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California Policy and Politics Tuesday
Trumpchella? Why he’s holding a rally in the California desert, weeks before election day -- “This is a point of pride for President Trump,” said this strategist, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about interactions with the campaign. “He fought in New York. He’s going to fight in California. He’s not leaving anything on the table.” Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/8/24
‘Not even close’: Hochman’s lead over Gascón grows to 30% in new D.A.’s race poll -- With less than a month remaining before the Nov. 5 election, challenger Nathan Hochman is 30 percentage points ahead of incumbent Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón in a new poll. Connor Sheets and James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/8/24
Willie Brown, other former S.F. mayors accuse Mark Farrell of breaking the law -- Three former San Francisco mayors — along with other former local elected officials — issued a remarkable rebuke of mayoral candidate Mark Farrell, accusing him of breaking the law in how he is managing his campaign finances and calling for an investigation. St. John Barned-Smith, J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/8/24
Garofoli: Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is going all-in on a risky anti-recall strategy -- Not only has Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao officially launched her anti-recall campaign late — less than a month before Election Day — but she’s banking on some risky strategies and endorsers as she makes her case that she shouldn’t be booted halfway through her four-year term. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/8/24
Newton: To restore morale, new pick for LA police chief embraces a strategy California desperately needs -- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and her newly appointed police chief, Jim McDonnell, signaled something unusual and important on the day of his announcement Friday: Officer morale is important, and it is created in conversation with the community outside the department. Jim Newton CalMatters -- 10/8/24
For 15 years, José Huizar was an L.A. power broker. Today, he went behind bars -- Former L.A. City Councilmember José Huizar began serving his 13-year prison sentence on Monday for his role in a motley array of corruption and bribery schemes that shattered public faith in City Hall. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/8/24
How to watch the only debate between Steve Garvey and Adam Schiff for California U.S. Senate seat -- Republican Steve Garvey, 75, and Democrat Adam B. Schiff, 64, will meet on the debate stage at 5 p.m. Tuesday in a forum hosted by KABC-TV in Los Angeles and co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of California. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/8/24
This California ballot measure promises money for health care. Its critics warn it could backfire -- Among the blitz of election ads flooding TV, social media and street corners, you won’t see any opposition to a ballot measure proposing to lock in billions of dollars to pay doctors more for treating low-income patients. Kristen Hwang CalMatters -- 10/8/24
LA County voters face huge decision on homeless services funding -- In Los Angeles County, where more than 75,000 people have nowhere to call home, voters will decide whether to tax themselves to help get people off the street. Marisa Kendall CalMatters -- 10/8/24
Vulnerable CA Republicans sought infrastructure dollars after slamming the bipartisan law -- To California Republicans, the bipartisan infrastructure law was “terrible,” “reckless” and “the last thing middle class families need.” But once it opened a spigot of funding, they were eager to ask for the cash. Lara Korte and Melanie Mason Politico -- 10/8/24
Prop 36
What will California voters spend to make criminals pay? -- Opponents of Proposition 36 have changed the subject to the cost of its mandated treatment for repeat drug offenders and projected prison population increases as they struggle to overcome financial and polling deficits. Emily Schultheis, Rachel Bluth, Will McCarthy and Lindsey Holden Politico Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/8/24
Street
Jewish-owned business tagged with graffiti during S.F. rally for Palestinians -- A popular Jewish-owned cafe in the Mission District was tagged with anti-Israel graffiti during a demonstration in support of Palestinian people and against the war in Gaza on Sunday. David Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/8/24
SF doom loop
S.F.’s fight against the doom loop weighed down by stark economic realities -- In other words, San Francisco’s brightened horizons have not completely banished the risk of a doom loop, even if experts mostly agree that a difficult, slow recovery is more likely. Roland Li, Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/8/24
Section 8 renters
Housing nonprofit alleges widespread discrimination against Section 8 tenants in California -- The Housing Rights Initiative filed civil rights complaints Monday, alleging California landlords routinely discriminate against Section 8 tenants. The filings, with the California Civil Rights Department, were based on an undercover investigation. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/8/24
H-1B "Benched"
H-1B visa: Company supplying thousands of tech workers to Silicon Valley discriminated against non-Indians, jury finds -- The jury verdict against Cognizant, founded in Chennai and now headquartered in New Jersey, came Friday in a class-action lawsuit that revolved around claims the firm abused the H-1B visa process. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/8/24
