POLITICO California Playbook PM: Attempting a U-turn on driverless cars

Presented by The Nature Conservancy: Your afternoon must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State

Aug 17, 2023 View in browser   By Jeremy B. White and Lara Korte Presented by DRIVING SF CRAZY — It appears that seven hours of debate was not enough to end the fight over autonomous vehicles. San Francisco City officials today filed motions to the state’s Public Utilities Commission, asking it to stay a decision it came to last week after a spirited and lengthy meeting that let Cruise and Waymo charge for rides, at any time of day or night, in autonomous vehicles on city streets. San Francisco’s struggle over autonomous vehicles reflects a broader fight over technology that could transform economic sectors and city streets. California lawmakers are advancing a bill, backed by the Teamsters, that would limit autonomous truck deployment. An industry-backed coalition has battled that bill and pushed for CPUC approval. City officials today argued the commission failed to vet environmental impacts or impose performance-based conditions for expansion, warning that San Francisco will “suffer serious harms” if the expansion goes forward. “We have seen that this technology is not yet safe, and poor AV performance has interfered with the life-saving operations of first responders,” San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement. Regulators approved the rollout last week after a fiery seven-hour hearing, overriding the strenuous objection of local authorities — who warned vehicles were impeding first responders — and labor unions who feared job losses. San Francisco’s official objection cites dozens of mishaps reported to the San Francisco Fire Department. Cruise representative Drew Pusateri noted in a statement that the CPUC heard supportive testimony from disability advocates who saw an opportunity for increased mobility and from labor unions that have reached an agreement to work on Cruise facilities. “It’s unfortunate to see the city use public resources to bypass that decision and restrict a technology with an excellent safety record used by tens of thousands of SF residents,” Pusateri said. 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! A message from The Nature Conservancy: Pass a $15B Climate Bond for People and Nature From drought to megafires, climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of catastrophic events in California. While nature can achieve one-third of the greenhouse gas reductions needed to make our climate safer, nature-based solutions are significantly underfunded. But if we take steps now to ensure nature thrives, we can change our state’s trajectory. A well-funded $15 billion climate bond is California’s best path to resilience.   WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY CLOSE CALL — California lawmakers wrestle with crime every day — but it rarely comes this close. Democratic Assemblymember Evan Low, who represents parts of Silicon Valley, said today that his brother, a San Jose police officer, and his partner were ambushed by a gunman while on duty this morning. The officers were reportedly responding to a domestic violence call when they were confronted by a convicted felon with a gun. Low’s brother was not harmed. His partner, a 10-year veteran of the department, was shot in the torso and is hospitalized in critical condition.   SUBSCRIBE TO CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Cut through the jargon and get the latest developments in California as lawmakers and industry leaders adapt to the changing climate. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes.     ON THE BEATS STRIKE INSURANCE: 2023’s “hot labor summer” came at a good time for workers with health needs. On July 1, a new law went into effect requiring the state’s private insurance marketplace, Covered California, to offer health insurance for people who lost their coverage during a strike or lockout. By late July, the state had its first takers, according to an update from Covered California’s executive director, Jessica Altman, at a board meeting today. Members of the Transdev Teamster Local 517 in Visalia have been striking, and workers will be enrolled in subsidized coverage for August. But with so many actions going on this year, Covered California has to keep an eye on the bottom line. Last year’s budget set aside $2 million to subsidize coverage for striking workers. So far, it’s not a problem to cover the Visalia Teamsters, but in this season of strikes the bills could add up. “It’s something to watch if other strikes with larger numbers of workers come forward and are looking for support from this program,” Altman said. —  Rachel Bluth LA CRIME — Gov. Gavin Newsom is tripling the number of California Highway Patrol officers in Los Angeles, he announced today, responding to growing anxiety around smash-and-grab episodes. CHP will bump up its resources in LA devoted to tackling retail crime and add more investigators specifically for the new regional law enforcement task force announced by Mayor Karen Bass this morning.  This is not the first time Newsom has deployed state officers to tamp down crime. Earlier this year he sent additional CHP forces to San Francisco to help combat the fentanyl crisis.   A message from The Nature Conservancy:   AROUND CALIFORNIA “Hilary turns into a hurricane, gaining great power as it continues tracking toward Southern California,” by The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Gary Robbins: Tropical Storm Hilary became a hurricane off Mexico early Thursday and is gaining tremendous strength as it continues moving toward Southern California, where it could deliver heavy rain this weekend, according to the National Weather Service. “Exclusive: Antioch, Pittsburg cops rounded up in early morning FBI raid following grand jury indictment,” by The Mercury News’ Nate Gartrell: The FBI led a series of raids around the Bay Area Thursday morning, rounding up officers from Antioch and Pittsburg, in the culmination of an 18-month investigation into an alleged criminal network composed of law enforcement officers. “Burning Man tickets were once a hot commodity. Now people can’t get rid of them fast enough,” by The San Francisco Standard’s Lydia You: But less than two weeks before the nine-day gathering starts on Aug. 27 in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, tickets are for sale online in Facebook groups like Burning Man Tickets and Vehicle Pass Exchange and Burning Man 2023 Tickets. Some are going for as low as $250 — more than $400 below face value.   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.     A message from The Nature Conservancy: Nature’s Future Is Our Future Without intervention, the cost of climate change to California is estimated to reach $113 billion annually by 2050 (CNRA’s Fourth Climate Assessment). By harnessing the climate change fighting power of nature, we can curb these costs. But in order for this to happen, we must invest in nature. With the reality of state budget cuts, California needs to lock down a stable, long-term source of funding for nature-based climate solutions to protect our planet before it’s too late. In order to make this happen, California needs a climate bond. If we fail to invest in nature, we will lose one of the most important allies in our battle with climate change. California Legislature: A $15 billion climate bond is essential to funding the nature-based solutions needed to protect our planet.     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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