| | | | |  | | By Lara Korte | | Presented by |  | | | |  Steve Garvey talks to reporters during a visit to the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. | Richard Vogel/AP | WARM UP: Former Los Angeles Dodger Steve Garvey claimed victory when he muscled his way through the March primary. But his matchup with veteran Rep. Adam Schiff this fall presents a steep climb, especially for a Republican political novice. On election night Garvey was confident — tossing signed baseballs to ardent supporters and warning Schiff that he’s coming for him. Since then, Garvey has kept up a relatively relaxed pace of campaigning: sticking to the occasional media appearance, parade floats, and the all-too-familiar turf of Dodgers' games. "There are tens of thousands of people there," his spokesperson Matt Shupe said of his game appearances. "And it's not typical for a politician to do that, but it's definitely a thing for Steve Garvey." Schiff, a member of Congress, hasn’t done many appearances, either. But Garvey has a much more difficult road ahead in the deep-blue state – especially without the free boost he got from Schiff’s television ads during the primary. This morning, the Republican held his first news conference since election night to lambast recent college protests against the war in Gaza as “terrorism” and voice his stalwart support for Israel — without mentioning his Democratic opponent, who also has a staunchly pro-Israel position. Garvey repeatedly called the students “terrorists” and urged university leaders and law enforcement to take action. “What they're saying is: They're pro-Hamas,” he said at the press conference in Los Angeles, standing in front of Israeli flags. “They're pro-terrorists. They're supporting terrorism." Garvey, though new to the fundraising scene, managed to raise $3.4 million in the last reporting cycle, barely trailing Schiff’s $3.7 million haul for the same period. Schiff ended March with $4.8 million in cash, compared to Garvey’s $1.6 million. The former baseball star generally stays away from hyperpartisanship and has kept his talking points broad — focusing on reliable messages around homelessness, affordability, and public safety. While Democrats try to align him with former President Donald Trump (whom he voted for twice) Garvey is trying to take a decidedly nonpartisan tack in the campaign as he tries to become the first Republican to win statewide office in California since 2006. He has no major public political surrogates, or endorsements, and he appears to like it that way. "It's not like we're avoiding the Republican brand," Shupe said. "It's that we are having Steve Garvey be defined by Steve Garvey and nobody else." IT’S THURSDAY 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 lkorte@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Chamber of Progress: SB 1490 is not the right way forward. We commend the CA legislature for adjusting the bill, but this well-intentioned legislation still has unintended consequences. Learn how this bill hurts more than helps. | | | |  | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY | | |  A protest at USC over the Israel-Hamas war. | AP | UNCEREMONIOUS: The University of Southern California called off its main commencement ceremony today, a week after canceling the address of a pro-Palestinian valedictorian and hours after 93 protesters were arrested on the Los Angeles campus. USC students will still have their names called and receive diplomas on stage at events specific to their academic programs, but a traditional congregation of 65,000 guests and students across academic disciplines is off. University leaders said increased security protocols would make it untenable to check in tens of thousands of guests in time for an 8:30 a.m. event next month. It’s the latest sign of strife at USC, where the Los Angeles Police Department — after detaining pro-Palestinian demonstrators — cleared encampments that were erected in protest of Israel’s war in Gaza on Wednesday night. The arrests were perhaps the heaviest-handed response by a California university to demonstrations that have erupted since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters today that he was not aware of the details of the police enforcement but that he had met with the Office of Emergency Services and his team on the issue. He also said he met with Michael V. Drake, president of the public University of California system. “We’re very mindful of what’s going on in the campuses and want to maintain people’s rights and protests, at the same time do so peacefully without any hate,” Newsom said. “I just want to avoid a lot of what we’re seeing in other parts of the country.” — Blake Jones
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | | | ON THE BEATS | | |  California Gov. Gavin Newsom talks to reporters after he and his wife, first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, right, voted in Sacramento, Calif., on Nov. 8, 2022. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo | 'A VERY SAD DAY': After a New York judge overturned a 2020 rape conviction against disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein today, California’s first couple made clear that Weinstein is not out of the woods. First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom — who testified during a 2022 criminal trial in Los Angeles that she was raped by Weinstein in a hotel room in 2005 — condemned the decision in a statement today, noting that the California conviction still stands. “This is a very sad day for countless women who suffered at the hands of a serial predator,” Siebel Newsom said. “Two juries have said unequivocally: Harvey Weinstein must never be able to rape another woman, and he deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Harvey Weinstein is a serial predator and rapist.” Newsom also said during a news conference after today’s ruling that Weinstein should “never see the light of day.” “Let’s just make something crystal clear: Harvey Weinstein is a stone-cold predator, a rapist, twice convicted,” Newsom said. — Sarah Grace Taylor FREE THE WEB: The Federal Communications Commission today revived net neutrality rules that were repealed during the Trump administration, as POLITICO's John Hendel reports for subscribers. But it appears the order won’t preempt California’s 2018 net neutrality law that prohibits internet service providers from interfering with or limiting what content users can access online. The full text of the FCC’s order, approved by a 3-2 vote, hasn’t been released. But state Sen. Scott Wiener, who carried the bill that created California’s law, said he’s relieved that the state will likely be able to continue to enforce it. He said it’s crucial to prevent telecom and cable companies from controlling what sites users can visit or the speed of their data. “Consumers and startups need these protections, which form the basis of a truly open internet,” Wiener said in a statement. “Net neutrality is also essential for democracy.” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel previously signaled that the rule would not negate California’s law, writing in her draft order that it “appears largely to mirror or parallel our federal rules.” However, she did leave the door open to preemption, on a case-by-case basis, if California or other states enforce net neutrality in ways that are inconsistent with the FCC’s approach. — Dustin Gardiner
| | | | A message from Chamber of Progress:   | | | | | WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY | | — It wasn’t just for Donald Trump. Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker bought and buried negative stories about Arnold Schwarzenegger during his gubernatorial campaign. (POLITICO) — California’s routinely blasted for steep income and gasoline taxes. But a new study shows that maybe it’s not that bad for lower-income families. (The Sacramento Bee) — California led the country for new naturalized citizens last fiscal year. The runner-up, Texas, didn't even come close. (Newsweek)
| | | | GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE. | | | | | | | AROUND THE STATE | | — San Diego is now the top region along the southern border for migrant arrivals, with nearly 9,000 apprehensions for the week ending April 16. (Los Angeles Times) — Former Bay Area tech workers are flocking to New York above any other city, a recent study found. (San Francisco Chronicle) | | | | A message from Chamber of Progress: Overly broad language and ill-defined provisions are at the heart of SB 1490’s problems. Wanting to protect restaurants is admirable, but this bill actually makes it more difficult for platforms to offer new services and may threaten the ones restaurants already value.
The bill also mandates protections for bad-faith third parties, calling into question who this bill is intended to help.
Learn more about how this bill backs the wrong group. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
