| | | | |  | | By Dustin Gardiner | | Presented by |  | | | |  Democratic House candidate George Whitesides has more than $3 million cash on hand. | AFP via Getty Images | PLAYING CATCH-UP — Democratic bundlers and mega donors have been writing huge checks to help the party’s candidates narrow Republicans’ fundraising edge in California swing districts. Just six months ago, Republican House candidates had more cash on hand in nearly all of California’s six most competitive battleground districts. But that picture has shifted in recent months as Democrats unite behind their candidates post primary, the latest campaign filings show this week. Republicans have also felt ripple effects from the exit of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, once a prolific fundraiser who helped the GOP hold tough seats in the Central Valley and Southern California — districts that could determine which party holds power after the 2024 election cycle. “If the Democratic fundraising keeps firing on all cylinders — like it has been — then the Democratic challengers should be at parity or ahead,” said Rob Pyers, research director for the non-partisan California Target Book, a political analysis firm.
|  | | Democratic candidates now have substantially more cash than two of the state’s most vulnerable Republican incumbents. In Riverside County, former prosecutor and Democrat Will Rollins has $3.2 million in the bank, compared with $2.6 million for longtime GOP Rep. Ken Calvert. Rollins’ campaign said he raised more money in the first quarter than any other red-to-blue challenger in the country. In the Santa Clarita area, Democrat George Whitesides has more than $3 million in cash, dwarfing incumbent GOP Rep. Mike Garcia’s $1.7 million war chest. Whitesides, the former CEO of Virgin Galactic, has contributed more than $1 million to his own campaign. GOP Reps. John Duarte and David Valadao continue to hold the cash advantage in their Central Valley districts, but they’ve been rapidly losing ground since McCarthy’s ouster. Each raised less than their Democratic opponent in Q1. Democrats Adam Gray and Rudy Salas each raised more than $1 million in the period — and Duarte and Valadao raised about half as much. Pyers said the rough quarter for Republicans, especially in the Central Valley, reflects the impact of losing McCarthy as a fundraising engine. “You’re just not seeing Mike Johnson be able to keep up with it,” he said of McCarthy’s successor at the speaker’s gavel. The clear exception to the trend is Orange County, where Democratic candidates have had little time to rebound from competitive primaries. GOP Rep. Michelle Steel has $3.2 million on hand, compared with $195,000 for Democrat Derek Tran. In the race for an open Orange County seat, state Sen. Dave Min raised more in Q1 than Republican Scott Baugh. But Baugh still has dramatically more cash in the bank — $1.9 million to Min’s nearly $425,000. Min’s bank account was drained during a bitter primary battle with another Democrat. Despite the cash splash, and as our colleague Melanie Mason reported earlier today, success is still far from assured for Democrats. IT’S TUESDAY 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 dgardiner@politico.com. | | | | A message from Chamber of Progress: SB 1490 is NOT about consumer transparency. It’s about the Digital Restaurant Association–and its chain-restaurant members–getting access to business data to help increase their backers’ profits. Learn how this well-intentioned bill backs the wrong group. | | | |  | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY | | |  Google throttled news access in California last week. | Thibault Camus/AP | GOOGLE THIS — California news trade groups are searching for punishment after Google flexed its political muscle by throttling news access last week. The California News Publishers Association and the News/Media Alliance are asking the U.S. Department of Justice, the California Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Google blocking information for some California users, alleging the company may have violated a number of state and federal laws. At issue is a California bill, co-sponsored by the CNPA and the News/Media Alliance (of which POLITICO’s parent company, Axel Springer, is a member), that would require Google and other online platforms to pay media organizations whose content they display. By blacking out some California news, Google ventured into novel legal territory: The company used the same tactic in Canada and Australia to oppose similar laws there, and the California bill now brings that battle to the U.S. The FTC declined to comment and the respective justice departments did not respond to requests for comment. But Google’s aggressiveness has already alienated a powerful political player: Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, in whose house the bill is currently parked, lambasted Google’s move last week as an “abuse of power” that posed a “dangerous threat.” — Jeremy B. White | | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | | | ON