INSLEE’S Saavy Retail Strategy in CA — TRUMP Again Repeats False Claim about CA Vote — GAVIN’s Big DMV Move — MUELLER Madness — Big drilling deal in KERN Co. with TRUMP Aide Connection Presented by Facebook

THE BUZZ: TIME FOR A WEST COAST PRESIDENT? That’s what Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is suggesting as he takes his 2020 campaign around California this week, doing something that a whole generation of state voters has never really experienced: retail politics at the presidential campaign level.

On Monday, Inslee hit a town hall to address Democrats in West LA, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and Malibu, where he talked issues and met one-on-one with voters. And on Tuesday, he drew hundreds of excited seniors to a forum in the East Bay, where he addressed and took questions from the nation’s largest Democratic Club — the 1,000-member Democrats of Rossmoor.

RETAIL, RETAIL: Inslee’s saavy schedule underscores the importance of the early California primary — doing free events in places where California voters were previously just asked for campaign checks. The stop in the upscale Walnut Creek senior community is becoming a no-brainer for many candidates; Rossmoor is a community packed with engaged, educated Boomers who not only vote religiously — they have money.

The payoff of doing retail in California — where nearly 500 delegates are at stake in the March primary, and every congressional district represents its own jackpot — was obvious last night. “I can’t tell you how many people came up to me afterwards and said, ‘I’m a convert,‘“ said Katha Hartley, the club’s president. “He knocked it out of the park.”

—Via SFChronicle’s John Wildermuth: Inslee on climate change as a “top priority”: “My last days on Earth, I wanted to be able to look my three grandkids in the eye and say I did everything possible” to address climate change, Inslee said. It was a sentiment that struck home with many from the senior-living community in Walnut Creek.“

BUENOS DIAS, good Wednesday morning. TODAY’S THE DAY — MUELLER’S SHOW: Lawmakers have lots of questions for Mueller. Here are the most important ones, via LATimes’ Chris Megerian. And good question from SFChron’s Tal Kopan: “Will Robert Mueller offer fireworks? Bay Area lawmakers will play a key role in the questioning.‘”

— QUOTE OF THE DAY: “This is our own destiny. We are capable of saving ourselves and our kids and our grandkids ... all we need is a spark of inspiration. I want to be the sparkplug.’’ — Gov. Jay Inslee, presidential candidate, addressing the issue of climate change before hundreds at a town hall at Rossmoor, the senior community near Walnut Creek.

— TWEET OF THE DAY: @TheRealJohnHCox: “I’m old enough to remember when @GavinNewsom didn’t talk or care about the Californians waiting in line at the #DMV. Who knew he’d take some of my advice?”

— WHERE’S GAVIN? Headed to Tombstone to sign SB 200, authored by Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel). The issue: “approximately 1 million Californians lack access to safe drinking water... SB 200 creates a funding solution by allocating up to $130 million per year to safe drinking water projects.” Details: 9 a.m., 3815 Cottle Avenue, Sanger.

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TOP TALKERS

— CONNECTIONS, CONNECTIONS ...Via @POLITICO's Colby Bermel: One of CA's biggest energy companies is slated to receive $320 million to drill 275 wells in Kern County. California Resources Corp. announced Tuesday a joint venture with LA-based Colony Capital; the firm's CEO is Tom Barrack - who chaired the Trump inaugural. (Pro link)

— MYSTERY AND MADNESS: “Why are so many people getting shot on California highways?” by Darwin BondGraham and Abené Clayton for the Guardian: “The number of freeway shootings has increased on nearly every major highway in the [Bay Area], law enforcement officials say, from San Jose to Silicon Valley, Oakland and San Francisco.”

THE TRUMP ERA

— TRUMP REPEATS FALSE CLAIM ABOUT CALIFORNIA... AGAIN: Remarks by the president at the Turning Point USA Teen Student Action Summit yesterday in D.C.: “And when they’re saying all of this stuff, and then those illegals get out and vote — because they vote anyway. Don’t kid yourself, those numbers in California and numerous other states, they’re rigged. You got people voting that shouldn’t be voting. (Applause.) They vote many times, not just twice, not just three times. They vote — it’s like a circle. They come back; they put a new hat on. They come back; they put a new shirt. And in many cases, they don’t even do that. You know what’s going on. It’s a rigged deal.’’

Watch the video: In California, “you got people voting that shouldn’t be voting.”

—“Yet again, Trump falsely blames illegal voting for getting walloped in California,“ by Washington Post’s Phillip Bump: “Trump is making three claims here, all untrue. The first is that immigrants who are in the country illegally vote in federal elections. Despite years of investigation into alleged voter fraud, no evidence has emerged of any significant number of people casting illegal ballots, much less people who are in the country illegally. On the face of it, the idea doesn’t make much sense: A group of people worried about attracting attention from federal authorities are going to risk their presence in the United States and their incomes to ... vote?“

— WALTERS ON THE TRUMP TAX BILL: “Trump and California are at it again,” via CalMatters: “Even if upheld by the courts, as unlikely as that seems, the measure would not damage Trump. He has no chance of winning California’s electoral votes next year and would use it to bolster the state’s image as a kooky outlier in more conventional battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan and Wisconsin. In other words, it could backfire and help Trump win re-election.”

