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The clerical error that wiped out one ballot measure and may force another

The clerical error that wiped out one ballot measure and may force another

Politico14-07-2025
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MEASURE FOR MEASURE — Los Angeles County supervisors will meet Tuesday to decide whether voters need to return to the polls next year to clean up a mess the board made.
The predicament has its origins on last November's ballot, when Angelenos approved a sweeping plan to reorganize their powerful county government but — due to what county counsel calls an 'inadvertent administrative error' — also repealed an unrelated 2020 measure guaranteeing a share of county funds go toward anti-incarceration programs.
The charter-related snafu came to light last week at a meeting of the task force created to implement Measure G, the charter amendment written to expand the size of the Board of Supervisors and establish an elected county executive role. Duarte City Councilmember John Fasana announced that, while comparing the Measure G overhaul to an earlier version of the charter, he had discovered that 2020's Measure J had never been added to the charter in the first place — which meant that putting Measure G on the books wiped Measure J away entirely.
'The whole thing is unbelievable, that this actually could have happened,' Fasana told Playbook. 'But it did.'
Fasana and fellow task force member Derek Steele argued during the meeting that their newly established 13-member task force should figure out how to proceed with the Measure J omission before getting into the nitty-gritty of implementing Measure G.
They argue it's possible to add Measure J back into the charter without needing voter approval. Then they want to see a new charter amendment on the ballot next November to rehash parts of Measure G, particularly those related to the elected executive, which are the specific sections that wiped out Measure J and incidentally were the leading reason Fasana and Steele both opposed Measure G.
'If we are going to be rehashing any conversation, I think it is to take in a reexamination of Measure G, which was rushed in the first place, which never was really community-vetted,' said Steele. 'The portion about the county CEO … maybe that part needs to go back before the public and be reexamined.'
Members of the task force who supported Measure G last fall say they worry bringing this error to light — and doing it as a surprise during a public meeting — was a way for its critics to throw a wrench in the implementation process, or even to force a re-vote on Measure G, which passed by only a narrow margin.
'It seemed like this was an attempt to blow the whole thing up, shut it all down,' Marcel Rodarte, the executive director of the California Contract Cities Association and a task force member, told Playbook.
Sara Sadhwani, a professor at Pomona College who also serves on the task force, was also suspicious of the timing. 'I'm not sure who knew what or when they knew it, but clearly Mr. Fasana wanted to drop this bomb on us and use it as an excuse to stop the work of Measure G,' she said.
The next steps will be up for debate tomorrow as the five supervisors meet in downtown LA. Measure G's authors, Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn, will present a motion directing county officials to explore the board's options, including a 2026 ballot measure that would correct the error without addressing the substance of either measure.
'Now as we move to implement Measure G, it's critical that we codify Measure J first to safeguard those community investments,' Hahn said in a statement. 'One technical error should not invalidate the clear will of the voters.'
NEWS BREAK: San Francisco city government introduces OpenAI chatbot for city services … Trump administration asks appeals court to resume immigration raids in Southern California… The number of homeless people declined 4 percent in LA County in 2025.
Welcome to Ballot Measure Weekly, a special edition of Playbook PM focused on California's lively realm of ballot measure campaigns. Drop us a line at eschultheis@politico.com and wmccarthy@politico.com, or find us on X — @emilyrs and @wrmccart.
TOP OF THE TICKET
A highly subjective ranking of the ballot measures — past and future, certain and possible — getting our attention this week.
1. CalExit (2026): A longshot effort to initiate the process of California leaving the union has failed to reach its signature goal, but organizers insist they will not give up. Chief proponent Marcus Ruiz Evans tells Courthouse News he will refile an initiative in the coming weeks.
2. Ballot language (2025): A proposal from Assemblymember Gail Pellerin to streamline ballot language for local measures will head to its next hearing in the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee on Tuesday. AB 1512 is part of the committee's 'efforts to continually improve our ballots and make them as clear and navigable as possible for our voters,' Pellerin told Playbook. 'We don't want voter fatigue, we don't want voter confusion.'
3. Local housing authority (2026?): Del Mar last week followed the lead of city councils in nearby Encinitas and Oceanside on a growing list of local officials backing a potential constitutional amendment to give local governments more control over housing and zoning decisions. The amendment, promoted by a group called Our Neighborhood Voices, has not yet been filed with the secretary of state.
