News: It all comes down to Diablo

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

It all comes down to Diablo

Aug 31, 2022

By Lara Korte, Jeremy B. White and Sakura Cannestra

Presented by SEIU United Healthcare Workers West

THE BUZZ — MAKE IT SNAPPY: Welcome to the last day of the Legislative session. Congratulations on making it this far, but don't tap out yet. We've got some crucial bills still hanging in the balance — including the fate of Gov. Gavin Newsom's ambitious climate and energy plans.

Keep in mind that the 72-hour rule is still very much in effect and will push some votes well into the evening (or even later). Right off the bat: Senate Bill 846 to extend the lifetime of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, a pivotal part of Newsom's energy plans, isn't eligible for a vote until 7:56 p.m. this evening. Newsom and supporters say keeping the nuclear power plant open five years past its planned retirement is critical for keeping the lights on while the state transitions to cleaner and greener energy sources.

Opponents cite various reasons for closing it , including concerns about the use of nuclear energy in general and local environmental impacts. Some Democratic lawmakers earlier this month circulated an alternative proposal arguing that the $1.4 million the state would loan out to keep the plant operating should be spent, instead, on expanding renewable energy capacity.

We're still waiting on several votes, but two climate bills saw some action yesterday. Both the Senate and Assembly approved Senate Bill 1020, which sets interim targets for the state's goal of having 100 percent clean energy by 2045. And after 40 minutes of spirited debate (and some last-minute vote wrangling by Democrats) the Assembly passed Senate Bill 1137 — establishing mandatory setbacks of 3,200 feet for new oil wells built near homes, schools or parks. It now needs a vote in the Senate before going to Newsom for his signature.

Here's a quick tour of what else is in need of votes in the governor's climate agenda:

Assembly Bill 1279 codifies a 2018 executive order on California's goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2045.
Assembly Bill 2133 creates a more aggressive 2030 target for state greenhouse gas reduction, moving from 40 percent to 55 percent.
Assembly Bill 905 deploys carbon capture technologies.
Assembly Bill 1757 requires the state to develop a carbon removal target for natural and working lands geared toward the 2045 goal.

Climate and energy have proven to be the linchpin issues of Newsom's 2022 legislative agenda. As a governor who often touts California's green policies on a global and national stage, it's critical for him to position the state as a leader in this area. As someone who is increasingly working to raise his national profile, it's also critical for him to keep the lights on. Landing the package will be a test of Newsom's ability to work with the legislators.

SPOTTED: Newsom Chief of Staff Jim DeBoo and Legislative Affairs Secretary Christy Bouma posted up outside Assembly chambers on Tuesday. The pair talked with numerous lawmakers throughout the afternoon, and we're told the conversations centered on climate legislation — with a particular emphasis on the Diablo Canyon issue.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. ICYMI: Lawmakers sent two closely-watched abortion rights bills to Newsom yesterday: Senate Bill 1375, which allows trained nurse practitioners to perform first trimester abortions without the supervision of a physician, and Assembly Bill 2223, which ensures those who end a pregnancy or experience pregnancy loss will not be investigated, prosecuted or incarcerated. They're part of the massive package of abortion-rights bills lawmakers are aiming to send to the governor this session.

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 ability of California's energy system to meet state electricity needs in an environmentally responsible way depends on the extended operation of Diablo Canyon, and I urge you to take the necessary steps to ensure this occurs." California Sen. Dianne Feinstein in a letter to Legislative leaders on Tuesday.

TWEET OF THE DAY: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi @TeamPelosi throws her support behind a farm workers unionization bill: "CA farmworkers provide for our families — but far too many can't provide for theirs because they are exploited and don't have a voice on the job. We can mend this injustice by expanding workers' rights. I urge the governor to sign #AB2183 for the farmworkers and For The Children."

BONUS TOTD: Lobbyist Chris Micheli @ChrisMicheli: "I've been asked to convey a message to my colleagues in the lobbying corps: Please dispose of your trash, such as empty coffee cups, soda bottles, etc., in the cans provided in the Rotunda. Capitol staff are not there to clean-up after you. Thank you for your cooperation!"

