| | | | |  | | By Dustin Gardiner | Presented by California Resources Corporation | |  AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File | REMINDER: PLAY OUR GAME, WIN COOL PRIZES — Hundreds of bills are headed to the Appropriations committees on Thursday. Use your insider knowledge to guess which bills will be blocked. Make your prediction by tomorrow for a chance to win a shout-out in California Playbook, some extra special swag and maybe even an invite to a POLITICO coffee date. Hint: You can find the list of bills for the Assembly in the Appropriations agenda and in the Senate hearing agenda. Happy guessing! RENT CONTROL ROW RAMPS UP: In a surprising move, a pair of top California Democrats and powerful unions are lining up against a ballot initiative on a topic that their party and labor has long championed: removing rent control limits. State Sen. Toni Atkins, the former Democratic leader in the Senate, as well as Assembly Appropriations Chair Buffy Wicks confirmed exclusively to Playbook that they are firmly against the November ballot measure. The initiative, bankrolled by AIDS Healthcare Foundation President and political provocateur Michael Weinstein, seeks to repeal a state law barring cities across the Golden State from rent-controlling newer apartments. Two of the state’s largest construction unions, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Norcal Carpenters Union, are also against the initiative. Those players are fighting the rent-control effort because, they argue, the ballot initiative contains a “Trojan horse” provision. They say it would undermine pro-housing laws by allowing wealthy coastal cities that oppose new development to impose steep affordability requirements that would effectively freeze growth. Atkins, considered to be a leading contender for governor in 2026, said the measure is “as deceptive as it is dangerous,” arguing it should be removed from the ballot. “Conspiring with wealthy cities to undermine vital state housing laws is bad enough,” said Atkins, who’s carried several landmark bills to streamline housing construction. “Lying to voters about it is even worse.” The measure has created strange bedfellows across the aisle. It has drawn support from Republican city officials who’ve fought state housing mandates — and opposition from Democrats who say local governments must be forced to allow new construction to alleviate a housing shortage. Weinstein’s campaign, dubbed the “Justice for Renters Act,” disputes the argument that the rent-control measure would allow cities to circumvent state laws, calling the complaint a distraction from an effort meant to alleviate rising rental prices. The initiative is Weinstein’s third attempt to lift statewide rent-control limits in California. The Los Angeles-based nonprofit leader’s efforts have made him a target of a landlord trade group, the California Apartment Association, which is bankrolling a different ballot initiative designed to curb his influence. But even though Weinstein disputes the notion that his measure could block housing construction, some Republicans are backing it for precisely that reason. Huntington Beach Councilmember Tony Strickland, a conservative Republican, announced in March that he would support Weinstein’s measure. He has led the city’s efforts to fight Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta in court over California’s housing targets for the wealthy coastal enclave. “Statewide rent control is a ludicrous idea, but the measure’s language goes further,” Strickland said at the time. “It gives local governments ironclad protections from the state’s housing policy and therefore overreaching enforcement.” That blunt assessment from a Republican nudged Atkins and Wicks to come out against the measure, the opposition campaign confirmed. The pair didn’t take a stance on a similar 2020 ballot initiative that failed. “Make no mistake about it: this ballot measure will end housing production in California full stop,” said Wicks, who has championed tenant protections as well as laws to make it easier for developers to build more housing.
| | | | A message from California Resources Corporation: California Resources Corporation (CRC) is a different kind of energy company, committed to our net zero future and advancing the energy transition. CRC’s carbon management business, Carbon TerraVault, will offer solutions to help reduce emissions while our workforce provides low-carbon energy needed to power our lives. Carbon TerraVault will enable the capture and permanent storage of carbon dioxide deep underground, helping decarbonize our local economies and empowering California to achieve carbon neutrality. CRC's Carbon TerraVault | | | |  | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY | | |  Gov. Gavin Newsom tours a newly constructed psychiatric facility in Redwood City to demonstrate projects that will be funded through Proposition 1. Opening in July, it will replace an old residential building that was originally built as a tuberculosis hospital. | Rachel Bluth for POLITICO | PROP 1 FUNDS SPEED AHEAD: Newsom today announced the state is “accelerating” the rollout of funds under Proposition 1 — the $6.4 billion bond measure that narrowly passed in March, overhauling how the state treats mental health disorders — months ahead of schedule. The first $3.3 billion of the bond will start going toward constructing new behavioral health facilities in July, with counties, cities, tribal entities, nonprofits and other eligible groups able to apply. The funding is meant to help construct outpatient, inpatient and residential behavioral health facilities as well as create new mental health resources. “We will quickly approve those plans,” Newsom said. Newsom’s office also announced a new website, MentalHealth.ca.gov, meant to serve as a “one-stop source for people in need of mental health support.” Why it matters: There’s pressure on Newsom to start showing results on homelessness, a top concern for voters frustrated by the lack of progress and accountability on what’s already been spent. The speedy timeline on this new money gives Newsom time to tout his success before he’s termed out in 2026. Royal defense: Newsom also defended Prince Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation, which had been called into question over registration lapses in California. “There's been unbelievable amount of attention that has been placed on the Archewell Foundation … [which does] extraordinary work, particularly [for] women and girls, but notably around mental health, and I just want folks to know, not only are they in compliance, there's a technical paperwork issue that was wildly overhyped.” — Rachel Bluth and Ariel Gans
