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The Herald Scotland
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Maggie Chapman faces list battle with top Greens activist
Ingerson currently serves as the party's leader in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire and is the co-convenor of the party's LGBT+ wing, the Rainbow Greens. Formerly co-leader of the Greens from 2013 to 2019, Chapman has been an MSP since 2021. She was nearly ousted from the Scottish Parliament's equalities committee in April after criticising the Supreme Court over their recent ruling on the definition of a woman. In a statement, Ingerson pledged to be a 'change candidate' for the region. The activist previously stood for the Greens in Aberdeen South last summer, earning 3.5% of the vote. Party activist Guy Ingerson. (Image: Supplied) He said: 'Like the rest of Scotland, communities across our region have seen successive cuts to public services. Our NHS, libraries, colleges, and local nurseries have all seen cuts, and our universities are in crisis. Enough is enough. 'We need an anti-cuts campaigner in the Scottish Parliament fighting to improve and restore our public services. I am that person.' Once a political ally of Chapman, Ingerson lodged an internal party bullying complaint against his former boss last month, alleging that she contacted his new employer to warn he was 'untrustworthy'. Both Chapman and Ingerson have declined to comment publicly on the matter. Ingerson said that securing a just energy transition is a key priority of his campaign. He noted: 'The transition away from oil & gas is not bringing everyone with it. People need to see tangible benefits to renewable energy infrastructure, and they need jobs to go to. We have been waiting years for a plan from the Scottish government and the UK government are not delivering; we cannot wait any longer. 'We should be looking to the 'Our Power' report produced by Platform and Friends of the Earth Scotland. This must be the starting point for any plan. We need climate justice and action. We need both now.'
Politico
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Dems prep ‘big beautiful' battleground attacks
Presented by Our Sun. Our Power. READY, AIM: California Democrats are loading up their midterm ammo after the state's swingiest House Republicans voted for a budget megabill that would likely cause millions of Medicaid recipients to lose their coverage. Every California Republican voted in favor of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' early this morning, including three of the delegation's most vulnerable members: Central Valley Rep. David Valadao, Orange County Rep. Young Kim and Riverside County Rep. Ken Calvert. GOP leaders needed all hands on deck — and a last-minute assist from President Donald Trump — to get the bill to the Senate. It narrowly passed, on a 215-214 vote. (Just two Republicans voted against it, two voted 'present' and two were absent.) Senators are pledging to make major changes to the legislation, which will send it back to the House for another vote. But Democrats are already writing the 2026 campaign ads tying GOP members to major Medicaid cuts. 'In the dark of night, Congressional Republicans rubber-stamped Trump's destructive budget,' said Rusty Hicks, California Democratic Party chair, in a statement. Hicks called out Valadao, Kim, Calvert and Northern California Rep. Kevin Kiley, saying they've 'spent this year hiding from their constituents.' 'They can't hide forever,' he said, '2026 is right around the corner.' The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said the vote represents 'complete abandonment of everyday Americans in favor of billionaires' and that Valadao, Kim and Calvert are 'ripping away health care from millions of Americans.' Playbook reached out to staff members for Valadao, Kim, Calvert and Kiley. Kim, Calvert and Valadao's teams shared statements. Kiley couldn't be reached for comment. The budget bill adds work requirements for those enrolled in the federal low income health care plan, and eligibility changes could mean 3.4 million Californians will lose coverage under Medi-Cal, the state's version of the program, according to a Tuesday memo from Gov. Gavin Newsom's office based on an analysis from the state Department of Health Care Services. It would also punish states like California that allow undocumented immigrants to enroll in government-funded health care plans using state money. Republicans are celebrating the bill's tax cut provisions and defending the Medicaid changes as minimal, saying they won't strip coverage from 'our most vulnerable populations.' Fiscal hawks had pushed for deeper cuts to the program. Statements from Valadao, Calvert and Kim argue the bill protects crucial health care benefits for children, seniors, individuals with disabilities and pregnant women, groups that wouldn't be subject to work requirements. Calvert said the bill would 'strengthen the program by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse.' Kim said the legislation 'makes life more affordable and strengthens Medicaid services for our most vulnerable Americans who the program was intended to serve.' 