News: POLITICO California Playbook: GARCETTI to INDIA — JENNER doesn’t want TRUMP nod — GAINES gets in

Monday, July 12, 2021

POLITICO California Playbook: GARCETTI to INDIA — JENNER doesn’t want TRUMP nod — GAINES gets in — HEAT WAVE threatens power grid

Jul 12, 2021

By Carla Marinucci, Jeremy B. White and Camryn Dadey

THE BUZZ — ERIC TO NEW DELHI: Eric Garcetti's going on to his next big challenge. But is he leaving the City of Angels in the lurch?

The mayor of America's second-largest city was chosen by President Joe Biden for the high profile ambassadorship of India Friday, a long-expected move that will put him at center stage in a region where China's hegemony and Covid's unceasing rampage continues to put the country on the front burner of U.S. foreign policy.

But Garcetti's nomination, which requires Senate confirmation , hasn't exactly gone down well in his home town, where he spent half of his more than two decades of public service as a city council member and mayor. Garcetti's has served more than five years of his current supersized mayoral term, thanks to changes in election law.

Local papers, including the LATimes, begged Garcetti to "stay and finish the job" in a city still feeling the effects of the pandemic. Garcetti backers say he gets credit for making progress in some key areas, like public transportation and tougher earthquake safety standards, both frontline issues in LA. But the city is also a place where homelessness has become so widespread that its more effected streets and neighborhoods are regularly used by both Republicans and Democrats as Exhibit One for the problem.

The nomination comes at an especially critical time for Los Angeles: California's largest city is still struggling with a rise in violent crime while battling a court order to house or shelter Skid Row residents, which went before an appeals court this week. And Garcetti has been navigating treacherous political territory as the sexual misconduct allegations against his former top aide Rick Jacobs continue to accumulate.

FLASHBACK: Garcetti toyed with a 2020 presidential run before abruptly dropping out and then becoming a leading Biden surrogate. That loyalty fueled speculation that Garcetti would nab a Cabinet position, but the mayor conceded in December of 2020 that wouldn't happen imminently . That came after the Department of Transportation, for which Garcetti was seen as a top contender, went to Pete Buttigieg. But in the end Garcetti only had to wait for less than a year of the Biden administration to get the call.

WHAT'S NEXT? Many are predicting a political demolition derby to fill Garcetti's shoes — an open seat and a potential free-for-all that could put city governance in limbo until next year's elections.

City Council President Nury Martinez appears to be eying a mayoral run next year and will step into Garcetti's shoes for the time being. City Attorney Mike Feuer and Councilman Joe Buscaino have already declared 2022 runs, with several others exploring getting in.

BOTTOM LINE: The next months could get chaotic. Still up in the air is the possibility of a special election, an expensive and difficult proposition given that voters statewide will be asked to weigh in on the gubernatorial recall election in September.

Multiple City Council members are on the record saying they'd prefer to pick an interim mayor and avoid a costly special election — though we all know how that turned out in San Francisco, where one-time housing activist Ed Lee, who only reluctantly stepped into the job, ended up running for it, twice.

LATIMES BREAKDOWN: "How LA picks its next mayor," via LATimes' Emily Alpert Reyes and David Zahniser.

BLOOMBERG's BIG PICTURE — "L.A. Mayor Exit Creates Uncertainty for City Bouncing Back,'' via Bloomberg's Brian Eckhouse and Christopher Palmeri: " The departure of Garcetti -- whom President Joe Biden on Friday said he intends to nominate as ambassador to India, pending Senate confirmation -- comes at a crucial moment as the U.S.'s second-largest city prepares to fully reopen classrooms for the next school year and tackle a jobless rate of more than 9% in the economy of roughly 4 million people. The process to find his successor will leave room for a distracting fight."

BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. It's a big week in Gavin Newsom recall land: we're expecting a ruling today in Newsom's legal effort to get a (D) next to his name on ballots after oral arguments last Friday, and this coming Friday is the deadline for candidates to file and to share their tax returns with the Secretary of State's office.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit cmarinucci@politico.com or jwhite@politico.com or follow us on Twitter @cmarinucci and @jeremybwhite.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "At base, this comes down to whether the governor of California has to follow the unambiguous law — and it just so happens, a law that he signed. … This might be a bitter pill for the governor to swallow, but swallow it he must." Recall proponents' lawyer Eric Early argues in court that it's too late for Newsom to be listed as a Democrat on recall ballots.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Rob Pyers @rpyers: "With Mary Carey no longer in contention in the Gavin Newsom recall, there's a prime opportunity for Angelyne to consolidate the vote in the 'minor celebrities who previously ran in the 2003 Gray Davis recall' lane."

