News: Handle with care

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Handle with care

Jun 22, 2022

By Jeremy B. White, Lara Korte and Sakura Cannestra

Presented by City of Hope

THE BUZZ: Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to prod mentally ill homeless people into treatment is proceeding smoothly to the governor's desk — but the vote totals belie some underlying tension.

Legislation enacting Newsom's vision cleared its first Assembly committee yesterday with a single lawmaker dissenting — the only "no" vote on file in the bill's journey so far. Spurring the bill was the broad consensus that California can no longer abide the number of people languishing outdoors in states of clear psychological distress. "We know, see, feel, interact with so many Californians who are very sick, very vulnerable, often living unhoused on the streets, and our answer is to walk by them" and let criminal charges or forced hospitalization fill the void, Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly testified yesterday.

Hence CARE Courts. The plan would let relatives , first responders, health care professionals and prosecutors channel people suffering from severe mental illness into civil proceedings. They could voluntarily submit to a combination of behavioral therapy, medication and housing (if available). If they reject it, people would head down a path that would start with having a treatment plan imposed on them and potentially end, if they continue to resist, with involuntary confinement and medication.

That flies red flags for civil libertarians , advocates for the disabled and the local health professionals who would need to implement the program. It also prompted concerns from lawmakers — even if they ultimately voted in favor — during an hours-long hearing. County health officials decry diverting resources from their more-effective pursuit of voluntary treatment into mandates that could bring penalties for noncompliance. People of color fear perpetuating medical discrimination. Critics warn California lacks the housing to shelter people going through the program.

More broadly, the idea tests the tension between liberty and welfare. Proponents of the idea insist that it's not about criminalizing homelessness — part of why amendments took the role of counseling participants from public defenders — and stress that it would offer people already on the road to conservatorship an off ramp, making confinement a last resort rather than a starting place. Pressed on a dearth of housing, Sen. Tom Umberg retorted that "the alternative is you just leave that person living under the bridge" and getting no help.

Not everyone is convinced. Assembly member Ash Kalra, a progressive Democrat who furnished the only vote against the bill, questioned the "coercive nature" of the bill and argued it undercut a housing-focused approach to solving homelessness. Assembly member Mark Stone voted for the bill but fretted that good intentions would be abused to "sweep people up because we don't like seeing them." Disability Rights California's Kim Pederson distilled it succinctly: "true freedom of choice cannot exist," she warned, "in a system where there are consequences to not following a court order."

ONWARDS: None of that means the bill will fall short of Newsom's desk. It has a couple of Assembly committees to go before an Assembly floor vote and a final Senate OK. The governor is continuing to press for a bill that leads his agenda on homelessness this year, announcing $518.5 million on Monday for people coping with severe mental illnesses and releasing a rare statement yesterday praising the vote to allay "existential crises."

BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. Anti-abortion activists will be rallying outside the state Capitol, including the man whose practice of recording at clinics drew legislation and criminal charges. Inside the Capitol, a constitutional amendment cementing abortion rights is sailing toward an appearance on the November ballot after passing the Senate with near Democratic unanimity.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up: jwhite@politico.com and lkorte@politico.com or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The most powerful man in the world, the president of the United States, sought to cling to power after being voted out of office by the American people. The system held – but barely." Rep. Adam Schiff, presiding over the Jan. 6 hearings, on former President Donald Trump pressuring states to reverse the 2020 election results.

TWEET OF THE DAY: San Francisco icon @KarlTheFog on a rare 92-degree day: "RIP San Francisco (1776-2022)"

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

A message from City of Hope:

MAKING THE CANCER MOONSHOT A REALITY IN CALIFORNIA: Despite the amazing advances taking place in cancer care, too many patients – particularly those from historically underserved communities – face unnecessary barriers to access optimal care and suffer as a result. We must democratize cancer care by removing these unfair barriers and expanding equitable access to cancer care without delay. Here's how.

TOP TALKERS

— "Cal Fire Fumbles Key Responsibilities to Prevent Catastrophic Wildfires Despite Historic Budget," by CapRadio's Scott Rodd and KQED's Danielle Venton: "Today, Cal Fire is at an inflection point: trying to return to a greater emphasis on fire mitigation and forest health, while still working to protect communities from historic and deadly wildfires. "

BANDITOS BACKLASH — "Investigators probing 'deputy gang' violence were told not to ask about Banditos, chief says ," by the Los Angeles Times' Alene Tchekmedyian: "Burson's declaration was made public as part of a lawsuit by deputies who say they faced pervasive harassment by the Banditos while working at the East L.A. station."

CAMPAIGN MODE

DEM-ON-DEM MATCHUPS— "How California primaries create special interest-fueled races with Democratic infighting," by the Sacramento Bee's Lindsey Holden and Owen Tucker-Smith: "Issues like homelessness and climate change were eclipsed by the millions in PAC money. Instead, the primary between Sacramento City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby and former Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones devolved into a contest over who was the biggest special interest stooge."

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.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

— California bill to divest nation's two largest pension funds won't advance, by POLITICO's Jordan Wolman: While 1,500 institutions have divested more than $40 trillion in assets, according to a count by Stand.earth and 350.org, Maine is the only state to mandate through legislation that its pension fund pull out of the fossil fuel industry.

