Latest news with #JewishCaucus
Al Arabiya
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Police in Northeast Ohio Arrest Man Who Allegedly Menaced GOP US Rep. Max Miller on Interstate
A northeast Ohio man was arrested Thursday on allegations that he threatened and spewed antisemitic epithets at Republican US Rep. Max Miller while the two were traveling on an interstate highway near Cleveland. Police in Rocky River said Feras S. Hamdan, 36, of Westlake, voluntarily turned himself in with counsel present and is awaiting an appearance in municipal court. A message was left with his lawyer seeking comment. Miller, who is Jewish, called 911 while driving on Interstate 90 on his way to work Thursday. He reported that another driver was cutting him off, making profane hand gestures, showing a Palestinian flag and shouting death threats targeted at him and his 1-year-old daughter. After an interview with police, Miller filed a complaint against Hamdan alleging aggravated menacing and sought a criminal protective order. Local police continue to investigate with assistance from the US Capitol Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Attorneys' office and the Rocky River prosecutor. The Ohio Jewish Caucus praised Rocky River police and extended their thoughts to Miller and his family, noting the incident followed by just days the politically motivated shootings in Minnesota, which left two people dead and two others injured. 'Enough is enough,' the all-Democratic legislative alliance said in a statement. 'There is no place for this type of violence– whether it be political, antisemitic, or ideological– whatsoever. We believe we can solve our differences with humility, not hatred.'
Associated Press
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Police in northeast Ohio arrest man who allegedly menaced GOP US Rep. Max Miller on interstate
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A northeast Ohio man was arrested Thursday on allegations that he threatened and spewed antisemitic epithets at Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller while the two were traveling on an interstate highway near Cleveland. Police in Rocky River said Feras S. Hamdan, 36, of Westlake, voluntarily turned himself in with counsel present and is awaiting an appearance in municipal court. A message was left with his lawyer seeking comment. Miller, who is Jewish, called 911 while driving on Interstate 90 on his way to work Thursday. He reported that another driver was cutting him off, making profane hand gestures, showing a Palestinian flag and shouting death threats targeted at him and his 1-year-old daughter. After an interview with police, Miller filed a complaint against Hamdan alleging aggravated menacing and sought a criminal protective order. Local police continue to investigate with assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Attorney's office and the Rocky River prosecutor. The Ohio Jewish Caucus praised Rocky River police and extended their thoughts to Miller and his family, noting the incident followed by just days the politically motivated shootings in Minnesota, which left two people dead and two others injured. 'Enough is enough,' the all-Democratic legislative alliance said in a statement. 'There is no place for this type of violence — whether it be political, antisemitic, or ideological — whatsoever. We believe we can solve our differences with humility, not hatred.'
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gaza war debate fractures Democrats in Florida's third largest county
A statement posted by the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee on social media in late January It's unclear how badly the fissure that emerged among Democrats amid Israel's war with Hamas hurt Kamala Harris' chances of beating Donald Trump, but the resulting bad blood continues to roil relationships within the Florida Democratic Party. For example, allegations that a volunteer engaged in antisemitic behavior have split the Hillsborough County Democratic Party, third largest in the state. The bitter feud broke out just as Democratic voter registration in the county dipped behind the Republican Party's. Earlier this month, the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee's (HCDEC) steering committee voted to suspend precinct captain Russ Miller for two years after he was accused of hate speech targeting both the Jewish Caucus and some of its members. That decision followed months of fruitless calls by the Jewish Caucus to remove Miller, which infuriated other caucuses and individuals within the party as well. After an initial vote by all party members to remove Miller failed last month, six of those caucuses announced that they would abandon the party for at least a year. For his part, Miller takes strong objection to being sanctioned over his criticism of Israel's conduct in the war and his statements to and about the Jewish Caucus. 'I do not hate Jewish people,' he told the Phoenix. 