London Breed’s panda diplomacy

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Apr 12, 2024 View in browser   By Dustin Gardiner and Lara Korte Presented by  The Chinese government has long used pandas as a form of leverage with the U.S. and other countries | Chung Sung-Jun/Pool Photo via AP, File THE BUZZ: PANDA POLITICS — San Francisco Mayor London Breed jets off to China tomorrow with big ambitions: She’s hoping to shore up U.S. ties with Beijing amid tensions; bolster her own image with voters ahead of an election; and — perhaps the biggest win — bring home a panda. Breed tells Playbook she received the personal invitation to visit China and talk pandas in February from Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao, who wrote: “Giant pandas are a symbol of friendship between China and the U.S.,” adding: “I hope that you and the people of San Francisco will host giant pandas at an early date.” “He called it panda diplomacy,” Breed quipped, recalling her meeting with another diplomat who hand-delivered the letter. “This is really about relationship building and confidence.” But the symbolic nature of so-called panda diplomacy is serious. The Chinese government has long used pandas as a form of leverage with the U.S. and other countries, and it’s no coincidence that only one zoo in the country, Atlanta, now has pandas after several years of chilly relations. For Breed, it would be a major coup as she tries to rebuild ties with the city’s large Asian American community, who’ve played a central role in recent elections like the recall of a progressive district attorney and three school board members. Breed’s nine-day trade and cultural mission reflects both the importance of San Francisco's unique role in efforts to improve the United States’ rocky ties with the communist country — as well as the high stakes of the relationship for Breed’s own political future. The trip, Breed’s first junket to China as mayor, comes as she faces a tough reelection fight in November. Her survival could depend on support from the city’s powerful electorate of Chinese-speaking voters. Breed said she’s hoping her diplomatic foray results in Chinese leaders agreeing to expand business and tourism ties, open a university campus in downtown and — all animal jokes aside — a commitment to loan giant pandas to the San Francisco Zoo. “She will have established a great, great feat,” said retired Judge Lillian Sing, a longtime Chinatown leader in San Francisco and the first AAPI female judge in Northern California. Sing, who hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the mayor’s race, noted the potential boost for Breed, if the trip is a success. “Politically, she’s clever to do it,” Sing said, though cautioned that many Chinese voters in the city are perplexed by its many challenges including a housing shortage and problems with crime. It’s hard to overstate the power of AAPI voters in San Francisco, which is home to the oldest Chinatown and the largest concentration of Chinese-speaking residents of any major American city. The city is also celebrating the 45-year anniversary of its sister city relationship with Shanghai this year. All of Breed’s major opponents — Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, former interim Mayor Mark Farrell and nonprofit executive Daniel Lurie — are aggressively courting AAPI voters in Chinatown and westside neighborhoods like the Sunset and Richmond. But Breed downplayed the political timing of her trip, saying she would have visited China several times already if not for the pandemic that dominated the start of her administration. “This is really about my job and the work that I need to do,” Breed said. She then took a swipe at her opponents: “The difference between me and them is I still have to be mayor.” Breed said her invitation to visit the country came after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited San Francisco last November for the APEC summit. The mayor greeted Xi on the tarmac at SFO and also attended his state dinner, where she said the invite to visit China originated. It’s unclear if Breed will be able to meet with Xi during her trip. If she does, she said she plans to avoid any sensitive topics, including concerns about how Chinese chemical companies provide many of the precursor ingredients to make fentanyl — the drug fueling record overdose deaths in San Francisco. “As a mayor, my lane is really about San Francisco, tourism, pandas and relationship building,” she said, noting Xi recently agreed to talks to combat the fentanyl crisis. GOOD MORNING. Happy Friday. 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? Returning to California after a week of spring break fun with the fam.   A message from Amazon: As the largest job creator in the U.S. Amazon is committed to helping their employees thrive with benefits starting on day one and free, on-the-job skills training. When MJ started at an Amazon fulfillment center, “health care started on day one for me and my kids,” she said. See the impact of comprehensive benefits.   STATE CAPITOL Buffy Wicks speaks at the Capitol in Sacramento | Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo NEWS YOU CAN’T USE — Californians who Google for local news may come up empty this morning. The search giant is temporarily blocking links for some Golden State users as it escalates its fight against a Buffy Wicks bill, currently parked in the Senate Judiciary committee after passing the Assembly last year, requiring online platforms to pay news organizations for featuring their content. The move reprises a favored tech industry tactic to block similar bills. Google made a similar threat in Canada, while Meta has permanently pulled content there and threatened both the California Legislature and Congress with the same. Google has also lobbied heavily against Wicks’ bill and funded a campaign assailing it as a “link tax.” A company VP used that phrase in a blog post explaining today’s blockage. — Jeremy B. White   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW.     