Leaning into California criticism — and cash

Presented by Uber: Inside the Golden State political arena
Sep 16, 2024 View in browser
 
POLITICO California Playbook

By Dustin Gardiner and Lara Korte

Presented by 

Uber

Donald Trump speaks on a golf course.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at his golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes on Friday. | Jae C. Hong/AP

DRIVING THE DAY: TRUMP UPDATE — Federal authorities are investigating an incident at former President Donald Trump’s Florida golf club on Sunday that they said appears to be an attempted assassination. Trump, who was golfing at the club at the time, was unharmed. Kamala Harris and Democrats were quick to condemn the violence, a potential second assassination attempt targeting Trump in about two months.

Harris shared her concern on X: “I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.” California Rep. Adam Schiff, a regular critic of the former president who is expected to be the state’s next senator, also wrote on X: “This madness has got to stop. Violence is not the answer to our political differences.”

The top lawmakers on a panel investigating the July shooting have now requested a briefing with the Secret Service this week on the latest events.

THE BUZZ: GOLDEN STATE SWING — Before the incident in Florida, Trump was in California over the weekend. While he re-upped his regular criticisms of Harris’ home state as a “mess” and an apocalyptic pit of lawlessness, the trip also underscored California’s status as a top political ATM for both parties.

The former president made fundraising stops in Los Angeles County and Woodside, an affluent Silicon Valley suburb. Trump's visit to deep-blue California came as he tries to narrow the money gap with Harris, who’s notched record-breaking hauls since July. Tickets to the Bay Area event ranged from $3,300 per person to $500,000 per couple, including a photo op. The last time Trump was in San Francisco earlier this summer, he raked in $12 million at a dinner with billionaire tech titans.

Trump’s trip also came days after his dismal debate performance, when Harris repeatedly had him on the defensive. He oddly made no mention of the Golden State during the debate, but the fundraising visit offered him a chance to make up for that missed opportunity and pivot back to making Harris’ home state a central character in the final weeks of the race, framing it as a hellish place with rampant homelessness, theft and drug addiction.

“She destroyed San Francisco and she destroyed the state,” Trump said during an appearance at his cliffside golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes south of LA on Friday.

Trump’s California bonanza was also a striking split screen as Harris spent much of the weekend barnstorming purple states that will likely decide the outcome of the November election, including Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Trump, on the other hand, made fundraising stops in liberal California and then deep-red Utah (though he also made brief layovers in purple Nevada and Arizona).

Democrats, including close Harris allies, brushed off Trump’s rebukes of California. They argue the campaign will be focused on Harris’ record as vice president, and that the state’s economic successes far outweigh its bad press.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, a former mentee of Harris, told Playbook that Trump is only targeting San Francisco because Harris “destroyed him at the debate.” Breed quipped, “Our city and companies are the envy of the world.”

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a longtime friend of Harris, said the Democratic nominee must navigate a difficult balancing act by holding up what California does while acknowledging its sobering problems with homelessness and other issues. She told Playbook as she attended a fundraiser for Democratic women in San Francisco on Friday that voters will be more keen to accept that realistic outlook than the “dystopian images” that Trump has sold.

“California's economic success is an inconvenient fact for Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans,” Kounalakis said.

GOOD MORNING. It's Monday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook.

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WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official listed. His office said he expects to announce bill action and hold meetings about the special legislative session on gas prices.

 

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CAMPAIGN YEAR

Former Los Angeles Dodgers' Steve Garvey is introduced during an alumni weekend event prior to a baseball game.

Republican Senate candidate Steve Garvey. | Jayne-Kamin-Oncea/AP Photo

NO THANKS — During his California swing this weekend, Trump also suggested he would endorse Steve Garvey for senator if he called him.  

The baseball legend, however, doesn’t appear willing to kiss the ring.