'I do not feel bigotry towards Jewish people and none of what I have said should be construed as hate speech. That's been very twisted.' If recently elected Hillsborough party chair Vanessa Lester thought Miller's suspension would begin to heal the party, that doesn't seem to be the case so far (she did not return several messages from the Phoenix for comment). 'We are taking a wait-and-see approach,' Stephen Shaiken, chair of the Jewish Caucus, said in an email last week. He added in a comment to the Jewish Insider that the Democratic Executive Committee (DEC) 'is still infested with antisemitism on a large and hateful scale.' Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, resulted in some 1,200 deaths and the kidnapping of about 250 people. The 16-month Israeli military campaign that followed has resulted in the death of more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to the official Palestinian Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The war has devastated the densely populated and impoverished territory. A cease-fire has been in place since Jan. 19, with Hamas returning a total of 25 hostages in exchange for more than 1,500 Palestinians jailed by Israel (the Israeli government said Sunday that they are delaying the release of 620 Palestinian prisoners until Hamas releases more hostages, according to The New York Times). The Biden-Harris administration strongly supported the Israeli government's response to the Hamas attacks (including supplying more than 50,000 tons of weaponry, according to a ProPublica report in October). While the U.S. public has largely supported the former administration's approach, fierce opposition emerged, predominantly via protests on college campuses in Florida and across the nation. At one point, Democrats expressed fears of major demonstrations at the United Center in Chicago, site of August's Democratic National Convention. While that didn't play out (the Democratic National Committee denied any Palestinian American access to the main stage), the split within some parts of the party have never fully healed. The issue has divided Democrats elsewhere in Florida, as well. A month after the Hamas attack, Jacksonville Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon's resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Middle East was labelled antisemitic by both Republicans and Democrats in the Florida House. Last May, the party's Progressive Caucus called on the state party to cancel Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman's keynote speech at its Leadership Blue event, citing his 'unwavering support for Israel's actions.' An activist interrupted the speech several times, yelling, 'Free Palestine.' South Florida state Rep. Hillary Cassel mentioned the party's treatment of Israel when she stunningly announced in December that she was jettisoning the Democratic Party and would become a Republican. 'As a proud Jewish woman, I have been increasingly troubled by the Democratic Party's failure to unequivocally support Israel and its willingness to tolerate extreme progressive voices that justify or condone acts of terrorism,' she wrote in a statement. Cassel's fellow South Florida Democratic Rep. Mike Gottlieb refuted that assertion. 'As leader of the Florida Jewish Legislative Caucus and a Democrat, I feel that we do strongly support Israel and Jewish causes and Jews throughout the diaspora,' Gottlieb told the Phoenix. Additional Florida Democrats have left the party because they didn't approve of Biden's support of arm sales to Israel during the conflict. Miami activist Thomas Kennedy, a then Florida delegate to the Democratic National Committee, resigned a year ago 'in large part because of the Biden administration's inexcusable support of Israeli war crimes and the mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza.' A report released this month by the American Jewish Committee found American Jews slightly more likely to disapprove of how the Democratic Party was responding to antisemitism than they did the Republicans. Majorities of Jews disapproved of both parties' approaches. The survey, conducted late last year, found Jews equally worried about antisemitism on the 'extreme political right' and the 'extreme political left.' But that represented a notable shift from four years earlier, when Jews were much more likely to say the extreme right represented an antisemitic threat. The first thing Miller did to rile the Jewish Caucus and others last year was to post a cartoon on social media depicting a soldier with the Israel Defense Forces looking in the mirror with an image of a Nazi staring back at him. He later sent emails to political candidates directing them not to attend Jewish Caucus functions or accept its financial contributions to their campaigns. And there were reports that Miller was urging canvassers not to wear the blue T-shirts worn by Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee members because they represented a color associated with the Israeli flag; instead, they should wear green shirts in solidarity with the Palestinians, he suggested. On that latter claim, Miller says that when he formed an 'Anti-Genocide Coalition' within the Hillsborough Party last year, he announced that team members would wear green T-shirts 'to show our passive recognition of what was happening,' and that he didn't want them wearing blue and white because 'they were also the colors of the Israeli flag.' (Blue is a color also associated with the Democratic Party itself.) In one social media post, he described those 'trying to gloss over the Gaza genocide' as 'Zionazi' sympathizers, a phrase Miller now says he regrets. When someone says, 'Don't work with the Jewish Caucus and don't take their money.' What am I supposed to think?' – Steve Shaiken, Hillsborough County Democratic Jewish Caucus To Shaiken, those actions constituted 'classic antisemitism.' 