‘CALIFORNIA is not IOWA’ — BUTTIGIEG barnstorming, with rally in Sac — BLOOMBERG: 200-plus events last weekend — GAVIN hits ‘The View,’ ‘Late Night’ — CA courtroom win on car emissions — Diep, Mayes challenges and CAGOP’s path Presented by Facebook

THE BUZZ — CALIFORNIA WILL NOT BE IOWA: With 15.5 million ballots hitting homes last week, CA Secretary of State Alex Padilla wants to reassure voters here that it can’t happen here — the app, the reported political pranking and the craziness that turned Iowa’s Democratic caucuses into a punchline. (See Oscars jokes from Steve Martin and Chris Rock .)

“What took place in Iowa Monday were caucuses — not elections. And caucuses are run by political parties,’’ Padilla said in an interview this weekend. In California, he said, the primary will be overseen by 58 county registrars — all government officials.


THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT...NOT: “The biggest issue in Iowa was the use of an app — and California does not use apps” for counting or casting ballots, or for reporting results, Padilla notes. “If there’s a lesson to be learned in Iowa,” it is that the best and more secure system is verification through paper ballots, and “California requires paper ballots” that are voter-verified.

FINALLY: California state law “prohibits our voting systems from even being connected to the internet” to protect against potential hackers, Padilla said.

THE PRIMARY IS ON: With candidates pushing hard to grab a slice of the 494 CA delegates at stake — 10 times the take in Iowa. After appearing on every Sunday show — yes, every — this weekend, Pete Buttigieg is hitting California on high speed, with a crowd of fundraisers Friday in the SFBay Area, coming off his Iowa win. Mike Bloomberg’s team said they arranged more than 200 state events this weekend alone. Team Bernie is on a drive to round up California’s estimated 5.5 million NPP voters, and Tom Steyer is still opening new offices here.

WHY WE MATTER — read Carla’s primary preview: “California’s Primary looms large — just like state officials hoped.”

BUENOS DIAS, good Monday morning. Gov. Gavin Newsom traveled to the National Governor's Association Winter meeting in Washington over weekend, where he was set to meet with “members of Congress to discuss a variety of issues including wildfire and emergency preparedness, climate change, homelessness and mental health,” as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, national labor leaders and the FEMA Administrator.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “They told me I had only 45 seconds up here … which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton. I'm thinking maybe Quentin does a movie about it — and in the end the adults do the right thing.“ Brad Pitt, accepting the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood.”

TWEET OF THE DAY: Republican Joanne Wright for Congress @JWrightforCA34: “John Roberts............Supreme Court Justice John Roberts is on Epstein's flight logs. #draintheswamp Have we ever fired a Supreme Court Justice?”

— Prompting California Target Book Research Director Rob Pyers @RPyers to quip: “Solid vetting by the CAGOP with their endorsed caniddate in #CA34.”

— And prompting this from former CAGOP chair @RonNehring: “You’re an endorsed candidate of the @CAGOP. Knock it off with the crazy town tweets and act like a serious candidate and not some lunatic.”

WHERE’S GAVIN? Sitting down with the ladies of “The View“ this morning. then hitting “Late Night with Seth Myers” tonight.

TOP TALKERS

#METOO BACK — “Assemblywoman Carrillo reprimanded for unwanted hug, kiss on cheek,” by POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White: “A separate complaint resulted in a reprimand to Carrillo’s chief of staff, George Esparza, for repeatedly making inappropriate sexual comments to colleagues.”

MUST-READ PROFILE — “California legislator Lorena Gonzalez likes a good fight. She got it with hotly debated AB5,’’ by the LA Times’ John Myers: “The framed letter in Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez’s office, displayed with pride, was hardly meant as a compliment. ‘This document constitutes formal notice and warning that you are no longer allowed on property owned by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., or in any area subject to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.'s control,’ warns the statement from 2012.”

MARCOS BRETÓN MAKES THE CASE in his Sac Bee column: “We should be able to talk about Kobe Bryant’s rape case without receiving death threats”

THE ‘KNOW IT ALLS’ — “Secrets and Stick Shifts: Why Chateau Marmont Valets Are ‘Unsung Heroes’ of Hollywood,” by The Hollywood Reporter’s Gary Baum: “For more than three decades, the same four car valets have been trusted with the beloved wheels (and juiciest stories) of the hotel’s A-list guests.”

