| | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White, Lara Korte, Ramon Castanos and Matthew Brown | Presented by SEIU-UHW | THE BUZZ: Democrats’ Memorial Day confab wasn’t their most memorable — but it’s all about the future. With no campaign endorsements on the agenda, the California Democratic Party convention in Los Angeles functioned more as a deferred schmoozefest and a celebration of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (Ubiquitous swag bags depicted her celebrated clap generating a rainbow.). But everyone there knew a watershed Senate race was underway, and the contenders to succeed Sen. Dianne Feinstein were all on hand forging inroads and making their case to the party faithful. Blue Adam Schiff signs, green-fonted Barbara Lee buttons and orange Katie Porter apparel abounded. The contenders posed for photos with admirers, hosted evening events — or a bleary breakfast, in Porter’s case — and repeated variations of their basic pitch to numerous caucuses (Schiff didn’t bother with the progressives.). It’s all about laying the groundwork for both volunteers and cash and the party’s nod. It’s no sure thing any of them can muster the requisite 60 percent supermajority come November. But it could still be an invaluable differentiator: “You know I want the endorsement of the California Democratic Party. I’m not going to be shy about that,” Lee told a Friday night room humid with the bodies of supporters. Any policy differences were barely discernible: All three told the women’s caucus they support abortion rights and touted their PRO Act advocacy to the labor caucus. This was more about making connections and pitching their basic premises for running: Schiff as the Trump-prosecuting defender of democracy, Porter as the anti-corporate antidote to a corrupted Washington, Lee as the OG progressive championing underrepresented minorities. We also got to hear Schiff do a standup comedy set — more on that below. GOV FOR HER? Forget 2024. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis was looking to her 2026 gubernatorial run, with someone on her team repurposing her 2022 LG booth backdrop by crossing out the “Lt” references. “If you want to break a glass ceiling, you should start early,” Kounalakis told the women’s caucus. She was followed by Attorney General Rob Bonta, who delivered a very stump-y sounding speech. We didn't hear former controller and CADem official Betty Yee mention her gubernatorial goals. SCHIFF TAKES THE STAND: The L.A. congressman channeled his inner Midge Maisel on Friday, dropping f-bombs and marital sex jokes and musing about various Republicans’ acting dreams (Kellyanne Conway as Frankenstein’s bride, Betsy DeVos as Cruella de Vil, Ron DeSantis as Mr. Ed’s rear.). He ended with a bit about Donald Trump, “that mango Mussolini,” sending Stormy Daniels hush money: “Apparently, she was the only contractor who got paid.” SINGLE-PAYER STRIFE: Five years after Gov. Gavin Newsom ran on single-payer healthcare, nurses and other supporters are losing patience. They interrupted Newsom’s speech to chant for the policy now branded CalCare. Rent control advocates were also out in force as the AIDS Healthcare Foundation prepares to take the issue to voters for the third time in four cycles. THE FEINSTEIN FACTOR: There was little overt discussion of California’s diminished senior senator — no resolution demanding her resignation, for instance — but as The Washington Post’s Maeve Reston writes, Feinstein’s fate was still dividing members of a party that denied her a 2018 re-election endorsement. BUENOS DÍAS, good Tuesday morning. Welcome to a busy week in Sacramento: Both houses will churn through hundreds of bills before Friday’s deadline to either pass measures off the floor or wait ‘til next year. 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 SEIU-UHW: The healthcare worker shortage has forced workers to work longer hours, under worse conditions. Many healthcare workers are paid barely enough to get by, driving many to leave the workforce. But there’s a better way: SB 525 would raise the minimum wage for healthcare workers to $25 an hour and ensure workers can afford to stay on the job. Tell lawmakers: Pass SB 525. | | |
WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Their fear is that that the rest of the country is going to look like, vote like, pass policies like, California.” L.A. Mayor Karen Bass on Republican foes. 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.
| | | | PLAYBOOK TRIVIA NIGHT! Think you know a lot about politics? PROVE IT! Compete in California Playbook’s inaugural Trivia Night. Grab a drink, kick back, and put your knowledge on display! Join top political power players on Wednesday, June 21st at Fox & Goose Public House for a night of fun and competition that you won’t want to miss. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | TOP TALKERS | | — “Feinstein, back in the Senate, relies heavily on staff to function,” by The New York Times’ Annie Karni: “The scene was typical of Ms. Feinstein’s day-to-day existence on Capitol Hill, where she is surrounded by a retinue of staff members who serve not only the roles of typical congressional aides — advising on policy, keeping tabs on the schedule, drafting statements and speeches — but also as de facto companions to a senator whose age, frail health and memory issues make it difficult for her to function alone.” — “Girls pull out of California track championship as officials condemn anti-trans backlash,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Marisa Ingemi: “Two girls, attacked over the past week by people opposed to California allowing transgender students to participate in high school sports, did not run in the state track and field championship as expected on Friday.”
| | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | | — How Republicans in California could decide Dianne Feinstein's successor, by POLITICO’s Steven Shepard: “None of the Democrats running for Feinstein’s seat has an obvious path to either consolidating the state’s Democrats or creating cross-party appeal to attract Republicans.” — “Democrats vying to replace Rep. Barbara Lee promise tougher approach on crime,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Joe Garofoli: “After clearing the field of well-known East Bay politicians in February after Lee announced that she was running for Senate, Simon has competition from relative newcomers.” — “The race for Rep. Katie Porter’s open congressional seat is growing,” by The Orange County Register’s Hanna Kang: “Two more candidates have jumped into the growing list of people seeking to replace Rep. Katie Porter in California’s 47th congressional district.”
| | | | A message from SEIU-UHW:   | | | | | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | | — “VP Harris, 1st woman to give commencement speech at West Point, welcomes cadets to ‘unsettled world,” by The Associated Press’ Bobby Caina Calvan: “She spoke about the country’s military might and its need to innovate, including the adoption of new technology to change how wars are fought — even using artificial intelligence to predict enemy movements and to guide autonomous vehicles.”
| | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | — Audit finds California water agency fails to adequately account for climate change, by POLITICO's Camille Von Kaenel: California’s auditor has determined that the state’s water agency has not adequately factored climate change into its forecasts, leading to errors like significantly overestimating water supplies in 2021. — “Darrell Steinberg is stepping away. But will Sacramento's mayor ever leave the spotlight?,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Ryan Lillis and Theresa Clift: “Steinberg sometimes struggled to thread the needle; he was criticized by both conservative business leaders and far left progressives. Plus, the mayoral position in Sacramento’s form of government has limited authority, and Steinberg talked about having to “will” his way to his significant victories.” — “S.F. Mayor Breed needs a plan to address the fentanyl crisis. Where is it?,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Heather Knight: “The 11 minutes of chaos cost the city $4,650 — $422 per minute — since moving the meeting outdoors required extra cleaning, logistics and even special tablecloths. Rivera, who opened the nation’s first supervised drug consumption site in the country and was in town to push San Francisco to follow suit, wasn’t sure what he was watching. He had the sensation, he said, of stumbling onto a movie set.” — “State Farm halts home-insurance sales in California,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Leslie Scism: “Worried about wildfire exposure and frustrated by state regulations, insurers in California have cut back on their homeowner businesses. Mostly, those cutbacks and restrictions apply in wildfire-prone areas of the state, or to individual properties that lack fire-resiliency features, such as fire-resistant building materials and techniques, and cleared-back brush.” — “Advocates for unhoused San Franciscans say encampment sweeps continue despite court order, call on judge to rein city In,” by KQED’s Vanessa Rancano: “Lawyers for unhoused San Francisco residents and their advocates say the city isn’t complying with a court order to stop sweeps of homeless encampments until it has enough shelter beds for those on the streets. It’s the latest in the ongoing lawsuit challenging the city’s homelessness response.” — “California's cliffs are crumbling as climate change reshapes the coast,” by The Washington Post’s Scott Wilson: “But today it is some of the state’s most famed cliffs, overlooking about 500 miles of California’s coast, that are among those most imperiled by rising sea levels and more potent storms.” — “Reparations are a financial quandary. For Democrats, they’re a political one, too.," The New York Times’ Trip Gabriel, Maya King, Kurtis Lee and Shawn Hubler: “California’s task force priced the reparations owed to older Black residents at up to $1.2 million each, compensation for the state’s long history of housing discrimination, mass incarceration, unequal health care and other harms outlined in its report.”
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT: The Covid-19 pandemic helped spur innovation in health care, from the wide adoption of telemedicine, health apps and online pharmacies to mRNA vaccines. But what will the next health care innovations look like? Join POLITICO on Wednesday June 7 for our Health Care Summit to explore how tech and innovation are transforming care and the challenges ahead for access and delivery in the United States. REGISTER NOW. | | | | | | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | — “Has ‘gig work’ become a dirty word?,” by The New York Times’ Kellen Browning: “The writers’ strike and demands have prompted renewed attention to gig work, where someone might work for a variety of companies, or for themselves, often with irregular hours.”
| | | MIXTAPE | | | — Wrinkles and curveballs in the debt ceiling bill, by POLITICO. — “District attorney drops investigation into Cupertino council,” by San Jose Spotlight’s Graph Massara. — “At time of USC hiring, Mike Bohn was being investigated for racial, gender discrimination at Cincinnati,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Ryan Kartje. — “Despite 'multitude of risks,' San Diego region could tap cash reserves to blunt spiking water rates,” by The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Joshua Emerson Smith. — “Storm over Davis rainbow crosswalks: ‘It’s a symbol of inclusion that they want to wash away,’” by The Sacramento Bee’s Rosalio Ahumada. — “As Elizabeth Holmes heads to prison for fraud, many puzzle over her motives,” by The Associated Press’ Michael Liedtke.
| | | | A message from SEIU-UHW: SB 525 would raise the minimum wage for healthcare workers to $25 an hour, ensuring that workers currently on the job can afford to stay in the industry, and helping to recruit new workers to the field. To combat the healthcare worker shortage, tell lawmakers to pass SB 525. | | | 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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