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

A message from SEIU United Healthcare Workers West:

Healthcare workers have been through hell during the pandemic. Before the vaccines, as COVID-19 infection and death rates soared, healthcare workers continued to go to work–sometimes without the proper equipment to keep them safe. They put their lives on the line for as little as $15 an hour. They were there for us. Now, it's time we are there for them. Tell lawmakers to increase the minimum wage to $25 for healthcare workers.

TOP TALKERS

LEGISLATIVE LABOR: Capitol staffers were celebrating yesterday after a bill letting them unionize cleared the Senate in AB 1577's first floor test. Nearly every Democratic senator and Republican Sen. Shannon Grove signed on, with Sen. Scott Wiener downplaying fears that work stoppages could upend legislative business.

"None of our staff want to sabotage this legislative process," Wiener said. Now the bill has to clear the Assembly Public Employment and Retirement Committee — where chair Jim Cooper, who told us he had "concerns," has been known to block contested bills — to get a final vote on the Assembly floor.

SAFE SEARCH ON — Kids' online safety bill targeting platforms like TikTok goes to Newsom, by POLITICO's Sakura Cannestra: This bill's reach would extend well beyond California, impacting tech companies nationwide. It would target online spaces often visited by children under 18, with tight guidelines on the collection and sharing of kids' personal information and features to protect them from predators and lessen the risk of addiction and other harms.

— " California Rep. Eric Swalwell says caller threatened to kill him with assault rifle," by the Los Angeles Times' Christian Martinez: "Swalwell, an outspoken opponent of former President Trump, has publicly detailed violent threats in the past, often blaming them on Trump and his Republican Party allies, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield)."

IN HEALTH AND IN HOMES — " CA governor's mental health care plan for homeless advances," by the Associated Press' Janie Har and Adam Beam: "The bill the state Assembly approved on Tuesday by a 60-2 vote would require counties to set up a special civil court to process petitions brought by family, first responders and others on behalf of an individual diagnosed with specified disorders, such as schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders."

CAMPAIGN MODE

— "Here's how Big Tobacco is already reaping millions in California off a November ballot proposition," by the Mercury News' Scooty Nickerson: "With the statewide ban on pause, tobacco companies stand to gain an estimated $830 million in revenue from menthol cigarette sales alone since the start of 2021, said Mike Roth, spokesperson for the Yes on Prop. 31 campaign, which supports the original ban."

— "S.F. supervisor candidate Leanna Louie sues after city kicks her off November ballot ," by the San Francisco Chronicle's J.D. Morris: "Louie's attorneys, joined by the candidate and a group of sign-bearing supporters, announced their legal challenge at a news conference in front of City Hall late Tuesday morning. Louie and her legal team are hoping to appear in court next week."

SHOES TO FILL — " L.A. council fails to pick a replacement for Ridley-Thomas, exposing a divide at City Hall," by the Los Angeles Times' David Zahniser: "Council President Nury Martinez had been hoping on Tuesday to persuade her colleagues to appoint Heather Hutt, who has been the district's caretaker since mid-July, when a judge sidelined the council's previous interim pick, former Councilman Herb Wesson. But five of Martinez's colleagues blocked that proposal, using a procedural move to keep it from being considered on the council floor — and sending it to a committee instead."

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CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

NEWSOM'S PAID LEAVE DECISION, via POLITICO's Eleanor Mueller: Gov. Gavin Newsom must decide on a bill to boost paid family leave wage replacement rates as high as 90 percent — in line with recommendations from Newsom's own paid leave taskforce — after congressional Democrats left the benefit out of their reconciliation package.

If the bill fails, California's rate would revert to a comparatively low 55 percent. While businesses like Patagonia and Impossible Foods are urging Newsom to sign, the bill's funding mechanism — removing the state disability taxable wage ceiling so that high-income workers would contribute a share of their wages — could be a nonstarter for the Democrat, who vetoed a similar bill last year.

THE FULL SPECTRUM — "California may act as US refuge for transgender youth," by the Associated Press' Don Thompson: "The legislation is designed to provide legal refuge to parents from other states who risk having their transgender children taken away or being criminally prosecuted if they support their children's access to gender-affirming procedures and other health care."

— "Black Sacramento utility workers claim racial discrimination in lawsuit against SMUD ," by the Sacramento Bee's Rosalio Ahumada: "The workers said they repeatedly were passed over for promotions as managers chose less qualified white job candidates, according to a plaintiffs' complaint filed Jan. 4 in Sacramento Superior Court."