4. Voter ID (2026): Assemblymember Carl DeMaio is set this week to officially submit an initiative to require citizenship verification and government-issued identification to vote, according to his organization Reform California. DeMaio says he intends to qualify with a volunteer-driven petition campaign.
5. Great Highway Park (San Francisco, 2024): A popular night market is the latest collateral damage in an ongoing Sunset neighborhood civil war over the creation of an oceanside park via ballot initiative. As district supervisor Joel Engardio faces a recall campaign, vendors have begun pulling out of the market which Engardio brought to the neighborhood in 2023.
6. Prop 36 (2024): Democratic Assemblymember Isaac Bryan told California Black Media that last year's tough-on-crime initiative is a 'war on poor people' after a Voice of San Diego report found arrests resulting from the measure are disproportionately occurring in Black communities. The arrest data bears out a concern raised by social justice groups during last year's campaign.
7. Redistricting (2026?): Gov. Gavin Newsom said on a campaign-style swing through Southern states that Texas Republicans' plans to deliver a mid-decade partisan gerrymander 'made me question that entire program' of nonpartisan redistricting used in California. That process was set by two constitutional amendments promoted by predecessor Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2008's Prop 11 and 2010's Prop 20, that would likely compel Newsom to return to the ballot if he's serious about following through on tit-for-tat threats to redraw the state's U.S. House map.
ON OTHER BALLOTS
A federal judge in Florida blocked some provisions in a recent law placing new restrictions on the state's initiative process, a partial victory for activists who are looking to expand Medicaid and legalize marijuana via the 2026 ballot … Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a measure to repeal Proposition A, an initiative voters approved last November to guarantee paid sick leave …
Elections officials in Michigan approved ballot language for a constitutional amendment that would require a government-issued ID to vote, clearing its backers to begin gathering signatures … The Maine state supreme court upheld the ballot language for a proposed initiative that would require voter ID and tighten absentee voting rules, rejecting a challenge from its proponents that the wording 'misrepresents' their proposal…
And the Democratic governor and Republican state senate leader in Washington state are both backing a plan to invest tax dollars intended for the state's long-term care program into the stock market, a proposal that will appear before voters as a constitutional amendment in November.
I'M JUST A BILL
AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOND (AB 736 / SB 417): The Legislature has approved changes to California's landmark environmental law, but another proposal Newsom endorsed this spring as part of an effort to tackle the state's affordable housing crisis hasn't gone anywhere.
AB 736, a $10 million affordable housing bond proposed by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, passed out of the Assembly in June. At the time, its backers — a coalition of landlords, developers, YIMBY groups, building-trades unions, local governments and elected officials — launched a public pressure campaign to push senators to embrace the proposal so it can reach voters in 2026.
But more than a month later, AB 736 has yet to get a hearing there. Nor has SB 417, a nearly identical bill introduced by state Sen. Christopher Cabaldon.
Cabaldon told Playbook the delay is in large part because senators concerned with housing issues had been preoccupied with amending the California Environmental Quality Act and securing money via budget negotiations. Now that those bills have passed, he expects to see the Senate move forward with the bond proposal after the Legislature's July recess and before this fall's longer break.
'Part of the challenge here always is when you're trying to have a budget fight, simultaneously talking about $10 billion for housing programs,' he said. 'We didn't want to take any of the pressure off of the need to make those investments right now … now that that's done, we can turn our attention to the longer term, which is the housing bond.'
The bond's backers are currently 'doing electoral research' to determine whether they would hope to see it appear on the ballot next June or November, according to Cabaldon, and those considerations will determine when and how to make a big legislative push. He hopes to make enough progress by fall to 'have the discussions that we will need to have with the governor.'
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ...
PROTECTIONS FOR FARM ANIMALS (2008, 2018): Two California ballot initiatives passed a decade apart have 'been effective in raising prices for American consumers,' the Trump administration claims in a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn them.
The suit alleges three California laws overstep the state's authority to govern egg production, two of which were passed directly by voters. Prop 2, an initiative approved in 2008, created welfare mandates for farm animals such as egg-laying hens. Prop 12, passed 10 years later, introduced specific minimum-space requirements for chickens and other farm animals.
This isn't the first time these ballot measures have faced litigation. Cases challenging the validity of these laws have repeatedly failed, including one brought to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023. The latest suit, filed in U.S. District Court in central California, will turn on interpretation of a 1970 federal law that the Trump administration says reserves egg-regulating authority for Congress.
