News: An end run for fentanyl

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

An end run for fentanyl

Jun 07, 2023

Presented by Environment California

DRIVING THE DAY — Florida says its relocation of 36 migrants to Sacramento over the weekend was voluntary and legal. Gov. Gavin Newsom, unsurprisingly, disagrees.

In an exclusive interview with POLITICO’s Chris Cadelago on Tuesday, the California governor said Florida state officials could still face charges. Newsom said he still believes there’s evidence the migrants were misled and flown to the state under false pretenses.

“When you have the smoking gun, which is the paperwork in hand that everyone hands over to you, it’s pretty self-evident,” Newsom told Chris.

Read the full story here.

BIDEN TO THE BAY — First lady Jill Biden is coming to Marin this month to help raise money for her husband’s reelection campaign, per an invite obtained by POLITICO. The “evening reception” is scheduled for June 13, to be hosted by venture capitalist David Rusenko and his wife Brooke.

The president is expected to be in the Bay Area June 19 through 21, per a White House advisory. Newsom said Tuesday that he expects to join Biden later this month in California for events that are still coming together: “We’ve been working closely with them, and we’re already locked in for a few things,” he told POLITICO.

THE BUZZ: California’s fight against fentanyl may come down to the voters.

After months of struggling to gain traction, a group of bipartisan lawmakers led by Republican Assemblymembers Diane Dixon, Juan Alanis and Joe Patterson have introduced a last-ditch effort to go after fentanyl dealers. But instead of passing a typical bill, legislators are going one step further — proposing a constitutional amendment that could go to a statewide vote in 2024.

The proposed amendment is largely modeled on Sen. Tom Umberg’s SB 44, aka Alexandra’s Law, which would require someone convicted of an offense involving fentanyl to be notified that they could be charged with homicide if someone died as a result of their actions. Despite several hearings involving gut-wrenching pleas from parents of children killed by fentanyl, Umberg’s bill was struck down in the Senate’s Public Safety Committee, with opponents raising concerns that it would have unintended consequences.

This latest move would revive Alexandra’s Law, with the hope that the holdout Democratic lawmakers might be more open to the idea of leaving the decision up to the voters. It’s not often that Republicans have much sway in the Capitol, but the Assembly GOP argues it has enough support from moderate Democrats to get it across the finish line — or at least get some play. Democrats Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris and Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil are among the co-authors.

There are pros and cons to using a constitutional amendment to pass policy in California. For starters, proposed amendments aren’t beholden to the same deadlines as typical bills, meaning there’s still time this year for committee hearings and floor votes. But there’s also a much higher vote threshold.

If ACA 12 ends up making it to the floor, it’ll require two-thirds approval in both chambers. And that’s a big “if.” It’ll likely have to go through the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee, chaired by Reggie Jones-Sawyer, who has thus far been reluctant to bring down the hammer on fentanyl dealers. Asked if he’d consider hearing the amendment, Jones-Sawyer was noncommittal: “If and when bills related to public safety reach the committee, members will make a decision based on the facts and merits of the bill,” he told us in a statement.

Even if the momentum fizzles inside the Capitol, there are other efforts percolating on the outside. A non-profit group in Newport Beach is currently in the process of crafting its own ballot initiative on harsher fentanyl penalties. Janice Celeste, president and CEO of FentanylSolution.org, said the group will release specifics later this summer and expects to spend $2 million to $3 million qualifying the measure for 2024.

While disagreements abound, there remains widespread consensus, both among lawmakers and constituents, that fentanyl is a crisis. How California ends up addressing it, however, could be a years-long battle. Sen. Scott Wiener, who was among the Democrats who blocked the earlier bill in the Health Committee, doesn’t seem persuaded by the new strategy.

“If I thought this proposal would reduce fentanyl use, overdoses and deaths, I’d support it in a heartbeat,” Wiener said of the proposed amendment in a statement. “But it won’t. Instead, it will result in severe and unintended consequences for people who are often addicted themselves and who may have no idea they are distributing fentanyl.”

BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. Is adequate housing a human right? The Assembly housing committee will take up the question today as it considers ACA 10, which would enshrine such a right in the state Constitution. Author Matt Haney and supporters will be on the west steps of the Capitol to discuss the measure ahead of the hearing.

