News: POLITICO California Playbook: $500K RECALL donor revealed — NEWSOM unveils $4.5B ECONOMIC plan — LGBTQ AG push

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

POLITICO California Playbook: $500K RECALL donor revealed — NEWSOM unveils $4.5B ECONOMIC plan — LGBTQ AG push — SCHWARZENEGGER slams GOP vote rejecters

Jan 06, 2021

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

THE BUZZ: Gov. Gavin Newsom's pandemic management has fed a backlash from Californians who want to reopen their businesses, dine out, join their families for holidays and send their kids back to school. But it's church closures that have fueled the highest-dollar blow against Newsom so far.

We finally learned the identity and motivation on Tuesday of the person behind Prov 3:9 LLC, a mysterious outfit that channeled $500,000 into the burgeoning effort to recall Newsom – the single-largest contribution to date. The money came from John Kruger, an Orange County-based charter school supporter and devout Christian who acted in opposition to Newsom's orders shuttering in-person worship so that the coronavirus does not spread among the faithful. "Both Mr. Kruger and I believe that the Governor's Executive actions prohibiting religious assembly and worship violated the constitutional rights of Californians to congregate and worship," spokesperson Thomas Liu said, so Kruger wanted to "contribute to the recall effort and help allow Californians to have a voice on this."

Newsom has taken flak for months over his orders barring or limiting religious services, and his legal fortunes could be shifting. Back in May, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Newsom's authority to limit faith gatherings — but that 5-4 vote landed in the pre-Amy Coney Barrett era. After Barrett took her seat on the court, SCOTUS knocked down New York's religious constraints and then ordered lower courts to reconsider Harvest Rock Church's challenge to Newsom's restrictions. Appeals court judges sounded skeptical this week of Newsom's closures, although they may stop short of overriding the governor and ordering him to reopen churches.

Conservatives have been hammering both Newsom and big-city mayors throughout the pandemic over religious restrictions. Conflicts over worship have flared repeatedly throughout the state, with defiant faith leaders who chose to keep their houses of worship open drawing both official interventions and the admiration of pious supporters. It's percolated to the national level, with the U.S. Department of Justice warning Newsom that his previous reopening framework threatened religious liberty.

This is an issue that resonates deeply with people who see Newsom and allies as having trampled on their inalienable rights — including more conservative, churchgoing Californians who may be inclined to sign recall petitions as a rebuke to what they see as the state's overreach. Will that be enough to qualify or pass a recall? Maybe not. But it's clearly sufficient motivation for big donors to open their wallets.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. Georgia stunner: Rev. Raphael Warnock won his special election runoff in Georgia Tuesday night, defeating GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Democrats are now won win away from taking control of a 50-50 Senate in which Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would serve a tiebreaking role. But the second race remains too close to call. As the Georgia continues, California Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Rep. Zoe Lofgren are expected to play a prominent role this morning in pushing back on Republican efforts to reject the Electoral College results. Newly elected GOP Rep. Young Kim said Tuesday she would back the Electoral College vote, breaking with fellow frontline Republican Rep. Mike Garcia.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "He is a true hero for standing up to this un-American bullshit. … For those in my party considering standing up against the voters on January 6th, know this: our grandchildren will know your names only as the villains who fought against the great American experiment and the will of the voters. You will live in infamy." " Republican former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger praises Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and knocks election-denying Republicans in an essay published in the Economist.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Breitbart editor Joel Pollak @joelpollak on election shenanigans: "If you believe @VP Mike Pence has discretion to reject the vote of the Electoral College, then...assuming Pence does so, but the result is affirmed anyway, in 2025, @KamalaHarris could arguably pick the winner (or if she's president by then will have chosen the person who would)."

WHERE'S GAVIN? Newsom will host a 10 a.m. conversation with families experiencing economic hardship, livestreamed on YouTube . He'll provide an update on California's Covid-19 response at 2 p.m. via the @CAgovernor Twitter page and California Governor Facebook page.

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TOP TALKERS

ROAD TO RECOVERY — Newsom unveils $4.5B in January budget spending intended to boost economy, by POLITICO's Katy Murphy: Newsom will propose adding $575 million to the $500 million set aside for the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant program, which launched last week. The plan also calls for more than $777 million in tax benefits, including a new California Competes Tax Credit grant program and an extended Main Street Small Business Tax Credit, and a $1.5 billion allocation to electric vehicles and infrastructure.

— " Threats and Restrictions Aren't Putting a Damper on L.A.'s Rule-Flouting Underground Party Scene," by LA Mag's Cerise Castle: "As COVID casualties have spiked, surpassing 100 a day in Los Angeles County, underground clubs have continued to operate and thrive with little law enforcement intervention. Some promoters openly brag about their police connections and even hire off-duty cops to work security."

MORE EDD WOES — "Millions in California coronavirus jobless benefits sent to out-of-state prisoners," by the LA Times' Anita Chabria, Richard Winton and Patrick McGreevy: "A large number of Florida inmates, including a man sentenced to 20 years for second-degree murder, are among the thousands of out-of-state prisoners who have allegedly received California pandemic unemployment benefits, according to a December analysis commissioned by the state Employment Development Department and reviewed by The Times."

