Latest news with #Valadao
The Hill
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
‘One big beautiful bill,' and 4 Republicans who abandoned their principles
On July 4, amid fanfare and flyovers, President Trump signed his 'one big beautiful bill.' The legislation reduces taxes, increases appropriations for the military, border security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement — while cutting spending on Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, better known as food stamps. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the bill's $4.5 trillion decrease in revenues and $1.2 trillion increase in spending will add $3.3 trillion over the next decade to the already astronomical $36 trillion national debt. Despite Trump's claims, the bill is extremely unpopular. Five recent polls found net approval ratings ranging from minus-19 percentage points to minus-29 points for the legislation. 'The more [Americans] learn about this bill, they hate it just as much,' declared Harry Enten, CNN's data analyst. Many Americans haven't yet realized that the tax cuts and estate tax changes, which disproportionately benefit the wealthy, have been made permanent, while the exemption on workers' tips and overtime and reductions on taxes to Social Security benefits will expire in 2028. Most are unaware that, in an attempt to minimize Republican losses in the midterms, legislators delayed until 2027 implementation of the Medicaid cuts (which will result in 11.8 million Americans losing their health insurance) and that reductions in the federal share of SNAP costs won't kick in until 2027. Opposition from so-called Republican 'moderates' and 'deficit hawks' initially appeared sufficient to defeat or at least force substantial revisions of the bill. But virtually all of them caved. For once, Elon Musk had it right. The 'big beautiful bill,' Musk wrote, is a 'disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it. You know you did wrong. You know it.' Here are profiles of four Republicans who shelved their principles. Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), whose district contains one of the nation's highest percentages of Medicaid recipients, stated unequivocally that he would not support legislation 'that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.' Nonetheless, he voted for the House bill. Valadao then expressed concerns about changes in the Senate: 'I've been clear from the start that I will not support a final reconciliation bill that makes harmful cuts to Medicaid, puts critical funding at risk, or threatens the stability of healthcare providers.' Although the Senate reduced Medicaid appropriations by almost a trillion dollars and cut almost in half the tax states can impose on private healthcare providers, a 'vital stream' of income for the program, Valadao voted for the final bill. It 'was not an easy decision,' Valadao said, but 'no piece of legislation is perfect.' The Senate bill, he claimed, 'does preserve the program for its intended recipients — children, pregnant women, the disabled and elderly.' And it included a fund to give rural hospitals a few years to adjust to reduced revenues. Going forward, Valadao promised to work hard to identify and mitigate risks. In December 2024, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) did not accede to President-Elect Trump's demand that Republicans raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion dollars. 'I'm absolutely sickened,' he proclaimed, 'by a party that campaigned on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity to go forward to the American people and say you think this is fiscally responsible.' This spring, however, Roy voted for the reconciliation bill, which included that $5 trillion increase in the debt ceiling and added trillions to the deficit, after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) agreed to advance implementation of the work requirement in Medicaid from 2029 to 2026. 'Mediocre but passable,' he said, the bill still needed 'massive improvements if we are to make a dent in our deficit or to change the trajectory of this country.' The Senate 'failed us,' Roy claimed. We can 'amend it, send it back, fix it … Happy to stay here every day until we get it right.' Yet within days, Roy announced he was convinced the Trump administration would use executive orders and other legislation 'to ameliorate those areas' made worse by the Senate — and voted for the final bill. Asked about Musk's characterization of the House bill, Sen Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) replied, 'He's telling the truth.' The legislation doesn't 'bend the deficit curve down. It supports it going up.' Johnson indicated 'there's no way' he would support a bill that sustained this 'new normal.' He was untroubled by the president's threat that anyone who opposed his bill would face a primary challenge: 'I'd be happy to be done with politics.' After meeting with Trump and members of his staff, however, Johnson indicated he was satisfied they were 'committed' to reducing federal spending to pre-pandemic levels: 'A rigorous effort will soon be announced,' he added, 'to review every program and every line of the federal budget, looking for ways to… put America on the path to fiscal sustainability.' Johnson voted for a Senate bill that added about a trillion dollars more to the national debt than the House bill. After the Senate passed Trump's bill, a reporter asked Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) about the assertion by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that instead of joining him, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to defeat the legislation, she engineered 'a bailout for Alaska at the expense of the rest of the rest of the country.' After a long pause, Murkowski, who had 'made very clear' in June that 'we cannot go forward with a bill that makes cuts to Medicare,' replied, 'I know that in many parts of the country there are Americans that are not going to be advantaged by this bill … But when I saw the direction that this is going — you know you can either say, 'I don't like it' and not try to help my state, or you can roll up your sleeves.' Murkowski used her leverage to delay the requirement that states with high food stamp error rates, including Alaska, contribute more to the cost of benefits. Alaska and Hawaii received waivers of food stamp work requirements based on high unemployment rates in their states. And the bill provided tax relief for whaling boat captains. 'This has been an awful process,' Murkowski explained, 'a frantic race to meet an artificial deadline.' As the legislation returned to the House, she expressed her 'sincere hope that this is not the final product.' While she had made improvements for Alaska, this bill 'is not good enough for the rest of the nation — and we all know it.' It 'needs more work across chambers and is not ready for the president's desk.' In the months before the 2026 elections, Democrats will almost certainly be quoting Valadao, Roy, Johnson and Murkowski, and making the point that promises by allegedly principled Republican politicians are nothing but 'sound and fury, signifying nothing.' Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Emeritus Professor of American Studies at Cornell University.
