| | | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White, Carla Marinucci, Graph Massara and Mackenzie Hawkins | THE BUZZ: It's the final day of the Trump era in Washington — and of California's anti-Trump resistance. For as much as California Democrats loathe President Donald Trump and will welcome his departure on Wednesday, his polarizing White House tenure has provided the basic context and the principal impetus for much of California politics over the last four years. It was like the miasma that follows wildfires: an often toxic but inescapable atmosphere. California and its officials featured regularly in the antagonist-in-chief's pugnacious tweets and speeches; Trump appeared constantly in political campaigns as Democrats sought to sink Republicans by association with him. California's top attorney battled Trump in court as its lawmakers sought to rein him in by statute. Gov. Gavin Newsom went from outspoken combatant to deferential partner. | 
President Donald Trump talks with then California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom during a visit to a neighborhood destroyed by the wildfires in Paradise, Calif., Nov. 17, 2018. | AP Photo/Evan Vucci | Some of the main themes of these turbulent few years: — THE TWEETS: Back in the olden days, when Trump was still on Twitter, you could count on him to use the platform to blast California and its leaders. Often there were vague threats that would not materialize, like when Trump periodically warned he would pull federal funding because of how California manages forests or when he said he might send in the feds to combat homelessness. He blasted away on water and on then-Gov. Jerry Brown's border security management. It was likewise a favorite venue for Newsom to punch back (see the clown emoji, the Mario Kart video). But the digital platform could also elevate, as when Trump's Twitter endorsement helped catapult Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox into the 2018 runoff. — THE LAWSUITS: Back in 2016, few of us purported California politics experts expected then-Gov. Brown to pick then-Rep. Xavier Becerra to replace outgoing Attorney General Kamala Harris. But Brown wanted a seasoned fighter, and he got one. As of Friday Becerra has filed 113 legal challenges to the Trump administration, seeking to blunt or block the border wall, environmental rollbacks, census procedures and much, much more. It was a two-way legal street, with the Trump administration using the courts to try and stymie California's emissions rules and its immigration policies. California prevailed on some major clashes, its contra-Trump clean car stance largely vindicated in the end. — THE CAMPAIGN COSTS: Trump isn't just anathema to California Democrats. He's also toxic among independents and even some moderate Republicans, which is why Democrats spent four years trying to link their opponents to the president. That strategy paid off in 2018, when Democratic House candidates swept seven of seven House seats. Democratic supermajorities in Sacramento seem increasingly inviolable. Republicans won back four House seats in 2020, but Trump will cast a long shadow over their reelection campaigns, with the DCCC blasting away at Republicans who rejected impeachment (or, in Rep. Mike Garcia's case, voted against Electoral College certification). Meanwhile, former California Republicans fled the party: Assemblymembers Chad Mayes and Brian Maienschein and California Supreme Court Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, to name a few. — THE BILLS: Implicitly or explicitly, there was an anti-Trump through line in Sacramento legislation that sought to rebuff Trump or to expand and protect California's alternative policy vision. After Trump rode anti-immigration rhetoric to office, California passed a sweeping "sanctuary bill" to partition local law enforcement from immigration authorities. The bill drew a failed federal legal challenge but became a recurring attack line for Trump, including in his State of the Union speech. At one point Trump pondered prosecuting Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for warning of an Immigration and Custom Enforcement sweep. Some efforts failed: Newsom's veto of a "Trump insurance" bill angered legislative leaders, and the California Supreme Court invalidated an effort to expose Trump's tax returns. But it could seem at times like Sacramento Democrats had an anti-Trump angle to promote every piece of legislation. — THE EXECUTIVE FRENEMIES: The Trump-Newsom relationship often felt like an exercise in mutually beneficial enmity. Newsom could cast himself as the leader of the resistance and the architect of a progressive bulwark against Trumpism; the president could