News : From tiny houses to the big house

Friday, March 17, 2023

From tiny houses to the big house

Mar 17, 2023

By Lara Korte, Jeremy B. White, Matthew Brown and Ramon Castanos

THE BUZZ: Things aren’t going great in California, and Gov. Gavin Newsom wants you to know that he knows that.

In 2020, when the governor delivered a State of the State address devoted entirely to homelessness, he vowed to end the decades-long culture of apathy from the state government and funnel serious resources toward shelter and services for folks languishing on streets and sidewalks. “The State of California can no longer treat homelessness and housing insecurity as someone else’s problem,” he declared back then. “It is our responsibility.”

Three years, $15 billion and one global pandemic later, California has seen nearly 10,000 more people become homeless. It wouldn’t be correct to say the crisis is Newsom’s fault — but it certainly is his problem.

“I’m deeply mindful … of how angry we are as Californians about what’s going on in the streets and sidewalks in our state,” Newsom said Thursday to a room of state and local officials at the state fairgrounds in Sacramento.

“I get it — you want to see progress, and you want to see it now.”

For the first installment of a multi-day State of California tour, the governor Thursday announced the state will purchase 1,200 tiny homes to serve as temporary housing in Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose and Los Angeles. It’s welcome news for local leaders who are struggling to find enough beds for homeless residents, but it’s also only a small piece in the massive, convoluted puzzle that is the housing crisis.

There’s a real temptation with State of the State addresses (or tours, for that matter) to lean toward self-congratulation — especially for a leader fresh off a slam-dunk reelection. But in the first half of his reimagined annual address, Newsom is both attempting to acknowledge the uncomfortable reality around two of California’s thorniest issues, while also convincing voters that he’s got the right plan to fix it.

Today, on the second stop in his tour, he heads to San Quentin State Prison, where he’ll unveil a plan to transform one of the notorious prisons into a center for inmate education and rehabilitation. The Los Angeles Times’ Antia Chabria got the exclusive on the Scandinavian-style overhaul of the facility, which will remodel the historic death row housing unit and a Prison Industry Authority warehouse into facilities focused on “breaking cycles of crime.”

The proposal, in many ways, is classic Newsom. Californians, especially those who lean to the right, have been slamming the governor for what they say is a soft-on-crime approach that puts the public at risk. Rather than answering their calls by tightening laws or increasing sentencing, Newsom is taking a swing at an ambitious new model. One that, if successful, could serve as a model for other prison systems around the country.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. Newsom’s Tour of the State of California will continue into the weekend with stops in Los Angeles and San Diego on Saturday and Sunday.

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

QUOTE OF THE DAY: A “car door is not a person. I would never be physically hurtful to a person.” Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson responding to POLITICO’s questions about her alleged outbursts on the 2020 campaign trail — which included banging her hand against a car door until it started to swell.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

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WHERE’S GAVIN? At San Quentin for the second phase of his State of the State tour.

PLAYBOOK MEET & GREET! Join California Playbook and POLITICO’s growing team in Sacramento at Smic’s Sip & Quip on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, for an evening of cocktails and conversation. As POLITICO expands in California, we want to more frequently convene our most influential readers in Sacramento and beyond. Swing by and have a cocktail on us—you never know who you might run into! Register here.

TOP TALKERS

OPPOSITES ATTRACT — “YIMBYs and environmentalists have been at odds on housing. Now they're teaming up to fight sprawl,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Dustin Gardiner: “The proposal, sponsored by California YIMBY and The Nature Conservancy, would make it much harder to build subdivisions in areas prone to fires or flooding. At the same time, the bill would require cities to make it much easier and cheaper for developers to build housing in urban areas.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

SHOT — Marianne Williamson’s ‘abusive’ treatment of 2020 campaign staff, revealed, by POLITICO’s Lauren Egan: Those interviewed say the best-selling author and spiritual adviser subjected her employees to unpredictable, explosive episodes of anger. They said Williamson could be cruel and demeaning to her staff and that her behavior went far beyond the typical stress of a grueling presidential cycle.