Politico
5 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Dems think now is their chance with Valadao
Presented by DEM DRUBBING — Democrats are one for six in attempts to oust Republican Rep. David Valadao, but they're convinced a cycle-long onslaught of ads attacking him for his vote to cut Medicaid funding gives them their best shot yet at taking him out of office. Health care groups are pouring millions of dollars into the effort as they try to make his vote for President Donald Trump's megabill, which included strict work requirements for the government health insurance program, the defining issue of next year's midterms. Unions, including the influential SEIU, have backed separate ad campaigns. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is seeking to use Valadao's past comments against him, including his assertion just weeks ago that he would not vote for a bill that included 'harmful cuts to Medicaid.' The candidates … Visalia school board member Randy Villegas is testing the purple district's appetite for a progressive Democrat after entering the race against Valadao in April. Meanwhile, Jasmeet Bains, a moderate Democratic state lawmaker, has been teasing a run on social media, posting photos and videos of herself in a white coat and playing up the fact that she's a physician. In a preview of the attacks she could use, Bains taunted Valadao over his vote in an interview with Playbook, lacing into him for a statement he released afterward saying it was 'not an easy decision.' 'Why was it a tough decision, David? Was it tough because you knew people were going to die, or was it tough because you didn't have the courage to stand up for your district?' Bains said. 'This was not a tough decision for a doctor like me, a doctor that's shown up and provided care. It was a very easy decision, and it comes down to: Don't sell out your community.' The campaigns … The health care-backed group Protect Our Care, which was involved in the last successful attempt to oust Valadao after his 2017 vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, has been needling him on the airwaves for months. 'We could do literally nothing between now and [Election Day] and it would still be the defining issue of the midterms for him,' its California director Matthew Herdman said. Of course, that is not the group's plan. It dropped a fresh batch of ads in Valadao's district after the vote and is promising more to come. The coalition Fight for Our Health, composed of SEIU and numerous advocacy organizations, aired broadcast ads before Valadao's last vote and has digital ads and billboards still up in his district. Another, led by St. John's Community Health in Southern California, has been running ads in Valadao's district that have made nearly a million impressions, a spokesperson said. The DCCC ran spots blasting targets including Valadao after the vote in what staff said was its first digital communications buy of the cycle. 'Valadao's spineless choice here isn't just a liability, it's politically catastrophic — and in 2026, it'll be the reason he's out of a job,' DCCC spokesperson Anna Elsasser said in a statement. The background … Most of the campaigns are going after the DCCC's three Republican House targets in California, which also include Reps. Young Kim and Ken Calvert. But they see a wider opening in Valadao's seat since nearly two thirds of the resident's district are enrolled in Medi-Cal — the largest share of his conference. They argue Valadao is even more vulnerable than he was in 2018 after voting for Obamacare repeal, since that vote didn't lead to policy change or cost people access to health care. The defense … Valadao in his lengthy statement after the vote said the megabill would 'preserve the Medicaid program for its intended recipients — children, pregnant women, the disabled, and elderly,' and touted other provisions in it including tax cuts and water conveyance funding, which is key to his agriculture-heavy district. As we reported from Bakersfield this week, his Republican allies in the region are projecting confidence that the megabill won't sink him, thanks in part to those other pieces of the bill and the length of time between now and November 2026. GOOD MORNING. Happy Friday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Like what you're reading? Sign up to get California Playbook in your inbox, and forward it to a friend. You can also text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. TECH TALK MUSK PROBE — OpenAI is asking California's political finance watchdog to investigate a nonprofit that challenged its multibillion-dollar business plans, alleging violations of state lobbying laws and again raising questions about the group's connections to