A field of candidates unlike any other

Your afternoon must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State

Feb 28, 2024 View in browser   By Ariel Gans Tina McKinnor, center, smiles as she receives applause from Assembly members after she was sworn in June 20, 2022, in Sacramento, California. Rich Pedroncelli | AP MAKING HISTORY: This year’s field of candidates for state Senate and Assembly is historic in at least one way. Twenty-three Black women, including four incumbents, are running for the Legislature, more than ever before. Some are opposing each other in the March primary but as many as 19 could conceivably win seats in either the Assembly or Senate. If that happens, there would be more Black women in the Legislature than at any time — only a couple years after their ranks dwindled to just two. All but three of the candidates are Democrats so in one sense the field reflects Black women’s major role in the party. They were widely credited with helping to elect Joe Biden in 2020, with 93 percent voting for him over former President Donald Trump. But it’s also a result of recruitment and mentorship efforts, says Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, who was elected in 2022. “Women are now ready and equipped to run because we've invested in them,” said McKinnor, a Democrat from Inglewood. “And so now they're really turning up and turning out in big numbers.” For those keeping track at home, Yvonne Braithwaite Burke became the first Black woman in the Legislature when she was elected in 1966 to represent a Los Angeles district. She went on to serve in Congress and as a member of the UC Board of Regents, appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown, among other positions. Her daughter, Autumn Burke, served in the Assembly from 2014-2022. The ranks of Black women in the Legislature over the years have included Rep. Barbara Lee, LA Mayor Karen Bass and Rep. Maxine Waters. There are now five Black women in the Legislature, the most at any one time. Democratic political groups and Black women leaders — eyeing the upcoming wave of open seats stemming from new term-limit turnover — have worked to recruit and support many of these candidates in this year’s races, said Susannah Delano of Close The Gap, an advocacy group that works to elect Democratic women. “No matter how you slice it, there's a decent chance that Black women's numbers will double in the Legislature by December — and that's just unprecedented transformation,” Delano said. Tia Orr, the first Black woman to serve as executive director at the influential Service Employees International Union California — which has endorsed 11 of the Black women candidates — said she hopes this moment in California politics “will send ripple effects across the nation, where we see more Black women being elected, more folks getting behind them and lifting them up to be leaders in their communities.” In the meantime, McKinnor predicts it will have an immediate effect in the Legislature, with a more concerted focus on family issues such as housing, health care and educational outcomes. “I think they'll look at it in a way that maybe other folks wouldn't,” she said. IT’S  WEDNESDAY 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 agans@politico.com or send a shout on X. DMs are open. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY NOT GOING AWAY: The Israel-Hamas war is still tearing California college campuses apart. Jewish students at UC Berkeley had to be evacuated from an event on Monday after pro-Palestinian protesters shattered a window and pushed open a door. San José State University placed a professor on leave who grabbed and twisted the arm of a pro-Palestinian student protester who tried to block him from recording a campus protest. And the Jewish student body president at UC Santa Barbara was targeted in signs at the campus’ multicultural center, including one that warned her: “You can run but you can’t hide." (Operations at the center have been suspended, according to UCSB’s student newspaper.) K-12 schools have not been immune from conflict, either. The Anti-Defamation League and Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law today alleged in a complaint to the U.S. Department of Education that teachers and administrators within Berkeley Unified have bullied Jewish students over their identities and encouraged pro-Palestinian walkouts. — Blake Jones ON THE BEATS San Francisco Mayor London Breed speaks during a news conference to promote a crime measure at the Footprint retail store on Jan. 25, 2024. Eric Risberg | AP ON THE MEND: San Francisco Mayor London Breed says the City has seen a 28 percent decrease in crime over the past six months even as her critics and political opponents hammer her over the issue. Breed gives partial credit for the improvement to the Biden administration and federal government, which has worked with the city to shut down open-air drug markets. “We’ve seen increased arrests for drug dealing and trafficking and more prosecutions against those who are harming our communities,” the mayor said in a statement. She issued the statement to POLITICO in response to today’s speech by President Joe Biden celebrating the fact that major U.S. cities — including Chicago, Miami, Detroit and Philadelphia — have experienced major drops in crime following spikes during the pandemic. Breed thanked the administration. “President Biden isn't just talking about what we need to do — he's working with cities and mayors to deliver the day to day support to keep communities safe, and we are grateful for it,” she said. — Jeremy B. White MIND MADE UP: State Sen. Bill Dodd says he’s been gathering facts about a plan backed by billionaire Silicon Valley investors to erect a new city from scratch on farmland in Solano County. Now, Dodd says he’s come to a decision: The Napa-based Democrat is opposed to California Forever. Dodd says the city, which would be about 50 miles northeast of San Francisco and eventually be home to up to 400,000 people, is “deeply flawed.” He says it would displace farmers, worsen traffic and interfere with Travis Air Force Base. “What they’re proposing will drastically and irreversibly alter the area,” he said. “It’s not right, and it’s time for all those who value thoughtful policymaking and Solano County’s future to stand up against it.” He joins a number of prominent local critics, including Rep. John Garamendi and Rep. Mike Thompson, whose districts include the area. California Forever is preparing to circulate a petition to get on the November ballot with a measure that would grant an exemption to the county’s Orderly Growth Initiative and General Plan to permit development of the project. They’ve been contending with criticism for months, arguing that their pedestrian-friendly project will bring housing and jobs to the county. The company was dismissive of Dodd’s criticism. “Legislators in Sacramento are entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts,” California Forever said in a statement. “Actual Solano County residents are interested in a plan to bring much needed homes and economic development to an area that has been neglected for too long by their elected representatives who live in other counties.” — Ben Fox  WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY GUILTY PLEAS: Recently resigned Chula Vista City Councilmember Andrea Cardenas and her political consultant brother Jesus Cardenas have pleaded guilty to two charges of grand theft of funds obtained through the Paycheck Protection Program. (The San Diego Union-Tribune) CORPORATE LANDLORDS: Democrats in the Legislature are proposing measures to curb the practice of investment firms gobbling up hundreds or even thousands of residential properties amid warnings that the practice isn’t yet widespread in California and could have unintended consequences for the housing market. (San Francisco Chronicle) NOT A SKI WEEKEND: The National Weather Service is urging people to avoid Tahoe and Mammoth this weekend, when a blizzard is expected to bring eight feet of snow and winds in excess of 100 mph. (Los Angeles Times)   Follow us on Twitter POLITICO California @politicoca   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

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://login.politico.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service