News: POLITICO California Playbook: Campaign season — NEWSOM calls ENERGY emergency — FTC loses FACEBOOK expert

Monday, August 2, 2021

POLITICO California Playbook: Campaign season — NEWSOM calls ENERGY emergency — FTC loses FACEBOOK expert — DISNEY requires vaccinations

Aug 02, 2021

THE BUZZ: It's beginning to look a lot like campaign season.

Republican recall rallies popped up in southern California this weekend, with Assemblyman Kevin Kiley and talk show host Larry Elder gathering their faithful in Los Angeles as Carl DeMaio outfit Reform California convened an Orange County event focused on ousting Gov. Gavin Newsom rather than elevating a particular candidate. Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and businessman John Cox have been holding events around the state — Cox with his signature trash ball in tow — and Caitlyn Jenner is planning to launch a bus tour in the coming weeks.

The escalating activity on the anti-Newsom side serves dual purposes. Candidate events are of course aimed at boosting a particular contender's chances in the replacement race. But they also serve to generate awareness and excitement around the recall itself. That could increase the chances that galvanized Republicans turn out en masse to secure a majority for recalling Newsom on Question One. On the other hand, Republican jockeying will hit a climax with this weekend's California Republican Party endorsement vote — and some conservatives warn excessive infighting or coalescing behind a favorite could cost them a chance to unseat Newsom.

Newsom, meanwhile, telegraphed some urgency in outlining the national repercussions. In an interview with the Sac Bee Editorial Board published days after polling found the race in a virtual tie among the highest-propensity voters , the governor warned that a successful recall vote would reverberate "all across the country" for "many, many years," and he said he was not sure "the national Democratic Party's asking themselves that question."

The governor has already enlisted some national Democratic firepower in this fight. The Democratic Governors Association has already pitched in $500,000 to shield Newsom (although that handsome sum doesn't crack the top ten biggest donor list). Last week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren stepped into the surrogate role with a campaign spot aimed at rallying progressive voters, and it seems all but certain that more nationally recognizable Democrats will get involved. Vice President Kamala Harris has laconically indicated she'll hit the campaign trail.

That national overlay helps Newsom frame this as part of a larger battle for America's future, which could both serve to galvanize a disengaged base and to encourage some more national resources and attention. Conversely, it could help Newsom's Republican opponents frame this fight as not just a repudiation of Newsom himself but as a blow against the overarching liberal agenda the Democratic governor — and allies like Warren — embody.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. Recall voting is already underway, sort of, as Saturday was the last day for elections officials mailing ballots to military and overseas voters. Speaking of overseas: Carla is back!

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: "If they kick me out, I'm gonna feel good about what we just did, and not ever regret a damn thing." Gov. Gavin Newsom tells the Sac Bee Editorial Board he stands by his record regardless of the recall outcome.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Original recall proponents @recallgavin2020 hint at some dissension: "If ONLY Some of these candidates worked as hard for the recall during the signature drive, think of how much more they could have helped us in the trenches. I have to ask these candidates, where were you when we needed you???"

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

TOP TALKERS

— "'He was a white man who had money': Ed Buck's Black victims fought to be believed," by LATimes' Hailey Branson-Potts: "When a jury found Buck, 66, guilty of every charge in a nine-count indictment, victims and the families of the dead men felt a deep sense of relief and vindication. But the victory was bittersweet for those who crusaded for four years to hold Buck accountable in the face of what some said was silence by many Democrats and by local prosecutors."

CAMPAIGN MODE

VETERAN'S VIEW — "Former Schwarzenegger staffer: California should not dismiss the recall election as a joke," former Schwarzenegger aide Joe Rodota opines for the Sac Bee: "The compressed time frame for the 2021 recall — Newsom signed a state law effectively moving the election from mid-November to Sept. 14 — makes this policy work more challenging for the current field of candidates, which is unfortunate. But they will have more time than we did."

— "Facing Recall, Newsom Draws Support from Health Care Allies," by KHN's Samantha Young: "The health care industry has ponied up more than $4.8 million so far to defend the first-term Democrat."

— "Editorial: Newsom could be replaced by someone with a tiny fraction of the vote. That's nuts," by the LATimes Editorial Board: "Part 1 will be decided by a majority of votes, just like any other ballot measure. But when it comes to Part 2, the math changes. The winner doesn't need more than 50% to win, just a plurality of the votes. That would mean that the next governor, be it a reality TV star or a former big-city mayor, could assume control over the world's fifth-largest economy and the state's massive bureaucracy with support from only a fraction of voters — maybe even a tiny fraction."

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CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

BLACKOUT WATCH — Newsom calls energy state of emergency as California tries to avoid blackouts, by POLITICO's Colby Bermel: Newsom's past energy proclamations were tied to individual heat waves that threatened to trigger rolling blackouts. This time, the blanket three-month approach by the governor's office demonstrates not just the severity of this summer's high temperatures, but also acknowledges that California's recent efforts remain insufficient.

— "Breakthrough infections among staff at SF General Hospital, UCSF stir concerns," by SFChronicle's Erin Allday: "Dozens of fully vaccinated staff members at two San Francisco hospitals have developed COVID-19 over the past six weeks, almost all of them infected in the community — not on the job — as the delta-fueled fourth surge took off across the city."

