| | | | |  | | By Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner | | | |  Rep. Adam Schiff waves at supporters next to his wife at an election night party on March 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. | Jae C. Hong/AP | THE BUZZ: THE MORNING AFTER — California voters last night propelled a Republican to the Senate runoff, pushed one of the nation’s most liberal cities further to the right on crime, and made Gov. Gavin Newsom sweat a signature mental health ballot measure that, as of midnight, had yet to be called. It was a less-than-stellar showing from an electorate that has shown lagging enthusiasm over the course of the past several months. While final turnout numbers won’t be known for weeks, early numbers indicate only about a third of eligible Californians cast ballots, with Republicans outperforming their share of the state’s voters. Low turnout was one of many factors that landed Republican former baseball star Steve Garvey in the runoff for California’s Senate seat — an outcome Rep. Adam Schiff spent millions of dollars to ensure. The Burbank Democrat’s strategy to elevate the Republican in his ads knocked fellow Reps. Barbara Lee and Katie Porter out of the running, creating a glidepath to victory for Schiff in November. There was plenty more excitement down-ballot. Here are seven takeaways from POLITICO’s team of reporters who hit election-night parties in Sacramento, San Francisco, Palm Desert, Bakersfield, Long Beach and Los Angeles. — California will end its three-decade streak of women senators. Since 1992, when voters elected Sens. Feinstein and Barbara Boxer in the “Year of the Woman,” the Golden State has always had at least one woman in the upper chamber. But now whoever wins in November will join Sen. Alex Padilla in Washington and give the state two male senators for the first time in 32 years. — Proposition 1 is left on a cliffhanger. The governor’s $6.4 billion plan to create more mental health treatment beds and transform county programs was so close that it hadn't been called as of midnight, with support hovering over 50 percent. We’re still waiting on a final call, but the fact that a Newsom-backed measure to address one of Californians’ top issues is in limbo — after early polls suggesting it could be cruising toward an easy win — could spell trouble. — A swing-district lockout was (likely) avoided. Democrats in the Central Valley, after a last-minute scramble to boost Rudy Salas in CA-22, appear on track to avoid the nightmare scenario of getting locked out of one of their top pickup opportunities in the nation. Early numbers have Salas in second place, advancing to November with Republican Rep. David Valadao in first, but we’re still waiting on votes across three counties — the largest chunk in Kern. Democratic state Sen. Melissa Hurtado (who celebrates a birthday today) is unlikely to advance, but can still finish out her term in the Legislature, which ends in 2026. — Money talked in East LA House race. Democrat and former Rep. Gil Cisneros held a commanding lead in the race for a safe-blue House seat in the San Gabriel Valley. The race for second place, however, remained a nail-biter late into the night. Republican candidate Daniel Martinez held a narrow lead over state Sen. Susan Rubio, a moderate Democrat. If Martinez’ edges Rubio out of the November runoff, Cisneros will score a de facto win in the primary. Cisneros, a Mega Millions lottery winner, poured more than $5.5 million of his fortune into the race to succeed retiring Rep. Grace Napolitano. He also spent heavily on ads to boost Martinez among Republican voters — a shrewd strategy that enraged Rubio.
|  San Francisco Mayor London Breed rallies supporters during an election night party on March 5, 2024, in San Francisco. | Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP | — San Francisco shifted right. Voters in the famously liberal city swung to the right, approving strikingly conservative policy responses to drugs and crime. The outcome could have national ripples for how blue-city mayors respond to urban problems like fentanyl addiction, homelessness and retail theft. But for San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who sponsored the measures to expand police officers’ authority and require drug screening for local welfare recipients, it could be a much-welcome jolt of momentum for her embattled November reelection campaign. Breed, speaking to rowdy supporters at a crowded bar in Hayes Valley, said the victory for her measures, as well as a slate of moderate candidates for the county Democratic Party’s central committee, show voters are over progressive policies. “Enough is enough. We need change,” Breed said, as the crowd of activists roared. — Suspense builds in Sacramento. The open Sacramento mayor’s race was too close to call late Tuesday. Former state Sen. Richard Pan, former City Council member Steve Hansen and Assemblymember Kevin McCarty were almost evenly split in early returns while epidemiologist Flojuane Cofer was slightly behind. Both Cofer and McCarty could wind up advancing to the November runoff if they see a wave of progressive ballots, which are often returned and counted later. — Safe state legislative seats still brought high drama. Moderate Democratic Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua and wife Edith Villapudua were sitting in third and in danger of not advancing in their respective Senate and Assembly races. So was California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks, despite rolling out all-star endorsements like Newsom in his Assembly bid. And Democrat Clarissa Cervantes — seeking to succeed her sister Sabrina Cervantes in the Assembly — was in a tight fight for second with Democrat Ronaldo Fierro. The path to Sacramento was much clearer for Republican Carl DeMaio, who was smoking Republican establishment pick Andrew Hayes in San Diego and in line to cruise past a Democrat in November. In two costly Sacramento-area races, Democratic prosecutor Maggy Krell and former West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon were positioned to advance and draw the easy matchup with Republicans. In an enormously expensive East Bay primary, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín comfortably led as Oakland Council member and labor leader Katherine Lybarger battled for second. Labor-backed Democrat Sasha Renée Pérez was positioned to advance and meet a Republican opponent in Los Angeles. — with help from Jeremy B. White GOOD MORNING. Happy Wednesday. 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. HAPPENING TODAY: Catch POLITICO’s California bureau chief Christopher Cadelago breaking down Super Tuesday election results on a Brookings Institution panel. The virtual event will be livestreamed at 11 a.m. P.T.