THE TRUMP ERA

CAR TALK — “DOJ drops probe of carmakers that aligned with California on pollution,” by POLITICO’s Zack Colman and Alex Guillén: “The investigation, launched last September, had escalated a dispute over one of President Trump’s most significant rollbacks of global warming regulations.”

THE WALL REDUX — “Trump to seek $2B in new border wall cash,” by POLITICO’s Caitlin Emma: “President Donald Trump will ask Congress on Monday for an extra $2 billion for border wall construction, in addition to billions in funding hikes for immigration enforcement, a senior administration official told Politico on Sunday.

PRESIDENTIAL PURSUIT

PETE IN CALIFORNIA: Coming off his Iowa win, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is holding free town hall and rally in Sacramento on Friday afternoon. Details here. He’s also scheduled “Coffee and Conversation with Pete” on Friday morning in SF, in addition to another coffee and a lunch in Silicon Valley . And following the town hall, Buttigieg will keynote the Stanislaus Democratic Central Committee’s “Rhapsody in Blue” dinner to support down-ballot Democratic candidates in Modesto.

SMALL TOWN BOOST — “Is ‘Mayor Pete’ prepared to be president? California mayors in South Bend-size cities say yes,” by The Mercury News’ Casey Tolan: “As mayor of small city, ‘you get a really grounded sense of what the electorate wants,’ California mayors say.”

— HOW THEY SHAKE OUT: The Palm Springs Desert Sun asked several presidential candidates their thoughts on four topics relevant to Californians: wildfires, the state’s housing crisis, aging and automobile emissions standards.

BERNWATCH — “Bernie Sanders Builds Big Primary Machine to Win Prized California,” by Bloomberg’s Jeffrey Taylor: “Sanders has more campaign offices there than any candidate in the race, including billionaires Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, who lives in the state.”

— REGGIE GETS IT: Sanders also endorsed CA Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer Sr. for reelection, saying he “has spent his life fighting against big oil, the pharmaceutical industry, and a broken criminal justice system.“

BLOOMBERG’S BIG CA PUSH: Over the weekend, the billionaire Democrat’s campaign launched “ A National Weekend of Action … with 200-plus events across CA.” Those included a Saturday “healthcare coffee” in SF; “Ice Cream on the Lawn” in Cathedral City; a “Scientists for Mike” gathering in Davis with Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope; a “Rainbow Pride” event in Fresno, opportunities to “Meet Team Bloomberg,” Santa Barbara, Santa Ana; an Escondido field office opening with Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas; and a “Meet and Greet” in San Leandro with Mayor Pauline Russo-Cutter.

THE CAMPAIGN OF TOM STEYER, coming off Friday’s debate, announced the opening of its eighth CA office in the Antelope Valley/Palmdale region over the weekend.

— “With an avalanche of cash, Steyer surges in South Carolina,” by POLITICO’s Maya King: “The billionaire activist has poured more money into South Carolina in a short period of time than anyone in the state can remember — and it’s beginning to reshape the contours of the Feb. 29 primary.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

PARTY CRASHERS — “California Republicans struggle to find path to legislative relevance,” by POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White: “Assemblyman Chad Mayes — an ousted former party leader — joined the growing ranks of no-party-preference voters, drawing an immediate challenge from the California Republican Party. … Assemblyman Tyler Diep is fending off a conservative challenger backed by local Republicans who believe Diep has sold out the party’s values. ... The divergent reactions to Mayes and Diep speak to an underlying tension between pragmatism and party loyalty.”

SPEAKING OF WHICH: CA-50 GOP candidates Carl DeMaio and Darrell Issa, locked in a battle in the GOP primary, appeared over the weekend at a public forum in the district with Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar. Ken Stone of the Times of San Diego reported the night got rough, with Issa and DeMaio going at each other, and the Valley Center Roadrunner reporting that a straw poll showed 61 percent of the attendees declared Campa-Najjar the winner, followed by DeMaio (22 percent), Brian Jones (9 percent) and Issa (8 percent.) Watch the forum here .

TRUMPLAND RACE — “In the race for California’s 50th Congressional District Trump has become the defining factor,” by the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Charles Clark: “Republican frontrunners are touting their support for the president and their opponent’s perceived opposition. But will it be enough to win over voters?”

