| | | | |  | | By Melanie Mason, Dustin Gardiner and Lara Korte | Presented by Kaiser Permanente | ATTENTION SF AND SILICON VALLEY — We’re hosting an event on AI policy and politics at Manny’s in San Francisco’s Mission district this Wednesday. POLITICO’s senior California politics and policy reporter Jeremy B. White will interview state Sen. Scott Wiener, a leading lawmaker on AI regulation, about California’s role in shaping the industry. Bring your own tough questions to ask, starting at 7:30 p.m. — get your tickets here.
|  People vote on "Super Tuesday" on March 5, 2024 at the Central Library in Huntington Beach, California. | AFP via Getty Images | THE BUZZ: FIELDWORK — In case we haven’t said it enough already, California will be November’s premiere staging ground for the fight for control of the House. A new progressive super PAC — named “Battleground California,” natch — is jumping into the fray, aiming to spend $15 million on eight races in the state, including marquee contests in the Central Valley and Orange County. The effort, which has so far raised $1.3 million, debuted in the New York Times last week. Our colleague Melanie Mason caught up with Steve Phillips, a veteran Democratic operative helping lead the effort, who spoke about this group’s theory of the case that field outreach to voters of color – even in California, where television air wars tend to dominate – will tip the balance for Democrats in the fall. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. There are a number of groups that have identified California as a top priority for House races this year. What makes your effort different? I will say up top that these things are synergistic. [But there’s a] strategic myopia of too many people in progressive Democratic politics. There's far too much time, energy, attention and money spent on television ads in general and on voter persuasion efforts as well. Biden won the most votes in 226 of the congressional districts. So there are more Democrats in the majority of seats. So that’s not a persuasion problem. That’s a mobilization problem. That is what happened in 2022 in general, and in California and New York in particular. Democrats should have never lost the House in 2022. So fundamentally, that’s the point of this — let’s not make that mistake again. Let’s invest in the work that will move money to the groups who are most in touch with these voters and turn them out to the polls in sufficient numbers to be able to win those seats. You’ve put together something called the New Majority Index. How did that lead you to focus on these districts in California? Most people look at the Cook PVI [Partisan Voting Index] — the essence of that is ‘how did that district vote in the last presidential election?’ What nobody does is also look at what is the racial composition of the district. Race is one of — if not the most — predictive data points in terms of voter behavior there is. There’s a pretty stark and longstanding data set that suggests that there’s greater potential for Democrats in a district if there are more people of color in general, and if there are more people of color who are infrequent or nonvoters. That’s what we tease out. In this cycle, we’ve seen some polling that indicates that voters of color, particularly Latino voters, are perhaps not as reliably Democratic as was once assumed. Some Democratic strategists are saying that these voters have to be persuaded to vote blue, not just mobilized to get out the vote. What do you think of this debate? Don’t believe what you read in the New York Times. I think the Times is actually very bad at polling, particularly Black people and probably Latinos as well. We saw that most dramatically in November. A Times/Siena poll came out showing Trump ahead in all these battleground states. It had [Biden’s] support cratering, particularly among Black voters. Two days later, on Tuesday, we had actual elections. The Democrats nearly ran the table — took back the state legislature in Virginia, passed the abortion rights ballot measure in Ohio with 80-plus percent support from African Americans and then in Kentucky [Gov. Andy] Beshear defeated in the Blackest counties an African American Trump supporter. So if Black support is cratering, as the Times keeps saying, how are Democrats winning these actual elections? Trump has done a better job of turning out infrequent conservative voters of color than Democrats have done. That has led to some of these margin issues. So that then brings you back to what we’re talking about. You’ve got to do the work investing in the groups who are in relationship with the folks in these communities to get progressive people of color to vote in larger numbers. GOOD MORNING. Happy Monday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Meanwhile, 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? Attending the California Peace Officers' Memorial Ceremony in Sacramento.
| | | | A message from Kaiser Permanente: At Kaiser Permanente, collaboration powers better health outcomes. We seamlessly connect health plan, physicians, specialists, hospitals, labs, and pharmacies to achieve better health outcomes for our nearly 13 million members. See how at kp.org/allcarecanbe. | | | |  | NEWSOMLAND | | |  First partner of California Jennifer Siebel Newsom speaks at the Women's March California 2019 on January 19, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. | Getty Images | FIRST PARTNER UPDATE — California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentarian, activist and the wife of Gov. Gavin Newson, caught up with Suzanne Lynch, author of POLITICO’s Global Playbook, for a wide-ranging conversation about her priorities — and future ambitions. Read more in the most recent edition of Global Playbook, and check out these highlights from the interview: On whether she would run for office: “I feel like there's only room for one politician in the family. I love what I do, and I was doing this before my documentaries, with “Misrepresentation” and the “Mask You Live In” through my organization, the Representation Project. Now, obviously, there's more of a policy platform to the work around gender equity and child wellbeing. And so I'll continue doing this after in whatever form or fashion.” Why ‘First Partner’ and not ‘First Lady’: One day “we will have a female governor in California, we will have an LGBTQ+ Governor. I wanted to anchor that notion of inclusivity and the vital role of partnership in leadership.” How equal pay remains a challenge: “Californian women lose $87 billion annually to the wealth gap. We have some, if not the strongest, pay laws in the country. If California women are still struggling to close that gap, and access finance for their companies or entrepreneurial endeavors, think about what’s going on in the rest of the country.”
