Newsom, Bay Area crime and a tale of two DAs

Presented by Yes on 35 - Protect Our Healthcare: Your afternoon must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State

Jul 11, 2024 View in browser   By Jeremy B. White Presented by Yes on 35 - Protect Our Healthcare Gov. Gavin Newsom goes to Oakland. | California Governor's Office PICKING FAVORITES: As Democrats scramble to address crime concerns, Gov. Gavin Newsom is leaving little doubt which Bay Area prosecutor he aligns with — and which one he doesn’t. The governor is yanking an offer to furnish progressive Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with extra drug crime prosecutors, saying Price — who is facing a recall election — essentially ignored the state’s bid to help Oakland address its public safety woes. And he had more criticism for Price, and praise for San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, this morning during a news conference in Oakland to tout more CHP assistance for the city. “We’ve been disappointed (by) the lack of engagement with the DA’s office,” Newsom said about Alameda County, speaking at an auto shop in a neighborhood whose sidewalks sparkled with broken glass from car break-ins. “We extended a hand of partnership. Unfortunately, it wasn’t reciprocated.” Price pushed back, saying at a news conference this afternoon that the governor was "misinformed" about her office's staffing and maintaining she had moved to accept the governor's offer. “There were multiple meetings and discussions, and we thought we were in fact addressing the terms and conditions" of the partnership, she said, adding she was "disappointed that the governor did not reach out to me directly." Earlier in the day, Newsom drew a contrast with Price’s counterpart across the Bay, noting that the state worked “very successfully” with Jenkins. Newsom’s office said the help it had offered to Price was modeled on its felony drug collaboration with the San Francisco office. Jenkins has cracked down on drug dealing since she became S.F.’s top prosecutor after helping to recall progressive DA Chesa Boudin in 2022. The recall campaign against Price is full of parallels to Boudin’s abrupt ouster, with big money amplifying the critique that an establishment-upsetting, reform-minded DA is undermining public safety. “I’m watching the exact same thing happen across the Bay that happened here,” Jenkins said in an interview, “because people get elected who refuse the mission that the DA’s office is supposed to serve.” Newsom declined to take a position on the Price recall, averring that the DA was independently elected and he was “not here to offer advice or counsel.” He doesn’t always agree with tough-on-crime Democrats: Today he once again lambasted a ballot initiative to fortify drug penalties, breaking with supportive mayors like San Francisco’s London Breed, who appointed Jenkins. But he still sounded a lot closer to Jenkins than to Price. The governor and Jenkins share more than attorneys; they’re also both clients of powerhouse consulting firm Bearstar Strategies. This cycle, the bears are helping Jenkins win a full term. Next cycle, if Attorney General Rob Bonta plunges into the race to succeed Newsom, the state’s top cop job will open — and there will be no shortage of Democratic AG hopefuls trying to sell their criminal justice visions. IT’S THURSDAY 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 jwhite@politico.com. A message from Yes on 35 - Protect Our Healthcare: Care for fifteen million vulnerable children, seniors, disabled and low-income families on Medi-Cal is significantly underfunded. That's why an unprecedented coalition of nearly 200 groups is united in saying YES on Prop 35 to protect our health care. Prop 35 will provide dedicated resources to improve patient care without raising taxes on individuals - protecting and expanding access to care for all Californians. Get the Facts on Prop 35.   WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY ICYM, IT’S HOT: California is expecting a slight reprieve from the extreme heat wave that’s baked most of the state for over a week, but not before the weekend. By the time temperatures exit the triple digits in all regions except the hottest inland areas on Sunday, more heat records will likely fall. Here’s a sampling of record-shattering mercury as of today: Redding hit 118 degrees on July 8, breaking its all-time high. On the next day, it broke it again with a reading of 119. Palm Springs also broke its all-time record, reaching 124 on July 4. The heat set daily temperature records across the state, from Oakland to Idyllwild, and some regions notched their most consecutive days above 100 degrees since record-keeping began. Palmdale and Lancaster have both logged at least four — so far. — Camille von Kaenel   Understand 2024’s big impacts with Pro’s extensive Campaign Races Dashboard, exclusive insights, and key coverage of federal- and state-level debates. Focus on policy. Learn more.     