News: POLITICO California Playbook: NEWSOM’s recall defense — WEBER confirmed as SECRETARY of STATE — EVICTION PAUSE passes

Friday, January 29, 2021

POLITICO California Playbook: NEWSOM’s recall defense — WEBER confirmed as SECRETARY of STATE — EVICTION PAUSE passes — GREENE’s CA wildfires conspiracy

Jan 29, 2021

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

THE BUZZ — Ask Gov. Gavin Newsom about the encircling recall effort and he will deflect or downplay: He's focused on vaccines and the economy, he'll say, not politics.

His allies are sending a different message. Namely: The political players Newsom would rely on to defend his governorship view the recall as sufficiently possible that they are ramping up their support for the beleaguered governor.

The National Union of Healthcare Workers rolled out a digital media campaign asking its thousands of members to sign a petition opposing the ouster effort . The labor powerhouse framed the pushback as an effort to advance Newsom's agenda — which has long included his commitment to getting California to single-payer health care — by saying that "now's the time to move California forward on Medicare For All — NOT the time to disrupt our work with a wasteful recall effort."

We also noticed this tweet from Democratic Assemblymember Laura Friedman: "Because a few of you have asked: there's no one I want leading this state other [than] @GavinNewsom." Friedman did not invoke the R-word. But public statements like that don't happen in a vacuum. Newsom already reached out to lawmakers earlier this month to ensure they've got his back. While Democratic lawmakers tend to support Democratic incumbent governors, it's worth noting that Newsom has had an uneven relationship with frustrated legislators, who often feel blindsided and cut out of pandemic management — Friedman among them.

This came after California Democratic Party chair Rusty Hicks and a bevy of elected Democrats held a press conference pinning the recall on far-right extremists. Hicks has since walked back his rhetoric equating the recall push with a "coup," but the fact that the conference happened in the first place signals that people in Newsom's political orbit are taking the effort seriously. Whether or not recall proponents collect the 1.5 million valid signatures they need by mid-March, the consensus out there is that Newsom cannot afford to ignore the effort. His allies have brushed back emerging contenders, as when state Sen. Scott Wiener warned certain tech titans they were flirting with "a MAGA revenge fantasy."

In other words, now is when Newsom needs his friends. That means the interest groups and wealthy donors that support his agenda as well as elected Democrats — and you can bet some of the latter are quietly assessing what Newsom's ouster would mean for their own political prospects. Meanwhile, one of the potentially decisive determinants of Newsom's fate — the push to get schools reopened — is fueling some tension with teachers unions, another Democratic mainstay, as our Mackenzie Mays scooped (more on that below).

BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. Newsom is expected to swear in Assemblymember Shirley Weber today as California's next secretary of state after Weber got final approval on Thursday from the Legislature . That means California will get its first Black elections chief — and another special election to fill Weber's vacant, safely Democratic San Diego Assembly seat.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "If everybody has to be vaccinated, we might as well just tell people the truth: there will be no in-person instruction in the state of California." Newsom offers some real talk on schools.

BONUS QOTD: "House Republicans and the Trump administration achieved historic results for all Americans. … Today, President Trump committed to helping elect Republicans in the House and Senate in 2022." House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy renews his vows to former President Donald Trump, who McCarthy visited in Florida.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Former Gov. Jerry Brown spox @EvanWestrup on a new member of Congress' speculation that space lasers sparked wildfires (more below): "Sounds like there's another elected official more deserving of the nickname 'Moonbeam' these days…"

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

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TOP TALKERS

AG ASPIRATIONS — Newsom in familiar spot with intense lobbying for California AG job, by POLITICO's Carla Marinucci: The state's top law enforcement job is often viewed as second only to the governor's in terms of power, clout and potential for higher office. As was the case weeks before he named Alex Padilla as California's junior senator and Shirley Weber as secretary of state, ethnic organizations, interest groups and political leaders are bending the governor's ear over who should assume the prosecutor role.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE — " Marjorie Taylor Greene penned conspiracy theory that a laser beam from space started deadly 2018 California wildfire," by Media Matters' Eric Hananoki: "She wrote a November 17, 2018, Facebook post — which is no longer available online — in which she said that she was speculating 'because there are too many coincidences to ignore' regarding the fire, including that then-California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) wanted to build the high-speed rail project and 'oddly there are all these people who have said they saw what looked like lasers or blue beams of light causing the fires.'" Read her wild full post here.

