News : POLITICO California Playbook: What’s KHANNA’s next move? — Fears of SPRING BREAK Covid surge — SOON-SHIONG: Anti-Asian racism ‘pervasive’

Monday, April 5, 2021

POLITICO California Playbook: What’s KHANNA’s next move? — Fears of SPRING BREAK Covid surge — SOON-SHIONG: Anti-Asian racism ‘pervasive’ — Giant data leak at FACEBOOK

Apr 05, 2021

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

Presented by CVS Health

THE BUZZ — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK... 2022 MONEYBALL: Ro Khanna raised eyebrows when he issued a pledge never to accept money from PACS and lobbyists — the first candidate for federal office to make that move.

But seven years later, that declaration hasn't hurt him. Khanna, a Democrat from the South Bay, has become one of Congress' most successful rainmakers. New figures released to POLITICO show he's raised more than $1.5 million in the first quarter of 2021, an off-year, and is sitting on $3.5 million cash on hand. Those numbers mark the largest fundraising quarter of his elective career, and put him up there with other House Democratic fundraising stars like Orange County's Katie Porter and New York's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Where's it coming from? An unusual marriage of Silicon Valley techies, whose support has bulked up in recent years, and progressive grassroots activists, who came to know Khanna as the national chair of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ' presidential campaign. And, as Khanna told us in an interview, he has an increasingly active group of supporters in Asian and Pacific Islander communities, many of whom have been eager to support one of the few South Asians in Congress.

"People don't support the safe incumbents in a seat … if they [don't] believe that you're having a big impact," he said.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. | AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

SO WHAT'S KHANNA'S PLAN? There's been lots of speculation about Khanna's future. He's become one of the most visible members of Congress on cable TV — and the rare Democrat to show up as often on Fox News as on MSNBC, whether to talk about infrastructure spending, Middle East policy or a per-mile tax on gas.

Progressive supporters like the Justice Democrats pushed out his name as a possible replacement for Kamala Harris in the U.S. Senate seat that ultimately went to Alex Padilla . When Padilla's appointment was announced, Khanna's statement was intriguing:

"I respect and appreciate what this appointment means to the Latino community," he said, but "I am glad voters will have their say in two years."

2022 CHALLENGE: Veteran politics-watchers like Bill Carrick have noted that it will be a challenge for the moderate Padilla to hang on to his seat going into the 2022 election, especially with progressive Democrats raising big cash and making their voices heard at the grassroots level. "He's going to have to raise a hell of a lot of money, fast," Carrick said.

HOW'S PADILLA DOING? David Beltran, managing director of Bearstar Strategies — that's Padilla's team, headed by Ace Smith and Sean Clegg — tweeted out Padilla's Q1 take on Friday: more than $2.6 million for his 2022 reelection. That's up there with what Harris raised in her same inaugural period, Beltran noted.

SOMEONE TO WATCH? Khanna told POLITICO that he will definitely not be a candidate for governor if the recall comes before voters. "I'm backing Gavin," he said.

But on the question of a future challenge to Padilla, the self-proclaimed "progressive capitalist" said he's "keeping [his] options open." Which means things could start to get interesting — and competitive — in California next cycle. Stay tuned.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. Harris is back in her home turf, visiting Oakland today for the first time since ascending to the White House. Meanwhile, Carla is off for a couple of weeks of well-deserved vacation, so importune Jeremy, Graph and Richard instead!

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "This unconscious bias and racism is pervasive. It's almost inherent, sadly, in the historic fabric of this country. … We have to recognize that, accept it and then break it." Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the LA Times, speaks about anti-Asian violence to CNN Business.

TWEET OF THE DAY: California-based GOP pollster @FrankLuntz, commenting on former President Donald Trump's calls to boycott the MLB, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines and others over their positions on Georgia's new election law: "This left-wing Cancel Culture is out of control."

VIDEO OF THE DAY: "Video shows 1,000-dolphin 'stampede' off Southern California coast," by KCRA3's Andrew Chamings.

PODCAST OF THE DAY: " The Issue is" with Fox11's Elex Michaelson, featuring the LA Times' John Myers and POLITICO's Carla Marinucci discussing Harris, the Newsom recall and their most embarrassing moments on the job.