THE BEATS | | |  California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during an announcement of a new climate partnership between California and Norway in Larkspur on Tuesday. | AP | (PRO)TESTING HIS PATIENCE: Gov. Gavin Newsom said today that protesters who blocked the Golden Gate Bridge during a demonstration against the war in Gaza should “be held to account” for their actions. About 20 protesters were arrested by California Highway Patrol after halting traffic in both directions for several hours on Monday. During an unrelated press conference on climate change in San Francisco earlier today, Newsom lauded the CHP for how it handled the protest, which included people chained to 55-gallon drums. While Newsom said he “reveres” the right to protest, he said blocking the bridge wasn’t the right way to go about it. “I think there's a better way of expressing it than denying people the ability to get to work,” Newsom said, adding “I don't think that's helpful. And I don't think that's responsible.” — Sarah Grace Taylor
| | | | A message from Chamber of Progress:   | | | |  Assemblymember Buffy Wicks has proposed legislation to dilute the power of Ticketmaster. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo | PLAYING OFFENSE — Assemblymember Buffy Wicks’ ambitious bill to dilute the power of Ticketmaster made it through its first policy hearing today, but not without taking some major amendments. Assembly Bill 2808 was introduced with the intention of creating more competition in the sale of sporting events and concerts by prohibiting ticketers from entering into exclusive contracts with venues. The legislation faced strong countervailing forces, including opposition from Ticketmaster, professional sports teams, artists and independent venues. This morning, at the request of the Assembly’s Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism Committee, Wicks agreed to extensive amendments — including removing a major provision that opens venues’ ticket manifests to multiple sellers and exempting professional and collegiate sports from the bill. While that seemed to appease members, including Chair Mike Gipson, enough to pass the bill out of the committee, sports teams were not as mollified. Representatives for the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Clippers all spoke in opposition of the bill. — Lara Korte | | | | GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE. | | | | | NO-GO: A second attempt by Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones to pass a bill that would mirror San Diego’s homeless encampment restrictions flopped during today’s bill hearing, despite having bipartisan support. Senate Bill 1011 would ban camping within 500 feet of so-called “sensitive” areas like schools and major transit stops statewide, and would make it a misdemeanor to sleep or store personal property in public areas like sidewalks if shelter space is available. SB 1011 is a tweaked version of a 2023 pitch by Jones that included a 1,000-foot ban around sensitive areas and didn’t have the conditional ban tied to shelter availability. But, even with updated language and Democrat Sen. Catherine Blakespear co-sponsoring the bill, the Senate Public Safety Committee rejected the proposal, citing concerns about criminalizing homelessness. “Today’s continued rejection of real solutions during this health and safety crisis is immoral and irresponsible,” Jones wrote in a statement condemning Democratic committee members for voting it down. — Sarah Grace Taylor | | WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY | | SPEECH SCUPPERED — USC canceled the commencement speech of its valedictorian, who has publicly supported Palestinians, citing security concerns. (San Diego Union-Tribune) BUDGET BENDING — How Gavin Newsom’s budget sidesteps the growing cost of CalPERS pensions, for one year. (Desert Sun) | | | | A message from Chamber of Progress: The Digital Restaurant Association “seeks to convince policymakers that they represent small businesses while pushing for legislation that ultimately benefits their bottom line.”
The president of the California Black Chamber of Commerce knows the Digital Restaurant Association is using SB 1490 as a smokescreen to get access to data and help their backers’ turn a profit.
So why is California taking up former Uber CEO (and current DRA backer) Travis Kalanick’s pet bill?
Learn more about the real motivations behind SB 1490. | | | | | AROUND THE STATE | | SACRAMENTO: Three Sacramento-area residents convicted of obstruction charges in the Jan. 6 riots could get reduced sentences, depending on an upcoming Supreme Court decision. (Sacramento Bee) LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles will likely face sanctions for submitting altered records of what it seized during homeless encampments cleanups. (Los Angeles Times) — with help from Ariel Gans | | | | 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 | | | | |
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