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NEWSOM: apology to Native Americans for CA's 'dark history' — FAULCONER's oval office meeting with TRUMP — GOOGLE's $B HOUSING investment — DABABNEH goes on offense with #METOO allegations — it's WILLIAMSON over BULLOCK in Dem debate
By CARLA MARINUCCI, JEREMY B. WHITE, ALEXANDER NIEVES and GRAPH MASSARA
Presented by the California Association of Realtors
THE BUZZ: 'IT TOOK 40 GOVERNORS' — NEWSOM APOLOGIZES TO NATIVE AMERICANS: Saying California must 'reckon with our dark history,' Gov. Gavin Newsom is issuing a public apology Tuesday on behalf of the state for the 'violence, maltreatment and neglect' that Native Americans have suffered here, as well as establishing a first-ever council aimed at clarifying the historical record.
"It's called a genocide ... and that's the way it needs to be described in the history books,'' Newsom told about 100 tribal leaders who gathered at the site of the future California Indian Heritage Center in West Sacramento. Newsom recounted California's early history of "vigilantes, militiamen and federal soldiers" who engaged in mass slaughters and roundups ordered by state officials, and told the leaders, "I'm here to say I'm sorry, on behalf of the state of California,'' for decades of mistreatment and abuse.
Newsom signed an executive order with the formal apology Tuesday, and announced the creation of what his office called a "Truth and Healing Council" aimed at providing "an avenue for California Native Americans to clarify the record — and provide their historical perspective — on the checkered relationship between tribes and the state." That move, aimed at helping Native Americans challenge what has been written about their past, represents a national first, the governor's office said.
Assemblyman James C. Ramos of San Bernardino, the first Native American elected to the CA State Assembly, lauded the governor for his apology — and for making what he called landmark efforts in California that will help Native Americans establish the truth of their own history — a move that may help them address painful issues like the manner in which the history of the California Missions is taught in state schools.
"Those missions were built basically on the backs of Indian peoples .... It was basically indentured slavery — and we've been saying that for years,'' Ramos said. "But now, with the support of the governor, we think we're going to be able to have a better shot at changing the history that's out there...making sure it's the true perspective when it comes to the Indian peoples."
He was among many tribal leaders who gave emotional testimony to Newsom, some of them near tears as they recounted the past traumas of family members and their tribes. "It took 40 governors,'' one said, but the apology from the state had finally come. Read the full story by POLITICO's Carla Marinucci.
BUENOS DIAS, Good Wednesday morning. Former Assemblyman Matt Debabneh is back in the news, apparently with the help of a PR team. And San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a Republican who has long had great relations with Mexican officials across the border — and whose city ranks as one of the safest in the country — got the ear of President Donald Trump yesterday in the Oval Office.
— QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Obstruction of justice" — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, asked her view about the White House statement that Hope Hicks shouldn't answer congressional questions about her time in the White House. Then, she "walked into an elevator." h/t Scott Dworkin.
— TWEET OF THE DAY: San Diego Mayor @Kevin_Faulconer goes to Washington: "I had a chance to briefly meet with the President to discuss a few big issues facing San Diego. We talked about the pending #USMCA deal, California's homeless crisis, and I also brought up sewage coming from the Tijuana River Valley – and encouraged more federal action to fix it."
— WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
A message from the California Association of Realtors:
Let's get serious about housing supply. We must ask ourselves: "Where will our children live?" If we don't build now, California will suffer for generations. That's why the California Association of REALTORS® is committed to working with lawmakers to enact policies that increase the housing supply. Learn more.
TOP TALKERS
— DABABNEH GOES ON OFFENSE: Former Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, who has gone to court to clear his name after he was ousted over sexual misconduct allegations, is pursuing a parallel PR campaign to salvage public opinion. A sympathetic RealClearPolitics story by Stuart Taylor Jr. entitled "Sex Predator or #MeToo Prey?" depicts Dababneh as victim of overzealous #MeToo activists. He insists: "I'm fighting for my name and for my ability to restart my life without this Scarlet Letter." Story.
Dababneh's PR team had reached out to Taylor — whose past work includes the book "The "Campus Rape Frenzy: The Attack on Due Process at America's Universities" — to encourage him to look into the case. Dababneh filed a defamation suit against his accuser last year around the time the Assembly formally rejected his appeal and subsequently sought to pry loose the evidence underpinning the Assembly's conclusion; both cases are ongoing.
— "PG&E to pay $1 billion to governments for wildfire damage," by the AP's Adam Beam: "The settlement is a sliver of the more than $30 billion in potential damages Pacific Gas & Electric is facing in lawsuits filed by local governments, insurance companies and private property owners. More than half of the $1 billion in the agreement would go to four governments impacted by a 2018 fire that killed 85 people and destroyed nearly 14,000 homes in Northern California." Story.
