News : Let's make a deal

Friday, August 26, 2022

Let's make a deal

Aug 26, 2022

By Jeremy B. White, Lara Korte and Sakura Cannestra

Presented by Stop AB 257

THE BUZZ: Looking to make a deal? Then get ready for a long weekend, because the next three days are critical.

Time was that compromise language and rejected-then-revived bills would emerge in the final frenetic hours of the state's legislative session. Members would be asked to vote on newborn policy proposals with minimal time for vetting. That down-to-the-wire legislating could make it difficult to determine just what the Legislature was passing. Important policies emerging from opaque backroom machinations didn't bolster public trust in a transparent democratic process.

The 72-hour rule has changed all that. A 2016 ballot initiative requires amendments to be in print for three days before lawmakers can hold a vote. Those backroom meetings to hammer out compromises still happen. They just must happen far enough in advance that lawmakers, lobbyists and the public can study what's about to hit the floor. Next week's cakes will need to be baked.

Negotiators also have to keep an eye on the final clock. No one has forgotten the chaotic conclusion of the 2020 session, when bills perished for lack of time — most notably a prominent housing measure that scraped out of the Assembly but couldn't get a Senate vote before outstanding bills reverted to pumpkins. That means leaving enough time both for new language to make it through floor debates and votes in both houses.

One breakthrough emerged yesterday, when legislative leaders announced a housing production deal with the blessing of the State Building and Construction Trades Council. Lawmakers will advance two parallel bills that seek to expedite housing development on commercial land: one from Assembly member Buffy Wicks that the Trades had fought, and a Sen. Anna Caballero bill that the Trades had backed.

The Trades didn't support Wicks' bill or even quite say they were going neutral. They focused instead on their continued support for the Caballero measure. Nevertheless, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins heralded the dual-bill approach as "one of the most significant efforts to streamline and amplify housing production in decades."

There's still much to hammer out. A constellation of climate bills remains in flux as Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers scramble on an ambitious package that includes emissions reduction goals, well setbacks and carbon capture technology, with the fate of the contested Diablo Canyon nuclear plant factoring into the larger landscape. Amendments to a major fast food labor bill surfaced yesterday.

Meanwhile, the lobbying against the environmental bills is heating to maximum temperature. The Trades have also assailed the measures as anti-worker. The California Chamber of Commerce is busy tagging the climate bills as job killers — and they're also sloth-slayers, if you ask California oil producers.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. The Assembly will hold a Diablo Canyon hearing this morning at 10 a.m. The Newsom administration has dismissed as "fairy dust" the Legislature's counter-proposal rejecting the governor's plan to extend the plant — wording that has caught some attention.

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.

A message from Stop AB 257:

AB 257 imposes a restaurant tax that will lead to higher prices at thousands of local restaurants in California. This bill would hurt our small business owners, their employees, and the communities they serve. Between skyrocketing food and gas prices, working families can't afford to pay another tax on meals.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: "California is not out of step. We may be out of step with Texas and Mississippi, but we are not out of step with the world market — and frankly, I'd much rather be with them than those two." California Air Resources Board member Hector De La Torre on voting to mandate all new vehicles sold be electric or plug-in hybrid by 2035.

BONUS QOTD: "During my time on the bench, I've sentenced people for really horrible things, gang murders, and really deadly stuff. In many ways, what you've done is at least as reprehensible." Judge William Orrick sentences former San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru to seven years for a bribery scheme, via KQED .

TWEET OF THE DAY: Gov. @GavinNewsom keeps spending money against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: "Time to make Ron DeSantis a one-term governor. I'm pledging $100k right now to @CharlieCrist. Who will join me in helping Charlie become the next Governor of Florida?"

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

TOP TALKERS

HOUSING — "The Breed administration offered them homes. Then it spent millions to kick them out," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Joaquin Palomino and Trisha Thadani: "Under these circumstances, records show, people are typically forced out of SROs for the same issues that qualified them for supportive housing in the first place: poverty, mental illness, trauma and inability to care for themselves."

INTERSTATE INVESTMENTS — "How Nonprofits Use a Legal Loophole to Flip California Homes — for a Profit ," by KQED's Erin Baldassari: "It was this partnership with a nonprofit that allowed the organization to buy the house under a 2020 California law, SB 1079. It allows tenants of foreclosed homes, owner-occupants, governments and nonprofits an exclusive 45-day window to match the winning bid at a foreclosure auction."

— " New racist texts reveal Torrance cops talked about hurting and killing Black suspects," by the Los Angeles Times' James Queally: "Criminal cases in which the officers were involved continue to be dismissed, and at least one man has been released from prison. Lawsuits filed against officers involved have already cost Torrance more than $10 million. Still, most of the officers implicated remain employed by the city."

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CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

— Why Arizona's largest university is lobbying lawmakers in California, by POLITICO's Blake Jones: The first class of 88 students to enroll, however, were unable to tap into federal financial aid. That's because ASU isn't accredited by California, and state accreditation is required under federal law for a university's students to access financial assistance such as Pell Grants.

