GOP cleans up after Trump in California

Presented by

DRIVING THE DAY: First, it was San Francisco and Chesa Boudin. Then, it was Los Angeles and George Gascón. Now, another Bay Area county is mounting a campaign to oust its progressive district attorney.

Read Jeremy B. White’s just-published story on the burgeoning recall effort facing Alameda County DA Pamela Price — and what it says about the political tension surrounding California’s criminal justice system.

THE BUZZ — California Republicans are doing everything they can to bat down skepticism about voting by mail — except calling out the guy who supercharged the conspiracies in the first place.

National and state leaders on Monday launched their “California Bank Your Vote” program, encouraging Republicans to vote by mail to avoid the Election Day rush and encourage a robust turnout.

It’s a critical tactic given California’s role in keeping Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s five-seat margin next year, but it also puts Republicans in the uncomfortable spot of having to both validate concerns about election integrity and assure voters that voting by mail is totally safe.

“We can’t talk to our voters about the importance of voting early unless we assure them that their vote is going to be protected,” said RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel.

To be clear: This would not be a problem without the fervor spun up by Donald Trump in the last election. As Richard Hasen, a professor of law and political science at UCLA and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project, put it, “Until Trump messed things up, [vote by mail] was quite a common and well-accepted means of getting out the vote on the Republican side.”

Banking votes could help Republicans avoid a day-of scramble in close races. That’s what happened last year in Rep. John Duarte’s district, when the party identified 25,000 Republicans who had not voted early and had to deploy door knockers in an 11-hour turnout push that gave Duarte his 564-vote lead. This year, the GOP is again defending Duarte, as well as Reps. David Valadao, Mike Garcia and Ken Calvert.

Republican leaders danced around the Trump issue on Monday, acknowledging the shift in voter behavior without speculating as to why. McCarthy, when asked about how the party deals with Trump’s rhetoric around voting, pointed out the former president had filmed a short video spot for the GOP promoting the effort.

“President Trump has said he believes in Bank Your Vote,” McCarthy said. “He believes Republicans should get that vote in early.”

That’s certainly a departure from his previous stance.

“REMEMBER, YOU CAN NEVER HAVE FAIR & FREE ELECTIONS WITH MAIL-IN BALLOTS,” the former president posted on Truth social in November. “NEVER, NEVER, NEVER. WON’T AND CAN’T HAPPEN!!!”

But no matter how many headaches he has caused, party leaders know they can’t quit Trump.

“Donald Trump is the most popular politician in the Republican Party,” Hasen said. “And Donald Trump has claimed, without evidence, that there’s substantial fraud associated with our elections. It’s very hard to push back against that without being seen as attacking the leader of the party.”

HAPPY TUESDAY. Thanks for waking up with Playbook.

PLAYBOOK TIP LINE — What are you keeping an eye on? What do you expect to be the fight of the next few weeks in the California Legislature? Let us know.

Now you can text us at ‪916-562-0685‬‪ — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now.

Or drop us a line at [email protected] and [email protected], or on Twitter — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte

WHERE’S GAVIN? Announcing a climate partnership with Australia.

FRESH INK

FEINSTEIN FEUDS — A trustee for the joint trust established by Sen. Dianne Feinstein and her late husband Richard C. Blum is pushing back against an effort by Katherine Feinstein to take control of a property at Stinson Beach.

The suit, which has a hearing in San Francisco on Aug. 21, is part of a broader fight the senator’s daughter is waging with the trust, which was established by the couple in 1996 and holds much of Blum’s estate, including joint ownership in several properties. In June, Katherine Feinstein asked the court to force the trust to sell the beach house, which she says is the wish of her mother.

Michael Klein, a co-trustee, said in a court filing Thursday that the trustees are acting deliberately in determining the next best steps for the trust and the assets within it and claimed Katherine Feinstein has “not even attempted to coordinate with her co-trustee … to reach a joint decision.”

Selling the property, the filing said, would be premature.

The trustee also claimed Katherine Feinstein’s husband Rick Mariano had earlier this year shown the property to Stinson Beach realtors, inspectors and hired a contractor to help prepare it for sale, which Klein said he had “no authority” to do.

