News: POLITICO California Playbook: NEWSOM pushes SCHOOL plan — RECALL boosted — VALADAO gets COVID — New EDD head chosen

Monday, January 4, 2021

POLITICO California Playbook: NEWSOM pushes SCHOOL plan — RECALL boosted — VALADAO gets COVID — New EDD head chosen — BIDEN elevates FACEBOOK alum

Jan 04, 2021

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

THE BUZZ: Happy new year! It's astonishing how much politics can change in 12 months.

Twelve months ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom's star was ascending as an ample budget surplus bolstered his opportunities to enact his progressive agenda . Sen. Kamala Harris had recently dropped out of the Democratic presidential race but wouldn't be named Joe Biden's running mate for months, creating a clearer possible road to the White House for Newsom. Housing and homelessness were California's preeminent political issues and would be the focus of Newsom's State of the State address, which positioned housing to dominate the year (a contentious upzoning effort, Senate Bill 50, hadn't even died yet !). For most of us, the coronavirus seemed a remote and vague threat.

Now we open 2021 with a raging pandemic poised to dominate our politics for months to come, imperiling Newsom by juicing an increasingly viable recall attempt. How the governor navigates the former will directly affect the prospects of the latter. That involves Newsom managing the enormously complex task of vaccinating millions of Californians — potentially with an assist from Health and Human Services Secretary nominee (and current California Attorney General) Xavier Becerra, whose fate could hinge largely on who Georgia voters elect to the Senate tomorrow. But the more potent, threshold issue could be schools.

Newsom rolled out a $2 billion plan last week to get young kids back to classrooms by February. Parents around the state are desperate for schools to reopen, and simmering frustration over empty desks has not been confined to conservatives who already loathed Newsom. That type of atmospheric angst could make more people receptive to a recall, so there's a powerful political incentive for Newsom to get this done. But success will likely run through teachers unions, which have long pushed back on reopening before schools are adequately safe. We've already seen tension between labor and Democrats.

Teacher Doug Walters sits among empty desks as he takes part in a video conference with other teachers to prepare for at-home learning at Twentynine Palms Junior High School in Twentynine Palms, Calif., Aug. 18, 2020.

And the governor could need those educator allies more than ever, if he needs money to combat a recall. The effort to jettison Newsom got its first six-figure boost last week , with $500,000 flowing in from an Orange County LLC that looks a lot like a front for a wealthy Newsom opponent who'd rather remain anonymous (reminder here that we're open to tips). Running a statewide campaign usually requires a lot more than $500,000, so we'll see if the outlay encourages more deep-pocketed donors to step up.

It's still far from a sure thing that proponents will get the 1.5 million valid signatures they need by March. But Newsom no longer has the luxury of taking the effort for granted — and these critical next few months could be, as the governor likes to say, determinative.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. Welcome to the first California Playbook of the new year. Thanks for reading through a tumultuous 2020. Here's hoping 2021 is better — and with a new federal administration, a new California senator, secretary of state and possibly attorney general and a new Legislature, there should be plenty to occupy our attention.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "We have the most capable speaker in modern times. She is clearly the most capable and competent speaker — to bring a large group of people with diverse backgrounds and political ideology together, and function as one." Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) on House Democrats' reelection of Speaker Nancy Pelosi Sunday. Pelosi prevailed by just seven votes over Republican and fellow Californian Rep. Kevin McCarthy.

BONUS QOTD: "I'm here to thank you on behalf of Joe and myself for what you did in November and I'm here to ask you to do it again." Harris campaigning in Savannah, Ga. on Sunday for Senate candidates.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer @Kevin_Faulconer eyes a new job: "It's a new year. We need a new governor. Jobs are leaving, homelessness is skyrocketing, and the state can't even issue unemployment checks to people struggling right now to get by. California is better than this. Join me in signing the recall petition."

WHERE'S GAVIN? #NewsomAtNoon will stream live at the @CAgovernor Twitter page and California Governor Facebook page.

GET THE BIG PRE-INAUGURATION SCOOPS IN TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: Inauguration Day is quickly approaching. Is the Biden administration ready? Transition Playbook brings you inside the transition and newly forming administration, tracking the latest from Biden world and the transition of power. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news and analyzes the appointments, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today.

TOP TALKERS

— "House Speaker Pelosi's S.F. home vandalized with spray paint, pig's head," by the SF Chronicle's Jason Fagone.

VALADAO POSITIVE — Rep. David Valadao announced on Friday he tested positive for coronavirus. Here's the Fresno Bee's Bryant-Jon Anteola on what that means.