FOR REAL — "Actress Tanya Roberts dies at 65 not long after false death announcement," by the LA Times' Christi Carras.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

— "Nearly half of the nation's worst-hit hospitals amid COVID-19 surge are in California," by the Desert Sun's Maria Sestito and Nicole Hayden: "Of the top 100 hospitals across the nation with the highest proportion of COVID-19 patients, 48 are in California, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data analyzed by USA Today for the week of Dec. 25-31, 2020."

— "As some firefighters refuse COVID-19 vaccine, LAFD offers prizes to encourage getting shots," by the LA Times' Ben Welsh: "The influence campaign and incentives are needed because turnout thus far is far from universal, even though firefighters were the first city workers to get access to the vaccine. Only 1,000 out of 3,400 were vaccinated in the first week, according to the chief."

NEW STRAIN — "Dozens more cases of highly contagious COVID-19 variant identified in San Diego County," by the San Diego Union-Tribune's Lyndsay Winkley and Paul Sisson.

LINE JUMPERS — "How the ultra-wealthy could try to cut in line for the Covid-19 vaccine," by Recode's Theodore Schleifer: "It might not be such a hypothetical, say a dozen medical veterans and other close observers of the process, who worry about everything from highly paid physicians contorting their moral compasses to the rich cashing in on their political and personal connections."

— "Why CO2 monitors and indoor ventilation may be a key to curb COVID spread," by the SF Chronicle's Annie Vainshtein: "Our pandemic messaging reflects the science: 6 feet apart can help keep you safe. But in recent months, researchers have urged officials to acknowledge that the virus is emitted in another way — through much smaller particles that can float around in the air and travel far beyond 6 feet."

IT'S EVERYWHERE — "New, extreme precautions urged for L.A. County residents because COVID is 'everywhere,'" by the LA Times' Rong-Gong Lin II and Luke Money: "About one in every five people getting tested for the coronavirus are positive — a quintupling since Nov. 1. … Officials said they are continuing to battle the notion that masks are not needed, despite overwhelming evidence that they are essential in stopping the spread of the virus."

— "Short on equipment, ambulances and oxygen, L.A. County hospitals face darkest month," by the LA Times' Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II, Soumya Karlamangla and Andrew J. Campa: "The coronavirus crisis battering Los Angeles County's medical system is reaching increasingly desperate levels, with healthcare providers running low on equipment, ambulance operators being told not to bring patients who have virtually no chance of survival to hospitals, and officials scrambling to ensure they can provide enough lifesaving oxygen for critically ill patients."

— " New COVID tests for California state workers in prisons are easier than nasal swabs," by the Sac Bee's Wes Venteicher.

TRANSITION TIME

A GAY AG? — California's Legislative LGBTQ Caucus is pressing Newsom to appoint California's first openly gay attorney general, floating two names: Rick Zbur, who heads LGBTQ powerhouse Equality California and is already running to be Los Angeles city attorney; and state Sen. Scott Wiener. The caucus's letter makes the case that Newsom, who famously gave out same-sex marriage licenses as mayor of San Francisco, has "an opportunity to make history once again." Of course, Newsom getting to make that appointment is dependent on current AG Xavier Becerra getting confirmed as Health and Human Services Secretary — and that hinges largely on the Georgia Senate races.

— "Enjoying New Clout, Environmental Justice Groups May Press Biden," via KQED: "As new President Joe Biden tries to implement policies with the goal of redirecting economic development toward greenhouse gas reduction, he'll have to contend with pressure not only from groups on the right who oppose environmental regulations, but with those on the left who may see Biden's plans as too timid."

CAMPAIGN MODE

— "At least 2 California congressmen are objecting to Biden's victory. Will others join them?," by the Sac Bee's Kate Irby and David Lightman : "Republicans in both the House and Senate say they will object to certifying election results in certain swing states on Wednesday, attempting to deny President-elect Joe Biden's election win — but California GOP House members are so far reluctant to say they'll go along."

— "Court upbraids Jerry Brown on ballot measure," by CalMatters' Dan Walters: "Unanimously, the court declared that Proposition 57, a major criminal justice overhaul sponsored by Brown and overwhelmingly passed by voters in 2016, did what its critics said it would do, not what Brown told voters."

— "See where Trump, Biden scored their biggest wins in the Sacramento region," by the Sac Bee's Phillip Reese.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

SHIRLEY WEBER Q&A — "Next secretary of state aims to teach Californians 'how fragile the democracy is,'" by CalMatters' Ben Christopher.

END OF CASH BAIL? — " California Supreme Court takes a step toward abolishing cash bail at hearing," by the SF Chronicle's Bob Egelko: "Justices expressed varying viewpoints hearing the case of a San Francisco man who was held in jail for a year on a robbery charge because he was unable to afford $350,000 bail, but they seemed to agree that any future bail system should not discriminate based on a defendant's financial status."