CHASER — “Marianne Williamson responds to POLITICO article alleging abuse toward staff,” by the BBC’s Anthony Zurcher: “If I can be a bitch at the office at times, I don't think anybody's happy about that," she said, "but I think anybody reading that can measure that against what is normal in politics."

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

— “Sheriff says gun permit fraud investigation turned over to California attorney general,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Keri Blakinger: “Six months after his predecessor announced a criminal investigation into an alleged fraud scheme involving some of the deputies responsible for issuing concealed carry licenses, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna confirmed this week that he has turned the matter over to state prosecutors.”

— “California bill would fund deportation defense for all immigrants, including those with felonies,” by CalMatters’ Wendy Fry: “Each year the state sets aside about $45 million for grants to nonprofits that provide defense and other legal services to low-income immigrants and their families. So far, the program called One California has paid for legal representation for more than 1,000 Californians facing detention, deportation or family separation, state officials say.”

— Thousands still without power in South Bay, Peninsula; most schools reopen for in-person classes, by The Mercury News’ Austin Turner: “The majority of the customers without power as of noon Thursday were the 21,868 in the South Bay; another 10,768 were without service on the Peninsula and 4,495 in the East Bay. Most of the service restorations that could be noted Tuesday morning were in the East Bay and on the Peninsula.

— Congressman pleads for federal help following San Clemente landslide, by The Orange County Register’s Laylan Connelly: “Another landslide about a mile north shut down Coast Highway for several hours and flooding in Huntington Beach halted traffic further north. In Newport Beach, a home was demolished Thursday in the Back Bay, following a landslide earlier this month that prompted officials to red tag the structure.”

— “Strike set at LAUSD schools: What parents, students need to know,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Howard Blume: “The anticipated walkout would be the longest full disruption of education in the nation’s second-largest school system since the six-day teachers’ strike of 2019 and upend a school system trying to recover from the pandemic. The strike would shut down schools attended by more than 420,000 students.”

— “Republicans made gains in Latino-majority districts in California, 2022 election data shows,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Mathew Miranda: “One expert says the results are an indicator Republicans are continuing to receive a higher level of support from one of America’s fastest-growing voting blocs. The data examines heavily concentrated Latino congressional districts in seven states — Arizona, California, New York, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico and Florida.”

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

— Harris blasts DeSantis over Ukraine remarks, lack of experience, by POLITICO’s Matt Berg: Responding to a questionnaire from Fox News’ Tucker Carlson in an interview on Monday night, DeSantis downplayed the importance of continuing aid to Ukraine, characterizing Russia’s invasion as a “territorial dispute” and arguing that it’s not among “vital national interests” for the United States. While the cost of ongoing aid has been a point of contention in the Republican Party, most in the GOP have expressed support for the Ukrainian cause.

— “Biden's latest move against TikTok raises questions about ban, owner sale,” by The Hill’s Rebecca Klar and Ines Kagubare: “TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew, who is scheduled to testify before a House panel next week, said divesting wouldn’t solve any security concerns and the company has doubled down on its ongoing plans to monitor and separately store U.S.-user data instead.”

MEDIA MATTERS

— Former editor of Jewish newspaper charged for Jan. 6 actions, by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney: Elliot Resnick, who had drawn controversy prior to Jan. 6 for incendiary and bigoted comments — labeling African religions as “primitive” and suggesting white supremacy is fictional — grabbed a Capitol Police officer’s arm while he was attempting to defend the doors leading to the rotunda, according to charging documents.

MIXTAPE

— “What 3 years of Bay Area Google searches tell us about the COVID-19 pandemic,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Erin Caughey.

— “CSU hit with another discrimination lawsuit, targeting gender-based pay inequity,” by The Fresno Bee’s Robert Kuwada.

— “Interactive map shows California drought conditions after latest atmospheric river storm,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Brianna Taylor.

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