| | | | NEW! AN EXCLUSIVE CALIFORNIA BALLOT-MEASURES COVERAGE TEAM: The impact that ballot measures have on California residents, industries, and Legislature is enormous. From settling broad cultural questions to changing obscure governance rules, ballot measures in essence, have become the fourth branch of government in the most influential state capital in the U.S. As your go-to source for reporting on Golden State politics, policy, power, POLITICO has formed a new ballot measure team in California that will deliver in-depth insights into the strategies, policy ideas, personalities, money and influence driving ballot measures. LEARN MORE. | | | | | | | ON THE BEATS | | |  California lawmakers join parents Chris Didier and Sam Chapman for a press conference on Sammy's law to protect children from online drug dealers. | Sarah Grace Taylor for POLITICO | SAMMY’S LAW: A group of parents and lawmakers met in Sacramento today to advocate for a pair of bills that aim to protect children from bullying, drug dealing and exploitation through social media apps. Senate Bill 1444, also known as Sammy’s Law, would require social media and gaming sites used by children to integrate third party parental control software. The software — which many platforms currently do not support — would notify parents of any dangerous activities, like sexual exploitation or drug dealing. Chris Didier and Sam Chapman, who each lost a young son to fentanyl peddled through Snapchat, said the laws would give parents some control and some recourse in an aggressive new digital landscape. “A new landscape has emerged where there's no chance for our youth to learn life's boundaries. That presents a minefield that can cause permanent harm and immediate death,” said a visibly emotional Didier, whose teenage son Zach died after unknowingly taking fentanyl sold to him through a dealer on Snapchat. Chapman’s son Sammy is the namesake of Sammy’s Law, which is being pushed nationally at the state level and has made it through California’s Senate Judiciary committee after being introduced by Sen. Henry Stern. Chapman said it’s the state’s responsibility to address the new dangers bred by California-based companies. “We've invented a lot of these issues and so we want California to lead the way on internet protection, especially for children,” he said. Stern — joined by co-authors Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh and Assembly Member Carlos Villapudua — also endorsed SB 1504, which would require social media companies to prominently display a cyber bullying report function on their site, add time constraints for responding to such complaints and create a civil penalty for violations of these requirements. — Sarah Grace Taylor
| | | | A message from California Resources Corporation:   | | | WHERE IS THE MONEY: Newsom’s proposal directing cities to plan more housing for people experiencing homelessness passed its first test in the Legislature this afternoon. But it still faces questions about funding. Assembly Bill 3093, which cleared the Assembly Housing Committee on a 7-1 vote, would add lower-income categories to the set of housing goals the state has established for cities and counties — one of its main tools for promoting housing development affordability at different income levels. Housing Chair Chris Ward, who authored the bill, said it would help the state’s lowest-income residents and allow cities to better track their progress toward ending homelessness. But the proposal faces pushback from the League of California Cities, which argued that the state’s budget deficit and Newsom’s proposed cuts to housing programs would make it hard for cities to meet the obligations. Democrats pushed the bill through the committee, but at least one member, Assemblymember Alex Lee, had misgivings despite voting in favor. “I'm concerned that we aren't going to meet these goals without having the tools to actually fund these things,” Lee said. — Eric He
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF DEFENSE 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, like defense, 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. Our defense reporting team—including Lara Seligman, Joe Gould, Paul McCleary, Connor O’Brien and Lee Hudson—is embedded with the market-moving legislative committees and agencies in Washington and across states, delivering unparalleled coverage of defense policy and the defense industry. 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. | | | | | | | WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY | | | — Sixteen states including Nebraska and West Virginia are suing the head of the California Air Resources Board and Attorney General Bonta over emissions regulations pushed by Newsom. (KCRA) — California is nearly eight years away from recovering its pre-pandemic population levels, a new analysis shows. (Los Angeles Times) — GOP Senate candidate Steve Garvey is opting out of California’s Republican convention this year. His campaign manager says it’s about independence. (San Francisco Chronicle) | | | AROUND THE STATE | | | — The U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal from California corrections officers who sought immunity from lawsuits alleging they acted with deliberate indifference in causing a deadly Covid-19 outbreak at San Quentin State Prison. (The Associated Press) — The San Diego City Council just made a deal to install electric vehicle chargers at each of the city’s libraries, recreation centers and beaches within two years, and at each of its city buildings within five years. (The San Diego Union-Tribune) — A small insect called the beet leafhopper that could decimate tomato crops caused Stanislaus County supervisors to declare a local emergency. (Modesto Bee) — A portion of Highway 1 that has been closed since a slip-out in March will reopen Friday, more than a week ahead of schedule. (KSBW) — with help from Ariel Gans
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