| | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White , Lara Korte and Sakura Cannestra | Presented by CVS Health | THE BUZZ: Californians support the state's aggressive climate agenda. But that doesn't mean they're thrilled with all the particulars. A new Public Policy Institute of California poll found voters broadly embracing their Democratic leaders' environmental policies. Even as a withering drought has spurred water scarcity concerns — that eclipses wildfires as Californians' preeminent environmental focus — Californians approve of how Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature are tackling environmental issues, far more than they do President Joe Biden (a tepid 49 percent approve) or Congress (an abysmal 18 percent approval). Californians want renewable energy development rather than oil and gas expansion and back policies to phase out fossil fuels. To an extent. It's instructive to take a deeper look at two flagship goals that entail key sources of climate-altering emissions: electricity and cars. California voters strongly favor a ballot initiative that would fund electric car sales and charging stations by raising rich peoples' income taxes. The 63 percent approval rating is welcome news for Proposition 30 proponents, who now have to contend with Newsom's ferocious response to the Lyft-funded measure ( "a special interest carve-out" to benefit "a single corporation"). Lyft faces a state mandate to electrify its fleet and has long lobbied the state for more support. But it's not just Lyft that will need to switch to zero-emission vehicles. Newsom accelerated a much larger transformation with a 2020 executive order requiring all new cars sold in California to be zero-emission by 2035. That is the least popular goal polled by PPIC: voters are split 49/49, and about half have considered buying an electric vehicle of the kind that last year comprised about 12 percent of California sales. In other words: Whether or not voters authorize a new funding source, we're many miles from hitting that mandate. Californians also overwhelmingly support a law requiring all electricity to flow from renewable sources by 2045. But with Californians reporting a pinch from inflation overall and gasoline prices specifically, they're also wary of higher energy costs: The 54 percent who said they would not be willing to pay more for clean-generated light was the highest level of opposition in years as tolerance for higher prices has steadily eroded. California Democrats recently held their noses and passed a "lousy" and "crappy" budget bill letting California use fossil fuel plants to avert blackouts. The politics of passing climate mandates — or issuing executive orders — are different from the politics of implementation. Logistical and cost issues are major pieces of the puzzle. They're also critical political considerations, as demonstrated by a new oil industry anti-Newsom broadside that stops off in the trendiest outpost of California politics: Florida. The Western States Petroleum Association dropped $100,000 to target Newsom with a Florida TV advertisement, borrowing Newsom's strategy. The spot specifically assails Newsom's energy record by stressing high gas and electricity prices. While emphasizing Newsom's green dreams may play well in California — "being attacked by the world's nastiest polluters is a badge of honor," a Newsom spox said — the spot concludes with a swat at Newsom's national inclinations: "California can't afford Gavin Newsom's ambition. Can Florida?" BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. Will Los Angeles announce a new mask mandate today? People are watching the Los Angeles Department of Public Health closely today with rising coronavirus rates putting California's biggest county on track to reinstate restrictions. Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up: jwhite@politico.com and lkorte@politico.com or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte . QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I was in the belly of the beast, seeing the enemy was our own. It has become very clear to me that not every Democrat is a friend and not every Republican has to be our enemy." Former Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez after officially becoming executive secretary-treasurer of the California Labor Federation. TWEET OF THE DAY: Sac Bee reporter @RyanSabalow on a massive water project's long saga: "Some poor newspaper writer will prolly be writing about Delta tunnel(s) planning docs long after I'm dead, unless, of course, Los Angeles goes a couple of weeks without being able to flush toilets. Then they're breaking ground in this thing in a year." WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
| | A message from CVS Health: Throughout the pandemic, in California and communities across the country, CVS Health has been there. We've opened more than 4,800 COVID-19 test sites, administered 41 million tests and given 67 million vaccines. We've expanded access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine, increased remote access to mental health services and invested in affordable housing to help build healthier communities. We've been on the frontlines, making health care easier to access and afford. Learn more. | | | |  | TOP TALKERS | | — Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye to retire from California Supreme Court , by POLITICO's Alexander Nieves: Cantil-Sakauye, the first Filipino American and only second woman to serve as the California's top justice, oversaw a court that drove significant policy changes during her 12 years on the bench. — Child cares face a new threat: Public preschool , by POLITICO's Blake Jones: The potential for a mass exodus from child care is perhaps unmatched in California, where school districts and charter schools will have to hire up to 15,600 teachers and 19,700 classroom assistants over the next four school years to offer a year of free pre-K for four-year-olds called "transitional kindergarten." — " Law school board votes to rename Hastings 'UC College of the Law, San Francisco' ," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Nanette Asimov: "Amid dramatic objections from descendants of Yuki and Round Valley tribal members who hoped to give UC Hastings College of the Law an Indigenous name, the school's board of directors voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend it be renamed UC College of the Law, San Francisco."
