News: POLITICO California Playbook: CALIFORNIA’S RECALL FEVER — HARRIS’ role tested — GOP targets BIDEN nominees with TECH ties

Monday, March 29, 2021

POLITICO California Playbook: CALIFORNIA’S RECALL FEVER — HARRIS’ role tested — GOP targets BIDEN nominees with TECH ties — UBER reopens SF office

Mar 29, 2021

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

THE BUZZ: From Shasta to San Diego, California voters have recall fever.

The possible recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom has generated national attention, but it's only the most prominent example of ouster attempts across the state. County supervisors, district attorneys, school board officials — at every level of government, disillusioned voters are channeling months of accumulated frustration into efforts to replace their elected officials. Jeremy takes a look at the proliferating campaigns.

Pandemic passions are powering many of these pushes, whether it's the restrictions imposed by Newsom and implemented by local elected officials or the classrooms that remain bereft of kids more than a year after they first emptied. But there's a broader atmosphere of discontent that's pervading recalls where coronavirus isn't the primary cause, like those targeting reform-minded prosecutors in Los Angeles and San Francisco, or the attempt to take down Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg over his record on addressing homelessness in the city. Voters are mired at home and looking to hold someone accountable for what they see as government failings.

SOME CONTEXT: Californians try and fail to recall elected officials every cycle, and some of these latest attempts will fall short of the ballot. Direct democracy is a foundational feature of California's constitution. (Hence the backlash when California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks branded the Newsom recall a "coup" on par with storming the Capitol.) But even if the process isn't unprecedented, politicians and operatives see a greater fervor these days for preempting regularly scheduled elections.

WHAT'S NEXT? The Newsom recall in particular has prompted chatter about the Legislature tinkering with the recall process. There's no bill currently in the pipeline. But at a Democratic rally against the Newsom recall, state Sen. Ben Allen spotlighted a couple of potential changes: the relatively small signature requirement (around 2 million voters have likely triggered a vote on recalling Newsom, who secured 7.7 million votes in 2018); and a two-question system that allows a challenger to become governor with a smaller vote share than a recalled incumbent. There's a high bar to enact any changes — a two-thirds legislative vote and then a voter majority — but this tumultuous year could sharpen interest.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is now the longest-serving senator in California history, per political history whiz Alex Vassar. If Feinstein remains in office through 2024, as she adamantly maintains she plans to do, she will surpass former Sen. Barbara Mikulski as the longest-tenured woman in Senate history. And HAPPY HOLI to all our readers who celebrate the Hindu spring festival of colors.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "There are far too many stereotypes in the United States where Asian Americans have been painted for a very long time as foreigners in their own country, so just making broad attacks against China unfortunately sweeps in many people — in fact it actually sweeps in the people of China, many of whom may want to have greater freedoms." Rep. Judy Chu warns about competition with China fueling bigotry on "Meet the Press." Chu (D-Calif.) spent a day in Atlanta, along with Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), retracing the route of an assailant who killed eight people.

TWEET OF THE DAY: California Secretary of State Shirley Weber @DrWeber4CA on Georgia's new voting laws: "Jim Crow laws didn't end, they just evolved under a growing Black electorate. Criminalizing giving water to voters waiting in line and seizing election authority from state + local officials is sheer cowardice. Georgia voting rights champions, I'm in this fight with you."

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

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TOP TALKERS

JERRY WEIGHS IN — "Opinion: A law has empowered farmworkers for 46 years. The Supreme Court must let it be," former Gov. Jerry Brown and Driscoll's CEO Miles Reiter opine in WaPo: "The law has fulfilled its promise to bring about labor peace by giving voice to California's farmworkers. That law, and the self-determination it brings, should not be weakened or undermined."

OH, BOTHER — "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom: When Pooh Got Fired," by Bloomberg's Anders Melin: "In the last three months of 2020, as Disney laid off thousands, its shares surged 46%. … Here in greater Orlando, theme-park capital of the world, more than 250,000 jobs vanished after Covid-19 struck. As of December, only about half of those jobs had come back."

