A mid-air PR crisis for psychedelic advocates

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Oct 26, 2023 View in browser   By Dustin Gardiner and Lara Korte Presented by An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after authorities say he attempted to shut off a plane's engines in mid-air. | Getty Images DRIVING THE DAY: Gov. Gavin Newsom is again in Beijing. Our colleague Blanca Begert is traveling with the governor during his tour. You can read her coverage in the California Climate newsletter. THE BUZZ: TRIPPED UP — The effort to make California the third state to decriminalize magic mushrooms faces major headwinds after a harrowing incident on a plane headed to San Francisco. The alarming incident happened just weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have legalized the personal possession of some naturally-derived psychedelics, including mushrooms — turning what was already a risky cause into a much riskier proposition for a governor with national ambitions. An off-duty pilot for Alaska Airlines tried to cut the engines of the flight earlier this week, after he said he had taken mushrooms and was struggling with depression. Medical use of the hallucinogenic drug was the chief argument for the decriminalization push at the Capitol this year. But Newsom said California isn’t ready for decriminalization and vetoed the bill, angering progressive allies who have been working on new legislation since the veto. Supporters of the bill have vowed to revive the fight, either through new legislation next year or a longshot November 2024 ballot measure to legalize mushrooms. But those efforts will face new complications following the averted catastrophe. “This sets back the conversation about legalizing psychedelics in the state of California,” said Brian Marvel, president of the Peace Officers Research Association of California, an 80,000- member law enforcement organization that opposed the bill. “Do you really want people that are tripping on mushrooms driving cars?” Newsom’s office declined to comment on the pilot incident. The governor wrote in his veto message that he killed the measure, Senate Bill 58, because it didn’t set enough treatment guardrails around dosing and underlying psychoses. Newsom asked lawmakers to send him a bill next year with therapeutic guidelines — signaling the governor is more interested in medicinal use than broader decriminalization. State Sen. Scott Wiener, who wrote the bill, said he plans to introduce a new measure despite the incident with the Alaska Airlines pilot. “Anyone can abuse a substance — legal or illegal — and do something horrific,” he said. “This situation is an extreme outlier, and this guy should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” California would have been the third state to decriminalize psychedelics. In 2020, voters in Oregon approved a measure to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin. Colorado voters followed suit last year, legalizing the substance starting in 2024. GOOD MORNING. Happy Thursday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. PLAYBOOK TIP LINE — What’s going to be the big fight of the next legislative session? 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? In China. Follow along with him on the ground by signing up for our daily newsletter on how California’s response to climate change is shaping the future — across industry and government and across politics and policy.   A message from Amazon: Two-thirds of college students in the U.S. say they struggle with the cost of their education. Amazon is committed to helping employees learn more and advance their careers by offering prepaid tuition for college, GED courses and ESL proficiency certificates. Amazon Career Choice helps hourly employees and delivery drivers earn their degrees without worrying about upfront costs. Learn how Amazon is investing in employee growth.   FRESH INK Then-Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez speaks at a labor rally in 2019. | AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli LABOR STANDARDS — Lorena Gonzalez has built a reputation as a no-exceptions union leader, but her recent decision to hire a corporate lobbyist to consult for the California Labor Federation has some labor allies accusing her of hypocrisy. As our colleagues Christopher Cadelago and Melanie Mason report this morning, Gonzalez raised eyebrows last fall when she suggested a blacklist for consultants who run afoul of unions, arguing consultants can’t get paid to fight against workers and then expect to benefit from members’ money. So, it came as a shock to some labor unions, when, earlier this year, Gonzalez quietly tapped her own longtime political strategist, one-time Willie Brown fixer Richie Ross, to formally consult for the Labor Federation. Since then, no fewer than eight high-level people directly connected to the group and broader labor world have aired their discomfort with the arrangement to POLITICO. Several contend Gonzalez’s decision to hire Ross smacked of hypocrisy, arguing his past work opposing labor makes him a poster boy for any boycott members had contemplated. “And she’s doing this as she’s vilifying everybody else in town about their lack of purity,” one high-profile labor leader said. Gonzalez said in an interview that the Labor Federation has a formal process for placing consultants on its so-called “Do Not Patronize” list. If any of the unions want to put Ross on the list, she said, they can propose to do so. “No one has done so,” Gonzalez added. She declined further comment. Ross offered a three-word quote, in Spanish, to express how little the backlash mattered to him. “No me importa,” he said. Read more from Chris and Melanie about how the rift has riled the California labor community.   