'Whether the person intended it that way, whether they meant it that way, whether other people will interpret it the same way I do, those are all open questions,' he said. 'But if you're asking me, how do I interpret it? When someone says, 'Don't work with the Jewish Caucus and don't take their money.' What am I supposed to think?' Miller doesn't deny directing candidates to avoid the Jewish Caucus, which he called a 'hate group' in a statement he emailed to other Democrats in January. When asked how he could justify that accusation, Miller cited a piece Shaiken had written on his Substack account last May blasting Michigan Democratic U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American member of Congress. Tlaib drew a censure from Congress in November 2023 for comments related to Israel and Palestinians. In that piece, Shaiken blasted Tlaib for calling Joe Biden names for supporting Israel in the war. He concluded his piece by calling her a 'liar, terrorist-supporter and enabler, Jew-hater, traitor.' 'I don't know how that's not considered hate speech,' Miller said. Shaiken replied via email. 'I wrote the Rep. Tlaib was censured by the House with 22 Democrats joining in finding she had been disloyal to the U.S. by saying she believed Hamas over the CIA and for making antisemitic statements,' he said. 'How can reporting votes on those be hate? That is a public record. Besides, assume it was only my belief and there was no censure: How does that make a group a hate group? And isn't Miller claiming he is being punished for a viewpoint, then he calls for boycotting an entire caucus because of a viewpoint?' Miller's suspension by the party's steering committee has raised hackles with party activists who support his side and consider the sanction undemocratic, since it overruled a vote by the entire local party that took place as recently as Jan. 27 and fell well short of the two-thirds required for passage. In fact, more people opposed than supported the sanction. 'You have proven, time and again, that you do not have the integrity or the courage to lead,' Carolina Ampudia, past president of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida, scolded local party chair Lester in an 'open letter' shared on Facebook. 'You have no problem silencing dissent when it is politically inconvenient for you, even though you yourself have been protected and uplifted by the very voices you now work to suppress,' Ampudia added. She has since filed a formal complaint to the FDP and the DNC. Kimberely Smith, president of the Tampa Bay Democratic Labor Caucus and vice chair of the Florida Democratic Labor Caucus, says Miller was the victim of a 'witch hunt' and that the Hillsborough Democratic Party mishandled the situation. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'It is a sensitive topic, and I understand that,' she said. 'On the other hand, the Democratic Party is supposedly about the working class and the working people. Yet all we've done is get rid of a volunteer. It hasn't fixed the fact that we continue to lose Florida.' In the steering committee meeting that led to Miller's suspension, Smith said she brought up the Merriam-Webster's definition of genocide. 'I explained that, 'Look, I don't want to be labeled antisemitic because I'm pro-peace. I am against war. But that doesn't mean that I'm anti-Israel or anti-Jewish. … I don't believe Russ Miller is antisemitic. He's never seems that way to me. I feel like he's very passionate about peace and passionate about fellow human beings, be it Jewish people, Palestinians, all people.' The failed membership vote to exile Miller in late January was the last straw not only for the Jewish Caucus, but for five additional clubs and caucuses within the Hillsborough party. The leaders of those groups sent a letter to Lesser the day after the vote to note 'an increase of hate speech and antisemitism being tolerated within our HCDEC.' Also tendering his resignation was Luis Salazar, Hillsborough's lead state party committeeman and chair of the local LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, over what he sees as leadership's attempt to remain neutral in the dispute, which he considers unacceptable. 'As a leader, you have to take a stand on the subject — you have to say, 'This is not okay and these are the things that we're going to do to rectify it,'' he told the Phoenix. 