Single-payer plan flatlines in Sacramento

Jeremy B. White's must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State

Feb 01, 2022 View in browser   By Jeremy B. White, Chris Ramirez, Juhi Doshi and Graph Massara THE BUZZ — CODE BLUE: The California Legislature just reminded us why single-payer health care continues to elude the left. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better laboratory for progressive policy than California: Democrats wield two-thirds-plus margins in the Legislature and control every state office. The party's hegemony here has allowed Sacramento to achieve a long series of liberal victories. But it's been a different story for one health policy goal that has animated Democratic presidential campaigns and enthralled the progressive wings of both the California Democratic Party and its national counterpart. This was supposed to be the year California progressives got closer. Assemblymember Ash Kalra spent months working with Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon on crafting a viable bill and a companion funding measure that would have generated revenue with an array of tax increases. While finding the votes to pay for it looked untenable in an election year and the proposed tax hikes drew a barrage of Republican attacks, single-payer supporters felt confident that the policy vessel could at least clear the Assembly floor. Even with four Democratic seats vacant, Kalra could've lost 15 members and still have had enough to keep the bill moving. So much for that. In the end, Kalra didn't evenput his measure up for a vote, citing "heavy opposition and substantial misinformation." In an echo of the schisms that yawned open in 2017, recriminations soon followed: Rendon expressed frustration in Kalra not calling the vote, saying in a statement that he was "deeply disappointed that the author did not bring this bill up for a vote today." The California Nurses Association, long single-payer's most prominent institutional supporter, excoriated Kalra in a statement as having "providing cover for those who would have been forced to go on the record" — a possible reference to moderate Democrats' fears that their vote could cost them party support . Kalra told seething progressives on a call afterwards that the bill would have failed by double digits, and argued a futile vote would only have "alienated" colleagues he hopes to sway in the next round. THE BIGGER PICTURE: The chance of single-payer becoming operative law this year was vanishingly tiny. Not only would legislators have needed to muster two-thirds votes to hike taxes, they would have had to put a constitutional amendment doing so before voters — a campaign that would surely have brought concentrated opposition from business and medical interests. Gov. Gavin Newsom pointedly sidestepped questions about the bill, saying he'd take the methodical approach of studying the issue and seeking federal permission. But you can still distill a larger lesson out of this episode. This was an opportunity for California Democrats to demonstrate an ability to make concrete progress on a central issue for their party's base. That they could not speaks to the enormous political obstacles involved in overhauling our deeply entrenched private insurance-based health care system — in the Golden State and beyond. WHAT ELSE? Single-payer wasn't the only bill to perish without an Assembly floor vote. The same applied for an effort to reduce Ellis Act evictions — underscoring again that California liberals don't get all they ask for, particularly when the state's powerful real estate lobby is involved. Conversely, legislation creating a fast food industry regulator, a labor priority, advanced with the absolute minimum margin. BUENOS DÍAS, good Tuesday morning. Happy Lunar New Year to all who celebrate! Jeremy is a rabbit who likes to think of himself as a big cat at heart — either way, he folds dumplings like a creature without opposable thumbs. State lawmakers will discuss potential changes in the Year of the Tiger today as Elections Committee chairs hold their final informational hearing on overhauling California's recall process, featuring Secretary of State Shirley Weber. Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit jwhite@politico.com or follow me on Twitter @jeremybwhite. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Magic was kind enough and generous enough to ask me for a photograph and in my left hand is the mask and I took a photo. The rest of the time, I wore it, as we all should. Not when I had a glass of water … I was trying to be gracious and I made a mis– you know, I mean, I was trying to be gracious and I took the mask off for a brief second." Gov. Gavin Newsom stops a syllable short of admitting error for a maskless photo with Magic Johnson at SoFi stadium, contravening L.A. health rules. BONUS QOTD: "He hasn't shown up … An HHS secretary has so much authority and power to help. And we have no evidence that any of it is being exerted." Scripps Research Translational Institute Director Eric Topol on Xavier Becerra's woes, via WaPo. TWEET OF THE DAY: Reporter @awalkerinLA: "California legislators once again taking the super out of supermajority" WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.   BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER:  The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.     Top Talkers GROWING FRUSTRATIONS — " White House frustrations grow over health chief Becerra's handling of pandemic" by the Washington Posts' Dan Diamond, Yasmeen Abutaleb and Tyler Pager: "The frustration with Becerra comes as top White House and health officials face growing criticism for health messaging missteps, as well as controversial policies about coronavirus testing and isolation." GOODBYE, DEATH ROW — "California moves to dismantle nation's largest death row," by the AP's Don Thompson: "California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who three years ago placed a moratorium on executions, now is moving to dismantle the United States' largest death row by moving all condemned inmates to other prisons within two years." — " This Bay Area doctor got sent to jail for a year over a $217 bill, leaving his kids on their own" by SF Chronicle's Bob Egelko: "After a judge refused to postpone his imprisonment to let him stay home and care for his children, Gregory Belcher, a longtime Bay Area surgeon and military veteran, has begun a prison term of a year and a day for putting a false date on a $217 bill he sent to a patient's insurer." — " UCLA cancels in-person classes after ex-lecturer appears to threaten mass shooting" by LATimes' Gregory Yee: "UCLA canceled in-person classes Tuesday after a former lecturer and postdoctoral fellow sent a video referencing a mass shooting and an 800-page manifesto with "specific threats" to members of the university's philosophy department Monday." CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR MOVING ON — " Burke resigning from California Assembly" by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White: Assemblymember Autumn Burke will resign immediately and not seek another term, extending a period of extraordinary turnover in the California Assembly. — " How Oil Lobbyists Continue to Exert Influence on California Regulators and Lawmakers" by Capital and Main's Aaron Cantu: "An email exchange from last spring, obtained by Capital & Main through a records request, confirms that the industry was able to win a subtle but significant change to a bill that would have codified California's 2045 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal into law before it even went to a committee hearing." GOING GREEN — " Calif. weighs help for oil workers in green future" by POLITICO's Anne C. Mulkern: California officials are brainstorming how to help oil industry workers as the state moves to phase out fossil fuels and replace gasoline-powered vehicles with electric cars. — "It's So Unfair': Major Delays at State Labor Agency Leave Many Wage Theft Victims Unpaid" by KQED's Farida Jhabvala Romero: "Thousands of California workers whose employers collectively owe them millions of dollars in unpaid wages are at risk of never seeing the money they earned, as the state watchdog agency investigating wage-theft cases is failing to resolve them in a timely way, according to labor enforcement experts and worker advocates." POLLUTED PLACES — " Has California's landmark law cleaned communities' dirty air?" by CalMatters' Rachel Becker: "So far, more than $1 billion in state funds has been appropriated for community grants, industry incentives and government costs. But it remains impossible to say yet whether the program has improved the smoggy and toxic air that almost 4 million people breathe in 15 communities." SWITCHING TO SOLAR — " Column: There's a battle brewing over changes to California solar incentives. Newsom is in the middle" by the LATimes' George Skelton: "The hot issue now at the PUC is its proposal to drastically reduce subsidies for homeowners who spent thousands of dollars to install rooftop solar after being promised a generous price for the electricity they generated but didn't use." BACK TO ZOOM? — " UC return to campus riven by conflicting pressures over in-person vs. remote classes" by the LATimes' Teresa Watanabe: "After a largely in-person fall term, the UC system's nine undergraduate campuses shifted to remote classes through January as a precaution against the highly contagious Omicron variant. But the return to mostly in-person classes — encouraged by high vaccination rates and signs that the surge has peaked — is anything but smooth." PLANNING TO PROTEST— "' We will not eat': Teachers declare hunger strike over Oakland schools closure plan" by the SF Chronicle's Annie Vainshtein: "More than 1,800 people tuned in to hear Oakland Unified School District officials discuss plans to close at least eight schools and merge at least five other schools by the end of 2023 — actions officials said were needed to respond to the district's mounting budget shortfalls from declining enrollment." PLAN B — " Mayor Breed's latest plan to build more housing in S.F. failed. What's next?" by the SF Chronicle's J.K. Dineen. — " Feds: Bay Area was at center of nationwide drug smuggling ring that used corrupt airline employees" by the Mercury News' Nate Gartrell: "Seven people indicted here on federal drug charges two years ago were linked to massive smuggling operations that allegedly centered on corrupt airlines employees, court records recently revealed."   