| | | | |  | | By Dustin Gardiner and Lara Korte | | | COME TALK DRUGS — Join POLITICO March 19 at the Elks Tower in Sacramento for a conversation on prescription drug affordability with Caitlin Berry, of pharmacy benefit management company Prime Therapeutics; Robin Feldman, UCSF law professor; Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California; and state Sen. Scott Wiener. How might officials find savings in the drug supply chain ecosystem? Doors open at 8:30 a.m. RSVP here for “Corrective Action: How to Address Prescription Drug Cost.”
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass meets with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo in Paris on March 7, 2024. | Courtesy photo | THE BUZZ: A TALE OF TWO OLYMPICS — Karen Bass came to Paris bearing gifts — a Hollywood Walk of Fame star with an engraved bike. The gesture was more than a kitschy souvenir, but a nod to how the mayor of Paris has reshaped her city, using this summer’s Olympic games as a catalyst. Now, Bass is in France looking to see how Los Angeles can do the same before its games in 2028. The Los Angeles mayor is in the French capital for three days, meeting with dignitaries and business leaders and gleaning lessons for her own city. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, a polarizing figure in local politics, has used the Olympics as a cudgel to see through her vision for a city that’s more climate-friendly, walkable and bikeable (she’s long been an anti-car crusader). But Paris’ readiness, less than five months before the opening ceremony, remains an open question. And its famously cynical residents aren’t very enthusiastic — according to a recent poll, 44 percent of people living in the region say it was a bad idea to host the games. Bass, speaking to reporters after she landed in Paris on Thursday, said she hopes the trip will help get a jump on preparations. “It's four years away, but we want to make sure we stay on top,” she said. Like Hidalgo, Bass has embraced the idea that the Olympic spotlight could help LA address its major challenges, including gaps in its skeletal public transit system, widespread homelessness and crime. “You better believe I want to see how the excitement around the games, how the games can be a catalyst,” Bass told POLITICO before her trip. Hidalgo, who appeared tickled by the Hollywood star gift, told Bass to be prepared to host the games one year ahead of time, in order to leave room for last-minute fixes. Bass is accompanied on the trip by a delegation that includes City Council President Paul Krekorian, LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins and Councilmembers Traci Park and Katy Yaroslavsky. Public reception to LA hosting the Olympics has been largely positive thus far, and California lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom have set aside hundreds of millions in state funding to help the city complete upgrades to its transit system and other projects ahead of time. There have been concerns locally about what happens when a city hosts the Olympics, especially that it can squeeze the housing supply and cause rents to skyrocket, leading to displacement. But Bass has lofty ambitions. “My hope is that we will resolve street homelessness. We have four years,” she said. “We should be able to build enough interim housing so that street homelessness — I mean, it won't be 100 percent — but it should be qualitatively different than it is now.” — with help from Victor Goury-Laffont in Paris and Melanie Mason in Los Angeles GOOD MORNING. Happy Friday. 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.
| | | | A message from Amazon: After starting her small business, Nadia turned to Fulfillment by Amazon to help with shipping. “Shipping can be complicated, Amazon makes it easy,” she said. Fulfillment by Amazon costs 70% less on average than comparable two-day shipping options. Amazon invests billions of dollars in people, resources, and tools that support our selling partners at every stage of the process, from advertising to shipping. Learn how Amazon innovates for sellers. | | | |  | ON THE HILL | | |  Katie Porter on Jan. 22, 2024 | Jenna Schoenefeld for POLITICO | NOT SPOTTED — Orange County Rep. Katie Porter appeared to be absent from the president’s State of the Union address Thursday night, following a crushing defeat in the Senate primary race and backlash over her assertion that Rep. Adam Schiff sought to “rig” the election against her. That Trump-esque allegation did not go over well with fellow Democrats, who excoriated Porter on Thursday for invoking language that they argue undermines the integrity of the democratic process. But Porter doubled down on the comment, saying the vote had been “manipulated by dishonest means.” Porter was not spotted in the Capitol in the days after the election. Meanwhile, Rep. Barbara Lee was seen back on the Hill on Wednesday following her Super Tuesday defeat. Lee posed for photos Thursday alongside other reproductive rights advocates ahead of the SOTU, and greeted Biden on the floor when he entered the chamber for his address.