| | | | 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 . | | | | | | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | MASKING UP — " Necessary or excessive? Debate intensifies over potential mask rule for L.A. County ," by the Los Angeles Times' Rong-Gong Lin II and Luke Money: "The county appeared set to take that step this week, but recent declines in case numbers could prompt a delay. Still, the idea has sparked debate, with some L.A. communities saying they won't enforce a mask mandate if it comes." — " After decades of failure, California dusts off controversial Delta tunnel water project ," by the Sacramento Bee's Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow: "After three years with little to no public activity, the state released an environmental blueprint for what's now called the Delta Conveyance — a 45-mile tunnel that would divert water from the Sacramento River and route it under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta so that it can be shipped to farms and cities hundreds of miles away." WINE TIME — " Napa Valley is America's top wine region. But it has reached a turning point that could change everything ," by the San Francisco Chronicle: "By now, Napa Valley is more than merely a place. It's one of the great American brands, as synonymous with fine wine as Silicon Valley is with tech, Wall Street with money or Hollywood with films." — " One of California's tallest redwoods is 2,000 years old. Inside the fight to keep it safe ," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Gregory Thomas: "Once thought to be the highest tree in California, it carries the name of a timber family that lived in the area back when it was a logging capital. It is easily identifiable by its dead, forked crown — the result of a lightning strike some years ago." 'RUFFLE SOME FEATHERS' — " Column: Farmworkers join California Labor Federation as Lorena Gonzalez takes over, " opines the Los Angeles Times' Anita Chabria: "As Gonzalez told me Monday, two days before becoming the first woman and the first person of color to lead the Fed, joining with the farmworkers is a message: 'We are going to ruffle some feathers, and you are not going to get any apologies.'" — " Amid formula shortage, California mothers find unlikely source of relief: breast milk donors ," by the Mercury News' Tammer Bagdasarian: "Breast milk banks have long served an important role in communities across the United States, helping provide affordable human milk to families and hospital newborn intensive care units (NICU)." — " Congress failed the nation on family policy. Will California show the way? " opines the Los Angeles Times' Editorial Board: "But there's an embarrassing weak spot in California's family-friendly policies: The state's paid family leave program helps white-collar professionals at the expense of low-wage workers."
| | | | A message from CVS Health:   | | | | | BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL | | SETTLING AFFAIRS — Manchin's latest shocker: A $700B deal , by POLITICO's Burgess Everett and Marianne Levine: By Wednesday afternoon, they had a deal on a bill that includes energy and tax policy, a turnaround after the two deadlocked on Democrats' marquee party-line agenda. | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | $10 BILLION — " Zuck turns up the heat ," by the Verge's Alex Heath and David Pierce: "Both Facebook and Instagram were being rearchitected to compete with TikTok. Apple's iOS privacy settings had disrupted the company's once-stable ad business, costing it billions in revenue. Meanwhile, Zuckerberg's bet on the metaverse was a money pit that he didn't see turning a profit until at least the end of the decade." — " Why tech workers are quitting great jobs at companies like Google to fight climate change ," by CNBC's Catherine Clifford: "As more techies consider jumping to careers fighting climate change, resources are popping up to help them make the switch." | | | | INTRODUCING POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY . | | | | | | | MIXTAPE | | — " D.A. Jenkins names new leader of victim services unit ," by the San Francisco Examiner's Adam Shanks. — " 1 injured when truck crashes into Panorama City gas station, knocks over pump ," by the Los Angeles Times' Gregory Yee. DON'T CALL THE BABYSITTER — " Nearly every Bay Area city lost kids over the last decade — except this one. Here's why ," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Susie Nelson. — " 'Where do you want me to go?' What's next as Elk Grove clamps down on homeless camps ," by the Sacramento Bee's Darrell Smith. | | A message from CVS Health: At CVS Health, we're more than 300,000 caring employees ensuring Californians and millions of Americans can access health care services.
We have been offering COVID-19 vaccines at more than 9,600 CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide.
Nothing should stand in the way of mental health and well-being, so we have been increasing remote access to mental health services.
We have been supporting safer pregnancies and expanding access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine.
Recognizing the strong connection between housing and health, we have been investing in affordable housing to support underserved populations and build healthier communities.
Every day, CVS Health works to bring quality, affordable health care into neighborhoods, homes and hands—so it's never out of reach for anyone.
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