ON THE BEATS CASH DASH: President Joe Biden appears to be forging ahead with his reelection campaign despite growing pressure to step down. He’s planning a trip to the Bay Area this month for a fundraiser hosted by real estate mogul Wayne Jordan and his wife Quinn Delaney, both major Democratic donors. Oakland Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and her husband, former Giffords executive director Peter Ambler, are listed as co-hosts of the fundraiser, set to be held in Piedmont on July 27. — Lara Korte TICK-TOCK: The California Public Utilities Commission is in a race against time to get a historic federal investment in high-speed internet upgrades out the door, lest Uncle Sam return to collect his cash. To be clear, only about $550 million of the CPUC’s $2 billion arsenal for last-mile broadband projects (the stuff that actually connects households to the internet) is federal money, with the rest coming from more flexible state funding sources. But that money, given to the CPUC back in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, must be spent on internet expansion projects by the end of 2026. The commission approved a fresh round of funding today, bringing the amount it’s awarded for last-mile projects to $105 million — a small fraction of the total money available for grants. But given the CPUC is just starting to get money out the door after delaying its grant application process by two years, some lawmakers see that deadline as a real threat to California’s promise of “Broadband for All.” Construction costs aren’t getting cheaper (thanks, inflation!), and anyone who’s ever worked on a government project knows to expect unforeseen delays. “That is a challenge that shouldn't be when we're talking about billions of dollars of investment,” Assemblymember Mia Bonta told Playbook. CPUC spokesperson Terrie Prosper said in an email that the two-year delay gave CPUC time to funnel $50 million into a grant application assistance program that ensured more tribal government, local government and nonprofit applicants will receive broadband expansion funds. She also said federal funds are “on track” to be expended by the December 2026 deadline. — Tyler Katzenberger San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria stakes out a position. | AP DEM RIFT DEEPENS: San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria today became the latest Democratic mayor to back Proposition 36, a ballot measure that would increase theft and drug crime penalties. “The ballot measure is now the only option that's available to us,” Gloria told local TV station NBC 7. “I think it's a good option.” In case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past few months: Prop 36 is the only Proposition 47-reform ballot measure left standing after legislative leaders and Newsom tried (and tried again) but failed to get their own watered-down measure on the ballot and convince some Prop 36 backers to change course. There’s widespread Democratic concern Prop 36 could cause California’s incarceration rate to swell again, and the Legislature is expected to take up a Democratic-led crime bill package targeting retail theft when lawmakers return in August. Regardless, blue-city mayors like Gloria, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan are taking more conservative stances on drug and retail theft issues to ward off recalls or buoy their reelection campaigns. In other words, it’s not 2020 anymore. — Tyler Katzenberger   A message from Yes on 35 - Protect Our Healthcare:   WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — Newsom and other Biden surrogates are engaging in an awkward but obvious dance for the 2028 Democratic nomination. (POLITICO) — A Milwaukee radio station that interviewed Biden last week says it cut parts of the interview at his campaign’s request, including the president’s comment that he had “more Blacks in my administration than any other president, all other presidents combined.” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) — Allstate is planning to raise its homeowners insurance rates by an average of 34.1 percent later this year, the highest rate hike from a major insurer in the past three years. (San Francisco Chronicle) A message from Yes on 35 - Protect Our Healthcare: California’s health care system is in crisis. Hospitals are closing, emergency rooms are overcrowded, and care for fifteen million vulnerable Californians on Medi-Cal is significantly underfunded. That's why an unprecedented coalition of physicians, clinics, community hospitals, Planned Parenthood, and many more all urge: YES on Prop 35, the Protect Our Health Care Initiative. Prop 35 will address California's most urgent health care priorities by securing dedicated, ongoing funding to improve patient care and expand access to community health clinics, emergency rooms, specialty care providers and physicians offices. If passed, this initiative would extend an existing levee on health insurance companies - without raising taxes on individuals - and dedicate these funds to protect and expand patient access to care. Join us in saying YES on Prop 35 to protect our health care for all Californians. YES on 35 to Protect Our Health Care   AROUND THE STATE — Film and TV crews are fed up with working long hours and overnight shifts after a “9-1-1” employee died in a freeway crash following a marathon shooting session. (Los Angeles Times) — A San Diego City Attorney’s Office employee is suing the city, claiming it ignored her complaints about harassment and sexual assault perpetrated by a coworker. (San Diego Union-Tribune) — The Bay Area Council, a San Francisco-based business group, thinks California Forever’s plan to build a new major city in eastern Solano County could help grow housing and jobs in the area. (San Francisco Chronicle) — The Fresno school district is spending six figures to search for a new superintendent. (Fresno Bee) — compiled by Tyler Katzenberger   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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