| | | | |  | | By Sejal Govindarao and Wes Venteicher | | | With help from Ben Fox and Forest Hunt. BABY ON BOARD: Kim Nguyen-Penaloza is vying to unseat incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Steel in her Orange County toss-up district — soon, with a newborn in tow. We checked in with the first-time congressional candidate and soon-to-be first-time mom as part of our coverage of the campaigns in the battleground districts.
|  Democratic congressional candidate Kim Nguyen-Penaloza, who is pregnant, will vie to unseat incumbent Republican Michelle Steel in an Orange County toss-up district with a newborn. | Kim Nguyen-Penaloza Campaign | Nguyen-Penaloza, who started her career on the Garden Grove City Council, is expecting a baby in a matter of weeks with husband David Penaloza, a Santa Ana councilmember. Her “bebecita” will be delivered just a couple of months before California's March 5 top-two primary, in which she faces competition from fellow Democrats Cheyenne Hunt, Aditya Pai and Derek Tran. The daughter of a Vietnamese refugee and a Mexican immigrant, Nguyen-Penaloza received the state Democratic Party’s endorsement this month. She is now juggling her day job as a City Council member with campaigning and obstetrician appointments, which she said wouldn’t be possible without the support network she will rely on once her daughter is born. Her pregnancy has made her more aware of issues like paid leave, she said — which will be a priority for her in Congress if elected. She will take three months of maternity leave from council and campaign as she feels able to. She won’t be the first candidate or national politician to juggle her career with parenthood: Christina Pascucci, who is running for the late Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat, is also pregnant, and Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna delivered her first child this past summer. Luna is one of 12 members of Congress who have given birth while serving in office. “A lot of folks, when I initially said I was pregnant, asked whether I would continue on with the campaign,” Nguyen-Penaloza said in an interview. “I said, ‘Absolutely.’ This doesn't change anything other than the fact that now I have something even greater to fight for.” She’s been keeping a journal to document her experience on the campaign trail — and her pregnancy — so she can one day show her daughter. IT’S TUESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check of California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to wventeicher@politico.com or send a shout on Twitter. DMs are open.
| | A message from Unite Us: America’s 3,000+ counties are on the frontlines of many of our nation’s most pressing challenges. As a result, they’re leading the way in discovering innovative solutions through collaborative partnerships. Join Unite Us as we hear from county and city leaders across the country—including here in California—who have unleashed innovation in government by leveraging technology solutions and community partnerships to address constituents' health-related social needs and improve service delivery. | | | |  | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY | | CALIFORNIA NEVER: The Big Tech-backed development venture known as California Forever has yet to release detailed plans for the new city it wants to build from scratch in the windswept farmlands of Solano County. But that hasn’t stopped the county chapter of the Sierra Club from weighing in on the project. It appears to be a hard "no." In a significant sign of local opposition, the Sierra Club condemned California Forever in a statement today as a “clandestine possession” that conflicts with the county’s voter-approved Orderly Growth Initiative. The criticism is rooted in the secrecy-shrouded purchase of about 60,000 acres of agricultural land by parent company Flannery LLC, which has fostered lingering suspicion about a project that would require a voter-approved amendment to the county’s General Plan. “By ignoring the current voter-approved uses of land that Flannery has acquired in order to jack their investment’s economic return is nothing short of a hostile takeover,” said Sierra Club chapter Chair Princess Washington, who is also a member of the City Council in nearby Suisun City. California Forever has said it plans to release details on its proposal early next year, ahead of a campaign for a proposed General Plan amendment for the November ballot. It hopes to sell voters on the prospect of replacing what it calls the “worst agricultural soils in Solano County” with a project that will bring housing and jobs to a growing Bay Area community. “We support the Orderly Growth Initiative,” CEO Jan Sramek said in a statement, “and that’s why we’re going directly to voters — allowing them to decide what future they want for themselves and their kids.” — Ben Fox
| | | | GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | ON THE BEATS | | CAMPUS TENSION: Jewish groups are suing the University of California system, UC Berkeley and its leaders over what they are calling a “longstanding, unchecked spread of anti-Semitism.” The 36-page lawsuit, filed today by the Brandeis Center and Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education, argues that Berkeley and its law school’s “inaction” on discrimination against Jewish students has led to a spread of antisemitism, and violence and harassment against them. Demonstrations and incidents of harassment on campus following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel serve as examples of the discrimination, according to the complaint. Berkeley responded with a detailed description of its antisemitism education initiative and its support for Jewish students and staff. Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky went further, dismissing the suit as a “stunningly inaccurate” portrayal of the institution and insisting on the need to preserve even “offensive” free speech on campus. — Bianca Quilantan TOUGHER ON TRANQ: Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing legislation to make it harder to get an animal tranquilizer that is frequently mixed with fentanyl and has played an increasing role in the opioid crisis. The legislation would classify xylazine as a controlled substance in California. Xylazine-positive overdoses have risen across the country from 2021 to 2022, though so far most of the deaths have been in other parts of the country. The Biden administration previously designated the mixture of fentanyl and xylazine an “emerging threat.” The American Veterinary Medical Association backed a federal bill last spring that would protect its legitimate medical use and schedule the drug at Schedule III, the same as ketamine. Newsom’s office has not finalized the exact bill text, and said details will be released closer to the next legislative session. — Forest Hunt
| | | | A message from Unite Us:   | | | | | What We're Reading | | UP FOR DEBATE: PEN America has written a critique of the free speech climate in Florida ahead of a debate between the state's governor, Ron Desantis, and Newsom. The group, which advocates for writers around the world, condemns what it calls an “assault on free expression in Florida” that is “almost without peer in recent U.S. history,” including Desantis-backed legislation that limits discussion of sexuality in the classroom that was widely panned as the “Don’t say gay” law. (Los Angeles Times) TAKE A HIKE: Rock climbers are on edge about a proposal to tighten federal regulations on their activities in places such as Yosemite National Park. New draft policies from the National Park Service and the Forest Service would impose new scrutiny on the use of fixed anchors, commonly used in such activities as climbing, mountaineering and caving. (San Francisco Chronicle)
| | | | JOIN WOMEN RULE ON 12/12: For centuries, women were left out of the rooms that shaped policy, built companies and led countries. Now, society needs the creativity and entrepreneurship of women more than ever. How can we make sure that women are given the space and opportunity to shape the world’s future for the better? Join POLITICO's Women Rule on Dec. 12 for Leading with Purpose: How Women Are Reinventing the World to explore this and more. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | A message from Unite Us: During this webinar, you'll hear from leaders who are leveraging technology to drive change in:
- Merced County, California;
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- the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
We'll dive into:
- Success Stories: Discover how county leaders are using technology to improve government services and the health outcomes of their residents.
- The Power of Collaboration: Learn about the partnerships and networks that are driving collective impact beyond county borders.
- Expert Insights: Gain valuable insights and lessons learned from experienced leaders.
From addressing the opioid crisis to meeting social care needs in the community and in public schools, our panelists have a wealth of knowledge to share. Don't miss out on the chance to be part of this important conversation! | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | 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 | | | | |