rival Elon Musk, our Chase DiFeliciantonio and Christine Mui scooped. The complaint to the California Fair Political Practices Commission accuses the Coalition for AI Nonprofit Integrity of likely fronting a fake leader and failing to report lobbying payments related to a now-gutted state bill that would have potentially prevented the ChatGPT maker from converting to a for-profit entity. CAMPAIGN YEAR(S) PODCASTER-IN-CHIEF — Gov. Gavin Newsom is following in Donald Trump's podcasting footsteps as he continues building a national profile for … well, you know what. The governor dropped by Nashville on his way back from South Carolina this week to tape a podcast with Shawn Ryan, a new media personality and former Navy SEAL who hosted Trump on his eponymous show last August. Newsom's interview will be publicly available on Monday, a Shawn Ryan Show producer tells Playbook, with a preview coming as soon as today. And if it's anything like Newsom's chat Wednesday with journalist Justin Kanew of the progressive news site Tennessee Holler, things could get conspiratorial. The governor in that interview weighed in on the ever-evasive (if even existent) 'Epstein list,' which Trump has made into a white whale of sorts for conservative podcast bros. 'I mean, now I'm gonna start to sound conspiratorial,' Newsom said (er, trolled?) when Kanew asked about the rumored list that supposedly contains names of public figures associated with the late accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. 'After Elon [Musk] tweeted that out, and all of the sudden, now it disappears? Really, Trump? Show us. Whaddaya got? Where's the transparency?' — Tyler Katzenberger HISTORY LESSON HARRIS HR — Former Vice President Kamala Harris had before Election Day already decided who her chief of staff would be if she were president, the Wall Street Journal's Josh Dawsey, the New York Times' Tyler Pager and the Washington Post's Isaac Arnsdorf reveal in their new book, '2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America.' Leading her West Wing would have been Denis McDonough, the Biden administration's secretary of Veterans Affairs who served as President Barack Obama's chief of staff. Harris' choice of a seasoned veteran of Democratic governance, though inconsequential given her November defeat, could provide insight into how she'd approach staffing decisions if she runs for governor next year. Harris also notably promised to include a Republican in her Cabinet. Her would-be transition team vetted Liz Cheney, former Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger and former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, according to the book. STATE CAPITOL HIGH SPEED HELP — Palmdale Assemblymember Juan Carrillo will join the High-Speed Rail Authority board of directors as the Assembly's lone representative. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas appointed Carrillo to the panel, which is responsible for overseeing high-speed rail planning and development. Carrillo attended his first board meeting Thursday. — Lindsey Holden CLIMATE AND ENERGY GAS PUMP POLITICS — The oil industry and environmental groups have battled for years over the state's energy future, but seem to have reached a compromise over a plan to slow the gas transition. Read last night's California Climate on why two refinery closures are bringing players on all sides to the table. Top Talkers MEGABILL TAB — The new federal budget Trump signed into law, which reduces spending for Medicaid, among other health care changes, is estimated to cost the state nearly $30 billion and lead to more than 3 million Californians losing health coverage over the next decade, according to Newsom and state health officials, CalMatters reports. A 'HUMAN-CREATED PROBLEM' — A new examination by the Los Angeles Times found that until the late 1970s, wide-scale street homelessness was relatively rare and largely due to a scarcity of affordable housing, such as after World War II. Former Mayor of Santa Monica Bobby Shriver described the shortages as a 'human-created problem.' AROUND THE STATE — The Oakland City Council is facing criticism over its elimination of a cultural affairs manager position in its budget. (San Francisco Chronicle) — Protesters clashed with federal agents during an immigration raid at a Southern California farm amid an uptick in immigration enforcement in the region. (ABC News) — A national ranking of places to be a tenant put Irvine at No. 1 for renters in Southern California, while San Bernardino was the worst in the region. (OC Register) Compiled by Juliann Ventura PLAYBOOKERS BIRTHDAYS — Assemblymember Alex Lee … Urmila Venugopalan of the MPA … Tristan Berne 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.