'This case seems to be largely a political stunt related to the price of eggs,' said Rebecca Cary, a managing attorney at the Humane Society of the United States, which played a key role in supporting and drafting Prop 2 and Prop 12.
The lawsuit is part of a renewed push by out-of-state Republicans to challenge California animal-rights initiatives that have had an outsized effect on the national agriculture marketplace. On Monday, California's two senators organized 29 of their Democratic colleagues to sign a letter opposing the Food Security and Farm Protection Act, which would override state standards like those enacted by California voters.
'Countless farmers who wanted to take advantage of this market opportunity invested resources and made necessary modifications to be compliant,' read the letter from Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla. 'Federal preemption of these laws would be picking the winners and losers, and would seriously harm farmers who made important investments.'
POSTCARD FROM ...
… EBBETTS PASS FIRE DISTRICT: A rural fire district in the Sierra Nevada mountains is sitting on $750,000 in annual tax revenue it needs to keep its ambulances and fire trucks running, the result of a local parcel tax passed in 2019.
But voters first have to give fire officials permission to spend it.
Measure B, which will go before voters in the Ebbetts Pass Fire Protection District in an all-mail special election on Aug. 24, would let the local government spend revenues above the previously established level. That so-called Gann limit, established by 1979's Prop 4, caps government spending at then-current levels adjusted for inflation and population — with some excess revenue returned to taxpayers.
The Ebbetts Pass Fire Protection District represents only about 7,000 full-time residents along a scenic mountain highway that bills itself as one of the most 'intimate and untamed routes' in the Sierras. But the population can balloon to as many as 25,000 people during peak months, primarily from those who come to enjoy the area's range of outdoor activities. That, says Ebbetts Pass Fire Chief Mike Johnson, makes it crucial to have local ambulances on hand. Unlocking the funds will allow the district to continue staffing its ambulances and fire trucks 24 hours a day.
'We transport about 700 people per year — it's not an earth-shattering number,' Johnson told Playbook. 'But what makes us different from, let's say, the city areas is that our closest hospital … is 35 miles away on country, windy roads.'
Johnson expects Measure B to be a relatively easy sell to voters. After all, it won't raise their taxes, just allow the district to spend the tax revenue it has already received. But he still worries that voters might be taken by the allure of getting a few of their tax dollars back down the line.
'Knowing how tough times have been on everybody and the rising cost of everything,' he said, 'some folks may go, 'Yeah, I'll take whatever tax money I've got coming back to me, I could use that in my own pocket.''
THAT TIME VOTERS ...
… WENT NUCLEAR: Californians have seen ballot measures on a wide range of questions related to nuclear energy and nuclear weapons, including to:
Authorize helium-cooled, barge-mounted nuclear reactors in marinas and order the Public Utilities Commission to develop a radioactive waste storage facility (1975, did not qualify) … Prohibit construction of nuclear power plants and limit the operation of existing plants unless the federal government agrees to take full financial responsibility for any accident that occurs (1976, failed) … Require the governor to send a letter to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State and all members of Congress proposing that the United States and the Soviet Union halt nuclear weapons production (1982, passed) … Declare California to be a 'nuclear-free zone,' limiting radioactive material within the state and prohibiting direct involvement related to nuclear war (1983, did not qualify) … Block state and local agencies from developing emergency response plans to mitigate the consequences of a serious accident at any of the state's existing nuclear plants (1988, did not qualify) … Stop funding for nuclear weapons and reallocate money toward cooperative agreements to secure, reduce and dismantle nuclear, chemical and biological weapons (2003, did not qualify) … Make it easier for the state to approve new nuclear power plants and repeal the existing process for determining whether nuclear waste storage is adequate (2007, did not qualify) … And set conditions for the operation and expansion of nuclear power plants, including additional legislative oversight and federal approval for the reprocessing of nuclear fuel rods (2013, did not qualify).
