| | | | |  | | By Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner | | Presented by |  | | | |  Two attendees chat at the California Republican Party Convention in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) | AP | THE BUZZ: CONVENTIONAL WISDOM — California Republicans gathered in Burlingame this weekend for their last convention before the November election, hoping a frustrated electorate and former President Donald Trump’s reelection bid will drive turnout and help them hold onto a handful of critical House seats. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was on hand to rally the troops, but she steered clear of the elephant (or should we say dog) in the room, instead spending her time railing against California’s Covid restrictions and praising the former president (who could soon tap her for vice president). Party Chair Jessica Millan Patterson acknowledged that the convention didn’t have quite the same excitement as it did last October — when Trump spent hours playing his greatest hits to hundreds of adoring fans — but described the vibe of the spring meeting as “focused.” “Despite what people want to say about a very blue state, we are responsible for the House majority,” she said. “And so we know what our job is.” Here were a few of the other key themes we observed as Republicans prepare for the thick of election season: — Steve Garvey wasn’t there, and no one cared: Despite the convention’s “spring training” theme, the former Dodgers star and Republican candidate for Senate was nowhere to be found — in person or likeness. His campaign manager, Andy Gharakhani, stuck to a familiar refrain, saying in a statement that Garvey isn’t defined by “any political party, organization, or individual,” even though he is indeed running as a Republican. If the delegates were missing Garvey, they hid their disappointment well. While many attendees donned their typical bedazzled MAGA hats, American flag shirts and rhinestone-studded Trump pins, there was no sight or sound of Garvey. “I don't know where he is,” said state Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones when asked about him. “I hope he's out somewhere in the state either raising money or raising voters — because everybody here is already on his team.” — Chaos is key for the CA GOP: Party leaders are planning to hammer voters this election cycle with the message that the ruling party is to blame for all the state’s ills — homelessness, the cost of living and crime. Unpopular social stances like opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage are still in the CA GOP’s bylaws — despite a fight last year to nix them from the guiding document — but on the ground, Republicans want their candidates talking about gas prices, grocery bills and car break-ins. "It's really the Democrats who would love to talk about all kinds of other issues," said Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher. "I think we're very focused on the issues that matter to voters." Crime is the big-ticket issue this year, and Millan Patterson said a ballot measure to roll back Proposition 47, a 2014 measure that downgraded some crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, could drive turnout. “Sometimes candidates don’t set people’s hair on fire,” she said. “But quality-of-life issues do.” — Down-ballot races are where it’s at: With statewide offices out of reach, Republicans are hoping they’ll make progress in the Legislature and local government. Gallagher this year said he’s focused on pickup opportunities in three seats soon to be vacated by their Democratic incumbents: Brian Maienschein (who is running for San Diego city attorney), Eduardo Garcia (who is not seeking reelection), and Sabrina Cervantes (who is running for state Senate). He also mentioned the seats held by Esmeralda Soria and Pilar Schiavo as potential flips for the Republican caucus. Meanwhile, the party is keeping the pressure on school boards. At a “Parent Revolt” panel Saturday afternoon, National Committeeman Shawn Steel touted the party’s successful efforts to elect conservative school board members in 2022, where nearly half of their candidates won their races. Some members, like those in Temecula Valley Unified School District, have been behind headline-grabbing policies to ban critical race theory and notify parents if a child shows signs of being transgender, and have been recalled or face recall efforts. Steel, who lamented during the panel that “the left is catching on to what we’re doing,” encouraged the delegates to run or recruit for one of the hundreds of education positions in California. “Everybody in this room is qualified to run,” he said. “No exceptions.” GOOD MORNING. Happy Monday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte. WHERE’S GAVIN? Still in Italy for his international meeting on the climate crisis. He’s expected to return later this week.
