POLITICO California Playbook PM: Getting hot in the Capitol

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

Aug 31, 2022 View in browser   By Camille von Kaenel BOILING POINT: In case things weren't tense enough on the last day of the Legislative session, the weather is literally turning the temperature up a notch. Most of California could experience 100-degree heat through the Labor Day weekend, even in parts of the state such as downtown Los Angeles unaccustomed to such extreme heat this time of year. The National Weather Service issued a heat warning from San Diego to Sacramento, with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees higher than normal for multiple days in a row. The National Weather Service's Bill Rasch told reporters today the heat wave would be extreme not only in terms of potentially record-breaking temperatures, but also in its duration. He said forecasters aren't sure when the heat wave will end, but that it will probably last into Tuesday at least. With the higher temperatures comes the risk of heat illness, wildfires – and rolling outages as the grid operator struggles to keep up with the increased demand. The managers of California's electrical system said they were already taking actions to protect a strained grid. They also called for the public to voluntarily conserve energy this afternoon from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. by turning the thermostat up to at least 78 degrees and avoiding using large appliances. The public will likely be asked to take those steps again over the next few days, Elliot Mainzer, CAISO's CEO, told reporters. "This is going to be a sustained event that's going to take sustained focus and sustained participation," Mainzer said. He said he expects the highest strain on the grid so far this year will come on Monday. The extreme heat gripping the state is exactly the type of worst-case scenario that has fueled Gov. Gavin Newsom's demands in the Legislature to shore up the grid. It provides a dramatic backdrop to his last-minute lobbying efforts before a vote this evening on delaying the closure of the state's last operating nuclear power plant. In a speech about the heat wave this afternoon, Newsom cast the extension of operations at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant as part of a strategy to "future-proof" California. "This is critical in the context of making sure we have energy reliability going forward," Newsom said, adding that the Diablo Canyon energy does not produce greenhouse gasses. HAPPY WEDNESDAY 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. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to cvonkaenel@politico.com or send a shout on Twitter. DMs are open! WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY MIDNIGHT VOTES: Lawmakers will be working into the night to wrap up their session. A bill that would keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant open beyond 2025 needs a supermajority to take effect immediately — and, as of mid-afternoon, it seemed far from a done deal. But it's not the only bill awaiting its fate. The bulk of Newsom's last-minute climate package, including a bill on carbon neutrality and others on carbon capture and storage technology, are still expecting votes this afternoon. An oil-setbacks bill that squeaked through the Assembly late last night is also awaiting final approval in the Senate, where it was two votes short this morning. ON THE BEATS TEEN VAX FAIL: The legislative "vaccine caucus" today lost its most controversial proposal left standing when state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) pulled a bill that would have allowed teens 15 and older to get vaccinated without parental consent because he couldn't rustle up enough votes to get it through the Assembly. Wiener blamed SB 866's demise on "months of harassment and misinformation — including death threats against me and teen advocates — by a small but highly vocal and organized minority of anti-vaxxers." The other two marquee measures, bills that would have imposed Covid mandates on schools and workplaces, died earlier in the session. The bill's foes, a mix of those supporting parental rights and opposing vaccines and what they perceive as government overreach, have now set their sights on some of the remaining bills in the vaccine package, most notably one by Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento). His SB 1479 would require schools to have Covid testing plans. Another, AB 2098 by Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell), would allow the state medical board to discipline doctors for spreading misinformation about Covid. Both made it to the governor's desk. — Victoria Colliver TRANS YOUTH: A bill that would make California a refuge for transgender youth and their families seeking gender-affirming care passed the state Senate this morning on a vote of 30-9. It now needs Newsom's signature. SB 107, by Wiener, was drafted in response to efforts by other states to go after doctors and parents who help transgender children access gender-affirming healthcare. The bill would protect those who travel to California from out of state to receive that care, much in the same way AB 1666 ( signed by Newsom in June ) protects women who traveled to California seeking abortion care. – Lara Korte AROUND CALIFORNIA — "'A perfect storm of bad': Report finds incarceration rates highest among rural Californians," by CalMatters' Nigel Duara: "[Robert] Bowman, director of the county's program that helps formerly incarcerated people transition back to life outside, identifies three main drivers of crime in Shasta County: high housing costs, untreated mental illness and drug trafficking." "Those are some of the same factors blamed for crime in other California counties that rank among the highest for incarcerated people, according to a report released this morning by the Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit that seeks to end mass incarceration." — "COVID boosters targeting omicron will soon be available. Should you get one right away?" by the San Francisco Chronicle's Kellie Hwang: "The FDA authorized a single booster dose of the updated mRNA vaccines for individuals who previously completed a primary series of a COVID vaccine. That dose will not vary, regardless of the number or type of prior booster doses received." Compiled by Sakura Cannestra. MIXTAPE — "How to save power during a flex alert," by the Los Angeles Times' Jessica Roy. — "UC Berkeley swimmers: Leaders failed to take action against Teri McKeever for decades," by the Mercury News' Scott Reid. WINE AND DINE — " These are the best wines, according to the world's most downloaded wine app. But does our critic agree?" by the San Francisco Chronicle's Esther Mobley.   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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