News : POLITICO California Playbook: CALEG leaves NEWSOM behind on schools — SODA TAX wars resume — VALADAO faces CAGOP censure

Friday, February 19, 2021

POLITICO California Playbook: CALEG leaves NEWSOM behind on schools — SODA TAX wars resume — VALADAO faces CAGOP censure — BECERRA's HHS nomination targeted

Feb 19, 2021

By Jeremy B. White, Carla Marinucci, Graph Massara and Richard Tzul

THE BUZZ: Last Friday came and went without the school reopening deal Gov. Gavin Newsom had telegraphed. On Tuesday, Newsom conceded that negotiations on the "stubborn" issue hadn't yet produced a deal with the Legislature.

On Thursday, legislators went ahead without him. Newly unveiled legislation would require schools in the state's red tier or better to open for kindergarteners through sixth graders, and would channel billions to schools willing to open by mid-April. (Newsom's previous reopening target was February.) The broad framework mostly aligns with the California Teachers Association 's negotiating position. Newsom dashed some cold water on the proposal, saying in a statement that "it doesn't go far enough or fast enough."

Newsom has been increasingly assertive and unequivocal in recent weeks in saying schools must open swiftly and without waiting for educators to be fully vaccinated. Indeed, he has said that conditioning reopening on vaccines being widely available means school will not resume this year. That has put him at odds with the formidable CTA. The union went on the air this week with an ad blitz stressing the need for safety precautions that was broadly interpreted as a brushback aimed at Newsom. In the rapidly shifting school landscape, there's a perception that Democratic state legislators are more aligned with the union's position than with the governor. Thursday's bill solidified that sense.

Still, legislative leaders weren't exactly triumphant on Thursday: Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said the bill was "not cause for taking a victory lap" but merely got California closer to "getting each student safely into an optimal learning situation." Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins similarly said the legislation "moves us closer" to getting kids back in the classroom but cautioned that "there is no easy solution to getting them there in the midst of the pandemic." That kind of expectation-tempering doesn't quite suggest that schools are on the verge of reopening.

Gov. Gavin Newsom prepares to speak on February 16, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.

Gov. Gavin Newsom prepares to speak on February 16, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. | Mario Tama/Getty Images

The inescapable politics: Newsom's prospects for surviving a potential recall could hinge to a large extent on cracking open those schoolhouse doors. Every elected official in California wants school to resume. Restive constituents, desperate parents and the specter of tremendous damage to kids ensure that. But the governor's prospective Republican foes have made it clear that the school stalemate would be a central element of their case against Newsom's pandemic management, his limited control over local school decisions notwithstanding. Newsom's political mentor Willie Brown was onto something when he called returning kids to class the single best way to defuse the recall effort.

SPEAKING OF SCHOOLS … A SHOCKER — 'They want their babysitters back': Bay Area school leaders under fire for trashing parents, by POLITICO's Mackenzie Mays: In another exchange about social media criticism the schools board has faced, Oakley Union trustee Kim Beede goes on a profanity-laced rant about an unidentified critic after asking her fellow board members, "Are we alone?" "B----, if you're going to call me out, I'm gonna f--- you up," Beede said, laughing with other members. "Sorry, that's just me."

BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. California Republican Party activists will gather for a virtual convention this weekend. There has already been drama over the rules for endorsing a recall standard-bearer, as Carla reported Thursday; there could be a reckoning for a Republican House member who broke with then-President Donald Trump; and we'll count how many times national Republican speakers invoke the recall.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It's the biggest and best rover we've ever sent to Mars, and it can really do amazing things." Michael Watkins, director of CalTech's Jet Propulsion Lab director, on landing another rover on Mars.

TWEET OF THE DAY: LA City Councilman Kevin De Leόn @KDeLeon on Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) Mexico trip: "When America sends its people, we're not sending our best... Lo siento Mexico"

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

GET TRANSITION PLAYBOOK TO 100K: In three months, our scoop-filled Transition Playbook newsletter has grown from zero to more than 90,000 subscribers. Find out what's really happening inside the West Wing, who really has the ear of the president, and what's about to happen, before it occurs. Transition Playbook chronicles the people, policies, and emerging power centers of the Biden administration. Don't miss out, subscribe today. And once you do, we'd be grateful if you could spread the word to your friends and colleagues, or, even better, post about Transition Playbook on Facebook or Twitter using this link: politico.com/newsletters/transition-playbook

TOP TALKERS

VALADAO IN THE HOT SEAT — "California GOP delegates seek to censure David Valadao for voting to impeach Trump," by the LA Times' Seema Mehta: "Some fear that state GOP leaders are trying to avoid bringing attention to a matter that could detract from the Republicans' effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom."

WHAT A TRIP — Wiener introduces bill decriminalizing hallucinogenic substances, by POLITICO's Alexander Nieves: Psychedelic drugs like magic mushrooms and LSD would be legal for personal use and social sharing under a bill that aims to put California at the forefront of a national movement to decriminalize the substances.

