Latest news with #Kounalakis
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Candidates for California governor face off about affordability, high cost of living in first bipartisan clash
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - In a largely courteous gathering of a half dozen of California's top gubernatorial candidates, four Democrats and two Republicans agreed that despite the state boasting one of the world's largest economies, too many of its residents are suffering because of the affordability crisis in the state. Their strategies on how to improve the state's economy, however, largely embraced the divergent views of their respective political parties as they discussed housing costs, high-speed rail, tariffs, climate change and homelessness on Wednesday evening at the first bipartisan event in the 2026 governor race to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom. "Californians are innovators. They are builders, they are designers, they are creators, and that is the reason that we have the fourth largest economy in the world," said former Rep. Katie Porter., a Democrat from Irvine "But businesses and workers are being held back by the same thing. It is too expensive to do things here. It is too expensive to raise a family. It is too expensive to run a business." Conservative commentator Steve Hilton, a Republican, argued that state leaders need to end the "stranglehold" of unions, lawyers and climate change activists on California policy. "I've been traveling this state. Everywhere I go, it's the same story, this heartbreaking word that I get from every business I meet, every family is in such a struggle in California," he said, with a raspy voice he explained immediately upon taking the stage was caused by a sore throat. The candidates spoke to about 800 people at a California Chamber of Commerce dinner at an 80-minute panel at the convention center in Sacramento. The chamber's decision on who to invite to the forum was based on which ones were leaders in public opinion surveys and fundraising. Making the cut were former Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, Hilton, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Porter and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The sharpest exchange of the evening was between Kounalakis, a Democrat, and Bianco, a Republican. After the candidates were asked about President Trump's erratic tariff policies, Kounalakis cited her experience working for her father's reat estate company as she criticized Bianco for arguing for a wait-and-see approach about the president's undulating plans. "You're not a businessman, you're a government employee," she said to Bianco. "You've got a pension, you're going to do just fine. Small businesses are suffering from this, and it's only going to get worse, and it's driven, by the way, it is driven by Donald Trump's vindictiveness toward countries he doesn't like, countries he wants to annex, or states he doesn't like, people he doesn't like. This is hurting California, hurting our people, and it's only going to make things worse, until we can get him out of the White House." Bianco countered that Kounalakis and the other Democrat gubernatorial candidates are directly responsible for the economic woes facing Californians because they have an "unquenchable thirst" for money to fund their liberal agenda. "I just feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. I have a billionaire telling me that my 32 years of public service is okay for my retirement," he said. "It's taxes and regulations that are driving every single thing in California up. We pay the highest taxes, we pay the highest gas, we pay the highest housing, we pay the highest energy." The Democrats on stage, though largely agreeing about policy, sought to differentiate themselves. The sharpest divide was about whether to raise the minimum wage. On Monday, labor advocates in Los Angeles proposed raising it in Los Angeles County Atkins reflected most of her fellow Democrats' views, saying that while she wanted to see higher wages for workers, "now is not the time." Villaraigosa said that while he believes in a higher minimum wage, "we can't just keep raising the minimum wage." Kounalakis, though, said not increasing the minimum wage would be inhumane. "I think we should be working for that number, yes I do," she said. "You want to throw poor people under the bus." California's high cost of living is a pressing concern among the state's voters, and the issue is expected to play a major role in the 2026 governor's face. Nearly half feel worse off now compared with last year, and more than half felt less hopeful about their economic well-being, according to a poll released in May by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by The Times. Nearly exactly a year before the gubernatorial primary next year, the event was the first time Democratic and Republican candidates have shared a stage. It was also the first time GOP candidates Bianco and Hilton have appeared together. Although the state's leftward electoral tilt makes it challenging for a Republican to win the race – Californians last elected GOP politicians to statewide office in 2006 - Bianco and Hilton are battling to win one of the top two spots in next year's primary election. The pair expressed similar views about broadly ending liberal policies in the state, such as stopping the state's high-speed rail project and reducing environmental restrictions such as the state's climate-change efforts that they argue have increased costs while making no meaningful impact on the consumption of fossil fuels. A crucial question is whether President Trump, who both Bianco and Hilton fully support, will eventually