— GOOGLE 'BIG': "Google puts up $1 billion to fight housing crisis in its Bay Area backyard," by SFChronicle's Roland Li and Melia Russell: "As part of the investment, Google said it would ask local governments to rezone for housing some land it owns that is currently dedicated for office or commercial uses, with the goal of building at least 15,000 residential units." Story.
— STRAIGHT OUTTA BERKELEY: "The biggest ever search for radio signals from alien civilizations has just been conducted by scientists," by Newsweek's Aristos Georgiou: "The Breakthrough Listen team, based at Berkeley's SETI Research Center (BSRC), has been using a variety of techniques to look for technosignatures, including advanced algorithms and searches for bright lasers which could be used by alien civilizations to communicate or power spacecraft." Story.
— PHOENIX RISING? "With SUV ads and snark, desert city looks to woo Bay Area residents," by the Merc's Louis Hansen: "A Phoenix-area business group has launched a campaign — complete with shrink-wrapped SUVs and a slightly snarky Twitter account — to lure frustrated Bay Area residents and companies away from Silicon Valley." Story.
POLITICO California Pro. California lawmakers aren't slowing down, neither can you. We break down each step of the legislative process in the Assembly and Senate, so you can stay one step ahead. Get the guide.
THE TRUMP ERA
IMMIGRATION — "Trump says illegal immigration busts coming, Bay Area mayor vows to vex them," by the Merc's John Woolfolk: "On the eve of his Tuesday re-election campaign kickoff in Florida, President Donald Trump warned a new wave of immigration enforcement sweeps is coming next week and drew an immediate rebuke from one of his local rhetorical sparring partners, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf." Story.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's response: "The White House's threats of mass raids and roundups are inhumane, disgraceful, and dangerous — recalling dark moments in history that have led to unthinkable suffering and unimaginable loss." Full statement.
— PRO-TRUMP RALLY DOWNSIZED: They planned for a 4-mile caravan in support of @RealDonaldTrump campaign launch today; 14 cars showed for "spirited" Marin Co rally, via SFChronicle. Story.
— "Trump's assault on Obamacare was much more damaging than previously thought," by LATimes' Michael Hiltzik: A study of the last two weeks of Obamacare open enrollment in 2017 "found that enrollment fell by a stunning 30% in that period compared to the same period a year earlier under President Obama, when outreach, advertising and hands-on enrollment assistance was robust." Column.
— "Steyer's group continues pressure on Neal to get Trump's tax returns," by the Boston Globe's Aidan Ryan: Story.
— "California Legislature must act to protect the environment from Trump's assaults," by former California Environmental Protection Agency chief Terry Tamminen for CALMatters: "Our state government is fighting back, but the past two years have revealed where state law must be strengthened." Op-ed.
PRESIDENTIAL PURSUIT
— SHOW ME THE MONEY: "Mayor Pete enlists a Silicon Valley vet to bring in the money," by Wired's Caitlin Kelly: "To help manage this startup's growth, the campaign turned to Swati Mylavarapu, a Silicon Valley tech executive and investor. As Mayor Pete's national investment chair, she's been advising a rapidly expanding team since April, and applying lessons from the startup world to the campaign trail." Story.
— DEM DEBATE DEBACLE: Williamson Aces out Bullock — "'The biggest nightmare Perez ever possibly imagined,'" by POLITICO's Burgess Everett and Heather Caygle: "The Democratic National Committee chairman is the face of presidential debate rules that will allow a meditation guru to take the stage next week while a red state Western governor watches on TV." Story.
CAMPAIGN MODE
— BRIDGE-BUILDING: Fresh off denying progressive activist Kimberly Ellis her second bid to lead the California Democratic Party, new chairman Rusty Hicks has named his former opponent Ellis to co-chair a panel that will examine how party committees form. Ellis, who has assailed the party as too insular and disconnected from voters, said in a statement that she would work to "ensure that no voice is left unheard."
— "Nunes hired a longtime supporter with little experience to handle 2018 campaign ad buys," by LATimes' Sarah D. Wire: "There's no evidence that Cloud's work for Nunes' campaign violated any laws or regulations. It's of interest, nonetheless, because of what it says about how a veteran and influential California lawmaker manages his operation." Story.
— LA TIMES' ABCARIAN: "Duncan Hunter, your wife admitted conspiring with you to steal campaign funds. You don't belong in Congress": "This is a husband, after all, whose reaction to being charged with federal felonies was not just to throw his own wife under a bus, but to make sure the bus backed up and ran her over a few more times. Story.