— “Trump is cracking down on China. Now UC campuses are paying the price,” by Teresa Watanabe and Don Lee in the LA Times: “UC campuses from San Diego to Berkeley are reporting that Chinese students and scholars are encountering visa delays, federal scrutiny over their research activities, and new restrictions on collaboration with China and Chinese companies.”

— NOT ‘MILLIONS’ AS PROMISED, JUST 35: “ICE arrests of immigrant families lagged behind hype,” by Tal Kopan in the SF Chronicle: “For the first week of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s arrest surge targeting recently arrived migrant families, 35 people were picked up, ICE said.”

— OP-ED: “‘War on coal’ Trump bemoans decided in California long ago,” by Jan Smutny-Jones in the Merc.

— HEADED FOR A FALL? “California housing market officially now ‘weak.’ Is it an early warning of recession?” by Tony Bizjak in the Sac Bee.

PRESIDENTIAL PURSUIT

— CLOSED CONVERSATION: Candidate PETE BUTTIGIEG is in San Francisco today doing two fundraisers; unfortunately, neither is open to the public or the press — not even a 4:30 p.m. grassroots events in the Dogpatch neighborhood in which the South Bend mayor will hold “ a Conversation on Equity, Tech & Community with Bay Area Changemakers!, ’’ according to invites.

— BIG HAUL: “Trump Jr., Guilfoyle raise $2.5 million on California swing for Trump campaign,” by Jonathan Easley for the Hill: “The fundraisers in deep-blue California attracted some of the biggest names in technology and sports, including Debby Magowan, who is part owner of the San Francisco Giants, and Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus VR.”

— KARAOKE AND OTHER CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES: “$12,075 on paella and 32 other wacky things the candidates bought,” by POLITICO’s Maggie Severns, Elena Schneider and James Arkin: “Williamson paid $2,011.30 to Streaming for the Soul LLC, a video streaming company that offers titles online including ‘Psychic Mediumship‘ and ‘Living the Luminous Life.‘ Williamson paid the company for videography, editing and other services.“

— “Kamala Harris’ Moment,” by Jamil Smith in Rolling Stone: “Manny’s, a popular restaurant and community space in San Francisco’s Mission District, is packed on Pride Weekend, just two days after the first Democratic debates... But the guest of honor is making them wait. She’s huddled with the owner of the place, Manny Yekutiel, in an office that literally used to be a broom closet — not the most picturesque setting for a heart-to-heart with a potential future president of the United States.”

— AND MAYA’S MOMENT: “Who is Kamala Harris, really? Ask her sister Maya,” by Ben Terris in WaPo.

— MONEYBALL, JOE BIDEN STYLE... Evening Reception with VP Joe Biden, on August 4 in San Diego; Hosts: Randa and Mark Arabo. Contribution Levels: Sponsor: $2,800 per person includes Photo; Attendee :$1,000. Details here .

— “California GOP’s ‘cult of Trump’ keeps quiet about his attacks,” by Joe Garofoli in the SF Chronicle: “The California GOP’s silence, [consultant Mike] Murphy said, is likely to compound its problems closer to home.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

— “Republicans hoping to win LA-area House seat tread lightly on ‘go back’ controversy,” by Kevin Modesti in the LA Daily News: “Republican candidates in Los Angeles County’s hottest congressional race have offered restrained criticism of President Donald Trump’s bigoted blasts at the quartet of Democratic women known as ‘The Squad.’”

— “Lawsuit: California should open its presidential primary to independents,” by Ben Christopher for CalMatters: “California independent voters can't always vote for the presidential candidate of their choice. Is that merely annoying for nonpartisan voters? Or, as a new lawsuit argues, is it unconstitutional?”

— MORE ON THIS: “California’s presidential primary challenged in court as unfair to independents,” via the Fulcrum.

GAVINLAND

— “California DMV leadership overhauled over long lines and poor service,” by Patrick McGreevy in the LA Times: “Newsom appointed tech industry entrepreneur Steve Gordon of San Jose as director of the DMV. His first job will be overseeing changes being executed by a so-called strike team appointed by the governor in January to address shoddy services and outdated technology at the agency.”

— BACKSTORY: “New DMV director 'a private sector guy' who randomly applied online,” by POLITICO’s Mackenzie Mays: “The 59-year-old tech entrepreneur from San Jose was contemplating retirement. Instead, he applied online for a job as director of the state’s embattled Department of Motor Vehicles after having his own frustrating experience with wait times.” (Pro link)

— WATCH Gordon’s press conference , via Daniel Kim for the Sac Bee.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

— DANGEROUS SHORTFALL: “Peak fire season is near and the federal government is short hundreds of firefighters,” by Anna M. Phillips in the LA Times: “This year’s shortfall appears to stem, in part, from the Interior Department’s struggle to hire seasonal firefighters across its bureaus in the aftermath of the shutdown.”

