Monday, January 29, 2024

The return of Pete Wilson

Presented by Amazon: Inside the Golden State political arena
Jan 29, 2024 View in browser
 
POLITICO California Playbook

By Christopher Cadelago, Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner

Presented by

Amazon

FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2019, file photo, Republican congressional candidate Carl DeMaio looks on in front of federal court in San Diego. A fierce fight between Republican candidates has punctuated the race for the vacated seat of disgraced California GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter, who dropped out and resigned from Congress in January after pleading guilty to a corruption charge. The 50th district GOP   front-runners are San Diego radio host and political commentator DeMaio and former U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, who retired from a neighboring district in 2018. Under California election rules, the top two vote-getters in the primary on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

Carl DeMaio in 2019 | AP

THE BUZZ: PARTY LIKE 1994 — Thirty years ago, then-California Gov. Pete Wilson set off a political earthquake over immigration.

The Republican governor’s critics over the years say the 1994 campaign — marked by his support of Proposition 187 that sought to deny public services to immigrants in the country illegally — went beyond trying to get the federal government to act on a crisis that was costing California millions.

Democrats charged him with racism and stoking anti-immigrant sentiment. Members of his own party feared he was alienating the state’s fast-growing Latino electorate and sending the California GOP down a path to irrelevance. Now, a Republican running to be the new face of that GOP in Sacramento is coming to Wilson’s defense — and appropriating his divisive message.

On Monday, as the immigration debate consumes Washington, San Diego-area state Assembly candidate Carl DeMaio will start airing a 30-second TV ad titled “Gov. Pete Wilson Was Right.” The homage to Wilson — shared first with Playbook — represents a stunning break from the party’s softer immigration messaging since Wilson left office.

“The California Republican political establishment has been dead wrong for 30 years and they are guilty of political malpractice on this issue,” DeMaio told Playbook.

Even in California, where Republicans need to navigate the immigration issue more carefully than their brethren in much of the country, he’s taking a sledgehammer to years of the GOP in Sacramento carefully negotiating its position.

And Proposition 187 was one of those moments where California was the canary in the coal mine for how Republicans would pivot on immigration nationwide.

DeMaio’s new TV spot begins with a nine-second clip from an ad cut by the former governor in 1994. Wilson, following images of a border crossing in San Diego, appears on screen and says that “for Californians who work hard, pay taxes and obey the laws, I’m suing to force the federal government to control the border.” (There’s a far more recognizable ad from Wilson that came to represent the era where the narrator says “They keep coming.” DeMaio clipped a different one).

It should be noted that Wilson, who also served in the U.S. Senate and was a popular mayor of San Diego, has long denied scapegoating immigrants and has pushed back hard on accusations of racism.

DeMaio does more than credit Wilson for his stances back then. He blames both Democrats and Republicans for the problems at the southern border that are raging today. And he argues that the California GOP’s decision to abandon its tough stance on immigration has only allowed those problems to grow worse while doing nothing to help Republicans win elections. In other words, once they started losing badly, they internalized the wrong reasons for their losing and should have taken the hard-line that’s common with Republicans in Texas and Florida.

After Wilson vanishes from the screen in the DeMaio ad, it’s the kind of political content that could run in the reddest parts of the country (though it doesn’t mention former President Donald Trump like many of those other ads do). DeMaio pledges to secure the border, over clips of immigrants walking and one of him talking on Fox News about the scourge of sanctuary cities. DeMaio also promises to work on enacting voter-identification laws.

The longtime talk-radio host who served on the San Diego City Council and lost races for mayor and Congress, said he wants to go to Sacramento to shake up the status quo. The plan he’s unveiling at a news conference on Tuesday won’t win support from Democratic leaders like Gov. Gavin Newsom, but it reinforces DeMaio’s argument that Republicans need to lean in on the issue.

DeMaio wants to deploy far more California National Guard to the southern border; rescind sanctuary city policies and suspend social spending programs for unauthorized immigrants like health care and legal defense — calling them “goodies” that act as a magnet for people to come. He would also put under review other laws like drivers licenses for undocumented people in the U.S.

Not only does DeMaio not believe his plans would cause more Latinos to drift from Republicans, he also thinks it would help the GOP.

“I believe that Latinos are with us on immigration and Democrats have been bamboozled by the liberal media” to shift further to the left, he said.

But DeMaio was anticipating harsh reaction.

Mike Madrid, a Republican consultant who has spent much of his career working on issues around Latino voters, said DeMaio should focus where polling says Latino voters are focused.

“This is the California version of saying ‘The South shall rise again,’” Madrid said.

GOOD MORNING. Happy Monday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook.

Now you can text us at ‪916-562-0685‬‪ — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

DRAFT YOUR PICKS — A major power shift is underway in the California Senate as longtime President Pro Tem Toni Atkins prepares to pass the gavel. Her replacement, incoming Pro Tem Mike McGuire, will be sworn in on Feb. 5.

The question on everyone’s mind: Who will McGuire name to key Senate leadership positions?

Make your predictions and compete against your fellow politicos (and the Playbook authors). Think of it as a far less sinister Game of Thrones or fantasy football for politics nerds.

And the competition is heating up! Some people who work in the Senate have been sending in their predictions, but you don’t have to be a Senate insider to play.

Those with the most accurate guesses will receive a shout-out in California Playbook and an extra special swag bag, so be sure to leave your name and email with your prediction.

Happy guessing!

