THE BUZZ: On paper, the Legislature is co-equal with the governor. But one branch has predominated during this coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has been the national face of California’s response, announcing initiatives to battle the virus and outlining the state’s progress in daily briefings. Lawmakers have been on an extended hiatus from making policy after returning to their districts early in March, and they’ve already bumped an expected resumption date to May. That means Newsom, for many Californians, has embodied their government’s coronavirus response.
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Lawmakers empowered Newsom to spend more than $1 billion on fighting the virus as their final votes before signing off in March. While legislators of both parties underscored that Newsom needed the authorities and resources to act, frustration is now mounting within the Legislature about what that looks like — particularly after Newsom announced with national fanfare a massive equipment purchase without giving lawmakers details or a heads up.
The Legislature will try to exercise some oversight in a Senate hearing at 2 p.m. today and an Assembly one next week — our first glimpse at remote legislative activity in this uncertain era, with the Capitol still largely shuttered as stay-at-home orders persist. We’ll be watching to see if things get testy as lawmakers push for more information and more guarantees on a massive but still largely unexplained taxpayer outlay.
Looking ahead, coronavirus-related spending and oversight figure to occupy most of the Legislature’s year. Leadership has already explicitly told members to carry fewer bills — Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins said she’s downsized to two — and committee chairs are trying to filter out the dispensable ones. That means the usual dealmaking give-and-take between the administration and the Legislature will be attenuated and focused on pandemic response — so we’re watching today’s hearing for the tone and a sense of what may be coming. Atkins also announced a separate new Covid-response committee on Wednesday.
NEWSOM’S TAKE: The governor said he’s been in regular contact with legislators, talking yesterday with leadership and Zooming the Latino Caucus on topics like the budget and the still-fluid legislative calendar. “We will be more formally engaging” with hearings launching today, Newsom said, and “we will get the feedback and guidance on the basis of those dynamic hearings.”
BUENOS DIAS, good Thursday morning. President Donald Trump said he plans to present reopening guidelines to Newsom and the other 49 governors today. And in another sign of progress toward easing the lockdown, California ICU numbers dropped for the second consecutive day.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Nothing I’ve heard would indicate that we’ll be in those large, thousands-of-people gatherings anytime soon, and probably not for the rest of this year.” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti tells CNN that sports and concerts are unlikely to resume in 2021, as first reported by the LATimes.
TWEET OF THE DAY: Immigrant activist Jose Antonio Vargas @JoseIsWriting on California’s new relief fund for undocumented immigrants: “Dear Gov. @GavinNewsom: As an undocumented immigrant who was raised in California and call the Bay Area my home, thank you. Thank you for remembering that undocumented Californians are an inextricable part of our state. cc: governors across the country, especially @NYGovCuomo.”
WHERE’S GAVIN? His daily #NewsomAtNoon briefing, to be livestreamed on @CAGovernor Twitter feed, will update Covid-19 news in California.
Sign up for POLITICO Nightly: Coronavirus Special Edition, your daily update on how the illness is affecting politics, markets, public health and more.
— “Decades before coronavirus, a San Francisco AIDS conference changed Dr. Fauci’s life,” by the SF Chronicle’s Peter Hartlaub: “On one side, he would cautiously correct misinformation caused by a 1980s presidential administration that appeared to be bungling a national medical crisis. On the other, hard-line activists called him a Nazi and a murderer at growing protests.”
OLDEST TRADE — “Coronavirus fears haven’t stopped the sex trade on Los Angeles streets,” by the LA Times’ Laura Newberry: “Many of those selling sex on the streets tell advocates they have little to no choice but to continue doing high-risk work that has only become more fraught during this health crisis.”
BIG FOR STUDENTS — “SAT could go online if schools stay closed through the fall,” by POLITICO’s Bianca Quilantan: “The SAT has been delivered digitally in schools in several states and districts over the past year, the College Board said, and ‘while the idea of at-home SAT testing is new, digital delivery of the test is not.’” (Pro link)
IMMIGRANT AID — “California provides $125M coronavirus lifeline to undocumented immigrants,” by POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White: “Undocumented immigrants will be eligible for grants ranging from $500 per person to $1,000 per household, Newsom said. California will supply $75 million while another $50 million will come from an array of philanthropic organizations including the California Endowment, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, the Emerson Collective and Blue Shield’s philanthropic arm.”