Environment
‘Dirty Delta’: California’s largest estuary is in crisis. Is the state discriminating against people who fish there? -- Immigrants, tribes and other people of color rely on fish from San Francisco Bay and Delta rivers. California faces a federal discrimination probe for failing to protect them. Rachel Becker CalMatters -- 10/8/24
S.F. is at war over an environmental case headed to the Supreme Court -- As San Francisco prepares to ask the Supreme Court to ease federal restrictions on sewage pollution into the ocean and the bay, the case has divided the city’s all-Democratic leadership, and put the city in the unusual position of siding with oil companies and business groups and against the state and federal governments. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/8/24
Top of the ticket
Trump Secretly Stayed in Touch With Putin After Leaving Office, Book Says -- A new book by the journalist Bob Woodward also reports that Donald J. Trump, while still in office, secretly sent Vladimir Putin what were then rare Covid-19 tests for the Russian’s leader’s personal use. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ Isaac Stanley-Becker in the Washington Post$ -- 10/8/24
Poll Finds Harris Rising as She Challenges Trump on Change -- A national Times/Siena poll found Kamala Harris with a slim lead over Donald J. Trump. Voters were more likely to see her, not Mr. Trump, as a break from the status quo. Adam Nagourney, Ruth Igielnik and Camille Baker in the New York Times$ -- 10/8/24
Kamala Harris Struggling to Break Through With Working Class, Democrats Fear -- In crucial blue wall states, Harris allies want a sharper economic message and more campaign visits. Ken Thomas and Catherine Lucey in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/8/24
Harris launches unscripted interview blitz after cautious roll-out -- After taking over the Democratic ticket, picking a running mate, staging a convention and turning in a strong debate performance, Vice President Kamala Harris is now embracing potentially the riskiest test of a presidential campaign — the day-to-day grind of unscripted interviews. Michael Scherer, Tyler Pager and Jonathan O'Connell in the Washington Post$ -- 10/8/24
7 Takeaways From Harris’s Interview on ‘60 Minutes’ -- Pressed repeatedly, Kamala Harris stayed focused on the points she wanted to make. She also spoke about owning a Glock, and Tim Walz revealed she had told him to be a “little more careful” speaking. Reid J. Epstein and Katie Rogers in the New York Times$ -- 10/8/24
Anticipating backlash, Alex Cooper of ‘Call Her Daddy’ explains that Kamala Harris interview -- ‘Call Her Daddy’ host Alex Cooper says she interviewed Kamala Harris because ‘one of the main conversations in this election is women’ and she wanted in on that. Nardine Saad in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/8/24
Trump Says He’s Visited Gaza, but No Record of Such a Trip Exists -- An aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, pointed to the former president’s trip to Israel. But Gaza is not in Israel. Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 10/8/24
Vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is coming to Sacramento Tuesday -- The visit is part of a West Coast fundraising swing that includes Washington state as well as San Diego, Santa Barbara, Montecito and Los Angeles. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/8/24
California Policy and Politics Monday
Supreme Court turns down challenge of California labor lawsuits by Uber, Lyft -- The Supreme Court refused Monday to hear appeals from ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft, which were asking to block California state labor lawsuits that seek back pay for tens of thousands of drivers. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/24
Skelton: Newsom sends clear message about increasing benefits for undocumented immigrants -- Has California reached its limit in providing benefits for immigrants living here illegally? That’s the indication after Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed three bills passed by the liberal Legislature. The state at least has definitely hit an election-year pause. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/24
Inside the cordial — but not close — relationship between Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi -- Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi are two of the most powerful female lawmakers in the world. They came up in the same 7-by-7-mile-wide Machiavellian political environment and broke barriers at every turn in their careers. Shira Stein, Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/24
Schiff vs. Trump: The real head-to-head battle defining California’s U.S. Senate race -- Rep. Adam Schiff’s role as a chief critic of former President Trump has defined his bid to become the next U.S. senator from California. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/24
Major-league debt and mortgages: Inside the California Senate candidates’ finances -- Garvey owes as much as $750,000 to the IRS, while Schiff has made as much as $2 million from his 2021 book, “Midnight In Washington.” Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/24
From Bocce to Brawls: How Politics Tore Apart a California Retirement Community -- A baby boomer paradise erupts in red-blue political strife, from dueling newspaper columns to a fitness-center fracas. Call in the ‘Civility Task Force.’ Jim Carlton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/7/24
Will an influx of Californians into Arizona tilt the battleground state’s politics? -- Arizona is now among a handful of battlegrounds that will determine whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Trump wins the White House in November. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/24