 

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THE SCOOP

George Gascón

George Gascón in 2020. | Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: SIDDALL SLAMS GASCÓN — Los Angeles County District Attorney candidate Eric Siddall is taking a swipe at incumbent George Gascón in his first ad of the primary season, released today.

In the one-minute spot, “Turn the Tide,” Siddall accuses embattled progressive Gascón of “failing” Los Angeles, and promises to fight back against violent crime. Siddall, the former vice president of the deputy DA’s union, has been one of the leading critics of Gascón over the last several years. He led the union's lawsuit against the DA, accusing him of violating state law by prohibiting sentence enhancements shortly after he was elected.

Gascón has faced fierce backlash and recall attempts for his liberal approach to prosecuting crimes in Los Angeles County and is facing 11 challengers in the primary — including some of his own prosecutors.

Siddall’s ad will air on Connected TV and a range of digital media starting this week.

 

CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So, we have something cool for you: our California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Cut through the jargon and get the latest developments in California as lawmakers and industry leaders adapt to the changing climate. Subscribe now.

 
 
CAMPAIGN YEAR

MAKING (UP) THE GRADE — Volunteers for Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes’ campaign for state Senate recently texted voters and incorrectly claimed that she had “received a grade of 100 percent from the Sierra Club.” In fact, Cervantes only scored 40 percent in the environmental group’s most recent lawmaker report card.

Cervantes’ camp didn’t acknowledge the error. In a statement, spokesperson Derek Humphrey said the campaign is “proud of Sabrina’s record of protecting the environment,” including her work on measures to make electric vehicles more affordable and another to fund toxic waste cleanup efforts in the Jurupa Valley area of her Riverside County district.

The Sierra Club’s rating was based on how lawmakers voted on 10 of the organization’s priority bills last year. Its scorecard notes Cervantes didn’t cast a final vote on six of those bills, hence her 40 percent rating. Sierra Club Spokesperson Michael Blenner said the group is reaching out to Cervantes’ camp about the misstatement. “We’re confused about that too,” he said.

CLOWNING AROUND — All the world’s a stage — especially if you’re running for office. Derek Tran, one of the Democrats seeking to oust Rep. Michelle Steel in one of California’s hottest House races, sought some extra help to prep for the role of political candidate. He paid $750 this fall to UC Irvine drama instructor Eli Simon for “presentation coaching,” per his campaign finance records.

Simon’s resume is a bit unorthodox when it comes to political media training. First, he runs the university’s New Swan Shakespeare Festival. He’s also a clowning expert and author of “The Art of Clowning.” No word from Tran if he landed on a favorite Shakespearean sonnet or clown persona during his coaching session.

–Melanie Mason

WHAT GOES AROUND — San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins now has an opponent in her face for reelection: one of the employees she fired as part of a 2022 purge.

Thirty-year-old Ryan Khojasteh launched his bid to be San Francisco’s top prosecutor on Friday, challenging his one-time boss who removed him and more than a dozen other employees shortly after taking office two years ago. Jenkins was a key leader in the effort to oust progressive former District Attorney Chesa Boudin, and has advocated for stricter punishments..

Khojasteh’s entrance into the race, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, emphasizes the continued battle between criminal justice reform advocates and those calling for a tougher approach to crime in the Bay Area. Khojasteh, who was hired under Boudin, has a history of focusing on rehabilitation, and emphasized his support for treatment over incarceration to reduce recidivism.

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price is also facing a recall effort, as is Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, for what critics say is a mishandling of crime and public safety concerns.

Boudin has said he would not run again in 2024, but had plenty to say about the future of criminal justice in California in a recent conversation with our colleague, Jeremy B. White.

 

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ON THE AGENDA

MAN BEHIND THE MACHINES — Common Sense, the nonprofit focused on kids’ digital safety founded by Jim Steyer, is hosting a summit today and tomorrow in San Francisco. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is one of the keynote speakers, along with California Attorney General Rob Bonta. OpenAI founder and artificial intelligence leader Sam Altman will take the stage with Steyer today at noon to discuss a collaboration on using AI safely.

 

EXCITING EVENT OPPORTUNITY: The USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, in collaboration with POLITICO and Unite America, hosts the Warschaw Conference on Practical Politics on January 30, 2024 at USC. Top experts from politics, government, media and academia will explore the upcoming election season as part of the following conversations: PRIMARY COLORS: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Beyond, NOVEMBER SHOWDOWN: Battle for the Presidency, TRUTH DECAY: Misinformation and Disinformation in Elections, RANKING REFORMS: The Cure for the Ills of Democracy Is More Democracy. Register to attend in person or virtually.

 
 
Top Talkers

— Former Los Angeles City Council member Jose Huizar was sentenced to 13 years in prison for his role in a bribery scheme. (Los Angeles Times)

— The recent cuts at the Los Angeles Times leaves just eight print reporters covering the entire federal government in Washington — for a state of 39 million people. (Columbia Journalism Review)

— Former top Los Angeles Times editor Kevin Merida reportedly clashed with billionaire owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong after he tried to dissuade Merida from writing about one of his acquaintances, another wealthy California doctor. (The New York Times)

 

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PLAYBOOKERS

BIRTHDAYS — Assemblymember James Ramos … (was Sunday): Jesse Melgar …Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) … former Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) … Microsoft’s Matt Gelman … Judge Dean Pregerson

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.

 

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POLITICO California @politicoca

 

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