| | | | DON’T MISS AN IMPORTANT TALK ON ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS IN CA: Join POLITICO on March 19 to dive into the challenges of affordable prescription drugs accessibility across the state. While Washington continues to debate legislative action, POLITICO will explore the challenges unique to California, along with the potential pitfalls and solutions the CA Legislature must examine to address prescription drug affordability for its constituents. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | CITY BY THE BAY | | | | 
San Francisco Mayor London Breed is embraced after delivering her State of the City address at the Pier 27 cruise terminal in San Francisco, Thursday, March 7, 2024. | (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) | DUAL PROGRAMMING — San Francisco Mayor London Breed gave her own address on Thursday, a State of the City speech in which she shaded critics and painted an aspirational vision for the city’s comeback. The speech capped one of Breed’s better weeks in many months, as voters overwhelmingly passed her ballot measures to expand police powers and require drug screenings for local welfare recipients. Breed, who faces a tough reelection fight in November, seemed to have more pep in her step as she delivered a fiery speech. Highlights from her remarks: On narratives about San Francisco’s decline post-pandemic: “Rather than destroying our city, these storms have revealed our strength… I believe the past is a precursor to our rise. This is the Year of the Dragon — and we will soar again.” On crime: “I hear your concerns, and that's exactly why we're not letting up. We will roll out 400 automated license-plate cameras at 100 intersections across the city this month.” On so-called drug tourism and the fentanyl crisis: “Of those arrested for public drug use in the Tenderloin and South of Market over the last year, over half were not San Francisco residents. Half. I've had enough of it — and clearly the voters have had enough of it, too.” On her conservative ballot measures: “To those in the press claiming Tuesday's election means San Francisco is not a progressive city anymore: Building homes and adding treatment beds is progressive… We are a progressive, diverse city living together, celebrating each other, LGBTQ, AAPI, Black, Latino, Palestinian and Jewish. That has not changed and that will not change.” Responding to her mayoral opponents (and invoking Teddy Rosevelt in the process): “To those outside the arena watching from the sidelines, offering only criticism, I have a message for you: San Francisco is not wearing the shackles of your negativity anymore.” As Breed left the stage, her supporters roared and the lyrics to Destiny’s Child classic “Survivor” blared over the speakers — a not-so-subtle message to her doubters. CASTING SHADE — Her opponents were quick to lob critiques. Mark Farrell, a former interim mayor and supervisor, told Playbook “it was a campaign speech that was masking over the realities on the streets of San Francisco.” Daniel Lurie, a nonprofit executive and heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, responded on X, saying, “the change we need won’t come from any of the City Hall insiders.” And Supervisor Ahsha Safaí, who sat in the audience, said the speech catered to the mayor’s wealthy donors, adding, “There wasn't a lot of conversation about working people and working families in San Francisco.” SPOTTED: SFSOTC — Breed’s speech was attended by a host of dignitaries, including former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot; former SF Mayor Willie Brown; District Attorney Brooke Jenkins; City Attorney David Chiu; Sheriff Paul Miyamoto; and Supervisors Aaron Peskin, Matt Dorsey, Joel Engardio, Myrna Melgar and Hillary Ronen. Attendees were treated to a coffee bar and pastry buffet as they mingled inside the Pier 27 event venue overlooking the Bay Bridge and downtown. | | | | A message from Amazon:   | | | | | ELECTION UPDATE | | THE CAPITAL CITY WAITS — The race for mayor of Sacramento has four candidates within 800 votes of each other vying for two spots in a November runoff. And the count hasn’t changed since Tuesday night. Frontrunner Dr. Richard Pan, a former state senator, leads former Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Hansen by just four votes, but neither of their spots is secure with Assemblymember Kevin McCarty fewer than 200 votes behind them with 23 percent of the votes counted. Epidemiologist Dr. Flojuane Cofer, now in fourth place, isn’t out of the running, and with progressive votes often cast and counted late, both Cofer and McCarty could see a late boost into the runoff. The four candidates — and city voters — will have to wait until late this afternoon when Sacramento County posts its first vote dump since Tuesday. — Sarah Grace Taylor
| | | | On the ground in Albany. Get critical policy news and analysis inside New York State. Track how power brokers are driving change across legislation and budget and impacting lobbying efforts. Learn more. | | | | | | | Top Talkers | | — LA’s program to send mental-health workers to non-emergency calls didn’t actually help first responders and hospitals, according to firefighters. (Los Angeles Times) — A $2 billion mega-development in Los Angeles is opening years sooner than expected after a major financial boost from Gov. Newsom. (Los Angeles Times) — Assembly Democrats are tackling retail theft. On Thursday, they revealed a new plan to take on the problem. (The Sacramento Bee) | | | | A message from Amazon: Fulfillment by Amazon connects local businesses with customers across the country, including Dumpling Daughter, a local business now shipping nationally.
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See how Amazon fosters growth. | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | IN MEMORIAM — Former state Assemblymember Brian Nestande died in his Palm Desert home this week at the age of 60. Nestande, a Republican, represented the Coachella Valley in the Assembly from 2008 to 2014. Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon described Nestande as a “good man who cared deeply about his community.” Former California GOP Chair Ron Nehring said he was “always friendly, positive and forward looking.” 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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