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Republicans meet the new media
Republicans meet the new media

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Republicans meet the new media

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‘Running against history'
‘Running against history'

Politico

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‘Running against history'

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The pair 'are very focused on being a great complement to the administration and helping them from the outside,' Alex Bruesewitz, the CEO of X Strategies, who worked with LaCivita and Fabrizio on the Trump campaign, told POLITICO's Kimberly Leonard. Among those races: LaCivita's firm is working on Mike Rogers' Senate campaign in Michigan, Lindsey Graham's in South Carolina, and running Super PACs for Sens. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas). He is likely to help Michael Whatley in North Carolina, too. Fabrizio and his firm are running more than a dozen statewide races, including mostly governors and senate campaigns. 'Thanks to President Trump's victorious campaign, virtually all of the business knocks on our doors,' Fabrizio says. Their presence can make or break a campaign, and their arrival on a campaign trip can sometimes signal a 'soft endorsement' from Trump. 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While there, he'll open his third course in the country — this one in honor of his Scottish-born mother, Mary Anne MacLeod. It might be the perfect time for Trump to leave U.S. soil and distance himself from the Epstein saga as it enters its third week of headline domination in Washington. But even 3,500 miles of space might not be enough, as POLITICO's Myah Ward, who is traveling with the president, writes in … The Epstein angle: For one, Jeffrey Epstein and the latest WSJ piece will be a key topic during any gaggle with the president on Air Force One. On the ground in Scotland, local police are prepared for protest activity, and there are already signs demonstrators will use the Epstein issue to needle Trump. A 'twinned with Epstein Island' placard appeared at one of the president's luxury resorts. And in London, an image of Trump and Epstein was installed at a bus stop near the U.S. embassy. Unrest timed to Trump's visit was expected. For one, the Scots are generally less favorable towards Trump than the British public writ large, with frustrations tied to a number of policy issues, from tariffs to immigration and Ukraine policy. But Trump's history with Scotland well predates his presidency. Locals have mixed views about his golf ventures, which began with a visit in 2006, when Trump first expressed interest in building a course on the North Sea. What Trump wants to discuss: We expect that the president will be eager to keep the conversation focused on the purpose of his trip, which will also include a bilateral meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who will visit the president in Scotland to 'refine' the trade deal, according to the White House. As for Downing Street: Per POLITICO's U.K. political editor Dan Bloom, Starmer's priorities will likely be to keep Trump's newfound support for Ukraine going, shore up his commitment to NATO and the AUKUS submarine deal and keep pressing the U.S. to reduce outstanding tariffs on the U.K., two U.K. government advisers told Playbook. The spiraling humanitarian disaster in Gaza is likely to come up, too. But Downing Street has been straining to manage expectations. One of the two advisers described it as more of a 'staging post' ahead of talks on tariffs at other ministerial levels and Trump's state visit to the U.K. in September. — Jake Traylor, Myah Ward and Kimberly Leonard and contributed reporting. THE EPSTEIN CRISIS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — FIGHTING VANCE: In remarks to the Democratic Mayors Association summit in Cleveland today, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) will continue his crusade on the Epstein files, this time calling out VP JD Vance on his home turf, according to a copy of Khanna's prepared remarks shared with Playbook. What he'll say: 'You may have forgotten what you said, but folks back in Ohio remember. Let me refresh your recollection. On Sept. 4, 2021, while running for Senate, you said: 'Remember when we learned that our wealthiest and most powerful people were connected to a guy who ran a literal child sex trafficking ring? And then that guy died mysteriously in a jail? And now we just don't talk about it?' … Now, your silence has been pretty deafening. … Our mutual friend Theo Von has called on you to live up to what you told him and demand the release. … So Mr. Vice President, are you going to be true to your word and support Rep. [Thomas] Massie (R-Ky.) and my bipartisan bill to release these files?' But but but: Not all Democrats are leaning in on the Epstein discourse. One unnamed House Democrat told Axios' Andrew Solender: 'Candidly, this whole thing is just such bullshit.' Said another: 'Do I think this is going to win us the election? No. But ... this is a great opportunity for [Republicans] to kill each other.' MAXWELL HOUSE: At a federal courthouse in Tallahassee yesterday, deputy AG Todd Blanche met with Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted child sex trafficker and conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, described it as a 'good day,' and said that Maxwell 'answered every single question. She never stopped, she never invoked a privilege, she never declined to answer.' The interview with Maxwell will continue today, Blanche announced. More from AP's Eric Tucker and colleagues NEW REVELATIONS: Trump's name was among the 'contributor list' for Epstein's 50th birthday book, the NYT reported last night, confirming part of the WSJ's recent explosive report. The Times also found that Trump sent Epstein a personalized copy of his 1997 book, 'Trump: The Art of the Comeback.' 