A CITY SHAKEN — "The Echo Park homeless camp is gone. What does it mean for L.A.? " by the LA Times' Emily Alpert Reyes, Doug Smith and Benjamin Oreskes: "In some corners of the city, residents were envious, wanting to know why the same moves had not been made in their neighborhoods. Progressive activists, in turn, fear the aggressive tack at Echo Park could become a playbook."

— "Activists Blast City For Secretive And Heavy Handed Homeless Eviction At Echo Park Lake," by LAist's Libby Denkmann.

DONATION DRAMA — "How a $25 million donation to help students got ensnared in politics,'' by Vox's Teddy Schleifer: "Billionaire philanthropy is once again on the defense in San Francisco, the home of many a tech billionaire. The latest backlash centers on a city proposal to get 20,000 schoolchildren some in-person teaching and playtime this summer, after city public schools have been closed for more than a year during the pandemic."

ROAD TO RECALL

— "In likely California recall, energizing Latino voters is key," by the AP's Kathleen Ronayne: "California's Latinos, who have borne the brunt of coronavirus deaths and the pandemic's economic toll in the state, are a critical voting bloc for Gov. Gavin Newsom as he fights for his political life in a likely recall election driven by criticism of his handling of the health crisis."

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

— "Napa and Alameda counties set to move to orange tier, allowing wineries to open indoor tastings," by the SF Chronicle's Aidan Vaziri: "If both counties maintain low case numbers and positive test rates in the state's weekly report, they will be the latest in the Bay Area to leave the red tier, the second most restrictive of the state's four-tiered system. They will join San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties in the orange tier; only three local counties will remain in red."

BACKLOG — "Vaccine appointments may be backed up for several weeks ," by CalMatters' Barbara Feder Ostrov and Ana B. Ibarra: "The CEO of Blue Shield predicts it will take until the end of April to ease California's backlog."

— "Cal State L.A. vaccination site could close next month, officials say," by the LA Times' Laura J. Nelson and Maya Lau.

APPOINTMENT AVALANCHE — ' 'Mad rush' for COVID-19 vaccine is on for Californians ages 50 to 64 as expansion nears," by the LA Times' Hayley Smith, Luke Money and Colleen Shalby: "California on Thursday announced that all adults will become eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine beginning April 15, spurring an immediate flurry of phone calls, appointment requests and people trying to secure their spots in line."

— " Another racial disparity that may be heightened by the pandemic: access to outpatient care," by the LA Times' Amina Khan: "Researchers are reporting a worrisome pattern: During the first six months of the pandemic, hospitalizations for health problems that could have been avoided fell dramatically among white people in the Los Angeles area — but hardly at all among Black residents."

— " MLB stadiums pass 1 million COVID-19 vaccination shots given," via the AP.

— "What Can Orange County Residents Expect After Getting Coronavirus Vaccines?" by the Voice of OC's Spencer Custodio.

THE 46TH

SPRINGBOARD: One former California attorney general welcomed another former California attorney general to the Biden cabinet on Friday as Vice President Kamala Harris swore in Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at the White House … in case you wondered why AG-appointee Rob Bonta and other contenders lobbied so fiercely for the top prosecutor job.

— "Trump allies target Biden picks with Big Tech ties," by Axios's Ashley Gold: "The Center for American Restoration, a think tank formed by Trump-era Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought, wrote a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Republican senators Friday urging them to reject nominees with Big Tech ties."

— Pelosi taps D.C. National Guard chief as top House security official, by POLITICO's Kyle Cheney.

MADAM VP

KAMALA'S CHALLENGE — "Kamala Harris faces political 'trapdoors' as she takes lead role on migrant border surge," by McClatchy's Francesca Chambers and Alex Roarty: "For the former California senator and attorney general, it may be one of the most complicated and urgent issues of her political career. Democrats say tackling immigration carries as much risk as it does reward, giving her a chance to demonstrate leadership, but also potentially exposing her on a volatile issue capable of tarnishing her reputation with liberal and moderate voters alike."

— " Is Kamala Harris speaking her mind when she's the last person in the room with Biden?" by the SF Chronicle's Joe Garofoli: "Be careful what you promise. If Vice President Harris is saying the same things Senator Harris said back when she was representing California, then that last person in the room must be disagreeing with Biden a lot lately. Or should be, if she's holding true to her past positions."