— "'Mercenary' donor gets 12 years in campaign finance scheme," by the Associated Press: "The Los Angeles businessman's crimes included unregistered lobbying for governments with spotty human rights records like Sri Lanka and Turkey as well as a Ukrainian oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, prosecutors said."

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

— "California nursing home workers died of COVID. The industry failed to tell state watchdogs," by Sac Bee's Jason Pohl, Dale Kasler, and Ryan Sabalow: "The failure to report the COVID-19 deaths — by as many as 64 nursing homes — exposes a significant flaw in the state's response to the pandemic. The state is unable to fully track the spread of the deadly disease in a workplace setting where, more than anywhere else in California, the virus is ruthlessly stalking employees and patients."

— "Dying on the Waitlist," by ProPublica's David Armstrong and Marshall Allen: "In some parts of the country, doctors can tap into centralized systems to quickly find any available bed for ECMO at any hospital in the region. That's not the case in Los Angeles."

— "L.A. postpones COVID-19 vaccine appointments as winter weather delays shipments," by the LA Times' Luke Money, Colleen Shalby and Jennifer Lu: "A representative from the California Department of Public Health could not immediately say on Thursday how wide the vaccine disruption was but confirmed that California was 'among the states that have been affected by delays.'"

— "Pandemic cost California more than 500,000 tourism jobs, $86 billion in 2020 ," by the SF Chronicle's Gregory Thomas.

THE 46TH

BECERRA BRAWL — A trio of conservative groups tries to torpedo two top Biden nominees, by POLITICO's Meridith Mcgraw: "The trio is going negative, hoping to torpedo the confirmations of Vanita Gupta, Biden's nominee for associate attorney general, and Xavier Becerra, the Democratic attorney general of California and nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services."

— "Biden To Announce $4 Billion For Global COVID-19 Vaccine Effort," by NPR's Alana Wise: A White House "official said the funding would not affect the program to vaccinate U.S. residents, noting the government is on track to have a large enough supply of vaccine— 600 million doses— for domestic needs by the end of July."

MADAM VP

— "VP Harris: Pandemic Created a 'Perfect Storm' For Women in the Workforce," by Spectrum News' Rachel Tillman: "The vice president touched on the fact that women — particularly women of color — face disproportionate challenges in the economy, a disparity which has only been deepened by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic."

— "Did Kamala Harris bail out Minneapolis rioters last year? Here are the facts," by the Sac Bee's David Lightman: "Harris was active in efforts to reform police practices, and participated in a peaceful Washington, D.C. protest May 30. Two days later she tweeted 'If you're able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota.'"

— "Harris returns home to L.A. for first time as vice president," by the LA Times' Noah Bierman: "Harris has tried to maintain ties to her home state since being sworn in a month ago. She recorded a call-in interview that was broadcast Wednesday morning with KJLH-FM (102.3), a Black-owned and operated radio station in Los Angeles. She was introduced as 'a proven achiever, California's own vice president.'"

CAMPAIGN MODE

— "Candidates' Take on Labor Will Shape Race for 79th Assembly District," by Voice of SD's Bella Ross: "In the 79th Assembly District –[Shirley] Weber's now-vacant seat and home to the communities of La Mesa, Lemon Grove and parts of National City, Chula Vista and Bonita – four out of the five candidates that have announced their intent to run are not white."

COX BUX — Businessman John Cox has channeled another $1 million into his gubernatorial campaign. The Republican also spent millions of his own money on his unsuccessful 2018 bid.

SECOND GENTLEMAN JUICE — "Emhoff to join Harrison for new chair's first DNC fundraiser," by POLITICO's Elena Schneider.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

BUDGET — "California leaders rely on winter tax boon for Covid spending deal," by POLITICO's Kevin Yamamura: "Newsom announced this month that California had received an additional $10.3 billion in corporate and income tax revenues in December and January beyond what he expected in his January budget proposal. The state relies heavily on upper-income taxpayers, who have continued to reap the rewards of stock market gains and have largely survived the pandemic unscathed."

NOT FIZZLING OUT — Soda wars: Cities could reclaim taxing power under new bill , by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White: A measure backed by various public health groups would dissolve a statewide ban on cities implementing their own soda taxes. Legislators have decried the current statewide preemption law, which soda interests pushed through as part of a larger power play in 2018.

— "Am I eligible for California's $600 COVID-19 stimulus check and other aid? " by the LA Times' Patrick Mcgreevy: "The onetime $600 payment to households, which Newsom proposed last month, would cost about $2.3 billion and go to people including those receiving the California earned income tax credit for 2020, given to people making under $30,000 a year."

RULES CHANGE — Senate moves to suspend 30-day waiting period for bills, by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White: With the ongoing pandemic threatening to potentially disrupt another legislative session, leaders want to ensure bills don't suffer for a lack of time.

— "Why Californians 'shouldn't feel smug' about the massive power outages in Texas," by the Sac Bee's Dale Kasler: California's "power grid has its own fragility, and another potentially difficult summer is coming in 2021. State officials say they're building redundancies into the grid to reduce the threat of more blackouts."