'To Jeff — You are the greatest!' read the handwritten inscription from Trump. Speaking of the birthday book: Trump was far from the only major name to contribute to the Epstein birthday gift. Among the other major figures: former President Bill Clinton, billionaire Leon Black, fashion designer Vera Wang, media owner Mort Zuckerman and former Victoria's Secret leader Leslie Wexner, WSJ's Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo scooped. MAGA IN POWER FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — ONE TO WATCH: Despite pressure from opponents of abortion rights, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary says he has 'no preconceived plans' to change federal policies on mifepristone, an abortion pill that ends pregnancy before 10 weeks. But he also vowed to 'continue to listen to folks that say they have concerns' about the drug. From the interview: 'We have an ongoing review of safety data on mifepristone, which is a requirement from the prior administrations,' Makary tells Playbook's Dasha Burns in an interview for 'The Conversation' that will be released on Sunday. 'You always have to be open-minded. You have to listen to different opinions and make decisions based on what you think is the right thing to do.' Watch the clip on YouTube … Subscribe to 'The Conversation' on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify SIGNED, SEALED, RESCINDED: Trump signed the rescissions package into law yesterday, cementing around $9 billion in cuts for public broadcasting and foreign aid, as the possibility of a second rescissions package targeting education looms, AP's Kevin Freking reports. A JERSEY WORKAROUND: Trump withdrew Alina Habba's nomination for U.S. attorney in New Jersey as part of a larger push to keep her in power while circumventing the Senate's role in approving key administration officials, our POLITICO colleagues Ry Rivard and Kyle write. How it works: After withdrawing the nomination, AG Pam Bondi would 'appoint Habba as First Assistant U.S. Attorney — typically the second-ranking official in the office. Because the U.S. attorney's post is vacant, Habba would automatically fill the role on a temporary basis; she can't simultaneously be the president's nominee and serve as acting in this way.' FED UP: Trump joined Jerome Powell for a tour of the Federal Reserve's massive renovations yesterday. It made for an awkward scene, with Trump in a hard hat standing next to a man he's been blasted as a 'total and complete moron' for months, POLITICO's Victoria Guida reports. Trump separately said that he believes Powell will 'do the right thing' and cut interest rates later this year, WSJ's Nick Timiraos and Meridith McGraw report. ADAMS' (BIG) APPLE: Bondi announced yesterday that the DOJ is suing New York and Mayor Eric Adams over NYC's sanctuary city policies, claiming that the city is violating the federal government's 'well-established, pre-eminent and pre-emptive authority to regulate immigration,' per NYT's Santul Nerkar and Luis Ferré-Sadurní. Read the lawsuit WALKING AWAY: Gaza ceasefire negotiations yesterday were cut off as the U.S. team — led by envoy Steve Witkoff — backed away from the table and said Hamas 'shows a lack of desire' to stop fighting and end the war, AP's Michelle Price and Joseph Krauss report. 'We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,' Witkoff said. How that's playing: Israel also pulled out its negotiating team, Bloomberg's Eric Martin and colleagues write. Meanwhile, world leaders are rallying around Gaza, with Canadian PM Mark Carney slamming Israel for the growing humanitarian crisis in the West Bank. French President Emmanuel Macron said France will recognize Palestine as a state, per AP's Angela Charlton. BEST OF THE REST BYE GEORGE: Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) reports to prison today to begin his seven-year sentence. 'The curtain falls, the spotlight dims and the rhinestones are packed,' Santos wrote on X in his farewell message. He's worried about being a target while in prison, Santos told POLITICO's Emily Ngo this week. Before he reports to serve time, he's racking up media appearance after media appearance, Emily writes: 'It's all a sort of last hurrah before heading to the slammer.' COUNTDOWN TO RECESS: Staring down one more week of the Senate, we're looking at a slew of nominations that could get pushed through the weekend, Axios' Stef Kight reports. There's already 8 p.m. votes scheduled for Monday. And there are hopes of roping together three funding bills into a 'minibus' package to pass before the recess, POLITICO's Jordain Carney and colleagues report. More from our colleagues in Inside Congress REDISTRICTING 101: Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said yesterday that his state is 'malapportioned' and should redraw districts ahead of 2026 — the latest attempt by a Republican state to gerrymander new GOP-friendly seats before the midterms, per POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury. … And New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is embracing the prospect of new districts in her state, POLITICO's Nick Reisman writes. 