Politico
6 days ago
- Health
- Politico
Republicans in Washington are nervous about Medicaid. Not in Valadao's California district
Hospitals in the district also rely on the program to keep their doors open. They collectively receive $820 million a year from it, and roughly 50 percent of their patients are enrolled in Medi-Cal, California's version of Medicaid. Medi-Cal is the largest payer for every hospital Valadao represents, including Kern Medical Center, which gets more than 70 percent of its funding from the public insurance program, according to data compiled by the California Health Care Foundation. Valadao himself has been aware of the liability of cutting Medicaid. Confronting a months-long barrage of Medicaid-related attack ads in his district, he lobbied — ultimately unsuccessfully — against deeper cuts to the program in the Senate version of the megabill that eventually passed. Valadao's office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday but did release a 555-word statement after his vote calling it a 'hard decision.' 'Ultimately, I voted for this bill because it does preserve the Medicaid program for its intended recipients — children, pregnant women, the disabled, and elderly,' he said. He went on to tout funding for rural hospitals and said the Trump administration assured him that money would benefit hospitals in Valadao's district. While Senate Republicans included $50 billion over five years for rural hospitals , it's unclear how much of that will come to California and if it would be enough to keep hospitals open. Amanda McAllister-Wallner, executive director of the progressive health consumer advocacy group Health Access, said the discretion written into the bill is meant to help hospitals in Missouri, not the Central Valley. 'We think of California as rural, but it's not always what the national definition of 'rural' would be,' she said. 'Fresno and Bakersfield are pretty big cities in the context of the United States at large.' A list of hospitals circulated by Senate Democrats identified 28 rural hospitals in California that could close under the budget deal. None are strictly in Valadao's district but several, like Mountains Community Hospital and Adventist Health in Tehachapi and Reedley, are in surrounding areas.
Politico
6 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Valadao's allies shrug off Medicaid attacks
Presented by NOT SWEATING — Democrats are salivating at the chance to punish Rep. David Valadao for voting to slash spending on Medicaid in President Donald Trump's megabill. Even Republicans in Washington are warning the cuts could cost the GOP seats in the midterms. But, as Blake and Rachel Bluth report this morning, Valadao's Republican allies in his district are meeting the attacks with an entirely different calculation than in the Beltway. Republicans are cheering Valadao, who infuriated the MAGA base with his vote to impeach Trump after the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, for his support of a major priority of the president's. And they are giving the Medicaid vote — and the perilous position it is putting Valadao in — a collective shrug. 'I don't believe this Medicaid thing is going to work. People won't fall for it,' said Cathy Abernathy, a fixture in Republican politics in the area and mentor to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. 'I put my money on Valadao winning. I don't think it will be tight.' That nearly two-thirds of residents in Valadao's district receive Medicaid has not shaken his allies' confidence. Neither has the fact that Valadao last lost his seat in 2018 after voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Nor has the threat of depressed Republican turnout in next year's midterms, when the ballot won't include the five most powerful letters in American politics: T-R-U-M-P. But could Valadao's vote to impose stricter work requirements on Medicaid recipients at least present an electoral vulnerability? Linda Willis, the president of Bakersfield Republican Women, Federated, shook her head. 'No,' she said flatly, seated inside a country club ballroom where her group's monthly luncheon had just wrapped up. GOOD MORNING. Happy Thursday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Like what you're reading? Sign up to get California Playbook in your inbox, and forward it to a friend. You can also text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? Returning to California after his campaign swing through rural South Carolina and an overnight pit stop in Nashville. CAMPAIGN YEAR(S) MIXED RECEPTION — Gov. Gavin Newsom packed church pews and community centers and cafes as he sprinted across South Carolina this week — the whooping crowds a sign of the opening the California governor may have in the state's early Democratic presidential primary. But as POLITICO's Tyler Katzenberger reports from the trail, Newsom's visit also laid bare how his campaign could be dragged down by a sense among some Democrats in the Southern state that California's liberal reputation may hobble him. 