Harmeet Dhillon, a prolific litigator and Republican party official from San Francisco, is poised to lead a major overhaul of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division. She and key members of her team are no stranger to sparring with California's Democratic establishment. | AP
THE BUZZ: OUTSIDERS NO MORE — The powerful Civil Rights Division at the U.S Department of Justice will likely soon be led by three conservative Californians with experience fighting a common foe: the state’s Democratic establishment.
Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates, who has routinely challenged state policies in court, announced Monday he would join the division as a deputy assistant attorney general. His selection follows the appointment of Harmeet Dhillon, a prolific litigator and Republican party official from San Francisco, as assistant AG over the division and Leo Terrell, a conservative talk radio host from Los Angeles, as senior counsel.
These new roles flip the power dynamic between the California antagonists and their home state. No longer misfits challenging the California status quo, they're about to shape national policy on civil rights.
“Harmeet is a Republican who lives in the Bay Area, so she is intimately familiar with the wackadoo things that California can do from time to time that violates people’s civil liberties,” said Jim Brulte, a former chairman of the California Republican Party who worked with Dhillon when she was state vice chair.
Dhillon has battled the state over churches being forced to close during the pandemic and policies about when parents are notified if their child identifies as transgender at school. Gates has sued to overturn California’s landmark SB 54, which limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents, and defended Huntington Beach’s local voter-ID requirement in court.
Terrell, a regular fixture on Fox News, has skewered the state’s liberal politics on the airwaves for years, including its debates over reparations for Black people and criminal justice reforms.
Dhillon’s nomination has stoked backlash from liberals concerned the DOJ will erode protections on voting rights and other safeguards for minority groups. Meanwhile, the right sees an opening for the division to further protect the rights of religious groups and the personal liberties of conservatives above government interests.
For California, it will almost certainly mean more tussles with President Donald Trump’s DOJ over issues like discrimination against Jewish and white students on college campuses, the rights of parents with LGBTQ+ children and voter ID requirements. As culture warriors, Dhillon, Gates and Terrell are widely expected to embrace Trump’s agenda on those fronts.
Gates, in a statement posted on X, said he was honored by the chance “to advance President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda, fight to restore law and order throughout the country, and fight to restore faith in the nation’s justice system.” Gates and Terrell both declined a request for further comment.
Dhillon, who also declined to comment, has not been confirmed by the Senate; she could face hearings as soon as March and should encounter little opposition in the GOP-held chamber.
GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley, who teamed up with Dhillon to challenge Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic closures, said her division will be well positioned to put the Golden State on defense. “She understands as well as anyone the sweeping violations of civil liberties faced by so many Californians,” Kiley told Playbook.
Democratic elected officials who’ve sparred with Dhillon and Gates, meanwhile, are not rushing to pick another fight. State Attorney General Rob Bonta said he’s being careful not to prejudge how the division will operate — but he’s also watching with caution.
“We are open minded to what’s to come, and obviously not naive,” he told Playbook. “The civil rights division … has a long tradition and legacy of taking on discrimination and racism. I hope that that tradition will continue.”
GOOD MORNING. Happy Tuesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook.
Cost of CA Insurance Regulations. Californians are experiencing costly Uber rides thanks to state required insurance costs that make up nearly a third of total trip fares. Unlike other vehicles, including taxis, rideshare vehicles are required to have a $1 million uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage when there's a passenger in the car. That's one reason why an entire industry of billboard lawyers target rideshare with litigation abuse, driving insurance costs up even higher. Learn More.
ON THE HILL
Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff. | Angelina Katsanis/POLITICO
FIRST IN POLITICO: STATUS CHECK — Sen. Adam Schiff asked White House chief of staffSusie Wiles and the Office of Government Ethics DirectorDavid Huitema to verify whether Elon Musk is in compliance with federal conflict of interest and ethics requirements in his capacity as a “special government employee,” our colleague Mia McCarthy scooped. Schiff asked in letters whether Musk has completed a financial disclosure or if he was given a written waiver that would exempt him from the federal criminal conflict of interest statute. Huitema was removed from his post by Trump later on Monday.
SHUTDOWN TALK — Schiff said he does not want to force a government shutdown to disrupt the Trump administration’s rapid shakeup of the federal government. In doing so, the California senator ruled out an option that New Jersey Sen. Andy Kimfloated over the weekend.
“I want to do everything possible” to avoid a shutdown, Schiff told ABC News. “It’s certainly not something I would advocate or support.”
CAMPAIGN YEAR(S)
Conservative commentator Steve Hilton. | Damian Dovarganes/AP
LAW AND ORDER LANE — Conservative commentator Steve Hilton, a potential candidate for governor in 2026, appears to be leaning heavily into voters’ concerns about crime as he weighs whether to jump into the race.
On Monday, he released a white paper outlining his views. Among the aggressive steps he suggests: Require everyone released pre-trial on bail to wear an ankle monitor, force homeless people to live in shelters and reenact key elements of the state’s “three strikes” sentencing law.
