| | | | |  | | By Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner | Presented by Californians for Energy Independence | | 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is swarmed by journalists in the spin room at Georgia Institute of Technology's McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Ga., June 27, 2024, | Francis Chung/POLITICO | THE BUZZ: IN THE HOT SEAT — As President Joe Biden stumbled and tripped his way through the debate last night, Gov. Gavin Newsom was waiting in the wings. Literally. The California Democrat traveled to Atlanta on Thursday laser-focused on singing the praises of the commander-in-chief. But as the hoarse, pallid president struggled to finish sentences and wandered off topic, it became increasingly hard to ignore the clear-voiced, energetic California surrogate waiting in the spin room next door. “Governor, are you ready to replace Joe Biden if you’re asked?” someone shouted at Newsom post-debate in the spin room. “Very proud of the president,” was Newsom’s nonanswer. When asked if he regretted not running for president or if he would challenge Trump, he brushed off the question with a laugh, calling it a “non sequitur.” Newsom’s response to these questions pre-debate – before Biden’s performance caused a top Democratic consultant to wish for an “open convention” – was more direct. He batted down the queries as “nonsensical” and “farcical” while also lingering in the spotlight. (He continued taking questions even after a press aide told reporters to wrap up.) Chatter about a new Democratic nominee arose within minutes of the president’s raspy opening. His subsequent rambling responses left many in his party concerned about his ability to take on Donald Trump – even if Trump’s answers were also hard to follow at times. Newsom watched the 90-minute exchange in a room with fellow Biden surrogates, including California Congressman Robert Garcia. Biden’s struggles renewed conservative fervor online around a Newsom run, with many Republicans joking about swapping in the California governor during a commercial break. Newsom’s X account, meanwhile, rushed to defend Biden, pumping out fact checks on “TRUMP LIES.” In the debate’s immediate aftermath, Trump surrogates were out in full force in the spin room, claiming victory. When Democrats finally emerged, they were swarmed by the press. The ring of reporters around Newsom, Garcia and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock was so deep that it was difficult to hear them in the back of the scrum, as our colleague Meredith McGraw reported. Later, in a CNN hit, the governor attempted to stay on-message — “I was taking notes on all the lies,” he said. “I ran out of paper.” But when pressed on Biden’s performance, Newsom seemed to acknowledge the president’s flubs, but argued there was no reason to abandon him. “We’ve all had those nights,” he said. A similar message came from Vice President Kamala Harris: “Yes there was a slow start, but it was a strong finish,” she told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. The talk was more dire in wider Democratic circles. David Axelrod, the prominent former strategist for President Barack Obama, described a sense of shock going through the Democratic Party at the start of the debate, when Biden seemed “a little disoriented.” The appearance, he said, helped confirm some people’s fears. “There’s going to be discussions about whether he should continue,” Axelrod said. | | A message from Californians for Energy Independence: As California transitions to a lower carbon energy economy, we should continue to produce the oil and gas we still need in-state, where it meets world-class environmental standards and our communities can benefit from the revenues. But instead, California energy policies are shutting down in-state oil production faster than we can build adequate replacement energy - increasing our dependence on more costly imported oil. Get the facts on California energy policies | | |
GOOD MORNING. Happy Friday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook.
You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte. WHERE’S GAVIN? Traveling home from Atlanta.
|  | FOR GOOD MEASURE | | | |  Greg Totten, a representative of Californians for Safer Communities, speaks at a press conference about a ballot initiative to bring back penalties for shoplifting and drug offenses on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. | AP | RUNNING AGAINST THE CLOCK — Time is running out for Newsom and legislative leaders to put forward a rival November ballot measure to compete with an initiative that aims to increase prison sentences. Newsom and his chief of staff, Dana Williamson, held closed-door briefings with Democratic legislators over the last two days. They’re trying to shore up support for a potential measure that could increase some penalties but would be less draconian than the initiative sponsored by DAs. Their version would roll back parts of Proposition 47 — a decade-old law that reduced penalties for some drug and property crimes. The clock is running out. Lawmakers break for their summer recess next Wednesday, so Newsom has until Sunday to get a deal done and still comply with the Legislature’s 72-hour print rule. At least four Capitol insiders confirmed the briefings to Playbook. But details of the potential measure are still murky. It’s unclear if legislative leaders can even muster the two-thirds vote required to send a measure to voters — especially in the state Senate, where Democrats’ margin is tighter. Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper, a moderate Democrat and former legislator, said he’s spoken with a half-dozen former colleagues at the Capitol who are perplexed by the uncertainty and frustrated at the lack of detail shared by the governor’s office. “Some members of the party are tone deaf on these issues. It’s like, ‘Read the tea leaves, get a grip on what’s going on with the public,” Cooper, who advocated for Prop 47 reform as a lawmaker, told Playbook. He added: “The big question is, ‘Are they going to run out of time.’”