'Enough with the disingenuous hysteria coming from Washington Democrats,' she said. Valadao said he plans to work with the Senate to protect Medicaid and food assistance 'for those who need them most.' The Central Valley representative, who for weeks had warned his colleagues against steeper cuts to the program, is keenly aware of the political risks surrounding his vote. Nearly 64 percent of residents in Valadao's district — about 492,500 people as of last August — are Medi-Cal recipients. He lost his 2018 reelection bid during Trump's first term after voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. 'Am I concerned with the way this plays? Yeah, every vote we take can be spun,' Valadao told POLITICO earlier this month. 'I imagine whatever decision we make, even if it cuts $1, it'll be the most dramatic dollar ever, and the most important dollar ever to this program.' IT'S THURSDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY PLUGGED IN: California will sue the Trump administration to protect the state's vehicle emissions rules, our Camille von Kaenel reports. Attorney General Rob Bonta said he would file the lawsuit whenever Trump signs off on Congress' vote on Thursday to overturn California's phase-out of gasoline-fueled cars and trucks. It would mark his 23rd lawsuit against the Trump administration this year. 'The federal government's overreach is illogical,' Bonta said in a press conference in Sacramento. 'It's politically motivated, and it comes at the expense of Californians' lives and livelihoods.' The Senate earlier on Thursday voted 51-44 to overturn the Biden administration's approval of two of California's latest vehicle rules using the Congressional Review Act, changing the Senate's rules to proceed with the vote despite the finding of the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office that the waivers were beyond the reach of the CRA. The Trump administration is expected to sign the resolutions into law in the coming weeks. IN OTHER NEWS NOT GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT: State Sen. Sabrina Cervantes released the negative results of a urine test to POLITICO last night as proof that she had been wrongly accused of driving under the influence of drugs. 'The accusation that I was driving under the influence is utterly false,' she said in a statement. 'I take this matter seriously and in the interest of transparency, I am releasing my hospital exam report and hospital lab results.' The drug screening she provided showed that a sample from the lawmaker came back with undetectable levels for a list of drugs including cocaine, THC and opiates. The report indicates the sample was taken at 4:27 p.m. on May 20, over 24 hours after authorities said they responded to the crash in Sacramento. A hospital exam from the day of the crash showed that Cervantes told doctors she had been T-boned on the passenger side of her car by another vehicle and complained of back, hip and knee pain. The exam notes she was not prescribed any medication and that her blood alcohol level was less than .01 percent. The Sacramento Police Department referred questions to the district attorney's office, which did not provide further comment. — Nicole Norman OK GOOGLE, NOW WHAT?: There are still many unanswered questions after California and Google announced Wednesday they're reducing the scope of a landmark initiative to bolster local journalism with both state and private funds. The initial deal last year was hailed as a landmark arrangement that could set a precedent for other states seeking to prop up struggling newsrooms decimated by lost advertising revenues as readers turn to aggregation sites such as Google News. Such concerns have been particularly acute in California, where outlets like the Los Angeles Times, the state's largest newspaper, have seen mass layoffs in recent years. The new downsizing has already drawn vocal criticism from some media advocates. Our colleagues on the POLITICO Pro California Decoded team unpacked what we do and don't know about the new plan: For instance, could the state Legislature intervene? Who controls the funding? And how in the world is OpenAI involved? Read the full breakdown from Christine Mui and Chase DiFeliciantonio. WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — Trump's pick for surgeon general, Dr. Casey Means, is expecting a baby in the fall. (Los Angeles Times) — In his first American appointment, Pope Leo XIV makes Michael Pham the bishop of San Diego. (San Diego Union-Tribune) AROUND THE STATE — The San Jose City Council has created a policy allowing new councilmembers to more easily gain access to social media accounts run by their predecessors. (San Jose Mercury News) — The Riverside Parks and Recreation Department will spend $10 million to update 15 parks across the county. (The Press-Enterprise) — Santa Ana City Council is considering whether to notify the public about planned ICE activity in the area. (The Orange County Register) — compiled by Nicole Norman
Politico
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Drug tests, denials and videotape
