| | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White, Lara Korte and Sakura Cannestra | Presented by Clean Air California | THE BUZZ: The sun was scarcely up in Los Angeles yesterday when sheriff's deputies conducted a search that would rivet the county's political class. Los Angeles Supervisor Sheila Kuehl found deputies at her door who work for political antagonist Sheriff Alex Villanueva. As reporters watched, deputies executed one of several search warrants seeking more information on contracts the Metropolitan Transportation Association had awarded to an anti-sexual-violence nonprofit run by Kuehl's longtime friend Patricia Giggans, whose home was authorized to be searched along with the offices of Peace Over Violence and MTA headquarters. The warrant describes evidence for a quid pro quo scheme in which Metro awarded contracts to Peace Over Violence and Giggans and other officials donated to Kuehl. It suggests bribery, fraud and theft of public funds may have occurred. But Kuehl and other Angeleno observers suspected something else: payback. A protracted power struggle between Villanueva and the board of supervisors has convulsed county government for years. Villanueva has resisted the county's efforts to investigate deputy gangs in his department, including by refusing to appear before a civilian oversight panel to which Kuehl appointed Giggans. Kuehl has called for Villanueva's resignation and helped put a measure on the November ballot that would let supervisors fire wayward sheriffs — a move that Villanueva has assailed as an illegal effort to undermine his authority and override voters. Investigations by Villanueva's office have drawn intense scrutiny thanks to that political context. An LA Times report last year on allegations that Villanueva was targeting political enemies cited the probe encompassing Kuehl and Giggans' nonprofit. Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón told the Times he refused to collaborate with an investigative unit that was "only targeting political enemies" of Villanueva, with whom Gascón has regularly sparred. One of the unit's investigators has ties to the judge who signed the warrant authorizing Wednesday's search. Kuehl called the judge "a friend of the sheriff." | 
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva listening to a question at a news conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. | AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes |
Villanueva's office declined to comment on Wednesday's raid, citing an "ongoing public corruption investigation." The FBI said they were not involved in the operation and Attorney General Rob Bonta said only that his office was monitoring the investigation. The Los Angeles DA's office said it had reviewed the sheriff's case in 2021 and concluded it did not establish "criminal conduct beyond a reasonable doubt" — and that, since they were not consulted on the warrant, they wouldn't defend it in court.
But Kuehl had no qualms about offering her take as she stood outside her home, insisting she had not committed a felony and lambasting a "bogus non-investigation" that she called "harassment" and linked to the sheriff. "Of course he knows about it," she told Fox LA. "If he doesn't know about it there's a rogue element in the sheriff's department, and either way it's totally out of control." Villanueva, she said, "should have stopped it." (For his part, Villanueva wrote Bonta to ask that the California DOJ investigate whether Kuehl was "illegally alerted" of the impending search). Kuehl has not been charged with a crime, and there is no evidence establishing Villanueva ordered a politically motivated probe. But given how the clash between their respective offices has shaped Los Angeles politics in recent years, Angelenos were transfixed by yesterday's search and keen to know what comes next. One thing we know for sure: Villanueva is up for re-election in about six weeks, and he's sharing the ballot with an initiative that would let supervisors jettison sheriffs who cross the line. BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. Happy Hispanic Heritage month. California owes much to its huge population with roots in the Spanish-speaking world, including the 30 current members of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. That's a quarter of state lawmakers. 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: "Through its illegal actions, the quote 'everything store' has effectively set a price floor costing Californians more for just about everything." California Attorney General Rob Bonta on suing Amazon for alleged anti-competitive behavior. TWEET OF THE DAY
|  Today's Tweet of the Day | Twitter | WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
| | | | A message from Clean Air California: We have always had wildfires, but as California gets hotter and drier, the fires are getting worse. Prop 30 is the solution we need to prevent catastrophic wildfires and polluted air throughout the state. It provides more state firefighters and firefighting equipment to stop fires before they grow, better forest management to reduce dry fuels, and increased protective space around our homes. Prop 30: the solution we need to prevent wildfires and clean our air. | | | |  | TOP TALKERS | | — California sues Amazon over third-party contracting, by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White: "[State Attorney General Rob] Bonta, a Democrat, argued that Amazon has violated California laws barring anti-competitive practices by shutting out competitors and effectively cementing higher prices — and he is seeking a court order barring Amazon from requiring third-party contracts that limit price competition, along with restitution for merchants and other financial penalties." — " Experts Question the Role of White Mulberry in the Death of Congressman's Wife," by Kaiser Health News' Samantha Young: "But Sacramento County Coroner Kimberly Gin has not explained — nor provided records that explain — why she determined white mulberry leaf led to the dehydration that killed [Lori] McClintock at age 61, fueling skepticism among a variety of experts." | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | LONG ODDS: Voters are poised to reject Proposition 27 despite online platforms spending more than $100 million to pass the sports betting initiative, according to the Public Policy Institute of California . About a third of voters support the measure while a majority would reject it, PPIC found — a wide gulf for proponents to cross with ballots going out in the coming weeks. Abortion rights will likely be written into California's constitution, with PPIC finding more than two-thirds of voters supporting Proposition 1 and a strong majority calling the measure very important. Conversely, support for funding electric vehicles by taxing the rich via Proposition 30 is slipping: PPIC found 55 percent of voters were inclined to back the initiative, down eight points from a July tally. This comes after wealthy opponents have spent millions to defeat the Lyft-funded measure and Gov. Gavin Newsom cut a spot denouncing it. Democratic leaders also received high marks: majorities of voters approved of both