PODCASTS OF THE DAY: Newsmakers' Jerry Roberts and LATimes' Mark Z. Barabak talk the CA recall here. And there's Jessica Levinson's Passing Judgment on Garcetti's next move, Trump vs. Facebook, Swalwell vs. Trump, Avenatti and more.

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

TOP TALKERS

GRID IN DANGER — "Bootleg Fire rages through Oregon, threatening California's electricity supply," by WaPo's Bryan Pietsch : "The National Weather Service in Medford said on Sunday that the fire had doubled in size every day for the past three days, leaving California's electricity supply at risk and forcing officials to order the evacuation of at least hundreds of residents."

— "Northern California wildfire grows, destroys homes amid extreme conditions" by LATimes' Alex Wigglesworth: "A wildfire in Northern California continued to grow overnight amid an intense heat wave and increased winds that were expected to complicate firefighting efforts."

'SAY HEY KID' STILL RULES — "The Last Giant: The Cultural Clout of Willie Mays," by Sports Illustrated's Steve Rushin: "At age 90, he remains famous to the world-famous and envied by the enviable."

BOOTED OUT — "Calif. Venue Reportedly Boots Matt Gaetz's, Marjorie Taylor Greene's America First Rally," by the Huffington Post's Mary Papenfuss: "'As soon as we found out who the speakers were we immediately canceled it,' the venue manager told the Orange County Register.

DEEP DIVE IN THE OC — " The Police Called It An Accident. She Turned to 1-800-Autopsy." by NYTimes' Erika Hayasaki: " Katrina Eisinger awoke early one morning in March 2018 to a phone call from West Anaheim Medical Center in Orange County, Calif. "We have your son here," the voice said, instructing her to come right away. ...To her, the clues were piling up, all pointing to excessive force by the police. But this revelation did not come easily. She is Black, and Christopher's father is white. She was well aware that Black men died violently at the hands of police officers in America all the time. But she never thought it would happen to her son."

CHRONIC PROBLEM — "Illegal pot invades California's deserts, bringing violence, fear, ecological destruction," by LATimes' Jaclyn Cosgrove and Louis Sahagún: "Authorities say the boom has led to forced labor, violence, water theft and the destruction of fragile desert habitat and wildlife."

CAMPAIGN MODE

GAVIN'S BALLOT QUESTION: Will Gavin Newsom appear on the recall ballot as a Democrat? That's the big drama to be decided today by a Sacramento Superior Court judge, as the SFChronicle's Alexei Koseff writes.

And here's how the arguments went on Friday as lawyers for Newsom and recall backers faced off in Sacramento courtroom, as Jeremy reported: "Newsom counsel Thomas Willis argued that the Legislature showed a clear intent to inform voters in passing the 2019 law with bipartisan support. Willis said it was clear Newsom intended to be listed as a Democrat but for an inadvertent mistake, and he argued there was no point in rigidly enforcing the statutory schedule."

ENTER GAINES — Republican Ted Gaines joins swelling Newsom recall field, by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White: Republican Board of Equalization Member Ted Gaines is jumping into a crowded field of candidates seeking to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in the recall election.

JENNER'S LATEST: In a 13-minute press conference in which she met the Capitol press for the first time on Friday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner put Trump at arms length, and claimed the "lead," as Carla reported. Jenner weighed in on the hearing surrounding Newsom's ballot designation, then left Sacramento without doing any other public events. She headed off to the conservative CPAC conference in Dallas — not a traditional route for a gubernatorial candidate in solidly blue California.

Jenner's trip there to meet up with potential donors and grassroots activists at CPAC got rocky: she was jeered and harassed by one anti-trans attendee, who called her a 'sick freak,' as Insider reports. Video here.

