Jeremy B. White and Lara Korte’s must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State

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By JEREMY B. WHITE, LARA KORTE and SAKURA CANNESTRA 

Presented by City of Hope

THE BUZZ: A Supreme Court ruling on New York concealed carry permits will reverberate far beyond New York and far beyond concealed carry permits.

California’s wall of stringent gun rules could become more porous in the years ahead. The high court’s 6-3 vote confirmed a strong pro-Second Amendment disposition that will shape how it views future firearms cases. And the expansive reasoning of the ruling itself — the argument that any rules must be “consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation” and “part of the historical tradition that delimits the outer bounds of the right to keep and bear arms” — could erect high hurdles for California’s laws to clear.

In the immediate term, it’s about to get easier to have a concealed firearm in California. The California Department of Justice said the prevailing requirement that someone show “good cause” likely no longer applies, though training and background check requirements could still be legal. Until now local law enforcement has largely governed the distribution of permits. That means they’ve been easier to obtain in more rural and conservative counties than in urban or populous areas like Santa Clara County, where the sheriff has denied allegations her office traded permits for political favors.

That doesn’t mean Democrats are conceding defeat. Within hours of the court’s decision, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Democratic lawmakers coalesced behind new legislation that would go as far as the high court allows. The bill, which could get a vote early next week, would bar people from carrying concealed firearms in locations like courthouses and schools while using data like criminal records and restraining orders to assess an applicant's public safety threat. It’s a safe bet that law would also face a court challenge.

In the longer term, some signature California gun rules could fall. Challenges to the state’s ban on assault weapons, its prohibition on high-capacity magazines and its requirement that people be 21 to buy semi-automatic weapons are all on appeal. It would likely take a while for those cases to wind their way to the U.S. Supreme Court. But the court’s new test “potentially has long-term implications for California's other gun laws,” executive director of Berkeley Law's California Constitution Center David A. Carrillo said in an email.

Court fights are already massing on the horizon as Second Amendment advocates triumphantly telegraphed their next steps. The Firearms Policy Coalition vowed “many more important strategic lawsuits,” including efforts to reverse "bans on self-manufacturing firearms and so-called ‘assault weapons’ and ‘large-capacity’ magazines” — all laws on the books in California. The California Rifle and Pistol Association said it planned to target a bevy of laws after the high court enabled “a hard reset for gun control law legal challenges in California.”

Bonta said the state will press ahead undeterred. “We’re going to continue to defend the assault weapons ban,” the AG said. “Will there be new arguments based on Bruen in our assault weapons ban defense? Perhaps.” New legal reasoning, new California gun regulation bills, and new challenges to the existing ones — all of it looks likely.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. We’re awaiting more vote updates today, at which point — two and a half weeks after Election Day — counties should be just about done tallying the votes. Los Angeles County only has about 14,000 ballots left to process, for example.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up: [email protected] and [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte. 

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Everybody is trying to be relevant for the next race. He came through the recall election and he’s doing a pretty good job as governor. However, I think ambition makes people do different things.” Former Biden official and current DNC official Cedric Richmond on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent rhetoric, via POLITICO. 

TWEET OF THE DAY: Sen. @SydneyKamlager on the Senate floor demise of her constitutional amendment to remove an allowance for servitude as punishment for a crime: “The CA State Senate just reaffirmed its commitment to keeping slavery and involuntary servitude in the state's constitution.Way to go, Confederates #ACA3”

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

A message from City of Hope:

MAKING THE CANCER MOONSHOT A REALITY IN CALIFORNIA: Despite the amazing advances taking place in cancer care, too many patients – particularly those from historically underserved communities – face unnecessary barriers to access optimal care and suffer as a result. We must democratize cancer care by removing these unfair barriers and expanding equitable access to cancer care without delay. Here’s how.

— “Unprecedented plan to return Bruce’s Beach to rightful Black heirs revealed by officials,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Rosanna Xia: “The beachfront property, estimated to be worth $20 million after a complicated appraisal, would be transferred to the Bruce family following an escrow process, according to the proposed plan released late Wednesday. The county would then rent the property from the Bruces for $413,000 per year and maintain a county lifeguard facility at the site.”

IN THE SPOTLIGHT — Gavin Newsom jumps onto the national stage and Bidenworld takes notice, by POLITICO’s Christopher Cadelago and David Siders: But the warnings turned a whisper campaign into something audible: Is the governor positioning himself for a White House run in 2024?

— “How hiring the wrong medical ‘expert’ derailed US pandemic response,” by ArsTechnica’s John Timmer: “[Scott] Atlas' hiring by the White House was expected to be so controversial that he was initially instructed to hide his staff ID from the actual government public health experts. Yet he quickly became a driving force for the adoption of policies that would achieve herd immunity by allowing most of the US population to be infected—even as other officials denied that this was the policy.”

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

PLACE YOUR BETS — “What happens if Californians pass two sports betting initiatives?” by CalMatters’ Grace Gedye: “There’s a good chance that two initiatives to legalize sports betting will appear on the November ballot. If both pass, they might both go into effect or the result could be decided in court, depending on which one gets more yes votes.”

REVIEWING RECALLS — “Column: California wasted $200 million on the recall. Why aren’t lawmakers fixing the process?” opines the Los Angeles Times’ Mark Z. Barabak: “But the system needs to be fixed, or soon enough California could face another distracting and expensive attempt to subvert the election process.”