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

A message from CVS Health:

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, CVS Health has been there. We're nearly 300,000 employees ensuring millions of Americans can access health care services. We opened thousands of COVID-19 test sites and administered millions of tests. Now, we're providing the vaccine in designated states. We've been on the frontlines, making health care easier to access and afford. That's health care, from the heart. Learn more.

TOP TALKERS

EDUCATOR ASK — California teachers' latest demand: Free child care, by POLITICO's Mackenzie Mays: As part of school reopening agreements in San Diego, Sacramento and San Jose, unions successfully fought for policies that allow employees to bring their children to the classroom as in-person instruction resumes. Now, United Teachers Los Angeles is asking for more than that. The union is calling on Los Angeles Unified to allow educators with young children to continue working from home until the district can provide them subsidized child care and a proper child care program for teachers by the fall.

SUCCESS STORY — " I Thought I Knew How to Succeed as an Asian in U.S. Politics. Boy, Was I Wrong," by Jeff Le via POLITICO Magazine: "California, with almost six million AAPIs making up 15 percent of the population (and growing), is the largest AAPI state, accounting for almost one-third of all AAPIs in the United States. The state boasts two AAPI statewide constitutional office holders (likely soon to be three) and 14 state legislators. Yet my overwhelming sense was that people in power did not take AAPI constituents seriously."

SPRING BREAK SURGE? — "California scrambles as maskless crowds flood vacation hotspots," by the Guardian's Andrew Gumbel: "Images of hundreds of largely maskless people crammed on to the Santa Monica pier or huddled around street performers on the Venice boardwalk over the past few days have raised concerns that spring break in the Golden state could spiral out of control, much as it has in Miami Beach, Florida, and trigger a superspreader event."

NAVARRO'S GOLDMINE? — "Documents Show Trump Officials Skirted Rules to Reward Politically Connected and Untested Firms With Huge Pandemic Contracts," by ProPublica's J. David McSwane: "Peter Navarro, who served as Trump's deputy assistant and trade adviser, essentially verbally awarded a $96 million deal for respirators to a company with White House connections. Later, officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency were pressured to sign the contract after the fact, according to correspondence obtained by congressional investigators."

BIG LEAK — "Facebook data on more than 500M accounts found online," from the AP: "The information appears to be several years old, but it is another example of the vast amount of information collected by Facebook and other social media sites, and the limits to how secure that information is."

CHAMPIONS — "Stanford nips Arizona, wins first women's NCAA championship since 1992," by USA Today's Nancy Armour: "The championship capped a grueling year for top-seeded Stanford, which spent the entire season on the road because of local COVID-19 restrictions. The title also came the same year as coach Tara VanDerveer became the all-time winningest women's coach, now with 1,125 victories."

ROAD TO RECALL

MIGRANT MESS — "Biden's Border Woes Could Hurt Gavin Newsom in Recall Fight, Democrats Say," by Newsweek's Adrian Carrasquillo: "Michael Trujillo, a Los Angeles-based Democratic strategist, said that variables and factors we can't see often affect elections and that the border quandary could be an issue that has a pile-on effect on Newsom's political fortunes."

EL CORONEL HABLA — "In recall of governor, is California GOP smoking an exploding cigar?" by the LA Times' Gustavo Arellano: "It's the Republican's latest Hail Mary to return to relevancy in California, and they fully expect voters to vault one of their own into the governor's mansion."

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

SHOT SCAMMERS — "Online scammers traffic in fake COVID vaccination cards, authorities warn," by the SF Chronicle's Jessica Flores: "Fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards are being sold online, and authorities have warned individuals not to buy or make one — which is illegal."

WARNINGS ABOUND— "When will California lift its mask mandate? History says now is not the time," by the SF Chronicle's Erin Allday: "State leaders will probably wait until a large majority of the population has been vaccinated. They may wait until daily cases are in the dozens instead of thousands statewide, or for deaths to be near zero."

UH OH… " 'Double mutant' COVID-19 variant from India found in Bay Area," by the Mercury News' Lisa M. Krieger: "It is the latest in a growing and diverse field of viral variants. In life's Darwinian struggle, the most successful viruses are those that spread quickly and can dodge our defenses. Over time, they become dominant."