'The larger concerns that he has to allay are related to California, and the feeling many have that California is not representative of the rest of the country in terms of its politics,' said Jim Hodges, the most recent Democratic governor of South Carolina, a heavily-Republican state. After Newsom's two-day tour of the state, he jetted to Nashville, where he spoke with local Democrats and journalists at a brewery. ON THE AIRWAVES GAMING WARS — Native American tribes are on an offensive blitz in California this legislative session as they seek to stamp out online gaming. Their latest target: so-called internet sweepstakes, which allow users to compete in casino-style games by buying virtual coins that can be converted into cash or prizes. One of the most powerful casino tribes, the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, recently launched a TV spot in the Sacramento media market that calls attention to sweepstakes offered by 'shady out-of-state and offshore companies.' The ad urges support for Assembly Bill 831, by Avelino Valencia, which would clarify that internet sweepstakes games that use dual-currency models are illegal. 'Their schemes have no real protections for minors or problem gamblers and contribute nothing to California's economy,' the ad states. CALIFORNIA DECODED 'JUST A WORKING DRAFT' — State Sen. Scott Wiener is appealing directly to major tech firms — including Google, Meta and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI — in an attempt to calm nerves and explain major changes he made to expand an artificial intelligence bill that would require companies to publish safety and risk assessments to help stop programs causing real-life damage. As POLITICO's Chase DiFeliciantonio scooped last night, Wiener sent letters to the firms in hopes of getting them on board with his second attempt at regulating artificial intelligence after his failed push last year rocked Silicon Valley with reverberations all the way to Washington. The letters were sent Tuesday — the same day Wiener amended his closely watched bill, which also protects AI whistleblowers. POLITICO first reported that he was considering those amendments. 'I invite you to engage with my team directly. Please reach out to my office with feedback and suggestions to improve this bill,' Wiener wrote. 'Our goal is to craft legislation that enhances transparency while fostering the innovation that drives California's economy and benefits the entire nation.' CLIMATE AND ENERGY MEGA PROBLEM — California lawmakers just weakened one of their bedrock environmental laws in the name of speeding up development. Now they're thinking about taking another chunk out of it to save clean energy projects from Trump. Read last night's California Climate to see why Republicans' assault on solar and wind is creating more urgency for the state to build faster. TOP TALKERS TUNNEL COLLAPSE IN LOS ANGELES — Mayor Karen Bass said on X late Wednesday that 'all workers who were trapped in the tunnel in Wilmington are now out and accounted for' after an industrial tunnel collapse. The Los Angeles Times reported the 'partial collapse of an L.A. County sanitation tunnel under construction left 31 workers scrambling to make their way to safety on Wednesday evening' and that all made it out. MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS — State Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with a multi-state coalition, is asking a federal judge to block the U.S. Department of Education from discontinuing school mental health grant funding as the issue plays out in court, a press release from Bonta's office said. The motion for a preliminary injunction seeks to ensure grantees who received messages from the Trump administration claiming that their grants would be reallocated will still receive funding. The move comes after Bonta recently sued the administration over the grants. 'HARD MIDDLE' APPROACH — Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has been trying to maintain a measured approach following last month's protests over immigration raids and the Trump administration's subsequent deployment of the National Guard to the region, The Los Angeles Times reports. The Republican-turned-independent, who endorsed Kamala Harris in last year's presidential election and touts a 'hard middle' stance, said that he would prefer if immigration agents would let state-level cases play out before the federal government takes action. Hochman said that he's working hard to 'keep our focus in this office on the public safety aspect,' and that his office is not working with the federal government on immigration enforcement. AROUND THE STATE — Insurance giant Blue Shield of California and the UC Health system reached a deal after months of negotiations to extend a contract that covers a large group of patients, including state workers. (The Fresno Bee) — One of San Francisco's most iconic seafood restaurants has been flooded with low-star reviews after an influencer made a social media post suggesting that the owners are Trump supporters. (SF Standard) — The San Diego Unified School District board voted unanimously on a new bill banning students from using their cell phones during most of the day. (Voice of San Diego) Compiled by Juliann Ventura PLAYBOOKERS PEOPLE MOVES — Angela Hervig is joining Rep. Luz Rivas' (D-Calif.) office as a legislative assistant. She previously was a senior legislative adviser at the EPA and is a Biden White House alum. — Veteran security researcher Tom Cross has joined GetReal as head of threat research. He's an alum of IBM X-Force, Lancope and Drawbridge. BIRTHDAYS — Rep. Tom McClintock … POLITICO's Christopher Cadelago (favorite cocktail: Negroni) … former state Sen. Gloria Romero … Jessica Simpson … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Wednesday): Marc Andreessen ... Ted Leitner … (was Tuesday): Melanie Perron at Pacific Coast Capitol Advisors 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.