'All's fair in love and war. We're following the rules,' Hochul said, adding that if other states don't follow the rules, 'we're also going to see what our options are.' THE TENNESSEE WALTZ: The special election in Tennessee to fill former Rep. Mark Green's seat is set for an Oct. 7 primary day and Dec. 2 general election, per AP's Jonathan Mattise. MEDIA CORNER: The FCC approved Skydance's merger with Paramount yesterday, just two days after Trump heralded their settlement, NYT's Ben Mullin reports. Brendan Carr said he received commitments from Skydance for Paramount to be unbiased and not include any DEI programs. THE USAID VACUUM: 'Millions go hungry in Nigeria as aid dries up, jihadists surge,' by AFP: 'While Nigeria's 16-year-old insurgency has slowed since violence peaked around 2015, attacks have picked up since the beginning of the year due to a myriad of factors that saw jihadist groups strengthen and security forces stretched thin. … Rations are already meagre -- and set to run out as Western aid dries up. … 'This is our last rice from USAID … There is no food left in the warehouses,' said [Chi] Lael. 'Lives will be lost.'' A NEW ONE FOR YOUR INBOX: Want to know how health care regulation, tariffs or court rulings could ripple through the economy? POLITICO's flagship financial newsletter has a new Friday edition built for the economic era we're living in. Each week, 'Morning Money: Capital Risk' brings sharp reporting and analysis on how political risk moves markets and how investors are adapting. Sign up here. THE WEEKEND AHEAD POLITICO 'The Conversation with Dasha Burns': Marty Makary ABC 'This Week': Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) … Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). Legal panel: Chris Christie and Sarah Isgur. Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus and Rachael Bade. MSNBC 'The Weekend: Primetime': Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) ... Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas) ... Dan Osborn. CNN 'State of the Union': Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) … Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.). Panel: Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Penn.), Alyssa Farah Griffin and Jamal Simmons. FOX 'Fox News Sunday': Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) … Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.). Legal panel: Jonathan Turley and Ilya Shapiro. Panel: Stef Kight, Mario Parker, Kevin Roberts and Juan Williams. NewsNation 'The Hill Sunday': Andrew Desiderio, David Drucker, Emily Brooks and Kellie Meyer. CBS 'Face the Nation': Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) NBC 'Meet the Press': Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) … House Speaker Mike Johnson … Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Panel: Peter Baker, Amna Nawaz, Carlos Curbelo and Jeh Johnson. TALK OF THE TOWN SPOTTED: Merrick Garland having lunch at Tosca yesterday. Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, was a guest on Stephen Colbert's show last night. ON THE POST: Even the obituary writers at the Washington Post aren't sticking around, as Michael Schaffer explores in his latest reported column. 'It's just an absolute exodus,' one staffer told Michael of the WaPo's buyouts, which will be finalized July 31. On that note … First in Playbook: Manuel Roig-Franzia is leaving the Washington Post after 25 years to pursue new projects. His exit marks at least 100 journalists who have left the outlet since November, a person familiar told Playbook. PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION: 'Artist pulls show from National Portrait Gallery over censorship concerns,' by Axios' Jason Lalljee: 'Artist Amy Sherald alleged the Smithsonian-owned art museum, which confirmed the show's removal, considered excluding one work in Sherald's show that depicts the Statue of Liberty as a transgender woman.' OUT AND ABOUT — The Consumer Technology Association hosted a fireside chat yesterday, with White House Office of Science & Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios highlighting the administration's AI Action Plan. SPOTTED: Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Joel Miller, Elena Hernandez, Dean Ball, Tim Kurth, Will Burns, Addie Cooke, Aya Kiy-Morrocco, Andres Castrillon, Sean Perryman, Kaya Singleton, Rebecca Steele, Pat Thompson, Melissa Tye, Stefania Yanachko, Allison Cullin, Jim Morgan, Ashley Menzler, Tillie Fowler, Pat Pelletier, Gary Shapiro, Kinsey Fabrizio, Michael Petricone, Tiffany Moore and David Grossman. — The Daily Caller hosted the 'Daily Caller Live: American Jobs, American