'Something that was not being done by the leadership at the current time, so they chose silence and to work on the back end but not let anybody know what's going on, so there's no transparency.' 'It's sad, but this entire situation could have been handled by the prior administration, and this administration as well,' added Victor DiMaio, head of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Hillsborough County. 'They've totally mishandled this since the beginning. This should have been done a long time ago. They let it fester, and it's caused nothing but embarrassment for the party.' Ione Townsend stepped down in December after serving as Hillsborough party chair for nearly a decade. Although she removed Miller as volunteer coordinator for the party relatively early in this saga, he remained a precinct captain. The situation drew the notice of Florida Democratic Party (FDP) Chair Nikki Fried, who weighed in before the party's Dec. 2 meeting, telling members that Miller had continued to 'intimidate' Jewish members of the local party and called on them 'to use your authority to remove him from all official positions within your organization.' A week later, Miller responded, explaining to Hillsborough Democrats in a letter why he would continue to participate in the party despite 'the ominous hostility of a shameless and powerful interest group towards me.' 'At this moment of history, I can think of no more worthy cause than stopping an American-supported genocide in Gaza,' he wrote, adding, 'I have Palestinian friends there I care very much about. How can I not stand up for them?' So, while Miller is now sidelined by the party, he says he's remaining active, working with the Tampa chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, which saw its membership peak shortly after Bernie Sanders second run for president. As far as the Hillsborough County Democratic Party? It is not in a good place right now. The castoffs include some unhappy with what they saw as an increasing 'leftward' drift of the party, although no one saying that has provided the Phoenix with concrete details. Several defectors say that they're going to devote their time and financial resources to The Hillsborough Society, a 10-year-old nonprofit co-founded by former state Chief Financial Officer and 2010 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink. The organization has formed a separate political committee to raise money for local Democrats. The Society held a reception last week that sources say attracted around 120 community and union members as well as representatives of the party's Hispanic, LGBTQ, and Jewish caucuses. 'We're not competing with the [Hillsborough] Democratic Party,' insists Mark Hanisee, a prolific fundraiser for the Hillsborough Democrats over the past several years who is now executive vice president of The Hillsborough Society. 'They have their own goals. Unlike a party, we don't have all of those statutory requirements that are placed on a county party and a state party. We're going to be more community involved, working with them on issues.' The state party considers the problem settled now. 'The FDP was made aware of accusations of antisemitism last summer and has worked with the Hillsborough County DEC to address them internally within the framework provided in our bylaws,' spokesperson Eden Giagnorio said. 'We take all accusations of hate speech seriously and provided guidance to party leaders on ways to address the situation. 'The FDP considers this matter closed. Going forward, our hope is for both the county party and the caucuses to move past this and refocus on registering Democrats and winning elections.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Politico
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Exclusive: Bill would restrict Gaza lessons
Presented by THE BUZZ: CURRICULUM CLASH — Members of the Legislature's Jewish Caucus will unveil a bill today that would prohibit ethnic studies teachers from focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or other international conflicts. The move is likely to bring bitter clashes that have divided school boards across California in recent weeks to Sacramento. Assemblymembers Rick Chavez Zbur, Dawn Addis and state Sen. Josh Becker are carrying the measure, AB 1468, which they say is intended to combat rising antisemitism in K-12 schools, citing incidents of Jewish students being targeted over the war in Gaza. The bill has 31 total co-authors, a sizable show of initial support. Zbur said a lack of clear curriculum standards for ethnic studies has 'allowed groups with biased ideological agendas to peddle factually-inaccurate and blatantly antisemitic curriculum to school districts, posing a threat to Jewish children's safety.' The bill would also require the state Board of Education to create uniform content rules and for state educational officials to monitor curriculum for all ethnic studies courses taught in public schools, including lesson plans, to ensure the courses don't divide students. Instead, it says, teachers should focus on the 'domestic experience and stories of historically marginalized peoples in American society.' Last year, Zbur held a related bill that