Politico
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
California Republicans help clinch megabill
DRIVING THE DAY: If your inbox exploded this afternoon, it was the sound of the House passing Donald Trump's megabill. Vulnerable California Republicans who helped push the legislation across the finish line were facing enormous pressure from the president and his allies. But it was a perilous vote. Central Valley Rep. David Valadao and Orange County Rep. Young Kim ultimately supported the domestic spending package in spite of deeper Senate Medicaid reductions they criticized in a letter to Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson just last week. Now, they will confront a barrage of attacks from Democrats. More than 60 percent of Valadao's constituents are recipients of Medi-Cal, the state's version of the federal health care program for the poorest Americans. Valadao said in a statement that the vote was 'not an easy decision for me.' While he still has concerns about some of the Medicaid changes, he was heartened to see money for rural hospitals included in the bill. 'Ultimately, I voted for this bill because it does preserve the Medicaid program for its intended recipients — children, pregnant women, the disabled, and elderly,' he said. FUNDS LACKING: Five years after Gov. Gavin Newsom created a task force to study reparations, California Democrats still can't get an agency to administer programs off the ground. The latest setback came this week, with lawmakers and Newsom unwilling to put money behind a state office needed to power programs for descendants of slaves — a project that's become mired in deficit woes and shifting politics. The state budget Newsom signed did not contain funding to stand up the agency. Caucus Chair Akilah Weber Pierson's bill establishing the office continues to move through the Capitol, although without funding it will be vulnerable to a veto even if it clears the Legislature. Caucus members and their allies insist they've made progress enacting hundreds of recommendations to address discrimination and create a more equitable state. But Black lawmakers have struggled to advance foundational legislation that requires ongoing state dollars, especially as leaders just spent most of the year closing a $12 billion spending gap. They're also up against a backlash to the racial justice movement that took hold five years ago, as well as a presidential administration trying to rid the country of DEI initiatives. Last year, a proposal to stand up a reparations agency stalled on the final day of session amid infighting in the Black Caucus and last-minute amendments from Newsom. This year's attempt is now on shaky ground, hinging on a longshot effort to fund it. Los Angeles Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, caucus vice chair, acknowledged these difficulties during an Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing this week. 'If anything is to get established, it's probably going to take some incredible lifting from the Black Caucus,' he said. 'We're not talking about one-time money. We're talking about ongoing money during a deficit.' The budget did include the $12 million state leaders had set aside for reparations last year. Half of that will go to a California State University study determining how people will prove they're descendants of slaves, and the rest will fund an educational campaign about reparations administered by the Tides Foundation, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that supports progressive social causes. Riverside Assemblymember Corey Jackson, a caucus member, said the group 'always knew this was going to be a long process.' 'We know we're going to get it done,' Jackson said of the agency. 'The question is when? And so every year we'll reintroduce it, because you never know what the budget situation is going to be.' Despite the setbacks, Jackson and task force member Lisa Holder framed lawmakers' progress as significant, given the state of the reparations movement nationally. 'Since emancipation, African Americans have been calling on these governments to put money toward harm repair, reparations,' Holder told Playbook in an interview before the budget was finalized. 'This is the first time that a state has put $12 million just to create a pathway for legislation.' Jackson called California's movement 'the only game in town in the nation,' a situation underlined in May, when Maryland Gov. Wes Moore vetoed a bill that would've created a similar reparations task force in his state. Illinois and New York previously passed bills to study reparations. But some reparations supporters are tired of studies. One faction has gone as far as opposing Black Caucus bills, arguing they are too incremental and don't advance their cause. Bryan said he fears the agency money won't come through because of such 'distractions,' which offer an 'easy out to not do anything budgetarily because folks are confused by spectacles like this.' 'It's important for the governor to put dollars into this effort,' he said. 'And it's important for the state to put efforts [into] this. And I'm hoping there's future budget trailer bills coming down the line that include priorities for Black Californians.' 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 DEPORTATION DEBATE: State senators today debated for hours over a resolution condemning ICE raids and the president's troop deployment in response to Los Angeles deportation protests. Democrats spoke about how they had been personally affected by ICE arrests, while Republicans said federal action was the result of California policies making it harder for immigration officials to target criminals. But with Democrats in charge in Sacramento, the resolution passed. Baldwin Park state Sen. Susan Rubio said she carries her passport with her because she's afraid of being deported. San Fernando Valley state Sen. Caroline Menjivar said immigration officials detained the father of one of her staffers, even though he's a citizen. 