News : All eyes on OC

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

All eyes on OC

Jul 27, 2022

By Lara Korte , Jeremy B. White and Sakura Cannestra

Presented by CVS Health

THE BUZZ: California's Asian American voters have shown themselves to be a powerhouse political force in recent years, and could determine the outcome of two of the nation's most competitive Congressional races.

Orange County's massive Asian American population, which includes one of the largest Vietnamese communities outside Vietnam, has been the subject of much political courting by parties and candidates over the past year as we've approached the midterms. The area is held by GOP Reps. Young Kim (CA-40) and Michelle Steel ( CA-45) — two Asian American women who narrowly flipped their seats in 2020. Democrats are eager to flip those seats back to blue, especially in a year where they're in danger of losing their narrow majority in Congress.

While Asian American voters don't act as a monolith , it's clear that both parties see them as a crucial factor in the path to victory in November. Last year, the Republican National Committee set up an Asian Pacific American Community Center in Westminster, where they host game nights, potlucks and other events for the Little Saigon community. And on Tuesday, the DCCC, House Democrats' main campaign arm, announced it was dropping $60,000 in ad buys across Orange County — part of a larger, seven-figure outreach campaign to Asian Americans across the country.

Asian American voters have also been pivotal in San Francisco's recent political turmoil. They played prominent roles in supporting the recalls of three San Francisco school board members, galvanized by the halt of merit-based admissions at prestigious Lowell High School and by a recalled board member calling out Asian-Americans (an Asian-American school board member who secured her spot after supporting the recall is now embroiled in her own scandal ). Fear over anti-Asian attacks also helped drive the recall of former district attorney Chesa Boudin. It's no accident that new D.A. Brooke Jenkins quickly visited Chinatown and vowed to crack down.

Flipping the seat is going to be harder for Democrats in CA-40, where redistricting gave Kim a significant advantage, moving from a D+4 in 2020 to an R+5 this year. Her Democratic challenger, Asif Mahmood, came in first in the primary after garnering 41 percent of the vote, but the conservative vote, which was split three ways in June, will likely consolidate around Kim in the fall.

Steel's district, on the other hand, presents a much riper opportunity for Democrats. Redistricting swung her from an R+6.5 to a D+5 this year. Democratic challenger Jay Chen also managed to come out of the primaries slightly ahead of Steel — a lead that could grow larger with an increased turnout in November.

Perhaps most interesting is the difference in how the parties are appealing to Asian American voters in Orange County. DCCC's recent ad hits on abortion access and aims to paint Republicans' agenda as a "threat to people nationwide and especially women and families within the [Asian American/Pacific Islander] community," as DCCC Senior Advisor for AAPI Engagement Allen Chen said in a statement.

The GOP, on the other hand, is sticking to its messaging around bread-and-butter issues, hoping voters will be motivated by rising inflation and the economy.

"People are living paycheck to paycheck , especially in the Asian American community, there's a high percentage of small businesses affected by these high prices," said Nainoa Johsens, the RNC'S director of Asian Pacific American media. "What we really see are the issues – economy, crime, things like that — those are the issues that resonate."

BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. We hope all you Sacramentans enjoyed the rain yesterday, because that's probably not happening again until October.

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: "National parks like Yosemite are wild by nature." Yosemite spokesperson Scott Gediman talking about the park's continued flow of visitors despite the nearby Oak Fire, via The Guardian.

TWEET OF THE DAY: UCLA Professor of Law Rick Hasen with an ingenious idea: "put the vaccines in the choco tacos"

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

A message from CVS Health:

Throughout the pandemic, in California and communities across the country, CVS Health has been there. We've opened more than 4,800 COVID-19 test sites, administered 41 million tests and given 67 million vaccines. We've expanded access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine, increased remote access to mental health services and invested in affordable housing to help build healthier communities. We've been on the frontlines, making health care easier to access and afford. Learn more.

TOP TALKERS

— " Family of teen girl killed in Burlington store sues LAPD, officer who fired ," by the Los Angeles Times' Libor Jany: "Soledad Peralta and Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas allege that the LAPD failed to "adequately train and supervise" the officers who confronted an assault suspect in a North Hollywood department store."

BIG TEN TALKING — " Why did the Big Ten add UCLA and USC? Takeaways from commissioner's remarks ," by the Los Angeles Times' J. Brady McCollough: "Whatever it is that USC and UCLA and the Los Angeles market bring the Midwestern-based, now-national Big Ten, it is widely assumed that their addition to the league will push the Big Ten's next media rights package well past $1 billion."