— "California passes law requiring companies to post salary ranges on job listings ," by the Los Angeles Times' Jeff Green and Tiffany Stecker: "In recent years, more states have adopted an array of transparency laws to fight the stubborn gender and racial pay gaps."

— "Ranchers, tribes, state officials clash over Shasta River water ," by CalMatters' Rachel Becker: "In other years, water pumped from the Shasta River would have periodically flooded this land, keeping his pasture alive and pond full. But the state had ordered [Jim] Scala and other ranchers and farmers in rural Siskiyou County to stop irrigating when the drought-plagued river dipped below a certain level."

A PRISON DILEMMA — " California lawmakers move to ban solitary confinement for long stints and vulnerable inmates," by the Los Angeles Times' Hannah Wiley: "The legislation defines solitary, or segregated, confinement as holding a person in a cell or similar space with severe restrictions on physical activity and movement and minimal or zero contact with people other than corrections staff for more than 17 hours a day."

— "Sheriff's officials tried to block testimony of key witness at 'deputy gang' hearing, lawsuit says," by the Los Angeles Times' Alene Tchekmedyian: "The directive that Sgt. Jefferson Chow should not appear before the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission despite being subpoenaed to do so was delivered to Chow in a phone call by a lieutenant who works for Undersheriff Tim Murakami, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday by Chow's wife, who is also a sergeant in the department."

— " Equity is goal, not mandate, in California electric car rule," by the Associated Press' Kathleen Ronayne: "Instead, car companies will get extra credit toward their sales quotas if they make cars available to car share or other programs aimed at disadvantaged Californians. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged $10 billion over six years for incentives to get electric vehicles into the hands of low-income residents, charging infrastructure, and other efforts to put cleaner cars and trucks on the road."

A message from SEIU United Healthcare Workers West:

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

— Trump team likely sought to conceal classified docs at Mar-a-Lago, DOJ tells judge, by POLITICO's Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney: The much-anticipated court filing includes a startling photo of some of the apparently classified files recovered from the so-called "45 Office" at Mar-a-Lago, spread across a carpet.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

CONTENT CATASTROPHE — "How Twitter's child porn problem ruined its plans for an OnlyFans competitor," by the Verge's Zoe Schiffer and Casey Newton: "'Twitter cannot accurately detect child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity at scale,' the Red Team concluded in April 2022. The company also lacked tools to verify that creators and consumers of adult content were of legal age, the team found."

— "A wave of layoffs is sweeping the US. Here are firms that have announced cuts so far, from Peloton to Snap. " by Business Insider's Avery Hartmans: "The reason, broadly, is twofold: business growth is slowing, while labor costs are increasing. The combination is causing American companies across a variety of industries to slash headcount."

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MEDIA MATTERS

— Los Angeles Times' state government reporter Melody Gutierrez joins the Times' investigations team.

MIXTAPE

— "Dynamite discovery closed Lake Tahoe highway for hours as bomb squad deployed a robot," by the Sacramento Bee's Michael McGough.

SPEAKING OF CLIMATE — "Long, possibly record-setting heat wave expected to hit California this week," by NBC News' Mirna Alsharif.

— " A 93-year-old California assisted living resident died after she was served dishwashing liquid instead of juice," by CNN's Zoe Sottile.

— "13-year-old shot at Oakland's Madison Park Academy; 12-year-old suspect in custody ," by KTVU's Evan Sernoffsky and KTVU staff.

— "'I still feel nauseous': Scientists mourn loss of California's best-known whale," by SFGate's Amy Graff.

IN MEMORIAM

— Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union's final leader, dies, by POLITICO's David Cohen.

A message from SEIU United Healthcare Workers West:

During the height of the pandemic, with COVID-19 infections and deaths on the rise, schools and businesses across California were closing. But healthcare workers continued to go to work, risking their lives to care for their patients. Even when protective equipment was scarce and there were no vaccines to slow the spread, they showed up for us and our communities. For many healthcare workers, they put their lives on the line for as little as $15 an hour.

These heroes deserve better. Together, we can make a difference. Contact your state lawmakers. Tell them to increase the minimum wage to $25 an hour for California's healthcare workers.

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