MONEY WASH — "Wage Theft: Car wash workers in $2.3 million case await pay 3 years later ," by CalMatters' Alejandro Lazo and Lil Kalish: "The state said the case against Playa Vista would be the largest wage theft payout by a California car wash. Years later Antonio Dominguez and dozens of other car washers have yet to see any of their unpaid wages."

— " Steep, icy and 'vicious': How a day of climbing on Mt. Shasta turned deadly," by the Los Angeles Times' Jack Dolan: "With crampons on their boots and ice axes in hand, they spent hours kicking and clawing their way up the snowy route known as Avalanche Gulch. They did not know that, up ahead, an extremely hard, slick layer of ice was waiting for them at the worst possible place, on the steepest section of the climb at about 12,000 feet elevation."

— " Why Californians with student loans will gain massively from forgiveness plan," by the Los Angeles Times' Teresa Watanabe and Debbie Truong: "Overall, the plan announced Wednesday would massively benefit California borrowers, who by their sheer numbers hold the nation's largest share of the $1.6 trillion in federal loan debt owed by 43 million current and former college and trade school students across the country."

— "Plan for iconic California park pits housing against history," by the Associated Press' Michael Liedtke: "Berkeley, an eclectic California city renowned for tie-dyed hippies and high-brow intellectuals, is experiencing a 1960s flashback triggered by People's Park, a landmark that has served as a counterculture touchstone, political stepping stone and refuge for homeless people."

LAY OF THE LAND — "Hospital purchased land from a board member. Why ethics experts say it was problematic ," by the Fresno Bee's Yesenia Amaro: "When a nonprofit corporation enters into business deals with its own board members, it can raise issues for regulators. Experts told The Bee this is particularly relevant if the corporation pays an excessive amount that's above the market value, and the conflicted board members participate in the discussions and votes."

— " Inside the Investigation That Secured a Guilty Plea for 84 Wildfire Deaths," by the Wall Street Journal's Katherine Blunt: "A brilliant flash broke the morning darkness on Nov. 8, 2018, as strong winds pummeled a power line scaling the Sierra Nevada mountains 90 miles north of Sacramento, Calif. A worn hook hanging from a century-old transmission tower owned by PG&E Corp. broke clean, dropping a high-voltage wire that spit electricity just before sunrise."

A message from Stop AB 257:

SILICON VALLEYLAND

I'M FEELING… — "Google will only show verified abortion providers by default when users search for clinics," by CNBC's Lauren Feiner: "In a letter sent shortly before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which protected the right to an abortion on the federal level, the lawmakers urged Google to crack down on results that pointed to 'anti-abortion fake clinics' when users searched for 'abortion clinic near me' or 'abortion pill.'"

CROSS-PLATFORM POSTING — "Facebook, Twitter and Others Remove Pro-U.S. Influence Campaign ," by the New York Times' Sheera Frenkel and Tiffany Hsu: "The operation, which ran for almost five years on eight social networks and messaging apps, promoted the views, values and goals of the United States while attacking the interests of Russia, China, Iran and other countries, the researchers found."

HOLLYWOODLAND

— "California Film Tax Credit Extension Put on Hold," by Variety's Gene Maddaus: "Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his support for the tax credit extension earlier this month, and the bill was expected to be approved by the Legislature before the end of the session on Aug. 31.But in a statement on Thursday, [bill author Sen. Anthony] Portantino said the bill would be put on hold until the next session in January."

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MIXTAPE

— "NFL punter Matt Araiza and two San Diego State football players accused in gang-rape lawsuit," by the Los Angeles Times' Colleen Shalby and Robert J. Lopez.

— "S.F. City Hall corruption: Mohammed Nuru gets 7 years in prison," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Rachel Swan.

— " Orange County reports 1st monkeypox case in child," by the City News Service.

— "New monkeypox cases begin to slow in L.A. County, echoing trends elsewhere ," by the Los Angeles Times' Grace Toohey, Rong-Gong Lin II and Luke Money.

BIG MONEY — "Northern California man wins largest Scratchers lottery ticket prize ever," by SFGate's Amy Graff.

POWERLESS — "PG&E investigating the cause of a massive outage in Oakland, East Bay," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Jessica Flores.

— " Daughter of UC Berkeley's beloved peregrine falcons found dead," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Emma Talley.

A message from Stop AB 257:

AB 257 would establish new regulations for counter-service restaurants, creating a tax on working families' dining choices by forcing menu price increases. This bill will affect tens of thousands of counter service restaurants where customers pay first then eat. It creates a food council of unelected appointees to take the place of legislators and set wages and duplicative and conflicting workplace laws. This extra layer of decision-making will raise costs at these establishments, essentially creating a tax on working families' dining choices by increasing menu prices. Increased costs mean fewer local restaurant openings, slower job growth, fewer employees per shift, decreases in hours and less opportunity for career advancement. It's a lose-lose situation for everyone. Tell your legislator to STOP AB 257.

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