| | | | |  | | By Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner | Presented by America's Fuel | | 
Illustration by Claudine Hellmuth/POLITICO (source images via iStock) | THE BUZZ: BACKSTAGE ACCESS — Being a California state legislator can be an arduous job, but it’s certainly not without its perks. A new POLITICO analysis of all 120 lawmakers’ financial disclosures, published this morning, found members of the Legislature accepted thousands of dollars worth of free tickets from interest groups last year, receiving complimentary access to concerts, sporting events, NASCAR races, rodeos, amusement parks and more. The gifts came the same year the Legislature attempted to crack down on the ticketing industry in the wake of ticket sales troubles surrounding Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. One assemblymember, Orinda Democrat Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, even appears to have accepted concert tickets to that very Swift tour. Bauer-Kahan was later involved in legislative efforts to regulate the industry that ultimately stalled. In a statement, the lawmaker, who heads the Privacy and Consumer Protection committee, said protecting consumers is her top priority, and that there are many players who are impacted by the supply chain, including small businesses and artists. The wider POLITICO analysis found over half of all 120 state lawmakers received more than $30,000 total worth of tickets. The giveaways included entrance to Disneyland with mouse ears included, a music festival pass to see country music stars like Eric Church and San Francisco 49ers seats. Among the recipients was Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat who introduced a bill this past April banning exclusive contracts between sellers and venues, hoping to deflate the power of Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation. That bill, which was backed by consumer groups and third-party resellers like StubHub, faced significant opposition from industry players and sports teams, including the 49ers. It was ultimately held in Wicks’ own committee after she accepted extensive amendments. Wicks last year reported accepting $590 worth of football tickets from the 49ers for a game in November, months before she introduced the bill. She did not comment on whether the 49ers’ gift influenced her decision-making but defended her work on the ticketing issue. The analysis sheds light on a legal and common way deep-pocketed groups lobby lawmakers in the state of California that is home to Hollywood, musical powerhouses, renowned theme parks and high-grossing sports teams. While many lawmakers say they accept invites to such events to build relationships with important constituents or highlight major players in their districts, the gifts also raise ethics questions about privileges enjoyed by public servants. A freebie worth $590 is well below the $5,500 maximum campaign donation from an individual or business. But gifts like tickets can make a much greater impact, said Daniel Schnur, a government ethics expert and former chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission. “If I send money to a legislator’s campaign account, I get a thank you note. If I attend a reception, I get a handshake. If I take them out to lunch or dinner, I get a conversation,” Schnur said. “But if I get them tickets for a concert or a basketball game, I now have a friend who takes my phone calls.” Read the full story here. | | | | A message from America's Fuel: E15 can help California slash tailpipe and climate emissions—but only if the fuel is available. Today, 49 states allow sales of E15 made with 15% renewable biofuel. Will California be next? Learn how adding E15 in California can fuel a greener, cleaner future. Click here to explore. | | |
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? Back in California after personal travel. |  | UNION TOWN | | A (TENTATIVE) DEAL: The California state scientists’ union has struck a contract deal that delivers raises of more than 20 percent for some. It could end four years of labor strife with Newsom’s administration, if members who rejected the last agreement vote to approve it. — Wes Venteicher | | CITY BY THE BAY | | | | 
San Francisco Interim Mayor Mark Farrell speaks to reporters after being sworn into office at City Hall in San Francisco, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018. | AP | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: THE MAYORAL VIEW ON AI — San Francisco mayoral candidate Mark Farrell is out today with an op-ed criticizing one of Sacramento’s most closely-watched proposals for regulating artificial intelligence. Farrell, the former interim SF mayor, writes in a blog post that Senate Bill 1047 by fellow San Franciscan Scott Wiener would seriously hinder a golden opportunity for economic growth at a time when the city is desperately trying to bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic. The bill, which currently sits in the Assembly appropriations committee, aims to avoid catastrophic effects of AI by requiring large-scale models to conduct risk assessments. Farrell, like some others in Silicon Valley, argues such a guardrail could do more harm than good. “San Francisco’s status as a global technology hub is predicated on our ethos of embracing innovation,” he writes. “And SB 1047’s constraints will place us at a competitive disadvantage, driving talent and investment to more permissive jurisdictions.” Farrell is highlighting a position that could help distinguish himself from the other centrist candidates in the race: Mayor London Breed and nonprofit exec Daniel Lurie. Breed, for her part, has frequently touted the city as a hub for tech innovation, and acknowledged that AI could help fill 12 million square feet of office space downtown by the end of the decade. Farrell says well-thought-through guardrails are something “everyone agrees on,” though he argues that such an endeavor should be left up to the federal government. States which take an early stab at regulation, he said, will “inherently get it wrong.” Farrell plans to release his full dissertation here later today. | | | | During unprecedented times, POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy. Live briefings, policy trackers, and and people intelligence secures your seat at the table. Learn more. | | | | |
SPEAKING OF SILICON VALLEY — POLITICO’s own Steven Overly has a very special guest on the POLITICO Tech podcast today: Aaron Levie, the CEO of cloud software company Box.
