| | | | | |  | | By Lara Korte, Jeremy B. White, Ramon Castanos and Matthew Brown | | | THE BUZZ: Republican lawmakers don’t have much sway in California — until they do. A slate of fentanyl bills that had been stuck in limbo are back in play after a coalition of Republicans and moderate Democrats in the Assembly joined forces to pressure Public Safety Chair Reggie Jones-Sawyer into holding a hearing. The bills, which include both Democratic and Republican authors, focus on increasing penalties for fentanyl-related crimes — a direction progressive Democrats have shied away from for fear of repeating the mistakes of earlier eras in the war on drugs. Jones-Sawyer previously planned to delay a hearing on the bills until June. But after Republicans threatened to force a vote on the floor Thursday, Jones-Sawyer announced he would hold a special hearing next week. It’s not often that Republicans can wield influence in the California Legislature, where Democrats enjoy a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. But the pressure to act on the fentanyl crisis has peeled off enough moderates to bolster the Republicans’ weakened ranks and give them a rare moment of clout. Democratic Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris of Irvine, an author of one of the fentanyl bills, said partisan politics shouldn’t matter when it comes to the opioid crisis. "It scares the hell out of me,” she said. “This keeps me up at night.” If that requires making common cause with Republicans, so be it. “The expectation that [Democrats] are all going to always agree on everything or always be in lockstep I think is just unreasonable and also not really democracy,” she said. Jones-Sawyer talked with us after the floor session Thursday and said his approach to the bills has been misrepresented. He was always going to hear the bills, he said, and delayed the hearing until June to give authors time to get them into shape and make sure they pass. The committee will vote on the bills next week, Jones-Sawyer said. He hasn’t committed to supporting them, but said he’s told each author they need to work on courting the other Democrats on the committee. “They've got to work their bills,” he said. “They really do have to talk to members of the committee to try to get them to a 'yes.'" Democrats are in no immediate risk of losing their supermajority so Republicans need to keep finding ways to increase their relevance. As Republican Assemblymember Heath Flora sees it, moderate Democrats can’t always stick their necks out on policy decisions. Pairing with Republicans will give them more cover. "If Republicans and Democrats could get working together, we could move some things forward,” he said. BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. After giving itself an extension earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court today is expected to rule on a lower court’s decision to roll back certain Food and Drug Administration approvals for the abortion pill mifepristone. 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.
| | | | A message from Airlines for America: The U.S. airline industry is dedicated to climate action. Major U.S. carriers contribute just 2% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and have committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. To reach that goal, we’ve pledged to work across the aviation industry and with government leaders to make 3 billion gallons of cost-competitive sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) available for use in 2030. Learn more: Airlines Fly Green | Airlines For America. | | | WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We can enter a new American Golden Age, but we must choose a leader who can bring us there. That’s why I’m running for President.” Failed 2021 recall candidate Larry Elder launching his bid for the White House on Thursday. TWEET OF THE DAY:
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Twitter | WE’RE HIRING — POLITICO is embarking on an exciting expansion in the Golden State and looking for another journalist to join our growing team as a California Playbook author. More in the job description here.
| | | | 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. | | | | | |  | TOP TALKERS | | — “'Not good partners': Oakland officials shocked by A's decision to pursue ballpark in Las Vegas,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Rachel Swan and Sarah Ravani: “Thao, who said she was serious about reaching a deal with the A’s, had hired a mediator, Steve Kawa, a San Francisco political powerhouse, to help run the negotiations.”
| | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | | EYES EMOJI — Biden prepares to launch reelection bid as soon as next week, POLITICO’s Jonathan Lemire, Christopher Cadelago and Myah Ward: “Recent discussions in Biden world slid the launch to later in the spring or summer but April 25, the anniversary of Biden’s 2019 announcement, long stood as an informal target.” — “Atkins, Rendon eye future California statewide office in 2026,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Andrew Sheeler: “Next year marks a changing of the guard in the California Legislature, with Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins both leaving office in 2024."