| | | | A message from Safety Runs First: ADVANCING EQUINE SAFETY IN HORSERACING: Thoroughbred racing is applying unprecedented resources to protect the wellbeing of our horses. For the first time ever, all horses now run under the same safety and anti-doping rules, overseen by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). Advanced diagnostic technologies and big data add a new layer of protection. Combining uniform rules and hands-on care with the latest technologies ensures safety always runs first. To learn more visit SafetyRunsFirst.com. | | | |  | ON THE HILL | | | 
Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.). | Andrew Harnik/AP | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: NOT THE PONY EXPRESS — A delegation of 12 California House members, led by Democratic Rep. Jim Costa, sent a letter to the U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Friday, demanding the agency beef up its number of mail-delivery trucks on the West Coast. The lawmakers said Postal Service customers on this side of the country could suffer from service delays due to a shortage of modern delivery trucks relative to the East Coast. “Such disparities not only compromise the efficiency of our postal services but also underscore a worrying inequity in resource distribution nationwide,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter, which was exclusively shared with Playbook. They requested an immediate reassessment of how the USPS distributes its carrier vehicles to ensure facilities on the West Coast aren’t neglected.
| | | | NEW! AN EXCLUSIVE CALIFORNIA BALLOT-MEASURES COVERAGE TEAM: The impact that ballot measures have on California residents, industries, and Legislature is enormous. From settling broad cultural questions to changing obscure governance rules, ballot measures in essence, have become the fourth branch of government in the most influential state capital in the U.S. As your go-to source for reporting on Golden State politics, policy, power, POLITICO has formed a new ballot measure team in California that will deliver in-depth insights into the strategies, policy ideas, personalities, money and influence driving ballot measures. LEARN MORE. | | | | | | | THE SCOOP | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: CALIFORNIA V. HATE — More than 1,000 people reported incidents of hate to California officials over the last year through its statewide hotline and online portal. The new data from CA vs Hate, released today by the California Civil Rights Department in recognition of the one-year anniversary, shows the hotline received 1,020 reports of hate from members of the public seeking assistance. The operation was launched last year amid rising reports of hate crimes as a way to give the public a confidential and convenient avenue for reporting harassment, intimidation and discrimination. The most common reasons for contact were discriminatory treatment (18.4 percent), verbal harassment (16.7 percent) and derogatory names or slurs (16.7 percent). The incidents most commonly occurred in residential settings, followed by the workplace and public facilities. Calls came from nearly 80 percent of California’s 58 counties, including the 10 most populous ones. Race and ethnicity was the number one motivation for bias among the 560 incidents that were further validated by staff, followed by gender identity and sexual orientation. Reports can be made by calling (833) 866-4283, or 833-8-NO-HATE on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. or online at any time. They can be made in 15 different languages through the online portal and in over 200 languages when calling the hotline.
| | | | A message from Safety Runs First:   | | | | | SAN FRANCISCO | | |  FILE - Paul Pelosi attends a portrait unveiling ceremony for his wife, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in Statuary Hall at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 14, 2022. David DePape who was convicted last year in federal court of breaking into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home will be sentenced in federal court Friday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) | AP | SENTENCE RENDERED — David DePape, the man convicted of attacking Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. On Friday, a federal judge sentenced DePape on two federal counts for assaulting Paul Pelosi and attempting to kidnap then-speaker Pelosi when he broke into the couple’s San Francisco home in October 2022. Prosecutors later filed a motion saying the court failed to offer the defendant a chance “to speak or present any information to mitigate the sentence” as required by federal rule, and asked the court to reopen the sentencing portion. The court did not immediately respond, AP reported. Prosecutors had sought a 40-year sentence for DePape. During the trial last fall, he admitted attacking Paul Pelosi and plotting to kidnap the Democratic speaker to force her to expose Democrats’ supposed lies about former President Donald Trump. At the sentencing, Christine Pelosi, the couple’s daughter and a longtime Democratic organizer, read victim statements on behalf of her parents, detailing the physical and emotional scars of that night. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley spoke about the severity of DePape breaking into a federal official’s residence: “He actually went to the home, that is completely, completely unprecedented,” she said. DePape still faces five state charges, including attempted murder. Jury selection in his state trial is expected to start next week. DOWNTOWN DOLDRUMS — State Sen. Scott Wiener is mourning the defeat of his most ambitious housing proposal of the year, Senate Bill 1227, which would have exempted many downtown San Francisco development projects from environmental review. Wiener said the proposal — which was blocked by the Senate Appropriations Committee last week — would have given San Francisco a jolt of momentum to revitalize its downtown, which has struggled to rebound post-pandemic, by making it easier and less expensive to build urban infill housing. But, he said, he’s hopeful the Legislature will throw the city’s downtown a recovery lifeline by backing his bid to let San Francisco create “entertainment zones” where adults could drink alcohol outdoors on public sidewalks — à la New Orleans or Las Vegas.
