| | | | |  | | By Dustin Gardiner and Lara Korte | | Presented by |  | | | |  The California Assembly will hold its first informational hearing today as part of a special session Gov. Gavin Newsom called for lawmakers to consider his proposal on gas prices. | AP | THE BUZZ: UNDER PRESSURE — California’s special legislative session on oil prices has, in many ways, become more of a political exercise than a policy fight. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to require oil refiners to store more fuel in California is unlikely to actually lower gas prices in the near future. And it’s unlikely acting during a special session would be any faster than voting when lawmakers return in January. That’s why Capitol watchers are dissecting the session, which begins in earnest today as the Assembly holds its first informational hearing, more for its political implications. It is testing already-strained relations between Sacramento’s “big three” players: Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and state Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire. Rivas and McGuire have both used the issue to reassert their chamber’s power as a co-equal branch with Newsom, who has long frustrated lawmakers with his last-minute bill pushes he’s usually won. But Rivas and McGuire are using different tactics to push back on a termed-out governor, who called the special session on the last night of the Legislature’s regular session — a pressure tactic after lawmakers in the Assembly wouldn’t take up his proposal earlier. Their divergent approaches have sharpened inter-house tensions that spiked at the end of session. They’ve highlighted the different trajectories of McGuire — a short-term leader facing an imminent exit thanks to term limits — and Rivas, who could be in charge for far longer. Rivas had refused to bring Newsom’s plan to a vote during the final days of the regular session, arguing there wasn’t enough time for meaningful debate.
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State Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire. | Rich Pedroncelli for POLITICO | | Now, the pressure is on Rivas to prove he can deliver the votes. He quickly agreed to Newsom’s call for a special session, but the speaker faces the extra challenge of convincing a majority of his 62-member Democratic caucus, which is much larger and more fractious than the Senate, to pass the bill. McGuire, at first, refused to consider calling the Senate back for a special session. Then, he issued an ultimatum, saying the upper chamber would only come back if the Assembly can show it has “the votes to move reform forward.” McGuire declined to comment Tuesday. Rivas and top Assembly Democrats have balked at McGuire's comments suggesting they didn’t have the votes to act earlier. “It’s very complicated, it’s not something that ever should have been rubber stamped in a week,” Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, chair of the Democratic Caucus and one of Rivas’ closest allies, told Playbook.
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Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP | The politics are also different for Newsom. He’s long battled the oil industry, and the governor is sensitive to California's vulnerability to price spikes. The state is geographically isolated from oil pipelines and has unique fuel-blend requirements. The state is also considering stricter rules limiting the carbon content of fuel that could increase gas prices. That’s why Newsom wants to show Sacramento is taking action now. He has more leverage than lawmakers — at least for the next 13 days. Newsom has hundreds of their bills on his desk as he faces a Sept. 30 deadline to sign or veto the measures. Notably, Newsom has signed far fewer bills from the Senate than the Assembly in recent weeks, raising hackles at the Capitol. Daniel Villaseñor, a spokesperson for Newsom, said the governor isn't holding bills hostage: “The timing of his actions is not tied to any broader legislative dynamics,” he said. But the governor’s leverage will wane after the bill signing deadline, especially if Assembly Democrats struggle to find consensus. Democratic lawmakers are also wary about the potential implications for presidential nominee Kamala Harris as she runs against Donald Trump, who has leaned hard into a Republican critique of California’s high energy costs. “Highlighting high gas prices from Kamala’s state is not going to help her,” said one Democratic lawmaker, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations. “It’s going to accrue to her disadvantage, not her advantage.” — with help from Jeremy B. White
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For the latest updates and insights on the special session, read POLITICO’s California Playbook PM this afternoon and California Climate this evening.
GOOD MORNING. Happy Wednesday. 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 listed. His office said he will announce bill action and hold meetings on the special legislative session. |  | TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES | | | MUSK V. NEWSOM — Late Tuesday on X, ELON MUSK responded to Newsom signing a law banning election deepfakes by saying it violated the U.S. Constitution. Musk linked to a doctored "parody" video of Vice President Harris that sparked an earlier online feud between the two and taunted: "Would be a shame if it went viral." The post quickly took off on Musk's social media site. Musk could potentially face a court injunction or civil penalties for the move.
