuit alleging that the city of Los Angeles is playing favorites with marijuana licensing may proceed, a California federal court has ruled, finding city officials hadn't yet shown a rational basis for making rule changes that three denied applicants claim were unfair." | | MEDIA MATTERS | | CANINE CESSATION — Fox and Hounds is ending publication on Friday, publisher Joel Fox tells Playbook, citing a lack of resources. The site has for years been one of California's most prominent platforms for conservative commentary, so its loss makes the state's media landscape that much less ideologically diverse. — "Norman Pearlstine steps down as Los Angeles Times leadership search continues," by the LA Times' Meg James: "On Monday, The Times' owner and Executive Chairman Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong wrote in a note to staff members that Pearlstine, 78, was no longer overseeing the newsroom and had shifted to an advisory role. The paper recently hired a search firm to manage the process to find a new executive editor, and that endeavor is expected to take several months." | | MIXTAPE | | — "In Bel-Air, a 34,000-square-foot spec mansion gets an $81-million price cut," by the LA Times' Jack Flemming. — " Abraham Lincoln was once a hero. In some S.F. education circles, he's now a bad guy," by the SF Chronicle's Jill Tucker. — "Sacramento art scene mourns the loss of 'vibrant and unique' Judith Weintraub," by Marcus Crowder in the Sac Bee. — "12 unexpectedly great things to come out of food in the disaster that is 2020," by the SF Chronicle's Janelle Bitker and Justin Phillips. — "For L.A. bookstores during COVID-19, this holiday season is make or break," by the LA Times' Dorany Pineda. | | TRANSITIONS | | — Dillon Iwu is coming on as the American Investment Council's new director of government affairs, based in Los Angeles. Dillon most recently worked as a senior field representative for Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.). — Nora Walsh-DeVries will be deputy chief of staff and district director in the House office for Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) after managing Porter's 2020 reelection campaign. | | BIRTHDAYS | | Lenny Young, chief of staff for Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) … Facebook's Devon Kearns … Katie Hunt … Julie Lazar | | | | 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? 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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