Xavier Becerra sharpens his aim

Presented by Kaiser Permanente

THE BUZZ: ON DECK — Xavier Becerra has been planning more than he’s let on.

Earlier this month, we reported that the former California attorney general turned U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary had been quietly voicing to Democratic officials and operatives that he intends to leave Washington after the November election and join the crowded field to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom in two years.

A new report this morning from POLITICO’s Christopher Cadelago and Daniel Lippman finds he’s doing more than just musing.

Becerra or emissaries have approached political firms about standing up a gubernatorial campaign, two people briefed on those discussions told POLITICO.

Becerra also has spent more than $130,000 over the last year for “campaign consultants,” activity that has not previously been reported in the media. (A campaign attorney says that classification is misleading – more on that below). The political outreach and payments have occurred even as Becerra has continued to state publicly that he’s solely focused on his Cabinet job in Washington.

A senior Biden administration official said they didn’t know about Becerra’s political activity.

Cabinet members are prohibited under the Hatch Act from engaging in certain forms of political activity, including “testing the waters” for a future run for office.

As Chris and Daniel report, Becerra’s state committee, vested with $1.5 million from his time as attorney general, had been sending $10,000 a month to the Podesta Group in Washington D.C. — a legendary lobbying and public affairs firm founded by brothers John and Tony Podesta. The payments raised eyebrows coast-to-coast, given the Podestas’ pedigree and Becerra’s current role in the Cabinet.

Stephen J. Kaufman, a campaign attorney for Becerra’s state committee, said the state records listed the wrong recipient — a “data entry error” — that has since been amended to reflect the proper payee, Alexis Podesta, of Podesta Company in Sacramento, who has been paid to oversee the committee and manage its operations while Becerra serves in Washington.

“To my knowledge, Alexis does not have any communication with the secretary,” he added.

Becerra’s state committee clearly delineated the consulting expenses. Other expenses were listed as professional services (such as legal and accounting), or for office administrative matters.

Kaufman characterized the $10,000-a-month in payments as for account oversight — not traditional candidate consulting work.

Delaney Marsco, director of ethics at the Campaign Legal Center, observed that Becerra spending $10,000-a-month “would be a very high cost to pay for an administrative, keeping the account open type of thing.”

Whatever he’s doing behind the scenes, Becerra has made no secret of his longing for California. He has, frequently, and in public, expressed a nostalgia for his time in California state government — particularly, the autonomy.

“I do miss being AG,” he said, because as a constitutional officer, “once you get elected and you get your budget, you’re your own boss, and you do whatever you want.

“And as much as I’m the secretary of the department … I still have to wait ‘til I hear from the White House on a number of things.”


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WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

THE SCOOP

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: EVICTIONS SPARED — For the first time today, San Francisco will release an audit of its pandemic emergency rent-relief program. The data, exclusively shared with Playbook, documents how the city spared more than 10,000 households from eviction as it operated one of the most heavily-subsidized tenant relief programs in the country.

The report is welcome news for progressives, who argue the program’s effects show how taxing wealthy landowners and companies can fund affordable housing efforts.

Supervisor Dean Preston, a Democratic socialist who requested the report, said its findings demonstrate the case he’s been trying to make. “We would have seen a significantly worse homeless crisis in San Francisco” without the program, he said. “This really shows what happens when we tax the rich to fund people’s basic needs.”

But Preston’s vision for a city that aggressively taxes real-estate sales to subsidize low-income renters faces heavy opposition from some business and centrist political advocacy groups, who argue high taxes are straining downtown’s slow recovery.

The city has spent about $61.2 million on the rent relief program, and the vast majority of the funding came from voter-approved initiatives to increase taxes: Proposition I, a transfer tax on the sale of buildings worth more than $10 million, and Proposition C, a tax on the gross receipts of large businesses.

San Francisco’s program allows people facing eviction or homelessness to apply for hardship support, including back rent or move-in assistance. The program started during the pandemic and is still operating, with about $10 million left.

The report set to be released today, by the city’s Budget and Legislative Analyst, outlines the program’s impact thus far: about 20,000 people were likely spared from displacement or homelessness; more than half of them were Black or Latino; and 87 percent were extremely low income.


FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: THUR-MENTUM — The National Association of Social Workers - California today is endorsing Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond in his 2026 campaign for governor, citing his past experience as a social worker as a critical skill given the state’s mental health and homelessness crises.

“Tony uniquely understands the struggles and the challenges people are facing today and has worked tirelessly to help those in need throughout his career,” the group said in a statement.

LOS ANGELES

RAINBOW ALLIANCE — Los Angeles County is home to one of the largest LGBTQ populations in the country and more than 50 out elected officials. But political leaders from the region say there’s often been a lack of civic-focused groups in the community, especially compared with other LGBTQ meccas.

That’s why LA County Assessor Jeff Prang and other officials from the region have formed a group to unite forces across the vast county. Prang is president of the new Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Elected Officials (or LACLEO) association. Other leaders of the group include Claremont Councilmember Ed Reece and Burbank Vice Mayor Nikki Pérez, both as vice presidents.

Prang said the group wants to work more closely together and present a “united front” in response to “the increase in public homophobia and anti-LGBTQ legislation.”


STATE CAPITOL

JUMPING SHIP — Several backers of Assemblymember Buffy Wicks’ bill to end exclusive control over ticket sales are threatening to pull their support if she accepts a major amendment proposed by the Assembly’s Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection today.