— “San Francisco’s new contact tracing program could help California emerge from isolation,” by POLITICO’s Victoria Colliver: “The pilot program announced Wednesday could serve as a model for California and possibly the country as state leaders grapple with how to ease the stay-at-home orders that have hamstrung the economy.”
— “Sen. Kamala Harris calls for investigation into California migrant detention center,” by the San Diego U-T’s Kate Morrisey: “As of Tuesday afternoon, 24 detainees at Otay Mesa — 17 in ICE custody and seven in marshals custody — had tested positive for the new coronavirus, according to a facility document obtained by the Union-Tribune.”
With the help of The COVID Tracking Project — a volunteer-run accounting of every coronavirus test conducted in America — POLITICO is monitoring how many Americans have been tested in all 50 states. Our live tracker will continue to update with the latest numbers across the country as they come in.
— “Feinstein, House Democrats urge Newsom to compromise with Trump officials on water,” by POLITICO’s Debra Kahn: “The California-run State Water Project and the federally run Central Valley Project are operating under different endangered species directives for the first time after the Trump administration rolled back rules for the CVP in February.” (Pro link)
— “Supreme Court sets argument date for California religious school discrimination cases,” by POLITICO’s Juan Perez Jr.: “Justices agreed late last year to hear those cases, which pressed two Catholic schools into a challenge of whether the First Amendment bars civil courts from ruling on employment discrimination cases at religious institutions.” (Pro link)
— “Trump halt to WHO funding violates same law as Ukraine aid freeze, House Democrats say,” by POLITICO’s Caitlin Emma.
NEVER TRUMP OP-ED — “We’ve never backed a Democrat for president. But Trump must be defeated,’’ by Lincoln Project members including former Schwarzenegger strategists Mike Murphy and Steve Schmidt.
— “Katie Porter raises $2M in first quarter,” by POLITICO’s Ally Mutnick: “She will report what is likely to be one of the biggest quarterly totals of anyone not in congressional leadership, and that powerhouse fundraising has made her otherwise competitive Orange County seat an increasingly unattainable target this cycle for House Republicans this cycle.”
ARBALLO’s TAKE — “Can Devin Nunes’ challenger compete with GOP fundraising? Via Modesto Bee’s Kate Irby: Rep. Devin Nunes’ Democratic opponent had a great fundraising quarter for a first-time candidate trying to make an impression while many voters are thinking about the coronavirus outbreak. But Nunes’ fundraising is hard to beat.
— “Politics in the pandemic: Two California elections in May provide a preview,” by CalMatters’ Laurel Rosenhall: “In the suburbs north of Los Angeles and in a sprawling Riverside County legislative district, political campaigns are figuring out how to engage voters without knocking on doors, how to raise money without gathering for cocktail parties and chili cook-offs, and how to make sure people vote in elections that will largely be held by mail.”
WILLIE V SPLIT ROLL — “Changing Prop. 13 will generate a tax bill that will harm small businesses, especially those owned by minorities,” former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown writes for CalMatters: “Prop. 13 has provided stability, predictability and certainty. This certainty is even more important for the 46 percent of California businesses that are owned by racial minorities including African Americans.”
— “Newsom’s mask deal shows tendency for big plans, few details,” by the AP’s Kathleen Ronayne: “The mask deal, and how Newsom announced it, illustrates the first-term governor’s tendency to make big pronouncements without all details in place, or before his administration is ready to share them.”
— “COVID-19 gives California a chance to overhaul public safety. Will Gov. Newsom take it?” by Lenore Anderson in The Sac Bee: “The Newsom administration’s important actions to stop the spread in prisons will save lives. What happens in the justice system next is crucial: It could be the difference between temporary relief for thousands and permanent relief for millions.”
— “California Democratic Party will not release investigation of ex-chair Bauman,” by POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White.
CAST OFF — “California moves forward with fishing ban in some rural areas to stem coronavirus spread,” by the Sac Bee’s Ryan Sabalow.
LOW-INFO — “So much is unknown about the pandemic because the government keeps a lid on it,” by the LA Times’ Anita Chabria, Jack Dolan, Ben Poston and Matt Hamilton: “Information about the availability of personal protective equipment, or PPE, is lacking, upping the anxiety of healthcare workers. Coroners aren’t releasing information about deaths. Until recently, California was not releasing information about the racial breakdown of people who were infected and killed.”