COMEBACK CITY! — California to reopen indoor sporting events and concerts, by POLITICO's Victoria Colliver: "The new guidelines released Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration take effect April 15 and mark the latest move by the governor, who faces a likely recall election this year, to usher in a return to normal life."'

— "L.A. County moves into the orange tier Monday. Here's what will change ," by the LA Times' Alex Wigglesworth.

— "Costco opens up single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine appointments across the Bay Area," by the Mercury News' Maggie Angst: "Although Costco is a members-based enterprise, Californians do not need to be members in order to sign up for an appointment."

— " California targets critical farmworkers for vaccinations," by the AP's Olga R. Rodriguez and Daisy Nguyen.

— "'Vaccine passports' are coming to California, but some residents could be left behind," by the Mercury News' Fiona Kelliher and Leonardo Castañeda.

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THE 46TH

RAIL REVIVED? — "Biden infrastructure bill could be California high-speed rail's 'lifeline," by the Mercury News' Nico Savidge: " Without a whole lot more federal money, it could end up being a costly, controversial train with only five stops between Merced and Bakersfield."

VALADAO ON BOARD? — "Valley Republican congressman Valadao: "It started off on the wrong foot," but he's not ruling out the possibility in helping to pass Biden's $2.2 trillion dollar recovery plan," via YourCentralValley.com's Alexan Balekian.

— Biden struggling to fill DOJ job that could rein in Silicon Valley, by POLITICO's Leah Nylen: Biden's search for the Justice Department's top trust-busting role is being bogged down by ethics concerns, both about candidates who have represented Silicon Valley's giants and those who have represented critics of the big tech companies.

KIDS CONSIDERED — " Federal government considers two more California sites to house unaccompanied migrant children," by the LA Times' Cindy Carcamo and Andrea Castillo: "The Long Beach Convention Center could soon be tapped, said a source who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. And federal officials sent a request for the same purpose to use Camp Roberts, a California Army National Guard base inland along the central coast, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed in a briefing Thursday."

MADAM VP

THE SHORT STRAW — "With new immigration role, Harris gets a politically perilous assignment," by the WaPo's Sean Sullivan and Cleve R. Wootson Jr.: "Many Democrats say this is a perilous mission for Harris, who is widely seen as a potential successor to Biden and the de facto leader of the party's next generation. They worry it will collide with her long-term ambitions and say that, for better or for worse, she could own much of what happens on the border in coming months."

GAVINLAND

FRACK THIS — "Newsom asked for a fracking ban. He may get more than he bargained for with ambitious plan," by the LA Times' Phil Willon.

NEVER MIND NEWSOM — " S.F. school board's Alison Collins makes a case for her own recall," by the SF Chronicle's editorial board: "What makes her special is her failure to betray a shred of remorse for her misguided commentary, which culminated this week with her lawsuit seeking over $80 million in damages from her colleagues and the school district — as if the children of San Francisco should pay for the mistakes of the adults who elected Collins."

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

SE HABLA DISASTER — "How COVID distance learning hurt California English learners," via LA Times' Paloma Esquivel. "More than 1.1 million students in California, nearly 20%, are considered English learners. By almost every measure of academic success — graduation rates, college preparation, dropout rates, state standards — these students rank among the lowest-achieving groups. And that was before pandemic-forced campus closures. One year later, this massive population of students is at great risk of intractable educational loss, experts said."

— " California took 35,000 homeless people off the street for 1 year. Did the program work?" by the Sac Bee's by Hannah Wiley: "Experts say it could become a model for future efforts to aid the estimated 150,000 homeless people in California, offering a glimpse into what's possible when politicians act with urgency and provide the necessary resources to quickly get large groups of people off the streets."

— " San Francisco's crime rates shifted dramatically in 2020. Five charts show what's going on," by the SF Chronicle's Susie Neilson.

— "Drought is back. But Southern California faces less pain than Northern California," by the LA Times' Bettina Boxall: "In Northern California, areas dependent on local supplies, such as Sonoma County, could be the hardest-hit. Central Valley growers have been told of steep cuts to upcoming water deliveries. Environmentalists too are warning of grave harm to native fish."