endorse one of the Republican candidates. The gubernatorial candidates, some of whom have been running more than a year, have largely focused on fundraising since entering the race. But the contest to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom is growing more public and heated, as seen at last weekend's California Democratic Party convention. Several of the party's candidates scurried around the Anaheim convention center, trying to curry favor with the state's most liberal activists while also drawing contrasts with their rivals. But the Democratic field is partially frozen as former Vice President Kamala Harris weighs entering the race, a decision she is expected to make by the end of the summer. Harris' name did not come up during the forum. There were a handful of light moments. Porter expressed a common concern among the state's residents when they talk about the cost of living in the state. "What really keeps me up at night, why I'm running for governor, is whether my children are going to be able to afford to live here, whether they're going to ever get off my couch and have their own home," she said. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Candidates for California governor face off about affordability, high cost of living in first bipartisan clash
In a largely courteous gathering of a half dozen of California's top gubernatorial candidates, four Democrats and two Republicans agreed that despite the state boasting one of the world's largest economies, too many of its residents are suffering because of the affordability crisis in the state. Their strategies on how to improve the state's economy, however, largely embraced the divergent views of their respective political parties as they discussed housing costs, high-speed rail, tariffs, climate change and homelessness on Wednesday evening at the first bipartisan event in the 2026 governor race to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom. "Californians are innovators. They are builders, they are designers, they are creators, and that is the reason that we have the fourth largest economy in the world," said former Rep. Katie Porter., a Democrat from Irvine "But businesses and workers are being held back by the same thing. It is too expensive to do things here. It is too expensive to raise a family. It is too expensive to run a business." Conservative commentator Steve Hilton, a Republican, argued that state leaders need to end the "stranglehold" of unions, lawyers and climate change activists on California policy. "I've been traveling this state. Everywhere I go, it's the same story, this heartbreaking word that I get from every business I meet, every family is in such a struggle in California," he said, with a raspy voice he explained immediately upon taking the stage was caused by a sore throat. The candidates spoke to about 800 people at a California Chamber of Commerce dinner at an 80-minute panel at the convention center in Sacramento. The chamber's decision on who to invite to the forum was based on which ones were leaders in public opinion surveys and fundraising. Making the cut were former Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, Hilton, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Porter and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The sharpest exchange of the evening was between Kounalakis, a Democrat, and Bianco, a Republican. After the candidates were asked about President Trump's erratic tariff policies, Kounalakis cited her experience working for her father's reat estate company as she criticized Bianco for arguing for a wait-and-see approach about the president's undulating plans. "You're not a businessman, you're a government employee," she said to Bianco. "You've got a pension, you're going to do just fine. Small businesses are suffering from this, and it's only going to get worse, and it's driven, by the way, it is driven by Donald Trump's vindictiveness toward countries he doesn't like, countries he wants to annex, or states he doesn't like, people he doesn't like. This is hurting California, hurting our people, and it's only going to make things worse, until we can get him out of the White House." Bianco countered that Kounalakis and the other Democrat gubernatorial candidates are directly responsible for the economic woes facing Californians because they have an "unquenchable thirst" for money to fund their liberal agenda. "I just feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. I have a billionaire telling me that my 32 years of public service is okay for my retirement," he said. "It's taxes and regulations that are driving every single thing in California up. We pay the highest taxes, we pay the highest gas, we pay the highest housing, we pay the highest energy." The Democrats on stage, though largely agreeing about policy, sought to differentiate themselves. The sharpest divide was about whether to raise the minimum wage. On Monday, labor advocates in Los Angeles proposed raising it in Los Angeles County Read more: Labor groups, officials push for a minimum wage of at least $25 an hour in L.A. County Atkins reflected most of her fellow Democrats' views, saying that while she wanted to see higher wages for workers, "now is not the time." Villaraigosa said that while he believes in a higher minimum wage, "we can't just keep raising the minimum wage." Kounalakis, though, said not increasing the minimum wage would be inhumane. "I think we should be working for that number, yes I do," she said. "You want to throw poor people under the bus." California's high cost of living is a pressing concern among the state's voters, and the issue is expected to play a major role in the 2026 governor's face. Nearly half feel