Paul Pelosi confronts his attacker

Inside the Golden State political arena

Nov 14, 2023 View in browser   By Dustin Gardiner and Lara Korte Paul Pelosi (center) testifies in the federal trial against David DePape (left) and federal prosecutor Laura Vartain Horn (right). | Courtroom artist Vicki Behringer THE BUZZ: David DePape’s defense attorneys have an uphill slog ahead of them, to put it lightly. Federal prosecutors finished calling witnesses Monday in the federal trial of DePape, the man charged with breaking into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and striking her husband with a hammer last year. The final witness was Paul Pelosi, who vividly recounted the night of horror when DePape came searching for his wife. Paul Pelosi told jurors he woke up just after 2 a.m. as DePape burst into the couple’s bedroom. “The door opened,” he said, “and a very large man came in with a hammer in one hand and some ties in the other hand. And he said 'where's Nancy?'" It was the first time that Paul Pelosi has publicly described the attack, which left him with a fractured skull. He told jurors he quickly realized he was in serious danger and tried to stay calm while he outwitted the intruder and called police from the bathroom. He choked up as he told the jury about his prolonged recovery. He said he still struggles with headaches and dizziness and has rarely spoken about the traumatizing ordeal with anyone. The courtroom was silent throughout the testimony, while DePape stared at the table in front of him. Christine Pelosi, his daughter, typed away on her phone in the back row of the courtroom. DePape’s defense attorneys declined to cross-examine the 83-year-old victim. His lead attorney, Jodi Linker, has said the defense won’t contest footage of the “awful, horrific” assault. She said they will instead focus on whether DePape intended to prevent the former speaker from carrying out her official duties — a key component of the federal charges against him. Linker is expected to spend much of Tuesday outlining how DePape was motivated by delusional conspiracy theories, including his belief in QAnon. After hearing Paul Pelosi’s emotional account and viewing police body camera footage of the assault, DePape’s attorneys could have a difficult time convincing the jury to acquit. GOOD MORNING. Happy Tuesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook.   JOIN US ON 11/15 FOR A TALK ON OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: As the sustainability movement heats up, so have calls for a national standard for clean fuel. Join POLITICO on Nov. 15 in Washington D.C. as we convene leading officials from the administration, key congressional committees, states and other stakeholders to explore the role of EVs, biofuels, hydrogen and other options in the clean fuel sector and how evolving consumer behaviors are influencing sustainable energy practices. REGISTER HERE.     PLAYBOOK TIP LINE — How are you preparing for the next legislative session? What are you hearing about committee appointments? 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? He’s heading up a fundraiser for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris around San Francisco’s APEC summit. FRESH INK The site of a fire is seen under Interstate 10, Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, in Los Angeles | AP THE 10 — California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters Monday the massive fire that debilitated Interstate 10 in Los Angeles and snarled traffic across the city is being treated as an act of arson. Damage to roads from the huge fire is being compared to the 1994 Northridge earthquake, with local and federal transit officials issuing warnings that repairs to the 10 could take a long time. The wreckage left a major mark — affecting five lanes in each direction that measure around 450 feet long, the officials said. A preliminary investigation into the cause of the fire found it broke out on a strip of fenced land owned by the state and leased to Apex Development Corp. of Calabasas, Newsom said. Apex had stopped paying rent and was subleasing the property to several entities without permission, he said. Bass added that there is no reason to assume that the fire was started by people staying in nearby encampments. That’s welcome news — at least for now — for both Newsom and to an even larger extent Bass, who were facing questions about whether homeless people were to blame for the fire. Bass has made eradicating homelessness her primary objective since being elected mayor last year. Newsom, as he bolsters his national profile, spoke about spending hundreds of millions of dollars to clear encampments, with the understanding that his tenure as governor will be based in part on the outcome of that work. He said the state is going to court with Apex early next year and looking at the rest of Apex’s leases — in addition to scores of other leases with the state that exist across California.   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.     TOUGH CROWD — San Francisco is cleaning up its streets for the thousands of CEOs and dignitaries attending APEC this week, and Newsom is taking heat for it. A selectively-cut clip of Newsom talking about the cleanup went viral in conservative circles on Monday, with critics lambasting the Democratic governor for not ridding the city of the squalor that for years has frustrated Bay Area residents. “I know folks say ‘oh they’re just cleaning up this place because all those fancy leaders are coming into town,’ that’s true. Because it’s true,” Newsom said in the clip, which was part of a Thursday press conference highlighting a state beautification project in San Francisco. Newsom later says cleanup conversations have been happening around the state for months, independent of APEC. Nevertheless, that acknowledgement brought a rash of criticism from his foes on the right, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. “They can't clean up the city for Americans, but they can clean up for Xi Jinping? It shows all you need to know about who really runs the show,” he said on X. That elicited a response from the governor’s head of communications, Anthony York, who fired back, saying “Florida Man” doesn’t know what he’s talking about. “Clean California launched in 2021 and has cleaned over 3,200 encampments and removed more than 2 mil cubic yards of litter from CA roadways,” York wrote. “Not surprising that facts get short shrift [from] this 3rd tier presidential wannabe.” Chief of Staff Dana Williamson also hopped to the governor’s defense, calling criticisms of the state’s homelessness approach “fake news.” NOT YOUR MOTHER’S JETSONS — Bradley Tusk, the political strategist who helped Uber win the regulatory fight in big cities across the U.S., believes flying cars are likely to win federal approval before autonomous vehicles. You'd think this is just a pitch for his new satirical novel, "Obvious in Hindsight," about a tech startup's quest to bring flying cars to market — but Tusk notes the Federal Aviation Administration is more innovative than its Department of Transportation counterparts. "The flying car stuff has moved really fast," he said in an interview, while there's been a "federal bottleneck" in Washington over self-driving vehicles. Both former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden have sided with the powerful Teamsters union against the land-based technology. The FAA gave testing approval to a California flying car company in July that aims to have the vehicles in the sky by 2025. And during his stop at a Tesla factory in Shanghai last month, Newsom predicted a close future of "driverless flying cars." The indefinite shutdown of I-10 in Los Angeles over a storage yard fire could hasten the cause. The ensuing gridlock is a ready-made advertisement for one of the several Silicon Valley companies racing to launch flying taxis. Join Tusk and Julia Marsh, POLITICO's Editorial Director for California, at Zibby's Book Shop in Santa Monica Thursday night to discuss how a fictional campaign to legalize flying cars captures the current zeitgeist. WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY HEAD START: Deep-pocketed moderates in San Francisco are prepared to spend big to push their agenda next year, and they’re being led by one of the biggest names in tech: Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan. (The San Francisco Standard) LET’S GET ETHICAL: Some House Republicans were hesitant to remove embattled New York Rep. George Santos without proof of wrongdoing. But the conclusion of a House Ethics Committee report, expected to come down this week, could be enough to change their votes. Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.) said he would consider voting to expel Santos if the Ethics panel concludes “there’s criminal wrongdoing.” (POLITICO)  PLAYBOOKERS TRANSITIONS — Mike Abboud has joined Targeted Victory as a managing director on the public affairs team. He most recently was national press secretary for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's political operation and served as press secretary at the EPA in the Trump Administration. — Robert Levinson is Sen. Laphonza Butler’s (D-Calif.) new legislative assistant for defense foreign policy and veterans affairs, per his LinkedIn account. He was last in that post for the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. BIRTHDAYS — Condoleezza Rice … Valerie Jarrett ... Ben Rhodes … Randolph Court of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation … Liz Jarvis-Shean … Shawn Willis 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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