Redistricting wars heat up
DRIVING THE DAY — Assembly and Senate Democrats each held all-caucus Zoom meetings Sunday night to discuss the rapidly moving battle over redistricting, according to several people familiar with the calls.
The briefings came as the showdown over redistricting escalated sharply, with Democratic lawmakers in Texas fleeing the state in an effort to deny a quorum to Republican lawmakers seeking to redraw lines there. California Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, are pushing to respond in kind if Texas and other states proceed with their own redistricting.
The presenters, including California Reps. Pete Aguilar and Zoe Lofgren, talked about the current state of play, including how the state's congressional district boundaries could change and a briefing on polling on how California voters would respond to lines being redrawn, according to one person familiar with the calls and granted anonymity to describe them. — With help from Jeremy B. White.
RIP RECALL — The effort to recall Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass debuted with a bang five months ago. Today, it will die with barely a whimper.
The campaign brimmed with potential … Bass was indisputably vulnerable following her handling of the January wildfires, and organizers were backed by the deep pockets of Silicon Valley philanthropist Nicole Shanahan.
But slick launch videos and Change.org petitions don't translate to the arduous work of actually qualifying a measure for the ballot. The recall committee never filed for approval to start collecting signatures and in June preemptively stood down, stating that a recall is 'no longer our vehicle for change.' The Monday qualification deadline makes it official.
The failure to qualify 'tells us that people didn't have the appetite for a recall, and they wanted the problems in the city to get fixed, whether it had to do with the fire, homelessness or crime,' said Doug Herman, a political strategist working with Bass. A spokesperson for the recall effort did not respond to a request for comment.
Ironically, it was Bass' former (and potentially future) foe Rick Caruso who helped drive a stake into the recall, when he declared the effort was 'not a good idea' not long after the committee launched. Caruso, a centrist Democrat, would have lent a bipartisan sheen to the effort. Instead, Bass and her allies could paint the effort as a GOP-adjacent partisan attack that would have trouble catching on in deep-blue Los Angeles.
More upside for Bass … She could raise unlimited donations to fend off the recall, scooping up checks far larger than the $1,800 maximum donations for her reelect campaign.
Bass raised nearly $750,000 to the anti-recall account and put that money to use on consulting, polling, digital lists — basically, all the building blocks that will come in handy for her reelection campaign.
She posted a far more meager sum in her 2026 account: less than $180,000 for the first six months of the year. While the figure drew some flak online, Bass' team said it was necessary for the anti-recall campaign to be the top fundraising priority at the time.
'It needed to be done because of the seriousness of the recall and the fact that it had financial backing,' Herman said.
GOOD MORNING. Happy Monday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook.
MEA CULPA: Friday's edition of California Playbook mischaracterized how much money Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis has on hand. She has $4.6 million on hand in her governor's race account, with an additional $4.6 million stowed away in her lieutenant governor's account — most of which her campaign says can be transferred. It also misstated Chad Bianco's fundraising edge over Steve Hilton.
Like what you're reading? Sign up to get California Playbook in your inbox, and forward it to a friend. You can also text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@politico.com and bjones@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej.
WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
Big News: On Wednesday, Aug. 27, POLITICO is hosting its inaugural California policy summit. At The California Agenda, some of the state's most prominent political figures will share the stage with influential voices in tech, energy, housing and other areas to chart the path forward for a state at the forefront of critical policy debates. The live and streamed event is free, but advanced registration is required. Request an invite here.
KAMALA WATCH
UNWELCOME OFFER — Kamala Harris said when she opted not to run for governor that she planned to help elect Democrats across the country. Many operatives within her party, still smarting from her 2024 defeat, would be glad if she didn't run again in 2028 — and don't want her help in 2026, Dustin, Melanie and three of our colleagues report.
'If she was gravity for our candidates running in center-right districts in 2024, then she will be gravity for them in 2026,' said Lauren Harper Pope, co-founder of WelcomePAC, which supports center-left candidates. 'So,' she added of Harris' pledge to campaign for Democrats, 'no thank you.'
Across the country in Southern California, a Democratic strategist who was also granted anonymity to speak frankly said he would prefer Harris 'go away' because voters equate her with Biden. The greater Los Angeles area, similar to metro New York, could be central to Democrats' quest to take control of the House of Representatives.
'I wouldn't want her in my district,' the strategist said.
CAMPAIGN YEAR(S)
NEXT DOMINO — Without Harris in the field, the looming question in the governor's race is whether Caruso will run — staging a political comeback after losing to Bass.
Harris' exit has, in many insiders' eyes, widened Caruso's path to the governor's mansion. Supporters lit up Caruso's phone after Harris made her announcement, according to a confidante, some urging him to run for governor, while others pushed the mayoral race.
