New year marked by rift over Israel-Hamas war

Presented by Rebuild SoCal Partnership: Inside the Golden State political arena

Jan 04, 2024 View in browser   By Lara Korte, Jeremy B. White and Dustin Gardiner Presented by Cease-fire activists protesting the Israel-Gaza war converged at the California statehouse on Wednesday, disrupting the first day of the year’s legislative session in Sacramento, California. | Lara Korte/POLITICO THE BUZZ: Hundreds of cease-fire activists shut down the Assembly floor session on Wednesday, interrupting what some had hoped would be a copacetic start to the new year and highlighting a schism among Democrats that is likely to fester well into 2024. The protest, which flooded the Assembly gallery and rotunda for hours, again exposed rifts within the Democratic coalition between progressive cease-fire supporters, some of them Jewish, and the Jewish Democratic lawmakers who warned that the consequences of the protests would be far more severe than a disrupted floor session. Lawmakers on Wednesday said they fear that antisemitic rhetoric will foment violence and lamented their abandonment by former allies, including “Capitol advocates and labor unions.” Jews, they said, now feel targeted by both ends of the political spectrum. Amid the protests, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, co-chair of the Legislative Jewish Caucus, told reporters many Jews feel trapped between a hostile extreme right and an antagonistic far left. He argued that the white supremacists “marching in Charlottesville, saying ‘Jews will not replace us’,” are finding common cause with “people on the far left, because we are somehow the epitome of white privilege.” As protestors’ cries and chants echoed in the rotunda outside the chamber, state Sen. Scott Wiener, the caucus’ co-chair, warned on the Senate floor about a “poisonous and hostile environment for Jewish students” at both K -12 schools and colleges, which the caucus plans to address legislatively in what could become a contentious schools fight. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office briefed lawmakers on Tuesday about proliferating bomb threats. This was not the first time calls for cease-fire have derailed California politics. Protestors overwhelmed security at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento last fall, and Newsom was forced to move his Capitol annual holiday tree lighting to a virtual format amid security concerns brought on by protests in December. Even Sen. Laphonza Butler was upstaged by calls for cease-fire at a recent forum in Washington. The Senate and Assembly will reconvene briefly this morning before lawmakers return to Sacramento next week to begin their work in earnest, but if the events of the last several months are any indication, this likely won’t be the last disruption. GOOD MORNING. It's Thursday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. 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 X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. A message from Rebuild SoCal Partnership: In The High Cost of Underinvestment the Rebuild SoCal Partnership assesses the state of infrastructure in Southern California and sheds light on infrastructure's interconnected regional challenges. Our aging systems demand immediate attention and action to ensure the well-being of our communities and sustain economic growth. Learn more and download the report at RebuildSoCal.org/2024Report.   CASH DASH Eleni Kounalakis will open a campaign committee for governor and immediately start raising money and building her nascent public profile for the distant election. | Steve Yeater/AP FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: ELENI’S HAUL — Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis announced raising more than $3.8 million through the end of last year for the 2026 governor’s race. Kounalakis has raked in nearly $8 million total including money parked in her lieutenant governor committee. She has been the clear fundraising leader in the gubernatorial contest, though the field of top candidates is still taking shape. — Democrat Will Rollins announced raising more than $2.8 million through the end of 2023 in his race to unseat GOP Rep. Ken Calvert in CA-41 (Coachella Valley and Riverside County). — Republican Nathan Hochman announced raising more than $1.25 million through the end of December in his challenge to liberal Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón. BILL WATCH ALL ABOARD ON AI — Artificial intelligence is going to be all the rage this year, and two more Democratic lawmakers are getting in on the action. State Sens. Bill Dodd and Steve Padilla introduced new AI bills on Wednesday, highlighting the need for safeguards around the fast-moving technology while also supporting innovation. Padilla’s Senate Bill 892 would require the Department of Technology to establish safety, privacy, and nondiscrimination standards for AI services and prohibit the state from contracting for AI services unless a provider met the standards. Assembly Bill 893, also by Padilla, would create the California Artificial Intelligence Research Hub, to further the technology in ways that serve the “public good.” Dodd is calling his bill the California AI Accountability Act, which he said seeks to build on recent directives from President Joe Biden and the governor. The act would guide the state agencies in their interactions with automated decision-making technologies. LAW AND ORDER — Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua said he will introduce a measure to repeal Proposition 47, the 2014 ballot measure that voters approved to reduce penalties for non-violent property and drug crimes. The proposal from Villapudua, a centrist Democrat from the Stockton area, would reduce the dollar cap for felony property crimes and make it easier to “crack down on aggravated theft and repeat offenders.” The assemblymember likely faces an uphill slog in the Legislature, where progressive justice reform advocates remain influential. But law enforcement groups and some retailers are pushing to similarly ask voters to amend the law amid growing public frustration over theft and drug overdoses.   A message from Rebuild SoCal Partnership:   CAMPAIGN YEAR RACE TO THE SENATE — Rep. Adam Schiff snagged the coveted UFW endorsement on Wednesday. President Teresa Romero called him a “relentless” advocate for farmworkers. CA-47 NEWS — Rep. Zoe Lofgren has endorsed Democrat Joanna Weiss in the race for Rep. Katie Porter’s purple Orange County district. Top Talkers SNOW DANCE: California and the Western U.S. face a potential “snow drought” this winter despite plentiful rainfall in lower-elevation and coastal areas. (Los Angeles Times) ZODIAC THEORY: Thanks to recent DNA testing, a skull found in the High Sierra decades ago could be tied to California’s notorious Zodiac killer. (San Francisco Chronicle) DEMS IN A BIND: Powerful Democrats in California are still figuring out how to respond to the Israel-Hamas conflict in a state that’s home to the largest Arab-American population and the second-largest Jewish community in the country. (CalMatters) ARRESTS MADE: Oakland police said they have arrested multiple suspects in the killing of undercover Officer Tuan Le last week. (KQED) A message from Rebuild SoCal Partnership: Southern California's infrastructure influences economic growth, health, safety, and overall quality of life. Yet, disinvestment, aging, and extreme conditions challenge its resilience, impacting communities inequitably. It’s time to invest robust funding into future infrastructure development and maintenance. Download Rebuild SoCal’s 2024 Infrastructure Report Today! About Rebuild SoCal Partnership The Rebuild SoCal Partnership consists of 2,750 contractors throughout Southern California that represent more than 90,000 union workers. Rebuild is dedicated to working with elected officials and educating the public on the continued need for essential infrastructure funding, including airports, bridges, ports, rail, roads, and water projects.   PLAYBOOKERS THEY BLEED RED — The Assembly Republican Caucus announced changes to its 2024 leadership team (James Gallagher remains the GOP leader): Caucus Chair: Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) Floor Leader: Heath Flora (R-Ripon) Deputy Floor Leader: Kate Sanchez (R-Rancho Santa Margarita) Caucus Policy Chair: Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin) Caucus Communications Co-Chair: Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) Caucus Communications Co-Chair: Laurie Davies (R-Laguna Niguel) Chief Whip: Juan Alanis (R-Modesto) TRANSITIONS — Lindsay Barstow has been promoted to be counsel in the LA office of Saul Ewing LLP. PUT A RING ON IT — Wyatt Juntunen got engaged to Sarah Haynes over the holiday with a snowy proposal at Lake Tahoe. Juntunen is a legislative aide for state Sen. Kelly Seyarto and Haynes is a budget and policy consultant for the Assembly Republican Caucus, Pic… BIRTHDAYS — Deborah Matteliano … (was Wednesday): Richard Manning Karp ... Alexander David Linz 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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