blast back that Newsom embodied liberal misgovernance. Easy meat for the base. For every tweet, there was a counter-tweet. And yet by the final year, with a pandemic raging, Newsom adopted a more conciliatory tone and Trump offered periodic praise of his own. Suddenly Newsom was appearing in Trump campaign videos. There was a time when it seemed battling Trump could lead Newsom to the White House. But at the end of the Trump era, it's Harris who's on the brink of the executive branch, after her fiery questioning of Trump allies fueled a presidential campaign that in turn yielded a running mate spot. BUENOS DÍAS, good Tuesday morning. Harris has officially resigned her Senate seat so she can assume the vice presidency. In doing so, Harris cleared the way for designated Senate successor Alex Padilla, who quickly stepped down as secretary of state yesterday and was officially appointed to the Senate seat. Padilla will soon be replaced by Assemblymember Shirley Weber . Harris will still have plenty of Senate time as she presides over a 50-50 chamber and wields the tie-breaking vote. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'm not saying goodbye. In many ways, I'm now saying hello as your vice president." Harris in a farewell video. TWEET OF THE DAY: Assemblymember Kevin Kiley @KevinKileyCA: "Rarely has a government had so much power and so little capability. Gavin Newsom can control our lives but can't get us unemployment benefits or a vaccine." WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. | | | | TRACK FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: Track the first 100 Days of the Biden administration. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news and analyzes the initiatives, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | |  | TOP TALKERS | | INEQUALITY — Pandemic reveals tale of 2 Californias like never before, by POLITICO's Mackenzie Mays: As Bay Area tech workers set up home offices to avoid coronavirus exposure, grocers, farm workers and warehouse employees in the Central Valley never stopped reporting to job sites. Renters pleaded for eviction relief while urban professionals fled for suburbs and resort towns, taking advantage of record-low interest rates to buy bigger, better homes. Most of the state's 6 million public school children are learning remotely, while affluent families opted for private classrooms that are up and running. WALKBACK — California Democratic leader says he'll be more careful after calling legal recall a 'coup', by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White: California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks told delegates on Friday he will "choose my words more carefully" after he faced a broad backlash for calling an effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom a "coup." Hicks also called the condemnation of his terminology a "distraction." — FBI investigating whether woman stole laptop from Pelosi's office to sell it to Russia, by POLITICO's Kyle Cheney: The bizarre claim, which the FBI emphasized remains under investigation, was included in an affidavit describing the criminal case against Riley June Williams, a Pennsylvania woman who was seen in footage of the Jan. 6 insurrection in area of the Capitol near Pelosi's office. — Judge blocks release of man pictured with feet on desk in Pelosi's office, by POLITICO's Josh Gerstein. — "S.F. man, a self-proclaimed Proud Boy, charged by FBI in Capitol riot," by the SF Chronicle's Trisha Thadani. | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | NEW STRAIN SPREADING — "Another new coronavirus variant found across California, including L.A. County," by the LA Times' Laura J. Nelson: "As the total number of coronavirus infections in California approaches 3 million, health officials said Sunday that a new strain — different from a highly contagious variant first identified in the United Kingdom — is popping up more frequently across the state." NEWSOM RECALL STATUS: The Secretary of State's office gave us an update Friday night on where we stand: Proponents have submitted 410,087 valid signatures. Elections officials have not reviewed all 723,783 signatures submitted so far. But if the 84 percent validity rate holds, that puts proponents at around 610,000 valid signatures — fewer than half the roughly 1.5 million they'll need by mid-March. ANOTHER MEMBER INFECTED — "Orange County Congressman Lou Correa says he has COVID-19 ," by the OC Register's Brian Rokos: "Correa, 62, was among the lawmakers who sheltered in the House chamber on Jan. 6 when rioters stormed the Capitol." — "California calls for pause in use of huge batch of Moderna vaccines after allergic reactions," by the SF Chronicle's Michael Williams: "The affected lot includes 330,000 doses — roughly 1/10th of what the state so far has distributed." — "Diaper masks, close quarters: Fast-food restaurants have struggled to protect workers from COVID-19," by Reveal's Lance Williams in the LA Times: "A lack of protective equipment and social distancing and pressure to work at all costs have persisted deep into the pandemic, according to a review of summaries of 1,600 complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration concerning the coronavirus in the nation's fast-food industry, along with 200 additional accounts found in health department records, lawsuits and news reports." — " Why one of the Bay Area's biggest coronavirus outbreaks hit a horse racing track," by the SF Chronicle's Ron Kroichick. DRIVE-THRU VACCINES — "Two Bay Area community clinics cut through red tape to speed vaccines for seniors," by the SF Chronicle's Michael Cabanatuan. | | THE TRUMP ERA | | — Pelosi says any lawmaker who helped insurrectionists could face criminal prosecution, by POLITICO's Kyle Cheney. ANOTHER LAMALFA OUSTER CALL — " LaMalfa's betrayal of democracy," by the Redding Record Searchlight editorial board: "Since November, when Joe Biden decisively won the presidential election, [Doug] LaMalfa has debased himself and repeatedly violated his oath to the Constitution. He has participated in spreading lies and conspiracies in support of the absurd notion that Donald Trump won. … We hope primary challengers are beginning to plan their campaigns because we know he won't do what he ought: voluntarily step down." | | TRANSITION TIME | | — "Serving as California's senator has been an honor. But this is not a goodbye," Kamala Harris writes for the SF Chronicle: "As I resign from the Senate, I am preparing to take an oath that would have me preside over it." JUST IN TIME — Pence congratulates Harris days before inauguration, by POLITICO's Matthew Choi and Christopher Cadelago. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — HOW COOL IS THAT? Another perk of being the first female vice president in U.S. history: a new ice cream flavor, created specifically in Harris' honor. Women-founded, beloved Bay Area-based Smitten Ice Cream has whipped it up just in time for the Inauguration. MVP — as in Madam Vice President — is a combination of malted salted vanilla ice cream laced with chewy pecan pralines, all served up in a container graced with Harris' likeness and designed by a local artist, Smitten founder Robyn Sue Fisher told POLITICO. Fisher noted Bay Area native Harris loves ice cream. And for fellow ice cream lovers who need another excuse: A portion of MVP pint sales will be donated to Five Keys Home Free, a California-based transitional housing program for criminalized survivors of domestic violence. — "Biden nominates San Diego Unified superintendent as deputy education secretary," via City News Service. — "Make America California Again? That's Biden's plan," by the LA Times' Evan Halper: "California is emerging as the de facto policy think tank of the Biden-Harris administration and of a Congress soon to be under Democratic control." | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | — "Orange County Republicans help drive recall effort against Gov. Newsom," by the OC Register's Brooke Staggs: "Republican politicians, donors, organizations and volunteers from Orange County are playing a pivotal role in reviving a once-stagnated recall effort against Gov. Gavin Newsom." FRAUD FIGHT — "California tackled bad jokes, cybersquatting to protect election," by Freddy Brewster and Katie Licari in CalMatters: "A fake, partisan website mirroring the Placer County election site. Inaccurate online claims that California was closing in-person voting. Multiple false claims that ballots were thrown away." — " Gavin Newsom's High Stakes Choice for California Attorney General," by the Appeal's Jay Willis: "Without an overtly hostile federal government to deal with, Becerra's replacement will have a considerable amount of time and resources to dedicate elsewhere—and a real chance to overhaul a sprawling, bloated system of prisons and jails that incarcerates more people than any state not named Texas." | | GAVINLAND | | — "Newsom's brother-in-law arrested for alleged domestic violence in Marin County," by the SF Chronicle's Vanessa Arredondo. | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | NEVERMIND — Los Angeles Unified retracts lawsuit threat against Newsom, by POLITICO's Mackenzie Mays: Los Angeles Unified officials are retracting a school board motion made earlier this week that authorized the district to sue the state over Gov. Gavin Newsom's school reopening plan, saying it was a mistake. HEADED TO COURT — "Bank of