BIG FAIL — "USC and UCLA Get Low Grades for Their COVID Responses," by Capital and Main's Jack Ross.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

ELON'S DREAM — "Elon Musk wants to create his own city. Here's how that could work," by the LA Times' Samantha Masunaga: "In March, SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted that he wanted to create a city encompassing Boca Chica Village[, Texas] and the surrounding area. Its name? Starbase."

— "Jack Dorsey judo flipped an activist investor attack on Twitter," by the SF Business Times' Brian Rinker.

HOLLYWOODLAND

— "Once Asking $165 Million, Beverly Hills Estate Sold at Auction for Close to $60 Million," by the WSJ's Katherine Clarke.

STRIP MALL STASH — " Beverly Hills store let criminals stash guns, drugs and cash in vault at strip mall, prosecutors say," by the LA Times' Michael Finnegan: "On Friday, the government revealed why it was so interested in the seemingly mundane business wedged between a nail salon and a spa: It was laundering money for drug dealers and letting them stash guns, fentanyl and stacks of $100 bills in security boxes that were rented anonymously, prosecutors alleged."

— " Armie Hammer Exits Broadway Play Amid LAPD Investigation," by the Hollywood Reporter's Trilby Beresford.

— "Three arrested after an image of a cow's head is hung over the Hollywood sign," by the LA Times' Kevin Rector.

— " SAG Awards 2021: Here Are All The Winners" by the HuffPost's Cole Delbyck

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CANNABIS COUNTRY

— Schumer: Senate will act on marijuana legalization with or without Biden, by POLITICO's Natalie Fertig

ON THE BALLOT? — " California marijuana advocates drumming up support for proposed statewide ballot measure," by Marijuana Business Daily's John Schroyer: "A statewide ballot measure is being floated that could potentially ease the high taxes, regulatory burdens and illicit-market competition the California industry has been dealing with since 2016, when Proposition 64 – the initiative that legalized adult-use cannabis – was passed."

MIXTAPE

— "Warriors, Sharks could host fans pending city, county approval of new state guidelines," by the Mercury News' Lisa M. Krieger

— " A Car Crash in the California Desert: How 13 Died Riding in One S.U.V.," by NYT's Miriam Jordan.

— "Orange shooting victims are identified as suspect is charged with 4 murders," by the LA Daily News' Alma Fausto, Susan Christian Goulding and Emily Rasmussen.

— "Oregon wolf moves into Monterey County as historic trek continues," by KSBW's Josh Copitch.

— "Benching COVID: Baseball fans return to California stadiums," by CalMatters' Anne Wernikoff.

— "Oakland: Unique new housing caters to young people in need," by the Mercury News' Marisa Kendall.

— "Two dead in fatal crash over cliffs at Bodega Head," by the Santa Rosa Press Democrat's Will Schmitt.

— "San Jose's Little Saigon, Japantown see increased police foot-patrol presence," by the Mercury News' Robert Salonga and Leonardo Castañeda.

— "Youth activists score victory as L.A. to fund $1.1-million city youth department," by the LA Times' Melissa Gomez.

IN MEMORIAM

— "James Mills, state legislator who championed public transit, historic preservation, dies at 93," by the San Diego Union-Tribune's John Wilkens.

BIRTHDAYS

Former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler is 75 … PayPal's Howard Wachtel is 41 … Andrew Noyes … Dell's Hillary (Maxwell) Beightel … Lyft's Darienne Page … Rob Stutzman of Stutzman Public Affairs … Belatedly, Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) turned 56

A message from CVS Health:

Throughout the pandemic, in California and across the country, CVS Health has been delivering essential care. Thanks to the efforts of our employees, we opened 4,800 COVID-19 test sites and administered over 15 million tests at our stores and through partners in underserved communities. With millions staying home, we increased access to prescription delivery, virtual visits and mental health services. Now, we're providing vaccines in designated states. Every day, CVS Health works to bring quality, affordable health care closer to home—so it's never out of reach for anyone. That's health care, from the heart. Learn more.

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