MARIJUANA MELEE — Celebrities, cash and questions: A new force roils the cannabis prisoner-release movement, by POLITICO's Mona Zhang: The star-studded group known as LPP has amassed major financial commitments from cannabis companies by arguing that an industry dominated by white businesspeople is flourishing while tens of thousands of disproportionately Black and brown people remain in prison for marijuana-related crimes. … Interviews with more than a dozen cannabis industry insiders and social justice advocates revealed widespread anger toward LPP. Many claimed that the organization failed to follow through on commitments to support preexisting groups while doing relatively little on its own to reduce the level of incarceration.

— "Seven days, 29 killings: L.A. County's deadliest week reveals pain, inequity and injustice," by the LA Times' Matthew Ormseth and Nicole Santa Cruz: "Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a rancorous presidential election and social upheaval over police abuses of Black people, Los Angeles endured another crisis in 2020 as killings and other serious violence rose sharply. Homicides rose by 20% in the county, to their highest level in a decade."

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

THE LATEST — "San Francisco extends local stay-at-home order and travel quarantine," by the SF Chronicle's Erin Allday … which comes after the state extended stay-at-home orders for Southern California and the Central Valley and said the Sacramento region will likely face the same.

GETTING GRIM — "Bodies pile up, patient care falters as COVID-19 devastates L.A. County hospitals," by the LA Times' Soumya Karlamangla, Rong-Gong Lin II and Luke Money: "With hospitals overwhelmed by patients and no outlet valve available, doctors, nurses and paramedics are being forced to make wrenching choices about who gets care and at what level."

UH-OH — U.K. coronavirus strain emerges in San Diego County, by POLITICO's Victoria Colliver: Anthony Fauci, chief of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, underscored that early evidence shows the new strain spreads more easily, but it doesn't make people sicker or appear to be deadlier.

— " New, possibly more contagious coronavirus strain detected in Big Bear," by the LA Times' Alex Wigglesworth.

COME ON! — "Evangelist singer draws a crowd of 2,500 to New Year's Eve gathering, ignoring risk of COVID-19 spread," by the LA Times' Cindy Carcamo.

— Kamala Harris receives coronavirus vaccination, by POLITICO's Nick Niedzwiadek.

CHEATERS WARNED — California will be 'very aggressive' on vaccine line-jumpers, Newsom says, by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White: Enforcement against actors who violate the state's hierarchy could include pulling medical licenses and barring providers from continuing to receive vaccines for distribution, said Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency.

— "Some healthcare workers refuse to take COVID-19 vaccine, even with priority access," by the LA Times' Colleen Shalby, Emily Baumgaertner, Hailey Branson-Potts, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde and Jack Dolan.

— "ER nurse tests positive for COVID-19 days after first dose of vaccine, reminder protection not instant," by ABC 10's Michael Chen.

THE TRUMP ERA

ATLAS PLUGGED — "Trump's Focus as the Pandemic Raged: What Would It Mean for Him?," by the NY Times' By Michael D. Shear, Maggie Haberman, Noah Weiland, Sharon LaFraniere and Mark Mazzetti: "With Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the coordinator of the White House virus task force, losing influence and often on the road, Dr. [Scott] Atlas became the sole doctor Mr. Trump listened to. His theories, some of which scientists viewed as bordering on the crackpot, were exactly what the president wanted to hear: The virus is overblown, the number of deaths is exaggerated, testing is overrated, lockdowns do more harm than good."

— " Trump to award Medal of Freedom to GOP Reps. Devin Nunes and Jim Jordan," by CNN's Kaitlan Collins.

DIFI DEFIED — "Trump vetoes Calif. fishing bill over seafood trade deficit," by the AP's Darlene Superville: "President Donald Trump vetoed a bill Friday that would have gradually ended the use of large-mesh drift gillnets deployed exclusively in federal waters off the coast of California, saying such legislation would increase reliance on imported seafood and worsen a multibillion-dollar seafood trade deficit."

— "Undocumented immigrant children must be released promptly, court rules," by the SF Chronicle's Bob Egelko.

— "McCarthy defends absence from vote overriding Trump's defense-bill veto," by the Bakersfield Californian's John Cox.

TRANSITION TIME

FACE-BIDEN: Former top Facebook policy hand Jessica Hertz will be Biden's staff secretary, the transition announced last week. Biden had already raised some eyebrows by making Hertz his ethics arbiter.

— "FAA needs new leadership, bring in Sully Sullenberger," Shem Malmquist and Roger Rapoport opine in the SF Chronicle.

CAMPAIGN MODE

— "Can California GOP find a Senate candidate in 2022? If not, Alex Padilla could be set for years," by the SF Chronicle's John Wildermuth: "As a 47-year-old Latino Democrat in a deep-blue state where about 60% of the population identifies as Latino or nonwhite, Padilla is in many ways the Republicans' worst nightmare. An easy win in two years could set California's current secretary of state on course for a long career on Capitol Hill and leave Republicans on the outside for decades."