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| | CAMPAIGN YEAR | | SO INFLUENTIAL — Amid Democrats’ rising heartburn about engaging the youth, a new campaign is aiming to reach a pivotal group of young Asian American voters where they really are: their For You pages. The AAPI Victory Power Fund’s “Vote Family Style” effort is launching a paid fellowship for digital influencers – such as mommy bloggers, gamers on Discord or entrepreneurs on LinkedIn – to increase political awareness among their followers in the lead-up to November. The group is appearing at VidCon, an influencer convention this weekend in Anaheim – an apropos location given its focus on Orange County, home of two swing House races. (They’re also launching a similar campaign in Michigan.) The goal, said Linh Nguyen, the group’s executive vice president, is to narrow the turnout gap between 18-29 year-old Asian Americans and older voters. But, she acknowledged, the typical blunt approach of conventional political advertising won’t work in this format. “The moment [young people] know that this content, this video that they're watching on TikTok, is about voter registration, they're likely just going to keep scrolling,” Nguyen said. She said the cohort of roughly 15 influencers in this campaign will go through a month-long virtual seminar, discussing political issues and the most organic way to bring that content to their audience. That includes working with creators who don’t typically dabble in political arenas. Helen Gu, a digital creator in Los Angeles with roughly 20,000 followers on Instagram, said she’s coming to the seminar as a “blank slate” since politics was rarely discussed with her family in Irvine, where they moved after emigrating from China. “Social justice was always something that I wanted to talk about on my platform but didn't really know how,” Gu said. — Melanie Mason | | | | A message from Californians for Energy Independence:   | | |
LATINO LAUNCH — Activists for Latino political engagement are launching a new campaign in California, focusing on five House races that could be pivotal in the battle to control Congress. UnidosUS Action, along with partner groups, aim to educate and mobilize Latino voters in two Central Valley toss-up races (CA-13 and CA-22), as well as three SoCal seats (CA-27, CA-40 and CA-45) – all of which have substantial Latino populations.
The effort includes direct mail, digital advertising and in-person canvassing with a planned spend of $2-3 million. It will educate voters on policy issues, such as cost of living concerns and the recent immigration executive orders by Biden, whom the group has endorsed for re-election. “Forty percent of the Latino electorate this cycle were not voters in 2016,” Rafael Collazo, UnidosUS Action Fund executive director, told Playbook. “You have literally a new generation of voters who are going to be voting for the first time.” – Melanie Mason
| | CLIMATE AND ENERGY | | OIL OFF THE BALLOT — The California Independent Petroleum Association said it would pull its ballot challenge to a state law that bans new wells near homes. Newsom, environmentalists and lawmakers are all jockeying to take credit — but it’s also a reflection of the industry’s diminished stature in Sacramento. Read more in last night’s California Climate.
| | Top Talkers | | — Californians will vote on a constitutional amendment to ban slavery and involuntary servitude — chiefly, forced prison labor — at the ballot box this November. (POLITICO) — Watch out, Central Valley: California’s next big heat wave is coming, and it’s shaping up to be the worst so far this year. (Los Angeles Times)
| | | AROUND THE STATE | | — A Fresno right-wing activist was convicted of two felonies for his participation in the Jan. 6 riot. He’ll be sentenced in November. (GV Wire) — Meet the San Diego doctor behind the movement to embrace a medically unsafe abortion pill “reversal” process. (Los Angeles Times) — The drama around Shasta County’s election chief continues, this time after revelations that conservative county board supervisors judged candidates based on their personal ideology instead of election expertise. (Shasta Scout) — compiled by Tyler Katzenberger
| | A message from Californians for Energy Independence: California faces growing inflation, a rising cost of living, and has some of the highest gas prices in the country. Now, California energy policies could make matters worse.
That’s because California is shutting down in-state oil and gas production before we have adequate replacement energy. That forces our state to spend $25 billion a year importing more costly oil to meet our needs - sending billions that could be supporting California’s economy out of state instead. These energy policies threaten California’s access to reliable energy, while increasing our gas prices.
As California transitions to a lower carbon energy economy, we should continue to produce the oil and gas we still need in-state, where it meets world-class environmental standards and our communities can benefit from the revenues - rather than increase our dependence on more costly imported oil.
Get the facts on California energy policies | | |
| | PLAYBOOKERS | | IN MEMORIAM — State Capitol staffer Aldo Javier Garcia died suddenly on Monday. He was a staffer for Assemblymember Juan Carrillo and previously worked as a fellow for Lori Wilson. “Aldo was at the beginning of a long and distinguished career in public service when he was tragically taken from us,” his obituary states. Garcia was the son of farmworkers and attended UC Berkeley. Legislative staffers launched a fundraising page to help his family cover funeral expenses. Our deep condolences to his colleagues and family. BIRTHDAYS — Elon Musk … former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta … POLITICO’s Alex Keeney … Erin McPike … former Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) … Stephanie Benedict … Mike Basch … Miranda Johnson … Jas Sajjan … WEEKEND B-DAYS — (on Saturday): Molly Robson of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of CA … (on Sunday): Todd Campbell of Clean Energy Fuels … 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 Rebecca Haase to find out how: rhaase@politico.com.
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