— Pelosi rips GOP leaders for sticking with Marjorie Taylor Greene, by POLITICO's Sarah Ferris and Melanie Zanona: Pelosi said Greene should not be seated on the House Education Committee after peddling a false conspiracy theory that the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012 was a hoax.

— "FBI arrests Huntington Beach activist on charges related to Capitol breach," by the LA Times' Richard Winton and Michael Finnegan: "Mark Simon, who is known locally for his far-right views, was taken into custody during a dawn search of his home on federal charges of entering the restricted grounds of the Capitol and disorderly or disruptive conduct for allegedly being part of the incursion by supporters of former President Trump."

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

SCHOOL STANDOFF — Newsom: California schools won't reopen 'if we wait for the perfect', by POLITICO's Mackenzie Mays: A frustrated Newsom on Thursday said school administrators and teachers unions should agree as soon as possible to reopen schools for younger students — or else be clear with families that they will not return to classrooms at all this academic year.

"If we wait for the perfect, we might as well just pack it up and just be honest with folks that we're not going to open for in-person instruction this school year," Newsom said during a candid conversation with the Association of California School Administrators that was on YouTube but later made inaccessible. "You find whatever you look for. If we want to find reasons not to open, we'll find plenty of reasons," Newsom added.

GARCETTI GETS IT — "LA's mayor gets hard-to-find vaccine shot amid COVID crisis," by the AP's Michael R. Blood.

— "L.A.'s reopening plan resembles S.F.'s - but charts show its coronavirus stats are far worse," by the SF Chronicle's Susie Neilson: "According to data from The Chronicle's Coronavirus Tracker and county websites, Los Angeles County's hospitalization rate is nearly three times higher than San Francisco's, and its case rate is more than three times higher. Its January death rate per 100,000 residents is more than 4.2 times that of San Francisco."

— "No bathrooms. No seating. Endless lines. Struggling seniors face vaccine misery," by the LA Times' Hayley Smith: "The system set up by Los Angeles County seems, in many ways, to be a young person's game: It can take social media skills, technology savvy, reliable transportation and even physical stamina to obtain one of the coveted shots."

— "Despite Cal/OSHA's emergency COVID-19 safety rule, workers say little has changed," by the LA Times' Jie Jenny Zhou: "Union leaders fault the painfully slow rollout to long-standing failures at California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, which oversees worker safety."

— " Language Translations Delayed for Orange County's Coronavirus Vaccination Program," by Voice of OC's Spencer Custodio.

THE 46TH

— "Column: He fought Trump's attacks on Obamacare. Now Xavier Becerra hopes to vanquish COVID-19," by the LA Times' George Skelton: "The Department of Health and Human Services is loaded with doctors and medical experts. What's most needed to head the sprawling agency with 80,000 employees is a strong leader who can organize and achieve. Based on Becerra's history, President Biden chose the right man."

GAVINLAND

TECH RECORD — "Technical Glitches Keep Newsom's Dream of High-Tech Government on Hold," by Capital Public Radio's Scott Rodd: "Newsom has had some tech successes, especially when his administration built systems from scratch or partnered with Silicon Valley companies. But the pandemic has exposed the dangers of placing 21st century demands on decades-old technology."

CAMPAIGN MODE

HOLDING PATTERN — Redistricting delays freeze 2022 House races, by POLITICO's Ally Mutnick: With the likelihood that they won't get redistricting data until mid-summer at the earliest, House operatives are trying to entice potential candidates to run in districts that don't exist and charting a battlefield that won't be totally clear for months — if not the better part of a year.

— "California election finance violations reached record highs in last two years," by the Mercury News' Annie Sciacca: "The Fair Political Practices Commission, according to a report it published this month, approved 271 settlements, with a record $1,940,107 in penalties. That followed 2019, which saw a record number of settlements — 343 for the year — but which totaled less money in fines, at $797,384."

— "After Trump, California GOP Seeks to Reset and Rebrand," by KQED's Scott Shafer.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

HELP FOR RENTERS — California lawmakers approve tenant bills just before earlier protections expire, by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White: The resulting deal will bar landlords from evicting pandemic-battered renters through the end of June, so long as those tenants can come up with at least 25 percent of the rent they owe. California is channeling $2.6 billion in federal aid toward shielding renters and bolstering landlords' finances.

— "Mayor Breed tries to rally a weary San Francisco with optimistic vision of recovery," by the SF Chronicle's Trisha Thadani: "Breed's address came as San Francisco flickered back to life Thursday, as small pleasures like outdoor dining and haircuts in a salon were allowed to resume after weeks of lockdown. Still, the city's current situation is dire."