America sued over EDD unemployment debit card fraud," by CalMatters' Lauren Hepler: "A new federal lawsuit takes aim at Bank of America for failing to secure the unemployment debit cards of thousands of Californians, part of a chaotic response to record jobless claims that has made the state Employment Development Department the target of widespread fraud." — "Racial bias in California courts could force judges to reconsider sentences under proposed law," by the Sac Bee's Hannah Wiley: "The bill by Assemblyman Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, would represent an retroactive expansion of an existing new law that empowers criminal defendants currently in court to object to punishment if they're able to show that anyone involved in their case — a judge, attorney, officer, witness or juror — demonstrated bias during the process." — "'It didn't have to happen': 2020 was S.F.'s deadliest year for overdoses, by far," by the SF Chronicle's Trisha Thadani: "That number is more than three times the amount of people that died of COVID-19 in the city during the same period. It also represents 699 sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, friends and loved ones felled by an epidemic that the city has been unable to control." — "LAPD chief calls out deadly crime surge," by the LA Times' Howard Blume: "Police analysts have landed on various theories on what is driving the crime trends — including a reduction in overall movement, strains in illicit drug markets, more gunmen opening fire on rivals at close range and police officers being stretched thin in high-crime areas amid citywide emergencies, operational changes and officers quarantining or missing work due to illness." | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | — "Inside Twitter's Decision to Cut Off Trump," by NYT's Kate Conger and Mike Isaac: "Interviews with a dozen current and former Twitter insiders over the past week opened a window into how it was made — driven by a group of [Jack] Dorsey's lieutenants who overcame their boss's reservations, but only after a deadly rampage at the Capitol." — "Tech titans give S.F. the finger as they flee. But this billionaire is staying and working to make it better," by the SF Chronicle's Heather Knight: "These guys are about as nuanced as President Trump in his assessment of liberal cities like ours. And while some of what they say is true, it's not the whole picture. Besides, our problems are far more solvable if smart people work together to address them rather than skipping town for Texas and Florida." — "Will office life in San Francisco return to normal? Maybe, but normal will be different," by the SF Chronicle's Carl Nolte. — Facebook blocking new event listings near Capitol, White House through inauguration, by POLITICO's Cristiano Lima. — "WhatsApp Delays Privacy Changes Amid User Backlash," by NYT's Mike Isaac. | | HOLLYWOODLAND | | — "Donald Trump Faces Possible Expulsion From SAG-AFTRA As Union's Board Sets Special Session," by Deadline's David Robb: "The former star of The Apprentice – and soon-to-be former president – has been a member of the union and its forerunners, SAG and AFTRA, since 1989. … Article XIV of the SAG-AFTRA Constitution states that members may be suspended or expelled for 'engaging in actions antagonistic to the interests or integrity of the union.'" | | MIXTAPE | | — "Prison release expected for driver in Northern California bus crash that killed 11," by the Sac Bee's Jason Pohl. — " Former A's pitcher Dave Stewart bids $115M on share of Oakland Coliseum site," by the SF Chronicle's Susan Slusser and Matt Kawahara. — "O.C. district attorney drops or reduces charges in 67 cases over mishandled evidence," by the LA Times' Hannah Fry. — "Monterey Bay power plant now a record-breaking battery project that could ward off outages," by the SF Chronicle's J.D. Morris. — "Stanford students aim to be youngest to conquer nearly 8,000-mile Triple Crown of hikes," by the LA Times' Faith E. Pinho. | | BIRTHDAYS | | Twitter's Caitlin Rush … Sarah Farnsworth SATURDAY: Microsoft's Sirin "Teddy" Bulakul ... | | | | KEEP UP WITH CONGRESS IN 2021: Tensions remain high on Capitol Hill as we inaugurate a new president this week. How are lawmakers planning to move forward after a tumultuous few weeks? How will a new Senate majority impact the legislative agenda? With so much at stake, our new Huddle author Olivia Beavers brings you the most important news and critical insight from Capitol Hill with assists from POLITICO's deeply sourced Congress team. Subscribe to Huddle, the essential guide to understanding Congress. | | | | | CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. 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