Construction starts on CARE Courts

Presented by the Electric Trucks Now Campaign: Jeremy B. White and Lara Korte’s must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State

Feb 14, 2023 View in browser   By Lara Korte, Jeremy B. White, Matthew Brown and Ramon Castanos Presented by the Electric Trucks Now Campaign THE BUZZ: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to help some of California’s most vulnerable homeless residents sailed through the Legislature last year with near-unanimous support. Now comes the hard part. Today, members of the CARE Act working group will meet for the first time to chart a course for implementing the new mental health arm of civil courts set to launch in seven counties in October. The success of these first counties will set the tone for the other 51 California counties, where the program will launch in 2024. It will also matter to other states, cities and federal actors eager to evaluate a novel approach to homelessness. As with any first-in-the-nation program, the process of building out the system requires careful planning. CARE Court is designed to bring together first responders, the judicial branch and county staff to reach a subsect of the population that often falls through the cracks. Disability and civil rights groups are already challenging it in court, and questions remain about how to establish — and fund — such a system. The pioneering group of counties has been working with state agencies to develop their plans, each of which will be different, said Sami Gallegos, spokesperson for California Health and Human Services. Technical assistance and training is “in development,” Gallegos added, and will roll out soon. As with most things in California, housing is the overarching concern. The group’s 26 members — including Disability Rights California, one of the organizations suing the state over the program — today will discuss meeting the housing needs of individuals who enter into CARE plans. Last year, Newsom signed off on $1.5 billion in the budget for “bridge” housing, meant to get people off the street and shelter them until they find a permanent home. But with gloomy revenue projections on the horizon, the governor is now proposing delaying $250 million of those funds to next year. That could change if tax revenues change course. Then there’s the staff. County behavioral health workers will be responsible for evaluating individuals brought before the court to determine if they meet the right criteria for the program, in addition to providing services. Right now, counties don’t know how many staff they’ll need to provide that care, said Michelle Doty Cabrera, executive director of the County Behavioral Health Directors Association. And a recent study from UC San Francisco researchers outlined a “workforce crisis” among behavioral health workers. It’ll be a few months before we have more detailed CARE Court plans — and likely years before we can measure the full impact of the program. But today’s meeting will get the ball rolling on this closely watched initiative. Relatedly, in New York City, POLITICO’s Maya Kaufman got an inside look at how Mayor Eric Adams is instructing health care workers to implement his plan to involuntarily hospitalize more mentally ill people. Newsom, notably, has drawn a distinction between his plan and ones like Adams’— calling CARE Courts the “right way” to tackle the problem. BUENOS DÍAS, good Tuesday morning. Today, we’re keeping an eye on the Assembly Public Safety Committee, where members will hear bills on cryptocurrency, firearms, penalties for drug dealers and more. And a Happy Valentine’s Day to our California Playbook readers! In lieu of flowers or chocolate, we ask that you send news tips. Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up at jwhite@politico.com and lkorte@politico.com or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte.  QUOTE OF THE DAY: “... our leaders completely failed. And they continue to fail; despite all the beautiful words and pledges, they are not moving in the right direction.” Climate change activist Greta Thunberg, lamenting the remarkably small amount of government investment into green energy in an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times.  TWEET OF THE DAY: SacGreenbelt WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. A message from the Electric Trucks Now Campaign: DIESEL POLLUTION KILLS. ELECTRIC TRUCKS SAVE LIVES. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will soon finalize the world’s first pollution-free truck fleet standard. The 2036 100% zero-emission truck sales target will cut pollution in communities of color that suffer most from deadly diesel exhaust. However, the dirtiest mid-sized big rig fleets are not included. This means they’ll never have to become pollution-free. We must regulate big rig fleets with 10+ trucks to save more lives!     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.     TOP TALKERS — “LAPD edits police shooting videos as other cities embrace greater transparency,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Libor Jany: “The LAPD’s internal policy mirrors the 45-day time frame in the state law and requires video be released in all police shootings. A Times review of 41 videos from police shootings and other serious uses of force last year found they averaged 7½ minutes of the incident itself.” CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR SPECIAL SESSION UPDATE — "First hearing scheduled for California special session on gas prices," by KCRA's Ashley Zavala: "The State Senate's Utilities Energy and Communications Committee has scheduled a hearing on Feb. 22 titled, 'Petroleum Windfall Profits Penalty: Will Californians Get Relief at the Gas Pump?' The hearing is informational only, meaning lawmakers will not be voting on the proposal." — “Former California official is a strong contender to become Biden’s next labor secretary,” by The Sacramento Bee’s David Lightman: “Julie Su, the former California labor official who led the state’s embattled unemployment agency during the COVID-19 pandemic, is being pushed hard by Asian-American activists to become the next U.S. Secretary of Labor.” — “Senators fault Department of Justice for ‘appalling’ conditions in Los Angeles jails,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Keri Blakinger: “In a blistering letter sent late last year to Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland, four U.S. senators described conditions in L.A. County’s jails as a “humanitarian crisis” and “appalling.” They cited reports of people routinely chained to chairs, denied medications, forced to urinate in sinks and left to sit in their own feces.” — “Deadly warnings for California from Turkey earthquakes: What to learn from devastation,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Rong-Gong Lin II: “The twin quakes last week in Turkey and Syria are among the most devastating in years and already are raising new questions about what we can learn from the destruction.” — “Gavin Newsom’s intriguing proposal to close a tax loophole,” by CalMatters’ Dan Walters: “The proposal pertains to “incomplete non-grantor trusts,” or INGs. Under current law, profits earned on ING investments are taxable in the states in which they are formed but if the state has no income tax — such as Nevada — it means only the federal government taxes their proceeds.” — “‘I’d have to gut my house’: Plan to phase out natural gas devices sparks fierce debate in Bay Area,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Julie Johnson: “The rules would essentially require all new residential construction to have electric water heaters by 2027 and heat pumps instead of furnaces by 2029. More controversially, homeowners whose old gas furnaces or water heaters break would also be required to replace them with electric appliances on the same timetable.” — "What a ban on a key abortion medication would mean for California," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Bob Egelko: "If a federal judge in Texas grants conservative groups’ demand to ban a drug used in a majority of all U.S. abortions, his ruling would not prohibit all medication abortions in states like California. But they would become more arduous, and the state’s reproductive care system would face more duress." — "S.F. could kill plan for tiny homes for homeless due to ‘overwhelming’ backlash, ‘absurd’ costs," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Trisha Thadani: "Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who originally championed the idea of transforming a blighted parking lot at 1979 Mission St. into a village of 70 tiny cabins, said plans are now on hold after “overwhelming opposition” from some members of the community and her own skepticism about whether the village will improve the conditions in the neighborhood." BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL — House Dem leaders calm outrage over Hispanic Caucus chair, by POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz: Rep. Nanette Barragán is staying on as Hispanic Caucus chair after leaders like No. 3 House Democrat Pete Aguilar worked to cool temperatures within the bloc over the ouster of a top staffer, according to three people familiar with the situation. — “Biden fires Architect of Capitol,” by The Hills’ Alex Gangitano: “President Biden fired Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton on Monday, a White House official told The Hill, following outrage over an inspector general report that found Blanton misused a government vehicle and allegedly impersonated a law enforcement officer.” SILICON VALLEYLAND — “S.F. tech company Twilio latest to cut staff,” by San Francisco Chronicle’s Chase DiFeliciantonio: “Many tech companies, including Google, Salesforce and Amazon, which brought on thousands and in some cases tens of thousands of new staff during the pandemic have been paring back on personnel costs as the global economic outlook darkens.” — "Amazon’s Zoox robotaxi now giving rides to employees on public roads in California," by CNBC's Annie Palmer: "The vehicles have no steering wheel or pedals, and they have bidirectional driving capabilities and four-wheel steering, enabling them to change directions without the need to reverse." CANNABIS COUNTRY — “California considers legalizing cannabis cafes to help struggling marijuana industry,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Noah Goldberg: “The legislation put forward this month by Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) would legalize the sale of food and nonalcoholic beverages at cannabis retailers and lounges.” MIXTAPE — “A battle to save Beverly Hills’ shady ficus trees is underway,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Dorany Pineda.  — “He spent 14 years in prison for medical marijuana. Is change in federal law overdue?” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Bob Egelko. — “Bicyclist’s ‘Tour de Disaster’ video shows extent of storm devastation in Santa Cruz Mountains,” by The Mercury News’ Paul Rogers. — "L.A. team rescues teen buried in rubble of Turkey earthquake," by the Los Angeles Times' Terry Castleman.   A message from the Electric Trucks Now Campaign:   TRANSITIONS — Bernadette Austin is moving from the Center for Regional Change at UC Davis to CivicWell (formerly the Local Government Commission) where she'll serve as CEO. CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here. Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com. A message from the Electric Trucks Now Campaign: MORE ELECTRIC TRUCK FLEETS = MORE CLEAN AIR FOR EVERYONE. California’s freight communities breathe the most polluted air in the country. This excessive exposure to diesel exhaust in communities of color is a clear example of environmental racism. CARB can’t guarantee these residents will get the clean air they need unless the standard requires big rig fleets with 10+ trucks to go pollution-free. Experts found that regulating big rig fleets with 10+ will cut more smog-forming pollution and deadly diesel soot. Reducing the big rig fleet size to 10 also closes labor loopholes, ensuring thousands of hard-working drivers are not inappropriately burdened with the corporate responsibility of transitioning to these life-saving, pollution-free trucks. CARB has one opportunity to deliver cleaner air faster to our most polluted communities with a stronger electric truck standard. Tell them we need 100% pollution-free truck sales by 2036 and more electric trucks in more fleets!     DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.       Follow us on Twitter Jeremy B. White @JeremyBWhite Lara Korte @lara_korte 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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