Gov. Gavin Newsom (55 percent) and President Joe Biden (53 percent). But Democrats may still be contending with an enthusiasm gap: Republican voters were more likely to see voting in the upcoming midterms as more important than the prior ones. CLEAN AIR ON AIR: Speaking of Proposition 30: the campaign is going on TV for the first time with a multi-million-dollar statewide buy. The spots feature a firefighter talking about the need to fund wildfire prevention and personnel (which would draw a share of the measure's revenue) and combat climate change. You can watch here. — " Four years and $300 million later, what's California's dialysis ballot proposition really about?" by the Sacramento Bee's Owen Tucker-Smith: "Both sides spent a total of nearly $300 million for what union leaders called a fight for reform, and what the industry says is a strategy of economic attrition to force it to the bargaining table." TAKING THE STAGE — "In big California campaigns, no room for debate," by CalMatters' Ben Christopher: "The offers, demands and feathered mascots don't seem to have swayed any of the Democrats." | | | | DON'T MISS - MILKEN INSTITUTE ASIA SUMMIT : Go inside the 9th annual Milken Institute Asia Summit, taking place from September 28-30, with a special edition of POLITICO's Global Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive coverage and insights from this important gathering. Stay up to speed with daily updates from the summit, which brings together more than 1,200 of the world's most influential leaders from business, government, finance, technology, and academia. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | CARE-ING FOR PEOPLE — "Newsom's plan seeks to give hope to families of mentally ill, homeless Californians," by the Los Angeles Times' Hannah Wiley: "An estimated 7,000 to 12,000 of California's most vulnerable residents are expected to qualify for CARE Court, the ones at greatest risk of death or deterioration due to their conditions." — "'You can't get out': Mentally ill languish in California jails without trial or treatment ," by the Los Angeles Times' Kevin Rector: "According to a decade of legal filings reviewed by The Times and interviews with mental health advocates, public defenders, family members of the mentally ill and former detainees, [John] Haasjes' experience fits within a much larger pattern of neglect involving some of the most vulnerable people in state custody." — " 'It's crushing': California cleans up mudslide damage," by the Associated Press' Amy Taxin and Brian Melley: "Dogs aided the hunt for a person missing in a heavily damaged area of the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles where thunderstorms unleashed rocks, trees and earth that washed away cars, buried homes and affected 3,000 residents in two remote communities." LYRICAL LIABILITY — " Rap lyrics on trial: Bill would limit prosecutors' use of words and music as evidence," by CalMatters' Nigel Duara: "A bill before Gov. Gavin Newsom would force prosecutors who want to use rap lyrics, or any other form of creative expression, to hold a pretrial hearing away from the jury to prove that the lyrics or other artistic expression are relevant to the case." — "Should you get your flu shot and COVID booster together? Here's what experts say," by the Mercury News' Lisa M. Krieger: "But health officials are urging Americans to get the new flu shot and COVID booster at the same time — the sooner, the better." | | | | A message from Clean Air California:   | | | | | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | | LA TO DC: The LA sheriff search warrant caught the attention of Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss), who had previously expressed skepticism about former LA Metro chief Philip Washington's qualifications to be appointed to the Federal Aviation Administration. On Wednesday, Wicker said in a statement that he was "deeply troubled" by allegations in the warrant — which include an assertion that Washington advanced a contract to stay in Kuehl's "good graces" — and said a Senate committee would apply "additional scrutiny." | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | MODERATION DETONATION — "Popular Facebook Group Admin Pulls Plug on Groups Over Content Moderation," by KQED's Rachael Myrow: "[Nick] Wright, who lives in San José, says he and more than 30 fellow volunteer group administrators have been engaged in a war of attrition with Facebook because of the platform's AI-led content moderation." | | HOLLYWOODLAND | | — "R. Kelly convicted on many counts, acquitted of trial fixing," by the Associated Press; Michael Tarm and Joey Cappelletti: "Prosecutors won convictions on six of the 13 counts against him, with many of the convictions carrying long mandatory sentences. But the government lost the marquee count — that Kelly and his then-business manager successfully rigged his state child pornography trial in 2008." | | | | Join POLITICO Live on Tuesday, Sept. 20 to dive into how federal regulators, members of Congress, and the White House are seeking to write the rules on digital currencies, including stablecoins. The panel will also cover the tax implications of crypto, which could be an impediment to broader adoption and the geopolitical factors that the U.S. is considering as it begins to draw regulatory frameworks for crypto. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | MIXTAPE | | — "Catalytic converters stolen from multiple SFPD vehicles," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Annie Vainshtein. NEXT STOP — Amtrak shuttering some lines, commuter rail to follow if strike hits, by POLITICO's Alex Daughtery. HIGH RISE HOUSING — " Goodbye, water cooler; hello, pool: More Los Angeles offices are becoming apartments," by the Los Angeles Times' Roger Vincent. — "Billionaire No More: Patagonia Founder Gives Away the Company ," by the New York Times' David Gelles. — "Foresthill residents who didn't evacuate Mosquito Fire show gratitude for Cal Fire effort," by the Sacramento Bee's Hector Amezcua. | | BIRTHDAYS | | Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.) … Nina Jacobson ... Alex Yudelson | | | | A message from Clean Air California: We have always had wildfires, but as California gets hotter and drier, the fires are getting worse. The smoke from wildfires combined with pollution from tailpipe emissions has resulted in our state having the worst air quality in the country. Prop 30 is the solution we need. It was drafted by climate experts to address the problems at the source, by reducing tailpipe emissions that cause pollution, and preventing the wildfires that create toxic smoke. It will provide better forest management to reduce dry fuels and more state firefighters and equipment, to contain fires before they grow. Prop 30 will help clean the air we all breathe.
That's why environmental groups, state firefighters, public health groups, consumer advocates and climate experts are supporting Prop 30 — the Clean Air Act. Join us and be a part of the solution. Learn more at www.Yeson30.org. | | | 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. Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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