MARY'S OUT — "Carey pulls out of CA governor's race: 'Deck stacked against me!'," via TMZ.com: "Carey tells TMZ ... she just didn't have enough time to get her affairs in order to officially enter the race ... something she feels was impossible because Gavin Newsom shortened the deadlines for recall candidates to complete their paperwork."

'THE CASE FOR KILEY' — Interesting switch: Former CAGOP parliamentarian Steve Frank, who briefly served as a spokesman for talk show host Larry Elder, wrote over the weekend in his California Political Review blog that Assemblyman Kevin Kiley is the GOP's most viable recall candidate. Elder is expected to get in this week, sources say.

DA RACE — "Santa Clara County public defender launches bid to replace three-term DA,'' via MercNews' Robert Salonga: Sajid Khan pledges dramatic reforms in campaign to unseat Jeff Rosen, who ran unopposed in past two re-elections. "I'm running for district attorney to tell the truth about, and undo, systemic racism that runs in our county and mass incarceration in all its forms," Khan said in an interview before announcing his campaign Sunday.

THE ROAD TO TOKYO 2020 – A TUESDAY CONVERSATION WITH FIRST VICE PRESIDENT OF THE IOC ANITA DEFRANTZ: The Tokyo Olympics kick off July 23, 15 months after being postponed. One problem … Japan's capital city is in a Covid state of emergency and has prohibited fans from attending. With financial pressure to push forward and potential punishment for any athletes involved in protests or demonstrations during the sporting event, these Olympics Games will be unlike any other. Join Global Translations author Ryan Heath for a POLITICO Live conversation with Anita DeFrantz, First Vice President, International Olympic Committee, on what's at stake in the Tokyo Olympics, as a global health crisis, sports and politics all come to a head. REGISTER HERE.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

MASK UP — "California set to require face masks at schools this fall," by PBS: "California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said that not all schools can accommodate physical distancing of at least 3 feet or more, so the best preventive measure is wearing masks indoors."

SPIRALING UP? — "L.A. County has more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in a day, highest in months," by LATimes' Rong-Gong Lin II and Luke Money: "With 1,060 new cases reported Friday, according to a preliminary Times tally, L.A. County was averaging 598 new cases a day over the past week, a significant increase from a month ago, when the county was reporting fewer than 200 new cases a day."

— "Opinion | California Wakes Up From Its Dream," by Miriam Pawel in the NYTimes: "For the first time, the water level in Lake Oroville is expected to fall so low the state's hydropower plant could shut down, just as electricity demands peak. For the first time, the census numbers showed California will lose a congressional seat. For the first time since it joined the union in 1850, the state historically synonymous with unbridled expansion actually shrank."

— "As California wineries lose insurance, some fear this fire season will be their last," by SFChronicle's Esther Mobley: "Across California, as peak wildfire season approaches, many vintners in the state's $40 billion wine industry are unable to protect themselves from fires in several crucial ways."

— " Firefighters fear disaster ahead as heat transforms landscape: 'The driest I've ever seen.'" by LATimes' Hayley Smith: "They've watched the rugged mountains of the forest around the Castaic station change before their eyes, from a place of seasons to a place that seems like it is in perpetual summer. And with homes encroaching farther into the terrain each year, there are more people in harm's way."

RESULTS? — " Governor, Lawmakers Add $500 Million to Wildfire Prevention Budget, Following CapRadio, NPR California Newsroom Investigation," by CapRadio's Scott Rodd: "The change comes after CapRadio and NPR's California Newsroom revealed Newsom's administration had nixed a similar amount from this year's budget. The investigation also found the state's wildfire prevention work dropped sharply in 2020, and the governor had pushed back an ambitious fuel reduction goal set by his predecessor."

— "Former Gov. Jerry Brown: 'Fiscal Stress' Coming, State Needs 'Control and Discipline' on Homeless Crisis," by NBC's Conan Nolan: "'The word is volatility. Money comes and money goes. The federal government is going deeper into debt, they are spending money wildly. The state is now spending money. It is not sustainable.'"

—" Democrats are in control of the State Capitol: why isn't the budget done?" by SacBee's Sophia Bollag.

— "California extends contract with Bank of America for troubled unemployment benefits program," by LATimes' Patrick McGreevy: "The Employment Development Department exercised an option to extend the bank's contract for two years, even though officials with the financial institution indicated that they would like to end their work for the state unemployment system. The bank has had the exclusive contract since 2010."

