Rallying around Newsom

Your afternoon must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State

Feb 26, 2024 View in browser   By Jeremy B. White California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a Clean California event in San Francisco on Nov. 9, 2023. | Jeff Chiu/AP CAN’T RECALL: Democrats immediately rallied behind Gov. Gavin Newsom today in response to another recall threat. Much has changed since the 2020-2021 recall drive. Most importantly, California has emerged from a Covid-19 pandemic that fanned voter frustration and won Newsom antagonists a critical 120-day signature-gathering extension. Newsom has resoundingly won two statewide elections, rebuffing the recall and handily winning a second term. But one dynamic hasn’t shifted: California Democrats’ full-throated support for their standard-bearer. No prominent Democrats ran as a backup last time as the party closed ranks, and Newsom cruised. This time, with that experience in mind, Democrats sounded a common theme: Bring it on. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis vowed California would again defeat “the dark forces of Donald Trump.” California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks said Democrats “would beat them again” if the effort qualifies, while Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire went with “trounce them again.” SEIU California President David Huerta reiterated the labor support that propelled Newsom to victory in 2021. On the national level, Sen. Alex Padilla said Newsom “won’t be distracted” by “the same MAGA Republicans” again “playing political games.” Sen. Laphonza Butler said Republicans who lost by double digits are “trying the same and hoping for a dif result.” The Democratic Governors Association, which spent more than $9 million to save Newsom last time, promised to again help shield Newsom against what it called a “massive waste of time, energy, and resources.” As for the governor himself: Newsom dismissed the campaign as a distraction from an “existential fight for democracy and reproductive freedom” — a fight into which he’s pouring millions of dollars, a good chunk of which is leftover money he’d raised beating the last recall. And then he blasted out an email to raise more. Republicans were conspicuously quieter. But a California conservative who championed the 2021 recall, Randy Economy, was notably pessimistic. Economy told POLITICO’s Christopher Cadelago it was a “waste of time” to target the “un-recallable” Newsom given how blue California is. “He’s termed out and he’s done,” Economy said. “Go bang your head against the wall if you want to." IT’S MONDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to jwhite@politico.com or send a shout on X. DMs are open. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY NOT ON THE TRAIN: McGuire isn’t on board with efforts to roll back the 2014 criminal justice initiative Proposition 47. McGuire today endorsed a package of legislation targeting retail theft and drug abuse, making it clear in a news conference he doesn’t support a broader movement to roll back the initiative. “I do not believe our state needs to touch Prop 47 in order to make our communities safer, full stop," he said. McGuire joins a growing list of Democrats, including Newsom and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, who want to see legislation targeting retail theft but aren’t signing on to efforts to scale back Prop 47. The package of 14 bills endorsed by McGuire, as well as Republican Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, includes a requirement that online marketplaces verify that third-party sellers aren’t offering stolen goods, increases penalties for organized theft and hikes funding for drug diversion programs. — Sarah Grace Taylor  CAMPAIGN TRAIL Adam Schiff (left) and Katie Porter (right) at the California Senate debate, Feb. 12, 2024. | Inside California Politics FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: SCHIFF’S LAST AD — Rep. Adam Schiff plans to unveil the last primary ad of his U.S. Senate campaign today, an upbeat spot that aims to end a heated stage of the campaign on a more positive note. The 30-second TV commercial, titled “Hopeful,” is a brief recap of Schiff’s time on the campaign trail and speaks to his level of confidence given polls have repeatedly shown him as the clear frontrunner in the March 5 primary. “Together we can still get big things done,” Schiff says in the ad, which feels almost Obama-esque in its aim to be aspirational. — Dustin Gardiner PORTER’S PITCH: Schiff’s opponent, Rep. Katie Porter, released a new TV ad of her own, portraying herself as a “watchdog” and “Congress’ toughest questioner” who wants to take on corruption as a senator. Porter’s 30-second ad is running in Bakersfield and Fresno. WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY HOMELESS IN HOLLYWOOD: The persistence of homeless encampments along Cahuenga Boulevard and other Hollywood streets is prompting complaints about Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilwoman Nithya Raman despite their efforts to address the situation. (Los Angeles Times) HOMELESS IN SAN DIEGO: Six months after adopting a city-wide anti-camping ordinance, the city of San Diego has filed charges against just two people and police have made one arrest and issued 30 tickets. (The San Diego Union-Tribune) FBI INFORMANT: A federal judge in Los Angeles ruled today that Alexander Smirnov, the former FBI informant who is charged with lying to the FBI about the Biden family, will remain in jail until his trial. (POLITICO)   Follow us on Twitter 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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