'What is it?' she asked. 'It's that I'm too brown. You're too brown. Your skin is not pale enough. That's what it is. That's what it comes down to.' As we reported last week, the Latino and AAPI caucuses are pushing to fast-track a slate of immigration bills responding to the raids. Latino Caucus Chair Lena Gonzalez told Playbook today she hopes to get them through the Legislature before lawmakers go on a month-long summer recess starting July 18. She said Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire and the governor are supportive of the effort. 'We're just trying to figure out what timing, but the sooner the better,' Gonzalez said. 'We're in negotiations right now about that, but we want to get these done.' IN OTHER NEWS NEWSOM HITS THE TRAIL: The governor is headed to South Carolina next week to meet with natural disaster victims, touching down in an early primary state ahead of a likely run for president in 2028, our Jacob Wendler reports. The South Carolina Democratic Party announced the trip today, saying Newsom will 'speak to the urgent need for federal support and investment' in the wake of Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles wildfires. Newsom traveled to the state in January 2024 to stump for then-President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the run-up to the presidential election. He received some early interest, but also doubts about his liberal reputation, POLITICO reported at the time. The state has held a key role in recent nominating contests as the first state in the South to vote. The Democratic National Committee — under Biden — elevated it to be the first sanctioned primary contest in 2024. CALLING STRIKES: State Attorney General Rob Bonta released his long-awaited opinion on fantasy sports betting today, declaring that online platforms operating in California are in violation of a state law that bans betting on the outcome of sporting events. Bonta wrote that daily sports fantasy sites, which allow gambling based on the real-world performance of individual athletes, are merely a 'modern variation' of sports betting. 'California law prohibits the operation of daily fantasy sports games with players physically located within California, regardless of where the operators and associated technology are located,' Bonta concluded. It's unclear what enforcement action Bonta's office might take as a result. In a statement, the state Department of Justice said it 'expects companies to come into compliance with the law.' But Newsom's office was quick to say he disagrees with Bonta's conclusion — a rare split between the state's Democratic governor and its top prosecutor. Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for Newsom, noted that the attorney general issued the opinion 'in his independent capacity.' 'While the Governor does not agree with the outcome, he welcomes a constructive path forward in collaboration with all stakeholders,' Crofts-Pelayo said in a statement. Bonta's opinion is a response to a request from Republican state lawmakers, who asked him to evaluate the legality of online fantasy sports. Tribal communities — which spent tens of millions of dollars to defeat a 2022 measure to legalize sports gambling — also pushed for the opinion. Tribal casinos want to block the fantasy industry's growth, and the California Nations Indian Gaming Association on Friday urged Bonta to enforce his opinion by cracking down on sports betting platforms. 'Untold millions if not billions have been illegally wagered over the past decade,' CNIGA Chairman James Siva said in a statement. 'Where is the enforcement? Where is the accountability?' Fantasy sports platform operators argue that their sites shouldn't be considered traditional sports wagering because selecting players to create a fictional roster of athletes is a game of skill, not chance. JT Foley, executive director of the Coalition for Fantasy Sports, said the industry agrees with Newsom that 'AG Bonta got it wrong.' 'We are hopeful the attorney general heeds the governor's call to find a constructive solution that preserves the games that California sports fans love,' Foley said in a statement. — Dustin Gardiner WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — Some communities in the Los Angeles region have been canceling Fourth of July plans amid heightened fears and anger following recent immigration raids at farms and businesses in the city. (New York Times) — Two of the largest school districts in and around the Fresno region expect to lose a combined $9.3 million following the Trump administration's decision to withhold billions of dollars that Congress allocated to K-12 schools in the country. (Fresno Bee) — The El Rancho Unified School District released a video allegedly showing ICE and Border Patrol agents urinating at a school campus in Pico Rivera. (ABC 7) AROUND THE STATE — Federal cleanup crews from the Eaton and Palisades wildfires improperly sent truckloads of waste tainted with asbestos to nonhazardous landfills, state and local records show. (Los Angeles Times) — A federal judge in San Diego struck down two state laws that effectively banned most non-California residents from carrying guns in the state. (San Diego Union-Tribune) — Palmdale Mayor Richard J. Loa was stripped of his title and responsibilities pending an investigation into 'confidential allegations.' (KTLA 5) — compiled by Juliann Ventura
