THE BUZZ: Sen. Mike McGuire is hours away from taking over the California Senate — and all its problems. The leader-in-waiting will be sworn in this afternoon in the Capitol, taking the helm of California’s upper chamber as it prepares to navigate a gaping budget deficit, rising concerns about public safety and a housing affordability crisis. The North Coast lawmaker is under pressure for plenty of reasons, not the least of which is that he’s replacing Toni Atkins, one of Sacramento’s most productive and well-regarded politicians who is giving up the gavel to run for governor. The transition was tamer than the one in the Assembly, but that doesn’t mean there’s no maneuvering behind the scenes. McGuire terms out at the end of 2026, and senators are already quietly jockeying to succeed him when the time comes — a dynamic that’s sure to color his time in the office. We caught up with McGuire last week to talk about his vision for his tenure, top priorities for 2024 and, of course, his predictions for the Super Bowl. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. You’re termed out in 2026. You’re only doing this job for a short time — what makes you want to be president pro tem? Look, this job is temporary. The policies that we pass for the people of California are permanent. And that’s what I’m focusing on. I’m going to be focused on the top issues I think a lot of Californians are talking about at their kitchen table. They want us to focus on homelessness, on successfully implementing Care Courts in all 58 counties. Ensuring that folks can live where they work, in the communities that they love to call home. They want to be able to turn on the lights and keep those lights running. They want to have lower energy costs. They want to have access to quality health care. No matter if you live in Eureka or Encino, the issues that Californians care about are similar. And that’s where I’m going to be focused for the remainder of my tenure here in the California state Senate. There’s going to be a lot of tension this year with the budget deficit. What will be your top three priorities going into the job? The number one issue is delivering an on-time, balanced budget. And let’s be candid: The majority of Californians are focused on their household budget and reducing expenses, especially in a time where the costs of goods are higher. And that’s where the state needs to focus. My big belief, coming from a kid from public schools, is the number one investment that we can make as a state is in our kids. In public schools, we’ve gone from dead last in the nation in per-pupil spending to the top 20 in the nation in per-pupil spending for K-12. We’re focusing on homelessness and housing. I think that’s where you’re going to see the big focus — are on those kitchen table issues: budget, homelessness, implementing Care Court, affordable housing, protecting our coasts and climate, and, of course, good, family-sustaining jobs. One of the policy issues that has come up a lot in the past several years and is again up in the Assembly this year is single-payer health care. You’ve been a proponent in the past. If it makes it to the Senate side, should we expect to see you support it? I have been a supporter in the past, and we’ve made progress on that issue by passing Senator Wiener’s bill that allowed for the waiver to be submitted to the federal government. That was a critical first step. What I’m going to say is, we have a committee process. That committee process will start in the Assembly. And that bill, eventually, may make it over to the Senate. And every bill will get a fair shot. I think that the committee process is going to have to play itself out. Insurance is another big issue this year. What do you think the Legislature needs to do to stabilize the wildfire insurance market? And is Commissioner Ricardo Lara's plan sufficient? Obviously progress was made on the issue of insurance. But here’s where I think we need to go: No matter how high an individual’s insurance bill may be, it’s not going to protect their home or community from a wildfire. Simply raising rates isn’t the silver bullet for the crisis. This crisis has plagued Northern California homeowners year after year due to large, regional megafires. Entire communities in the North Coast district that I proudly work in have been impacted and devastated over the past many years. Thousands upon thousands of homes lost, millions of acres charred, and coming out of those wildfires has been this insurance crisis. That insurance crisis that started in Northern California has now spread to Southern California, and raising rates isn’t a silver bullet. Here’s where I think we need to focus. One, we have laws on the books on home-hardening. Individuals who invest their hard-earned dollars in hardening their homes should get a credit for that work. We need to allow communities to adopt community hardening plans. Insurance companies should be writing traditional insurance policies in those communities that adopt them and implement their community hardening plans. And by the way, that’s good for the homeowner, because they have access to traditional insurance, and it reduces the long-term risk for the insurance carrier. We live and die by our telephones, our iPhones. I firmly believe that every Californian should know what their wildfire risk score is simply by logging on to an app on their telephone. Oregon did that last year. I also believe that if a homeowner is non-renewed, that insurance companies should provide a roadmap on how to get back into a traditional insurance policy. I believe in progress and I believe that there is always a solution. And the issue of insurance is incredibly complicated, but I’m a firm believer that there’s always a solution. And the only way that progress sticks is by bringing people together. The fact that you have such a short tenure means senators are already thinking about who your successor is going to be. How do you think that dynamic will affect your time as leader? Look, I’m not one for labels or getting too involved in what others are saying. Here is where I want to be focused: results. What are we doing for everyday Californians? My grandma taught me three key things that have stuck with me for my entire life. My grandma was a hard-nosed prune farmer and grape farmer. She taught me that you have to be the hardest working person in the room. Number two, she would say that there are smarter people than you in life, and you’ve got to work together. And three, you never take no for an answer on the issues that you believe in. The big question on everyone’s mind is committee chairs. Is there anything on the horizon we can expect? I think you know enough about me that I like to hit the ground running and I’ll have more to share on that in the days and weeks to come. Last question — Chiefs or 49ers? That’s a no-brainer. I’m probably sharing TMI but my grandmother was a giant 49ers fan, and every 49ers game she would break out a couple of cold ones and put on her 49ers mumu. We are die-hard 49er fans. I love Taylor Swift, but on this one, I’m on the opposite side of Ms. Swift. It’s all Niners, and I think they’re going to win by 14. CONTEST UPDATE: We still don’t know who McGuire will name to Senate leadership positions, but more than 100 of you sent in your guesses during our prediction game over the last week. We’ll announce the winners with the most correct guesses after the new president pro tem makes his picks. 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. On Sunday, Newsom visited the State Operations Center near Sacramento for a briefing on the storm pummeling California.
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