Tuesday, October 29, 2024

5 Democratic family feuds to watch on Election Day

Inside the Golden State political arena
Oct 29, 2024 View in browser
 
POLITICO California Playbook Newsletter Header

By Jeremy B. White, Dustin Gardiner and Lara Korte

The dome of the California Capitol glows in the early evening.

Some of the hottest state legislative fights on the ballot in California this November are intraparty slugfests. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP

THE BUZZ: PARTY POLITICS — California’s Legislature is almost certain to remain deep blue following next week’s election — just what shade of blue, however, is still to be decided.

We’re expecting this cycle to bring massive turnover to the Legislature, with more than a quarter of seats getting a new occupant. Democrats will continue to dominate Sacramento with supermajority margins, but we could see intraparty fractures between progressives and moderates deepen.

Business interests and law enforcement groups are playing heavily in some contests, such as bitter races in the Bay Area and South Los Angeles, as well as the state’s powerful labor unions.

Finding consensus in a caucus this size has proven itself to be a struggle as the lawmakers grapple with thorny, polarizing issues like public safety and bond measures. These expensive election fights between rival Democrats will have an outsize impact on policy making and caucus dynamics.

Here are five Dem-on-Dem slugfests we're keeping tabs on:

1) AD-26 (Evan Low): Patrick Ahrens versus Tara Sreekrishnan 

Staffers tend to work for lawmakers whose beliefs they share. So it’s no surprise that a contest between aides to tech-friendly Assemblymember Evan Low and labor stalwart state Sen. Dave Cortese is unfolding along similar lines, with Low’s Silicon Valley area seat at stake.

Uber is doubling down on Low staffer and community college trustee Patrick Ahrens, who secured the California Democratic Party endorsement and is also winning outside support from real estate and medical industry groups. Unions and criminal justice advocates have funded a committee to boost Tara Sreekrishnan, Cortese’s deputy chief of staff and a county education official.

Both Ahrens and Sreekrishnan can point to endorsements from organized labor and support from legislative Democrats, with incumbent lawmakers placing different bets on their potential future colleagues.

And a years-old egging incident (yes, you read that right) has also jolted the race. More on that below.

2) AD-50: (Eloise Reyes): Robert Garcia versus Adam Perez

This Inland Empire contest will demonstrate if one Democrat can overcome the establishment.

The California Democratic Party wields a lot of clout in legislative races, bestowing endorsements that unlock resources and allow legislative leadership to weigh in. That puts school board member Robert Perez in prime position: In addition to the party nod, he has support from heavyweights like Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas , Rep. Pete Aguilar and outgoing incumbent Eloise Gomez Reyes. Numerous Assembly Democrats have pitched in.

But he’s facing a stiff challenge from fellow school board member, Democrat Adam Perez. Business and law enforcement groups have rallied behind Perez, while left-leaning interests like labor and consumer attorneys are spending against him.

3) AD-57 (Reggie Jones-Sawyer): Sade Elhawary versus Efren Martinez 

Of all the blue seats turning over this year, this Los Angeles district has the greatest potential for a real ideological shift.

Outgoing Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer energized criminal justice reformers and infuriated law enforcement during his tenure leading the Assembly Public Safety committee, where he turned back sentence-stiffening bills as he resisted over-incarceration. He’s been a reliable progressive vote on the Assembly floor.

Law enforcement unions tried to oust Jones-Sawyer once, backing Democrat Efren Martinez. Now Martinez is running to replace the termed-our Jones-Sawyer, securing support from law enforcement and business interests — and massive opposition from organized labor. He’s also notched endorsements from Rep. Adam Schiff and moderate state lawmakers.

Progressives — and Uber — are rallying behind educator Sade Elhawary , who’s also getting support from a coalition of unions, attorneys, and environmentalists. She also has endorsements from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler, progressive LA electeds, and dozens of Assembly incumbents.

4) SD-35: (Steve Bradford): Laura Richardson versus Michelle Chambers 

This is the most contentious and expensive same-party Senate race on the board. Business and labor interests spent millions of dollars in the primary, and both candidates carry baggage: Former Rep. Laura Richardson faced ethics scandals while in Congress, and former Compton City Council member Michelle Chambers has faced accusations — that she denies — of misconduct.

The California Democratic Party has thrown its weight behind Chambers, aligning with labor’s chosen candidate. Richardson can tout the support of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Rep. Maxine Waters, two former colleagues and fellow Congressional Black Caucus members.

5) SD-7 (Nancy Skinner): Jesse Arreguin versus Jovanka Beckles

It was a foregone conclusion that a district encompassing Oakland and Berkeley would elect a progressive Democrat. But the race to replace state Sen. Nancy Skinner became a multimillion-dollar proxy fight during the primary, thanks in large part to the presence of California Labor Federation official Katherine Lybarger.

Real estate interests, Uber, and allies successfully elevated Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin and blocked Lybarger from the primary. They did so in part by boosting far-left Richmond City Councilmember Jovanka Beckles.

That matchup would seem to favor Arreguin, who has powerful endorsements and deep-pocketed supporters. But if there’s any Senate district that could elect DSA-backed Beckles, it’s this one.

GOOD MORNING. Happy Tuesday. 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? In LA for a homelessness announcement with Mayor Karen Bass. The 9 a.m. event will be livestreamed on the governor’s YouTube page.

CAMPAIGN YEAR

Tara Sreekrishnan is seen in surveillance video footage.

