Garcetti’s woes continue

Feb 27, 2023

By Jeremy B. White, Lara Korte, Ramon Castanos and Matthew Brown

Presented by SEIU-UHW

THE BUZZ: Eric Garcetti’s sputtering ambassador odyssey has lasted nearly as long as a California Assembly term.

It’s coming on two years since President Joe Biden picked the L.A. mayor as America’s chief emissary to India, rewarding Garcetti for his steadfast loyalty as a key California surrogate. Back in the summer of 2021, Angeles politicos tried to game out what would happen if Garcetti stepped down with well more than a year left in his term. Then-City Council President Nury Martinez was next in line to be interim mayor.

Much has shifted since then. Now Garcetti has been out of office for months, Martinez has been forced out by scandal — and the Senate is still considering whether to confirm Garcetti as he continues to face questions about former top aide Rick Jacobs’ sexual misconduct. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee was poised to weigh Garcetti and other Biden nominees Tuesday. Garcetti has been here before, appearing before the panel in an amicable hearing in late 2021 and then sailing through a vote.

But Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said on Friday that he would place a hold on Garcetti — along with several of Biden’s picks — because he had “ignored credible sexual assault accusations in his prior office.” That means the committee, which approved his nomination in the last Congress, won't vote on Garcetti until its next business meeting. It’s the latest sign that seemingly ineradicable concerns about Garcetti’s ties to Jacobs could terminate his languishing prospects.

Garcetti has consistently denied knowing about Jacobs’ alleged misdeeds. But a report from Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa concluded otherwise, and among Garcetti’s accusers are a former top aide who now runs a whistleblower organization that has pressed the Senate to reject Garcetti. It’s not just Republicans expressing misgivings: Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona has said he still has reservations despite Garcetti proxies applying pressure.

The White House has never flinched in its support of Garcetti, evincing the kind of loyalty that is one of Biden’s guiding characteristics. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended his re-nomination last month by saying the former mayor was “well qualified” to serve in a “very important” role that has only grown more so as the war in Ukraine tests the global balance of power.

But it's long been evident for some senators do not share the president’s view on Garcetti’s fitness. We should have a clearer view on where things stand this week. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will need to use up precious floor time to elevate Garcetti — a calculation that will force Senate Democrats to decide how much weight to place in the Angeleno.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. A pair of state Senate committees is holding a joint hearing this morning on handling the opioid crisis that has fueled death and addiction across California — and dozens of bills this year to respond.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up at jwhite@politico.com and lkorte@politico.com or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “If Henry Ford had seen this in his plants, he would have never become famous and rich. This is not the way you do an assembly line.” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on discharging migrant children from the shelter system, according to a bombshell New York Times story.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

Twitter

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

MEA CULPA — Friday’s Playbook used the wrong spelling for Rep. Katie Porter’s first name.

A message from SEIU-UHW:

Healthcare workers are burnt out and underpaid, causing many to leave their jobs. Now, California faces an urgent healthcare worker shortage that threatens patient care. Tell lawmakers: Stop the shortage. Pass SB 525 Healthcare Worker Minimum Wage bill.

TOP TALKERS

— “The furniture hustlers of Silicon Valley,” by The New York Times’ Erin Griffith: “That’s led to a lot of expendable furniture, much of it hewing to a specific youthful aesthetic of Instagrammable bright colors and midcentury modern shapes. That look, complemented by plant walls of succulents and kombucha on tap, was a hallmark of the tech talent wars over the past two decades, telegraphing a company’s success and sophistication.”

— Stealing from the dead: Medical examiner staffer under investigation, by The San Francisco Standard’s Jonah Owen Lamb and Michael Barba: “Anthony Marchini—who spent more than five years investigating deaths in San Francisco and telling families their loved ones died — admitted to the thefts last October during a lie detector test he took while applying for promotion, according to court records obtained by The Standard.”

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CAMPAIGN MODE

— DeSantis leads Trump in California matchup, by POLITICO’S Jeremy B. White: The Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll released Friday suggests many conservatives are ready to move on from the former president and affirms that DeSantis would be the Republican most likely to draw voters from Trump.