— “More than 100,000 clean energy workers lost their jobs in March,” by the LA Times’ Sammy Roth: “Two-thirds of the people who have lost their jobs so far work in energy efficiency, which includes heating and air conditioning and the installation of efficient lighting and appliances — work that often involves going into people’s homes.”
HOUSING CORNER — “Renters hit by coronavirus are eligible for new eviction protections in L.A. County,” by the LA Times’ Liam Dillon.
— “Emergency COVID-19 Rules Effectively Give California’s NIMBYs Unlimited Time To File Anti-Housing Environmental Lawsuits,” by Reason’s Christian Britschgi.
— “San Francisco police aren’t staying home during coronavirus shutdown – they’re out in force,” by the SF Chronicle’s Phil Matier: “The heightened police presence can be seen throughout the city, particularly along commercial corridors.”
— “’It could have been averted’: How 92 residents at a San Francisco homeless shelter got Covid-19,” by The Guardian’s Vivian Ho: “The spike caused a single 12% surge in positive cases in the city, illustrating the magnitude of the crisis in a region that so far has weathered the coronavirus storm well.”
— “Gig workers struggle to claim unemployment relief,” by POLITICO’s Megan Cassella and Rebecca Rainey: “The $2 trillion rescue package was supposed to help out Uber drivers, freelance workers and other independent contractors who usually aren’t eligible for unemployment benefits. But so far, this 23 million-strong group of working Americans is running into dead ends, delays and bureaucracy trying to collect an unemployment check.”
TESLA TROUBLE — “Judge deems Musk’s ‘funding secured’ tweet false and misleading. A trial awaits,” by the LATimes’ Russ Mitchell.
MIND TRICK — “Pentagon barred from discussing Trump in JEDI contract probe,” by POLITICO’s Jacqueline Feldscher: “The Pentagon in October awarded the JEDI contract to Microsoft, which beat out Amazon for the up-to-$10 billion program to build the Pentagon’s cloud architecture that will allow information ranging from personnel files to intelligence to be shared across DoD.”
— “Uber, Lyft hit with claims of more than $630 million in back wages,” by the LATimes’ Johana Bhuiyan: “The drivers, along with members of the Transport Workers Union, plan to caravan outside the offices of the California labor commissioner as well as the Employment Development Department in Los Angeles and San Francisco on Thursday to demand that the state enforce AB 5 so they can qualify for unemployment insurance benefits and receive the wages they say they were wrongfully denied through misclassification.”
PRIVACY PROBLEMS — “How Coronavirus Is Eroding Privacy,” by WSJ’s Liza Lin and Timothy W. Martin: “Many citizens have welcomed tracking technology intended to bolster defenses against the novel coronavirus. Yet some privacy advocates are wary, concerned that governments might not be inclined to unwind such practices after the health emergency has passed.”
— “A start-up is using photos to ID you. Big tech can stop it from happening again,” by Jonathan Zittrain and John Bowers in WaPo.
— “Google to Slow Hiring for Rest of 2020, CEO Pichai Tells Staff,” by Bloomberg’s Mark Bergen.
— Investigative reporter Kevin Rector announced he’ll be covering the LAPD for the LATimes, coming over from the Baltimore Sun.
— “San Francisco schools’ proposal for grading during coronavirus? Give everyone an A,” by the SF Chronicle’s Jill Tucker.
— “Former Partners Sue Ayesha Curry For $10 Million In Celebrity Chef Branding Dispute,” via KPIX/AP.
— “Trash bag-wearing Oakland nurse’s firing raises questions over coronavirus protections,” by the SF Chronicle’s Chase DiFeliciantonio.
— “Herd immunity in California? A Stanford expert on why we’re nowhere close,” by The Guardian’s Sam Levin.
— “Tulare official apologizes after saying Latino colleague ‘wants another bite at the tortilla’,” by Vida en el Valle’s Juan Esparza Loera.
— “How One Chef Is Feeding LA’s Hospital Workers, 100 Enchiladas at a Time,” by Eater’s Meghan McCarron.
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LEGISLATURE to press NEWSOM today — UNDOCUMENTED get $125M lifeline — GARCETTI: freeze until 2021? — PORTER’s big haul
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