The Tortured Ticketers Department

Presented by Uber: Inside the Golden State political arena

Apr 24, 2024 View in browser   By Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner Presented by  Assemblymember Buffy Wicks had set out to end exclusive relationships between venues and the companies that sell their tickets. But industry groups have stepped in. | Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images DRIVING THE DAY — Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to get Arizona doctors over the border to see their patients — which he first previewed last weekend — will be up in the Assembly today. More exclusive details from Rachel Bluth below. THE BUZZ: DOWN BAD — Industry groups are campaigning hard to neutralize a bill that aims to inject more competition into the ticketing market. So far, it appears to be working. Assemblymember Buffy Wicks had set out earlier this year to end exclusive relationships between venues and the companies that sell their tickets — hoping that more ticketers would mean more competition and better deals for the fans. It was a direct attack on Ticketmaster, the seller that controls 70 percent of the market for ticketing and live events and was responsible for the chaotic handling of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. But less than a month after introducing the bill, Wicks has taken such extensive amendments that some of her proponents are now opposing the bill, saying it’s become antithetical to the original intention of the bill and would bolster Ticketmaster’s control of the market, not limit it. "This is one of the most complicated bills I've worked on," Wicks told Playbook. "There's a lot of stakeholders, and you're dealing with a monopoly that has a lot of control over the entire industry." The paring down shows the power of the industry players that have managed to dilute or kill past California bills that aimed to curb the problems in the ticketing market — where fans are increasingly complaining of exorbitant fees and long wait times. At the behest of the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee, led by Chair Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, Wicks on Tuesday accepted five amendments, including one that would allow artists to determine the terms and conditions around the sale, pricing, distribution, and transfer of their tickets. But some groups say that only benefits Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company, which represents many artists and venues. Wicks, in committee, made it clear she still has concerns about that amendment. She recognized that the intent was to give artists a seat at the table, but said she worries it doesn’t center the consumer in the bill — given a large majority of artists are essentially employed by Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Those amendments came after Wicks last week made two major concessions in the Assembly’s Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism Committee, including allowing an exemption for professional and collegiate sports teams. Despite criticism from some supporters, the Consumer Federation of California, a major backer of the bill, is standing firm with Wicks. "I think it's very premature," Executive Director Robert Herrell said when asked if the amendments were a deal-breaker. Live Nation Entertainment is opposed to the Wicks bill, along with numerous artist and musician associations, and major sports teams including the Los Angeles Rams, the Golden State Warriors, and the San Francisco 49ers. Opponents argue the bill benefits the bad actors in the resale market — not the fans. Even with the amendments, many of the opponents said they still have concerns about how the bill could adversely affect artists and bolster the resale market to the detriment of consumers. “It’s a work in progress,” the author said. The bill now heads to Wicks’ own committee: appropriations. GOOD MORNING. Happy Wednesday. 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? Newsom will appear in Sacramento, alongside the Legislative Women’s Caucus, to unveil his plan to help Arizonans obtain abortions. Licensed doctors could submit their paperwork to the California Medical Board or Osteopathic Board and get speedy approval to treat their patients here until the end of November. There's a short timeline to get the bill — authored by Sen. Nancy Skinner and Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry — passed before Arizona's ban goes into effect on June 8. Attorney General Rob Bonta is also jumping in, reminding doctors and patients alike that California protects them from prosecution in new guidance out today. Read Rachel's full story here for more.   A message from Uber: Drivers with Uber are leading EV adoption. Key fact to know this Earth Month: Drivers with Uber are switching to electric cars seven times faster than everyday drivers. That progress has multiplier impact because when one Uber driver starts using an EV, they deliver up to four times the emissions benefits compared to regular motorists. Learn more about this trend.   STATE CAPITOL Tech industry group Chamber of Progress personally apologized to Assemblymember Alan Lowenthal over an X post. | Darko Vojinovic/AP Photo THEIR-A CULPA — Tech industry group Chamber of Progress has personally apologized to Assemblymember Alan Lowenthal for a Chamber representative’s aggressive tactics. Senior Counsel Jess Miers last week testified against Lowenthal’s bill exposing social media companies to enormous financial penalties if their products harm kids — but Miers didn’t stop when the hearing ended. Miers took to X after to accuse politicians of being “soft” and “tone policing” her. Miers’ solution in a since-deleted X post: “Don’t write shitty bills.” That didn’t sit so well with her employers. In a letter to Lowenthal seen by POLITICO, the Chamber of Progress’ California director said Miers’ posts did not “live up to our own standards” or “reflect our organizations' views” — and he added he’d be the Chamber’s “sole representative before the Legislature from now on.” — Jeremy B. White   THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY.     