Presented by Our Sun. Our Power. RELEASE THE TAPE: The plot twists continue in the ongoing saga of Sabrina Cervantes' DUI case. Sacramento police said last night the Democratic state senator from Riverside — who has denied wrongdoing and mounted a forceful defense — was driving under the influence on Monday afternoon when she was involved in a two-car collision not far from the Capitol, as Melanie Mason and your two newsletter writers scooped last night. Officer Allison Smith, a Sacramento police spokesperson, confirmed today that officers cited Cervantes because they believed she was under the influence of drugs based on 'physical signs they observed' during a DUI investigation, though she declined to share specifics. Prosecutors will wait for lab results before they decide whether to charge Cervantes with a DUI, as we reported this morning. Police are also pushing back on Cervantes' contention that officers 'accosted' her at the hospital after the incident, saying they have body camera footage that disproves the senator's accusations. Smith said that after reviewing the video, she 'didn't see any indication Senator Cervantes was accosted by officers.' 'Officers conducted a thorough investigation and remained professional and respectful throughout it,' Smith wrote. Cervantes this afternoon released a revised statement saying, 'The lab results I sought in the hospital show conclusively I had no alcohol or drugs in my system,' after initially mentioning only alcohol in her denial. All of this comes just as Cervantes' sister, Riverside City Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, launches her second Assembly campaign after losing to a GOP opponent last fall. A post on her Cervantes for Assembly Instagram page advertises a 'backyard BBQ campaign kick-off' tomorrow near Riverside. 'Every day, I witness our movement to take back AD-58 growing stronger!' the post said. Lest we forget, Clarissa Cervantes has previously been charged with two DUIs of her own. That may have factored into her failed bid to secure her sister's Assembly seat after Sabrina Cervantes opted to succeed state Sen. Richard Roth last year. Republican Leticia Castillo turned the district red, one of two embarrassing Southern California seat flips for Assembly Democrats in November. To no one's surprise, Republicans immediately pounced on the scandal, dubbing the senator 'swervin' Cervantes.' 'The Cervantes family tradition: hold public office, rack up DUIs, then play the victim,' the Riverside County Republican Party wrote in an X post. 'Sabrina's latest citation is just the latest chapter in a story of zero accountability. #SwervinCervantes' IT'S WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY BUDGET BLUES: California's economic power players are treading water through a sea of bad budget news and federal uncertainty. They came together today in Sacramento to discuss those challenges during a panel hosted by our own Blake Jones at UCLA Anderson's 2nd Annual California Economic Futures Forum. CalChamber CEO Jennifer Barrera, Senate budget director Chris Woods and former GoBiz head Lenny Mendonca all discussed how they're struggling with the ripple effects of California's $12 billion spending gap, its housing crisis and President Donald Trump's ever-changing tariff policies. 'All of us up here, and folks all across the state and the country, are concurrently dealing with 'what's our future?' and trying to figure out how we navigate through uncertainty and chaos,' said Graham Knaus, CEO of the California State Association of Counties. 'At the same time, there's stuff right in front of us today that we still have to solve.' IN OTHER NEWS WHAT'S HHAPPENING?: Members of the Big City Mayors traveled to Sacramento today to meet with Gov. Gavin Newsom and urge him to authorize more rounds of homelessness funding grants after the money was not included in this year's budget proposal. The mayoral delegation included Patricia Lock Dawson of Riverside, Todd Gloria of San Diego, Daniel Lurie of San Francisco, Kevin McCarty of Sacramento, Rex Richardson of Long Beach, Karen Goh of Bakersfield and Larry Argan of Irvine. At a news conference today, the group touted programs that relied on the grant funding known as HHAP and stressed the importance of continued state dollars. McCarty, who said he had been up late the night before working on Sacramento's budget, said about half of his city's homeless programs depend on the grant money. Without it, he said, 'we would shut down our shelter facilities.' NOT SO FAST: Turns out, California journalists won't be getting a sizable chunk of promised funding from Google and the state after the tech company and Newsom downsized a landmark deal to funnel millions of dollars to newsrooms, our Tyler Katzenberger and Christine Mui report. Google, for now, will drop its 2025 contribution to the program to $10 million from $15 million. The move matches California's pledge, with Newsom slashing state funding for the deal to $10 million from $30 million last week in his plan to close a $12 billion budget deficit. However, Google could still increase its contribution, pledging to match up to $5 million in any donations made to the newsroom fund, meaning its final 2025 contribution may meet the initial $15 million figure if public, private or philanthropic groups donate enough money. WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — California public school enrollment dropped .54% from last year, marking seven straight years of a steady downfall. (Los Angeles Times) — Funding for the FUEL Network, which gives legal aid to immigrants in Sacramento, is at risk amid the city's $44 million structural budget deficit. (Sacramento Bee) — The Oakland neighborhood San Antonio Park has the most equal distribution of racial identities of any place in the Bay Area, as the city faces a rise in gentrification. (San Francisco Chronicle) AROUND THE STATE — San Diego County leaders say that the region's homelessness population dropped by several hundred people since last year. (San Diego Union-Tribune) — An assault ship in San Diego, the USS America, will get a $200 million repair and upgrade through a grant from the U.S. Defense Department. (San Diego Union Tribune) — The Santa Ana Unified School District board approved layoffs for 262 employees. (Orange County Register) — compiled by Nicole Norman
