| | | | |  | | By Ally Mutnick, Dustin Gardiner and Lara Korte | Presented by American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance | | 
| | THE BUZZ: DOWN-TICKET BOOST — How is Kamala Harris’ rise affecting the Democrats running for Congress in her home state of California? Look no further than Derek Tran in Orange County. Tran’s effort to unseat GOP Rep. Michelle Steel was considered by Democrats to be competitive but a bit of a reach — Steel had herself ousted a Democratic incumbent in 2020 and batted away a challenger in 2022. Then Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Voters, especially those under the age of 30, were flooding the office phone lines, asking to volunteer and how to get yard signs. Donors he had never spoken to before were suddenly calling Tran back, eager to give. “We saw a big bump in fundraising,” Tran said in an interview with POLITICO. “It was just like this amazing momentum and energy, and just the way people were talking about this race again — it was like 2008.” And now new data — one of the first publicly released House polls since Harris took over the top of the ticket — shows he’s neck-and-neck with the incumbent. Tran and Steel are tied at 47 percent each, according to a poll from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee shared exclusively with POLITICO. Tran, an attorney and Army veteran, had already outraised the incumbent last quarter with an impressive $1.3 million haul. As the son of Vietnamese refugees, he’s received something close to celebrity status in a district that has the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam itself. Democrats are suddenly feeling a lot more optimistic about their chances of flipping the seat. Steel is one of 16 GOP members in districts that Biden carried in 2020. That would normally put her at the top of the list of vulnerable incumbents. But Biden was so unpopular that even Tran’s own polling from late May showed the president losing by 6 points a district he won by 6 points in 2020. But that survey also showed Tran trailing Steel by just 1 point. Another Democratic poll from mid-July, before Biden dropped out, showed Tran leading Steel 43 to 42 percent, according to a person familiar with the poll. It was commissioned by the House Majority PAC, a group with close ties to House Democratic leadership. That means Tran, like other down-ballot Democrats, was continuing to outrun Biden — the question was whether Biden’s numbers would drop far enough that it dragged them down, too.
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GOP Rep. Michelle Steel faces a closer-than-expected challenge from Democrat Derek Tran. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | Steel campaign spokesperson Lance Trover disputed that Tran was in the lead, saying internal GOP polling showed Steel ahead in the race. “Derek Tran and the DCCC lied about his last poll and they're lying again,” he said. Now, as Harris takes the lead in polling across the country, Democratic congressional candidates say they’re seeing their races take on new life. And Tran’s race is moving up the list of priorities: As Harris erases Donald Trump’s lead over Biden, the battleground map is shifting with it. One clear sign Democrats are serious about the race: House Majority Forward, a nonprofit group aligned with House Majority PAC, is spending $1 million on ads hitting Steel this month in the Los Angeles media market. “This is a Biden +6 district,” Tran said. “And if the energy remains the way it is now in the last few weeks, I think she's going to carry the district with the same numbers, if not better than President Biden.” GOOD MORNING. Happy Friday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte. WHERE’S GAVIN? In the Bay Area this morning to sign a package of retail theft bills.
| | | | A message from American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance: California is about to ban more than just recyclable and reusable plastic grocery bags. The broad language in SB 1053 and AB 2236 threatens washable and reusable grocery bags and popular, commonly purchased items like sandwich bags, trash bags, backpacks, and insulated cooler bags, too. Recycled paper bags will be your only choice. California legislators: oppose SB 1053 and AB 2236. This legislation will set a precedent that California shouldn’t celebrate. Learn more. | | | |  | CAMPAIGN YEAR | | |  Nathan Hochman, a candidate for Los Angeles district attorney and a former Republican, has secured the backing of several prominent Democrats. | AP | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: DEMS FOR HOCHMAN — An independent expenditure committee backing Nathan Hochman for Los Angeles District Attorney is out with two new ads today featuring prominent moderate Democrats and local business owners. One of the ads, funded by Working Families, First Responders, and Small Businesses for a Safer LA County, features Assemblymembers Blanca Pacheco and Freddie Rodriguez, along with a slate of other local Los Angeles Democratic leaders calling for action to reduce retail theft and violent crime. The independent committee has so far raised nearly $3 million for Hochman and spent $1 million. Hochman, who previously ran for attorney general as a Republican, is now registered with no party preference. He has seen support from both sides of the aisle in his bid to unseat progressive LA DA George Gascón, including Democratic state Sen. Josh Newman and Assemblymember Blanca Rubio. The second ad from the committee features Santa Monica City Councilmember Lana Negrete, who owns a music store that was burglarized in 2020 — and slams Gascón for his response. “When I asked George Gascón for help, he told me to buy stronger glass,” she says in the ad.
