Ballot measures are fizzling already

Jan 28, 2022

By Jeremy B. White, Chris Ramirez and Graph Massara

Presented and Paid for by the Coalition for Clean Air

THE BUZZ —BAILING OUT EARLY:Like those of us honoring our New Year's resolutions, California's 2022 ballot is looking slimmer by the day.

More and more ballot initiative campaigns are pulling the plug as they confront the difficult realities of signature-gathering. An effort to channel general fund dollars to water storage projects looks like the latest to capsize, with organizers telling The Mercury News that they lacked the resources to rally enough voters. The measure's committee had reported raising about $100,000 so far from farms and farmers. Now environmentalists needn't come up with the cash to counter.

Organized labor could have fewer fights on its hands , too, as a trio of potential threats have evaporated or been deferred. One of two school voucher initiatives folded earlier this month; a proposal to make a quality education a constitutional right, cracking the door to teacher employment law fights, is now looking to be kicked to 2024; and Silicon Valley player and periodic ballot bankroller Tim Draper has abandoned his quest to declaw public employee unions by barring them from collective bargaining.

ALREADY IN — If you love watching campaign ads or make your living off of them, don't worry. We're still likely to see a lively and expensive ballot. A tobacco-sponsored referendum on California's flavored tobacco ban, a recycling overhaul funded by waste management companies and the latest doctors-versus-lawyers fight over malpractice payouts have all gathered enough signatures to qualify. So too has a tribal-backed sports wagering effort, although that could be supplanted by a new tribal proposal that seeks in turn to compete with FanDuel et al's still-circulating gaming push.

STILL WATCHING— More could be coming: affluent progressive Joe Sandberg's campaign for an $18 minimum wage; the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association's work to roll back property inheritance taxation changes; the third consecutive clash between SEIU-United Healthcare Workers and kidney dialysis clinics; a business-backed repeal of the lawsuit-generating Private Attorneys General Act; former L.A. Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner's arts education effort; Carl DeMaio's voter ID idea; and ballot initiatives to change ballot initiatives, by changing the recall process and taking away the attorney general's authority to write ballot labels. And the Legalize Ferrets guy is trying again.

TAX THE RICH?— That proposal to fund single-payer health care with an array of new taxes has gotten all the attention. But this ballot could see two separate levies on wealthy Californians: a plan to create a pandemic early detection system by raising top earners' taxes, funded largely by cryptocurrency players (really); and a newly launched effort to fund clean energy by upping affluent Californians' income taxes, which has drawn more than $3 million from Lyft, climate campaigner Tom Steyer, tech grandee Ron Conway , labor and enviros.

Oh, and by the way, if those single-payer taxes defy the odds and win enough votes to pass the Legislature? Because it's a constitutional amendment, it would still need to go — you guessed it — on the ballot.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. California Republicans are telegraphing their intent to emphasize public safety in the midterm elections, with the RNC hosting an "Are You Better Off?" discussion focused on crime in San Diego today, featuring Sen. Brian Jones and CAGOP Chair Jessica Millan Patterson.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit jwhite@politico.com or follow me on Twitter @jeremybwhite.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity and that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court." President Joe Biden on his plans for an opening Supreme Court seat, keeping the door open for a certain California judge.

TWEET OF THE DAY: L.A. City Council member @nithyavraman writes a thread on the city's diffuse homelessness services: "This is what we've built in LA. Because of our district-by-district approach, if you're homeless here, the resources available to you can be completely different depending on what neighborhood, block, or even the side of the street you live on. This system is totally absurd."

BONUS TOTD: @ElonMusk replies to Insurance Commissioner @RicardoLara, who accused Musk of wanting to change telematics rules: "You should be voted out of office"

WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

Paid for by the Coalition for Clean Air:

Thank you, Governor Newsom, for California's Climate Commitment! What state lawmakers do next will decide if we preserve a safe, equitable and healthy future for all or leave behind a damaged state to our children. Learn more.
Paid for by the Coalition for Clean Air.

Top Talkers

— " In LA Jail, Health Workers Say Deputies Discourage Vaccinations And Deface COVID-19 Signs," by the LAist's Emily Elena Dugdale: " Deputies with COVID-19 come in to work, with symptoms such as coughing, and talk about it — even comparing their symptoms with each other — according to four of the sources."

A STORM BREWING — " Stormy Daniels and Avenatti meet again, as adversaries," by the AP's Tom Hayes and Larry Neumeister: "Stormy Daniels took her star turn on the witness stand Thursday at California lawyer Michael Avenatti's trial, telling a jury Avenatti 'stole from me and lied to me.'"

JOIN TODAY TO HEAR FROM GOVERNORS ACROSS AMERICA : As we head into the third year of the pandemic, state governors are taking varying approaches to public health measures including vaccine and mask mandates. "The Fifty: America's Governors" is a series of live conversations featuring various governors on the unique challenges they face as they take the lead and command the national spotlight in historic ways. Learn what is working and what is not from the governors on the front lines, REGISTER HERE.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

NEW RULES — " Omicron in California: Oakland prepares to enforce new vaccine mandate," by the SF Chronicle's Dominic Fracassa, Aidin Vaziri and Julie Johnson: "As a new regulation goes into effect on Tuesday requiring patrons to show proof of COVID vaccination in indoor restaurants, bars, theaters, clubs and other establishments, many business owners said they welcome the new policy."

TARDY TO CLASS — " Oakland Unified delays student vaccine mandate, " by Oaklandside's Ashley McBride: "The new Aug. 1 deadline is likely to move OUSD closer to the state of California's timeline for requiring student vaccinations. The state mandate, announced in October by Gov. Gavin Newsom, would require all students to be vaccinated once the Food and Drug Administration approves the shot for children 12 and under."