Politico
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Barbara Lee Speaks for Oakland
Presented by Our Sun. Our Power. TAKING THE REINS: With her hand on the Bible in a packed City Hall, Barbara Lee, Oakland's favorite daughter, vowed today to put her beleaguered city 'back on the right track' as she was sworn in as its 52nd mayor. Surrounded by community leaders, former colleagues, old friends, and city leadership, Lee promised that Oakland would rise again based on its diversity, energy and culture. Although she made some reference to the massive challenges facing Oakland — from crime and soaring housing costs to homelessness and a city budget on the verge of bankruptcy — her remarks to the standing-room-only crowd primarily told a story of resilience and opportunity. 'I want to reinstill hope,' said Lee, 78, a longtime progressive stalwart in Congress who is taking on perhaps her biggest challenge in taking over a city in crisis. 'You were clear about wanting a government that you can trust to solve our fiscal challenges, safety, housing, and homelessness challenges. But you were always 100 percent clear about how much you love Oakland.' Lee pivoted to run for mayor of her adopted hometown after losing her Senate primary and watching previous leader, Sheng Thao, get recalled from the office after an FBI raid on her house. Lee will now take on the stubborn crime and budget problems that dogged Thao. The city is dealing with an estimated $87 million spending gap and teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. But in contrast to a wave of Bay Area leaders who have won recent elections based on tough-on-crime or dark narratives about their cities, Lee's speech made no effort to blame former city leadership or reinforce the widely held image of Oakland as dangerous and crime-ridden. Instead, she told the story of her own family's history — her grandfather born in Galveston just two years after slavery was abolished in Texas, her father denied housing in San Leandro on the basis of his race — as a parable for a community beset by struggle with the potential to transcend its origins. 'It's not going to be easy, but we can only do this together,' Lee said. Lee defeated moderate former City Council member Loren Taylor with the support of labor, but she'll have to negotiate with them over tough cuts when budget time rolls around. She pitched herself to voters as having the unique skills needed to manage all the parties involved, but actually doing so — while dealing with potential federal cuts — will be a true trial by fire. 'The budget is going to be very, very unkind to [Lee],' political consultant Jason Overman told POLITICO last month. 'She's going to be inheriting all of it but will still be expected to wave the magic wand she's perceived to have built over the past few decades in Congress. This existential of a budget crisis has a funny way of shortening political honeymoons.' At her swearing-in ceremony, Lee's comments were notably light on policy specifics. She promised to spur investments in the city and spend taxpayer dollars effectively while committing to transparency and accountability. But she did not identify specific programs that will be on the chopping block, nor specific income streams or investments that would resolve the deficit. Instead, Lee's remarks were an exercise in inspiration. But it will take more than positive thinking to fix Oakland's problems. 'The people closest to the challenges are the closest to the solutions,' Lee said. 'There's no time to waste.' Jeremy B. White contributed to this story. IT'S TUESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@ JOIN US: POLITICO reporters will moderate discussions with key policy and political figures on Wednesday during the second annual California Economic Futures Forum. Blake will facilitate a conversation on the state's economic outlook, California Education and Budget reporter Eric He will moderate a panel on the state's long-term fiscal planning in a pivotal budget year and Senior Politics Reporter Melanie Mason will have a fireside chat with Treasurer Fiona Ma. The UCLA Anderson School of Management will host the event at the University of California Student and Policy Center in Sacramento from 10 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Find details and RSVP here. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY HOMELESSNESS HEAT: Lawmakers are not taking kindly to the lack of housing and homelessness funding in Gov. Gavin Newsom's revised spending plan. The governor last week declined to provide more money in his budget for affordable housing programs and another round of flexible homelessness grants amid a $12 billion spending gap. 'People are dying on our watch,' he said during a press conference. 