| | | | |  | | By Dustin Gardiner and Lara Korte | | Presented by |  | | | |  State Sen. Scott Wiener watches as the state Senate votes on a measure to reduce the state budget deficit at the Capitol in Sacramento, California, on April 11, 2024. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP | THE BUZZ — State Sen. Scott Wiener is doing everything possible to position himself for Nancy Pelosi’s seat. He’s packed the local Democratic Party with allies who could help lock down the state party’s endorsement, built a fundraising juggernaut and courted women donors. But Pelosi has given no indication of when she’ll retire — and when she does, her daughter, party organizer Christine Pelosi, is likely to be waiting in the wings. The former speaker surprised the political world last year when she announced she would run for another term, and has continued to play a pivotal role in national and state recruitment and fundraising operations. Meanwhile, Wiener — who put his congressional dreams on hold last fall — continues to wait for his shot, knowing he could be thwarted again. “It’s very difficult for anybody to challenge the name Pelosi,” said former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, who is close with the speaker emerita. “Nancy Pelosi is basically the foremost Democrat in this state.” So Wiener has to tread carefully. He talks about Pelosi with a deep sense of reverence and says he would never run against her. “I don’t want to speculate about what Nancy is going to do,” he said in an interview at his neighborhood coffee shop on Castro Street. But Wiener’s preparation to run for the seat, whenever Pelosi should retire, is still very much underway. On Friday, he held a “Women for Scott” fundraiser in a soaring glass skyscraper overlooking downtown San Francisco and the Bay Bridge at sunset. The event raised nearly $20,000 for his state Senate reelection campaign — and reflected his broader efforts to line up support among female leaders and donors. The fundraiser was hosted by Heidi Sieck, an old friend of Wiener’s who founded the national progressive group Vote Pro-Choice. As Sieck introduced Wiener, she drew laughter when she said her goal was to “elect down-ballot women of color where reproductive freedom is at stake, except for Scott Wiener and also David Chiu (the San Francisco city attorney).” When it was Wiener’s turn to speak, he made sure to effuse praise for Pelosi, calling her “arguably the most effective speaker in Congress in U.S. history.” Read the full profile here.
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Heidi Sieck speaks at a "Women for Scott" fundraiser in San Francisco on Friday, May 31, 2024. | Dustin Gardiner for POLITICO | SPOTTED: The crowd at Friday’s fundraiser for Wiener — a who’s who of women in San Francisco politics — sipped on rosé and California Cabernet as they wrote checks. Among those in attendance: strategist Debbie Mesloh (cohost) … former DA and TikTok’s safety chief Suzy Loftus … San Francisco Women's Political Committee head Alondra Esquivel Garcia … City College Board of Trustees candidate Ruth Ferguson … SF DCCC Vice Chair Emma Heiken … SFUSD Board President Lainie Motamedi … SFYIMBY organizing director Jane Natoli … Wiener’s consultant Maggie Muir … Manny’s event organizer Veronica Lempert ... … Smitten Ice Cream owner Robyn Sue Fisher … lobbyist Karin Johnston … lobbyist Martha Miller … consultant Joyce Newstat … Emerge California Vice Chair Jacqueline Piccini … Microsoft Cloud exec Breanna Zwart … and activist Jupiter Peraza. 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? Nothing official announced.
| | | | A message from Amazon: When Fellow was looking to take their products beyond San Francisco, they turned to Amazon to help with shipping products. “Fulfillment by Amazon lets us focus on growth instead of spending all our time shipping products,” said Madeline, Fellow’s senior global manager. Fulfillment by Amazon costs 70% less on average than comparable two-day shipping options. Learn how Amazon tools help sellers grow. | | | |  | NEWSOMLAND | | |  President Joe Biden shakes hands with California Gov. Gavin Newsom as he arrives at Moffett Federal Airfield, Calif., Monday, June 19, 2023. | AP | FOOT SOLDIER — While Democrats across the country cheered the 34 convictions for former President Donald Trump, Gov. Gavin Newsom — like many Biden surrogates — kept his reaction rather muted. In the hours after the verdict dropped, while other California Democrats tripped over one another tweeting their hottest takes, the only word out of Newsom’s office was about his routine political appointments and the reopening of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. It wasn’t until Friday morning that Newsom acknowledged the historic conviction — in a campaign email where he made a fundraising plea for the president, calling it a “dangerous moment for Joe Biden” and sounding alarms about the tsunami of donations that Trump saw in the aftermath of the trial. Newsom’s response, while a bit uncharacteristic for the usually zealous governor, matches the tone of other Democratic leaders — including Biden — who met the moment with somber warnings, rather than gleeful gloating. It also shows a carefulness to defer to Biden as Newsom continues to stump for the president on the campaign trail.
