| | | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White, Graph Massara and Richard Tzul | THE BUZZ — California YIMBYs suddenly have an ally in the White House. Housing production advocates have exulted in the Biden administration's effort to alter zoning laws via a sweeping infrastructure push. The language of the proposal — which faulted restrictions on multi-family zoning because they "drive up the cost of construction and keep families from moving to neighborhoods with more opportunities" — echoed the central argument of many Californians, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who blame local government resistance to building anything except more single-family homes as a central reason for California's dire housing shortfall. And it's of course a sharp contrast from former President Donald Trump, who decried those efforts as attacks on American suburbs. | 
President Joe Biden gets his weekly economic briefing in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, April 9, 2021, in Washington. | AP Photo/Andrew Harnik | High costs of living have worsened homelessness in cities across America — hence Biden's national push. As POLITICO's Katy O'Donnell reports , Biden wants to channel hundreds of billions of dollars into encouraging cities to ease zoning rules to allow more dense and affordable housing. That's pleasing to housing advocates but still generating skepticism among those who believe the all-carrot, no-stick approach is unlikely to significantly sway intransigent local governments. The problem is especially acute in California, as anyone who's tried to buy or rent a home here or witnessed encampments of homeless people grow ever-larger can attest. And progress has been hard to come by. Not that long ago, building more housing and combating homelessness was at the very top of the political agenda in California — Newsom even devoted his last pre-Covid State of the State speech to it. But high-profile bills to zone for more density have repeatedly collapsed in the Legislature despite expressions of support from Newsom and other leaders, and this session's crop of housing measures is decidedly less ambitious. A coronavirus-spurred project to house people in hotels and motels and let local governments take them over is showing some promise, but it's a small dent in a much larger problem — and the eventual expiration of eviction moratoriums could create a cascade of Californians thrown from their homes. With housing, as with so many issues, the coronavirus has forced a reshuffling of policy priorities. Newsom and lawmakers could only focus so much on building homes when they were wrestling with a once-in-a-century cataclysm. But high housing costs and pervasive homelessness continue to be important issues for voters, and Newsom is looking less likely than ever to meet his ambitious campaign pledge to build millions of new units. Federal funds could help, but California voters who want to hold someone accountable are more likely to focus on Newsom in Sacramento than on Biden in Washington, D.C. BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. Inside the building: The Legislature is expected to take up an early $536 million wildfire prevention package today with the goal of sending it to Newsom for swift enactment this week. Outside the building: Recall organizer Orrin Heatlie is expected to be on the Capitol steps this morning inveighing against legislation that would let recall targets identify and contact petition signatories, potentially making it easier to persuade some of them to erase their signatures. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'm sure they thought long and hard about this and decided to make a bet, and I think the odds are awfully good that they're going to win it." UCSF's Robert Wachter on whether Newsom's big reopening play could backfire, via the LA Times' Taryn Luna. TWEET OF THE DAY: Sen. Alex Padilla @AlexPadilla4CA is not deterred by an Amazon unionization drive's failure: "Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, has fought tooth and nail, successfully, against efforts of his workers to unionize. This mentality of the bottom line over all else, including better wages and conditions for your employees, is a moral scourge that must be reigned in." WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TO JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION: Power is changing, in Washington and across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. Our twice-weekly newsletter "The Recast" breaks down how race and identity are shaping politics and policy in America and we are recasting how we report on it. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear from important new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | |  | TOP TALKERS | | — "A Teacher Marched to the Capitol. When She Got Home, the Fight Began," by the NY Times' Matthew Rosenberg: "Even in San Clemente, a well-heeled redoubt of Southern California conservatism, Ms. Hostetter stood out for her vehement embrace of both the rebellion against Covid-19 restrictions and the stolen-election lies pushed by former President Donald J. Trump." CALIFORNIA ASSET — "Alleged CIA Ties Figure in Case of Convicted Political Donor," by the WSJ's Byron Tau: Imaad "Zuberi, 50 years old, lived a jet-setting lifestyle and was a major political fundraiser at the highest levels of American politics, giving generously to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as well as many important members of Congress of both parties, according to campaign-finance records." — " She exposed decades of alleged sexual abuse at elite Bay Area high schools. Now, she's speaking out," by the SF Chronicle's Matthias Gafni: "It started with 'grooming,' [Daphne] Greene alleged in her lawsuit, [Rusty] Taylor slowly gaining her trust by driving her home and providing emotional support for a turbulent family life. As a sophomore, he would tape her ankle daily, slowly moving his hands up her legs, she said. Taylor ingratiated himself into her family, joining them on camping trips to Lake Tahoe." BOOGALOO BUSTED — "4 alleged 'Boogaloo Bois' charged with destroying evidence tied to deadly Oakland shootings last year," by the SF Chronicle's Michael Williams. — " Black descendants of Bruce's Beach owner could get Manhattan Beach land back under plan," by the LA Times' Jaclyn Cosgrove and Rosanna Xia: "The issue has stirred controversy in this very white city. After hours of heated public testimony, the City Council on Tuesday night voted against issuing an apology, despite many residents urging them to do so." PADRE PRIDE — " San Diego-area native Joe Musgrove throws first no-hitter in Padres history in win over Texas Rangers," via ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. | | ROAD TO RECALL | | ANOTHER CELEBRITY CANDIDATE?— "Angelyne Is Eyeing a Run for Governor (Again)," by LA Magazine's Chris Nichols. | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | CHURCH CLASH — "High court halts California virus rules limiting home worship," by the AP's Jessica Gresko: "The Supreme Court is telling California that it can't enforce coronavirus-related restrictions that have limited home-based religious worship including Bible studies and prayer meetings." J&J DROP — "Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply to plummet next week in California as demand surges," by the LA Times' Luke Money: Last week, "574,900 Johnson & Johnson doses were allocated to the Golden State. [This] week, that number will plummet to 67,600, an 88% drop, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show." — "Orange County announces test run for its own COVID-19 vaccine passports," by the OC Register's Ian Wheeler: "So far, California's government has no plans for a statewide vaccine passport system, Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly said this week." A FOURTH WAVE? — " California's COVID case rate is third-lowest in the nation. Will it last?" by the Mercury News' Fiona Kelliher and Harriet Blair Rowan: "California has so far mostly escaped the grip of the B.1.1.7 strain first identified in the U.K. and now ripping through Michigan. The more contagious coronavirus variant has grown from less than 5% of sequenced samples in the U.S. in mid-January to over a quarter by mid-March, according to the CDC." — " Mobile clinic to bring COVID-19 vaccine to Central American Indigenous L.A. residents," by the LA Times' Leila Miller. | | THE 46TH | | ANOTHER CA PICK — California workplace safety chief tapped to lead OSHA, by POLITICO's Rebecca Rainey and Eleanor Mueller: President Joe Biden will nominate California's workplace safety chief, Doug Parker, to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the White House said Friday. The role has taken on outsize importance amid the pandemic and as the administration is weighing whether to issue an emergency temporary standard to create a set of enforceable, Covid-19-related workplace safety regulations. BECERRA UNDER PRESSURE — "Young Migrants Crowd Shelters, Posing Test for Biden ," by NYT's Michael D. Shear, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Eileen Sullivan: "The pressure is producing tension inside the White House. President Biden expressed frustration with Xavier Becerra, his new secretary of health and human services, in a White House meeting on March 30, for what the president views as bureaucratic holdups in increasing capacity, according to two administration officials familiar with the exchange." | | MADAM VP | | — "How Kamala Harris can find the solution for the migration crisis," Carolyn Patty Blum opines in the Hill. GOP PRESSURE — " Gov. Abbott sends letter to VP Harris demanding San Antonio facility be shut down," by CBSAustin's Sameera Ali. — "Confusion clouds Harris immigration role," by NBC's Lauren Egan and Mike Memoli: "Some Democrats worry the assignment could be politically perilous for Harris, especially as she considers a potential second run for president, but giving a more polarizing task to the vice president is not unusual. — "After Kamala Harris' visit sparks 'bakery vs. border' debate, Brown Sugar Bakery gets caught in the crossfire," by Chicago Tribune's Louisa Chu. | | GAVINLAND | | FAVORABLE ODDS — "Newsom's plan to reopen California may be less risky than it seems," by the LA Times' Taryn Luna: "Public health experts say it's unlikely that another surge of the virus would overwhelm the hospital system in California. Absent a new variant or mutation that renders vaccines ineffective across the country, they believe the chance that Newsom would need to reinstate the kinds of restrictions that frustrated some voters and helped fuel the recall effort against him is almost nil."