'I'd rather they own up to that fact … this state has never done more, never cleaned more barriers, never created more pathways and opportunities. Now prove that this is not a waste of taxpayers' time and resources.' Democratic members of the State Administration Budget Subcommittee today said it would be 'unacceptable' if the budget does not include more housing and homelessness dollars. San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney talked about a funding request letter he and 24 other lawmakers recently addressed to Subcommittee Chair Sharon Quirk-Silva and Budget Committee Chair Jesse Gabriel. The letter calls for the state to continue a 20 percent stream of money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, provide $500 million for low income housing tax credits and allocate $500 million for another round of homelessness grants. Quirk-Silva, who represents an Orange County district, pushed back on Newsom's invective about local governments' lack of progress on clearing homeless encampments, saying residents will have no place to go without funding for shelters and housing. 'Where are homeless people going to move if we have stronger and stronger camping ordinances?' Quirk-Silva asked. 'Even the governor said, 'enforce.'' 'I wish that if he was going to move and change and do a U-turn, he would have done that six years ago,' she said. 'Because by now saying, 'I'm done, local government. You have the tools. You haven't done it.' It's a great thing to say, but the truth is, where are these people moving to?' IN OTHER NEWS DEMS PLAY 'CLUE': The Democratic finger-pointing set off by a buzzy new book on former President Joe Biden's declining fitness during his presidency is now sloshing into the California governor's race, our Melanie Mason reports. Antonio Villaraigosa, the former Los Angeles mayor, tore into two other home state Democrats — former Vice President Kamala Harris and former health Secretary Xavier Becerra — after the Tuesday release of 'Original Sin' by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, accusing the two Biden administration officials of being complicit in a 'cover up' about the then-president's mental acuity. Becerra, like Villaraigosa, is running to succeed Newsom in 2026, while Harris is actively weighing a gubernatorial bid. 'Voters deserve to know the truth, what did Kamala Harris and Xavier Becerra know, when did they know it, and most importantly, why didn't either of them speak out?' Villaraigosa said in a statement. 'This cover up directly led to a second Donald Trump term — and as a result, all Californians are paying the price.' MEGABILL MADNESS: Speaker Mike Johnson today tried to woo Senate Republicans to support the House's spending megabill, although some remained unconvinced, our Jordain Carney reports. Multiple GOP skeptics came out of the lunch meeting saying they planned to continue pushing for further changes to the party-line domestic policy bill — the latest sign that the bill's challenges don't end in the House. 'Exactly what he has told the media and his conference is what he told us,' Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told reporters after the meeting. 'The fact of the matter is, though, that we're not just solving this problem. What good is having the majority if we don't use it to return to pre-pandemic level spending?' Meanwhile, as our Rachel Bluth reported this morning, Newsom's administration is projecting megabill Medicaid changes could cost the state $30 billion and boot 3.4 million people from Medi-Cal, the state's version of the federal low income health care program. SMOG IT UP: Republicans in Washington are also after California's vehicle emission waivers, Jordain reports. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in a floor speech today that he will move forward with three House-passed resolutions that use the Congressional Review Act to roll back EPA waivers that effectively let California set its own emission standards. Thune's announcement comes after weeks of internal deliberations within the conference and public pressure from members of his leadership team to hold a vote. That's because the Government Accountability Office has found that the California waivers aren't a rule and thus aren't subject to the CRA, which allows Congress to nix regulations with only a simple majority, bypassing the threat of a Democratic filibuster. Crucially, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has backed up that finding. Democrats have warned GOP leaders that they view moving forward with the disapproval resolution over MacDonough's guidance to be akin to deploying the 'nuclear option' undermining the filibuster. Newsom also used dramatic terms to refer to Senate Republicans' move. 'The United States Senate has a choice: cede American car-industry dominance to China and clog the lungs of our children, or follow decades of precedent and uphold the clean air policies that Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon fought so hard for,' the governor said in a statement. 'Will you side with China or America?' WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — The case against Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, accused of misconduct, heard opening arguments today. (Orange County Register) — DNA testing confirms that it was suspect Guy Edwards Bartkus who died in the bombing of a Palm Springs fertility clinic. (The Press-Enterprise) AROUND THE STATE — Five San Diego residents filed a lawsuit to stop a proposed trash pickup fee before the City Council can approve it. (San Diego Union-Tribune) — After a meeting with city officials, landlord Shalom Styles has stopped blasting 'Baby Shark' outside of a commercial building to deter homeless people. (Los Angeles Times) — Central Valley educators marched to Republican Rep. David Valadao's office in Hanford to oppose federal cuts to public education. (The Fresno Bee) — compiled by Nicole Norman
