Rough & Tumble ®
A Snapshot of California Public Policy and Politics
     
 
 
 
 

California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Yes on Proposition 36 campaign gives $1 million to the California Republican Party weeks ahead of election -- The political committee behind Proposition 36, which has touted the anti-crime measure’s support from top local Democratic leaders, donated $1 million to the California Republican Party in recent weeks. Anabel Sosa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/24

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a law aimed at preventing gas prices from spiking -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law Monday aimed at preventing gas prices from spiking, marking the Democrat’s latest move in a battle with the oil industry over energy prices and the impacts of climate change. Sophie Austin Associated Press Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ Molly Burke in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ Kristin J. Bender in the San Jose Mercury$ Wes Venteicher Politico -- 10/15/24

Walters: What’s behind all the political theater over California’s high gasoline prices? -- California’s governors and legislators often do things that defy real world rationality and can only be explained, if not justified, in political terms. This month’s exercise in political theater over gasoline prices is an extreme example. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 10/15/24

Abortion isn’t on the ballot in California, but state candidates can’t stop talking about it -- Democrats in key legislative races say that abortion rights are under threat nationally so it’s a relevant issue. It could also be a winning issue. Alexei Koseff CalMatters -- 10/15/24

It’s already Trump’s world. California is just living in it -- The Supreme Court is a threat to California’s climate rules no matter who wins the election. Blanca Begert and Alex Nieves Politico -- 10/15/24

Former top Harris aide joins Gavin Newsom’s administration -- Nathan Barankin, who started his career as a Sacramento legislative fellow and went on to become the top aide to Kamala Harris in California and Washington, is joining Gov. Gavin Newsom’s senior staff on Tuesday, he and other advisers confirmed to Politico. Christopher Cadelago Politico -- 10/15/24

For Kamala Harris’ L.A. neighbors, her house is a delight and an annoyance -- The vice president spends a fair amount of time at her Brentwood home, generating increased traffic and other minor headaches. Could it get worse if she becomes president? Daniel Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/24

At VotingMatters events, attendees share personal stories related to ballot propositions -- Last week, VotingMatters went to public libraries, colleges, and a museum to talk about California’s ballot propositions. So far, VotingMatters has reached more than 750 people across 20 events, bringing crucial election information to voters around the state. Dan Hu CalMatters -- 10/15/24

Man arrested at Trump rally denies assassination plot, threatens to sue Riverside County sheriff -- The suspect arrested with two loaded guns outside a Trump rally in Coachella over the weekend said he planned to sue Riverside County after the sheriff claimed his deputies stopped the man from attempting to assassinate the former president. Richard Winton, Noah Goldberg and Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/24

‘Sleazebag.’ ‘Lowlife.’ Donald Trump hurls fresh insults at Adam Schiff -- So now U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff, a heavy favorite to become a California U.S. senator next month, is one of this nation’s “enemies from within,” according to Donald Trump. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/15/24

Wedbush Securities joins downtown L.A. exodus, opting for smaller, more flexible office in Pasadena -- Financial services firm Wedbush Securities is moving from a prominent office tower in downtown Los Angeles to Pasadena, where it will occupy much smaller offices meant to accommodate hybrid work schedules. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/24

S.F. doesn’t know what AI programs it is using. New legislation could change that -- When San Francisco Supervisor Hilary Ronen first started asking around about what artificial intelligence programs the city uses, she was surprised to find out no one person or department knew. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/15/24

Water

State backs environmentalists after water shutoff kills thousands of fish in Kern River -- California officials have joined a legal effort to restore water to the Kern River after an abrupt shutoff of water dried up the river and killed thousands of fish in Bakersfield. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/24

Top of the ticket

Trump Suggests Using National Guard Against ‘Enemy From Within’ on Election Day -- Donald Trump suggested deploying the National Guard or military to respond to what he termed the “enemy from within” on Election Day, saying in an interview that aired Sunday that he was concerned about the prospect of chaos wrought by “radical left lunatics.” C. Ryan Barber and Jimmy Vielkind in the Wall Street Journal$ Maegan Vazquez in the Washington Post$ -- 10/15/24

Harris Uses Trump’s Own Words to Attack Him as ‘Unhinged’: ‘Roll the Clip’ -- At a rally in Pennsylvania, in a swing county in a swing state, Vice President Kamala Harris played clips of Donald Trump describing critics as an “enemy from within,” drawing jeers from her crowd. Erica L. Green in the New York Times$ Mark Scolforo, Adriana Gomez Licon and Will Weissert Associated Press -- 10/15/24