GAVINLAND
— "California vaccine bill undergoes major changes, wins support of Newsom, a former critic,'' via LATimes' Melody Gutierrez: "A key California lawmaker has amended contentious legislation to tighten vaccine exemptions amid a national measles outbreak, sharpening its focus on bad doctors while easing the list of medical conditions that doctors could cite in allowing schoolchildren to skip required immunizations. Story.
— VAX ROLLBACKS: "Vaccine bill narrowed to limit state authority after Newsom intervenes," by POLITICO's Angela Hart: "The amendments mark a quick legislative reaction to Newsom's skepticism earlier this month of the original bill, when he took issue with the level of bureaucratic involvement in personal family medical decisions, responding to a question from POLITICO." Pro content.
— AFTER GAVIN'S POLITICO INTERVIEW, JESSICA PATTERSON'S TAKE: "California GOP Responds To Gov Newsom Waste Bin Of History Comment," by KFBK's Kitty O'Neal: Listen.
CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR
— "Business, labor go public with fight over gig economy," by POLITICO's Jeremy B. White: "Drivers rallied outside of Uber's San Francisco's headquarters today to urge passage of a bill that would codify a California Supreme Court decision vastly expanding the ranks of workers — including ride-for-hire drivers — that would be considered employees rather than independent contractors." Pro content.
— VAPE MOVE: "SF becomes first U.S. city to ban sale of e-cigarettes," by the SF Examiner's Joshua Sabatini: Story.
COUNTERMOVE: The vote comes soon after Juul reported dropping $500,000 into a ballot measure that would regulate but not ban vaping, the industry's attempt at a compromise.
— SB 50 ECHOES: "Cities Start to Question an American Ideal: A House With a Yard on Every Lot," by NYT's Emily Badger and Quoctrung Bui: "Today the effect of single-family zoning is far-reaching: It is illegal on 75 percent of the residential land in many American cities to build anything other than a detached single-family home." Story and graphics.
— SPEAKING OF HOUSING: "3 of 4 Californians want to restrict housing in wildfire-prone areas, poll says," by Liam Dillon in the LATimes: "The survey revealed broad backing across party lines, demographic groups and all regions in California for restricting growth in wildfire zones." Story.
— "In Los Angeles, only people of color are sentenced to death," by the Guardian's Sam Levin: "LA county's district attorney, Jackie Lacey, has won death sentences for a total of 22 defendants, all people of color, and eight of them were represented by lawyers with serious misconduct charges prior or after their cases, according to a new analysis by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)." Story.
— NICE READ: "In a tiny California town ravaged by fire, a muralist finds a calling — and notoriety," by LATimes' Laura Newberry: "Shane [Grammer] insists that his mission here, to bring hope where there seems to be little left, is pure. He swears he's not the type to swoop into disaster zones armed with spray cans." Story.
— "San Jose man's Vietnamese brothers granted visas for life-saving transplant," by SFChronicle's Gwendolyn Wu: "The Chronicle first reported that the brothers were denied entry into the country after they learned they were a bone marrow match and applied for visitor visas for the medical procedure." Story.
— "CalPERS must stop transit workers' pension windfall," by the Merc's Daniel Borenstein: Op-ed.
— "Beneath their rival efforts to reduce police shootings, two lawmakers share one common experience as mothers," by CALMatters' Laurel Rosenhall: "[A]s mothers — one African American, the other Latina — both [Shirley Weber and Anna Caballero] have had remarkably similar experiences in one respect: They instructed their teenage sons to cautiously navigate encounters with police, and they ultimately felt the police did not treat their sons fairly." Story.
SILICON VALLEYLAND
— MAXINE'S MOMENT: "Waters calls on Facebook to halt digital currency plans,'' by POLITICO's Zachary Warmbrodt: House Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters on Tuesday called on Facebook executives to testify before her committee and urged the social media giant to hold off on plans to develop a new digital currency that's drawing increasing scrutiny from Congress.
"In a statement, the California Democrat said Facebook was 'continuing its unchecked expansion and extending its reach into the lives of its users' with the announcement of its new 'Libra' cryptocurrency. The company, she said, 'has repeatedly shown a disregard for the protection and careful use' of its users' data." Story.
— CASHING IN ON THE SEX TRADE? "Inside Backpage.com's vicious battle with the feds," by Christine Biederman for Wired: "Maybe they should have seen it coming: The betrayals. The asset seizures. The changing zeitgeist. They were, to be sure, brazenly cashing in on the sex trade. But here's the thing: Silicon Valley had better hope they win." Story.
— "California Tests a Digital 'Fire Alarm' for Mental Distress," by NYT's Benedict Carey: "If Big Data can help manage persistent mental distress, the path forward is likely to run through the Golden State. But if early signs are any indication, the road will be slow and winding, pitted with questions about effectiveness, privacy and user appeal." Story.