| | CAMPAIGN YEAR | | |  Republican Rep. Michelle Steel. | Chris Carlson/AP Photo | VAWA VOTERS — The Violence Against Women Act continues to be an unexpected political cudgel in California’s toss-up House races. The latest example is GOP Rep. Michelle Steel’s latest ad, which lauds the Orange County congresswoman for her votes “to stop violence against women.” Cue the furious response from her Democratic opponent Derek Tran’s camp, who notes Steel voted against the landmark domestic violence legislation when it was up for reauthorization in 2021. “Michelle Steel voted against the Violence Against Women Act and is now lying to voters,” said Gowri Buddiga, Tran’s campaign manager, adding that Steel is “desperately trying to hide her anti-women record with misleading ads. Voters deserve the truth, not more deception from Michelle Steel." The facts behind the ad require some parsing. The 2021 reauthorization bill was overwhelmingly backed by House Democrats – and more than 30 Republicans – but many other Republicans, including Steel, balked at provisions that expanded LGBTQ+ rights and restricted gun access for domestic abusers. Steel co-sponsored an alternative measure to renew the act for one year, minus the new provisions, but that bill did not get a House vote. A year later, after a bipartisan compromise was hammered out in the Senate, she voted for – but did not cosponsor – an omnibus spending bill that included money for VAWA programs. (A similar vote history led to GOP Rep. Mike Garcia facing heat earlier this month for his ad purporting to be a co-sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act.) The clear motivation behind Steel’s ad is to blunt Democrats’ attacks on her record on reproductive health and hold onto crucial female voters. The subtext is just as notable: Steel is presenting herself as a defender against victims of assault just as her campaign is ramping up attacks on Tran’s law career – particularly a handful of cases where he represented people accused of assault, harassment or other politically-fraught behavior. My story today looks at how the Democrat’s legal career could become a political liability. Sure enough, Steel campaign spokesperson Lance Trover — when asked about critiques of her VAWA ad — quickly pivoted to Tran’s client list. “The Tran campaign may not like it, but these are the facts: as a trial lawyer Derek Tran represented an alleged rapist and sexual abuser, while in Congress, Michelle Steel voted for the Violence Against Women Act,” Trover said. — Melanie Mason
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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. | AP | MUSK MONEY — The super PAC launched by the Tesla CEO is spending millions to boost Republican candidates across 14 key House districts, including three in California. According to a report filed to the FEC this week, Musk’s America PAC disclosed it is dropping more than $2 million on canvassing operations and digital media in districts across Ohio, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, New York, Maine, Iowa and Nebraska. In California, the PAC is spending about $200,000 per district to back GOP Reps. Michelle Steel, Ken Calvert and David Valadao, all of whom are high on Democrats’ target list this year. In the same report, Musk’s PAC reveals new spending on digital, texting and mail operations in support of former President Donald Trump and in opposition to Vice President Kamala Harris to the tune of about $1.2 million.
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | CLIMATE AND ENERGY | | |  Pumps at a gas station in Montebello, Calif. | Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images | NEWSOM'S GAS GAMBIT — The special session that gets underway today will show how far lawmakers are willing to go to help Newsom execute his climate vision. Read more in last night's California Climate.
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Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. | Matt Rourke/AP | BALANCE OF POWER — Kamala Harris isn’t planning to jumpstart work on slavery reparations with executive action, the vice president told a panel of National Association of Black Journalists members Tuesday. Instead, she said creating a commission to study reparations is work best left to Congress. “I’m not discounting the importance of any executive action,” she said. “But ultimately Congress, because if you’re going to talk about it in any substantial way, there will be hearings, there will be a level of public education and dialogue.” SHE’S NOT BIDEN — In other Harris campaign news, the vice president is targeting voters in some heavily Muslim neighborhoods with digital ads emphasizing that she “will not be silent about human suffering in Gaza,” NBC News reports. The ads are running in the Detroit area, a Democratic stronghold crucial to the party’s chances in swing state Michigan.
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With these comprehensive safety measures and 24/7 support, Uber is setting a new standard in ridesharing, making every journey safer and more secure. Learn More. | | | | | AROUND THE STATE | | — Some tech companies are still trying to make augmented reality glasses work despite the technology’s lackluster public reception thus far. (Los Angeles Times) — San Francisco wants a federal court to block Oakland’s airport from adopting a new name. (East Bay Times) — Firefighters in Southern California are making progress in their battle to contain the Airport, Line and Bridge fires thanks to cooler temperatures and higher humidity. (Orange County Register)
| | | PLAYBOOKERS | | | SPOTTED — Actor Kate Hudson at SF’s Dreamforce conference, drawing a line of fans comparable to the one for Newsom. SPOTTED — Musical sibling duo Billie Eilish and brother Finneas O'Connell endorsed the Harris/Walz ticket on Tuesday. PEOPLE MOVES — Maureen “Mo” Elinzano is now a comms strategist for the Harris campaign. She’s on leave from her role as deputy press secretary and digital director for Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.). BIRTHDAYS — McKenzie Richardson of Thriving Families California … Jackie Calmes of the LA Times... BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Tuesday): Palantir Technologies’ Morgan Gress Johnson ... Scott Nulty of Shield AI … (was Monday): Niv Sultan 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. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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