Trump sways and bops to music for 39 minutes in bizarre town-hall episode -- The scene comes as Vice President Kamala Harris has called Trump, 78, unstable and called into question his mental acuity. Marianne LeVine in the Washington Post$ Michael Gold in the New York Times$ -- 10/15/24

Kamala Harris will sit down with Bret Baier for her first Fox News interview -- Vice President Kamala Harris will be interviewed by Fox News anchor Bret Baier on Wednesday in Pennsylvania as she steps up her travel and conversations with media outlets in the closing stretch of the presidential campaign. Chris Megerian Associated Press -- 10/15/24

Trump Leans On Creative Bookkeeping to Keep Up in Cash Race -- Donald J. Trump’s official campaign committee has a payroll of fewer than a dozen and has found ways for another account to pick up the tab for his rallies. Shane Goldmacher and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 10/15/24

Harris Has Raised $1 Billion. Can She Get Donors to Give More? -- The sheer amount of money Kamala Harris has raised in her run for president has had unintended consequences. Theodore Schleifer in the New York Times$ -- 10/15/24

A Harris Ad Uses the Hurricanes to Try to Inflict Damage on Trump -- Two former homeland security officials under Donald J. Trump describe how he tried to withhold disaster aid from states that he hadn’t won. Reid J. Epstein in the New York Times$ -- 10/15/24

For many Black men, Harris fails to catch fire -- Some residents of Pontiac, Mich., are inspired by the vice president’s rise. Others wonder whether she really understands the community’s needs. Michael Brice-Saddler in the Washington Post$ -- 10/15/24

Harris and Trump now tied in Michigan, new AARP poll finds -- Trump lost his 2-point lead over Harris that held in August. Greta Reich Politico -- 10/15/24

 

California Policy and Politics Monday

LAUSD’s Black student achievement program upended, targeted by conservative Virginia group -- LAUSD quietly overhauled BSAP, a program meant to bolster struggling Black students, after a legal challenge from a conservative group against basing such help on race. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

‘Notoriously slow:’ Lengthy investigations into California politicians leave voters in the dark -- A CalMatters analysis shows that California’s campaign finance watchdog has sometimes taken years to resolve cases, sometimes after politicians have won election or left office. Yue Stella Yu and Jeremia Kimelman CalMatters -- 10/14/24

Tech titans pour millions into San Francisco mayor’s race, hoping to set city on a new course -- Wealthy tech leaders are spending heavily in San Francisco’s mayoral race, hoping to infuse more centrist politics and set a course for the city’s future. Hannah Wiley in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

Labor advocates say Newsom’s gas prices bill risks safety. The state disagrees -- As a gasoline reserve bill faces a final vote today, labor advocates say the bill’s safety measures don’t go far enough. Malena Carollo CalMatters -- 10/14/24

Suspect in Coachella Valley Trump assassination attempt denies accusation, supports ex-president -- A third assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump was thwarted on Saturday after a Las Vegas man was arrested with weapons and fake passes about a half mile from Trump’s campaign rally in Coachella Valley, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said Sunday. Mona Darwish and Brian Rokos in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 10/14/24

Man arrested near Trump rally in Coachella with shotgun, handgun, authorities say -- Deputies found the guns and magazine after searching Miller’s black SUV at a checkpoint at Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive in Coachella about 5 p.m., authorities said. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

As California bills soar, PG&E pushes costly wildfire projects over cheaper options -- Burying power lines, often called undergrounding, is a popular way to reduce the risk of wildfires ignited by electrical equipment in California. It’s a powerful safety measure, but one that carries a hefty price tag. Ari Plachta in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/14/24

McManus: Trump flipped on EVs, but he still loathes windmills. That’s a problem for California -- Trump hates windmills with the power of a thousand turbines. That could hurt California, which is becoming more reliant on renewable energy. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

Workplace

A top detective alleges the LAPD is toxic toward women. Will her lawsuit bring change? -- Once a member of the vaunted Robbery-Homicide Division, Det. Kristine Klotz alleges she was demoted after calling out harassment by a male supervisor. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

