POLITICO California Playbook PM: The Legislature is back in session

Presented by CalETC and the Environmental Defense Fund: Your afternoon must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State

Aug 01, 2022 View in browser   By Alexander Nieves and Lara Korte Presented by CalETC and the Environmental Defense Fund WELCOME BACK: At long last, the California Capitol is back up and humming. The next two weeks will be a sprint to pass dozens of bills that have been left to the tail end of the session. Among them are several high-profile pieces of legislation that highlight the state's love-hate relationship with labor. Top of mind is a push to allow legislative staff to unionize — a play that's been run multiple times in the Capitol without any success. Former Assemblymember-turned-labor-leader Lorena Gonzalez has championed it in the past, but this year Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley) is taking up the mantle, trying to rally his fellow lawmakers around Assembly Bill 1577. Previous iterations died in the Assembly, but this year Stone made a clever move to gut and amend a bill that was already in the Senate, bypassing the initial hurdles that have always blocked the legislation's advancement on the Assembly side. It passed two Senate committee hearings in June, and was on the docket to be heard in the Appropriations Committee this morning. It's the fourth time the Legislature has considered such a bil l, but Stone and allies hope this time will be different, for a handful of reasons. The Legislature has experienced a "reckoning" in recent years, Stone said, between #MeToo, the Covid pandemic, problems with the Legislature's Workplace Conduct Unit , and the controversial Instagram page @DearCaStaffers that posted anonymous accounts of alleged staffer mistreatment. Another key indicator: support from leadership. Both Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) support efforts to unionize legislative staff. We're also keeping a close eye on the FAST Recovery Act, aka Assembly Bill 257 by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), which would create a fast food sector council to set wage and working conditions for workers. Proponents argue the bill will give fast-food employees the power to transform the low-wage industry and improve the lives of their families. It is heavily opposed by business groups, including the National Restaurant Association, which worries the legislation will harm quick-service operators and lead to similar movements in other states. 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 Sept. 1. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to katymurphy@politico.com and anieves@politico.com or send a shout on Twitter. DMs are open! A message from CalETC and the Environmental Defense Fund: LEGISLATORS AND GOVERNOR NEWSOM - THANK YOU FOR WORLD-LEADING INVESTMENTS IN THE JOB-CREATING CLEAN VEHICLE INDUSTRY! The electric vehicle industry - especially the burgeoning electric truck sector - is a crucial pillar supporting California's economy. You can support good jobs, infrastructure build-out, and clean air by protecting investments for equitable clean electric car and truck programs including established programs like HVIP, Clean Cars 4 All, and the new SB 372! Learn more: www.InvestInCleanAir.com .   WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY SUPERVISED INJECTION ON TO NEWSOM: It's been since years since California lawmakers first attempted to pass legislation that would allow so-called "supervised consumption" sites where people can use illicit drugs under supervision. The latest version — state Sen. Scott Wiener's SB 57 — cleared its final legislative hurdle today and is heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk. The bill would authorize the sites to be piloted in San Francisco, Oakland and the city and county of Los Angeles. This isn't the first time the effort has come before a governor. Former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed an earlier version in 2018 that limited sites to San Francisco, saying "enabling illegal and destructive drug use will never work." This time it's a different bill and a different governor, one who has described himself during his campaign as open to the idea. — Victoria Colliver ON THE BEATS EDUCATION BILLS TO WATCH: A key Senate committee made the procedural moves today needed to keep several education pushes alive. Still standing — at least until it's considered alongside hundreds of others bills next week — is a bill that would guarantee a semester of parental leave to California State University employees. So is another to prioritize preschool enrollment and subsidized child care for children whose primary home language isn't English, and a bill to require private and charter school construction to follow the same environmental standards as traditional public schools. The fate of those bills will be revealed in rapid-fire fashion, auctioneer-style next Thursday. — Blake Jones ARE GOATS MECHANICAL? Debate on a bill that would set goals for how much carbon is naturally sequestered in farms and other places offered a moment of levity today when Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) asked whether the grazing of goats should be considered mechanical work that could be restricted under AB 2649. "We must clarify whether a goat is mechanical or organic," Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) responded dryly. "This is a new one on me. They're not animatronics." — Camille von Kaenel   A message from CalETC and the Environmental Defense Fund:   AROUND CALIFORNIA " Two California fires in the Sierra Nevada have very different outcomes. Why? " by the Los Angeles Times' Alex Wigglesworth: "But the Oak fire, which sparked almost two weeks later in the foothills near Midpines, confounded firefighters as it exploded to four times the size of Washburn and forced thousands to flee as it destroyed at least 106 homes. At times, the wildfire's smoke plume could be seen from space." "Why was one fire so much more destructive?" "Experts attribute the difference to variations in weather, vegetation and topography. The management history of each landscape also played a role: Yosemite boasts decades of active stewardship, including prescribed burns, while areas outside the park bear a legacy of industrial logging and fire suppression." " Did Russia provide funding and support for booster of California secession movement? " by the Sacramento Bee's Sam Stanton: "The effort was part of a 'years-long foreign malign influence campaign that used various U.S. political groups to sow discord, spread pro-Russian propaganda, and interfere in elections within the United States,' the Justice Department said in an announcement Friday during which authorities in Tampa, Fla., revealed Ionov had been indicted there on charges of targeting political groups in Florida, Georgia and California 'to further Russian interests.'" "Court documents identify the organizer in California only as 'unidentified co-conspirator 6,' an American who had lived in Russia and California and was the founder and president of an unnamed group seeking to have California secede from the union." Compiled by Sakura Cannestra MIXTAPE — " California tenants could see rent increases of up to 10% ," by KTLA's Tony Kurzweil and Erin Myers. — " Criminal Charges Filed Against Real Estate Company At Center Of LAist Studio's 'California City' Podcast ," by the LAist's Emily Guerin. — " Elon Musk's Antics Turn Owners and Would-Be Buyers Against Tesla ," by Bloomberg's Ira Boudway and Kyle Stock. A message from CalETC and the Environmental Defense Fund: World-leading investment in clean vehicles in this year's budget will help relieve all Californians of the soaring costs of gasoline and diesel by helping them transition to electric cars, trucks, vans, and buses. Budget funds for programs like HVIP, Clean Cars 4 All, charging infrastructure investment, and the new SB 372, which help all Californians acquire these pollution-free electric vehicles, must be protected. Pollution from cars and trucks has a disproportionate impact on low-income communities and communities of color, having suffered generations of systematic marginalization . Helping all Californians and our businesses cut pollution from these vehicles will save lives. As we finalize our state's budget, our legislators must defend hard-fought investments in these important clean electric vehicle and infrastructure programs! Learn more at www.InvestInCleanAir.com.     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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