| | | | |  | | By Alex Nieves and Blake Jones | Presented by Californians for Energy Independence | |  California lawmakers have embraced legislation that would let cannabis lounges prepare food and host live shows. | AP | KEEP CALM, BLAZE ON: California lawmakers are steaming ahead with a plan to approve Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes, where patrons can have a hot meal, sip on coffee and watch a show while smoking their joints. Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected a very similar proposal last year over public health concerns, but this time around, the bid has newfound momentum on its side from an unlikely source: the federal government. The Biden administration has officially moved to lower decades-old restrictions on pot, starting the process of reclassifying it from the most strictly-controlled Schedule 1 — alongside drugs like heroin and LSD — to a Schedule 3 designation reserved for substances with low potential for abuse and easily accessible with a prescription. Industry advocates say it could help normalize operations that are still highly-regulated and treated differently than most businesses. The change at the federal level would also give Newsom another angle to consider. Matt Haney’s Assembly Bill 1775 easily cleared a floor vote this week and isn’t expected to face much resistance in a Senate that overwhelmingly embraced the idea last year. Advocates hope the federal change of heart will help convince Newsom — who stumped for the 2016 legalization push as lieutenant governor -— to get on board. “It gives us a lot more options and opportunities as we're rethinking policy and rethinking our cannabis framework in California,” said Amy O'Gorman Jenkins, legislative advocate for the California Cannabis Industry Association. “Consumption lounges, and the ability to consume cannabis in a commercial space, is really part of that broader discussion about normalizing cannabis in the U.S.” What normal looks like for cannabis is still a very open question in California, the first state to legalize the plant for medical use nearly 30 years ago. California already allows cannabis consumption lounges — but those establishments until recently couldn't serve food or drinks and even now are limited to pre-packaged items. Haney, who represents a San Francisco district with more than a dozen cannabis lounges, says it makes no sense that a small business should be limited to selling one kind of product. “In San Francisco, maybe we'll have a cannabis lounge drag show brunch,” he told POLITICO earlier this month. “That's our brand. And we should be able to do that. Why can't we do that?” Public health groups opposing the bill say that narrative ignores their hard-won fight to ban smoking in restaurants statewide in 1995. Autumn J. Ogden-Smith, director of California State Legislation for the American Cancer Society, acknowledged that state law already allows consumption at lounges, which could expose employees to secondhand smoke, but argued that exposure shouldn’t be extended to kitchen staff. Ogden-Smith said the main change to the bill, a prohibition on smoking in food preparation areas, won’t stop smoke from getting through ventilation systems. She’s hopeful Newsom will reject it again. “People want to have some fun, enjoy themselves and not go to jail, understandably,” she said. “But the reality is when you smoke, regardless of what you're smoking, there are carcinogens that impact your health, and they can cause cancer.” — with help from Eric He 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 anieves@politico.com. | | A message from Californians for Energy Independence: As California transitions to a lower carbon energy economy, we should continue to produce the oil and gas we still need in-state, where it meets world-class environmental standards and our communities can benefit from the revenues. But instead, California energy policies are shutting down in-state oil production faster than we can build adequate replacement energy - increasing our dependence on more costly imported oil. Get the facts on California energy policies. | | | |  | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY | | |  UCLA Chancellor Gene Block testifies about his response to campus protests before the House Education and Workforce Committee. | AP | GRILL ON THE HILL: UCLA Chancellor Gene Block testified before the House Education and Workforce Committee today on his response to campus antisemitism. And he avoided some of the harshest reprimands targeted at his counterparts from Rutgers and Northwestern universities — both of whom negotiated deals with the occupants of pro-Palestinian encampments. But Block did take heat for failing to stop counter protesters from attacking and injuring pro-Palestinian demonstrators who pitched tents on his campus. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) brought printed pictures of the encampment at UCLA and castigated Block for his administration’s handling of the attacks. It took police hours to break up the violence. “You should be ashamed for letting a peaceful protest gathering get hijacked by an angry mob,” Omar said. “You should be ashamed for allowing such violence to take place on your campus, which will now be weaponized by Republicans in this committee.” The chancellor, who is retiring this summer, said he regrets not clearing the encampment sooner. He added that his university is working to update its code of conduct to better address its tense campus climate, a step that would be required of public universities under legislation that cleared the California Senate on Wednesday. “I wish I could say that our campus has been immune to the disturbing rise of antisemitism across our country since Oct. 7,” Block said. “Sadly, that's not the case.” At least two tents were put up again at UCLA today, and police in riot gear had descended on the encampment by this afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Times.