“We’ve all seen, and we’re ashamed by, the visual images of the collapse of law and order in California,” Hilton said during a news conference in Huntington Beach. He was joined by Gates, on the same day he was named to join Trump’s DOJ.
Hilton, former Fox News host and policy adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, also announced two major additions to the advisory board for Golden Together, his policy advocacy group: Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig and former Sacramento Sheriff John McGinness.
Statistically speaking, crime has fallen in many of California’s cities over the last two years, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland. But Hilton seems poised to seize many voters’ perception that a pandemic-era spike hasn’t subsided — or at least not enough.
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CLIMATE AND ENERGY
COUNT YOUR BILLS — California state lawmakers are practically tripping over themselves to introduce bills related to wildfire response, recovery and prevention following the Los Angeles fires last month — overshadowing their previously stated priorities for the legislative session, like energy affordability. Read more about what’s new, what’s old and what’s a duplicate in last night's California Climate.
TOP TALKERS
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. | Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
BIANCO 2026? — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Biancois stirring speculation that he will run for governor after a post on event-planning platform Eventbrite invites people to come hear him make a “major announcement.”
“This is your chance to be a part of something big! Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco will be making a major announcement at Avila's Historic 1929. Don't miss out on this exciting event where you'll be among the first to hear this important news straight from the Sheriff himself,” reads the post.
POLITICO’s Chris Cadelago reported last year that the unsparing critic of Newsom and conservative fixture on Fox News was considering a run for the coveted position.
OCEAN VIEWS — Left with nothing but two chimneys and a few brick columns, a Pacific Palisades property received more than 60 offers and is now in escrow for more than $1 million, Bloomberg reports.
The site is one of the first to sell after the Palisades Fire, but the previous owner is getting back much less than the home was worth before flames destroyed the affluent community. “I can just tell you, generally, that people selling are going to take a huge financial hit,” listing agent Richard Schulman told Bloomberg.
A message from Uber:
AROUND THE STATE
Chevron's oil refinery in Richmond, Calif. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
— Chevron could sell its century-old plants in California, a decision that would be costly for the state and the company. (The Wall Street Journal)
— San Francisco Democratic Party Chair Nancy Tung says Democrats need to start focusing on things that are “relevant to the everyday lives of working people.” (Los Angeles Times)
— San José Mayor Matt Mahanwill propose using Measure E tax dollars to fund development of interim housing and shelter rather than toward the construction of affordable apartments. (KQED)
— Despite Republican Rep. David Valadao’s adaptability and win in California's swingy 22nd Congressional District, he will likely face Democrat Rudy Salas again in 2028. (The San Joaquin Valley Sun)
— compiled by Nicole Norman
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PLAYBOOKERS
SPOTTED: BRINGING THE ENERGY — State Sens. Scott Wiener and Jerry McNerney and Assemblymember John Harabedian at the California Museum attending a reception hosted by American Clean Power-California. Assemblymembers Mike Gipson and Cottie Petrie-Norris were spotted at the California Solar Symposium, hosted by the same trade group at the Secretary of State building.
BELATED CONGRATS! — State Sen. Jesse Arreguín of Berkeley proposed to Dyana Delfín Polk, trustee for the Peralta Community College District, after the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1 while on vacation in Baja California.
PEOPLE MOVES — Trump loyalist Richard Grenellwill serve as interim executive director of the Kennedy Center, the president announced on his social media platform Truth Social. “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST,” Trump wrote.
— Silvio Ferrari was promoted from principal to partner at Axiom Advisors.
— The law firm Morgan Lewis has started a five-partner West Coast litigation team including Ali Razai, Benjamin Anger, Benjamin Everton, Brandon Smith and Jacob Peterson.
— Los Angeles-based public affairs firm Rodriguez Strategies hired Senior Associate Justin Kramer to manage its operations in Sacramento. Kramer was deputy press secretary for the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s D.C. office before returning to California last year.
BIRTHDAYS — California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks … Jennifer Aniston … Sarah Palin … Miranda Ratner …
BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Monday): George Stephanopoulos … Natalie Knight … (was Saturday): American Economic Liberties Project’s Matt Stoller … (was Friday): Ben Mezrich ... Scott Feldman
IN MEMORIAM —Paul Gladfelty, the longtime Sacramento lobbyist, co-founder of the Apex Group and talented painter, passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 20 at the age of 69. A celebration of his life will be held in the California Museum auditorium on Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, Paul’s family requests donations to a government affairs scholarship bearing his name at the McGeorge School of Law. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
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.
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A message from Uber:
Cost of CA Insurance Regulations
Californians are finding themselves paying some of the highest Uber fares in the nation, thanks to California's out of control state insurance requirements. Unlike taxis and personal vehicles, rideshare operators here must carry $1 million in uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage when there's a passenger in the car. Unfortunately, these rules have created a feeding frenzy for billboard lawyers. Litigation abuse claims have caused insurance premiums to rise even higher, fueling fare hikes that hurt everyday riders and increasing the cost of everything.