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.     U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) | Alex Wong/Getty Images FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: ISRAEL ALIGNED — The California Legislative Jewish Caucus has endorsed Rep. Adam Schiff in the race for U.S. Senate. Schiff, who is Jewish, has been one of Israel’s biggest defenders on Capitol Hill, especially during the conflict with Hamas. Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, co-chair of the caucus, said Schiff is outspoken in fighting antisemitism and has “stood strongly with the Jewish State during her most challenging moments.”   Sponsored Survey WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Share what you think in a short, 1 minute survey about one of our advertisers   San Francisco | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images HOMETOWN HECKLER — Newsom is making an example out of San Francisco. The governor’s Department of Housing and Community Development issued a first-of-its-kind review of the city’s housing policies on Wednesday, blasting the local government for circumventing the state’s affordable housing laws and threatening to take away funding if the city doesn’t reverse course soon. “California’s affordability crisis is one of our own making – the decisions we made limited the creation of housing we need. Nowhere is this fact more evident than in San Francisco,” Newsom said in a statement. “This report is an important first step to address the decades of issues that have held back San Francisco’s ability to build more housing.” Facing a homelessness crisis, Newsom in recent years has turned up the pressure on local governments, going after cities for shirking their affordable housing obligations and demanding they show improvement or else risk losing state dollars. But no other jurisdiction has received a dressing-down quite like the one given to SF on Wednesday. “San Francisco has perfected the art of avoiding obligations under state housing laws by maneuvering around them through local rules that exploit loopholes and frustrate the intent of state housing laws,” the review said. The report puts an uncomfortable spotlight on the city where Newsom once served as mayor, and underscores how the governor’s own political future is tied to San Francisco’s success — or its failure. It’s been more than a decade since Newsom worked in City Hall, but as governor, he’s continually found himself intervening in municipal matters. This year he’s taken a keen interest in the fentanyl crisis, deploying state law enforcement and working with local officials on the issue. The review is the product of an investigation from the state housing department and researchers at UC Berkeley, which found San Francisco has the longest timelines in the state for advancing a housing project. In order to meet its housing needs, the review said, the city must add more than 10,000 housing units each year through 2031 — far more than the annual average of 4,076 homes reported over the last five years.   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 new episodes – click here.     WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY ON THE RADAR: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Wednesday that police would step up patrols after a man was arrested on suspicion of breaking into a Jewish family’s home and threatening them. (POLITICO) STEALING THE SHOW: Police were able to recover a truck with 500 puppets that was stolen from a nationally touring theater group in San Francisco's Marina District. Police recovered the U-Haul truck in Richmond early Wednesday. (San Francisco Chronicle)   A message from Amazon:   PLAYBOOKERS BIRTHDAYS — POLITICO’s Rebecca Kern ... Aakash Kumar ... Betsy Hoover (was Wednesday): Nika Futterman … Adam Goldberg … Krista Vernoff … Lisa Nicola Kaplan ... Rachel Schonwetter   A message from Amazon: ICYMI - Nearly 1 million hourly employees and delivery partners are now eligible for prepaid college tuition from Amazon. Amazon provides access to prepaid college tuition, GED completion programs, ESL proficiency certifications, and skills training, so all employees have the ability to learn and earn more. Learn how Amazon supports employees.   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

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