The amendment, the groups say, would have the opposite effect of the bill’s intention — giving more power to Ticketmaster, not less.

The committee, which is set to take up the matter this afternoon, has proposed five amendments to Assembly Bill 2808, which was intended to give customers more choice in ticket sellers by banning ticketers from entering into an exclusive contract with the venue.

The committee, in its analysis, suggests amending the bill so it only prohibits exclusive contracts between large venue operators and primary ticket sellers. It also suggests — much to supporters’ dismay — adding a provision that would give artists control over the terms and conditions related to the sale of their tickets. The groups argue the amendment effectively expands Ticketmaster’s control, because its parent company, Live Nation, represents many artists and owns many venues.

In a Monday letter to privacy Chair Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, a group of supporters, including the California League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, warn the amendment would give Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation the ability to decide every aspect of ticket distribution, pricing and use.

“If this amendment is adopted, consumer protections under current California law will be undermined and California will effectively have statutorily enshrined Ticketmaster/LNE’s existing monopoly over ticket distribution, sale and use,” wrote the groups, which included representatives of National Action Network Sacramento, the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, Si Se Puede Fresno, Tulare, Kings & Kern, Latin Business Association, and the Central Valley Yemen Society.

Another letter to the chair, sent Monday by groups that included the bill’s co-sponsor, the Consumer Federation of California, called the amendment “antithetical” to the bill’s original purpose.

“While empowering artists is well-intentioned, to do so in this manner would allow Live Nation’s monopolistic behavior to continue unchallenged,” the letter said.

Wicks’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposed amendments. The Oakland Democrat just recently took major amendments on the bill in the Assembly’s Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism Committee, including exempting professional and collegiate sporting events.

ON THE AGENDA

IN THE ASSEMBLY — Among the other bills we’re watching in the privacy committee today: Bauer-Kahan’s measure to prohibit AI developers from using the data of kids under 16 to train their AI models unless they have express consent.

In the Health committee — Assemblymember Ash Kalra is presenting his bill establishing single-payer healthcare in California.

IN THE SENATE — State Sen. Josh Newman’s bill that could ban expedited security screening companies, like CLEAR, from California airports is up in the Transportation committee today.

CAUCUS PRIORITIES — The Latino Legislative Caucus this morning will unveil its 2024 priorities this morning with 16 bills focused on equity issues surrounding health, housing, education, environment, immigration and civic engagement.

CLIMATE AND ENERGY

STICKY SITUATION — California has millions of forest acres to treat for wildfire prevention; officials want to get companies involved by taking out forest debris and turning it into energy. The politics of that are combustible. Read more in last night’s California Climate newsletter.

TOP TALKERS

— The Supreme Court is deliberating when cities can legally clear homeless encampments. Early indications are that the court’s conservative majority could overturn lower court rulings that limited when cities can remove tents. (POLITICO).

— Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian now leads Assemblymember Evan Low by ONE VOTE in an insanely close contest for second place — and a chance to advance to November — in the race for an open House seat in Silicon Valley. That’s according to initial recount results, which likely won’t be finalized until week’s end. (The Mercury News)

— The first nail is officially in the ground for the fully electric high-speed train system from Southern California to Las Vegas. (The Orange County Register)

— Women physicians are leaving the field in large numbers. The reasons: burn out, harassment and barriers to attaining leadership roles. (The Sacramento Bee)

AROUND THE STATE

RICHMOND: PG&E is teasing a future with stable or decreased utility bills. CEO Patricia Poppe nodded to the idea on Monday. (East Bay Times)

SAN FRANCISCO: More than 84 percent of the housing San Francisco built for its “missing middle” is unoccupied. Developers blame a depressed rental market and a convoluted application process. (San Francisco Chronicle)

ANAHEIM: Disability rights advocates are up in arms after Disneyland narrowed its Disability Assistance Program to visitors with developmental disabilities. (The Orange County Register)

SACRAMENTO: California would find out how cost-effective its billion-dollar homelessness programs are under a bill proposed by GOP Assemblymember Assemblyman Josh Hoover. (The Sacramento Bee)

PLAYBOOKERS

IN MEMORIAM — The Reverend Cecil Williams, a longtime civil-rights leader and advocate for San Francisco’s most marginalized residents, died Monday at age 94. For decades, Williams led GLIDE, a church that serves the city’s long-struggling Tenderloin neighborhood. “We would not be who we are as a city and a people without the legendary Cecil Williams,” said Mayor London Breed, who called him a role model for Black residents. More here from the San Francisco Chronicle.

PUT A RING ON IT — Tahra Jirari, a comms pro at Captura (ocean carbon removal), got engaged over the weekend to Samuel Hoops, a tax and entertainment attorney at the LA firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher. They made it official during an outing in Central Park. The couple, who now reside in Santa Monica, met at Franklin Hall in D.C. in 2022. “I do recommend going up to a guy in a bar and talking about tax policy, you could end up engaged!” Jirari posted in a viral tweet. Congrats!

BIRTHDAYS — Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) … Tim Lim … Uber’s Tizzy Brown … Gideon Lett … Kal Penn … Neal Desai of the National Parks Conservation Association

BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Monday:) Assemblymember Phillip Chen … Assemblymember Esmerelda Soria …

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