worse off now compared with last year, and more than half felt less hopeful about their economic well-being, according to a poll released in May by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by The Times. Read more: Despite political promises, Californians are stressed about their finances Nearly exactly a year before the gubernatorial primary next year, the event was the first time Democratic and Republican candidates have shared a stage. It was also the first time GOP candidates Bianco and Hilton have appeared together. Although the state's leftward electoral tilt makes it challenging for a Republican to win the race – Californians last elected GOP politicians to statewide office in 2006 — Bianco and Hilton are battling to win one of the top two spots in next year's primary election. The pair expressed similar views about broadly ending liberal policies in the state, such as stopping the state's high-speed rail project and reducing environmental restrictions such as the state's climate-change efforts that they argue have increased costs while making no meaningful impact on the consumption of fossil fuels. Read more: Who is running for California governor in 2026? Meet the candidates A crucial question is whether President Trump, who both Bianco and Hilton fully support, will eventually endorse one of the Republican candidates. The gubernatorial candidates, some of whom have been running more than a year, have largely focused on fundraising since entering the race. But the contest to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom is growing more public and heated, as seen at last weekend's California Democratic Party convention. Several of the party's candidates scurried around the Anaheim convention center, trying to curry favor with the state's most liberal activists while also drawing contrasts with their rivals. Read more: With Harris on the sideline, top Democratic candidates for California governor woo party loyalists But the Democratic field is partially frozen as former Vice President Kamala Harris weighs entering the race, a decision she is expected to make by the end of the summer. Harris' name did not come up during the forum. There were a handful of light moments. Porter expressed a common concern among the state's residents when they talk about the cost of living in the state. "What really keeps me up at night, why I'm running for governor, is whether my children are going to be able to afford to live here, whether they're going to ever get off my couch and have their own home," she said. Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox twice per week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Candidates for California governor face off about affordability, high cost of living in first bipartisan clash
SACRAMENTO — In a largely courteous gathering of a half dozen of California's top gubernatorial candidates, four Democrats and two Republicans agreed that despite the state boasting one of the world's largest economies, too many of its residents are suffering because of the affordability crisis in the state. Their strategies on how to improve the state's economy, however, largely embraced the divergent views of their respective political parties as they discussed housing costs, high-speed rail, tariffs, climate change and homelessness on Wednesday evening at the first bipartisan event in the 2026 governor race to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom. 'Californians are innovators. They are builders, they are designers, they are creators, and that is the reason that we have the fourth largest economy in the world,' said former Rep. Katie Porter., a Democrat from Irvine 'But businesses and workers are being held back by the same thing. It is too expensive to do things here. It is too expensive to raise a family. It is too expensive to run a business.' Conservative commentator Steve Hilton, a Republican, argued that state leaders need to end the 'stranglehold' of unions, lawyers and climate change activists on California policy. 'I've been traveling this state. Everywhere I go, it's the same story, this heartbreaking word that I get from every business I meet, every family is in such a struggle in California,' he said, with a raspy voice he explained immediately upon taking the stage was caused by a sore throat. The candidates spoke to about 800 people at a California Chamber of Commerce dinner at an 80-minute panel at the convention center in Sacramento. The chamber's decision on who to invite to the forum was based on which ones were leaders in public opinion surveys and fundraising. Making the cut were former Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, Hilton, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Porter and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The sharpest exchange of the evening was between Kounalakis, a Democrat, and Bianco, a Republican. After the candidates were asked about President Trump's erratic tariff policies, Kounalakis cited her experience working for her father's reat estate company as she criticized Bianco for arguing for a wait-and-see approach about the president's undulating plans. 'You're not a businessman, you're a government employee,' she said to Bianco. 'You've got a pension, you're going to do just fine. Small businesses are suffering from this, and it's only going to get worse, and it's driven, by the way, it is driven by Donald Trump's vindictiveness toward countries he doesn't like, countries he wants to annex, or states he doesn't like, people he doesn't like. This is hurting California, hurting our people, and it's only going to make things worse, until we can get him out of the White House.' Bianco countered that Kounalakis and the other Democrat gubernatorial candidates are directly responsible for the economic woes facing Californians because they have an 'unquenchable thirst' for money to fund their liberal agenda. 