O.C. man charged with workers’ comp fraud involving $100 million of billings -- In a major California workers’ comp insurance case, authorities have charged an Orange County man who was twice convicted of fraud, along with a San Diego neurosurgeon and two others, in connection with allegedly billing nearly $100 million in fraudulent fees. Don Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

Oil

Nearly 10 years after California oil spill, plan to reactivate pipeline sparks anger -- Plans to restart a pipeline in Santa Barbara County have angered residents worried about an oil spill similar to the massive one near Refugio State Beach in 2015. Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

Narcan

- - 8 minutes, 19 seconds: Inside one California man’s dying body as Narcan molecules rush to reverse an overdose -- The man lay on a bedroom floor between an Xbox and a puddle of spilled water. His eyes were closed, feet splayed. Blake Nelson in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/14/24

Fleet Week

Navy parachutist lands on two air show spectators -- The spectators, a woman and a child, were taken to a hospital after the incident, which occurred around 12:40 p.m. at the Marina Green park along Marina Boulevard, said San Francisco fire Lt. Mariano Elias. David Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/14/24

Housing

Less than 2% of Bay Area homes have changed owners this year. Here’s why -- Fewer than 20 in 1,000 homes in the San Francisco metropolitan area have changed owners this year, a sign housing market activity remains below pre-pandemic levels — though there has been some recent improvement. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/14/24

Education

Raw sewage and bursting pipes: Why California community colleges are asking voters for repairs -- This November, California voters will decide on Proposition 2, a $10 billion education bond. Some community colleges are counting on the money to fix critical buildings and protect the safety of students. Adam Echelman CalMatters -- 10/14/24

Environment

White House announces first California marine sanctuary managed by Indigenous peoples -- The Biden administration and native tribes will commemorate the designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary on Monday. Noah Haggerty in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

Top of the ticket

Harris goads ‘weak and unstable’ Trump over ‘hiding’ from a debate -- The new line of attack on the former president comes as he has also declined a “60 Minutes” interview and to release his medical records after the vice president released her own. Elena Schneider Politico -- 10/14/24

Trump wages campaign against real-time fact checks -- The moves are the latest example of Trump’s long-held resistance to being called to account for his falsehoods. Ashley Parker and Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ -- 10/14/24

How Kamala Harris Tackled Her Border Assignment -- Vice president’s role has become a political liability as Republicans label her as ‘border czar’. Santiago Pérez, Tarini Parti, Michelle Hackman, and Lauren Weber in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/14/24

Trump chips away at Harris’s national advantage, two new polls show -- The latest polls show that the race is still neck-and-neck, but some sentiment, such as on deportation of undocumented immigrants, has shifted in Trump’s direction. Maegan Vazquez in the Washington Post$ -- 10/14/24

How Trump may try to challenge the election results if he loses again -- If Vice President Kamala Harris wins in November, election officials and experts worry that former president Donald Trump and his supporters will not accept that outcome — and could again try to overturn his loss. Patrick Marley in the Washington Post$ -- 10/14/24

Trump urges using military to handle ‘radical left lunatics’ on Election Day -- The former president asserts that those he labels the “enemy from within” are more dangerous than threats from rival nations such as Russia and China. Maegan Vazquez in the Washington Post$ -- 10/14/24

Vance and Walz take the Sunday show stage -- Their back-to-back interviews allowed two vice presidential candidates to do some cleanup on their past remarks. Mia McCarthy and Meredith Lee Hill Politico -- 10/14/24

Pheasant hunts, football games: Walz makes his appeal to male voters -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s recent appearances have been aimed at appealing to male voters, as polls suggest that Trump is winning men by an average of 10 points. Dylan Wells in the Washington Post$ -- 10/14/24

Trump disarmed a political landmine in refusing to release his tax returns -- Despite the storm over the former president’s refusal to disclose them in 2016 and 2020, the issue has gone quiet this year. Brian Faler Politico -- 10/14/24

The Ground Game: Harris’s Turnout Machine vs. Trump’s Unproven Alliance -- Both parties are frenetically chasing votes in the counties that could very well decide the election. In many places, inexperienced conservative groups are going up against a more tightly organized Democratic operation. Lisa Lerer, Julie Bosman, Kellen Browning, Maya King and Jonathan Weisman in the New York Times$ -- 10/14/24

The Trump Voters Who Don’t Believe Trump -- When the former president endorses violence and proposes using the government to attack his enemies, many of his supporters assume it’s just an act. Shawn McCreesh in the New York Times$ -- 10/14/24