— " Kamala Harris grows into role as salesperson for Biden, at home and abroad," by the SF Chronicle's Tal Kopan.

CAMPAIGN MODE

SUCCESSION SCRAMBLE — "East Bay State Assembly Candidates Launch Campaigns to Fill Rob Bonta's Seat," by KQED's Guy Marzorati: "By day's end on Thursday, three candidates in one of California's most liberal districts announced plans to run. And more contenders are almost certain to join the accelerated campaign before a special election takes place this summer."

BUT MOOOOM! — "Devin Nunes' Mom F*cked Up His Campaign Finance Reports," by the Daily Beast's Roger Sollenberger: "Two political committees belonging to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) have spent the past two days filing amended FEC reports to correct errors and omissions by their treasurer: his mom."

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

— "#FreeBritney movement prompts lawmakers to consider changing conservatorship laws," by the LA Times' Melody Gutierrez: "Proposals in the California Legislature aim to strengthen the requirements of conservatorships, requiring more oversight and training of those in charge of another person's care and finances, and implementing additional conditions to safeguard conservatees such as Spears. A conservatorship is a legal arrangement put in place by a court with the aim of protecting those who cannot care for themselves."

GOOD NEWS — " Hopeful Signs as California Adds 141,000 Jobs in February," via the AP: "Employment in restaurants and hotels surged by more than 102,000 people, welcome news for an industry hit hard by the on-again, off-again restrictions imposed by the government at the whims of an unpredictable virus."

ED BUCKS SAGA — " Judge undercuts ex-D.A. Jackie Lacey's initial decision not to charge Ed Buck in fatal overdose," by the LA Times' Michael Finnegan and James Queally: "The ruling raises new questions about why L.A. County prosecutors initially declined to charge Buck with a crime and then belatedly did so two years later after federal prosecutors built a case against him."

STILL A STRUGGLE — " S.F. and Oakland families, eager for normalcy, find disarray in school reopening," by the SF Chronicle's Jill Tucker: "The problems could mean a significant loss of state funding tied to reopening most schools by mid-May, as well as a future financial toll from Oakland and San Francisco families fleeing to reopened private schools or public schools in neighboring districts."

— " Amazon triples Southern California delivery hubs to get packages out faster," by the OC Register's Jeff Collins: "With online shopping skyrocketing amid last year's pandemic lockdowns, e-commerce retailers are scrambling to open more and more 'last-mile' delivery stations in a mad dash to speed up distribution. And no one is expanding faster than Amazon."

FIGHTING BACK — " Some Call for Actual Action As Cities Across OC Mostly Issue Statements Against Anti-Asian Racism," by the Voice of OC's Hosam Elattar, Brandon Pho and Anthony Robledo: "Some cities, like Garden Grove and Irvine, have set up multi-language reporting methods for hate crimes, in the wake of a spike in incidents locally and across the U.S."

— " California Democrats want to give more COVID tax breaks. Why new stimulus law might block them," by McClatchy's Kate Irby: "California officials have reached out to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for guidance last week. So far, she hasn't responded to that letter. But she did respond to similar concerns raised by the Arizona attorney general in a letter on Tuesday."

— " Worry not, experts say: 'Swiss cheese model' allows schools to open safely despite coronavirus," by the Mercury News' Teri Sforza: "The Swiss cheese model involves overlapping layers of protection — proper masking, sanitation, physical distancing, air filtration, keeping social 'bubbles' as small as possible, ensuring children don't show up at school when they're sick."

— " Future of Sierra, Sequoia forests being decided now. How Creek Fire figures into plans," by the Sac Bee's Carmen George: "The final forest plans for Sierra and Sequoia national forests, and their shared environmental impact statement, are expected to be released later this spring or summer. Key goals include reducing catastrophic wildfires, improving ecosystem health and making recreational use sustainable."

— " What To Make Of The Past Week's Spike in LAPD Shootings?" by LAist's Frank Stoltze: "Some critics also see any LAPD use of force through the lens of the department's checkered past and its more recent widespread use of force against protesters last summer. The city faces a class action lawsuit that claims officers used excessive force, including firing hard foam projectiles at peaceful protesters."