| | | | A message from Amazon:   | | | | | FOR GOOD MEASURE | | |  State Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, left, in September 2019. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP | REPEAL EFFORT PULLED — State Sen. Ben Allen is removing his proposed constitutional amendment on public housing from the crowded November ballot, citing costs, Dustin and Emily Schultheisscooped, “Reaching voters will be difficult and expensive,” said Allen, a Santa Monica Democrat. Allen’s measure, which the Legislature sent to the ballot nearly two years ago, aimed to remove a provision in the California Constitution known as Article 34, which lawmakers and pro-housing advocates argue has stifled affordable housing projects in many cities and promoted racial segregation in housing. Passed in 1950, it requires local voters to approve any new government-subsidized, low-income rental housing. Multiple efforts to repeal it have failed. While his ballot measure won’t continue, Allen noted several efforts in the Legislature to address the issue are progressing, including his Senate Bill 469, which would add exceptions to allow for more public housing projects without voter approval. SCA 2 will be the first of the 12 currently qualified measures to be removed from November’s ballot. With the deadline to pull measures coming up on June 27 and active discussions taking place on a handful of other proposals, it’s unlikely to be the last.
| | ON THE AGENDA | | FLOOR SESH — The Assembly and the Senate convene at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
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Learn how Amazon breaks down barriers to growth. | | | | | CLIMATE AND ENERGY | | CHINA SYNDROME — While the White House doubles down on tariffs on Chinese EVs, California has been busy promoting climate collaboration with China. One UC Berkeley economist thinks the tariffs could end up hurting California’s clean energy goals. Read our interview with James Sallee in Friday’s California Climate. | | Top Talkers | | — San Joaquin County issued evacuation orders over the weekend as the Corral wildfire burned more than 12,000 acres south of Tracy. Rep. Josh Harder, who lives near the fire line, urged residents to follow evacuation orders and thanked first responders. — In a battleground congressional district north of LA, the Trump verdict may be a wildcard in the November election. (Los Angeles Times) — Los Angeles clears a homeless encampment near Hollywood's Sunset Sound recording studio. (Los Angeles Times) — Faith-based groups that assist migrants, like those in San Diego, have become targets of extremists. (The New York Times) | | AROUND THE STATE | | — Sudden SAT cancellation due in Oakland due to an internet outage left hundreds of students scrambling for test slots. (San Francisco Chronicle) — The Catholic Diocese of Fresno will seek bankruptcy amid claims of sexual abuse by clergy. (Fresno Bee) — A social science teacher at Florin High School in Elk Grove is suing his union for reserving one board seat for someone who isn’t white. (San Francisco Chronicle) — Federal regulators have asked Amazon’s self-driving car unit, Zoox, to send more information about sudden braking. (TechCrunch) | | PLAYBOOKERS | | MEDIA WATCH — Los Angeles-based immigration reporter Alicia Caldwell was among the many journalists laid off by The Wall Street Journal late last week. WEDDING WATCH — Adam Twardowski, global policy manager at Meta, and Chelsea Cooper, program analyst at FEMA, got married May 18 in Krakow, Poland, at the National Museum of Art. They met in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. Pic BIRTHDAYS — state Sen. Dave Cortese (favorite cake flavor: coconut) … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Sunday): state Sen. Janet Nguyen (favorite cake flavor: lemon) … (was Saturday): Amy Schumer … Google's Sasha Moss … (was Friday): Alfred Stern 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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