Republicans ... for rent control?

Inside the Golden State political arena
Apr 02, 2024 View in browser
 
POLITICO California Playbook

By Dustin Gardiner and Lara Korte

AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein speaks on the need for low-income housing.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein. | Kevin Wolf/AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation

THE BUZZ: STRANGE BEDFELLOWS — Political provocateur Michael Weinstein has the unlikeliest of allies in his quest to remove statewide limits on rent control: Republicans in Huntington Beach.

Weinstein, a nonprofit executive who’s poured upward of $100 million into political fights in California, is trying to repeal a law that bars cities from rent-controlling newer apartments — a restriction that's ferociously guarded by developers and real estate investors.

Opponents of his November ballot measure — his third such attempt — say it would have such a chilling effect on development that it could essentially allow local governments to skirt state laws requiring them to allow more housing.

“On paper, it would be legal to build new homes. But it would be illegal, largely speaking, to make money doing so,” said Louis Mirante, vice president of public policy at the Bay Area Council, a pro-business advocacy group that opposes the measure.

That’s where Weinstein’s effort has apparently found a friend in Huntington Beach Councilmember Tony Strickland, a Republican who’s attempting to organize his colleagues behind a measure backed by liberal activists. He has led the city’s efforts to fight Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta in court as the state tries to force the city to comply with housing mandates.

“Statewide rent control is a ludicrous idea, but the measure’s language goes further,” Strickland said at a council meeting in late March. “It gives local governments ironclad protections from the state’s housing policy and therefore overreaching enforcement.”

Strickland said Weinstein’s rent control measure would block “the state’s ability to sue our city” because Huntington Beach could slap steep affordability requirements on new, multi-unit apartment projects that are now exempt from rent control. Such requirements, he argued, could stop development that would “destroy the fabric” of the town’s quaint “Surf City” vibe.

Weinstein’s campaign, dubbed the “Justice for Renters Act,” disputed Strickland’s suggestion that the rent-control measure would allow cities to circumvent state laws. Susie Shannon, the campaign’s manager, said she doesn’t understand his argument.

“It’s not about any of that,” she told Playbook. “All of this is unfounded.”

The debate comes as Weinstein, the polarizing president of the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, faces a different ballot initiative funded by a landlord trade group, the California Apartment Association, that is aimed at curbing his influence.

Pro-housing advocates who have long clashed with Weinstein argue affluent cities have already tried to use the guise of affordability requirements to try to prevent new construction — and that this measure would make it easier for them to do so.

Soon after California passed a law requiring cities to allow duplexes and lot splits in neighborhoods zoned for single-family homes, several coastal enclaves, including Dana Point and Camarillo, tried to impose stringent rules for such units, requiring below-market rents.

Those cities largely backed down after the state threatened legal action. But some pro-housing leaders and Newsom allies say the rent-control ballot measure appears to be similarly motivated.

A person close to the governor, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, said: “They’re all patches in the same quilt, which is that there are people in this state who just don’t want to see more housing.”

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WHERE’S GAVIN? Newsom will be in El Dorado County to join the Department of Water Resources for its annual snow survey. His remarks will be livestreamed at 10 a.m. on the governor’s YouTube, Twitter and Facebook pages.

 

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

California State Sen. Scott Wiener speaks.

State Sen. Scott Wiener. | Eric Risberg/AP

WILD WEST OF TECH — State Sen. Scott Wiener’s seminal bill on artificial intelligence will be heard for the first time in the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning, the start of what’s expected to be an uphill battle to regulate a flourishing sector of the tech industry.

The bill, which could create some of the nation’s most stringent rules for AI, would require the large models to undergo risk assessments and set up guardrails against potential misuse. It would also create a state-funded research center to develop and deploy responsible models.

Wiener argues such regulations are reasonable and critical to curb any ill effects of AI — especially given Congress’ inaction. But trade groups and tech companies, led by the California Chamber of Commerce, have already raised red flags about the legislation, saying it would burden innovation and contribute to a patchwork of regulation across the nation.

We’re expecting much debate around how to define artificial intelligence models, the extent of the risks posed by the technology, and how it fits into what’s happening at a national level.

SAN FRANCISCO

FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping sits next to other world leaders during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference in San Francisco, on Nov. 16, 2023. Xi met at a state guesthouse in Beijing with the two European presidents, Ursula von der Leyen from the EU Commission and Charles Michel from the EU Council on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Chinese President Xi Jinping. | AP

CHINA CHATTER — San Francisco Mayor London Breed confirmed Monday that she plans to travel to China this month. The mayor’s trip, which was first reported by Chinese state media, will start in Hong Kong on April 14 and end in Shanghai on April 21. Her office billed the junket as an “economic cultivation trip,” which will include a celebration of the 45th anniversary of San Francisco and Shanghai being sister cities.