| | | | WELCOME TO THE CNN-POLITICO GRILL AT THE DNC! If you are in Chi-Town next week, join us at the CNN-POLITICO Grill just steps from the United Center for daily events and live programs. Featuring an all-star lineup of the most influential Democrats including Sen. Chuck Schumer, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Pete Aguilar, Sen Laphonza Butler, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Gov. Josh Shapiro and many more special guests. Don’t miss out on the buzziest conversations and newsworthy events hosted by POLITICO’s top reporters and editors. RSVP HERE. | | | | | | | SAN FRANCISCO | | MO’ MODS, MO’ MONEY — Moderate Democrats landed a major coup this past spring when they trounced progressives and swept a majority of the seats on the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee — a shift that has helped the party rake in tech dollars. Exhibit A: Billionaire Chris Larsen, who once scorned the county Democratic Party’s progressive direction, donated $50,000 to the SFDCCC this week, a campaign finance filing states. The former Ripple CEO and crypto evangelist has spent millions over the last five years to support business-friendly moderates who’ve wrestled power away from more progressive forces. Larsen’s latest contribution speaks to a seachange underway in San Francisco politics, as centrist groups increasingly sway local races and the Democratic Party by hitting on voters’ frustrations over crime, homelessness and housing affordability. In another sign of Larsen's enhanced political clout, he's hosting a DNC event in Chicago next week featuring Mayor London Breed.
| | | | A message from American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance:   | | | | | CLIMATE AND ENERGY | | |  Oil rigs extract petroleum in the Los Angeles area community of Culver City, Calif. | David McNew/Getty Images | OIL PLAYS — Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration asked the Legislature for two things yesterday: Delay drilling regulations so agencies can staff up, and craft legislation to require refiners to store more gas if they’re going to shut down for maintenance. The stakes for the next two weeks are raised. Read more in last night’s California Climate.
| | | | DON’T MISS OUR AI & TECH SUMMIT: Join POLITICO’s AI & Tech Summit for exclusive interviews and conversations with senior tech leaders, lawmakers, officials and stakeholders about where the rising energy around global competition — and the sense of potential around AI and restoring American tech knowhow — is driving tech policy and investment. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | TOP TALKERS | | |  Democratic Assembly members Issac Bryan, left, and Buffy Wicks huddle with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas on Thursday. | Rich Pedroncelli for POLITICO | SUSPENSE AFTERMATH — Thursday was the Legislature’s much-anticipated “suspense file,” when the appropriations committee in each chamber decides the fate of hundreds of bills with significant fiscal considerations. What measures got shelved? What survived? What was amended? Don’t miss this recap from California Playbook PM. DIGITAL WALLET — Newsom said that Californians will soon be able to store their IDs on smartphones in the Apple or Google Wallet. The governor announced the partnership with the tech platforms will debut in the coming weeks. Drivers, however, will still be required to carry a physical license. NEWSOM’S NEWEST FAN? — Trump is a San Francisco-hater now, but he told reporters Thursday at his New Jersey golf club it “was a great city 15 years ago.” That’s back when Newsom was the mayor and his current opponent, Vice President Harris, was San Francisco district attorney. We’re not sure if the compliment was intentional.
| | | | A message from American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance: SB 1053 and AB 2236 will do more than ban just recyclable and reusable plastic grocery bags – their broad language threatens the sale of popular and convenient everyday products like sandwich bags, trash bags, backpacks and insulated cooler bags, too. By mandating only recycled paper bags, these bills would undermine over a decade’s worth of positive recycling policy that has contributed to millions of pounds of plastic recycled per year. Many Californians reuse current durable plastic bags, which are made with over 40% recycled material, for various purposes, including as garbage bags. Recycling is real, and there are California-based companies that recycle plastic bags, provide jobs and create tax revenues, which will all be lost if SB 1053 and AB 2236 pass. This legislation will hurt California consumers and its workers and create legal uncertainty for retailers when it comes to enforcement. These bills are wrong for California. Learn more. | | | | | AROUND THE STATE | | — Software company Oracle is reportedly helping a conservative think tank assemble a database of conservative operatives to help implement Project 2025 in a potential second Trump term. (San Francisco Chronicle) — Hollywood’s comeback from the “hot labor summer” of 2023 is coming to fruition, albeit very slowly. Netflix and Amazon are leading an uptick in new TV productions. (Los Angeles Times) — The host committee of the Paris Olympics has officially handed off the flag of the games to Los Angeles 2028. Priscilla Cheng, LA28's senior VP of government relations and a former Newsom adviser, oversaw the symbolic change of guard. (ESPN) — San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu is leading a lawsuit targeting 16 websites that allow users to create deepfake porn using the faces of real-life victims. (The San Francisco Standard)
| | | PLAYBOOKERS | | | PEOPLE MOVES — Alexis Rodriguez has joined Sutter Health as manager of state government affairs, a new role based in Northern California. She was previously a legislative advocate for the California Medical Association. — Ben Sheppard has joined the consulting firm Berkeley Research Group as a director in Los Angeles, under its forensic accounting and investigations practice. He specializes in disputes and intellectual property matters in entertainment and media. BIRTHDAYS — Dave Jacobson of J&Z Strategies … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Thursday): Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) … Melinda Gates (6-0) … AP’s Juliet Linderman ... Dana Williamson WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO’s California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form. 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 Rebecca Haase to find out how: rhaase@politico.com. | | | | 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 | | | | |
