Why single-payer might actually make it to Newsom's desk

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

Feb 07, 2024 View in browser   By Rachel Bluth California Nurses Association | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images TIMING IS EVERYTHING: On paper, it wouldn’t seem like the perfect moment for California Democrats to finally pass universal health care. It’s an election year and the state is facing a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. Any single-payer scheme would need to go through a lengthy approval process with the federal government, and if former President Donald Trump is back in charge it could all be for naught. Health care costs are soaring, but more Californians have health insurance than ever before. But the political landscape in the Legislature has shifted since Assemblymember Ash Kalra’s last attempt. Its leadership ranks are now stacked with single-payer allies. In charge of the Assembly Health Committee is Mia Bonta, a co-author on both of Kalra’s last bills who attended a pro-single-payer town hall with Kalra in October. Running Appropriations is Buffy Wicks, also a co-author on Kalra’s last policy bill. And the Assembly's new speaker also has a pro-single-payer history. In 2022, Robert Rivas subbed in for a member of the Assembly Health Committee to cast a vote for Kalra's single-payer bill. In the Senate, new Pro Tem Mike McGuire has had his name on every single-payer bill since 2017, though he was noncommittal about it in an interview with Playbook last week. The legislative environment has proponents of the measure — called CalCare — feeling confident. “With this new emerging legislative leadership, things are looking even more favorable,” said Jasmine Ruddy, a spokesperson with the California Nurses Association. “Across the board, the tide is turning.” Assemblyman Ash Kalra | Rich Pedroncelli/AP The nurses group has spent the last two years priming the pump for a single-payer push on the ground. They organized support to elect five “CalCare champions” to the Legislature and have added provisions to the bill that will appeal to moderates, like special attention for rural hospitals. As Kalra focuses on moving his bill through the Legislature, he says he isn’t thinking about who is in the White House or how Gov. Gavin Newsom — who campaigned on the idea of single-payer in 2018 but has yet to endorse a specific policy proposal — will respond if the bill gets to his desk. But there is still a long way to go, and there’s concerns on all sides. Even people who agree with the concept of universal health care, like Assemblymember Akilah Weber, an OB-GYN from San Diego, have reservations about the policy. Weber worries it forces the state to continually ask the federal government for permission to keep it going, and will make California less appealing to doctors. “I don't think that this is something that we as a state should go alone,” Weber said. “I think this is something that should be nationwide.” IT’S WEDNESDAY 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 rbluth@politico.com or send a shout on X. DMs are open. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY DEALBREAKER: Despite months of bipartisan negotiations, some congressional Democrats helped Republicans kill the border package. Among them was Sen. Alex Padilla — who told POLITICO that President Joe Biden was well aware of his objections. “I made my views and concerns clear to him for months now, starting when the negotiations first started when we were hearing rumors about what was on the table,” Padilla said in an interview just before a package that combined increased border security with aid for Ukraine and Israel failed to get enough votes to advance. The senior senator from California is a Biden ally — but he came out early and strong against the agreement, which would have been an election-year victory on an issue that’s been a serious drag in the polls for the administration. Sen. Alex Padilla | Francis Chung/POLITICO Padilla opposed the bill because it lacked a path to legal residency for people brought to the U.S. as children or other groups such as farmworkers, calling it a “huge injustice” and “significant shift from prior negotiations.” — Ben Fox CAMPAIGN TRAIL ASKING AIPAC: Democrats have been scratching their heads over a pro-Israel super PAC’s spending barrage against state Sen. Dave Min in a fiercely-fought congressional primary. Now, some of his allies are seeking answers from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is affiliated with the super PAC. Democratic Rep Grace Meng of New York is among those who requested meetings with the group. “We don’t really know why they’re going after him, and we’re trying to find out. He has had a pro-Israel record, so we’re trying to find out why they’re going after one of the Asian community’s top priority candidates,” Meng told our colleague Jeff Coltin. Min’s campaign believes part of the motivation is that he has been endorsed in the past by J Street, progressive group which often clashes with AIPAC, according to Jewish Insider. — Melanie Mason Jessica Millan Patterson | AP RNC RUMBLE — California Republican Party Chair Jessica Millan Patterson deflected rumblings today about her part in a national GOP power struggle. Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel’s expected exit has set off a scramble for control of the party’s elections arm — and some hard-right allies of former President Donald Trump are already warning against elevating Patterson to a leadership post, citing her ties to ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Patterson isn’t engaging. She said in a brief interview that she was focused on flipping and defending a handful of California House seats that could swing control of Congress. “We don’t have an opening right now,” Patterson said. “I’m supporting Ronna as long as she’s chair.” PAC problems: Teamsters leadership is sounding alarms about Uber’s plan to pour $30 million into California politics this year — suggesting the San Francisco-based company was plotting to influence potentially dangerous policy decisions around autonomous vehicles. “That sum may be a drop in the bucket for a massive Big Tech company, but make no mistake that Uber is using its dollars to make sure politicians look the other way as it undermines public safety and workers' rights for the sake of its bottom line,” Teamsters Western Region International Vice President Peter Finn said today in an emailed statement. Finn’s comments are in response to POLITICO reporting last week that Uber would dramatically beef up the Uber Innovation PAC, securing a spot among the largest single-funded PACs and boosting pro-business spending across elections. — Sarah Grace Taylor WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY BELIEVE THE HYPE: Despite skepticism, the monster storm that rolled across Southern California actually exceeded rainfall totals in some areas, including more than 8 inches over four days in downtown Los Angeles. (Los Angeles Times) DROP A LINE: AT&T wants permission to cut the cord on its landline service in California, causing pushback from those who rely on the communications company as the Carrier of Last Resort. (The Mercury News) RIDE SHARES: Uber’s stock hit an all-time high today as the company posted its first full-year profit since going public in 2019, exceeding expectations. (San Diego Union Tribune)   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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