'I just feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. I have a billionaire telling me that my 32 years of public service is okay for my retirement,' he said. 'It's taxes and regulations that are driving every single thing in California up. We pay the highest taxes, we pay the highest gas, we pay the highest housing, we pay the highest energy.' The Democrats on stage, though largely agreeing about policy, sought to differentiate themselves. The sharpest divide was about whether to raise the minimum wage. On Monday, labor advocates in Los Angeles proposed raising it in Los Angeles County Atkins reflected most of her fellow Democrats' views, saying that while she wanted to see higher wages for workers, 'now is not the time.' Villaraigosa said that while he believes in a higher minimum wage, 'we can't just keep raising the minimum wage.' Kounalakis, though, said not increasing the minimum wage would be inhumane. 'I think we should be working for that number, yes I do,' she said. 'You want to throw poor people under the bus.' California's high cost of living is a pressing concern among the state's voters, and the issue is expected to play a major role in the 2026 governor's face. Nearly half feel worse off now compared with last year, and more than half felt less hopeful about their economic well-being, according to a poll released in May by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by The Times. Nearly exactly a year before the gubernatorial primary next year, the event was the first time Democratic and Republican candidates have shared a stage. It was also the first time GOP candidates Bianco and Hilton have appeared together. Although the state's leftward electoral tilt makes it challenging for a Republican to win the race – Californians last elected GOP politicians to statewide office in 2006 — Bianco and Hilton are battling to win one of the top two spots in next year's primary election. The pair expressed similar views about broadly ending liberal policies in the state, such as stopping the state's high-speed rail project and reducing environmental restrictions such as the state's climate-change efforts that they argue have increased costs while making no meaningful impact on the consumption of fossil fuels. A crucial question is whether President Trump, who both Bianco and Hilton fully support, will eventually endorse one of the Republican candidates. The gubernatorial candidates, some of whom have been running more than a year, have largely focused on fundraising since entering the race. But the contest to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom is growing more public and heated, as seen at last weekend's California Democratic Party convention. Several of the party's candidates scurried around the Anaheim convention center, trying to curry favor with the state's most liberal activists while also drawing contrasts with their rivals. But the Democratic field is partially frozen as former Vice President Kamala Harris weighs entering the race, a decision she is expected to make by the end of the summer. Harris' name did not come up during the forum. There were a handful of light moments. Porter expressed a common concern among the state's residents when they talk about the cost of living in the state. 'What really keeps me up at night, why I'm running for governor, is whether my children are going to be able to afford to live here, whether they're going to ever get off my couch and have their own home,' she said.
San Francisco Chronicle
19-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Candidates for California governor square off for first time. Here's how they fared
SACRAMENTO — The message former Vice President Kamala Harris should take from Monday's first gathering of Democratic candidates for governor should be very clear: Relax and enjoy your time off. You can win this thing no matter when you decide to jump into the race. None of the seven candidates who participated in Monday's 'salon' — not a debate, organizers insisted — before top California labor leaders stood out. Certainly not as a major threat to Harris. Harris has said that she would make a decision by the end of the summer whether to run for governor in 2026, but she is also weighing another run for the White House in 2028. She would have the overwhelming edge in name recognition in her home state where she's won statewide office three times and could easily raise big money should she run to lead the world's fourth-largest economy. If she doesn't run, this will be a Democratic demolition derby between seven candidates who set few hearts aflutter Monday. (Two Republicans, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and Atherton entrepreneur and former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton, are also running. But a Republican hasn't won statewide office in California since 2006.) On Monday, none of the candidates rose above the rest as they sat onstage together before the annual Joint Legislative Conference, hosted by the California Federation of Labor Unions and the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California. The room was filled with labor leaders — a key constituency for any Democrat running for higher office, especially governor. Labor unions not only contribute millions to campaigns, but their members also do much of the grunt work of talking to voters door-to-door. The governor's job will be open without a clear front-runner for the first time in decades, as Gov. Gavin Newsom is termed out next year