Bay Area poll: Silicon Valley is too powerful, has lost its moral compass, majority say -- Among registered voters, 80% of those responding to the poll blamed Silicon Valley’s tech industry for driving up housing and living costs, and 75% said the industry had too much power and influence. Sixty-nine percent said Silicon Valley had lost its moral compass. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/7/24
Measure A homeless sales tax edges closer to the 50% majority needed for passage, poll shows -- A measure on the November ballot that would double the county’s quarter-percent homeless sales tax is edging closer to the majority it would need to pass in a new poll of likely Los Angeles County voters. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/24
Should the Tijuana River Valley be the next Superfund site in Southern California? -- San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday is expected to consider whether to petition the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to inspect the Tijuana River Valley. Tammy Murga in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/7/24
‘Give Sheng Thao the chance she deserves’: Oakland mayor launches campaign to save job -- Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao launched a campaign Sunday to fight her recall in November — less than a month before voters will decide whether to remove her from office. Jessica Flores, Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/6/24
‘I would have been a great mom’: California finally pays reparations to woman it sterilized -- California over decades sterilized thousands of people in state prisons, state-run homes and hospitals. Lawmakers created a reparations program for them, but it has denied most applications. Cayla Mihalovich CalMatters -- 10/7/24
Heat
S.F.’s 97 degrees one of at least 10 daily temperature records set across Bay Area -- Sunday was the hottest day of the year in San Francisco and the hottest October day in the city in 28 years. The high of 97 degrees set a new daily temperature record for the date as well, one of many records set across the Bay Area on Sunday. Greg Porter in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/6/24
PG&E outages impact Oakland, Walnut Creek as temperatures hit 100 degrees -- Hundreds of Pacific Gas & Electric customers in Walnut Creek and Oakland reported power outages Sunday afternoon, as an October heat wave pushed temperatures over 100 degrees in parts of the East Bay. Kate Talerico in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/6/24
Street
Venice Canal assault victim files $5-million claim against the city of Los Angeles -- A woman who was attacked and sexually assaulted while out for a walk on the Venice Canals in April has filed a $5-million claim against the city of Los Angeles, charging that the government was derelict in its duty to provide safe streets and protect its citizens. Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/24
Top of the ticket
Harris Hits Back at Republican Criticism of Childless Women -- “All of us understand that this is not the 1950s anymore,” Vice President Kamala Harris told the host of the podcast “Call Her Daddy,” a platform popular with millennial and Gen Z women. Katie Rogers in the New York Times$ -- 10/6/24
Harris attacks Trump with new Jack Smith revelations -- The digital ad, shared first with Politico, is targeting voters in key battleground states. Mia McCarthy and Holly Otterbein Politico -- 10/7/24
How the Supreme Court could reshape the 2024 race — again -- From mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania to hurricane accommodations in North Carolina, here are the legal issues to watch. Josh Gerstein Politico -- 10/7/24
Tim Walz Makes First Sunday Show Appearance Since Joining Ticket -- Mr. Walz, who has kept a relatively low profile since becoming Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, appeared on Fox News Sunday. Kellen Browning in the New York Times$ -- 10/6/24
Harris’s own ballot will include crime measure dividing Democrats in Calif. -- Kamala Harris’s campaign won’t say how she’ll vote on Proposition 36, which would increase penalties for some crimes, or other California ballot measures. Justine McDaniel and Anumita Kaur in the Washington Post$ -- 10/6/24
Election denial returns as focus with Vance’s ‘non-answer,’ new Trump indictment details -- In the waning minutes of Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, Gov. Tim Walz hit on a question that has become central to the 2024 presidential race — and to America’s political future more broadly. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/24
Trump’s Plans Could Increase U.S. Debt While Raising Costs for Most Americans -- A new analysis finds that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump’s plans would both add to the deficit, but Mr. Trump’s proposals could create a fiscal hole twice as big. Andrew Duehren and Alan Rappeport in the New York Times$ Richard Rubin in the Wall Street Journal$ Josh Boak Associated Press Jacob Bogage in the Washington Post$ -- 10/7/24
Caroline Giuliani’s endorsement of Harris didn’t faze her father -- While Giuliani said that she and her father still have open conversations with each other, she explained that her father’s loyalty to Trump is hard to get past. Greta Reich Politico -- 10/6/24
Johnson won’t say Biden won in 2020, raising worries on 2024’s process -- During a testy exchange on ABC News, the House speaker wouldn’t say Donald Trump lost in 2020, saying that the question was a “gotcha game” by the media. Mariana Alfaro in the Washington Post$ -- 10/6/24