HIGH VOLTAGE — “Electricity use would surge under California’s new climate plan,” by CalMatters’ Nadia Lopez: “Hundreds of people lined up today to voice concerns about California’s sweeping new climate strategy at a public hearing. Without massive investments in clean energy, air board officials warned that more fossil fuels will be needed to power electric cars and ensure a reliable power grid.”

— “California ranks worst in nation for air pollution because of wildfire smoke,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Kurtis Alexander: “A new report finds that California was home to 19 of the 20 worst counties in the nation for particulate pollution in 2020. If sustained, these pollution levels could shave months, if not years, off the lives of residents, according to the Air Quality Life Index, published this month by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.”

GREENER PASTURES? — “California's Competitors,” by Reason’s Liz Wolfe: “Booming cities like Miami, Florida, and Austin, Texas, have been the beneficiaries of this exodus. Housing costs play an outsized role in migration patterns: San Francisco's price per square foot hovered around $924 in January 2022. In Miami, it's about $300 per square foot, and in Austin, it's about $330 per square foot.”

— “Oakland school board votes against delaying school closures again,” by Oaklandside’s Ashley McBride: “School closures continued to take center stage on Wednesday night at the second-to-last school board meeting before summer recess.”

— “A third of Californians live in or near poverty. Advocates say the budget must do more,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Owen Tucker-Smith: “That was the message Tuesday at the inaugural meeting of the legislature’s new Select Committee on Poverty and Economic Inclusion. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), who announced the panel’s formation in February, said it was meant to address ‘the growing divide in prosperity across California.’”

– “California’s top military brass rocked by homophobia, antisemitism, indecent exposure scandals,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Paul Pringle: “Current and former Guard members say there is a widespread perception in the organization that high-ranking officers who engage in misconduct are protected from significant discipline.”

A message from City of Hope:

— FDA orders all Juul e-cigarettes off the market, by POLITICO’s Katherine Ellen Foley: The company rose to infamy among public health experts as one of the brands responsible for getting teenagers hooked on e-cigarettes in 2018 and 2019 as youth vaping rates ballooned.

— “Harris discusses abortion laws with state attorneys general,” by Associated Press’ Will Weissert: “Harris has increasingly become a leading White House voice on the issue since the leak last month of a draft high court opinion suggesting that justices are on the brink of overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion nationwide.”

— Trump-McCarthy tension still climbing as Jan. 6 hearings draw out, by POLITICO’s Olivia Beavers: Trump’s criticism of McCarthy comes nearly a year after the minority leader yanked three picks for the Capitol riot committee in response to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s veto of two others.

— California moves to fortify concealed carry limits after high court invalidates 'good cause' rule, by POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White: Like New York, California has given local law enforcement some discretion in issuing permits — a commonality that Justice Clarence Thomas specifically noted in his opinion.

— “Uber and DoorDash workers, reeling from high gas prices, say costs of driving have devoured earnings,” by Business Insider’s Tom Dotan and Nancy Luna: “Other issues around inflation, like the cost to repair a broken down car or leasing a new car for the purpose of doing gig work, eat in to profits as well.”

— “Instagram rolls out age verification, but not to keep children off app,” by the Washington Post’s Tatum Hunter: “A federal privacy law prohibits collecting data on people under 13 without parental permission, but only if the platforms know it’s happening, which lets companies look the other way, privacy advocates claim.”

JOIN TUESDAY FOR WOMEN RULE TALK ON THE ECONOMY: The U.S. economy is showing signs of slowing down after a period of robust growth last year. How would an economic slowdown affect women’s economic security across socioeconomic, racial, and geographic lines? Join POLITICO’s Women Rule for a conversation on what’s ahead for the U.S. economy and how it will impact women’s livelihoods and economic well-being. REGISTER HERE.

STREAMING CUTS — “Netflix lays off 300 workers amid subscriber losses,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Ryan Faughnder: “The layoffs, which represent roughly 3% of Netflix’s staff, mostly affected the firm’s U.S. and Canada staff, but also hit teams in Latin America, the Asia Pacific region and the Middle East and Africa. The people shown the door span vice presidents, directors, managers and contributors.”

WHO KNEW WHOSE NEWS — “Supervisor Dean Preston Stars on Shadowy ‘News’ Website Created by His Political Group,” by the San Francisco Standard’s Josh Koehn.

— “Lightning strikes man pushing baby stroller in Kern County,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Nathan Solis.

SF PARK HOPPING — “These are San Francisco’s best parks according to Google Maps ratings. Golden Gate Park isn’t No. 1,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Peter Hartlaub and Nami Sumida.

— AD-10 candidate Eric Rigard died, his wife and others shared yesterday.

A message from City of Hope:

LAWMAKERS: For too long, too many patients—especially those historically underserved—have been denied the opportunity to benefit from the latest advancements in cancer care.

For patients insured by Medi-Cal, the results are clear: worse outcomes on average for several cancer types.

Californians should take heed – cancer is the state’s second-biggest killer, and more than 189,000 Californians are expected to be diagnosed this year alone.

That’s why City of Hope and Cancer Care Is Different, a coalition of leading cancer organizations, are supporting the California Cancer Care Equity Act (SB 987). This bill expands access to equitable cancer care by ensuring Medi-Cal beneficiaries who receive a complex cancer diagnosis can choose to seek treatment at a specialty cancer center, increasing the number of Californians able to benefit from emerging therapies.

This change could mean the difference between life and death for many Californians. Let’s make the Biden administration’s moonshot a reality.

CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here.

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