CANNABIS COUNTRY
— "Congressional measure offered to shield all state-legal cannabis programs," via Marijuana Business Daily: "An amendment that would protect all state-legal cannabis programs from interference by the U.S. Justice Department was submitted for the fiscal year 2020 Commerce-Justice Science spending bill." Story.
— "Ex-Scientologist Says She Was Targeted Because of Work on A&E Series in New Lawsuit,'' via The Hollywood Reporter: "The woman was born into Scientology in 1979 and spent nearly four decades within the organization, according to the complaint filed Tuesday in L.A. County Superior Court. She claims she was forced to do back-breaking work for long hours from the time she was 15 years old until she escaped in 2016 by hiding in the trunk of a non-Scientologist actor's car while filming a promotional video." Story.
— "Marilyn Monroe statue stolen from iconic Hollywood site,'' via Deadline Hollywood: Story.
— "Bay Area's new local electricity suppliers reach another legitimacy milestone," by the Silicon Valley Business Journal's Jody Meacham: Story.
— "California ranch accused of neglecting retired racehorses," via AP: Story.
— "Bryant Estate legal fight offers glimpse into 'cult' wineries' secretive world," by SFChronicle's Esther Mobley: Story.
— "Court-martial begins for Navy SEAL accused of war crimes," by Fox News' Dan Gallo: Story.
— "City sues UC Berkeley for not studying impacts of 30% student enrollment hike," by Berkeleyside's Frances Dinkelspiel: Story.
Ensuring homeownership for Californians – young and old – starts with increasing the supply of housing for rent and to own. This situation is dire and getting worse. In a recent survey, 53% of Californians said they were considering moving to another state due to high housing costs. We must ask ourselves: "Where will our children live?" If we don't build more housing now, future generations will suffer. The California Association of REALTORS®, representing more than 200,000 real estate agents and brokers throughout the Golden State, is committed to working with lawmakers to enact policies that will increase the housing supply. Working together and fighting for California's future, we can end the housing crisis. Let's get serious on supply – our future depends on it. Learn more.
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About The Author : Carla Marinucci
Carla Marinucci, POLITICO's California Playbook reporter, has been consistently named one of California's leading political writers and top political bloggers. Prior to joining POLITICO last year, Marinucci was senior political writer for the Hearst flagship San Francisco Chronicle, and before that for the Hearst-owned San Francisco Examiner. She has covered presidential elections since 1996, and six California gubernatorial elections, including the historic recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as the administrations of four California governors. In 2013, she was honored by the Society of Professional Journalists with a lifetime achievement award for her coverage of California politics.
Internationally, she has covered major developments including the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the opening of business markets in China to the U.S. in the 1980s, border politics including the visits of U.S. Presidents and California governors to Mexico. As an award-winning investigative reporter at both the Chronicle and the Examiner, she reported on a wide range of issues including the abuse of immigrant laborers in California, and the rise of drug trafficking and organized crime in Oakland and the Bay Area, including the Hells Angels.
Fluent in Spanish, she graduated from San Jose State University and studied at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City and has traveled by bus, truck and train from the U.S. Border to the tip of South America.<
She has been named a Casey Journalism Fellow at the University of Maryland and has been twice honored as a Media Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. She has been a featured analyst on CNN, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, Fox News, Irish Newstalk Radio, the BBC, and Australian Broadcasting, and is a regular political analyst on KPCC Los Angeles, an NPR station; ABC7 television in the Bay area, as well as KCBS, KGO, and SIRIUS XM's POTUS Press Pool.
SUBSCRIBE to POLITICO California Playbook: https://politi.co/2SCYtzs
About The Author : Jeremy B. White
Jeremy B. White co-writes the California Playbook and covers politics in the Golden State. He previously covered the California Legislature for the Sacramento Bee, where he reported on campaigns, myriad nationally significant policy clashes and multiple FBI investigations of sitting lawmakers.
He has a bachelor's degree in English from Tufts University and a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University. A native of Bethesda, Maryland, one of his life dreams is to throw out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals game — although he would settle for winning a playoff series. He lives in Oakland with his partner and his cat, Ziggy Pawdust.
About The Author : Alexander Nieves
Alexander Nieves covers cannabis policy for POLITICO California. Before joining POLITICO, he covered local government for Richmond (CA) Confidential and interned with the Los Angeles Daily News, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Sports Illustrated. A Los Angeles native, Alexander holds a master's degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and a B.A. in Diplomacy from Occidental College.
About The Author : Graph Massara
Graph Massara is a copy editor on ProWeb and helps produce California Playbook. Prior to joining POLITICO, he was an editorial assistant with SFGATE and a freelancer. He studied memes and media at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also served briefly as a Daily Californian news editor, and he interned at the East Bay Express. Originally from Sacramento, he now lives in the "other" capital city with his partner and two cats.
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