and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis is not a shoo-in to take his place. In fact, if Harris decides to get in the race, Kounalakis won't run, nor likely would some of the other candidates. So each did their best to suck up to key labor leaders in a room where many of the women dressed like the iconic Rosie the Riveter. There was a pitcher of beer on every table, and everybody had a 'Campaign Bingo' card to play. If a candidate mentioned a word on their card, like 'film tax credit,' 'picket line,' 'Trump' or 'tech bros,' audience members could yell 'bingo!' at any time during the hourlong salon. Those ingredients made for a livelier crowd than most political forums, especially this far (18 months) from Election Day and almost a year before the California Labor Federation decides which candidate to endorse. Few of the candidates expressed opinions that crossed union orthodoxy. Each of the seven who attended — former Rep. Katie Porter, Kounalakis, former state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Controller Betty Yee, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond — has won with union support and has been a friend to the 'house of labor' over their careers. Nonetheless, moderators Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, and Chris Hannan, president of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, asked the candidates to raise a green (yes) or red (no) flag to a series of questions. The candidates largely voted in lockstep with organized labor positions with few exceptions. One came in response to an audience member who asked: 'As governor, would you be pragmatic to stop targeting California's oil and gas industry in ways that jeopardize union jobs and force us to rely on dirt or imported energy?' It is a challenging question for Democrats in California, where candidates often feel torn between the state's environmental and labor priorities. Newsom has spent much of his terms bashing the fossil fuel industry in the name of fighting climate change. But with the imminent closure of two refineries in California, including one in Benicia, Californians may not only be facing skyrocketing gasoline prices that will likely disproportionately hurt working-class voters who have to commute farther to work, but will also see many union refinery workers lose jobs. Villaraigosa expressed a position that would be at home in some parts of the Republican Party, especially as it has tried to court more working-class voters. 'We can't continue to be a party of just people that drive a Tesla, not a Toyota pickup, or ride a bus like my mother did,' Villaraigosa said. 'We're putting this notion of just renewables on the backs of working people. We have the highest gas prices in the United States of America. We have the second-highest utility costs. They've gone up 66%.' Villaraigosa said the state needs an 'an all-of-the-above strategy to take on climate change. Why? Because we're talking about closing down refineries, and that's why we have the toughest, highest gas price in the United States of America. The next governor has got to challenge that.' Kounalakis, who has stressed her environmental support in previous campaigns, said, 'We have to make sure that the refineries stay open until we're ready to transition (to renewable energy). We keep costs down for consumers, and we keep jobs until we're ready for the transition.' Yee said, 'We all want a clean environment going forward. But it cannot be on the backs of workers, the workers who have expertise on these facilities, who know how to transform them for the renewable economy.' Villaraigosa also departed from union orthodoxy when the candidates were asked if they would sign a bill to grant unemployment benefits for striking workers, a measure that Newsom has vetoed previously. 'I said no, and I'll tell you why: You have to balance budgets,' said Villaraigosa, who earlier in the evening had boasted that when he served as Assembly speaker, labor knew 'they had a chief steward in Sacramento.' But in this case, with the state likely facing a budget deficit this year, Villaraigosa said, 'When you're governor, you got to balance.' None of those onstage Monday flashed any of the outsize personalities of California governors of the past half century who have been more than comfortable on the national stage, governors like Ronald Reagan, Jerry Brown and whether you like it or not, Newsom. Standing tall in the bully pulpit will be part of the job, as President Donald Trump and California will likely continue to be mortal enemies for the last two years of Trump's term after California's new governor takes office. Trump's name was invoked about a dozen times, but as reflexively as Democratic candidates have invoked it in similar forums over the past decade. As Villaraigosa said, 'We can't just focus on (Trump), because the best way to fight him is to improve the quality of life for more people in California, to address the fact that we have the highest cost of living in the United States of America.' Several candidates cited building more housing as a top priority, as have many Democrats nationwide, echoing the 'Democrats need to build more' mantra popularized by the bestselling book 'Abundance' by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. Gonzalez and Hannan pushed the candidates to describe how they would uphold working standards for unionized workers as they were building homes, to little avail. 'It's easy to talk about housing,' Gonzalez said. 'Everybody wants more housing, of course, but the difference between the labor movement and this so-called Abundance movement is we actually think when you build things, you actually have to take care of the workers who are building it as well.'
