POLITICO California Playbook PM: Newsom's other big victory

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

Sep 01, 2022 View in browser   By Victoria Colliver and Lara Korte BALL'S IN YOUR COURT — Gov. Gavin Newsom 's aggressive plan to combat climate change and energy shortages got all the attention this week. But another high-aiming program championed by the governor also cleared the Legislature — and is a key part of the administration's efforts to combat homelessness this year. Senate Bill 1338 by Sens. Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) and Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) will establish a mental health arm of civil courts, dubbed CARE Courts. It's meant to help those suffering from severe behavioral and mental health problems by requiring counties to provide services — and requiring people to participate. Judges could order people brought before the court to make a choice: get treatment or face involuntary hospitalization or conservatorship. But the plan for homeless Californians with severe mental and addiction illnesses turned out to be a bit too ambitious in both timing and scope. Newsom initially wanted all 58 counties to start ramping up the program as soon as this past July. But under the bill that cleared the Legislature this week, it would start with just seven counties and begin next year, expanding to all by the end of 2024. It's a tradeoff, as the new plan significantly scales up the amount of state funding that each county would get — easing a key concern that local governments wouldn't have the money to get this thing off the ground. The counties willing to go first — Glenn, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Stanislaus, Tuolumne and San Francisco — will get a total of $57 million in startup costs. That's on top of the $65 million already included in the 2022-23 budget for the program. But a ton of unanswered questions remain. No one really knows how many people CARE Court would help, how much it would ultimately cost and whether it will make a dent in the state's ever-escalating problem of people living on the streets with untreated mental health and substance use disorders. The Newsom administration has estimated that the system could serve between 7,000 and 12,000 Californians struggling with these issues — a small fraction of the more than 160,000 people in the state who lack housing. Still, the measure drew lofty praise from both sides of the aisle, with Assemblymember Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) calling on his colleagues before the floor vote to address "what breaks the heart of God." For Newsom, who has made homelessness a key part of his administration in the first term, the passage of CARE Courts is a significant victory. He's almost certainly going to sign it — the question is just when and where. In the past, with big legislative victories, the governor has been known to make the bill signing a big event. He did offer some comments on Wednesday shortly after SB 1338's passage. "This was the vision set out over 50 years ago," he said in a statement Wednesday night. "But only now — with unprecedented investment in new housing, mental health services, and CARE Court — can we see this promise becoming reality." 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. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lkorte @politico.com or send a shout on Twitter. DMs are open! WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY HOT HOT HOT: How does this heat wave compare to previous ones? In a few years, California is likely to have an easy way to answer that, with a first-in-the-nation ranking system potentially similar to the one used to classify hurricanes. The Legislature moved the ranking closer to reality late Wednesday night by overwhelmingly passing a bill by Assemblymember Luz Rivas (D-San Fernando Valley). It now awaits Newsom's signature. Also, among the remaining budget details lawmakers approved on Wednesday is $800 million for extreme heat mitigation, including cooling centers and retrofits. – Camille von Kaenel ON THE BEATS ELECTION PROTECTION — Now that the legislative session is over, California is shifting into full campaign mode. This year, county election workers could have more protection from the harassment and threats that have become common in recent years. Senate Bill 1131 by Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) would give election workers the option to keep their home addresses confidential. The California Voter Foundation, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization co-sponsoring the bill, said election workers are increasingly subject to "doxing" (publicly revealing private information) and harassment as the result of their names, photographs and addresses being posted online and on social media. The bill would take effect immediately once it's signed into law, in time for the midterm election. "SB 1131, upon being signed into law, will immediately give democracy's frontline workers greater ability to protect themselves and their families from harm, the sooner the better," said California Voter Foundation President Kim Alexander in a statement. — Lara Korte CONSERVATORSHIP REFORM — A panel of national experts will review California's conservatorship program, the state Department of Developmental Services announced today, as part of a plan to improve its services. For the vast majority of the 57,000 Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are under conservatorship, the court has appointed a family member or other trusted individual to manage their personal and financial affairs. But for 413 Californians, that conservator is the state agency. Pop star Britney Spears ' protracted and ultimately successful battle to be released from a 13-year conservatorship managed by her father shed light on problems in the state's conservatorship process, which then spawned a number of bills and other attempts to fix the system. The governor has touted his CARE Court program as a way to keep people out of conservatorship. But this month Newsom will also have to consider other legislation such as AB 1663 by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein (D-San Diego), a #FreeBritney-inspired bill that seeks to promote less restrictive alternatives to probate conservatorships in California. Many of the same groups that oppose CARE Court for its court-ordered approach, like Disability Rights California, support Maienschein's bill. — Victoria Colliver AROUND CALIFORNIA — "Firefighters Battling Wild Blazes Are Suffering From Anxiety, Addiction—and Can't Find Help," by the Wall Street Journal's Dan Frosch and Jim Carlton: "One wildland fire official said she spent hours on the phone trying to keep a colleague from shooting himself. A smoke jumper found a co-worker barely conscious after a drinking binge. A retired firefighter had three friends die by suicide in four years." "Examples such as these are increasingly common, according to current and former wildland firefighters. They say they have struggled to get assistance, citing problems accessing counselors and restrictions on how much support they can receive." DRYING SNOW — "Less snow and less water. Federal study paints bleak picture of American River's future," by the Sacramento Bee's Dale Kasler: "Areas served by the American River had a fairly wet winter this year — at least when compared to most of the rest of the state as the California drought continues for a third year. But with each passing year, conditions on the American will likely worsen." "The heart of the problem is the warming climate. Average summer temperatures in the watershed are expected to increase by 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, the study said. Winter temperatures will climb 4.9 degrees. "Not only does hotter weather increase the demand for water, snowfall will give way to rain — as it has already — making it much harder to operate Folsom Lake and manage the river system for both droughts and flood control. An ample Sierra snowpack acts as backup reservoir space. But if the region receives mostly rain and little snow, the precipitation will overwhelm the system, raising flood dangers while making it harder to store water." Compiled by Sakura Cannestra. MIXTAPE — "What the end of the Pelosi era could cost California," by the Los Angeles Times' Jennifer Haberkorn. — "S.F. activists wanted to tax Amazon. They could wind up taxing small businesses instead," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Mallory Moench. — " Hot classrooms with no air conditioning make it hard to learn at San Diego High, families say," by the San Diego Union-Tribune's Kristen Taketa.   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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