was backed by state Superintendent Tony Thurmond, saying he needed time to work out disagreements with teachers and other opponents, who felt it censored classroom speech. That bill would have required school districts to allow parents to review ethnic studies course materials. Zbur's latest measure is expected to spark a fierce debate within the Legislature — and is likely to draw opposition from teachers, labor unions and progressive groups that have previously criticized lawmakers' efforts to control whether the Israel conflict is included in lesson plans. The dispute comes as school districts across the Golden State have crafted ethnic studies courses to comply with an existing mandate from Sacramento. California is slated to require all school districts to offer an ethnic studies course by this fall, under a bill Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in 2021. The course was intended to teach high school students about the history and oppression of racial and ethnic groups in America. But that deadline could be pushed back if there is no funding for the courses in the budget — an option the governor is keeping wide open. Erika Li, a top official with Newsom's Department of Finance, told lawmakers at a hearing earlier this month that his January budget did not include money for ethnic studies 'given the state of the budget this year' but the administration was open to discussing funding in the coming months. The state has a tight budget this year, with a tiny surplus that could quickly turn into a deficit. The 2021 law would also make ethnic studies a high-school graduation requirement for all California students by 2030, a move that sparked fierce debate in the Legislature four years ago due to concerns that earlier versions of a curriculum developed by a state task force evoked antisemitic stereotypes or fixated on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Already, several districts have faced heated pushback from educators, students and parents in recent weeks over ethnic studies courses. In Palo Alto, the school district narrowly approved adding the course. The superintendent had previously said they wouldn't move forward, citing an unfunded state mandate and 'local divisiveness across California' during prior debates over a statewide ethnic studies curriculum. One board member, Rowena Chiu, has been at the center of the firestorm in Palo Alto. She voted against the curriculum and came under fire after sharing a controversial X post from a group called 'Asians Against Wokeness,' which criticized a district employee. The Santa Ana school district last week dropped three ethnic studies classes after Jewish groups sued, alleging the proposed curriculum contained false narratives about Jews. The curriculum was grounded in Liberated Ethnic Studies, a progressive-led approach to ethnic studies that emphasizes concepts like systemic oppression and colonialism. And in Fresno, some teachers are worried the district is slow-walking the rollout of an ethnic studies curriculum, EdSource reported. Teachers say development of the program has stalled, likely due to controversy in other districts. Zbur's bill is expected to face a hearing in the Assembly Education Committee, which could draw protests and force Newsom and legislative leaders to take up a polarizing issue. GOOD MORNING. Happy Monday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @dustingardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? Newsom will hold a 1 p.m. news conference to announce a new homeless funding accountability tool. The event will be live streamed on the governor's YouTube page. STATE CAPITOL FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: DO NOT PASS GO — Attorney General Rob Bonta and state Sen. Melissa Hurtado unveiled legislation that would increase penalties for corporations that engage in monopolistic or anticompetitive practices. Bonta said the measure is designed to make fines for such behavior — such as price fixing or restraining trade — so aggressive that companies can't pay fines. 'Too many wealthy corporations see penalties for breaking the law as simply the cost of doing business,' he said. The measure, SB 763, would increase criminal fines under the Cartwright Act, California's century-old antitrust law, from $1 million to $100 million per corporate violation and from $250,000 to $1 million for individual violators. It would also increase prison sentences for severe violations. SAN FRANCISCO FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: COMEBACK CITY — A new poll from Grow SF, a centrist advocacy group, suggests that San Francisco voters are feeling much better about the city's trajectory. The poll found that 36 percent of voters say SF is moving in the right direction while 34 percent say it's not (and 30 percent don't know how they feel). It's a dramatic reversal from last October, when Grow SF's poll found 62 percent of voters thought the city was moving in the wrong direction. The latest survey is also the first time since March 2020 that the group's poll has found that more voters say the city is on the upswing than