SAN FRANCISCO PUTTING IT BLUNTLY — Could smoking weed be the key to saving downtown San Francisco? The city this weekend will kick off the first-ever San Francisco Weed Week, marking an enthusiastic embrace of all the benefits of marijuana — including the economic ones. Between remote work and retail closures, downtown is hurting for foot traffic, and some San Francisco leaders argue the expansion of marijuana operations could bring in some much-wanted visitors. City leaders like Mayor Breed have touted the hundreds of millions of dollars that the cannabis industry brings to the state, and, in Sacramento, some lawmakers see the practice as a way to inject some lifeblood into areas that have struggled to bounce back from the pandemic. "Anything that gets people out of the house and gathering with each other, especially in its downtowns, we desperately need," said Matt Haney, a San Francisco assemblymember. "Cannabis is a competitive advantage you have when it comes to tourism." Haney this year is bringing back legislation that would allow cannabis retailers to sell food and drinks, creating Amsterdam-style “cannabis cafes.” Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed that bill last year, citing California’s smoke-free workplace protections. But Haney this year has the support of cannabis shop employees, which he hopes will assuage the governor’s concerns. Haney, who is also heading a select committee on downtown recovery, said it’s time to stop thinking of downtowns as 9 to 5 spots, and that drawing visitors into the nightlife is a quick way to stimulate business. And, as he noted, marijuana consumption is an effective way to drive customers to other local stores, too. "When people go to a cannabis retail shop downtown, they probably are going to get hungry," he said. "So they either have to eat at the shop or they're going to eat at a local restaurant."   A message from Amazon:   FOR GOOD MEASURE WAGE WARS — In an era when California fast food workers make $20 an hour and healthcare workers are set to make $25, what’s an $18 minimum wage really worth? That’s the question surrounding progressive financier Joe Sanberg’s curiously quiet quest for higher pay, currently headed to the November ballot, which has attracted little of the business-on-labor conflict that’s come out of previous wage bumps. Jeremy has the story. CLIMATE AND ENERGY IRONIC BURN — California’s wildfire insurance crisis is so bad even Cal Fire can’t get sufficient fire insurance for its properties. "That to me is crazy,” said one state senator when he learned of the problem. It's making it harder for the agency to finance much-needed upgrades at its remote facilities. Read more in last night's California Climate.   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.     Top Talkers — Southern California Sheriff Chad Bianco, a sharp Newsom critic and conservative fixture on Fox News, is considering a run for California governor in 2026, as our colleague Christopher Cadelago reported. (POLITICO) — With more than 14 reparations bills on the legislative docket and two key deadlines approaching, California’s Black Caucus members are deciding which ones to prioritize. (CalMatters) — Republican lawmakers say Newsom is resorting to a payroll “gimmick” to narrow the budget deficit. (Los Angeles Times) AROUND THE STATE SOUTHERN BORDER — A makeshift campsite in the California wilderness has become a refuge for migrants. (The New York Times) SAN DIEGO — An all-Republican Assembly race was already contentious. Now it's prompted a GOP leadership shake-up. (The San Diego Union-Tribune) REDDING — Making cement is very damaging for the climate. One solution is opening in California. (Associated Press)   A message from Amazon: Amazon fulfillment centers create on average 3,000 local jobs with comprehensive benefits and free technical training so hourly employees get the support they need to succeed. Amazon’s local investment in cities and towns across the U.S. helps employees and whole communities thrive. Learn how Amazon supports employees and their communities.   PLAYBOOKERS TRANSITIONS — Becca Rose is the new communications manager at the California Working Families Party. She previously worked as a senior strategist at Justice Democrats, a progressive advocacy group. BIRTHDAYS — Izzy Gardon, director of communications for the governor … Fred Ryan … Katherine Rodriguez of DoorDash ... Tommy Schanzer … Nick Campbell SPOTTED: Congrats to POLITICO’s own Christopher Cadelago and the California Playbook team for receiving the Sacramento Press Club’s awards for Capitol beat reporting and best Capitol newsletter, respectively. Honorable mention goes to our California Climate team who was also nominated for best Capitol newsletter. Congratulations to all the winners! SHARE YOUR B-DAY ( … OR SPECIAL OCCASION) — Want us to feature a birthday or another special occasion in POLITICO's California Playbook? You can now submit a shout-out using this nifty form. Disclaimers: All information will be verified. We reserve the right to edit any final content. 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. 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