|  POLITICO reporter Melanie Mason and her pup, Dottie. | Courtesy photo | | PUPPY TIME — Going to the Milken Global Conference in LA this week? Need a break from the policy panels? Our senior political reporter Melanie Mason (shown here with her dog, Dottie) will be posting up with some four-legged friends at the “wellness garden puppy time” (yes, that’s a real item on the program) on Tuesday from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Come say hi!
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | GOLDEN STATE | | |  People enter Disneyland Park as it reopens for the first time since the COVID 19 pandemic on April 30, 2021 in Anaheim, California | Getty Images | VISITORS CENTER — California’s tourism numbers are up, with travel spending reaching an all-time high of $150.4 billion last year, surpassing the previous record of $144.9 billion spent in 2019. It’s another boost for Democrats, especially Gov. Gavin Newsom, as they fight to defend California’s status as an economic powerhouse. The tourism numbers also come on the heels of a population increase for the state. The travel report, released by the state, found that spending is 3.8 percent higher than it was in 2019 and 5.6 percent higher than in 2022. Spending exceeded 2019 levels in 34 out of 58 counties. Most of the state’s major travel hubs — San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles Counties — exceeded 2019 travel spending levels, but San Francisco is still lagging slightly behind, with travel spending at 97.2 percent of pre-pandemic levels. Newsom celebrated the news at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. “People coming back — not only to visit — but coming back to live as well,” he said.
| | | | A message from Kaiser Permanente:   | | | | | CLIMATE AND ENERGY | | WRING IT OUT — State Water Contractors general manager Jennifer Pierre is disappointed. Water agencies are only getting 40 percent of their contracted deliveries this year, despite record precipitation. We talked allocations, the Delta tunnel and more with her in Friday’s California Climate newsletter.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | ON THE AGENDA | | FLOOR SESH — The Assembly and the Senate convene at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. | | Top Talkers | | — Ro Khanna thinks President Biden ‘should and will get out’ to campuses where protests are happening (POLITICO) — UCLA created a new chief safety officer position after a major security lapse during an attack last week on a pro-Palestinian student encampment. (Los Angeles Times) — For a governor who is rarely shy about grabbing the spotlight on controversial issues, Newsom’s response to the recent campus upheaval has been noticeably low-key. (Los Angeles Times) — California has announced a tentative settlement agreement with the same company it’s partnering with to produce a lower-cost opioid reversal drug. (San Francisco Chronicle) | | AROUND THE STATE | | SAN DIEGO: Assemblymember Chris Ward wants his hometown to take advantage of a new law that allows cities to more easily cite drivers who park in the bike lane. But San Diego officials are skeptical. (The San Diego Union-Tribune) FRESNO: The California Supreme Court has declined to halt a defamation lawsuit filed against Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria by Fresno Councilmember Mike Karbassi. He’s suing over a mailer from their ugly 2022 campaign feud. (GVWire) MERCED: County Sheriff Vern Warnke warned that a severe shortage of deputies is harming public safety in his jurisdiction, which he said could cause some emergency calls to go unheeded. (Los Angeles Times) SAN FRANCISCO: The value of one the largest office buildings in San Francisco has fallen by 80 percent since 2015, following the departure of tech giants Uber and Block, the mobile payment firm formerly known as Square. (San Francisco Chronicle)
| | | | A message from Kaiser Permanente: At Kaiser Permanente, our integrated approach to financing and organizing care results in high-quality care and services for our nearly 13 million members.
We apply a population health approach and utilize our organizational resources to keep members healthy at affordable costs.
The result is exceptional value for patients and communities, earning us consistent recognition among the nation's leading hospitals, medical groups and health plans. See how at kp.org/allcarecanbe. | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | SPOTTED: Senate President pro Tem Mike McGuire rubbing shoulders with the Washington bigwigs over the weekend, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Rep. Adam Schiff, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Also spotted: state Sens. Monique Limón, Angelique Ashby, Aisha Wahab and Lena Gonzalez.
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| BIRTHDAYS — Mac Zilber of J&Z Strategies … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Sunday): Christine Pelosi … Gary Lauder … Nathaniel Haas … (was Saturday): Erin Mershon … ABC Daytime’s Steven Rosenberg …Former Senate President Pro Tem David Roberti… (was Friday): Deborah Szekely... 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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