Footage from a surveillance camera system shows Tara Sreekrishnan, a candidate for the California Assembly this cycle, egging a car in 2019. | Surveillance video footage

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: EGG-CEPTIONAL INCIDENT — An Assembly candidate has acknowledged egging the home of a Cupertino resident in 2019 — an incident that was captured in home surveillance footage and which her team initially denied.

As Dustin exclusively reported , the video shows Sreekrishnan, fresh off a failed run for Cupertino City Council, approaching the home after 10:30 p.m. wearing large aviator-style sunglasses. She repeatedly throws eggs at a vehicle parked in the driveway as well as the front of the residence before fleeing on foot as the headlights of a car approached.

Sreekrishnan told POLITICO that the egging was a “prank” because she was upset with the man over comments he made about her ties to the Indian American community — and not related to her unsuccessful 2018 council campaign. Both Sreekrishnan and the man whose home she targeted, a prominent community leader, are Indian American.

“I think everyone has things they wish they could take back and this is at the top of my list,” Sreekrishnan told POLITICO in a statement. “I apologized and fixed it five years ago, and my relationship with this person has continued, including being hosted by him for a campaign event earlier this year.”

The egging incident has surfaced as Sreekrishnan is locked in a tight Assembly race with Patrick Ahrens . The two Democrats are competing for a safe-blue seat in Silicon Valley, one of the fiercest Dem-on-Dem legislative contests in the state. Ahrens declined to comment on the egging.

FIRST IN POLITICO: GOP DOLLARS IN SILICON VALLEY — Our colleague Zach Warmbrodt reports that Rep. French Hill, the Arkansas Republican vying to lead the House Financial Services Committee next year, is hosting a Silicon Valley fundraiser Tuesday night with 20 founders and CEOs, a person with knowledge of the event said. It's expected to raise more than $525,000 for Hill and the House GOP's campaign arm.

Hill and three Republican competitors for the Financial Services gavel have been ramping up fundraising. Hill has paid nearly $2.6 million in dues to the NRCC this cycle.

Tuesday night's event is expected to bring in $400,000 for the NRCC, including $350,000 from donors who have never given to it. The event will also support Hill's leadership PAC, the "In the Arena PAC," which has given more than $720,000 this cycle to GOP members and candidates.

FILE - Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, right, listens as his wife Gwen Walz speaks at a campaign event, Aug. 18, 2024, in Rochester, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)

Gwen Walz, the wife of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz. | AP

WALZ THIS WAY — Gwen Walz, wife of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz , is swinging through Los Angeles today to check out a campaign Creator Action Hub, where social media influencers will be phonebanking battleground states and producing online content and will attend a West Hollywood fundraiser this evening. Among the notable co-hosts: pop star Lance Bass, actress Niecy Nash, former Ambassador James Costos and longtime LA politico Wendy Gruel. Walz, who is Minnesota’s first lady, will stay in town for a Wednesday morning live taping of CBS’ ‘The Talk.’ —Melanie Mason

FOR GOOD MEASURE

As the days tick down toward Nov. 5 — and your friends and family continue to bug you about what any of these ballot measures actually mean — please consider sharing our California ballot-measure voter guide. If we can briefly brag, it’s a fun read for both the uninitiated and people who like and care about politics.

Please share the politico.com/caballot link with your community, and we hope you learn something new.

CLIMATE AND ENERGY

CLIMATE ON THE BALLOT — Newsom went north this month to stump for Washington state's carbon-trading program, which is shaping up as a referendum on carbon pricing nationwide. Read more in last night's California Climate.

TOP TALKERS

Evan Low speaks onstage.

Assemblymember Evan Low. | Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for CAPE

SCOOP: PICKING FAVORITES — Gov. Gavin Newsom made a rare foray into a Dem-on-Dem House race Monday to endorse outgoing Assemblymember Evan Low, as Dustin exclusively reported. It’s a huge last-minute boost for Low, who is widely seen as the underdog against former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo in the race for outgoing Rep. Anna Eshoo’s seat in Silicon Valley.

“Evan Low embodies the very best of California’s values,” Newsom said in a statement shared with POLITICO. “We have worked shoulder-to-shoulder on some of our state’s most pressing issues, from protecting reproductive rights to tackling affordability for California families.”

ILLICIT AFFAIRS — California has seized hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal weed. But local sheriffs experts tell the Los Angeles Times it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the grand scheme of the state’s clandestine weed growing operations.

TRUMP THE OLIGARCH? — That’s how former Trump adviser and Russia policy expert Fiona Hill sees it, POLITICO’s Maura Reynolds reports. Hill said recent headlines about Elon Musk chatting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and billionaire owners of major newspapers intervening to shut down endorsements against Donald Trump suggest a pattern: that America’s ultra-wealthy want to deal directly with world leaders.

“Their interactions are all about them figuring out how to exercise power together,” she told Reynolds.

AROUND THE STATE

— The South Los Angeles neighborhood that elected the first African Americans to the state Legislature is set to elect a Latino lawmaker next week, a sign that ethnic political power is shifting as California’s demographics change. (CalMatters)

— A small group of owners is buying up big swaths of land in the Bay Area. Here’s a map of where they’re investing . (San Francisco Chronicle)

— A Los Angeles program to bring people from encampments into hotels until housing becomes available has a mixed track record. (CalMatters)

PLAYBOOKERS

BIRTHDAYS — POLITICO’s Steve HeuserThompson WarrenCoby King of High Point Strategies …

BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Monday): Joaquin Phoenix ... Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan

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.

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