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     CAMPAIGN MODE — " Magsig Challenges McClintock, Exits Special Election for Nunes Seat" by GV Wire's David Taub: "Nathan Magsig is dropping his bid to run in a special election for Congress and instead will take on a longtime GOP stalwart in a newly-drawn district that includes north Fresno." INCUMBENT'S ADVANTAGE — Attorney General Rob Bonta announced he has $5.2 million on hand heading into a re-election fight. No-party-preference Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert was holding about $1 million at the end of 2021, and Republican former district attorney Nathan Hochman was sitting on around $840,000. — " Asian Community Activists Mobilize to Support School Board Recall, But Elected Officials Are Not on Their Side" by the SF Standard's and KQED'sHan Li and Scott Shafer.  BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL — " Harris-to-Supreme-Court chatter opens window into Dems' deepest fears" by POLITICO's David Siders: Yet if the Harris-to-Supreme Court chatter was a fantasy, what was revealing was that such an extreme scenario was running through Democratic Party circles at all, and has continued in the days since — not just on social media, but among the party's professional and political ranks. KHANNA'S POV— " Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna lays out progressives' next steps" by the LATimes' Nolan D. McCaskill. SILICON VALLEYLAND SELLING CRYPTO — " Facebook's crypto project sold after political backlash" by POLITICO's Sam Sutton and Victoria Guida: The Diem Association — a group Facebook spearheaded to launch the Diem stablecoin — said Monday it will sell its intellectual property and assets to the California bank Silvergate, a go-to firm for the crypto industry. HOLLYWOODLAND — " Gavin Newsom was the face of legal cannabis in California. Can he fix its problems?" by CalMatters' Alexei Koseff: "But there is widespread frustration with Newsom's inaction on the problems preventing the licensed system from competing as a viable alternative to the dominant illicit market. Legal sales in California reached $4.4 billion in 2020, according to the industry publication MJBizDaily, while experts estimate that illegal sales could be at least twice as much." MIXTAPE — " Judge declines to block seizures of pot store cash from armored cars" by the LATimes' Michael Finnegan. — "Veteran Stockton firefighter has died after being shot working downtown fire: 'Worst nightmare' " by The Record's Angelaydet Rocha. — " Prosecutors will not seek death penalty against former Air Force sergeant accused of killing Oakland officer" by the Vallejo Sun's Scott Morris. — " S.F. Bay Area's dry spell could last until mid-February. Here's what that means for the region's water year" by the SF Chronicle's Jessica Flores.  SHOTS FIRED — " Thousands miss 49ers-Rams game in California after gunfire knocks out cable " by the Sac Bee's Don Sweeney. — " The strange and terrible saga of Nancy Pelosi and SF's rocket-ship toilets" by Mission Local's Joe Eskenazi.  — " Body Camera Footage Shows Police Shoot Man to Death in Tense Standoff at SFO" by the SF Standard's Michael Barba. TRANSITIONS — Jorge Reyes Salinas and Tom Temprano are joining LGBTQ advocacy group Equality California as its communications director and political director, respectively. Salinas comes over from Sen. Monique Limón's office and Temprano from S.F. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman's operation. — Aaron Zelinger is now chief of staff and public policy lead at Arena-AI. He most recently co-led government deployments at Palantir Technologies and served as a visiting research associate with the office of Condoleezza Rice. — Marisa Aleguas is now special assistant in the office of the assistant secretary for public affairs for the Department of Health and Human Services. She most recently was scheduler and executive assistant for Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.). — Owen Kilmer is now comms director for Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.). He most recently was comms Director for Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) and is also a Doug Jones alum. — Mariana Perera , scheduler in Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), is leaving D.C. to complete a Fulbright research grant in Brazil. She is being replaced by Karina Gallardo, who previously served as scheduler in Rep. Anthony Brown's (D-Md.) office. BIRTHDAYS David Redl … Michael Kives of K5 Global … Uber's Alex Luzi … Julie Samuels of Tech:NYC … Dan Chmielewski= 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 Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.   Follow us on Twitter Jeremy B. White @JeremyBWhite POLITICO California @politicoca   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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