CALCARE ADVANCES — A bill that would create universal health care with a single-payer system in California survived its first committee vote Tuesday, but lawmakers came no closer to deciding how to finance free health care for all the state’s residents. The Assembly Health Committee’s approval of Assembly Bill 2200 revived a proposal that had died last legislative session on the Assembly floor in a blow to progressives. The bill would make California the first state in the nation to offer universal health care by creating a free, state-run insurance option called CalCare. The bill lays out lawmakers’ intent to pass follow-up legislation detailing how CalCare would be funded. But reaching an agreement between legislative leaders and Newsom on that issue could prove difficult this year as the state faces a deficit estimated to be between $38 billion and $73 billion. — Blake Jones ALL CLEAR — Another bill passed its first hurdle Tuesday, targeting the airport security screening company CLEAR. As our own Eric He reports, the proposal from Sen. Josh Newman generated a lot of buzz, but was watered down amid steep industry opposition to avoid effectively placing a ban on the company. The bill, which passed the state Senate Transportation Committee 8-4, would now restrict CLEAR from expanding to new airports — rather than prohibiting the company and other third-party airport security screening vendors from operating as previously intended — until they get their own dedicated security lane. More details here.   A message from Uber:   ON THE AGENDA IN THE SENATE — State Sen. Steve Padilla is presenting two bills on water quality and waste discharge in the Environmental Quality Committee, responding to a sewage and pollution crisis that has taken hold of beaches in San Diego and Tijuana. In the labor committee, state Sen. Anthony Portantino is presenting a bill that would extend unemployment insurance to striking workers — making another run at the same proposal Newsom vetoed last year. The Health Committee is also considering a number of high-profile bills, including measures on obesity treatments, seismic compliance for hospitals, and increasing young people’s access to contraception.  IN THE ASSEMBLY — Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry presents her bill on heavy-duty autonomous vehicles in the committee on communications and conveyance. CLIMATE AND ENERGY NO NEW FRIENDS — It’s been a pretty lonely decade for California’s carbon market. Now, just as it was finally starting to make some new friends as carbon pricing picked up steam, political backlash is threatening to take them away. Read more in last night’s California Climate newsletter. Top Talkers — Cease-fire protests are rocking college campuses across California. Cal Poly Humboldt closed its campus Monday, after masked demonstrators took over an administrative building. And students at UC Berkeley erected a Gaza solidarity encampment. (Los Angeles Times) — The state’s budget deficit is threatening the future of a renowned free tuition and cash aid program. (CalMatters)   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.     AROUND THE STATE SAN FRANCISCO: In San Francisco, neighbors hold enormous power over each other’s renovations. Just ask the couple who went up in front of the city’s Board of Supervisors yesterday: They’ve spent a quarter-million dollars and counting to raise their roof after their neighbors took issue with their plans. (The New York Times) ORANGE COUNTY: A Democratic PAC supporting female candidates who back abortion rights bet more than $813,000 on a congressional newcomer. It turned out to be a political blunder. (Los Angeles Times) SILICON VALLEY: New technology is allowing companies to fix prices without explicitly coordinating with each other, and it’s creating hurdles for market regulators, a top Biden official said. (KFF Health News) — with help from Ariel Gans   A message from Uber: Uber Drivers Accelerate Electric Vehicle Shift As Earth Month spotlights sustainability, a noteworthy trend emerges: Uber drivers are adopting electric vehicles seven times faster than the average driver. For every driver on the Uber platform who switches to an EV, the emissions savings are quadrupled compared to what typical drivers would achieve. This shift didn’t just happen. It’s part of Uber’s commitment to ensuring that, by 2030, 100% of trips on its platform in the US are in zero-emission vehicles or through micromobility and public transport. Now drivers with Uber are leading the way in advancing clean energy transportation. Discover more about how Uber is going green.   PLAYBOOKERS PEOPLE MOVES — Matt Kaplan is now vice president of government relations at Endeavor, the global sports and entertainment talent firm. He will lead the company’s politics and policy work, including on AI legislation. Kaplan was previously director of public policy at Meta. PUT A RING ON IT — Jimmy Wittrock, chief of staff to Assemblymember Gregg Hart, and Darwin Constantino, a software development engineer at AMPAC Fine Chemicals, got married on April 6. They met during a rehearsal with the Sacramento Gay Men's Chorus. Congrats! Pic here BIRTHDAYS — Nick Lapis of Californians Against Waste … Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) … POLITICO’s Daniella Cheslow WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO's California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form. Disclaimer: All information will be verified. 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.   Follow us on Twitter Dustin Gardiner @dustingardiner Lara Korte @lara_korte   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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