TO BURN OR NOT TO BURN — "California says federal 'let it burn' policy is reckless as wildfires rage out of control ," by the LATimes' Anita Chabria and Alex Winton: "Largely charged with stewardship of public lands and suffering from years of inadequate funding as the cost of fighting fires has blown up, the Forest Service allows some fires to burn as part of an overall strategy to thin forests that have become dangerously overgrown … California leaders, though, say this mindset is outdated and minimizes the risks of fires mushrooming, especially in forests and grasslands transformed by climate change."

— " U.S. Justice Dept. alleges Kaiser Permanente committed Medicare fraud in California suit," by the Sac Bee's Cathie Anderson: "The government's complaint alleged that Kaiser pressured its physicians to go back into medical records, often months or even more than a year later after patient visits, to add diagnoses that were not considered or addressed in the initial consultation."

PROP 65 — " California Toxics Law: Few Water Cases, But Millions for Lawyers," by Bloomberg Law's Emily C. Dooley: Thirty-five years ago, California voters approved a landmark law meant to halt exposure to dangerous chemicals in drinking water and everyday products like food, flip-flops, and face shields. Decades later, the water cases are few and far between—while hundreds of product lawsuits bring in millions of dollars annually for plaintiffs' attorneys, some of whom represent environmental groups focused only on this law.

— "Pigs, hens, veal calves keep their minimum space requirements after court ruling," by SFChronicle's Bob Egelko: "A federal appeals court has rejected a challenge by the pork industry to California's voter-approved law that set minimum standards for cages used to hold breeding pigs, egg-laying hens and veal calves."

— " COVID vaccinations lag for people on Medi-Cal," by CalMatters' Ana B. Ibarra: "In all California counties, Medi-Cal enrollees have been vaccinated at substantially lower rates than the overall population. Experts point to several factors for this economic divide, like the inability of low-income people to take time off work."

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

HELP WANTED — "Gavin Newsom asks Biden for wildfire support in California," by the McClatchy's Bryan Lowry: "Following the governors of Montana and Washington, Newsom offered some of the most pointed criticism of the federal government's handling of the issue during the public portion of the meeting."

— "Waiting for Garcetti: India evaluates its ties with a post-Trump U.S.," by the LA Times' Tracy Wilkinson: "The Los Angeles mayor whom President Biden nominated to be his ambassador to New Delhi has raised questions for some Indians about whether U.S.-Indian ties might change after the Trump-era favored-nation status. Administration officials insist India remains a priority and a vital partner."

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— FTC's Facebook economist out as court deadline looms, by POLITICO's Leah Nylen: The FTC is now looking for a new expert, just three weeks before the agency must decide whether to file the new version of the Facebook lawsuit after a D.C.-based judge threw it out last mont

— "Elon Musk just sided against Apple in one of the biggest tech showdowns of the year," by Washington Post's Faiz Siddiqui and Reed Albergotti: "Epic had argued, in a three-week trial before a U.S. district judge that ended in May, that Apple's dominance over its app market is monopolistic. 'Apple app store fees are a de facto global tax on the Internet,' Musk wrote. 'Epic is right.'"

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CANNABIS COUNTRY

— "No hangovers or beer bellies: Cannabis firms try to woo booze drinkers," by POLITICO's Paul Demko: Rather than rolling a joint or puffing on a vape, some of the largest cannabis companies in North America see a multibillion-dollar marijuana beverage industry waiting to be tapped as states increasingly embrace legal weed.

HOLLYWOODLAND

— "Disney to require employees to have COVID-19 vaccines," by LATimes' Meg James: "Walt Disney Co. is taking an unprecedented step to require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The new policy could eventually be extended to cover tens of thousands of workers at Disney's theme parks, including in Anaheim and Orlando."

— "Streaming has made movie studios a hot ticket. A new one is planned for the San Fernando Valley," by LATimes' Roger Vincent: "Sunset Glenoaks Studios will be a new complex on 10 acres on Peoria Street in an industrial district of Sun Valley near Glenoaks Boulevard."

MIXTAPE

— "In Orange County, Anti-Vaccine Activists Attack Top Elected Official For His Vietnamese Heritage," by LAist's Josie Huang.

— " Video: Meet the People Burning California to Save It," by NYTimes' Emma Cott, Caroline Kim and Elie Khadra.

— "Police cited wife of California prison guard to cover up his illegal fireworks, report says," by SacBee's Abbie Lauten-Scrivner.

— "Who is visiting SF? We rode a bus with tourists to find out," by SFChronicle's Chase DiFeliciantonio.

— "California is failing to meet demand for UC admission. Why it's a crisis," by LATimes' Teresa Watanabe.

BIRTHDAYS

MPA's Arlen Valdivia … Gil Durán of The Sacramento Bee/McClatchy … Caitlin Teeley … Sunday: Rep. Josh Harder … Brandon Richards of Planned Parenthood California

SATURDAY: Former state Treasurer John Chiang … Anthony Holland of Mercury Public Affairs … Mark Cuban … Richard Blum ... Sherry Lansing … Dan Schnur … Danielle Meister of WhatsApp

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