Strength' event yesterday at the Waldorf Astoria. SPOTTED: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Kevin Keane, Elijah Moorman, Grover Norquist, Phil Kerpen, Jonathan Williams, Dylan Housman, Amber Duke, Reagan Reese, and Adele Malpass. MEDIA MOVES — Konstantin Toropin will be joining the AP as a Pentagon reporter. He previously was a Pentagon correspondent for TRANSITIONS — Kate Tyrrell is now chief of staff and senior deputy comptroller at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. She previously was senior managing director at Greystone. … Michelle West is now a partner in the construction & project development practice at Burr & Forman in their new D.C. office. She previously was counsel at Fox Rothschild LLP. … Jeff Hantson is now a managing director at FGS Global in their D.C. office. He previously was deputy general counsel for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on the Senate Judiciary Committee. … Bert Kaufman is now senior counsel for autonomy and robotics at DoorDash. He most recently was a senior adviser at the Commerce Department. First in Playbook: Leslie Nettleford-Freeman is now associate general counsel and VP of legal affairs and brand protection at the National Association of Realtors. She previously was associate general counsel at AARP. WEDDING BELLS — Steve Elmendorf, co-founder and managing partner of Advoq, and Elio Artese, a lawyer, celebrated their marriage last night at the home of Ambassador Tom Nides and Virginia Moseley. Pic … Another pic. SPOTTED: Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) and Rosa De Lauro (D-Conn.), Patti Solis Doyle, Jim Doyle, Elizabeth Miller, Dan Sallick, Michael Paese, Blake Kimbrough, Eric Schultz and Sean Crotty. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) … Brad Karp … Alex Nguyen of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's office … Alex Pfeiffer … Andrew Feldman of Feldman Strategies … Kirsten Sutton … The Atlantic's Anne Applebaum … Sarah Benzing … Fox News' Katy Ricalde … Daily Mail's Kelly Laco … Ella Gunn … Victory Enterprises' Christian Hulen … Bloomberg's Mike Nizza … Clio Grillakis … Liz Brown of the Children's Hospital Association … Robert Zoellick … Ducks Unlimited's Parker Williams … Rebecca Gale … WSJ's Elise Dean … Jesselyn Cook … Annie Lentz of Rep. Maggie Goodlander's (D-N.H.) office … Consumer Bankers Association's Billy Rielly … Katie Martin … USDA's Jennifer Tiller … CNBC's Karen James Sloan … Sydney Gart … Christine Quinn … … Ron Walker Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.

Trump Team Pissed as L.A. Juries Refuse to Indict ICE Protesters
Trump Team Pissed as L.A. Juries Refuse to Indict ICE Protesters

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

Trump Team Pissed as L.A. Juries Refuse to Indict ICE Protesters

It seems the city that rose up to protect its neighbors from Immigration and Customs Enforcement is similarly protective of its protesters—especially when they're being tried on trumped-up charges. Donald Trump's federal prosecutor in Los Angeles is struggling to get indictments for protesters arrested in anti-ICE demonstrations earlier this summer, the Los Angeles Times reported. Grand jury indictments only require probable cause that a crime has been committed—a lower bar than the standard for a criminal conviction. And even so, out of the 38 felony cases filed by Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, only seven have resulted in indictments. In a recent case, the grand jury refused to indict a protester accused of attacking federal law enforcement officials. And Trump's prosecutor was not happy: The Times described 'screaming' that was 'audible' from outside the grand jury room coming from Essayli. According to legal experts interviewed by the Times, it's incredibly rare that a grand jury wouldn't indict in cases like these—which indicates weak cases brought by an attorney whose goal may be to promote Trump's anti-immigration agenda rather than go after real crime. Meghan Blanco, a former federal prosecutor in L.A., said the cases are 'not deserving of prosecution.' Some may have even been based on faulty intel from ICE agents, the supposed victims of the alleged crimes. Either 'what is being alleged isn't a federal crime, or it simply did not happen,' she told the Times. In June, thousands of Angelenos took to the streets to protest ICE raids that saw the federal anti-immigration officers arresting people attending mandatory check-ins at a federal building and snatching people from Home Depot. Though the protests were largely peaceful, some escalated as ICE and the Los Angeles Police Department used tear gas and 'less-lethal' munitions on the crowd. Community organizer and protester Ron Gochez said at the time that it was 'brutal violence' but that 'what they didn't think was going to happen was that the people would resist.' To the Times, former prosecutor Carley Palmer said that Essayli's struggle to get his cases through was 'a strong indication that the priorities of the prosecutor's office are out of sync with the priorities of the general community.' Yet again, the Trump administration has likely underestimated L.A. residents' appetite for resistance.

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