— "Federal Judge Dismisses Devin Nunes Aide's Lawsuit Against CNN," by Law and Crime's Jerry Lambe and Matt Naham: Judge Richard Bennett "noted that in most instances, [Nunes' aide Derek] Harvey failed to show that the allegedly defamatory statements were 'materially false.' In other words, they weren't defamatory at all."

SILICON VALLEYLAND

COMING UP — "House to grill Facebook, Google, Twitter CEOs as Washington seeks to crack down on disinformation, antitrust," by the WaPo's Tony Romm: "The antitrust scrutiny comes after lawmakers in October concluded a 16-month investigation into the tech industry, which found Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google engaged in anticompetitive, monopoly-style tactics to maintain their dominance in e-commerce, smartphones, social networking and search."

— "Facebook reported revenue it 'should have never made', manager claimed," by the Financial Times' Hannah Murphy: "The lawsuit, which was filed in northern California in 2018 by a small-business owner, alleges that Facebook knowingly included fake and duplicate accounts in its potential reach metric, misleading unwitting advertisers."

PROP 22 FOLLOW — "'I can't keep doing this': gig workers say pay has fallen after California's Prop 22," by the Guardian's Michael Sainato: Uber driver Ben Valdez "works two to three days per week, 12 to 15 hours per day, and on average makes about $150 per day before expenses, but the pay has continued to vary widely. 'I've had maybe three or four nights where I literally made $4,' he said."

— "Australia's news law prods Google, Facebook down opposite paths," by Axios' Sara Fischer: "Countries around the world are eyeing ways to force tech companies to pay publishers. In the U.S., Australia's efforts have caught the attention of some members of Congress, according to sources in the publishing industry."

— "Facebook's fact-checking partners in Australia are blocked from posting on their own pages but can still assess content for the platform" by Poynter's Harrison Mantas: "While trying to find other ways to spread their articles and conclusions, Australian fact-checkers warn that Facebook's move could exacerbate the spread of false information, especially as the country prepares to start its COVID-19 vaccination campaign."

HOLLYWOODLAND

— "Griffith Park hikers, listen up: 'Ellen Reid Soundwalk' is a GPS-enabled musical map," by the LA Times' Deborah Vankin: "'Ellen Reid Soundwalk' encompasses over 100 tracks geotagged to more than 20 miles of trails in the park, with a focus on the routes between the observatory and the Hollywood Sign."

— "Disneyland Vaccination Site Closed Until Next Week," by LAist's Megan Nguyen: "The county says it didn't get its expected Moderna delivery on Tuesday, so Moderna inventory is very low (the Disneyland site primarily dispenses Moderna shots)."

MEDIA MATTERS

— "Was Rush Limbaugh's race-baiting accurately reflected in his obituaries?" by Poynter's Doris Truong: "Presuming that Limbaugh's obituary was likely ready long before his death Wednesday — and that editors had a chance to review their words before publishing — it's surprising that some of the news stories deemphasized a key part of his legacy: his racist vitriol."

— "Fox News tries to keep Trump fans satisfied, but at what cost?" by the LA Times' Stephen Battaglio and Meg James: "Just as Republican legislators fear Trump will support primary challengers back home if they take him to task, Fox News has to determine how to navigate his expected re-emergence following his acquittal in the second impeachment trial."

MIXTAPE

— "Sacramento's Sunday farmers market moving to Arden Fair parking lot until winter," by the Sac Bee's Benjy Egel.

— " Yosemite National Park's stunning 'firefall' phenomenon returns," via ABC7.

— "Large retailers are paying for police protection in Oakland," by the East Bay Times' Annie Sciacca and David DeBolt.

— " Lake Tahoe is cracking down on vacation rentals in 2021," by the SF Chronicle's Gregory Thomas.

— "Former Rush Limbaugh Colleague Kitty O'Neal Reflects On Their Time In Sacramento," by CapRadio's Mike Hagerty.

— " An undocumented guatemalan single mother fed L.A.'s queer community for years, now they've come together to feed her," by LA Taco's Frank John Tristan.

— "LAUSD Will Replace Some School Cops With 'Climate Coaches.' What Does That Mean?" by LAist's Caroline Champlin.

— "Op-Ed: Give California's college students vaccine priority. Without it, fall campus life is in danger," by Jennifer Mnookin and Eileen Strempel in the LA Times.

— "Colorado GOP Rep. Boebert responds after California Democrats mock her gun display," by Fox News' Michael Ruiz and David Aaro

BIRTHDAYS

Howard Stringer … Alicia Rose

EVENTS

FIRST 30 DAYS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION — POLITICO's Carla Marinucci joins KCBS' Bob Butler, columnist CW Nevius and host John Zipperer at the Commonwealth Club for a special Week to Week Political Roundtable to talk Biden's challenges and initiatives. Friday, 3 p.m.

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MEA CULPA: California Playbook on Thursday featured an internal poll from Kevin Faulconer's campaign and, due to an editing error, misreported how many voters would approve of a recall. The correct figures were 47-43 percent approval, a figure we updated online.

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