A seismic shift to the right

Inside the Golden State political arena

Sep 27, 2023 View in browser   By Dustin Gardiner and Lara Korte San Francisco Mayor London Breed speaks during a meeting of the Board of Supervisors on May 23, 2023. | Eric Risberg/AP Photo THE BUZZ — BREED LEANS RIGHT: San Francisco Mayor London Breed is apparently doubting voters’ progressive mood so much that she’s banking her reelection campaign on a shift to the right. The Democratic mayor announced Tuesday that she’s proposing the city require all recipients of county-funded welfare to undergo drug screening — and treatment, if needed — in order to be eligible for cash assistance. Breed defended her proposal during a news conference at City Hall, where talked about the need to make subsidies contingent on personal responsibility. Progressive critics were quick to compare her comments to Republican welfare policies. “No more anything goes without accountability. No more handouts without accountability,” Breed said. It was a striking moment for the mayor of San Francisco, long an ultra-liberal bastion of Democratic politics. It illustrated how homelessness and fentanyl addiction have frustrated residents and upended political norms. Breed has increasingly leaned into tough-on-crime rhetoric in recent months as she faces a growing field of challengers. Critics framed Breed’s proposal as an expedient shift as she runs for reelection. She announced the effort on the same morning that Daniel Lurie, a nonprofit executive and Levi Strauss heir, announced that he will challenge her in next year’s election. Lurie, speaking to supporters a few miles away in Potrero Hill, said he would seek to dramatically increase San Francisco’s police force. He vowed to “slam the door shut on the era of open-air drug markets and end the perception that lawlessness is an acceptable part of life in San Francisco.” Breed also faces a tough road getting the progressive-leaning Board of Supervisors to go along with her proposal. Several were swift to call her plan inhumane and politically motivated. Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, a progressive and potential rival in the mayoral race, said Breed has failed to work with police to close open-air drug markets. “We need serious ideas, not politicians desperately grasping for a political lifeline.” The flurry of startled reactions reverberated through San Francisco political circles. Honey Mahogany, chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party and a progressive, framed Breed’s proposal as a political gambit that could push people out of their homes. “Perhaps she thinks this will differentiate her by moving more to the right,” Mahogany said. “But it might be at the cost of seeing homelessness increase.” Breed was already facing a mayoral opponent in Ahsha Safaí, a moderate on the Board of Supervisors. Breed is likely to face as much — if not more — incoming criticism from moderates as she does progressives. Maggie Muir, Breed’s campaign consultant, said the mayor’s proposal is about responding to a crisis, not her reelection strategy. “Whatever the progressives are offering, it’s just not working. People are dying every day on the street,” Muir said. HAPPY WEDNESDAY. Thanks for waking up with Playbook.  PLAYBOOK TIP LINE — What other bills do you expect Newsom to sign? Or veto? Give us a ring or drop us a line. Now you can text us at ‪916-562-0685‬‪ — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on Twitter —@DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte  WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.   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.     FRESH INK Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) at the kickoff rally for his two-week ‘California for All Tour,’ in February. | Getty Mario Tama/Getty Images SENATE SNAPSHOT: SCHIFF LEADS — Rep. Adam Schiff has a narrow lead over congressional colleagues Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, according to the latest Public Policy Institute of California survey. Schiff's support has risen to 20 percent, up from 16 percent in PPIC’s July poll when he was trailing Porter. Porter's backing has dipped from 19 percent in July to 15 percent in the latest survey, and Lee’s ranking has dropped five points in the same time frame. Among Democrats and independents, Schiff leads Porter by six and five points, respectively. Another topline from the survey that caught our eye: Three in four Golden State voters disapprove of state governments sending migrants to California — like the ones Texas have repeatedly sent to Los Angeles. And a majority of voters — 55 percent — say it’s a bad time for the state to be issuing bonds to pay for projects and programs. That’s not great news for Newsom, who next year will ask voters to approve $26 billion in bonds. — Sejal Govindarao  THAT’S SO L.A. — It’s not often that a political conference on the state of democracy can be credibly called “star-studded.” But the description is apt for the American Democracy Summit, where the roster of speakers ranges from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski to the comedian Ed Helms and Oscar winner Michael Douglas. The event, which kicks off today and runs through Friday in downtown Los Angeles, includes panels on election integrity threats and ranked choice voting. But there’s also a Thursday night variety show, featuring a mysteriously-advertised “Secret Comedy Legend.” “We’re trying to make democracy sexy again,” said Joshua Graham Lynn, CEO of RepresentUS, the organization sponsoring the summit. “Why does it have to be this issue we all find boring and out-of-touch and not part of our lives?” The group last sponsored similar events in 2018 and 2019. Since then, the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and surge in election denialism the conversation around the state of democracy has become particularly urgent. “While back then we were talking about how all of these warning signs are flashing bright red, now we’re past warning signs,” Lynn said. The focus of the conference is threefold: voting rights and election integrity; structural reforms such as anti-gerrymandering efforts; and instilling a Democratic culture, which Lynn sums up as “can we get along with our neighbors?” The choice to hold the event not in Washington but 3,000 miles away in the showbiz capital of Los Angeles was deliberate. “This is not going to get solved with just a political movement,” he said. “It has to be a cultural movement.” — Melanie Mason WAGING WAR ON WEINSTEIN — The California Apartment Association has begun funding its campaign to disarm AIDS Healthcare Foundation chief Michael Weinstein, channeling an initial $350,000 into a ballot initiative that would effectively bar AHF from spending money on ballot battles. It’s the latest skirmish in a long conflict between AHF and apartment interests: Under Weinstein’s leadership, the organization has spent $8 million so far on a 2024 rent control ballot initiative – its third attempt in four cycles, with apartment interests spending heavily to defeat the last two. — Jeremy B. White   Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of the first episodes in September – click here.     WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY MEAN STREETS — A nonprofit group in Los Angeles is suing Mayor Karen Bass over her homelessness emergency declaration, claiming it unfairly circumvents certain development and construction rules. (Los Angeles Times) EXPECT LESS: Target announced it’s closing three stores in the Bay Area next month amid concerns about theft and organized retail crime. At the retailer’s location in the South of Market neighborhood, almost the entire toiletries and cosmetics section is locked behind plastic cases. (San Francisco Chronicle) Playbookers TRANSITIONS — Longtime Sacramento Bee editorial cartoonist Jack Ohman has landed in a new spot after being laid off from McClatchy earlier this summer. The San Francisco Chronicle announced Tuesday that Ohman will become a contributing columnist for the paper’s Opinion section. BIRTHDAYS — Log Cabin Republicans’ Charles Moran…  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.   Follow us on Twitter Dustin Gardiner @dustingardiner 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

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.