Laphonza Butler has no regrets

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

Mar 11, 2024 View in browser   By Mia McCarthy Laphonza Butler smiles during a reenactment of her swearing-in ceremony to the Senate to succeed the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, on Oct. 3, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. | Stephanie Scarbrough/AP COME TALK DRUGS — Join POLITICO March 19 at the Elks Tower in Sacramento for a conversation on prescription drug affordability with CAITLIN BERRY, of pharmacy benefit management company Prime Therapeutics; ROBIN FELDMAN, UCSF law professor; ANTHONY WRIGHT, executive director of Health Access California; and state Sen. SCOTT WIENER. How might officials find savings in the drug supply chain ecosystem? Doors open at 8:30 a.m. RSVP here for “Corrective Action: How to Address Prescription Drug Cost.” NOT LOOKING BACK: Sen. Laphonza Butler isn’t questioning her decision to stay out of California’s contentious Senate race — even though it means the state won’t have a female representative in the upper chamber for the first time in decades. It’s an interesting take considering that Butler was president of EMILYs List before Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed her in October to serve out the term of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Butler opted to stay on the sidelines as three House Democrats battled it out in the primary, with Rep. Adam Schiff emerging to take on Republican Steve Garvey in the November election. POLITICO caught up with Butler today at the Capitol to talk about the primary, her decision to not run, President Joe Biden, and his State of the Union speech. Here’s what she had to say: California Senate primary results: “It’s not surprising to me. When you look at the race and the California electorate — and the resources that were spent across the different campaigns — no, it's not surprising to me. It’s unfortunate that California will no longer have a woman representing them.” Her decision not to run: “Of the 40 million people in California, at least half of them are women and half of those are women who are of age to run for the United States Senate. It is not dependent upon me or my decision to represent the state of California. So, I don't have any regrets about my decision. It is regretful that California will not have at least one woman in its delegation, but California voters have made a decision.” Biden’s State of the Union: “I thought the speech was a good speech, a strong speech. He came in hot. He was not waiting on Speaker Johnson to introduce him, he just jumped right in. And I think that's the kind of energy and emotion that the American people want in this moment. Knowing that they have a president that's gonna listen to them and fight for them was reassuring. And I think that he spoke to a number of issues that are top of mind for all Americans, no matter how they voted.” Advice for Biden: “Keep doing what you're doing. Uncle Joe is back. That is who people, I think, really had deep confidence in and voted for in 2020 — Uncle Joe who is empathetic to all, working toward solutions that can truly be achieved, and fighting for the soul of our country. Governing, I think, requires a different temperament than campaigning and the temperament of Uncle Joe I think is the temperament that that people want to see and they want to know is the one who's governing.” 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 wventeicher@politico.com or send a shout on X. DMs are open.   DON’T MISS AN IMPORTANT TALK ON ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS IN CA: Join POLITICO on March 19 to dive into the challenges of affordable prescription drugs accessibility across the state. While Washington continues to debate legislative action, POLITICO will explore the challenges unique to California, along with the potential pitfalls and solutions the CA Legislature must examine to address prescription drug affordability for its constituents. REGISTER HERE.     WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY CLOSING A LOOPHOLE: Puppy mills are illegal in California, but the often cruel and unsanitary breeding operations are still able to use online channels to sell animals in the state, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The organization is sponsoring legislation to make it harder for mills based outside the state to reach residents using websites that feature cute puppies with little information about the breeders behind them, according to a summary of the proposal, Assembly Bill 2248. The bill is scheduled for a hearing Tuesday in the Assembly Judiciary Committee, with the ASPCA set to testify. The proposal would make it illegal for online sellers to require upfront payments for puppies without disclosing information on breeders, breeds and other details that they now often withhold until after receiving deposits that are commonly as much as $600. — Wes Venteicher ON THE BEATS California Attorney General Rob Bonta supports legislation that would keep medical debt off of credit reports. Marcio Jose Sanchez, File | AP MEDICAL DEBT: A bill backed by Attorney General Rob Bonta would keep medical debt off of credit reports, providing some financial relief to the 1 in 5 Californians who owe money for health care. Senate Bill 1061, introduced by Santa Barbara Democrat Monique Limón, prohibits credit reporting agencies from including medical debt in reports used by landlords, insurance companies and even some employers. “There is no need for medical debt to appear on credit reports and we can stop the harmful spiral where people have unforeseen, catastrophic medical debt and become unhoused, unemployed, or without a vehicle to get to work,” Bonta said in a statement. — Rachel Bluth PAYING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: A majority of California voters would support a $15 billion climate bond proposal on the November ballot — more than would support a less-expensive measure, according to new polling by The Nature Conservancy. The poll, completed last week by FM3 Research and released today to POLITICO, found that 60 percent of registered voters would back a $15 billion bond focused on safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, clean energy and other climate programs. The level of support dipped slightly to 58 percent when voters were presented with a $10 billion proposal. The poll question also asked voters to assume that a separate $14 billion K-14 school bond will appear on the ballot. Climate bond supporters are trying to shore up support with Newsom and lawmakers as they compete for space on the November ballot with a pair of school infrastructure bonds and a housing proposal. — Alex Nieves   In celebration of Earth Month, the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability and the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, in collaboration with POLITICO, host “Climate Forward 2024: Climate at the Crossroads” on April 4, 2024 at USC. Top experts from politics, government, media, and academia will discuss climate change issues with a focus on finding practical policy and business solutions as well identifying ways to remove political obstacles to implementing those changes. Register to attend in person or virtually.     WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY NATURAL CAUSES: An oil sheen spotted off the coast of Huntington Beach was caused by natural seep from the ocean floor and not drilling, according to the Coast Guard. (Los Angeles Times) MARGINAL COSTS: Higher power costs and relatively lower gas prices have eroded some of the financial benefit of owning an EV in California. (San Francisco Chronicle) BAY AREA BOOMERANGS: People who fled the Bay Area during the pandemic find the grass isn’t greener and now want to come back to California. (The Mercury News)   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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