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 Environment California:

It’s time to make oil and gas companies – not California taxpayers – pay for the pollution they cause. California still gives subsidies and tax breaks to big polluters. Oil companies are making record profits, but refusing to clean up their messes. Meanwhile, California proposed cutting $6 billion from the historic climate budget. Instead, California must end subsidies and tax breaks for oil and gas companies, and redirect funding to renewable energy infrastructure and a clean environment.

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Governor Newsom has it right. Ron DeSantis is willing to use people and their livelihoods for political gain. It's cruel behavior unbefitting the governor of Florida — let alone a potential president." Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.

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

LOOK FOR THE HELPERS — “Mayor Steinberg, Sacramento leaders discuss migrants' experiences and prepare for more,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Mathew Miranda: “Since arriving Friday, local faith-based organizations have collaborated to provide services for the two groups. The migrants have been given housing in an undisclosed location, received cellphones to contact family, taken shopping for clothing and some attended mass Sunday at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church near Southside Park.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

— “The Democrats running for Feinstein's seat vote the same. A closer look reveals differences,” by The Sacramento Bee’s David Lightman: “Barbara Lee is a liberal hero with a lengthy record of fighting what she sees as an overly aggressive, expensive military. Katie Porter has forged an image as an outspoken outsider, eager to expose corporate abuses and challenge CEOs publicly. Adam Schiff is the progressive who helped lead battles against President Donald Trump while making sure he delivers for his Los Angeles area district.”

A message from Environment California:

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

ED BOARD WEIGHS IN — “Editorial: Forcing treatment on mentally ill homeless people is a bad idea,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Editorial Board: “Californians in need of emergency and ongoing psychiatric care also ought to have access to similar services to enable them to likewise live fully, with guidance where needed, and without compulsion or criminal-like loss of liberty where they are not needed.”

— “This rural California county lost its only hospital, leaving residents with dire healthcare choices,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Melissa Gomez and Hannah Fry: “The abrupt closure of Madera Community Hospital and its affiliated medical clinics capped years of financial turmoil. Still, most residents in this rural county in California’s geographic center were caught off guard, unaware of just how much was at stake until their hospital was gone.”

— “Owners are walking away from downtown S.F. buildings. We mapped 13 in financial crisis,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Noah Arroyo and Roland Li: “Since the beginning of the pandemic, the owners of 13 downtown office buildings, hotels and other major commercial properties have missed loan payments or are otherwise in dire financial straits, a Chronicle analysis finds.”

— “Here's the truth of what happened inside S.F.'s controversial Tenderloin Center,” opines Vitka Eisen for the San Francisco Chronicle: “I know our efforts at the center made some people in San Francisco angry — people who think that drug use must be punished, people who think that drug users must be shamed into some mythical bottom, people who think illicit drug users should be sent to jail. But California has spent decades trying to police, punish and shame people into treatment. It didn’t work.”

GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE.

MIXTAPE

— “Black workers suing Tesla detail exposure to vicious racial slurs,” by the San Francisco Chronicle's Bob Egelko.

— “A’s Las Vegas stadium bill stalls in Nevada legislative session,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara.

— “California rent relief is still available for thousands of tenants who were denied COVID assistance,” by CalMatters’ Ben Christopher.

BIRTHDAYS

KQED’s Scott Shafer … Amazon Web Services’ Kaitlin Kirshner … Chris Ortman … Helga Zheutlin

A message from Environment California:

California is struggling to balance its budget and proposing to cut $6 billion from the climate budget. Over 50 groups are urging Governor Newsom and the California Legislation to end subsidies for oil and gas instead. It’s time to make oil and gas companies – not California taxpayers – pay for the pollution they cause. While oil companies are making record profits, they continue to pollute our environment, but refuse to clean up their messes. We can’t keep paying companies to game the system while they dump higher bills and pollution on Californians. Instead, California leadership must end subsidies and tax breaks for oil and gas companies, and redirect funding to the climate budget. California should take that money and redirect it toward building new renewable energy infrastructure and dealing with the antiquated, fossil fuel-based systems left behind, as well as the polluters’ unwillingness to clean up their own messes. Learn more.