The schools chief raises his hand

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

Feb 06, 2024 View in browser   By Blake Jones California State Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond holds the book "Red: A Crayon's Story" during a news conference at Nystrom Elementary School in May 2022 in Richmond, California. | Getty Images OVER HERE: It’s tough to secure splashy policy accomplishments as California schools chief, but state Superintendent Tony Thurmond is certainly trying. Thurmond today backed a proposal to make a computer science class a high school graduation requirement — his latest effort to influence education (and perhaps the news cycle) as he runs for governor when Gov. Gavin Newsom terms out in 2026. He has also over the last few months supported a ballot measure that would require high school students to take a personal finance course and advocated for a law allowing the state to fine schools for book bans that violate state non-discrimination policy. A state superintendent has never won a California governor’s race, possibly because the position doesn’t wield much power. Superintendents can advocate for bills and steer administrative work at the Department of Education — but the governor, Legislature and State Board of Education ultimately hold the bulk of policy authority, not to mention control of the state budget. “Having been a legislator, I get how legislation moves the agenda and that what we do in the budget being the most important thing,” Thurmond said in an interview shortly after announcing his candidacy. “So part of my decision to run to become governor is recognizing the influence that the governor has over the budget and what the budget can do to help accomplish a policy agenda for the state.” Thurmond is staking out sometimes controversial positions. Last month, he split with a majority of the UC Board of Regents in a 10-6 vote against hiring students who don’t have legal immigration status and can’t legally work in the U.S. (Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who is also running for governor and sits on the board, criticized the majority’s decision in a post on X but was not at the meeting.) Perhaps unsurprisingly, his plays have almost always aligned with labor interests. The California Teachers Association, whose donations propelled him to the superintendent’s office, backed a version of the computer science bill last year. Campus labor groups supported the undocumented students who Thurmond supported at the UC. And both Thurmond and Kounalakis sided with unions at the California State University last year in voting against systemwide tuition increases. The competition for union support in 2026 is fierce. Former Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins has strong labor bona fides. Several union leaders have spoken fondly of former state Controller Betty Yee, who said she plans to run. And though Attorney General Rob Bonta hasn’t officially announced his candidacy yet, he already leads fundraising and has a deep bench of labor backers. Thurmond, though, is clearly attempting to straddle labor and business interests. At a Tuesday press conference, he spoke not about the new teaching jobs that a computer science requirement would create, but about the tech industry support it had drawn. “We know that the jobs in any STEAM-related realm are plentiful,” he said, “but they will go unfilled if our schools don't align with the needs of industry sectors where these jobs reside.” IT’S TUESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check of California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to bjones@politico.com or send a shout on X. DMs are open. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) speaks with colleagues outside the U.S. Capitol on May 23, 2023. | Francis Chung/POLITICO ON THE BORDER:  Rep. Barbara Lee came out in opposition today to the bipartisan border deal as it nears what is expected to be the end of the road in the Senate on Wednesday. Lee, who is running for Senate, issued a statement echoing some of the concerns of Sen. Alex Padilla, who also opposed the deal despite the fact that President Joe Biden pledged to sign the bill if it cleared Congress. Sen. Laphonza Butler has been publicly silent so far. The bill, if approved, would have been the most significant immigration legislation in years and may have helped the Biden administration tamp down some of the criticism it's received about the large number of asylum-seekers seeking to enter the U.S. Lee dismissed the deal, which would have restricted asylum applications if the number of people apprehended along the U.S.-Mexico border reached a certain level, as “nothing more than a grab bag of Trump-era policies that do nothing to provide lasting security at the border.” The congresswoman — who faces a crowded field for Senate that includes fellow Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter and Republican former baseball player Steve Garvey — criticized the bill for giving priority to border enforcement over broader immigration reform. Schiff’s office said he was still evaluating the proposal while Porter’s team didn’t respond to a request for her position. ON THE BEATS MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS: A state lawmaker whose bill to decriminalize psychedelics was vetoed last year is back with a new proposal that reaches across party lines and advocates for their medicinal use. Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener and Republican Assemblymember Marie Waldron announced a bipartisan bill that would give people 21 and over access to psychedelic substances under the supervision of licensed and trained facilitators. Gov. Gavin Newsom in October vetoed Wiener’s previous psychedelics bill, which would have legalized the personal possession and use of certain psychedelics, including “magic mushrooms,” MDMA and DMT. In Newsom’s veto message, he urged California to “immediately begin work to set up regulated treatment guidelines.” — Ariel Gans CLEARING CAMPMENTS: A leading California Republican lawmaker is making another attempt to make it easier to remove homeless encampments around the state. A bill introduced by state Sen. Bill Jones, the Republican minority leader, would prohibit camping within 500 feet of areas deemed “sensitive,” including schools and major transit stops, and ban encampments from sidewalks if shelter space is available. The proposal is an update of a bill he introduced last year that never made it out of committee. He modeled the new version off San Diego’s Unsafe Camping Ordinance and has three Democratic cosponsors — Sen. Catherine Blakespear, Sen. Bill Dodd and Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil. — Sarah Grace Taylor  WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY LEADING FROM BEHIND: Attorney General Rob Bonta says he is only “seriously considering” a run for governor but has collected more money in the last seven months than the four major candidates who have opened campaign accounts for the 2026 race. (San Francisco Chronicle) RECOVERING POLITICIAN: Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo is trying to regain momentum in her campaign for Los Angeles City Council and attending AA since crashing her car and getting arrested for driving under the influence. (Los Angeles Times) TOO MUCH DRAMA: A Sacramento County Superior Court judge is concerned about some scenes in a new Leonardo DiCaprio film shooting downtown, saying that actors brandishing weapons and simulated gunfire is “not an image that we should be projecting given the type of work we do here at the courthouse.” (The Sacramento Bee)   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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