— "California worked with social companies to remove election misinformation," by CalMatters' Freddy Brewster.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

EDD REDO — "Newsom Appoints New Leader to Beleaguered Employment Department," by KQED's Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: "Rita Saenz will lead the EDD as director, Newsom announced Wednesday."

NEW YEAR, NEW LAWS — " Here are 21 new laws for Californians in 2021," by the SF Chronicle's Alexei Koseff.

— "2021 California workplace laws: COVID-19 safety and more,'' via LATimes' Margot Roosevelt.

GASCÓN BACKLASH — " Union representing deputy district attorneys sues Gascón over enhancements policy," by the LA Times' Matthew Ormseth: "On his first day in office, [DA George] Gascón announced his deputies would no longer seek enhancements that — if proved — lengthen defendants' prison sentences under certain circumstances, such as if they committed a crime to a gang's benefit or if they had a criminal history.

— " San Quentin Prison COVID releases delayed by state Supreme Court," by the SF Chronicle's Bob Egelko.

BACK TO MEXICO — "The US isn't an option anymore': why California's immigrants are heading back to Mexico," by the Guardian's Maanvi Singh: "Ten months of a pandemic that has disproportionately sickened immigrants and devastated some of the industries that rely on immigrant labor, combined with years of anti-immigrant policies by the Trump administration have exacerbated insecurities for undocumented people and immigrants working low-wage jobs across California."

— "Why the new COVID-19 stimulus means California workers won't have to repay unemployment aid," by the Sac Bee's Jeong Park: "Many of the hundreds of thousands of California gig workers and independent contractors won't have to repay part of their unemployment aid, under a provision in the new COVID-19 stimulus package signed by President Donald Trump."

ICYMI: DRILL, BABY — "Amid climate crisis, California approves far more drilling permits," by the SF Chronicle's Dustin Gardiner: "California approved 1,646 drill permits in the first nine months of 2020 — a 137% increase over the 694 permits it approved during the same period last year."

— "Get Ready for Redistricting Via Zoom," by Voice of San Diego's Maya Srikrishnan: "The pandemic is … going to have an impact on the process, shifting most hearings to an online-only platform and delaying the release of census data necessary to drawing new district maps."

STOCKTON SPOTLIGHT — "A city made the case for universal basic income. Dozens are following suit," via PBS NewsHour.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— "Tesla fell just short of delivering 500,000 vehicles in 2020," by the Verge's Kim Lyons and Sean O'Kane.

— " Facebook is the worst brand of the year," by Fast Company's Jeff Beer.

HOLLYWOODLAND

SELLING OUT — "Elon Musk sells three Bel-Air homes for a combined $40.9 million,'' by the LA Times' Jack Flemming.

— " Meghan and Harry seeking 12-month 'Megxit' extension," by Page Six's Elizabeth Elizalde.

CANNABIS COUNTRY

— "Marijuana: 4 things to watch for in California in 2021," by the OC Register's Brooke Staggs.

MIXTAPE

— "For decades, she's been the unsung hero of California's coast," by the LA Times' Rosanna Xia.

— " Earthquake rattles just off coast of San Francisco, Marin County," by the East Bay Times' Evan Webeck.

— "Lori Loughlin released from prison after two months," by the NY Post's Joshua Rhett Miller.

— " Billionaire Ron Burkle Buys Michael Jackson's Infamous Neverland Ranch For $22 Million," by Forbes's Keith Flamer.

— "Animated timeline shows how Silicon Valley became a $2.8 trillion neighborhood," by Business Insider's Corey Protin, Matthew Stuart and Matt Weinberger.

— "Should you leave SF? Data shows 'bang for your buck' in different U.S. cities," by SF Gate's Tessa McLean.

TRANSITIONS

— Housing reporter Matt Levin announced he's departing CalMatters and heading to radio program Marketplace.

ENGAGED — Ian Sams, a Democratic consultant and Harris and Hillary Clinton alum, and CadeAnn Smith, a contract attorney for the Justice Department, got engaged on Christmas morning at their apartment in D.C. Pic

IN MEMORIAM

— "Politicos Mourn Passing of Top Campaign Consultant Steve Afriat," by the LA Blade's Karen Ocamb.

— " Richard Bates, Disney's Longtime Head of Government Relations, Dies at 70," by Variety's Cynthia Littleton.

A NEW YEAR MEANS A NEW HUDDLE IS HERE: Huddle, our daily congressional must-read, has a new author! Olivia Beavers took the reins this week, and she has the latest news and whispers from the Speakers' Lobby. Don't miss out, subscribe to our Huddle newsletter, the essential guide to all things Capitol Hill. Subscribe today.

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