SILICON VALLEYLAND

TECH WORKERS RETURN — "Uber to open S.F. office on Monday in city's first major return to work," by the SF Chronicle's Roland Li: "Uber was one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the past decade, leasing and buying over 2 million square feet of office space in the Bay Area."

— "Facebook sets reopening date for S.F., Bay Area offices, with no free food and no transit," by the SF Chronicle's Roland Li: "The company won't require employees to get vaccinated to return to offices. It will have weekly testing requirements for some offices."

GIG WARS — " Connecticut Shelves Gig Bargaining Bill Amid Union Divisions," by Bloomberg's Josh Eidelson: "The proposal had union support but provoked pushback from some in organized labor. … The proposal aimed to set up negotiations between representatives of gig workers and multiple companies over industry wide recommended rules, without making the workers employees."

DELIVERY DEBACLE — " DoorDash pushes back against fee delivery commissions with new charges,'' by NBC News' Cyrus Farivar: "NBC News discovered 68 jurisdictions that imposed food delivery caps; DoorDash tacked on additional fees in 57 of them." In Oakland, for example, DoorDash adds a $2 "Oakland" fee, and a $2.10 "service fee."

— "Amazon started a Twitter war because Jeff Bezos was pissed ," by Recode's Jason Del Rey.

— "Google's unusual move to shut down an active counterterrorism operation being conducted by a Western democracy,'' by MIT Technology Review's Patrick Howell O'Neill.

HOLLYWOODLAND

— "At the pandemic's start and today: An interactive look at Hollywood Boulevard," by the LA Times' Jay L. Clendenin.

CANNABIS COUNTRY

— "Why a $12M business loan to Oakland's landmark Harborside dispensary marks a coming of age for the cannabis industry," by the SF Business Times' Mark Calvey.

— High anxiety over federal weed loophole, by POLITICO's Mona Zhang: Delta-8's rise has deeply divided the hemp industry and its advocates. Some hemp producers are staying away, fearful that a crackdown is imminent. Others are hoping to exploit the regulatory gray area to rake in cash.

MIXTAPE

— "A tale of two reckonings: How should Manhattan Beach atone for its racist past?" by the LA Times' Rosanna Xia.

— " Judge orders CA school districts to pay back oversight fees totaling $1 million," by the San Diego Union-Tribune's Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.

— "Hundreds Join 'Stop Asian Hate' March In Koreatown To Call For An End To Hate Crimes," by LAist's Josie Huang and Brian Feinzimer

— "Nine phony California EDD cards, $58,000 in cash lead to plea deal, nine-year sentence," by the Sac Bee's Sam Stanton.

— "PGA Tour returning to Napa in September after tournament finds new title sponsor," by the SF Chronicle's Ron Kroichik.

— "San Francisco to give $1,000 a month to artists in basic income program," by the LA Times' Faith E. Pinho.

— "Moreno Valley: Juveniles accused in death of 13-year-old student are sentenced to probation, released to parents," by ABC 7's Leticia Juarez.

— "Hate Crime Not Ruled Out In Thai Restaurant That Was Attacked Two Days In A Row In Huntington Park," by LA Taco's Janette Villafana.

EDITORIAL — "Disgusting attacks, slurs follow Asian-American's op-ed in The Bee. This must stop " by the Fresno Bee Editorial Board.

— "USC drowns Ducks with sea of threes, ending 20-year Elite Eight wait," by the LA Times' Ryan Kartje

— "Column: UCLA channels its inner-Bruin and becomes elite once again ," by the LA Times' Bill Plaschke

TRANSITIONS

SIERRA SHUFFLE: Kathryn Phillips is stepping down as head of Sierra Club California after nearly 10 years at the helm, POLITICO's Debra Kahn reports.

Phillips, a mainstay of Sacramento environmental politics , announced her departure Sunday in a letter to group members. Sierra Club California policy advocate Brandon Dawson will serve as interim director during the group's search for a permanent replacement.

IN MEMORIAM

— "A 'real superhero': Family of Dublin trustee Kuo calls her life a blessing," by the Mercury News' Rick Hurd.

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