HELP WANTED — " On the street: Omicron surge strains California police agencies, " by CalMatters' Byrhonda Lyons: "While state lawmakers have agreed to extend paid sick leave for workers and support for small businesses, among other things, no statewide effort has been made to help city and county law enforcement agencies deal with the variant's fallout."

CUT SHORT — " Will worker shortage disrupt California homeless strategy? " by CalMatters' Manuela Tobias: "At the root of the worker shortage – which advocates say is really a shortage of good jobs – is low wages."

— " American River advocates demand removal of homeless camps in appeal to Sacramento leaders," by the Sac Bee's Theresa Clift: "Many unhoused people camp along the lower American River Parkway because police have swept them from other locations, said Crystal Sanchez, president of the Sacramento Homeless Union."

SEE YA, SAT — " CSU strongly indicates it will permanently scrap SAT, ACT admission requirement," by the LA Times' Teresa Watanabe: "The Cal State move comes as more than 1,800 colleges and universities have dropped standardized testing requirements for admissions — nearly 80% of all four-year U.S. campuses that award bachelor's degrees, with most making them optional due to the pandemic."

LOCKED, LOADED AND LIABLE — " San Jose is first U.S. city to mandate gun owners carry insurance and pay a fee," by The Mercury News' Maggie Angst: "Within minutes of San Jose City Council's passage of the groundbreaking ordinance, however, gun rights activists fired off their first legal challenge in federal court."

UNDER THE RUG — " 'Trying to disappear the poor': California clears homeless camp near Super Bowl," by the Guardian's Sam Levin: "The controversial sweep comes as elected officials in LA have increasingly launched high-profile encampment shutdowns in response to a worsening humanitarian crisis."

DISAPPOINTED AND SURPRISED — " Racism in O.C. schools is nothing new — but it's surprisingly diverse," opines the LA Times' Gustavo Arellano: "If any school system in California needs ethnic studies or critical race theory, it's Orange County. But too many don't want it. Allowing instructors to break down privilege and systemic racism to impressionable young minds would signify something's wrong here — and we can never admit that."

Paid for by the Coalition for Clean Air:

CAMPAIGN MODE

NOT A THREAT, A PROMISE — " Progressives threaten to pull endorsements from California lawmakers who reject single-payer health care bill," by Fox40's Ashley Zavala and Katelyn Stark: "The pre-endorsement process begins Feb. 5, just days after the Assembly is poised to hold a floor vote on the proposal — Assembly Bill 1400 — Monday."

SF SCHOOL BOARD DRAMA — " Latinx community fights back against school board recall effort in special election," by El Tecolote's Alexis Terrazas: "But those against the recall say that the commissioners … acted in the interest of those students and families most impacted by the pandemic, who were disproportionately Black and Brown."

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

— " U.S. economy grew 5.7 percent in 2021 in rebound from 2020 recession," by the AP: "Squeezed by inflation and still gripped by Covid-19 caseloads, the economy is expected to keep expanding this year, though at a slower pace."

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— "Illegal Activity in Crypto Is a 'Concern,' California's AG Says," by Bloomberg's Akayla Gardner.

— " Gay/Bi Dating App, Muslim Prayer Apps Sold Data on People's Location to a Controversial Data Broker," by The Markup's Jon Keegan and Alfred Ng: "X‑Mode has since faced sanctions from the Google and Apple app stores as well as scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators for, among other things, selling location data to military contractors."

— "Amazon Illegally Threatened Staff, U.S. Labor Board Alleges," by Bloomberg's Josh Eidelson.

CANNABIS COUNTRY

FALSE HOPES — " California promised 'social equity' after pot legalization. Those hit hardest feel betrayed," by the LA Times' Melissa Gerber: "While the law didn't mandate that cities establish equity programs — and many have not — it paved the way for doling out millions in state funds to those that did. But the ambition of the legislation quickly pushed up against the realities of a limited market already saturated with illegal sales and a few big cannabis companies."

PICKING UP THE PACE — " New bill takes aim at California's slow progress clearing pot convictions," by the LA Times' Kiera Feldman: "At least 34,000 marijuana records still have not been fully processed by the courts."

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

MIXTAPE

— " Health Experts Push Back on UCSF Doctors' Petition Calling for End to California Mask Mandates," by the SF Standard's Kevin Truong.

WWYD? — " They Bought a Bay Area House Sight Unseen. Which of These Would You Have Chosen?" by the New York Times' Candace Jackson.

ON THEIR TAIL —" Police say they're 'closer than ever' to solving Doodler serial killer cold case," by the SF Chronicle's Kevin Fagan.

BUSTED — " Sacramento man indicted on charges of plotting to kill or kidnap Biden, Harris, Fauci," by the Sac Bee's Sam Stanton.

FOR FREE? — " California has thousands of N95 and KN95 masks available for free. Why aren't more counties taking advantage?" by KCRA's Daniel Macht.

IN MEMORIAM

— " Esteban Torres, longtime L.A. congressman who championed Latino rights, dies at 91," by the LA Times' Ruben Vives.

Paid for by the Coalition for Clean Air:

Thank you, Governor Newsom, for California's Climate Commitment!

This decade offers a narrow window of time - our last chance - to fight polluters and prevent irreversible damage to California caused by climate change and air pollution. Such high stakes make Governor Gavin Newsom's California Climate Commitment so important. It's an unprecedented $37 billion action plan to:

• Protect Californians from the extreme effects of climate change
• Lead the world in reducing carbon and air pollution
• Ensure that those most harmed by climate change, often communities of color, are empowered to fight for climate justice.

What state lawmakers do next will decide if we preserve a safe, equitable and healthy future for all or leave behind a damaged state to our children. Learn more.

Paid for by the Coalition for Clean Air.

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