— ANTI-VAXXERS OPTING FOR HOME-SCHOOL: “Parents who won’t vaccinate their kids turning to home-schooling in California, data show,” by Soumya Karlamangla in the LA Times: “Over the past three years, the number of kindergartners who were home-schooled and did not have their shots quadrupled, according to a Times analysis of state data.”

— NO ATTORNEYS... NO LEGALITY? “Inside Immigration Court: Are Deportation Hearings In The Bay Area Unconstitutional?” by Darwin BondGraham in the East Bay Express: “[T]hose facing deportation in the Bay Area’s only federal immigration court often don’t have an attorney. In fact, many are denied what we commonly think of as the most basic legal rights, such as a guaranteed right to counsel, bail, and a speedy trial.“

— SPIKING IN OAKLAND: “Oakland homelessness surges 47% — per-capita number now higher than SF and Berkeley,” by Sarah Ravani in the SF Chronicle: “The spike, which shocked many at City Hall, comes despite efforts by the city to tackle the homelessness problem, including the creation of community cabins and the opening of a safe RV parking site.”

— BUT THEN THERE’S THIS: “Nearly entire Bay Area sees homelessness surge,” by Adam Brinklow for Curbed SF: “San Francisco recently released the results of its 2019 point-in-time homeless census conducted in January, and the news appeared nothing less than disastrous, as SF’s homeless headcount increased by the hundreds despite the city’s seemingly ceaseless efforts to provide relief.”

— “Why hedge funds are fighting for control of PG&E — and what it means for you,” by J.D. Morris in the SF Chronicle.

— “Can Vacancy Taxes Bring Down Housing Prices?” by Larry Buhl for Capital and Main.

— MORE LARA TROUBLES: “Lara Continues To Intervene In Applied Underwriters’ Cases,” via the Worker’s Comp Executive.

— SAC BEE EDITORIAL: “A cloud of suspicion hangs over state insurance commissioner. Can he clear the air?” — “Ricardo Lara “is hiding his calendars from public view. Why? For one thing, the calendars might indicate whether Lara personally met with the insurance industry executives who found creative ways to funnel money to his campaign.”

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— “DOJ opens broad antitrust review of tech giants,” by POLITICO’s Margaret Harding McGill: A press release from the Justice Department “doesn't mention Google, Facebook and Amazon by name but says antitrust officials are seeking information from ‘industry participants who have direct insight into competition in online platforms.’”

— “Facebook Secret Research Warned of ‘Tipping Point’ Threat to Core App,” by Alex Heath for the Information: A data scientist at the company “warned that if enough users started posting on Instagram or WhatsApp instead of Facebook, the blue app could enter a self-sustaining decline in usage that would be difficult to undo.”

CANNABIS COUNTRY

— “Harris and Nadler team up on bill to decriminalize marijuana,” by POLITICO’s Christopher Cadelago.

— “The ‘Costco of cannabis’ raises $2.8 million for a membership weed delivery service,” by Lucas Matney for TechCrunch.

— “Speed Bumps on California’s Road to Marijuana Social Equity,” by Larry Buhl in Capital and Main: “Technicalities about how much money is available, and when, and from which source, are frustrating to activists, as are the complaints from equity applicants who said they found the entire process of applying for a license bewildering.”

HOLLYWOODLAND

— "Shun, Don't Shame": How Hollywood Restaurants Are Treating Disgraced Diners in the #MeToo Era,’’ by Hollywood Reporter’s Joel Stein. When a scandal-plagued patron such as Harvey Weinstein or Les Moonves walks into a hot L.A. eatery for his usual table, staff — and other diners — are debating how to treat him.

MIXTAPE

— “As rats overrun California cities, state moves to ban powerful pest-killers,” by Ryan Sabalow and Phillip Reese in the Sac Bee.

— “Disneyland Brawl Participants Facing Years Behind Bars For Magic Kingdom Melee,” by Dominic Patten for Deadline.

— “Another California pension fund falls just short of its investment return target,” by Wes Venteicher in the Sac Bee.

— “After woman accuses Dive Bar bartender of drugging her, others make similar claims,” by Benjy Egel in the Sac Bee.

— “Los Angeles Dodgers to announce plans for major stadium renovations,” via ABC7.

MEDIA MATTERS

— At the SF Chronicle, employees are protesting the actions of Editor-in-Chief Audrey Cooper and management in disciplining Lea Suzuki, an award-winning photographer who has worked for the paper for 26 years. Suzuki was docked a week’s pay after her Chronicle staff car was stolen from a San Francisco street. Staffers at the SF Chronicle — which ironically has done intense reporting on the epidemic of car thefts and break-ins in the city — have started a petition on Facebook saying Suzuki is being punished for being a victim of a crime. According to the Facebook page, “The Chronicle maintains that Lea must have lost a spare car key — which Lea denies. The Chronicle hasn't explained how it claims to believe a lost key would have gotten into the hands of a thief.”

BIRTHDAYS

Lowell Bergman is 74 … Greg Hittelman, comms director at the Enough Project and The Sentry … VJ Sahi … Colin Peppard … Jessica Doyle

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