News: POLITICO California Playbook: WEBER and SAN DIEGO power — MCCARTHY’s crossroads — PALIHAPITIYA teases GOV run

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

POLITICO California Playbook: WEBER and SAN DIEGO power — MCCARTHY’s crossroads — PALIHAPITIYA teases GOV run — KDL flubs the pledge

Jan 27, 2021

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

THE BUZZ — Two things we were reminded of in Sacramento on Tuesday: the widespread admiration for Assemblymember Shirley Weber and the clout San Diego pols have amassed.

Weber faced the first hearing on her path to becoming California's next secretary of state, and it was clear the San Diego Democrat is in for a smooth ride. Speakers representing the range of Sacramento politics heaped praise on Weber and extolled Gov. Gavin Newsom for appointing her to succeed new U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla as the state's top elections official. Republicans and Democrats and speakers representing labor and big business all affirmed that Weber commands broad respect. Even a longtime law enforcement lobbyist called the selection of Weber, a major criminal justice reformer, "the very best appointment that Gov. Newsom could make."

She's also part of a San Diego Democratic power triad. Weber reiterated how she was encouraged to run for Assembly by San Diegan ally and now-Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, who's widely seen as a statewide office contender in her own right. Weber's rise could come at the expense of Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, yet another San Diego Democrat, who had piled up money and endorsements for a 2022 secretary of state run even before Newsom tapped Weber. Gonzalez hasn't quite said if she's still running (and thus setting up a clash between San Diego Democrats), but either way she will remain chair of the powerful Assembly Appropriations Committee. Gonzalez ascended to that position in part by backing Speaker Anthony Rendon, whose relationship with Atkins was bruised by the brutal end of last year's legislative session.

As with purple-shading Orange County, Democrats have made serious inroads in San Diego, once a conservative stronghold. They now overwhelmingly control the City Council, and new Mayor Todd Gloria's win cemented a Democratic lock on California's big-city mayorships. Rep. Mike Levin is sitting pretty after flipping his seat in 2018, and the state legislative delegation is expanding, too: Assemblymember Brian Maienschein defected to the Democratic Party in early 2019, shortly after having narrowly won reelection as a Republican, and then comfortably defended his Assembly seat as a Democrat in 2020 — as did 2018 red-to-blue seat-flipper Tasha Boerner Horvath.

But San Diego also remains a Republican power center. The man Gloria replaced, GOP former Mayor Kevin Faulconer, is still seen as one of the party's best hopes for breaking a long statewide lockout and defeating Newsom — whether in the 2022 election or in a potential recall, to which Faulconer has hitched his political wagon. We'd probably need a separate newsletter entry to parse the intra-San Diego Republican power dynamics that had Rep. Darrell Issa publicly defending Faulconer against RINO accusations from former San Diego councilman, conservative rabble-rouser and defeated primary opponent Carl DeMaio. But as the CAGOP seeks a way out of the wilderness, we're watching which camp prevails in this tug-of-war.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. Vice President Kamala Harris got her second vaccine dose on Tuesday, which you can watch on POLITICO . Not a few other Californians' political careers could hinge on how long it takes for the rest of us.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I feel like, at this point, my staff needs to get reimbursed by your bank because of all the time we're spending working on these claims. Because, you know, we're not paid to do your job." Assemblymember Phil Ting upbraids a Bank of America executive at an Employment Development Department fraud hearing. A fraudster who allegedly impersonated Sen. Dianne Feinstein got BOA debit cards from the state, per prosecutors.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Axios reporter Lachlan Markay @Lachlan on whether House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will rebuke Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) for backing multiple additional gruesome conspiracy theories: "McCarthy has already established with the Steve King situation that there is a threshold for public comments that will get members of his caucus sanctioned. Does this not cross that threshold?"

VIDEO OF THE DAY: A video of LA City Councilman Kevin de León mangling the Pledge of Allegiance rocketed around California politics Twitter, with Republicans in particular reveling in the gaffe.