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | 2022 WATCH — Republicans draft veteran candidates to reclaim House majority, by POLITICO's Ally Mutnick: The GOP is taking a page out of Democrats' 2018 playbook: finding veterans to run for office. … Another Marine veteran, Oceanside City Council member Christopher Rodriguez, might run in Southern California. | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | — "As protesters on left and right target public servants at home, one city pushes back," by the LA Times' James Rainey: "Over the last year, groups on the left and right have taken protests to officials' front steps, targeting not just thick-skinned career politicians but more obscure appointed bureaucrats." EDD ICYMI — Federal regulators probe Bank of America's handling of California jobless aid, by POLITICO's Alex Nieves and Victoria Guida: The probes by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency come as Bank of America and California's unemployment agency face intense criticism for their response to widespread unemployment fraud. The state paid out billions of dollars to fraudsters in the past year while it, along with the bank, froze or suspended the accounts of legitimate claimants in response. — " How Proposition 22 Blocks Cities and Counties From Giving Hazard Pay to Gig Workers," by KQED's Sam Harnett: "Even if lawmakers wanted to extend these benefits to gig workers, they would face an insurmountable legal hurdle because of Proposition 22. The voter-approved measure effectively stipulates that local governments cannot pass laws that specifically increase the pay or benefits for app-based gig workers." — " California braces for extreme 2021 wildfire season - it's very dry out there," by the SF Chronicle's J.D. Morris: "California is barreling toward its driest and most fire-prone months, with many locations around the Bay Area and Central Coast having seen about 50% or less of their average precipitation levels for this time of year." POLICING PROBLEMS — " Two more reports find fault in LAPD's handling of summer protests," by the LA Times' Kevin Rector: "The reports, both released Friday, also provide new estimates for damage and losses stemming from the unrest, including an estimated $167 million in losses sustained by private property and business owners and nearly 570,000 doses of amphetamines, painkillers and other powerful drugs stolen or missing from burglarized pharmacies." — " The Impact Of A Potential China Olympic Games Boycott On LA's Economy" by LAist's Olivia Richard: "If there were to be a boycott, it could mean export issues for Los Angeles, said Stephen Cheung, president of World Trade Center Los Angeles, a non-profit that works to attract foreign investment to the region." — "Salton Sea Dust, Air Quality to Get Closer Look in California ," by Bloomberg's Emily C. Doyle: "The increased scrutiny comes as the state has continuously failed to meet dust suppression and habitat goals set in a 2017 management plan to restore nearly 30,000 acres of the state's largest body of water by 2028." SONOMA SCANDAL — "Dominic Foppoli's ambitions embodied Windsor. Now his troubles cast a cloud over the town," by the SF Chronicle's Esther Mobley and Matthias Gaffni: "This wasn't just the mayor. This wasn't just a local business owner. This was a man who was deeply embedded in seemingly all aspects of public life here. For a community still in the process of forging an identity, the allegations — which Foppoli 'categorically denied' in a statement released by his attorney — threatened to be Windsor's defining moment." — "Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli, council member Esther Lemus accuse each other of sexual misconduct ," by the Press Democract's Mary Callahan: "The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office has opened an investigation into the events described by Lemus, she said. Sheriff Mark Essick, who launched an investigation Thursday following allegations by other women, declined to comment Sunday morning on the scope of the probe, citing state laws that require confidentiality for sexual assault victims." — "Donovan Deaths: Families kept in dark while inmates die of COVID-19," by inewsource's Jill Castellano and Mary Plummer: "The prison is among the most deadly in the state: It is tied for the third highest death count from the virus. Roughly 30% of people serving sentences there have contracted COVID-19 during the pandemic." — "'White lives matter' rally