— “California Republicans will have rare power in 2024. Now they just need a Senate candidate,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Joe Garofoli: “This time, candidates will have to campaign in California if they want to capture the GOP nomination. While California Republicans hold little power in their own state, in 2016’s open primary California offered the most delegates (172) and probably will again.”

A message from SEIU-UHW:

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

— “Court ruling halts U.C. Berkeley from building student housing at People's Park,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Teresa Watanabe: “In a decision issued Friday evening, the court said University of California regents need not abandon the People’s Park project but must return to the trial court and “fix the errors” in the environmental review.”

— “Pipeline debate at center of California carbon capture plans,” by The Associated Press’ Michael Phillis and Kathleen Ronayne: “State Sen. Anna Caballero, who authored the carbon capture legislation, said the state’s goal will be to create a safety framework that’s even more robust than what the federal government will develop. But she downplayed any urgent need to move forward with pipeline rules, saying smaller projects that don’t require movement over long distances can start in the meantime.”

— “In a California town, farmworkers start from scratch after surprise flood,” by The New York Times’ Soumya Karlamangla and Viviana Hinojos: “The recent floods dealt a painful blow to a community in which more than a third of households are impoverished. Planada is more than 90 percent Latino and overwhelmingly Spanish-speaking.”

— “L.A. County supervisors call for probation chief's ouster after video of violent restraint of teen,” by the Los Angeles Times’ James Queally and Rebecca Ellis: “With its vote recommending Gonzales be fired, the commission also approved a resolution to remove Cross and the staff members who were involved in restraining the teen. A resolution to oust Fletcher, who attended the meeting but did not speak, was then approved separately.”

— “Violence during a West Oakland homeless camp's closure highlights dire stakes and lack of trust,” by The Oaklandside’s Natalie Orenstein and Darwin BondGraham: “The incident underscores how divided Oaklanders are over one of the city’s most pressing crises. Decisions about whether or not to close a specific homeless camp and what will be offered to residents in its place can have life-and-death consequences for people living there, and can severely impact quality of life for people housed nearby.”

— “Bill to expand coverage to migrants may test Newsom’s pledge on universal health Care,” California Healthline’s Rachel Bluth: “Arambula’s bill would direct the state to ask the federal government to allow immigrants living in the state without authorization to get insurance through Covered California.”

— “Is Urban Alchemy really ready to handle San Francisco 911 calls?,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Nuala Bishari: “But earlier this month the city of San Francisco selected Urban Alchemy in a competitive bidding process to operate its up-and-coming Community Response Team, a one-year, $2.75 million police alternative that would handle low-level calls about homelessness that come in via 911.”

— “These downtown S.F. office buildings could yield thousands of housing units,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Noah Arroyo: “Real estate developers are transforming offices into housing in other places, but San Francisco’s costs have convinced some in the building industry and city government that such conversions are not financially feasible here, at least not without government subsidies or incentives.”

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SILICON VALLEYLAND

— “A brief history of Elon Musk’s master plans,” by Curbed’s Alissa Walker: “When the original Tesla Roadster did finally hit the market, it was like nothing else on American streets — and extremely xpensive.”

— “As crime-solving goes hi-tech, public defenders scramble to keep up,” The Guardian’s Johana Bhuiyan: “One way that the Fourth Amendment Center, launched in 2018, works to level the playing field is by partnering with defense attorneys to challenge the ways law enforcement uses tech.”

A message from SEIU-UHW:

While hospitals made billions during the pandemic, patient care has gotten worse. Why? Healthcare workers are burnt out and underpaid, causing many to leave their jobs. Now, California faces an urgent healthcare worker shortage.

Lawmakers have a choice: Pass SB 525 Healthcare Worker Minimum Wage bill or put more patients at risk.

MIXTAPE

— “Photos show the Bay Area blanketed in rare snow,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Jake Lee.

— “Shivering in your L.A. apartment? Here’s what to do if your landlord isn't providing heat,” by LAist’s David Wagner.

— “Cucamonga Peak hiker survives 200-foot fall from an icy trail,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Alexandra E. Petri.

— “Transgender disc golf athlete sues after being told she cannot compete in California event,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Sam Stanton.

BIRTHDAYS

SUNDAY: Li Zhou … Sydney Ellis

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