Levie spoke to Steven about the political rift pulling at the tech industry. Executives and investors are feuding over issues ranging from crypto regulation to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, all while cutting checks, signing petitions and firing off tweets in support of Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump. “You're largely being exposed to, honestly, the kind of conversations that happen at dinner meetings and dinner parties of that same group of people,” Levie says on the podcast. “Right now, you're just seeing all of the war of ideas and the battle of ideas playing out just publicly.” Listen here. | | CAMPAIGN YEAR | | ELENI’S NEW AD — The abortion rights PAC led by Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis launched a new ad today directly targeting Republican Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance. The committee, Californians for Choice, calls out Vance for supporting a nationwide abortion ban and urges voters to rally behind Kamala Harris. “The women of America are counting on us,” Kounalakis says in the ad. Watch it here. VILLARAIGOSA’S VANGUARD — Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has started disclosing who’s funding his latest gubernatorial bid, and the list of big donors includes both longtime political allies like former Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez and former Assembly member Mike Gatto and a showbiz figure in television presenter Ryan Seacrest. It’s a reminder of the LA relationships and money that could power Villaraigosa’s run. — Jeremy B. White | | | | A message from America's Fuel:   | | |
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: DEBATE DARE — Democratic House hopeful Will Rollins is ramping up the pressure on GOP Rep. Ken Calvert to meet him on the debate stage. Rollins is calling for three debates in the hotly-contested CA-41 race and has a new digital ad goading Calvert to meet him “any time, any place.” The video, which will debut on social media this morning, features local news clips of Calvert declining to commit to a meeting and is punctuated by an animated chicken scurrying across the screen.
| | ON THE AGENDA | | WE’RE SO BACK — The Legislature returns from summer recess today, with the Assembly and the Senate convening for floor sessions at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Lawmakers have a lot to get done before the session wraps at the end of the month. ICYMI, our colleague Lindsey Holden has the rundown of all the remaining fights. The first battle they’ll likely tackle? Resuming the debate on a package of retail theft bills that was meant to serve as an alternative to Proposition 36. The initiative from the California District Attorneys Association would change Proposition 47, a 2014 voter-approved measure that made some theft and drug crimes misdemeanors. Now that Prop 36 will definitely appear on the November ballot, members of the Legislative Black Caucus plan to be more vocal about their concerns with the bill package. Assemblymember Lori Wilson, who chairs the caucus, said members have never been entirely on board with all of the legislation, pieces of which would increase penalties for theft-related crimes. “We saw what the era of extreme punishment, or putting people in jail for everything, did,” she said. “It not only hurt an individual, it decimated communities.” However, caucus members were not as outspoken about their stances on the bills, knowing they were part of a strategy to keep Prop 36 off the ballot, Wilson said. Now, members would prefer to see lawmakers cut their losses and come back next year with a new approach, she said. “We think that, as a caucus, Prop 36 is bad,” she said. “And we think, as a caucus, these retail bills are not good either. And there are some that are more problematic than others.” — Lindsey Holden
| | CLIMATE AND ENERGY | | SAYONARA, CHEVRON — Chevron said it moved its headquarters from San Ramon to Houston for business reasons. But politicians were quick to weigh in — in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s case, maybe too quick. Read more in Friday’s California Climate. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | |
| | Top Talkers | | HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE — Former President Donald Trump backed out of a Sept. 10 debate hosted by ABC over the weekend, instead suggesting he and Vice President Kamala Harris debate on FOX News. The Harris campaign has not agreed to such a change. (POLITICO) WILDFIRE SEASON — Firefighters spent the weekend trying to contain the Park Fire, which has burned more than 626 square miles north of Chico, and is now the fourth-largest wildfire in California history. (Associated Press) | | | AROUND THE STATE | | | — San Diego City Council has vowed to not restrict any public testimony after members were accused of violating the Brown Act on open meetings (San Diego Union-Tribune) — A surge of attacks have seniors on edge at an Oakland housing complex. (San Francisco Chronicle) — California’s Sutter Buttes could be getting a name change. (Sacramento Bee) — A Riverside County man is on a mission to save California’s abandoned ducks. (Los Angeles Times) | | | | A message from America's Fuel: Greener gasoline for today's vehicles is within reach. E15 can reduce tailpipe emissions, improve air quality, and help California achieve its climate goals. That's why more than 71% of Californians support allowing sales of E15. Discover how greenlighting E15 can put California on the road to a greener, cleaner future. Find out more. | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | BIRTHDAYS — Western Propane Gas Association President and CEO Colin Sueyres… state Sen. Anna Caballero’s Chief of Staff Luis Quinonez… BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Sunday:) Former President Barack Obama… 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. 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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