His comeback to POLITICO: "KDL's Top ten ways to embarrass yourself: #10 Pledge of Allegiance. Stay tuned for my rendition of the Gettysburg Address." KDL then ate some crow and used the episode to raise money for an immigrant food security organization.

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

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TOP TALKERS

TRUMP'S SHADOW — McCarthy claws his way back to Trump's good side, by POLITICO's Melanie Zonana and Tara Palmeri: While Trump is still disappointed with the California Republican's initial response and even reportedly called McCarthy a vulgarity, one Trump adviser said the pair remains on good terms despite their "fits and starts," adding that Trump appreciated McCarthy's comments chastising Cheney. Another source says Trump and McCarthy had a cordial conversation since their last, heated interactions about the riots.

PILLOW FIGHT — Twitter bans MyPillow CEO , by POLITICO's Christopher Cadelago and David Cohen.

GOOD GORILLA NEWS — "San Diego Zoo Safari Park gorillas close to full recovery from COVID-19," by the San Diego Union-Tribune's Jonathan Wosen.

— California man charged with sending threatening texts to Hakeem Jeffries' family, by POLITICO's Matthew Choi: Robert Lemke was arrested in Northern California after reportedly sending menacing text messages about the 2020 presidential election to the congressman's brother and sister-in-law, according to a federal criminal complaint filed in New York. The complaint, which did not name Jeffries, said Lemke included a picture of a house in their neighborhood.

WHAT'S IN A NAME? — "Washington and Lincoln are out. S.F. school board tosses 44 school names in controversial move," by the SF Chronicle's Jill Tucker: "The 6-1 vote followed months of controversy, with officials, parents, students and alumni at odds over whether Abraham Lincoln and George Washington high schools, Dianne Feinstein Elementary and dozens of others needed new names with no connection to slavery, oppression, racism or similar criteria."

— "Raising the Dead from Lake Tahoe: One man's mission is to recover bodies from watery depths," by the SF Chronicle's Gregory Thomas: "Since 2013 he has investigated more than 125 cases and located 32 bodies. He has searched for victims of murder and suicide, but most often for people who died in accidental drownings, which occur on popular lakes like Tahoe every year."

MCCONNELL NOT SPARED — "California man accused of stealing documents from Mitch McConnell's desk during Capitol riot," by NBC's Elisha Fieldstadt.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

— California tries to assert more control over vaccine distribution, by POLITICO's Victoria Colliver and Kevin Yamamura: California health officials announced on Tuesday they will take a larger role in Covid-19 vaccine distribution through a statewide vaccine delivery network to simplify and speed up the vaccination process. They also specified a time frame — mid-February — for when teachers, emergency workers and food and agriculture employees can expect to get appointments for vaccines, depending on supply. The state also intends to overhaul the remaining priority groups by focusing on age rather than essential work sectors after the current round of vaccines.

— "Essential workers, disability advocates fear being left out as California shifts to age-based COVID-19 vaccine priority," by the LA Times' Colleen Shalby: "Details about how people with underlying health conditions or disabilities will be factored into the state's guidance has been an ongoing point of concern from advocates and member of the state vaccine advisory committee."

RISK AND REWARD — "Newsom's abrupt COVID-19 reopening brings high risks for California, but also potential economic rewards," by the LA Times' Taryn Luna, Soumya Karlamangla, Rong-Gong Lin and Hannah Fry: "Lifting the stay-at-home order should be a boost to some restaurant owners and other merchants whose businesses have been battered by cycles of closure since the pandemic began and who placed enormous pressure on the governor to ease restrictions as campaigns gather signatures to recall him from office. But experts said it would not take a lot for the situation to spiral out of control again."

HIGHER NUMBERS NOW — " How coronavirus numbers in each Bay Area county compare before lockdown vs. now," by the SF Chronicle's Susie Neilson.

BOOKED UP — "No appointments available at L.A. city, county COVID-19 vaccination sites through at least Friday," by KTLA's Erika Martin and Christina Pascucci.

— "With survival at stake, L.A. restaurants rush to reopen, pray the roller coaster ride is over," by the LA Times' Lila Seidman, Luke Money and Jenn Harris.