Since the start of his campaign, Garvey has been hounded by reporters and opponents about his support for the former president. The candidate, who is running against Schiff, revealed he had voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2020, and has said he plans to vote for him again this year. Despite his support for Trump at the ballot box, Garvey has consistently said he will only seek endorsements from first responders and law enforcement groups.

Speaking on his golf course on Friday, Trump said he was “hearing” that Garvey wanted his endorsement, but hadn’t heard from him yet.

“He hasn’t reached out to MAGA,” Trump said. “And if he doesn’t have MAGA, he has no chance.”

Garvey’s campaign, in a response, released a statement emphasizing his focus on issues like affordability and homelessness.

“I’m running a 'Steve Garvey’ campaign for all the people of California, not for partisan or special interests,” he said in a statement. “I’m committed to tackling the challenges that families and communities face every day and making sure that California has the voice it deserves in Washington.”

MONEY MOVES — A campaign-finance filing on Friday offered a reminder that we’re entering the general election stretch run: business interests are moving money to block one of state Senate Democrats’ top candidates to pick up a seat.

The filing shows that a committee backed by Uber, dialysis provider DaVita, insurers and the pharmaceutical industry is funding a new PAC targeting Democratic attorney Kipp Mueller, who is vying with Republican Suzette Martinez Valladares for the open seat state Sen. Scott Wilk is vacating. It’s a departure in strategy for the Uber-backed committee, Keep Californians Working, which has primarily focused on boosting friendly Democrats in safe seats. — Jeremy B. White

 

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CLIMATE AND ENERGY

Cottie Petrie-Norris smiles as she talks to someone.

Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris. | Rich Pedroncelli for POLITICO

CPN TIME — Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris will be running the show when hearings start Wednesday on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to require oil refiners to store more gas to try to prevent price spikes at the pump. Read Friday night's California Climate to find out what she's planning to dig into.

TOP TALKERS

Gavin Newsom speaks at a lectern as Rob Bonta looks on.

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks after signing a bipartisan package of bills to combat retail crime. | Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group via AP

NIXON THROWBACK — Newsom is trying to defeat a tough-on-crime ballot initiative, Proposition 36, by convincing voters it would mark a return to the drug war launched decades ago by Richard Nixon. Civil rights groups refer to the measure as the “War on Drugs 2.0.” As our colleague Will McCarthy reports today, Newsom is banking his effort to defeat Prop 36 on the argument that it would take California back to an era when law enforcement prioritized putting drug users in prison over rehabilitation. (POLITICO)

TOURIST TRAP — VP Harris owned a modest, one-bedroom condo in San Francisco for 17 years. In 2021, a software engineer bought the condo and offered it up for rent on Airbnb with an unusual pitch: “AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE INSIDE THE HOME PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS!” The condo, in a gritty neighborhood near freeways, has become a focal point of campaign events in the run-up to November. (The New York Times)

 

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AROUND THE STATE

— Favorable weather conditions in Southern California over the weekend gave firefighters an opening to gain ground in fighting three major wildfires. (Los Angeles Times)

— San Francisco mayoral candidate Mark Farrell has faced a flurry of ethical allegations around his campaign-finance practices in recent days — including scrutiny over his seeking behested charitable contributions from donors with business at City Hall and over his self-promotional ads for a charter reform ballot measure. (San Francisco Chronicle and Mission Local)

— Sacramento Councilmember Karina Talamantes is clashing with county officials over their plan to use $19 million in state funding to build just 82 shelter units. (The Sacramento Bee)

PLAYBOOKERS

BIRTHDAYS — Evan Cragin, an adviser to Sacramento Councilmember Caity Maple …

BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Sunday): Alex Yudelson Stephen EllisNina Jacobson … (was Saturday): Natalia BogolaskyRoxana Pourshalimi … California Medical Association CEO Dustin CorcoranMatt Klopfenstein of California Advisors, LLC … (was Friday): Robert J. Blumenfield ... Avrum Fine

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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.

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