“It is not only premature and inappropriate for [Katherine Feinstein] to blindside her co-trustee with this filing, making very public and misguided accusations,” the filing said. “But the very terms of the Joint Property Trust contemplate that the co-trustees refrain from making any distribution until it is appropriate to do so.”

Neither Katherine Feinstein nor her attorneys responded to a request for comment.

In July, Katheirne Feinstein filed a separate lawsuit alleging the trust had refused to pay for her mother’s medical bills, which the trustees disputed.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — PELOSI POWER: Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is throwing her support behind Democratic challenger Rudy Salas today as he mounts a rematch with Rep. David Valadao in California’s 22nd District. It’s not a surprise, especially given the district’s close margins, but Pelosi’s endorsement early in the cycle could be a deterrent to other Democrats looking to challenge Salas in the primary.

“Rudy Salas is a proven champion for women, workers, and delivering for Valley Families, and I’m proud to endorse him for Congress,” Pelosi said in a statement. “California’s 22nd District is a must-win for Democrats and Rudy is exactly the right candidate to get the job done.”

TO THE TOP — Regrettably, Playbook failed miserably in our quest to SCOOP Capitol Weekly’s top 100 influencers around the Capitol list. Sure, we can probably guess many of the names debuting tonight at a reception in Sacramento. … Or, so we thought.

Turns out our colleagues over at Cap Weekly are selling this as a new kind of list — replete with dozens of new names. It’s about time that lobbyist who was BIG in the Deukmejian Era turned in his literal Rolodex and musty pair of orthotics and made way for a new generation of hallway blockers. Rich Ehisen, editor in chief of the publication, told POLITICO he looked at the list with an eye toward diversity and the players behind the scenes who rarely — if ever — get acknowledged for the work they do. Ehisen said he’s enlisted a few “surprise guests” to help them with the reveal. And he offers an “Embargoed hint: I think this time we’ve really given women their due.” Take that, dudes with wingtips that are older than Alex Lee!

— Christopher Cadelago

WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY

— “Southeast L.A. County cities enact rent control to keep residents housed,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Charlotte Kramon: “The combination of higher prices, job losses and economic hits from the pandemic is sending some longtime residents to cheaper areas like the Inland Empire and high desert, or to different states altogether. And local officials are scrambling to keep people in their homes.”

— “San Francisco’s self-driving car wars intensify after Cruise meltdown,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sam Whiting: “Following Friday night’s bewildering traffic jams in San Francisco, with Cruise driverless vehicles clogging the streets of North Beach and other neighborhoods, Supervisor Aaron Peskin said Sunday that government agencies would ask the city attorney to file a petition requesting that the state revisit last week’s key approval expanding robotaxi service.”

— “A $25 minimum wage for California’s health care workers could increase retention, but at what cost?” by The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Lauren J. Mapp: “If it passes, minimum wage for all workers at acute care hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, medical offices, clinics, behavioral health centers and residential care centers would increase to $21 an hour as of June 1, 2024, with another raise to $25 the following year.”

Playbookers

— Jim DeBoo, former chief of staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom and a veteran of some of California’s biggest ballot measure fights in recent years, is rebranding his Sacramento-based business to focus on strategic consulting and executive and crisis management. DeBoo, who has twice topped Capitol Weekly’s aforementioned top 100 list, will still be working on ballot measures and helping out Newsom with special assignments. He’s also launching a partnership with FTI consulting, a firm with global reach.

WEDDINGS — Assemblymembers Blanca Rubio and Jim Wood both celebrated weddings over the summer recess, with Speaker Robert Rivas officiating the latter.

THAT WAS QUICK — Less than a week after 92 percent of staff voted to unionize, nonprofit news outlet CalMatters on Monday voluntarily recognized the guild. Members will soon begin collective bargaining without the need to hold a formal election through the National Labor Relations Board.

Per a statement from organizers, “The CalMatters Guild aims to cultivate advancement opportunities and to ensure that the newsroom remains competitive in attracting and retaining talent as diverse as the state they cover.”

BIRTHDAY — Newsom chief of S\staff Dana Williamson

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.

Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: [email protected].