'The race has opened up a bit. Kamala had weaknesses and a ceiling, but she had support, too,' said the confidante, who was granted anonymity to discuss Caruso's view of the political playing field. 'Everything clicked up a notch, maybe two notches, as far as the excitement level. But in terms of a plan, it's going to be a while.'
Read more from our Jeremy B. White.
TOP READS
BEHIND A PORTRAIT OF SUCCESS — The new CEO of Calexit, the organization campaigning for California's secession, projects opulence. He resides in a luxurious estate in Calabasas and claims to own lithium mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Sir. Dr. Xavier Mitchell, Ph.D., however, appears 'to be an extremely prolific fraudster, with a civil and criminal record of financial swindling and deceit,' our Will McCarthy reports in a deep look at Mitchell's background.
Mitchell has been accused of stealing a man's identity, applying for fraudulent business loans, forging documents, attempting grand theft and perjury.
None of his companies appears on major exchanges, but rather on so-called OTC (over-the-counter) markets that have less stringent reporting requirements and allow securities (often penny stocks) to be traded directly between two parties. Although Mitchell does seem to have created a number of LLCs, at least one of them is currently suspended by the Franchise Tax Board, and the minuscule stock prices of others hardly denote grand wealth.
CLIMATE AND ENERGY
CALIFORNIA GOV & TEXAS TEA — Newsom spent the last four years provoking the big oil boogeyman. Now, it's haunting him, writes our Alex Nieves.
Newsom's casting of Big Oil as the villain behind the state's perpetually high fuel prices signaled the industry's waning influence in Sacramento. But the plot took a dramatic turn for the governor and his party when two refineries in the state announced closure plans.
'Refineries all across the globe are struggling,' Newsom said last month in unveiling a suite of proposals to keep refineries solvent, including holding talks with potential buyers and offering incentives to boost in-state oil drilling. 'We've got some challenges, and so just require some new considerations.'
The about-face, Alex writes, 'is emblematic of Democrats' course correction on cost-of-living issues in the wake of the presidential election — and provides a real-time demonstration of the political risks of pursuing an aggressive transition away from fossil fuels.'
But, but, but … Chevron isn't ready to give state leaders kudos yet. Read Friday's California Climate to see why one of the company's top executives says he still has little faith that California will make long-term changes the industry thinks are needed.
NUMBER OF THE DAY
$16.90: What California's minimum wage will increase to at the start of next year. That's up from $16.50 thanks to adjustments for inflation.
Top Talkers
HUERTA ON FARM RAIDS — Storied California labor leader Dolores Huerta spoke with our colleague Samuel Benson about the Trump administration's arrest of farmworkers, and she's not optimistic about how coming harvest seasons will play out for crops or employees.
'It's an atrocity, what they've been doing to the immigrant community,' Huerta said. The longtime labor activist says the federal government's current approach is 'very, very different' from anything she's seen before.
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM A FRIEND — San Francisco's progressive Democratic Sheriff Paul Miyamoto explained his surprising endorsement of Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco in the governor's race last week.
'I honestly don't know what his stance is on every issue,' Miyamoto said Thursday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. 'I'm looking at this as supporting a peer and a friend, someone who's doing the exact same job that I am.'
AROUND THE STATE
— The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday night upheld a ruling against the Trump administration's 'roving' immigration patrols, a setback for the president's deportation agenda. (LA Times)
— Financial disclosures show San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie's campaign has spent unprecedented sums on consultants to polish his public image. (SF Standard)
— Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes said a Navy fighter jet that crashed on his farm will cost him upland cotton crops. (CBS47/KSEE24)
PLAYBOOKERS
KEYNOTE — Harmeet Dhillon, the head of the Justice Department's civil rights arm who served as vice chair of the California Republican Party, will speak during a Saturday brunch at the party's fall convention. She'll go on at 11 a.m. on Sept. 6 in Orange County.
PUT A RING ON IT — Christopher Mika, national security adviser for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), and Sonja Packard got engaged on the Speaker's Balcony last Tuesday.
STORK ALERT — Madailin Callahan Johnson was born in the wee hours of Aug. 2 to Jamie Callahan, deputy chief of staff to Newsom, and Mike Johnson (not the House speaker). Callahan will be on leave until January, and Rhys Williams will fill the deputy role until her return.
BIRTHDAYS — former President Barack Obama … British royal Meghan Markle … actor Billy Bob Thornton … director Greta Gerwig … Claire Berry of Rep. Judy Chu's (D-Calif.) office ... Hector Escobar, property claims field adjuster, Mercury Insurance
BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Sunday): Assemblymember Chris Ward (favorite cake: Black Forest cake) … Sydney Hilbush of Rep. John Garamendi's (D-Calif.) office ... (was Saturday): Vice President JD Vance … Mark Martin, Assembly budget consultant … David O'Brien at California Community Colleges … Chelsea Haines at the Association of California Water Agencies ... Gigi Sohn
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.
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