WE THE PEOPLE — "Workers are unionizing across the country. Could staffers in the California Legislature be next? " by the San Francisco Chronicle's Sophia Bollag: "Lawmakers and others who support the bill say a groundswell of support for unions across the country, including among workers at big companies such as Starbucks and Amazon, has helped propel the bill forward."

SAVING THE SEQUOIAS — " Congress wants to save California's giant sequoias from worsening wildfires. Here's the plan," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Kurtis Alexander: "Over the past two years, nearly a fifth of all giant sequoias, once considered virtually immune to wildfire, burned so badly they died. Fire experts fear more lethal blazes are imminent."

— " L.A. City Council bypasses ballot, approves measure to reduce workload for hotel housekeepers," by the Los Angeles Times' Hugo Martín: "Most hotels in the city of Los Angeles will be required to limit the daily workload of housekeepers, offer overtime pay under certain circumstances, provide "panic buttons" to protect their workers from sexual harassment and do away with policies that automatically forgo daily cleaning, under a measure approved Tuesday by the Los Angeles City Council."

— "Sacramento councilman representing Del Paso Heights appears to be sworn in at Granite Bay house," by the Sacramento Bee's Theresa Clift: "After he was sworn in, rumors started to swirl that he did not live in the largely low-income North Sacramento district — rumors that now appear to be true."

A message from City of Hope:

SILICON VALLEYLAND

HAILING THE COURT — "Drivers' Lawsuit Claims Uber and Lyft Violate Antitrust Laws," by the New York Times' Kellen Browning and Noam Scheiber: "The drivers, supported by the advocacy group Rideshare Drivers United, made the novel legal argument in a state lawsuit that targets the long-running debate about the job status of gig economy workers."

— Twitter's board urges shareholders to approve Musk takeover bid , by POLITICO's Kelly Hooper: Musk and Twitter agreed on a deal in April for the billionaire to buy the platform for $44 billion. But the board's endorsement on Tuesday comes amid uncertainty that the deal will go through as Musk has in recent weeks threatened to pull out of the agreement over questions about fake and spam accounts on the platform.

— " Meta Agrees to Alter Ad-Targeting Tech in Settlement With U.S.," by the New York Times' Mike Isaac: "The company's ad systems have allowed marketers to choose who saw their ads by using thousands of different characteristics, which have also let those advertisers exclude people who fall under a number of protected categories."

HOLLYWOODLAND

— "Bill Cosby Sexually Abused Judy Huth In 1970s, Civil Jury Decides," by Deadline's Dominic Patten: "Handing their verdict to L.A. Superior Court Judge Craig Karlan with plaintiff Judy Huth, her legal team and Cosby's defense team in attendance at the packed courtroom, the 12-person jury also awarded Huth $500,000 in damages."

JOIN TUESDAY FOR WOMEN RULE TALK ON THE ECONOMY: The U.S. economy is showing signs of slowing down after a period of robust growth last year. How would an economic slowdown affect women's economic security across socioeconomic, racial, and geographic lines? Join POLITICO's Women Rule for a conversation on what's ahead for the U.S. economy and how it will impact women's livelihoods and economic well-being. REGISTER HERE.

CANNABIS COUNTRY

— "California's next cannabis battle may be coming to a city near you," by CalMatters' Alexei Koseff: "More than 60% of cities and counties do not allow retail sales, according to the state, and while most of California's most populous places do permit dispensaries, there are strict limits in many of them."

MIXTAPE

— "TV correspondent, accused of asking child for naked photos, hired ex-D.A. as consultant," by the Los Angeles Times' James Queally.

— "Big Silicon Valley building that could be tech center lands buyer," by the Mercury News' George Avalos.

— " $650,000 settlement ends lawsuit alleging retaliation by Riverside County's auditor-controller," by the Press-Enterprise's Jeff Horseman.

— "Four Bay Area women's soccer legends leading effort for NWSL expansion ," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Marisa Ingemi.

BIRTHDAYS

Sen. Dianne Feinstein … Rep. Adam Schiff … Apple News' Michael Falcone … ICANN's Carlos Reyes … Google's Megan Chan … (was Tuesday): Chloe Frelinghuysen

A message from City of Hope:

LAWMAKERS: For too long, too many patients—especially those historically underserved—have been denied the opportunity to benefit from the latest advancements in cancer care.

For patients insured by Medi-Cal, the results are clear: worse outcomes on average for several cancer types.

Californians should take heed – cancer is the state's second-biggest killer, and more than 189,000 Californians are expected to be diagnosed this year alone.

That's why City of Hope and Cancer Care Is Different, a coalition of leading cancer organizations, are supporting the California Cancer Care Equity Act (SB 987) . This bill expands access to equitable cancer care by ensuring Medi-Cal beneficiaries who receive a complex cancer diagnosis can choose to seek treatment at a specialty cancer center, increasing the number of Californians able to benefit from emerging therapies.

This change could mean the difference between life and death for many Californians. Let's make the Biden administration's moonshot a reality.

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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