Three Democrats walk into a general election...

Inside the Golden State political arena

Apr 05, 2024 View in browser   By Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner Evan Low makes a statement on the Assembly floor in June 2023. Low is tied for second place with fellow Democrat Joe Simitian in the race for retiring Rep. Anna Eshoo's Bay Area seat. | AP/Rich Pedroncelli THE BUZZ: ODD THROUPLE — On election night, Joe Simitian was in second place. Then, a few days later, as more votes came in, it was Evan Low. Then, after another few days, it went back to Simitian. Then Low. Then Simitian. Then Low. Now, after weeks of a nonstop back-and-forth, it’s official: Low, the state lawmaker, and Simitian, the Santa Clara County supervisor, are tied for second place in the race to replace Rep. Anna Eshoo, creating an odds-defying electoral scenario wherein three candidates advance to the November runoff. It’s an unprecedented occurrence in the era of California’s top-two primary system and perhaps an unsatisfying end of the season for the candidates, who have spent the last month enduring a rollercoaster of emotions. Both of the candidates will go up against former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, who has stayed comfortably in first place since March 5. Anyone — candidates included — could request a recount up until April 9, but doing so means running the risk of finding more votes for your opponent than yourself, and spending thousands to do it. Neither Low nor Simitian have expressed a strong desire to tally the votes again. Following the certification, Low thanked voters for their support through the “historic” election and said he hopes they’ll back him again in November. Simitian, in a statement, said, “This is what a functioning democracy looks like. Every vote is counted and every vote counts.” We caught up with Low outside Assembly chambers Thursday morning, where he seemed to be keeping high spirits — though he did acknowledge it’s been a little tough keeping sane these past four weeks. To stay busy he’s been focused on work and hitting the gym, including Orange Theory and pilates classes with his colleagues. He also told POLITICO’s Melanie Mason that he’s received some sheepish confessions from friends who failed to return their ballots. “People have reached out to say, ‘Oh my gosh, I wish I voted.’ Or, ‘Had I known, I would’ve voted,” he said. 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? Nothing official announced.   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.     ELECTION UPDATE Vince Fong addresses supporters on March 9, 2024 in Bakersfield, California. | John Donegan/The Bakersfield Californian via AP FONG’S DOUBLE DIP — On another election tumult front, a Sacramento appeals court sounded more inclined yesterday to let GOP Assemblymember Vince Fong run for the House and the Assembly simultaneously than to upend the in-progress election by disqualifying Fong or triggering a redo vote. After losing an eleventh-hour bid last year to block Fong from dual runs, Secretary of State Shirley Weber’s office was back in court to appeal. Letting the lower ruling stand would demolish precedent and allow absurd outcomes, Weber’s lawyer noted, like someone running for every California House seat at once. But judges appeared sympathetic to the fact that voters have spoken, rewarding Fong with first-place House primary finishes (and 100 percent of the Assembly primary vote thanks to not having an opponent). And that running-for-all-the-seats scenario? “It would be mayhem, and it would be an unpleasant election process,” Judge Peter Krause said, “but it could be legal.” — Jeremy B. White CASH DASH ROLLIN’ IN IT — Democratic congressional candidate Will Rollins raised $1.8 million in the first quarter of 2024, his campaign announced Thursday. He heads into Q2 with $3 million cash on hand to take on Republican incumbent Ken Calvert in Palm Springs’ CA-41. We’ve yet to see Calvert’s first-quarter figures, but the latest numbers, filed on Feb. 22, showed him with $2.33 million cash on hand.   Get critical policy news and analysis inside New York State. Use our Legislative Tracker to see what’s on the Albany agenda. POLITICO Pro. Inside New York. Learn more.     SAN FRANCISCO DOWNWARD SLOPE — A startling crime trend is underway in San Francisco: reported incidents are dropping. Mayor London Breed’s administration has teased the downward stats for months. But Q1 stats her office touted Thursday show a shift from pandemic-era spikes, especially in property crime. Among the year-over-year decreases: — Car break-ins, down 51 percent — Larceny theft (non-vehicle), down 18 percent — Burglary, down 17 percent — Robbery, down 18 percent — Homicide, down 27 percent — Assault, down 8 percent — Rape, down 29 percent The stats couldn’t have landed sooner for Breed, whose approval ratings are in the basement as she faces a crowded field of challengers in the November election. But her opponents — including Mark Farrell and Daniel Lurie — say Breed’s increasingly tough-on-crime approach is too little, too late. CLIMATE AND ENERGY THROWING SHADE — A group of scientists quietly launched the nation's first outdoor experiment to limit global warming in the Bay Area this week, hoping to increase cloud cover to reflect more sunlight away from the Earth. Read more about why the project is touching a nerve in California Climate. Top Talkers — Gov. Gavin Newsom's college baseball career was very short-lived. But he hasn't corrected the record. (CalMatters) — Border Patrol just became responsible for children at the U.S.-Mexico border, and it needs to find them safe and sanitary shelters. (Los Angeles Times) AROUND THE STATE JOSHUA TREE: Joshua Tree’s sizzling housing market has officially cooled down, according to Zillow Home Value Index numbers. The area held the state’s hottest real-estate market during the pandemic. (The Wall Street Journal) HUNTINGTON BEACH: A man who repeatedly punched a journalist at a pro-Trump rally completed his jail time before his trial started, a federal judge ruled. (Los Angeles Times) STANFORD: A Stanford professor whose controversial colonization lesson got him suspended is suing the university for wrongful termination. (San Francisco Chronicle) CENTRAL COAST: Big Sur businesses are losing over $1 million each day since Highway 1 collapsed. Its workers are suffering too. (San Francisco Chronicle) FRESNO: Speaker Mike Johnson saluted the Central Valley at a Fresno fundraiser for Republican House candidates. (GV Wire) — with help from Ariel Gans PLAYBOOKERS SPOTTED: OPA! — President Joe Biden gave a special shout-out to Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis during a White House reception Thursday to celebrate Greek Independence Day. Biden, as he listed Greek-American dignitaries in the room, noted Kounalakis was previously ambassador to Hungary during the Obama administration. “Anybody who could take care of Hungary in those days can handle anything,” he added, as the crowd laughed. TRANSITIONS — Kiersten Todt has been named the new President of Wondros, an LA-based creative communications agency. She was previously chief of staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency. — Jesse Berg, a veteran corporate lawyer, has joined the firm Withers as special counsel in its San Francisco office. He was previously with fintech software company Aumni, Inc. BIRTHDAYS — Microsoft’s Howard Wachtel … former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler ... Heather Hopkins of Amazon Web Services … (was Thursday): Mike Epstein WEEKEND WEDDING – Brianna Curran, director of executive public engagement at the Environmental Defense Fund and an Aspen Institute alum, on Saturday married Josh MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gallery Sonder. The couple met in Venice Beach, Calif. in 2020, and got married at Greystone Mansion & Gardens in Beverly Hills. Pics by David Swidrak ... Another pic 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 Dustin Gardiner @dustingardiner Lara Korte @lara_korte 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

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://login.politico.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service