Politico
13-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
Scoop: Eleni's backup plan
Presented by THE BUZZ: ON SECOND THOUGHT — Eleni Kounalakis has spent two years building her campaign for governor, but the specter of Kamala Harris has sent the lieutenant governor and her team off to quietly plot a fallback option. Kounalakis, who is close to Harris, has informed supporters and Democratic Party allies in recent weeks that she is seriously considering a run for state treasurer in 2026, three people familiar with her outreach told Playbook. The former U.S. ambassador to Hungary is one of several Democrats in the race for governor whose plans are in limbo as Harris indicates she may run to succeed Gavin Newsom when he's termed out. Harris says she'll make a decision by summer's end. The reshuffling speaks to how Harris' stature has forced other ambitious Democrats to look at down-ballot contests and created an especially competitive game of musical chairs for lesser-known elected offices. Kounalakis' team batted away the chatter about running for treasurer — California's primary banker and investment manager, though not exactly a prime-time slot on the slate of statewide posts. The LG's team didn't address conversations she's having with supporters. 'The rumor mill is running on overdrive,' said David Beltran, a spokesperson for the Kounalakis campaign. 'Eleni is 100 percent focused on running for governor.' If Harris does run, it's a given that Kounalakis would step aside and back the former vice president, a longtime friend who shares a parallel orbit of well-heeled San Francisco donors and consultants. Kounalakis was the first major contender to jump into the 2026 race for governor — and she's spent the last two years working to raise her profile across California. Her abortion-rights PAC, Californians for Choice, spent millions last year to back Harris' campaign for president and Democrats in swing House races. Kounalakis also made waves with her effort to boot President Donald Trump off the ballot in California, a request dismissed by Newsom and Secretary of State Shirley Weber. Kounalakis' family connections and fundraising prowess — in addition to her ballot title, which some voters view as a kind of No. 2 to the governor — are potential assets. But for all of Kounalakis' early campaigning, polling suggests she starts off far behind not just Harris, but also former Rep. Katie Porter, who declared her candidacy this week. It illustrates the difficulty of running for governor in such a large state without household name recognition. That said, the treasurer's office could be Kounalakis' for the taking. She's already raised $5 million for governor — money that would instantly reshape the race (though she could only transfer a portion of that). The field for treasurer includes former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and Board of Equalization member Tony Vazquez. Other current and former legislators also have open 2026 treasurer committees, including state Sens. Ben Allen and Anna Caballero, as well as former lawmakers Susan Eggman, Nancy Skinner, Phil Ting and Steve Glazer. Politicians often park money in committees while they decide their next move. DON'T MISS: Senior politics reporter Melanie Mason will interview former LA mayor and Assembly speaker Antonio Villaraigosa as he mounts a gubernatorial bid. The public March 19 event will be at the UC Student and Policy Center in Sacramento. RSVP here. GOOD MORNING. Happy Thursday. 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? Nothing official announced. ON THE HILL OUT OF TOWN — Many California Republicans won't spend the recess holding in-person town halls after their party's campaign arm urged them not to after attention-grabbing protests over spending cuts generated viral videos at recent forums. Rep. Kevin Kiley will host one Monday, but it will be virtual, his team told constituents in an email. Rep. Doug LaMalfa does not have one planned for next week, 'but we are hoping to put something together in the near future,' a spokesperson for him told Playbook. And Rep. Darrell Issa, who was recently protested for not holding such an event, hasn't indicated plans to host one — though that's also true for Democrats in the San Diego area. 'You'll have to stay tuned and see what new plans we have in store during the recess. There'll be no turning this excitement off,' Jonathan Wilcox, a spokesperson for Issa, said in a statement. By avoiding the public forums, Republicans have escaped organized demonstrations attacking them over issues ranging from Medicaid cuts to support for Elon Musk. Rep. Jay Obernolte recently saw the raucousness up close when he was booed at an in-person town hall over his backing of the billionaire adviser to President Donald Trump. Democrats are leaping at the chance to make an issue of their opponents' absence. 'If you're going to have the audacity to raise prices and rip away health care from millions of Americans, you should at least have the courage to face your constituents in person,' House Majority PAC communications director CJ Warnke said in a statement. 'California Republicans are cowards.' Frontline Democrats don't all have plans lined up, though. Rep. George Whitesides had a virtual town hall a few weeks ago, but doesn't have an in-person forum scheduled at the moment. Rep. Derek Tran doesn't have one nailed down either, but his office 'is actively working to schedule an in person town hall soon,' according to a spokesperson. Freshman Rep. Dave Min, however, will hold his first in-person town hall next week. And Rep. Josh Harder has public events planned, though his office didn't provide details. Several offices didn't respond to Playbook's inquiries about their plans by deadline, including: Reps. David Valadao, Young Kim, Ken Calvert and Tom McClintock. Spokespeople for Reps. Adam Gray and Vince Fong weren't aware of plans for in-person events when reached, and their offices didn't confirm scheduling details by deadline. — with reporting from Melanie Mason and an assist from Nicole Norman LOS ANGELES STILL THAWING — An ambitious proposal to freeze rents in LA County is running into fierce opposition and dividing Democrats, our Lindsey Holden reports this morning. The incineration of thousands of homes there has brought housing insecurity to the fore in one of the most expensive markets in the country. But the prospect of locking in rents has reheated a debate between the powerful landlords' lobby and tenants rights activists who constantly sparred early in the Covid-19 pandemic. Already, moderates are wary of the idea. 