— "Protesters gathered outside Senator Feinstein Office, in hopes of ending the filibuster," by San Diego Union-Tribune's Anissa Durham.

— "CDC issues guidance on masks in classrooms, but here's what California schools will do," by SacBee's Amelia Davidson and Katie Camero: "The state plans to issue comprehensive guidance for school reopenings Monday, it said."

— " Assembly weighs mandating vaccines after statehouse COVID outbreak," by SFChronicle's Alexei Koseff: "'It's something that's under consideration,' Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said in an interview Thursday. 'There's a couple of different models that other entities have adopted. We have to talk it over, not only with our public health folks, but also with our employment attorneys as well.'"

— " Could the A's waterfront ballpark be a good deal for Oakland?" by the Oakland Side's Dan Moore: "The A's proposed new ballpark at Howard Terminal would include new housing, commercial space, and much more."

— "CA environmental group sues to block Capitol Annex project," by SacBee's Hannah Wiley: "The Save the Capitol, Save the Trees coalition argues in its lawsuit that the California Department of General Services, the California Department of Finance and the Legislature's Joint Committee on Rules must reconcile environmental review discrepancies in their plans to update the decades-old annex before demolition begins."

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

— "West Virginia is Trading Trump for Tech Workers," by POLITICO's Mackenzie Mays: The population is fleeing, jobs are disappearing and coal isn't coming back. West Virginia's boldest plan to reverse the slide is bribing white-collar workers to move from out of state.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

HIGH TECH ON THE HIGH SEAS — via the Honolulu Star-Advertiser's Nina Wu: The Alameda, CA -based ocean data company Saildrone Inc. marked a high tech first over the weekend — the maiden voyage of its newest, totally autonomous — no crew — ocean mapping vehicle, the Saildrone Surveyor, which set off through the Golden Gate and put into port in Honolulu Friday.

The California-made vessel's technology allows for deep ocean mapping without a crew — a breakthrough that could lower the cost of accessing ocean data, while providing potential advancements for more accurate climate models, lower costs for offshore wind development, and a better understanding of marine environments. The 72-foot, 14-ton Surveyor has sensors that "can map the seafloor in high-resolution to a depth of 23,000 feet ... plus examine underwater ecosystems. Operated by remote control from Alameda, Calif. headquarters, it is primarily powered by renewable wind and solar energy.''

CANNABIS COUNTRY

— "San Jose To Study Creating Cannabis Equity Program," by the Patch: "San Jose officials have a timeline for conducting a report which will document residents' experiences with cannabis-related crimes."

HOLLYWOODLAND

— "With Hollywood Production in Overdrive, the Soundstage Is a Hot Commodity," by WSJ's Erich Schwartzel: "The surge in new movies and TV shows has touched off a scramble for places to film. Empty office space, abandoned malls and even a shuttered Sears store—apparently all the world really is a stage."

MIXTAPE

IN MEMORIAM — "Father Joe Carroll, legendary 'Hustler Priest' devoted to helping the homeless, dies at 80,'' via San Diego Union Tribune's John Wilkins.

— " Decay and disrepair mar life at aging Marina del Rey condo towers," by OCRegister's Jeff Collins.

— "Grizzly shot and killed after fatal attack of California woman," by LATimes' Amy Beth Hanson and Matthew Brown.

— " Delta's spread: Pfizer to seek third-dose approval as study shows two shots work well," by SFChronicle's Aidin Vaziri.

— "Victims of Southern California synagogue shooting can sue gunmaker," by the AP.

CARLSBAD CHANGE — " Schumacher resigns effective immediately," by Coast News' Steve Puterski: "Councilwoman Cori Schumacher has submitted her letter of resignation, officially ending her time on the Carlsbad City Council, according to sources."

BIRTHDAYS

MONDAY: Brandon Shaw … Brendan Daly

SUNDAY: Urmila Venugopalan of the MPA … Georgia Godfrey … Max Levchin … Lindsey Kozberg of Park and Velayos … Tristan Berne … Valery Galasso

SATURDAY: Rep. Tom McClintock … POLITICO's Chris Cadelago … Sam Harper of Activision Blizzard … Rubicon Founders' Morgan Ortagus

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.

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