EDD SCATHED — State audit blasts California EDD's 'lax approach' to fraud prevention, by POLITICO's Katy Murphy: California's unemployment agency waited months to take aggressive action to thwart fraud, despite federal warnings last spring — delays that allowed criminal networks to steal unprecedented amounts of emergency pandemic cash last year, a new state audit has found.

— "UCLA smashes records for freshman applications with big hikes among Black, Latino students," by the LA Times' Teresa Watanbe: "Campus officials credited the gains to the elimination of standardized testing requirements, long years of active recruitment in underserved areas, and community partnerships to begin preparing students as early as middle school for the academic rigor needed for a competitive UCLA application."

— "Wine Country restaurants, wineries dismiss lawsuit against Newsom over outdoor dining ," by the SF Chronicle's Janelle Bitker: "Ultimately, they got what they wanted, when six days after they filed their suit, Newsom lifted the state's stay-at-home order and outdoor dining was allowed once again, said Carl Dene, a spokesperson for the group of businesses — the Wine Country Coalition for Safe Reopening — that organized the suit."

— " San Diegans Are Drowning in Water Debt During COVID-19," by Voice of San Diego's MacKenzie Elmer: "Gov. Gavin Newsom banned utilities from shutting off water during the pandemic. But that didn't provide financial assistance to actually pay off those bills."

— "Section of Highway 1 in Big Sur falls into the ocean," by KSBW's Josh Copitch: "One lane of the highway was struck by debris flow and washed away, Caltrans reported. The road continues to erode as debris and water continues to flow down off the Big Sur mountains."

BY CA'S DEADLINE — "GM sets goal of going carbon neutral by 2040," by the AP's Michelle Chapman.

BLAME ALL AROUND — " We knew a major storm was coming. Why did we leave the homeless to suffer in the cold?" opines the Sac Bee's Marcos Bretón.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— "Tech investor who proposed splitting up California could move university to Texas," by the SF Chronicle's Roland Li.

— Twitter's priceless gift to Biden, by POLITICO's Natasha Korecki: Gone are the pre-dawn tirades, the all-caps declarations, the "Sleepy Joe" mocking, the Fox News-driven agitations and the general incitements. Instead, Biden debuted a flurry of executive orders without ever having to deal with what surely would have been rapid-fire antagonism from the man whose legacy he was dismantling.

— "Facebook's 'Oversight Board' overturns 4 cases in first rulings," by NBC's Dylan Byers: The rulings "come in the run-up to a far more consequential decision the board will make in the weeks ahead: Whether to overturn Facebook's decision to suspend former President Donald Trump's account in the wake of the Jan. 6 riots in Washington."

HOLLYWOODLAND

— "Can studios compete with streaming services to buy this year's Sundance hits?," by the LA Times' Ryan Faughnder: "This year's mostly virtual version of the Sundance Film Festival can't possibly live up to the heady atmosphere that regulars expect. Sundance, and the deal-making that comes with it, thrives on the in-person experience of crowded lobbies and bars along historic Main Street in Park City, Utah, between and after screenings."

— " Chateau Marmont gave coveted jobs mostly to white people, lawsuit alleges," by the LA Times' Hugo Martín.

MIXTAPE

— "California union ordered to stop trying to read public employee emails," by the Sac Bee's Andrew Sheeler.

— " LAPD shoot and kill man near Vermont Square in South LA," by the LA Times' Jennifer Lu.

— "15 giant sequoias blew over in Yosemite. Now the park works to reopen," by the LA Times' Christopher Reynolds.

— " Waves of death: Nine have perished from hazards common to Bay Area beaches," by the Mercury News' Martha Ross.

— "'So tragic': Hiker may have been the last person to see 'Alice' Yu Xie alive in Yosemite," by SFGATE's Ashley Herrell.

CA SUIT — "Subway's tuna is not tuna, but a 'mixture of various concoctions,' a lawsuit alleges," by WaPo's Tim Carman.

MEDIA MATTERS

DEADLINE TIME: The Sacramento Press Club has launched a new journalism award to honor the best coverage in the state — with awards in more than a dozen categories, ranging from "Journalist of the Year'' to best reporting in categories like health, housing, racial justice and more. And proceeds benefit the club's great work providing scholarships for young journalists. Entries are due Feb. 5 — check out all the categories and rules here.

IN MEMORIAM

— "Cicely Tyson, Pioneering Hollywood Icon, Dies at 96," by the Hollywood Reporter's Carmel Dagan.

BIRTHDAYS

Stephanie Gunter … Kara Van Stralen

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