POLITICO California Playbook PM: Why LA's embattled sheriff could be reelected June 7

Your afternoon must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State

May 23, 2022 View in browser   By Alexander Nieves and Blake Jones LAW AND ORDER: Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva has spent the last four years sparring with county supervisors, attacking "wokeism" and becoming a conservative media darling. He could still be reelected in two weeks. Villanueva won the hearts of liberal voters in 2018, running on a reformist platform to vault himself into the office. His shift in rhetoric since then — focusing on tough-on-crime policies and cracking down on homeless encampments — has been an astounding about-face. That could play into his hands leading into a June 7 primary, where voter angst about public safety could make or break multiple campaigns. Recent polling of registered voters both in Los Angeles and throughout California show rising percentages of residents worried about what they see as worsening crime problems. A recent survey from BSP Research, a Los Angeles-based polling firm, found that 55 percent of Latino voters had a favorable perception of Villanueva, compared to 24 percent who viewed him unfavorably. BSP Research expects 1.2 million Latinos in the city of Los Angeles alone to cast votes in the general election, a significant chunk of the county's total electorate. Those numbers are worrisome to Los Angeles County Democratic Party leaders, who've said they've regretted endorsing Villanueva last election cycle. They point to a list of scandals they say should be disqualifying. Defying subpoenas to testify about deputy gangs within the department. Implying that he was seeking criminal charges against a Los Angeles Times reporter — before backing off — who broke a story about a deputy who knelt on an inmates' head. Using a slur that in Mexican culture demeans women as traitors about Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis after she spoke out about police brutality. Launching a criminal investigation against an independent county oversight official who had been critical of Villanueva's stonewalling of investigations.  Those incidents might not make a difference in the end.  Villanueva is hoping a steep funding and name-recognition advantage will drive him over the 50 percent mark in the top-two primary. If he does, he will win the race outright. The local Democratic Party did not endorse any candidate in the primary, making it tougher for voters who've soured on Villanueva to coalesce behind any of the other eight candidates. HAPPY MONDAY AFTERNOON! Welcome to California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check of California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. We'll go Monday to Thursday through June 9 before returning in August for the legislative homestretch. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to katymurphy@politico.com and bjones@politico.com or send a shout on Twitter. DMs are open! WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY MICRA MANAGED: Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed off on a change to the state's medical malpractice caps, one that's been decades in the making. The 1975 law — the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act, or MICRA — capped pain-and-suffering damages at $250,000, an arrangement that worked nicely for physicians and others represented by a 31-year-old coalition that fought efforts to adjust the cap. But even the doctors, who clung to MICRA's cap as a way to keep malpractice insurance rates and lawsuits in check, knew it couldn't remain the same forever. To stave off a November ballot initiative, the key players — clinicians, lawmakers, patients, insurance carriers, hospital executives — got together and hammered out a deal. Assembly Bill 35, by Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes and state Sen. Tom Umberg , sailed through the legislative process with bipartisan votes. In exchange for the governor's signature, the proponents today pulled the proposition from the ballot. — Victoria Colliver ON THE BEATS FREE AGENT: Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu resigned Monday following federal allegations that he had discussed securing campaign contributions from a deal that would have sold the Los Angeles Angels' stadium and the land on which it sits. An FBI affidavit also alleges that Sidhu passed confidential information to an Angels representative (Siddhu's attorney said he "did not leak secret information in the hopes of later political campaign contributions"). The probe has already led to former Anaheim Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Ament being charged with mortgage fraud and to Democratic Party official Melahat Rafiei resigning after revealing she was a confidential witness whom the FBI affidavit describes as offering to bribe elected officials. — Jeremy B. White STATEWIDE WATER CUT? Just days after insisting that local officials, not the state, would take the lead in restricting water usage amid worsening drought, Newsom warned he might end up taking the same steps that his predecessor did during the prior dry spell. Newsom met with urban water suppliers and water associations today, urging them to do more on conservation. If the local-mandate approach "does not result in a significant reduction in water use statewide this summer, the state could be forced to enact mandatory restrictions," Newsom's office said in a statement. The administration didn't specify how it would make that determination. In the meantime, the State Water Resources Control Board is voting on a proposal to ban watering of non-functional turf at businesses and other commercial properties. — Colby Bermel TECH ADDICTION: Social media companies like Facebook and TikTok could be sued for creating products that are shown to be addictive to children under legislation that cleared the California Assembly today. CA AB 2408 (21R) by Assemblymembers Jordan Cunningham (R-Templeton) and Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), could force tech companies to alter the way they design their platforms by opening them up to litigation by individuals and the California Department of Justice.   AROUND CALIFORNIA Compiled by Juhi Doshi "California gets new rules covering medical malpractice payments. Here's what will change ," by the Los Angeles Times' Melody Gutierrez: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday to raise the amount of money that patients can receive in medical malpractice cases, increasing pain and suffering payments for the first time since lawmakers placed a cap on monetary damages nearly five decades ago. The governor's signature on Assembly Bill 35 was the final step in a process that began last month when rival interests groups — doctors and lawyers — announced a deal to avoid a costly battle at the ballot box in November to overhaul the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act of 1975, known as MICRA. "After decades of negotiations, legislators, patient groups, and medical professionals have reached a consensus that protects patients and the stability of our health care system," Newsom said Monday in a written statement." "Peninsula official compared YIMBYs to Nazis and then deleted her Twitter account," by SF Chronicle's Rachel Swan: "The president of San Mateo County Harbor District compared pro-housing activists to Nazis in an explosive tweet Sunday, the latest salvo in a battle over whether to build denser housing in a wealthy San Francisco enclave. "Class war news of the day: Today some Nazis, I mean YIMBYs, are casing St. Francis Woods in SF because 100 years ago there were restrictive covenants," Nancy Reyering, a commissioner on the county maritime board wrote in a tweet that has since evaporated, along with her now-deleted Twitter account." MIXTAPE — Sacramento prosecutors have decided to seek a death penalty prosecution against a parolee accused of breaking into a home and sexually assaulting and killing the homeowner, 61-year-old Kate Tibbitts. (Sac Bee) — Here are 9 candidates running to be the next Los Angeles County sheriff. (LA Times) — California has extended the statue of limitations on child sex abuse allegations, leading to nine state bishops asking the U.S. Supreme Court to declare that law unconstitutional. (CalMatters)   Follow us on Twitter Katy Murphy @katymurphy 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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