POLITICO California Playbook PM: Who wants to pass a ballot measure?

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

Jun 02, 2022 View in browser   By Alexander Nieves and Lara Korte BIG SPENDERS: Californians couldn't turn on their televisions or stream a YouTube video last election cycle without being inundated with commercials for ballot measures. Prepare for the advertising blitz to reach a new level this fall. Businesses, unions and other deep-pocketed interests shoveled nearly $800 million at a dozen initiatives in 2020, including a $200 million gig-company drive to exempt themselves from a state law requiring them to classify their workers as employees. Proposition 22, which a judge would later rule unconstitutional, shattered spending records and led to a dizzying number of campaign spots. But this year, a fight over who should control the state's future sports gambling market has already eclipsed that mark. California's federally recognized tribes — which have long held exclusive rights to certain types of gambling — and a group of online sportsbooks and Las Vegas casinos are pushing competing measures that would legalize sports betting in the state. The tribal proposal, which would allow in-person bets at reservation casinos and horse racing tracks, has generated $57 million in spending from supporters and opponents. More than $160 million has already been spent on the other measure, backed by companies like FanDuel and DraftKings, which would legalize online betting and create extremely high barriers for businesses wanting to participate in the market. Those competing proposals on the single issue of sports betting are likely to create voter confusion heading into the fall.POLITICO has created a guide to help you track the money, key players and political context behind all of the measures on the ballot. We're following nine measures that have already qualified for the ballot or are awaiting confirmation that they've received enough signatures to be included. A handful of those proposals stand out as key items to keep an eye on. Raising California's minimum wage to $18 an hour by 2026. Overturning a 2020 law that banned more types of flavored tobacco products. Passing a new tax on high-wage earners that would pay for more electric zero-emission vehicle rebates, ZEV infrastructure and wildfire prevention. Rules that would require businesses to slash their use of plastic packaging by 2030. We will be updating the ballot measure tracker regularly between now and Election Day. HAPPY THURSDAY 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 lkorte@politico.com or send a shout on Twitter. DMs are open! WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY INDOOR MASKING: Indoor masking requirements are back in Alameda County,starting just after midnight — a move triggered by an increase in Covid-19 hospitalizations. This makes Alameda likely the first major county in the state to resume its indoor mask mandate after dropping it once the Omicron-driven surge subsided. "We cannot ignore the data, and we can't predict when this wave may end. Putting our masks back on gives us the best opportunity to limit the impact of a prolonged wave on our communities," Alameda County Health Officer Nicholas Moss said in a statement on Thursday. The masking requirement will not apply to K-12 schools through the end of the school year, though many, including the Oakland Unified School District, are already on summer break. Masks will be required in other indoor children and youth settings, including child care, summer school and youth programs. The reinstated policy does not apply to the city of Berkeley, which has its own health department. — Victoria Colliver ON THE BEATS INDY AD DROP: A leading challenger to Gov. Gavin Newsom's bid for reelection dropped his first ad this morning. Michael Shellenberger, a vocal Newsom critic and chronicler of San Francisco's various ills , launched a 30-second television ad deploring the governor's handling of homelessness, crime and pandemic restrictions. The no-party-preference candidate also ran in 2018 but came in a distant ninth place in the primaries. This year he's managed to swing financial backing from venture capitalist David Sacks, who has kicked in $150,000. Sacks was also a significant financial backer of the effort to recall Newsom last year. We would be remiss if we didn't mention that the governor has $23 million on deck for reelection. CANNABIS TAX PLANS: State legislative leaders have a plan for overhauling California's cannabis taxes, and it looks very similar to the one Newsom released last month. Both would eliminate the tax on pot growers and set aside $150 million to backfill lost revenue if the annual funding for environmental restoration, public safety and education programs dips below $670 million. The plans do diverge, however, on the issue of excise tax rates. Lawmakers want to keep the rate on retail product sales at 15 percent for the next three years, and then allow cannabis and finance officials to adjust that rate as they see fit. Newsom's plan would give the state leeway to increase the tax up to 19 percent starting in 2024 if the $670 million funding threshold for the aforementioned programs isn't being met. NEW GUN BILL: After a string of mass shootings, California Democratic lawmakers on Thursday announced new legislation that would create sentencing enhancements for violent crimes targeting schools and places of worship. Senate Bill 699 creates two enhancements for specific felonies attempted or committed at schools and churches. An extra two to four years for felonies including manslaughter, mayhem, kidnapping, robbery, carjacking and rape. An extra 10 years for the commission or attempted commission of murder.  The bill would establish the Alycia "LaLa" Reynaga Act, named for the 15-year-old student who was fatally stabbed in April by an intruder on campus at Stagg High School in Stockton. It also follows the mass shooting at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods that killed one person and wounded five others. AROUND CALIFORNIA "After 3 teens overdose, school districts warn of fentanyl-laced ecstasy pills," by the Los Angeles Times' Felicia Alvarez: "The Los Angeles Unified School District is sounding an alarm about fentanyl-laced ecstasy pills after three high school students overdosed. "Three teenage girls were found unconscious in a Los Angeles County home on May 25 after taking ecstasy pills that were contaminated with fentanyl, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a Twitter post earlier this week. "The teens reportedly crushed and snorted blue circular tablets that they had purchased from an online dealer selling ecstasy. Emergency personnel used naloxone, or Narcan, and a breathing tube to resuscitate the teens, who all suffered brain damage." " Berkeley City Council candidate and housing advocate says he was forced to end campaign after being priced out of the city," by the SF Chronicle's Jessica Flores: "A housing advocate announced he was ending his campaign for the Berkeley City Council, saying he could no longer afford to live in the city. "Greg Magofña tweeted he was ending his run to represent District Four because his roommate plans to move out of the Bay Area within the year, forcing Magofña to look for housing outside of Berkeley because he was 'now priced out.' "'I'm being forced to leave Berkeley and it's ironic because I co-founded an organization called the East Bay for Everyone in 2015, fighting for housing, to make sure something like this doesn't happen,' Magofña told The Chronicle Thursday morning." Compiled by Juhi Doshi MIXTAPE — A high school student suspected of planning a shooting on campus was arrested after an anonymous tipster told authorities about the alleged plan. (Sacramento Bee) — Advocates are requesting funding in this year's budget to help people with costly medical needs who make more than the income limit to qualify for free Medi-Cal. (CalMatters) — Here is where L.A. mayor candidates stand on crime, homelessness, transportation and climate change. (LATimes)   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

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.