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF DEFENSE 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, like defense, 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. Our defense reporting team—including Lara Seligman, Joe Gould, Paul McCleary, Connor O’Brien and Lee Hudson—is embedded with the market-moving legislative committees and agencies in Washington and across states, delivering unparalleled coverage of defense policy and the defense industry. 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. | | | | | | | ON THE AGENDA | | FLOOR SESH BONANZA — There will be no committee hearings this week as each chamber races against Friday’s House of Origin deadline.
| | | CLIMATE AND ENERGY | | | ZAIDI IN CALI — We asked top White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi what the rest of the country can learn from California’s ahead-of-the-curve energy transition. Read what he had to say in Friday’s California Climate.
| | Top Talkers | | — The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department settled for $7.5 million in the death of an inmate. (The New York Times) — Disneyland’s costumed character employees are trying to unionize. (Los Angeles Times) — The State Department has issued an unusual travel alert for the LGBTQ+ safety. (POLITICO)
| | AROUND THE STATE | | — Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, says he’s so popular he can no longer eat in public in San Francisco. (San Francisco Chronicle) — Sisters in Christ, a Utah-based LLC, is paying property taxes on Steve Garvey’s home. (Sacramento Bee) — The Bay Area and the state added some jobs in April — but the gains are puny. (Mercury News) — New Mexico is weighing whether to toss the criminal charges for Alex Baldwin in 'Rust' shooting (Los Angeles Times) — San Diego’s jobless rate fell to its lowest level all year. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
| | | | A message from Safety Runs First: BRINGING RACING INTO THE 21ST CENTURY: Three years ago, Congress created the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) to enhance the safety and integrity of Thoroughbred racing. Under HISA, for the first time in the sport’s 200-year history, every horse across the country is now running under the same safety and anti-doping rules. In addition, HISA is partnering with leading technology providers, including AWS and Palantir, to create new data-enabled tools to assist veterinary screenings. These tools add a new layer of protection by helping identify at-risk horses before they reach the starting gate.
The industry is also investing in the latest technologies for diagnostic imaging and wearable biometric devices. Combining enhanced, uniform rules, data analytics and cutting-edge technologies is improving safety outcomes and enhancing the ecosystems of care at every track nationwide, ensuring safety always runs first. To learn more visit SafetyRunsFirst.com. | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | PEOPLE MOVES — Asif Mahmood, a California physician and inter-faith organizer, has been appointed to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. He was named to the post by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Mahmood was previously a candidate for state insurance commissioner. While he lost that race in the primary, his campaign is remembered for his animated talking cow ad, which urged people to vote “Mah-moooooood.” — Maryam Ahmed is now senior account supervisor at Edelman. She most recently was deputy communications director for Adam Schiff’s Senate campaign, and is an alum of Senate Majority PAC, Precision Strategies, Climate Power, Pete for America, and Capitol Hill. BIRTHDAYS — Michael Law, founder and CEO of California-based Summit Strategy Group… POLITICO’s Julia Marsh … Marie Royce … Amazon’s PJ Hoffman … Katie Lewallen … Christina Bellantoni … Korinna (Kori) Anderson … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (Sunday): Crosby Armstrong … former California state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson ... Zack Thornton … (Saturday): WaPo’s Cristiano Lima … Pete Boogaard of Snap … Gabrielle Shea of Visa … Joe Teplow ... Linda Mayman ... Dan Garon ... Fay Sliger ... (Friday): Kinney Zalesne 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 Rebecca Haase to find out how: rhaase@politico.com.
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