goers are vastly outnumbered in Huntington Beach ," by the OC Register's Josh Cain, Sean Emery, Eric Licas and Susan Christian Goulding: "While the KKK fliers that appeared earlier in the week drew widespread revulsion and fear of an outbreak of large-scale violence, the event instead mostly resulted in small fights. The Huntington Beach white lives rally was one of dozens in cities around the country that reportedly drew far fewer people than expected." — " Former Sebastopol mayor Robert Jacob arrested on suspicion of sexual crimes against minor," by the Press Democract's Martin Espinoza. — "California police officer fired over ties to Proud Boys extremist group," by NBC's Dennis Romero. | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | AMAZON AFTERMATH — Union defeat at Amazon warehouse turns spotlight to the Hill, by POLITICO's Rebecca Rainey and Eleanor Mueller: Supporters and opponents of legislation that would significantly bolster unions were refining their arguments on Friday in light of the outcome in the Birmingham suburb of Bessemer, which was a bitter defeat for the nationally watched drive to establish the first union at the e-commerce giant. — Trump faces a narrow path to victory against Facebook suspension, by POLITICO's Cristiano Lima: Free speech and legal experts tracking the debate say the former president would need a series of interpretations by the group to break his way to regain his megaphone on the world's biggest social network. HATE GETS A PAID PLATFORM — "Google Blocks Advertisers from Targeting Black Lives Matter YouTube Videos," by the Markup's Leon Yin and Aaron Sankin: "At the same time, Google offered advertisers hundreds of millions of choices for YouTube videos and channels related to White supremacist and other hate terms when we began our investigation." — "After Data Breach Exposes 530 Million, Facebook Says It Will Not Notify Users," by NPR's Emma Bowman: "In July 2019, months before patching up the aforementioned issue, Facebook reached a $5 billion settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for violating an agreement with the agency to protect user privacy." — "'Bro Culture' at Camera Maker Verkada Pushed Profits, Parties," by Bloomberg's William Turton, Ryan Gallagher, Sarah McBride and Brody Ford: "Once little known outside of Silicon Valley, Verkada gained unwanted notoriety in March after Bloomberg reported that hackers had accessed the internet-connected cameras in facilities of its customers, including the carmaker Tesla Inc. and cybersecurity firm Cloudflare Inc." — "Facebook spent $23 million for CEO Mark Zuckerberg's security in 2020," by the Verge's Kim Lyons. — "She sued for pregnancy discrimination. Now she's battling Google's army of lawyers," by the Guardian's Kari Paul. | | HOLLYWOODLAND | | — "Universal Studios Hollywood is reopening soon. What to know and how to buy tickets," by the Sac Bee's Brooke Wolford | | MIXTAPE | | — "California Justice Department charges LAPD officer in illegal gambling operation," by the LA Times' Leila Miller. — " Protesters demand Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick to resign," by the Press Democrat's Martin Espinoza. — "Volunteer Group Walks Through Koreatown With A Protective Eye," by LAist's Josie Huang. — " Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison just dropped $80 million on a Palm Beach mansion, 4 months after he said he'd moved to Hawaii," by Insider's Katie Williams. — "'Take a look: Dodgers' World Series rings feature 232 diamonds, 53 sapphires," by the LA Times' Mike DiGiovanna. — "A Wine Country city has a segregation problem," by the SF Chronicle's Justin Phillips. — "Stephanie Wiggins Becomes First Black Woman To Lead LA Metro," by LAist's Monica Bushman. — "Bay Area traffic is now back in full force. Here's a look at the data," by the SF Chronicle's Michael Cabanatuan and Nami Sumida. — "13 promising L.A. and O.C. museum exhibitions you can see now," by the LA Times' Matt Cooper. | | | | Did you know that POLITICO Pro has coverage and tools at the state level? All the state legislative and regulatory tracking, budget documents, state agency contact information, and everything else you need to stay ahead of state policy movement integrate into our smart and customizable platform. Learn more and become a Pro today. | | | | | CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here. Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
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