Breed’s office said she was personally invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ambassador Xie Feng at the APEC summit San Francisco hosted last fall. The city has long had a special relationship with the country, as home to the oldest Chinatown in America and the largest density of Chinese-Americans of any major city.

For Breed, the trip also offers her a chance to try to rebuild her strained relationship with the city’s powerful electorate of Chinese-speaking voters. Several of her chief rivals in the mayoral race — Daniel Lurie and Mark Farrell — have been aggressive about holding events in Chinatown and rolling out endorsements from AAPI leaders as they chase the same voting block.

 

In celebration of Earth Month, the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability and the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, in collaboration with POLITICO, host “Climate Forward 2024: Climate at the Crossroads” on April 4, 2024 at USC. Top experts from politics, government, media, and academia will discuss climate change issues with a focus on finding practical policy and business solutions as well identifying ways to remove political obstacles to implementing those changes. Register to attend in person or virtually.

 
 
BILLS BILLS BILLS

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: OPPOSITE LANE — In a legislative session chock-full of tough-on-crime proposals, a flock of advocates and lawmakers are endorsing a collection of less punitive justice bills.

Seven justice organizations including the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Smart Justice California and Ella Baker Center for Human Rights will share the #SmartSolutions policy platform later today, bolstering dozens of justice and equity-centered public safety policies.

Later today, the group, joined by Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas and Assemblymembers Eloise Reyes and Tina McKinnor, will share the full 30-bill list ahead of Public Safety Committee hearings in the Assembly and Senate.

The platform is focused on addressing hot-button issues in public safety through a justice lens. It includes legislation to address retail theft without a major uptick in incarceration through expanding diversion programs and 15 bills to address the opioid crisis through harm reduction and treatment. The group is also signing off on legislation to provide resources to survivors of crime and improve safety in tribal communities. — Sarah Grace Taylor

ON THE AGENDA

IN THE SENATE — The Judiciary Committee convenes at 1:30 p.m. and will hear Wiener’s bill on large artificial intelligence models.

IN THE ASSEMBLY — San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney’s bill to legalize cannabis cafes is up again this year after the governor vetoed it last fall. Assembly Bill 1775 will be heard in the Business and Professions Committee today.

We are also tracking a bill by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan that would increase penalties for those who impede access to reproductive health facilities. Assembly Bill 2099 will be heard in the Public Safety Committee this morning.

TOP TALKERS

President Joe Biden waves as he arrives Air Force One, Tuesday, March 29, 2024, in Hagerstown, Md. Biden is en route to Camp David.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Joe Biden. | AP

— Hundreds of thousands of California Democrats and Independents skipped over the presidential contest on their Super Tuesday ballots. (Los Angeles Times)

— Nearly 20,000 state workers will be required to return to in-person work at least twice a week this spring. (The Sacramento Bee)

AROUND THE STATE

— LA's mansion tax raised over $200 million for affordable housing and homelessness, but it chilled the city’s luxury real estate market. (Los Angeles Times)

— The nondenominational Church of Ambrosia, which sells magic mushrooms and supports their legalization, attracted hundreds to its Oakland conference last weekend. (San Francisco Chronicle)

— Two years ago, Newsom presented a budget proposal to shutter more state prisons. Now, his administration says it has no plans to take such a step. (Los Angeles Times)

— Caltrans is clearing its first round of RVs and cars after Newsom tapped the agency to help clear homeless camps near Oakland’s major freeways. (East Bay Times)

PLAYBOOKERS

MEDIA MOVES — David Lauter is retiring as an editor at the LA Times, where he’s worked for about 38 years, most recently as a senior editor in Washington. He’ll continue to write his Essential Politics newsletter/column through the election.

— Julie Makinen, editor of the San Francisco Standard, announced that she’s stepping down, effective April 12. She said she plans to spend more time with her family, including her mother, who’s in hospice. Makinen shared her news in an X post, tweeting, “I am so proud of this newsroom and all we have built. For now, it's time to be daughter-in-chief instead of editor-in-chief.”

BIRTHDAYS — Francisco Castillo of Diageo North America … Caitlyn Morrison of Arnold Ventures … Andreessen Horowitz’s Colin Rom Brent Colburn

CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here.

Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.

 

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POLITICO California @politicoca

 

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