| | | | NEW! AN EXCLUSIVE CALIFORNIA BALLOT-MEASURES COVERAGE TEAM: The impact that ballot measures have on California residents, industries, and Legislature is enormous. From settling broad cultural questions to changing obscure governance rules, ballot measures in essence, have become the fourth branch of government in the most influential state capital in the U.S. As your go-to source for reporting on Golden State politics, policy, power, POLITICO has formed a new ballot measure team in California that will deliver in-depth insights into the strategies, policy ideas, personalities, money and influence driving ballot measures. LEARN MORE. | | | | | | | IN OTHER NEWS | | MORE STRIKES AT UC: Academic workers at the University of California are escalating a labor dispute with their employer over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests. Today, their union — which includes undergraduates, grad students and post-docs — announced plans to strike at UCLA and UC Davis beginning May 28, during the frenetic end of the spring quarter. The United Auto Workers 4811 had already launched a walkout at UC Santa Cruz, arguing the UC has committed “unfair labor practices” by arresting hundreds of protesters and taking hours to deploy police during attacks on a UCLA encampment. The UC system’s administration has declared the strikes illegal, violating no-strike clauses in the union’s contracts, and has asked the state labor board to block them. UAW 4811 is composed of around 48,000 employees who led the largest walkout in higher education history in 2022. "We are working with campus administrators to minimize disruption as much as possible, but it is inevitable and unfortunate, especially amidst an already stressful quarter and educational experience for students,” UC spokesperson Heather Hansen said today. TRUMP ‘IS ON THE WAY’: Last night, the small California suburb of Temecula was in the heart of Trump Country. Eric Trump fundraised for his father and local school board candidates there, boosting the PAC of far-right pastor Tim Thompson, who has worked to stack Riverside County city councils and school boards with social conservatives. “Help is on the way,” Trump told hundreds of attendees last night, promising that his dad would oust President Joe Biden, according to an on-the-ground dispatch from the Press Enterprise. National Republicans frequently fundraise in California, where GOP mega donors continue to reside despite their party’s near-irrelevance in state politics. But it’s striking that a member of former President Donald Trump’s orbit rubbed shoulders with activists within the so-called parental rights education movement while soliciting campaign cash. Virtually every GOP presidential candidate clamored for the endorsement of the parental rights powerhouse Moms for Liberty before Trump secured the nomination, but Trump World’s continued connection to such groups ahead of the general election underscores the sustained influence of the education movement in Republican politics. It also came as Thompson’s Inland Empire Family PAC faces a detrimental setback. Temecula school board President Joseph Komrosky, who won election with Thompson’s help, faces a June 4 recall vote over firing the district superintendent and controversial policies that banned critical race theory and required parents be notified if their child shows signs of being transgender. A 3-2 conservative majority on the panel that Thompson established in 2022 has already dissipated, after trustee Danny Gonzalez resigned and moved his family to Texas amid a public feud with Newsom. A Trump fundraising boost could certainly help with a future effort to take the board back in the middle of a politically contested county.
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF DEFENSE 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, like defense, 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. Our defense reporting team—including Lara Seligman, Joe Gould, Paul McCleary, Connor O’Brien and Lee Hudson—is embedded with the market-moving legislative committees and agencies in Washington and across states, delivering unparalleled coverage of defense policy and the defense industry. 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. | | | | | | | | | A message from Californians for Energy Independence:   | | | | | What We're Reading | | — The Justice Department, 29 states and D.C. are suing Ticketmaster and Live Nation for allegedly monopolizing the live music industry. (POLITICO) — The number of daily marijuana users surpassed the number of daily drinkers for the first time in the U.S. (The Associated Press) — California dropped over $13 million on its March vote guide — nearly $118,000 per page, according to the secretary of state’s office. (CalMatters)
| | A message from Californians for Energy Independence: California faces growing inflation, a rising cost of living, and has some of the highest gas prices in the country. Now, California energy policies could make matters worse.
That’s because California is shutting down in-state oil and gas production before we have adequate replacement energy. That forces our state to spend $25 billion a year importing more costly oil to meet our needs - sending billions that could be supporting California’s economy out of state instead. These energy policies threaten California’s access to reliable energy, while increasing our gas prices.
As California transitions to a lower carbon energy economy, we should continue to produce the oil and gas we still need in-state, where it meets world-class environmental standards and our communities can benefit from the revenues - rather than increase our dependence on more costly imported oil.
Get the facts on California energy policies. | | | | | — State and federal water pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta has killed hundreds of thousands of fish, a new analysis shows. (The Sacramento Bee) — San Francisco Mayor London Breed proposed a city grant to develop and operate a Historically Black College and University satellite campus downtown. The plan follows legislation introduced last month to help public universities purchase distressed office properties. (San Francisco Chronicle) — Hundreds of dead sea lion pups have washed up on state shores. Researchers are racking their brains to understand why. (SF Gate) — compiled by Ariel Gans | | | | 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 | | | | |
