THE BUZZ: THE (ALMOST) FINAL HURDLE — The Assembly and Senate Appropriations committees are sharpening their knives today as they prepare to run through hundreds of bills in quick succession, sending some of the proposals to floor votes and leaving others on the chopping block. The committees have spent months slowly adding bills to their suspense files, and today is the deadline to advance or kill them. Suspense day, as it’s known around the Capitol, is a notoriously opaque process — and can be a convenient way for leadership to dispose of legislation it doesn’t like. With that in mind, we’re keeping our ears open for a few key bills, which have faced headwinds throughout the legislative process and could be a target for the committees. Here’s what we’re watching: — Anything with a big price tag: This is always true but especially during tough budget cycles. High prices have been known to give lawmakers cold feet and increase the odds of a veto. That’s also why we often see bills come through the committees with amendments to shave off costs — it’s the result of authors striking a compromise. One example of this is Assemblymembr Rebecca Bauer-Kahan’s bill on preventing bias in algorithms. The committee estimates it could cost billions of dollars to implement. Bauer-Kahan told our own Jeremy B. White earlier this week that she thinks that figure might be off, but added that “we’ve been working really diligently to offer up cost-cutting amendments.” — Artificial intelligence: State Sen. Scott Wiener’s sweeping proposal to regulate large AI models has been the subject of fierce criticism from opponents, including Silicon Valley giants like Y Combinator and A16z who argue the bill would hurt startups. Opponents of Wiener’s bill, which would create a new state division to implement the law, also argue it’s too costly. We’re also keeping an eye on Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry’s second attempt to pass a bill related to autonomous driving technology. Aguiar-Curry’s Assembly Bill 2268 would require human safety drivers in heavy duty trucks. A nearly identical bill was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year. — Wicks’ journalism bill: Assemblymember Buffy Wicks has spent more than a year trying to fine-tune a measure that would force certain online platforms to fund California news coverage. Since Assembly Bill 886 cleared Senate Judiciary this year, Google has been waging a very public campaign against it, complete with TV and digital ads. Last we heard, Wicks and Google were still in discussions on potential amendments. As chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, Wicks definitely has an advantage, but that doesn’t guarantee passage in the other chamber’s committee. — Legacy admissions: A bill from San Francisco Assemblymember Phil Ting could make California the first state to penalize private universities that practice legacy admissions. Ting has unsuccessfully pushed a ban before, but the recent Supreme Court ruling gutting affirmative action has stirred up momentum in numerous statehouses this year to target legacy and donor admissions. His latest proposal, which could draw the ire of alumni and donor networks, would have major implications for the state’s biggest private institutions such as USC and Stanford. The two schools have not taken a position on the bill but are part of the Independent California Colleges and Universities, which opposes the measure unless financial penalties are removed. — Pharmacy benefit managers: There was a lobbying frenzy around Wiener’s Senate Bill 966 during the summer recess. The proposal would impose a host of new regulations on pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen often involved in complicated deals between pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies and health insurance plans. Though it’s sailed through both houses so far, it’s faced pushback from groups that represent PBMs and health insurers. Pharmacists, drug companies and doctors have been pushing for the suite of regulations, which could become the most stringent in the country. — Xylazine: State Sen. Angelique Ashby’s bill to regulate xylazine, or “tranq,” might’ve been held in the Assembly Public Safety Committee, but a similar measure by Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains is still in play. Her Assembly Bill 3029 goes a bit further than Ashby’s by allowing the state to test for “emerging substances” other than xylazine. She also accepted an amendment that would let the federal authorities go first in regulating the substance. — Social media: Companies could face serious final pain for negligently harming kids under Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal’s AB 3172, which would allow penalties of up to $1 million per child. The bill has notched broad bipartisan votes, and supporters have been heartened by the governor and First Partner Jenifer Siebel Newsom assailing Silicon Valley’s approach to youths online. But it's facing strenuous industry resistance and the Senate analysis found "significant" costs to the courts. — Anything by state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil: The newest member of the Republican caucus has already been kicked off her committee assignments for switching parties last week, and we could see that retribution continue today. The senator has nine bills on the agenda, and has said she’s particularly concerned about two proposals that would increase criminal penalties for sexual assault and threats against schools and places of worship, and another on improving water infrastructure for rural communities threatened by wildfires. “This is not just about one senator; this is about ensuring critical legislation is not sacrificed on the altar of political retribution,” she said. — with help from Jeremy B. White, Eric He, Rachel Bluth and Tyler Katzenberger GOOD MORNING. Happy Thursday. 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. | 
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