| | | | A message from Amazon: Sylvia started USimplySeason, “so I could help people spice up their meals, not deal with shipping,” she said. She turned to Fulfillment by Amazon to help with shipping. Fulfillment by Amazon costs 70% less on average than comparable two-day shipping options. Learn how Amazon tools help sellers thrive. | | | |  | NEWSOMLAND | | |  A Panera Bread logo. | AP | PANERA PAY: Franchise restaurant baron and Gov. Gavin Newsom donor Greg Flynn said on Tuesday he’ll pay employees at his California-based Panera stores $20 an hour — the same wage set by a new fast food law that Flynn worked to exempt his businesses from, according to a Bloomberg report. Newsom had already said Panera would have to pay the higher wage under the new law, despite a much-dissected clause carving out businesses that bake bread onsite.
| | | | CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So, we have something cool for you: our California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Cut through the jargon and get the latest developments in California as lawmakers and industry leaders adapt to the changing climate. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | CAMPAIGN YEAR | | | |  An Uber sign is displayed inside a car. | AP | UBER CASH — Uber’s PAC, which Playbook scooped in January, pumped nearly $5 million into state legislative primaries, according to a POLITICO review. Uber’s activity comes at a key time when many long-time incumbents are terming out and the guard changes for the last time in years. The money went to a broader range of candidates, including progressives and Democrats running against candidates heavily backed by big business, than many Capitol insiders had initially expected. Among the notable spends was more than $775,000 to defend Democratic state Sen. Josh Newman. The vulnerable incumbent is trying to hold onto a swing seat and has faced heavy pushback from some labor groups, led by AFSCME 3299, which backed unknown Democratic challengers. Uber also spent $184,000 to boost Republican Steven Choi in Newman’s race, with the goal of shutting out the other Democrats. Democratic Assembly candidate Sade Elhawary got $137,000 against heavily business-backed Democrat Efren Martinez. And Uber sent another $200,000 to the Black Caucus. Uber also spent about $124,000 on a Republican to help elevate progressive Democrat Sasha Renée Pérez over self-funding Democrat Yvonne Liu. Other legislative candidates receiving boosts include Catherine Stefani, Patrick Ahern and Patrick Harbidian and incumbent Assemblymembers Lori Wilson, Marc Berman and Blanca Rubio and state Sen. Akilah Weber. Then there’s the state Senate battle in the East Bay, where Uber went big in backing Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín, spending more than $300,000 to support him alongside public safety and the building trades against longtime labor leader Kathryn Lybarger, who brought big labor backing of her own. Uber spent nearly $1 million opposing her. — Christopher Cadelago | | | | A message from Amazon:   | | | | | TOP TALKERS | | — Despite a tornado of controversy, three incumbent members of the Los Angeles City Council had significant leads over their opponents Tuesday night. (Los Angeles Times) — Levi Strauss & Co., the iconic San Francisco denim brand, plans to reduce its global workforce by up to 15 percent, including laying off nearly 150 employees at its headquarters in the city. (San Francisco Chronicle) — An effort to recall conservative Orange Unified School District Trustees Rick Ledesma and Madison Miner was on track to succeed. (The Orange County Register) | | | | On the ground in Albany. Get critical policy news and analysis inside New York State. Track how power brokers are driving change across legislation and budget and impacting lobbying efforts. Learn more. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | TRANSITIONS — Jonathan Cousimanois now director of federal affairs for California Newsom. He previously was senior director for member engagement for the DCCC. BIRTHDAYS — (was Tuesday): Michael Reinis ... Mark Edelstein ... Robin Carnesale … Donald A. Newman
| | | | A message from Amazon: Small and medium-sized businesses selling on Amazon, like USimplySeason, employ more than 1.5 million Americans.
That’s why Amazon helps small business partners grow so they can continue to invest in communities across the country.
Learn how Amazon supports independent sellers. | | |
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 | | | | 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 | | | | |
Comments
Post a Comment