| | | | A message from Airlines for America:   | | | | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | — “The fight to limit solitary confinement in California prisons is set to roil Sacramento again,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Hannah Wiley: “Known as the Nelson Mandela Act, named after the late South African civil rights activist who spent decades in prison, AB 280 would define segregated confinement as the holding of someone for more than 17 hours a day, either with a cell mate or alone, and with severely limited freedom of movement and human contact outside of prison staff.” — “A wet California boosts water allocations to 100 percent for first time in nearly 20 years,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Grace Toohey: “The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation also announced Thursday an increase to 100 percent of requested water allocations for almost all farms, homes and industries served by the federal Central Valley Project, which provides critical irrigation and water to the San Joaquin Valley, San Francisco Bay Area and Central Valley.” — “Exclusive: Nima Momeni cited in domestic battery case before Bob Lee stabbing” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Matthias Gafni: “Nima Momeni, the man accused of fatally stabbing Cash App founder Bob Lee in downtown San Francisco, was cited on suspicion of battering a woman at his Emeryville loft last summer, records show.” — “Mayor Breed opposes $50 million request to create S.F. reparations office,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s J.D. Morris: “But Breed did not say Tuesday where she stood on any of the dozens of specific actions that a committee has recommended San Francisco take to make reparations a reality, including potential cash payments.” — “California wildfires grew worse. The Forest Service dropped more retardant. Did it help?” by The Sacramento Bee’s Gillian Brassil: “Some studies on aerial retardants conducted by a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that they can slow the spread of a fire. But the conditions in which they are dropped have a huge impact on its efficacy; high winds, weather and the type of terrain take significant tolls on whether the retardant can properly impede a fire’s progress.”
| | | | GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World, will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat. | | | | | | | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | | — House Dems call on Biden to meet with McCarthy on debt limit, POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu and Adam Cancryn: “Democratic lawmakers have already pressed that point in private, according to two people close to the discussions, urging the White House to lay out plans to meet with McCarthy for fear that public opinion would turn against the party. And swing-seat lawmakers stressed there’s no harm in starting a conversation, even as they all oppose McCarthy’s opening bid.” — Julie Su: Who is she? Bio, facts and background of the labor secretary nominee, by POLITICO’s Kierra Frazier: “Su would be the Biden administration’s first AAPI Cabinet secretary, if confirmed, joining fellow AAPI Cabinet members Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar.”
| | MEDIA MATTERS | | — BuzzFeed News is shutting down as company cuts 15 percent of staff, by the Los Angeles Times’ Stephen Battaglio and Meg James: "But a slowdown in ad spending, combined with the already challenging task of monetizing digital content, has led to a reckoning for the companies that once looked ready to create a new world order in the media landscape."
| | | | A message from Airlines for America: Did you know? U.S. airlines transport more than 2 million passengers and 65,000 tons of cargo per day while contributing just 2 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. And we aren’t stopping there. U.S. airlines are continuously investing in more fuel-efficient aircraft and engines, developing sustainable aviation fuel and implementing more efficient procedures – both in-flight and on the ground – to achieve our goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. In fact, U.S. airlines improved their fuel efficiency by more than 135% between 1978 and 2021, saving over 5.5 billion metric tons of CO2. That’s like taking more than 28 million cars off the road every year for over 40 years! Learn more: Airlines Fly Green | Airlines For America. | | | | | MIXTAPE | | — “'Rust' prosecutors drop charges against Alec Baldwin,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Meg James and Anousha Sakoui — “Massive Starship rocket explodes after launch — SpaceX calls it a 'win',” by the Los Angeles Times’ Samantha Masunaga and Suhauna Hussain — “2 men wrongly convicted in California are declared innocent, by The Associated Press’ Christopher Weber “'The state failed us': Deaths of children at Bay Area hospital follow California's lack of oversight,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Matthias Gafni and Cynthia Dizikes 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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