— " California is scrambling to avoid blackouts. Your refrigerator could help," by the LA Times' Sammy Roth: "As California works to build a future without fossil fuels, electricity generation isn't just getting cleaner — it's getting smaller and nimbler. Big power plants and far-flung transmission lines are increasingly being joined by programmable thermostats, solar-charged batteries and even electric cars as key tools for balancing supply and demand."

BEYOND COVID — "Overdoses, struggling businesses and kids stuck at home. Can S.F. tackle crises overshadowed by pandemic?" by the SF Chronicle's Heather Knight: "Our city leaders must turn their attention in 2021 to all the areas that didn't get the focus they deserved in 2020. We can no longer ignore the pandemic's horrendous side effects: skyrocketing drug overdoses, crumbling small businesses, children who haven't seen a classroom in 10 months, and speeding traffic contributing to a surprising number of fatalities."

CASINO DINING EXCEPTION — "In the Bay Area, casinos still offer on-site dining as lockdown continues indefinitely," by the SF Chronicle's Tara Duggan: "Under the Bay Area's current shelter-in-place order, it would seem there is nowhere in the nine regional counties you can legally sit down and be served in a restaurant. Yet there are a few exceptions: Bay Area casinos located on tribal land that are not subject to state law or COVID-19 restrictions."

WORKERS' PERSPECTIVE — "'Slammed': Many California Casinos Are Still Open, and Some Workers Are Worried," by KQED's Lakshmi Sarah: "Tribal resorts and casinos in California operate under federal law on federally protected sovereign land known as rancherias – so they're not required to comply with orders issued by Gov. Newsom or county officials."

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— "Airbnb is asking guests for a new requirement before booking stays in California during pandemic," by the SF Chronicle's Gregory Thomas.

GOOGLE UNION — " 'Lazy,' 'Money-Oriented,' 'Single Mother': How Union-Busting Firms Compile Dossiers on Employees," by Vice's Lauren Kaori Gurley: "The new labor union at Google raises IRI's profile in what is expected to become a full-blown drive to organize and welcome its parent company Alphabet's tens of thousands of workers into a union."

— " Facebook ads made News Feeds in Georgia more partisan and less informative," by the Verge's Russell Brandom: "When Facebook lifted its ban on political ads in Georgia, local News Feeds became dramatically more partisan and less informative, according to research published on Tuesday by The Markup."

HOLLYWOODLAND

WHOA — Rap legend Dr. Dre has been taken to an ICU in Los Angeles after suffering a brain aneurysm, TMZ reports.

CALABASAS CRISIS — " Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are getting a divorce: 'She's done,'" by Page Six's Mara Siegler, Emily Smith and Sara Nathan: "Multiple sources tell Page Six that 'divorce is imminent' for the Hollywood couple, with Kardashian hiring divorce attorney to the stars, Laura Wasser. … [A] source said the biggest sticking point in the Kimye divorce settlement talks could be over their Calabasas, California, family home."

ON PAUSE — " Los Angeles Production Grinds To A Halt Amid Covid-19 Surge; Netflix Is Latest Major Studio To Pause Filming," by Deadline's Nellie Andreeva.

BUT NOT FOR LONG? — "'Too Much Money at Stake': Lengthy L.A. Production Shutdown Seen as Unlikely," by Variety's Elaine Low and Joe Otterson: "But while the positive case rates across the county are grimmer than ever, nearing or exceeding 10,000 new COVID-19 cases daily, the current tenor of conversation around town appears to be less focused on a total shutdown akin to that of the spring of 2020, and more centered on cautiously assessing the situation on a day-to-day basis."

— "Grammy Awards postponed over COVID-19 concerns; now organizers aim for March," by USA Today's Patrick Ryan.

CANNABIS COUNTRY

— "UFCW wins $75K settlement over California cannabis workers' backpay dispute," via Marijuana Business Daily.

MEDIA MATTERS

— "McClatchy names Colleen McCain Nelson as new Sacramento Bee, California editor," via the Sac Bee: "Nelson, 46, is currently the national opinion editor for McClatchy, The Bee's parent company, which operates in 30 markets across the country. She also is vice president and opinion editor for The Kansas City Star, and has extensive experience in covering national and local issues, as well as presidential campaigns and the White House."

MIXTAPE

— "'Horrified' family sees relative swept off rocks by heavy surf, California rescuers say," by the Sac Bee's Don Sweeney.

— " Two rare tornadoes struck northern California on Monday," by WaPo's Matthew Cappucci.

— "Prescribed burns announced for San Bernardino, San Gabriel and San Jacinto mountains," by the Palm Springs Desert Sun's Mark Olalde.

IN LA MESA — " Ex-police officer charged with falsifying report in arrest," via the AP.

— "Former Oakland building inspector accused of bribery fined $55,000 by ethics commission," by the Mercury News' Annie Sciacca.

— " Federal Judge Grants Temporary Win to Charter Jet Service Suing OC Over New John Wayne Airport Restrictions," by Voice of OC's Brandon Pho.

IN MEMORIAM

— "Rose Ochi, trailblazer for civil rights and Japanese American causes, dies at 81," by the LA Times' Teresa Watanabe.

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