CAMPAIGN MODE

— " A homeless measure will be on the Sacramento ballot in November. Here's what it will do ," by the Sacramento Bee's Theresa Clift: "The measure, spearheaded by a top aide to former Mayor Kevin Johsnon and business groups, would require the city to create shelter beds for 60% of its homeless population or face lawsuits."

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

MURKY WATERS — " California too slow to help Valley communities with tainted drinking water, auditor says ," by the Sacramento Bee's Dale Kasler: "Tilden's report highlights a chronic problem afflicting hundreds of small, mostly rural communities in California, mainly in the Central Valley — a shortage of safe drinking water."

— " Commission blasts Villanueva for refusing to testify about alleged deputy gangs ," by the Los Angeles Daily News' Scott Schwebke: "[Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex] Villanueva, who has been a political thorn in the side of the county Board of Supervisors, has repeatedly described the commission as biased."

— " New police accountability laws up demands on state agencies ," by CalMatters' Nigel Duara and Byrhonda Lyons: "New state laws on police accountability are testing the limits of several agencies, including the Department of Justice, which say they need more resources for these new duties."

— " Drought: How one Orange County water district drilled down to become self-sustaining ," by the Orange County Register's Brooke Staggs: "Not every water district is like Mesa, fortunate enough to be sitting on two layers of underground aquifers. Still, experts say some water districts in California and throughout the country could pivot to greater reliance on local groundwater supplies."

— " Editorial: The false promise of Gov. Gavin Newsom's CARE courts ," opines the Los Angeles Times' Editorial Board: "But the Community Assistance Recovery and Empowerment Court, and the accompanying Senate Bill 1338, merely create a new legal framework for the same failed approach, making mental illness tantamount to a crime."

— " If L.A. County imposes a mask mandate, Beverly Hills won't enforce it ," by the Los Angeles Times' Grace Toohey: "The council, led by [Beverly Hills Mayor Lili] Bosse, voted unanimously not to deploy city staff or resources to help enforce a new indoor mask mandate, as the city did do for almost a year starting in summer 2020."

A message from CVS Health:

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

PRIVATE ON PRIVACY — " Pelosi in a bind as California leaders object to federal privacy bill ," by the Washington Post's Cristiano Lima: "Pelosi could push to secure more concessions for her home state ahead of any floor vote, but many Democrats and Republicans may balk at the prospect."

— Why expensive gasoline is here to stay , by POLITICO's Ben Lefebvre: The reason: The United States' capacity for refining oil into gasoline is declining, a trend that appears irreversible — for reasons that include climate change. But the nation's appetite for fuel is holding firm, no matter all the predictions of a future filled with electric cars.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— " Google Sales Growth Slows as Pressures Mount on Ad Market ," by the Wall Street Journal's Miles Kruppa: "The slowdown, after disappointing results from social-media companies Twitter Inc. and Snap Inc. last week, suggests further weakness in an industry critical to the health of many internet companies."

— " Instagram Acknowledges Concerns After Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian Decry TikTok-Like Shift ," by the Wall Street Journal's Alyssa Kukpat: "Instagram has rewarded users recently who post more short videos, including Reels, which mimic TikTok's video interface. The platform has also updated its algorithm to give priority to Reels instead of posts from people whom a user follows."

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MIXTAPE

— " Feds investigate USC student's complaint of anti-Semitism ," by the Associated Press.

— " California railroad workers aren't entitled to state sick leave benefits, court rules ," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Bob Egelko.

— " Oakland to pay $1.5 million to fired police chief Anne Kirkpatrick ," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Sarah Ravani.

TRACKING COVID IN TRAVEL — " COVID outbreaks hit TSA, American and Southwest airlines at LAX ," by the Los Angeles Times' Salvador Hernandez.

— " 'I'm thinking she's going to die': California woman attacked by monk seal in Hawaii ," by the SFGate's Amy Graff.

— "' Mysterious plastic items' scooped up in 45-day sweep of Great Pacific Garbage Patch ," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Annie Vainshtein.

A message from CVS Health:

At CVS Health, we're more than 300,000 caring employees ensuring Californians and millions of Americans can access health care services.

We have been offering COVID-19 vaccines at more than 9,600 CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide.

Nothing should stand in the way of mental health and well-being, so we have been increasing remote access to mental health services.

We have been supporting safer pregnancies and expanding access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine.

Recognizing the strong connection between housing and health, we have been investing in affordable housing to support underserved populations and build healthier communities.

Every day, CVS Health works to bring quality, affordable health care into neighborhoods, homes and hands—so it's never out of reach for anyone.

Healthier Happens Together.

Learn more.

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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