Politico
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
How to governor-proof an initiative
Presented by Our Sun. Our Power. WHAT BALLOT MANDATE? — Supporters of last year's two most popular statewide ballot initiatives found that spending tens of millions of dollars to qualify and pass their proposals wasn't enough to keep the measures' most high-profile critic, Gov. Gavin Newsom, from disregarding them in his latest budget proposal. Newsom's moves to undercut last year's Propositions 35 and 36 raise strategic, political and legal questions for organizations hoping to go to the ballot in 2026 or 2028. How do you convince funders to pour millions into a measure — and persuade voters to support it — if the governor can undo it on a whim come budget season? 'There may be a new approach taken on making sure that you're governor-proof on something, certainly if it's related to the budget,' said Rob Stutzman, a Sacramento-based consultant who worked for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and many interests at the ballot before and since. Prop 35's backers across the health care industry specifically drafted their initiative to prevent state leaders from sweeping billions of dollars into the general fund in tough financial years, and 68 percent of voters agreed with them. But Newsom, facing a large deficit, announced Wednesday he would do exactly that (just as he wants to repurpose millions in revenue generated by Prop 56, the tobacco tax increase passed in 2016). Also missing from Newsom's budget proposal was money for the drug treatment, probation, social workers and administrative costs experts say is required to properly implement Prop 36, the tough-on-crime initiative voters also overwhelmingly passed in November over the governor's opposition. 'It's like he's purposely wagging his fingers at the voters and saying, 'I told you so, and since I told you so, I'm not going to fund this thing, or I'm going to take money from it when you didn't want me to in the first place,' state Sen. Roger Niello told Playbook. 'I'm at a loss to understand why he's doing it.' Interest groups unhappy with their lot in a state budget typically follow two main ballot strategies for recourse. They can ask voters to establish a new source of revenue (like the Prop 56 tobacco tax, for example) or pass a statute that attempts to lock in a funding stream for a specific purpose (like Prop 35). But Newsom's budget casts doubt on how enforceable either of those will be once voters have passed a measure. Tom Hiltachk, a veteran lawyer who specializes in ballot-measure clients — including the proponents of last year's Prop 36 — said governors have long tried to shortchange initiatives by refusing to fund them. Initiative backers typically consider the scenario when drafting their proposals, he said. 'The actions of the governor to disregard the policy preferences of the electorate, as most recently evidenced by the 2024 election results, is unfortunately not a new concern for initiative proponents,' he said. Backers of a measure like Prop 36, which changed sentencing rules but did not include a direct mechanism to pay for expanded prisons or mental-health treatment beds, could opt to build funding into the proposal itself. That poses its own challenges: Suddenly you're asking voters not only to change policy but possibly raise their own taxes, too. Molly Weedn, an adviser to the Yes on 35 campaign, told Playbook that the coalition that passed Prop 35 is considering a range of legal and political options to ensure the initiative is properly implemented. Going forward, she said, campaigns will need to think inventively about how to keep governors' hands off the piles of money voters create via the ballot. 'The current climate, both with the budget and what's going on federally, gives the opportunity for organizations to be creative with how they pursue solutions,' Weedn said. 'We may be surprised what sort of creative outlets people come up with.' — With help from Rachel Bluth NEWS BREAK: Drake calls for Newsom to pardon fellow Canadian rapper Tory Lanez after prison stabbing … California officials react to Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis … San Jose fire captain charged with stealing drugs from station. 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@ and wmccarthy@ 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. Measure Z (Santa Cruz, 2024): Almost three weeks after the first challenge to a statewide ban on soda taxes took effect, the American Beverage Association has still not filed a widely expected lawsuit. The Santa Cruz city attorney is among those now speculating that the beverage industry fears a losing lawsuit may harm its position more than any courtroom victory would help. 2. Transit tax (Bay Area, 2026): Among the losers in last week's budget revision were Sen. Jesse Arreguín and Assemblymember Mark González, whose request for a $2 billion infusion for BART and MUNI didn't make Newsom's list of priorities. The lawmakers had proposed the money to maintain service levels while transit operators ask voters to back new taxes to fund the system on next year's ballot. 