not. The poll comes as crime rates in San Francisco have been falling for more than a year. Fatal drug overdoses and the number of street encampments have also dropped. Voters' improving mood comes after the November election of Mayor Daniel Lurie, a moderate Democrat and former political outsider, and a centrist majority on the Board of Supervisors. The poll found that Lurie has strong approval ratings, with 55 percent of voters viewing him favorably. (More on Lurie below) ON THE AGENDA FLOOR SESH — The state Assembly and Senate will hold floor sessions at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. CLIMATE AND ENERGY KILEY'S REVENGE — Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley is eagerly picking up President Donald Trump's line of attack against California's unique ability under the Clean Air Act to set its own vehicle emissions standards. Kiley spoke with POLITICO's California Climate newsletter about his ambitions to undo California's rules. TOP TALKERS SELLING SAN FRANCISCO — POLITICO's Jonathan Martin writes that San Francisco's Lurie is a 'Michael Bloomberg-style technocrat' who's focused on selling the city's post-pandemic comeback. The heir to the Levi Strauss fortune wants to create a cleaner and safer environment for his tourism-dependent city. 'We have our problems, they're concentrated in a few areas, which is where our tourists come,' Lurie told Jonathan. 'We have to clean that up.' ROAD TO 2026 — Former Rep. Katie Porter is still mulling a bid for California governor. If she chooses to run, she will be one of several House Democrats from the class of 2018 seeking a gubernatorial role, as our D.C. colleagues write. These lawmakers who came to Washington during an anti-Trump wave are making the case that they are the best candidates to push back against the president who they say is hurting Americans. 'The reality is that state government is going to be really the tip of the spear in trying to protect people; to have some continuity on health care and consumer protection in a world where Trump is dismantling them,' Porter said. AD WARS INCOMING — House Republican leaders have proposed to use Medicaid cuts to pay for tax cuts, border security and energy production. That could create a headache for two California battleground Reps. David Valadao and Ken Calvert. As POLITICO's Kelly Hooper writes, both Valadao and Calvert represent districts with larger-than-average Medicaid populations. The Democratically aligned group Protect Our Care is targeting both with ads urging them to stop the cuts. AROUND THE STATE — Yosemite National Park staffers are protesting workforce cuts by hanging an upside-down American flag off the side of El Capitan. (San Francisco Chronicle) — A San Diego County tribal reservation partnered with Cal Fire to conduct a planned burn that cleared 160 acres. (The San Diego Union-Tribune) — A city auditor found that Oakland has paid more than it needs to for overtime to some of its employees for at least six years. (The Oaklandside) — compiled by Nicole Norman PLAYBOOKERS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: NEW SF FIRM — Two veteran San Francisco political advisers will today launch West Advisors, a strategic consulting and public-affairs firm. Its founders are Andres Power and Jeff Cretan, both former senior City Hall staffers and alums of former Mayor London Breed's administration and state Sen. Scott Wiener's operation. Power was Breed's policy director and led the city's effort to win a state pro-housing designation; Cretan was Breed's comms director and led the city's PR efforts during the Covid pandemic and other crises. PEOPLE MOVES — Philip Cook has joined JAMS in Los Angeles as an arbitrator, mediator, neutral evaluator and judge pro tem. — Maddie Ribble has joined the California Community Land Trust Network as co-director for policy. He was previously interim vice president for policy at The Children's Partnership. — Logan Hess starts today as principal consultant for the Assembly Health Committee, and Grant Silva is now lead consultant for the panel. Hess was previously in the Senate Office of Research, and Silva was with the Assembly Judiciary Committee. — KaBria Payden, previously of Chris Holden's office, is now legislative director for Assemblymember Mia Bonta. Haley Hester joined Bonta's office as district director from former Oakland City Councilmember Treva Reid's team. And Sacramento State student Katie Chavez is interning for Bonta this semester. BIRTHDAYS — former Yahoo CEO Terry Semel … WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum … Kevin Lewis … Bruce Andrews … film critic Owen Gleiberman … Zahra Hajee in the office of LA Supervisor Lindsey Horvath … Amazon's Lindsay Hamilton … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Sunday): POLITICO's Katy Murphy … Marissa Mitrovich at the Fiber Broadband Association … pollster Frank Luntz … film producer Michael Benaroya … (was Saturday): former U.S. Assistant Attorney General Viet Dinh … Hugh Hewitt … Rachel Dratch ... Iliza Shlesinger ... Paul Lieberstein … 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.