THE 46TH

TECH TAKE NOTICE — "Biden's Commerce nominee backs changes to Section 230," by the Verge's Makena Kelly.

MORE DOSES COMING — " Biden administration to boost vaccine supply next week," by the AP's Jonathan Drew: "He promised a roughly 16% boost in deliveries to states over the next three weeks."

… A LOT MORE — Biden administration to buy 200 million more doses of Covid vaccine, by POLITICO's Adam Cancryn and Rachel Roubein: That would give the U.S. the ability to eventually vaccinate up to 300 million Americans, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.

— "Congress asks Pentagon to restore military base construction funds from border wall," by the Sac Bee's Tara Copp: "Of the $3.6 billion in military construction funds pulled for the border wall, $922 million was spent, according to documents obtained by McClatchy. The remaining $2.67 billion was either not yet designated for a specific border wall project or unspent, according to the documents."

— LEE'S DIPLOMACY: Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), taking the helm of the powerful House Foreign Relations subcommittee this week, told POLITCO she's ready to help the Biden administration put an end to the "military first" approach of the Trump years — and return to working with "global partners" on investments in peace, including foreign assistance and development programs.

The past years saw the Trump administration "dismantle the State Department" and its previous focus on global relations, instead attacking "globalism" and multiculturalism" with an approach that called "for the United States to withdraw from the world,'' she said Tuesday. As the first African American chair of the subcommittee, Lee said she'll take up some of the issues that she has addressed on the House Foreign Affairs Committee for more than a decade, and as a past congressional representative to the United Nations General Assembly.

MADAM VP

MOMALA — "What Kamala Harris means to women who are childfree by choice," Nayomi Munaweera writes for Vox: "What is also very clear is that not being a biological mother has not diminished Harris's life in any way. She has spoken and written warmly about her choices and the importance of her role as a stepmom or — as her stepkids call her — Momala, calling it the title that will 'always be the one that means the most to me.'"

AND HER MOM — "Shyamala Gopalan: The woman who inspired Kamala Harris," via BBC's Geeta Pandey and Vineet Khare.

CAMPAIGN MODE

SILICON VALLEY CHALLENGER: The burgeoning recall campaign has drawn in another gubernatorial contender: Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya, who has tweeted regularly in support of the effort to depose Gov. Gavin Newsom, is out with a campaign site with a platform that includes a 0 percent tax rate and paying teachers more. Neither Palihapitiya nor his firm Social Capital have given money to the recall push (or to any other state-level California campaigns), but he likely would have the personal wherewithal to fund a campaign.

— "Newsom Recall Will Qualify, Ex-San Diego Mayor Says, Preparing for Governor Run ," by GVWire's David Taub.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

MORE EDD DRAMA — Lawmakers grill Bank of America, EDD on unemployment system woes, by POLITICO's Katy Murphy: The agency's new director also seized the opportunity to try to set a new tone, assuring lawmakers that the department is fixing its deep-rooted problems.

— "California's Top Hospital Lobbyist Cements Influence in Covid Crisis," by CalHealthline's Samantha Young: "While [Carmela] Coyle, 60, is unknown to many Californians, she is a power player in the state Capitol, one whose profile and influence have grown in the past year. She has used her position as president and CEO of the association to lobby for the multibillion-dollar hospital industry, including asking officials to temporarily relax guidelines intended to safeguard patients and workers."

— "Schools Want COVID-19 Vaccines, But Not Necessarily Mandates — Voice of San Diego," by Voice of San Diego's Ashley McGlone: "Though public school leaders near and far are pushing for greater access to the coronavirus vaccine for school employees and many tout the vaccines as essential for school reopenings, few are talking about making vaccines a mandate."

NOT IN SCHOOL — "California public schools suffer record enrollment drop," by CalMatters' Ricardo Cano: "California's K-12 public-school enrollment has precipitously declined during the pandemic, dropping by a record 155,000 students, according to new state projections. That drop-off is about five times greater than California's annual rate of enrollment decline in recent years."

