THE BUZZ: BACKYARD BATTLES — Proponents of a rent control ballot measure are urging voters to “stand with [Vice President] Kamala Harris” and back their proposal. The only problem? Harris hasn’t actually endorsed it. The new ad, posted on YouTube by the Yes on Proposition 33 campaign and set to air on TV next week, is the latest evolution in a protracted battle over affordable housing in the Democratic nominee’s home state. It shows how Harris’ ascent has put a major California issue on the national agenda — and how political groups back home are seeking to capitalize on her spotlight. Support for Prop 33 is led by political provocateur Michael Weinstein and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation that he heads. It’s his third attempt to pass a statewide rent control measure, which would empower local governments to set rules on housing costs. Weinstein is also fending off another measure, Proposition 34, designed by his opponents to target AHF’s funding and political power. The ad features Harris’ voice speaking over clips of everyday people and footage of her on the campaign trail, declaring in the captions that she and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation are “fighting back” — cribbing heavily from a speech Harris made in Atlanta last month where she promised to “take on corporate landlords and cap unfair rent increases.” The initial version was removed Thursday after Playbook inquired about it — roughly half a day after it was first posted. The campaign claimed it had been released in error. The campaign then posted what it said was the final version of the ad, which included the addition of a disclaimer at the end: “Use of Kamala Harris’ likeness and words does not imply endorsement.” Weinstein, in an interview with Playbook, argued that the ad is merely reiterating Harris’ support for certain housing policies. “We're not trying to say in any way, shape or form, that Kamala Harris has endorsed [Prop] 33,” Weinstein told us. “What we're saying very clearly is Kamala Harris believes in rent caps.” But it’s also not the first time the campaign has used Harris in their promotions. Prop 33 supporters also touted Harris’ remarks on rent caps shortly after the Atlanta rally, declaring on X that “VP Kamala Harris supports rent control!” “Here in her home state, voters have a golden opportunity to expand rent control by voting Yes on 33 this November,” the campaign wrote. A Harris campaign spokesperson said: “The Harris campaign did not authorize use of footage for this advertisement.” By Thursday afternoon, the No on Prop 33 campaign, led by the California Apartment Association, was circulating a letter to TV stations, viewed by Playbook, warning them that the Yes campaign was seeking to spread false information by giving the impression that Harris supported the measure. “Exactly the kind of bald-faced lie - and subsequent clumsy cover up - you would expect from a campaign spearheaded by Donald Trump’s former chief of staff,” No campaign spokesperson Nathan Click said in a statement. The Prop 33 campaign last month hired Actum, a consulting firm co-founded by former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuńez and co-chaired by Mick Mulvaney. Weinstein has previously rebuffed similar attacks about connections to Trump world by pointing out the campaign’s many endorsements from Democratic leaders, including Bernie Sanders and the California Democratic Party. Housing issues, while always a prominent topic in California, have found a wider audience with Harris rising to the top of the ticket. YIMBY — or “yes in my backyard” — advocates cheered the VP during the Democratic National Convention for vowing to “end America’s housing shortage.” They were less thrilled to see some of her campaign remarks appear in the 30-second ad supporting Prop 33 — a measure they regard as a Trojan Horse for undoing some of California’s most critical housing legislation. Laura Foote, executive director of the Bay Area group YIMBY Action, argued the measure would restrict housing production, which Harris has touted as critical to reducing costs. “Kamala has been pretty clear that we need to build at least 3 million new homes. This policy would not help us accomplish that goal,” she said of Prop 33. “Obviously the ad is misleading.” 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? Nothing official announced.
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