'I don't think that a rent freeze is the answer here,' Democratic Assemblymember Diane Papan said during a recent hearing on the proposal. STATE CAPITOL CEDING GROUND — Well, that was fast. As Lindsey scooped yesterday for POLITICO Pro subscribers, Assemblymember Rick Zbur is dropping his anti-stand-your-ground bill today after it almost immediately faced intense online criticism from Republicans. Zbur's team said he plans to hold the legislation in the Assembly Public Safety Committee after amending it to clarify it wasn't meant to prevent people from defending their homes. 'Unfortunately, misleading information has fueled fear and confusion about the bill,' Zbur said in a statement to POLITICO. The bill would have narrowed the definition of a 'justifiable homicide' to require deescalation in violent situations. Supporters said California needs a clear set of ground rules after a 2022 Supreme Court ruling struck down portions of the state's concealed-carry law. But Republicans said the legislation said it would 'make it illegal for you to defend yourself in your own home,' generating enough backlash to prevent the bill from making it to even an initial committee hearing. MEDICAL BILLS — California will have to borrow $3.4 billion to address a Medicaid funding shortfall — and that's bringing fresh scrutiny to the state's coverage of undocumented patients whose care is costing more than anticipated, our Rachel Bluth reports. The Newsom administration laid out the fiscal problem in a letter to state lawmakers Wednesday. While the message did not mention undocumented Californians, insurance for that population was initially projected to cost $3 billion per year — but will instead cost $8.4 billion this fiscal year under the administration's latest estimates. GOLDEN STATE SPOTTED: OBAMA EDITION — Former President Barack Obama has been making his way across California over the last week. First, Obama attended an LA Clippers game, where he sat courtside next to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie Snyder. Obama waved and received a standing ovation while his mug appeared on the jumbotron. Obama was also seen recently at Officina, an exclusive dining space above the historic Vesuvio Café in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. And there have been more rumblings about a motorcade of black SUVs being spotted in SF this week. Have you spotted the former president around town? Drop us a line. CLIMATE AND ENERGY GLOVES OFF — California's air regulators are taking the gloves off in their fight against the Trump administration and auto industry over the state's electric future. Read last night's California Climate to find out who's leading the charge. Top Talkers AND, THIS IS QUITE FRIENDLY — Newsom was strikingly cordial in his latest podcast episode in which he hosted Steve Bannon, the close Trump ally who served four months in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks. But the governor was slightly more confrontational than during the inaugural episode of 'This is Gavin Newsom' with Turning Point USA's Charlie Kirk, clashing with Bannon on issues including spending cuts. Bannon debriefed from recording the episode with some of our colleagues, declaring hyperbolically in an interview that the governor 'agrees with me on everything.' He also would not rule out running for president in 2028 in the interview — something Republicans close to him believe he is considering. NEWSOM'S 'BELLY RUB' — LA Times columnist Mark Z. Barabak opined that the governor's podcast 'is just about the last thing the world needs right now.' In one memorable line, he described the episode with Kirk as 'an hour-plus, velvet-gloved belly rub,' and labeled the whole endeavor a 'vanity project.' AROUND THE STATE — Alameda County has set aside $3.5 million to aid immigrants targeted for deportation by the Trump administration. (SF Chronicle) — How newly sworn-in state Sen. Tony Strickland became Orange County's 'political Lazarus.' (Voice of OC) — The SLO Tribune is suing the city of Paso Robles to force Councilmember Chris Bausch to turn over public records. (SLO Tribune) PLAYBOOKERS PEOPLE MOVES — Steven Olikara is now senior fellow for political transformation at the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. He previously founded the Future Caucus and ran for the Senate in Wisconsin in 2022. — Jared Rivera has been named chief of staff of Pico California. Jared was formerly vice mayor of civic engagement for the city of LA. — Jaliya Nagahawatte joins the office of Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) Monday as a financial policy adviser from the office of Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn.). BIRTHDAYS — State Sen. Ben Allen (favorite cake: carrot, but his real love is pumpkin pie) … Allie Banwell, senior program manager at Amazon … Diamond Naga Siu, senior newsletter reporter at Business Insider … Pasadena Unified school board member Patrice Marshall McKenzie (favorite cake: lemon … favorite cocktail: French 75) … Caroline Chalmers … BELATED B-DAY WISHES: (was Wednesday): Rob Cohen … Larry Rothschild 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.