— " 'The most basic form of PPE': 1.6 million households face water shutoffs," by CalMatters' Jackie Botts: "Californian's water debt crisis, which Newsom called a 'critical issue' on Monday, represents another pandemic ripple effect that jeopardizes basic human needs in the face of disaster: a shelter from the virus, safe water to drink and wash hands."

— " S.F. officials say regional plan for hundreds of thousands of homes could hurt working-class neighborhoods," by the SF Chronicle's J.K. Dineen.

— "California Man Texted Chilling Threats to Family of Lawmaker, Journalist: Feds," by the Daily Beast's Arya Hodjat: "Robert Lemke allegedly texted the brother of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Jan. 6, the day of the Capitol riot, "your brother is putting your entire family at risk with his lies and other words. We are armed and nearby your house... We are not white supremacists. Most of us are active/retired law enforcement or military."

SILICON VALLEYLAND

VIRTUAL PUBLIC SQUARE — "Why Is Big Tech Policing Speech? Because the Government Isn't," by the NYT's Emily Bazelon: "Social media sites effectively function as the public square where people debate the issues of the day. But the platforms are actually more like privately owned malls: They make and enforce rules to keep their spaces tolerable, and unlike the government, they're not obligated to provide all the freedom of speech offered by the First Amendment."

PROSECUTOR PUSHBACK — " Tech Investor Raising Funds to Investigate DA Chesa Boudin," by the Intercept's Akela Lacy: "The fundraiser seeks to raise $75,000 'to hire an investigative journalist to cover Chesa's office and this approach' and has raised $48,000 from 368 donors as of Tuesday morning."

CRACKING DOWN — "YouTube says it's removed 500,000 COVID-19 misinformation videos," by CNET's Richard Nieva.

YOUTUBE HITS RUDY — "YouTube suspends Giuliani from partner program, cutting access to ad revenue," by NBC's David Ingram.

HOLLYWOODLAND

— "Pandemic woes create tough outlook for Hollywood and FilmLA," by the LA Times' Anousha Sakoui: "FilmLA also has found itself caught between film crews eager to get back to work and residents dismayed at productions entering their neighborhoods while they have been forced to stay home and close their businesses."

— "Trump's Hollywood Income Collapsed as He Prepared to Leave the Oval Office," by the Hollywood Reporter's Alex Weprin.

— "Movie Theaters Will Rebound To Box Office Record In 2023, Analyst Predicts, Though Vaccine Stumbles Hurt Near Term ," by Deadline's Dade Hayes.

CANNABIS COUNTRY

— "Supervisors to consider needle exchange program, cannabis businesses," by the San Diego Union-Tribune's Gary Warth: "The San Diego County supervisors this week will consider allowing cannabis growers and sellers to operate in unincorporated areas and will vote on whether to support a needle exchange program for intravenous drug users."

MIXTAPE

— "Should a Fresno airport, named after a senator who was against women voting, be renamed?" by the Fresno Bee's Thaddeus Miller.

— " Sacramento County considers new Main Jail addition to fix 'dangerous, inhumane' facility," by the Sac Bee's Michael Finch.

— "Parents of Stanford wrestlers send letter alleging fraud, deceit by athletic department," by the SF Chronicle's Anne Killion.

— "Biggest storm of the year is about to hit Northern California. When to expect the worst of it," by the Sac Bee's Michael McGough.

— "The Class of COVID-19," via CalMatters.

— "The only samurai colony ever attempted outside of Japan was in California," by SFGATE's Katie Dowd.

— "Something was killing baby salmon. Scientists traced it to a food-web mystery," by the LA Times' Susanne Rust.

— "More than 30 Bay Area food and beverage products are named the best in the country by the Good Food Awards," by the SF Chronicle's Janelle Bitker.

— "Real estate: South Bay developer in SEC fraud case files bankruptcy," by the Mercury News' George Avalos.

TRANSITIONS

— Katie Meyer is now head of government affairs at Novocure. She was previously a health adviser to McCarthy.

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