3. Local tax thresholds (2026): Assemblymember Carl DeMaio is hoping to ride shotgun on the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association's drive to make it harder for local governments to raise taxes. The Republican lawmaker, who had introduced a similar amendment earlier this year, has begun raising money for his grassroots apparatus Reform California with promises to support a petition drive behind whichever version of the measure the business community chooses to support. 4. Measure B (Cathedral City, 2021): The California Fair Political Practices Commission slapped a $31,500 fine on the Palm Springs-area resort haven for using public funds to promote a 2021 ballot measure voters passed that places new restrictions on short-term vacation rentals, a warning sign to other city halls looking to change policy via the ballot. 5. City charter reform (Los Angeles, 2026): Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has named her picks to serve on the city's charter reform commission, as well as a new executive director to steer the effort. As POLITICO's Melanie Mason reported this morning, Bass's delay doing so has thus far slowed the commission's work. Now, with a quorum in place, the commission can get started — with the goal of putting its proposed changes before voters in November 2026. 6. Pay for performance (San Jose, 2025?): San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan's efforts to tie elected leadership's pay to performance may not need to go to the ballot, the Mercury News reports, based on a charter provision that allows city officials to voluntarily reduce their salaries. But the council members who would need to vote to do so are increasingly wary of an idea that could cut their paychecks by at least five percent. 7. Measures A & B (Huntington Beach, 2025): The campaign over control of the public library in this Orange County beach town is entering its final weeks, and the Yes side is out with its latest cozily bookish tactic — a rhyming Dr. Seussian mailer. The June 10 vote is being watched nationwide, as Emily reported in a story this weekend, inspiring librarians to consider the merits of fighting back against MAGA book bans via the ballot rather than through the courts. ON OTHER BALLOTS Voters in Louisiana may be asked to ban foreign contributions to ballot-measure campaigns after lawmakers advanced a proposed constitutional amendment on the topic … Signature-gatherers in Michigan will be working to qualify two dueling constitutional amendments requiring proof of citizenship to vote after a second proposal on the topic was cleared for circulation just a month after an initial proposal … Smart & Safe Florida, the group leading the push to legalize recreational marijuana via the Florida ballot, has signed onto a lawsuit against a recently enacted law it says would place 'draconian restrictions' on those looking to qualify future measures for the ballot … Lawmakers in Missouri passed legislation to overturn Proposition A, the ballot initiative voters approved in 2024 to implement paid sick leave … And an anti-tax group in Ohio moved a step closer to seeing its proposal to eliminate property taxes on a future ballot after the state's attorney general said its proposed title and summary were 'fair and truthful,' clearing the proposal for consideration by the Ohio Ballot Board. I'M JUST A BILL HOUSING BOND (AB 736): Assemblymember Buffy Wicks' proposal for a $10 billion affordable housing bond received Newsom's endorsement last week, a boost for the bill as it enters a crucial phase of the legislative process. 'We need to support a bond to address the issues of housing, yes, affordability, but also infrastructure,' the governor said during his presentation of his May revised budget proposal, calling the bond 'foundational' to the state's efforts to promote housing affordability. Newsom's comments were 'a shot in the arm' for the bond's chances of making it onto the 2026 ballot, said Ray Pearl, executive director of the California Housing Consortium, which represents developers, builders and public-sector interests and is backing the bond. 'Having him put his finger on the scale and say this is important is a signal — not only to advocates, but especially members of the Legislature — that this is going to be looked upon favorably should it get through the legislative process.' Pearl said the bond's backers hope to see it on Newsom's desk this fall, so that it can appear on the ballot in 2026. After passing through committee, AB 736 is set to be considered among dozens of other costly bills in the suspense file next week. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ... PROP 24 (2020): California's landmark Privacy Rights Act enshrined an individual's right to control his or her personal data and created the nation's first privacy enforcement agency. But it's facing a serious stress test from Big Tech and Republicans in Washington as policymakers are forced to reread the four-year-old initiative in light of advances in artificial intelligence. The controversy hinges on three words buried near the back of the 34-page measure approved by 56 percent of voters: 'automated decisionmaking tools,' a technology that uses algorithms and often AI to assist or replace human decision-making in areas like health care, hiring, education and criminal justice. California's Privacy Protection Agency, the regulatory body created by Prop 24, argues that the initiative's language requires the agency to draft rules protecting the right to opt out of sharing personal information with ADMTs. Big Tech, business groups (led by the California Chamber of Commerce) and even Prop 24 architect and CPPA board member Alastair Mactaggart pressured the agency for months to cut AI regulations from the draft rules, contending the 2020 measure never specifically mentions AI. The agency's five-member board reluctantly pared back the draft rules earlier this month over objections from labor unions and consumer privacy advocates. But the Prop 24 debate is far from over, thanks to Congress. Republicans in Washington are considering a 10-year moratorium on state AI regulations, including rules governing ADMTs. It's a longshot idea but one that's gaining steam with tech industry lobbyists and powerful Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. CPPA Executive Director Tom Kemp urged Congress to abandon the proposal in a letter sent last week, arguing it would 'strip away many crucial [privacy] protections' guaranteed in Prop 24. POSTCARD FROM ... … WESTWOOD: A year after a violent face-off between student protesters and police shut down campus, UCLA undergraduates last week tried their hand at a different California collegiate tradition of dissent: the ballot measure. The 33,040-person electorate faced three initiatives as part of annual student elections, all related to increasing or maintaining quarterly fees to fund various student programs and services. The university is one of many in California with such provisions for direct democracy, one of the few avenues offered for the student body to try to make demands of school leadership, rather than the other way around. For students, some not yet old enough to vote for president, the vote represents their first chance to take a spin on the direct-democracy merry-go-round. In prior elections, many have responded to that opportunity with a shrug, with turnout struggling to reach the 20-percent mark required for an initiative to pass. 'A lot of people don't know what's happening,' said Holly Hebden, a senior and the president of a campus organization called Good Clothes, Good People, which placed a student-fee initiative on the most recent ballot. 'They have other stuff going on.' Making matters more difficult for those trying to indoctrinate their peers into ballot-measure culture are the restrictions on campaigning that campuses impose on student organizations. According to Hebden, her group was allowed to hand out fliers in just one designated campus location and only during specific weeks and times. 'I want to have an impact on my campus and this is the most direct way I see to do it,' said Hebden. 'But it's been harder to reach the threshold.' Even winning at the ballot doesn't guarantee change. In 2018, Chico State students voted down fee increases on three separate occasions, only to have the administration proceed with the change anyways, according to CalMatters. Still, university ballot measures are not some middle-school class president exercise in play-politics. The issues that students vote on have real-life ramifications for student experiences. Hebden's organization, for example, provides free school and hygiene supplies to financially insecure students. As of Friday night, her initiative was passing with majority support and 28 percent turnout. 'Students haven't had this much control over this particular fee. A lot of this money goes to campus administration,' Hebden said. 'Now have direct, unilateral control over this fee and what it's utilized for.' THAT TIME VOTERS ... … GOT BEHIND THE WHEEL: Californians have seen ballot measures on a wide variety of questions related to cars and driving, including to: Impose a one-cent-per-gallon gas tax on top of the pre-existing two-cent license tax (1926, failed) … Require registration fees to be equal regardless of the type of fuel or engine used in a vehicle, and all revenue used for highway purposes (1936, failed) … Impose a 55-mile-per-hour speed limit on California highways (1976, did not qualify) … Repeal a state gas tax and exempt motor vehicle fuels from sales tax (1980, did not qualify) … Require all vehicles registered with the California Department of Motor Vehicles be classified by color and specific model, and require any change of color to be reported within 10 days (1993, did not qualify) … Increase the gas tax by four percent to fund transportation programs and projects like light rail, commuter and intercity rail systems and bicycle projects (1994, failed) … Require the California DMV to make 12 decorative vehicle decals (one per month) available for public purchase for an annual fee of $240, which would go into an 'I Helped Save the Golden State' fund for education, social service, parks and recreation, and environmental protection programs (2004, did not qualify) … Allow buyers of used cars to return them to the dealer and cancel their purchase within three days and receive a full refund, limit dealer loan fees and require 'certified' used vehicles to be inspected by a qualified technician (2005, did not qualify) … And prohibit the sale of gas-only and diesel-only passenger vehicles and light trucks manufactured after 2020 (2020, did not qualify).
