News: Many paths to victory for Sacramento Dems

Friday, June 2, 2023

Many paths to victory for Sacramento Dems

Jun 02, 2023

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

Presented by SEIU-UHW

THE BUZZ: Failed Sacramento floor votes have become about as rare as an Oakland Athletics win.

The Assembly and the Senate finished churning through hundreds of bills Thursday ahead of the deadline to advance legislation from its original house. There were many narrow victories, with bills squeaking across the threshold and into the next house after a stint in “on-call” purgatory — and vanishingly few measures that perished for lack of votes.

It was the end of the line for an Assembly bill to ban consensual law enforcement searches and a Senate bill to modify charter school instruction. Some lawmakers declined to put their bills up, with authors balking at amendments or accepting that the votes might not be there to ban police dogs or campaign contributions from foreign entities. Plenty of bills faltered in the pre-floor Appropriations Committee, like proposals to accelerate emissions reduction goals or hold oil companies liable for health declines.

But time after time, contentious and strenuously opposed measures that started out short mustered the support they needed to continue — often with reluctant lawmakers averring they’d vote yes today but reserved the right to vote no later. Bills to raise healthcare workers’ wages to $25 an hour, impose a housing-funding fee on Airbnb, afford rights to college athletes, triple refinery penalties, prohibit reverse electronic search demands and more edged out after some vote-whipping.

That success rate underscores a functional reality of towering three-quarters Democratic majorities in both houses. Yes, some of it reflects tough bills getting weeded out or watered down before floor votes. But enormous margins increase the paths to victory for lawmakers who are working with the full complement of votes rather than maneuvering through committees with more specific memberships. If you can lose 20 members and still muster a majority, you have options.

Some of those close-call bills will falter in the next house or expire on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto pen. Opponents and skeptical committee chairs will chip away with more amendments. Some may get signed and then face referenda — as happened with last year’s marquee fast food labor bill that cleared both houses by a single vote after failing in an earlier form and getting resuscitated. This year’s follow-up bill to clamp joint liability on franchisors sat on call and then slipped out of the Assembly Thursday with the minimum 41 votes.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. The Legislature is not meeting today after clearing the decks of bills Thursday. The spotlight shifts now to budget negotiations as a June 15 deadline to pass (some) budget bills bears down.

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: “If the voters, you know, are given another chance on an initiative and they reject [the death penalty], so be it. That’s democracy. But what we’re living through right now, with the governor’s self-imposed moratorium, I think, is really not democracy.” Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig on why the governor’s death penalty halt doesn’t remove the option for prosecutors, via the Los Angeles Times’ Anita Chabria.

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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

— California takes on Florida-style book bans, by POLITICO’s Blake Jones: Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta and state Superintendent Tony Thurmond warned K-12 leaders in a letter that a litany of state laws and constitutional precedent could stand in their way should they shelve books or cut curriculum based on their inclusion of themes related to race and sexual orientation.

CAMPAIGN MODE

— Former Dodger All-Star Steve Garvey weighs run to replace Feinstein in California, Jeremy writes: Garvey’s possible entrance — first reported by the Los Angeles Times — would jolt a still-forming Republican field and could disrupt the overall race enough to affect which Democrat reaches the November 2024 runoff. A multi-time All-Star who won the National League’s Most Valuable Player award in 1974, Garvey played for the Dodgers and San Diego Padres — a career that made him an icon in a populous and Republican-rich swath of California.

— "California Senate candidates to replace Feinstein split on these votes,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Shira Stein: “A Chronicle analysis of their voting records has found that while the candidates do overwhelmingly vote the same — they agree on at least 94 percent of votes over the past four and a half years — they disagree most often on foreign policy, the military and immigration.”

— “Meet David Sacks, the friend of Elon Musk who could play kingmaker for Ron DeSantis,” by CNBC’s Brian Schwartz: “Federal Election Commission records show that Sacks donated more than $1 million during the 2022 election cycle, with many of his big checks going to political action committees that supported Republicans. Sacks also helped create a 501(c)(4) nonprofit to wield political influence, the news outlet Puck previously reported.”

A message from SEIU-UHW:

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

— California could make Google and Meta pay news outlets for content, Jeremy writes: Lawmakers in the Assembly passed AB 886, sending it to the state Senate on a 46-6 vote that included support from Republicans — a show of strength that underscored conservative eagerness to take on the technology industry. ‘Nobody’s above the law,’ said Republican Assemblymember Bill Essayli, ‘not even Big Tech.’

— “Senate passes $25 minimum wage for health care workers. What will it mean for hospitals?” by The Sacramento Bee’s Maya Miller: “Bill analyses so far have not identified a final estimate of how much costs would increase under the new minimum wage. Analysts acknowledged that raising workers’ income would decrease the number of people relying on state social service programs such as cash aid and Medi-Cal. But the state would also be on the hook for paying higher wages to employees and publicly funded hospitals and facilities.”

— “Question of reparations raises skepticism and hope among Black L.A. residents,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Brennon Dixson: “The group’s final report, due to the state Legislature by July 1, will act as a guide for lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will determine if the harms of slavery and lasting discrimination are worthy of reparations. The current task force report offers reparations only to Californians who are descendants of enslaved Americans and calculates their monetary losses in three categories of community harms: health disparities, African American mass incarceration and over-policing and housing discrimination.”

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.

MIXTAPE

— “50 years after a classmate's slaying, three amateur sleuths set out to find her killer,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Laura J. Nelson.

— “More than a newspaper: For its vendors, Street Spirit provided a job and fostered friendships,” by The Oaklandside’s Natalie Orenstein.

— “After 50 years, is this the San Diego Chicken’s last stand?” by The Athletic's Zach Buchanan.

BIRTHDAYS

Crooked Media’s Jon Favreau … Chris Lehane

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.

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