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: State Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins joins presidential candidates Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren — as well as Speaker Anthony Rendon, state schools superintendent Tony Thurmond and a crowd of big city mayors — in endorsing Schools and Communities First, the “split roll” bond measure calling for reform of Prop. 13 with reassessment of commercial and industrial properties.

RUNNING ON EMPTY? — “State insurance commissioner reports no new donations in wake of scandal,’’ by the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Jeff McDonald: “California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara made good on his pledge last September to stop soliciting or accepting political donations to his 2022 re-election committee, according to his most recent campaign disclosure. The decision to forsake fundraising much of last year left the state’s top insurance regulator with barely $3,000 in cash on hand for his 2022 re-election.”

GASCON IN THE SITES — “SF cyclist prosecuted for fatally striking pedestrian runs attack ads against George Gascón,” by the SF Chronicle’s Evan Sernoffsky: “As he sorts out the paperwork, [Chris] Bucchere remains undaunted in his effort to derail Gascón’s hopes in Los Angeles. He’s previously accused Gascón of committing prosecutor misconduct even after pleading guilty and being sentenced to probation and community service.”

DEVIN’S LATEST LEGAL TWIST — “Twitter demands legal fees from Devin Nunes’ attorney in new filing over fake cow’s identity,” by McClatchy’s Kate Irby.

NO MORE TRIPPIN’ — “After Bee investigation, Gavin Newsom ends long-distance commuting deals for state executives,” by the Sac Bee’s Sophia Bollag and Wes Venteicher: “The change affects a handful of officials who had long-distance commuting agreements under former Gov. Jerry Brown, according to Newsom’s office.”

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

WHAT WE CAN LEARN — “Coronavirus: Lessons from past epidemics guide US response to crisis,” by the SF Chronicle’s Erin Allday: “A month into the 2003 global SARS scare, a plane coming from Tokyo landed at Mineta San Jose International Airport with a dire warning from the pilot: A few passengers had symptoms of the mysterious new respiratory illness.

DARK HISTORY — “Panic over the coronavirus recalls other racist chapters in California’s history,” by Tamara Venit-Shelton in the LA Times: “Medical scapegoating and discriminatory policing of Asian-owned businesses and homes were routine in the 19th century. Unfortunately, it is all too easy for these attitudes to be reawakened, particularly during health crises.”

CENTERS IN CA? — “Military preparing quarantine centers for coronavirus patients in US, Pentagon says,” by McClatchy’s Charles Duncan.

— “What your life is like under a coronavirus quarantine in California,” by the LA Times’ Soumya Karlamangla.





CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

RIDE SETBACK? — “Uber Falters in First Legal Attack on California Gig Worker Law,’’ by Bloomberg’s Joel Rosenblatt and Edvard Pettersson: “A judge signaled Friday that she’s inclined to reject a request to temporarily shield the companies from Assembly Bill 5, which is aimed at converting gig-economy workers from independent contractors to employees with benefits.”

NORTH VS. SOUTH — “L.A. versus S.F.: How the ‘cultural divide’ is determining housing policy in California,” by the LA Times’ Liam Dillon: “Nearly unanimous opposition from senators from L.A. County last week dealt the decisive blow to Senate Bill 50, which would have forced cities and counties to allow mid-rise apartments near mass transit and fourplexes in single-family neighborhoods.”

DMV TROUBLES CHAPTER 57 — “Get in line now. California’s DMV is perilously behind in issuing Real IDs,” by the LA Times’ Patrick McGreevy: “With eight months to go, the state Department of Motor Vehicles has issued Real IDs to just 25% of California’s 27 million drivers since it began providing the new licenses in January 2018.”

— “Staying close: California's housing crisis sickens residents,” by The Salinas Californian’s Kate Cimini: “The state's housing crisis has resulted in more and more families like [Tanya] Harris' living in substandard and overcrowded conditions, and local health officials say those conditions threaten residents' health.’

— “Wind gusts at Kirkwood reach 209 mph, setting a new California record,” by the Sac Bee’s Vincent Moleski.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

MAPPING THE MILLIONS — “Federal Agencies Use Cellphone Location Data for Immigration Enforcement,” by WSJ’s Byron Tau and Michelle Hackman: “The Trump administration has bought access to a commercial database that maps the movements of millions of cellphones in America and is using it for immigration and border enforcement, according to people familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.”

WOZ STILL IN IT — “Woz says he's still an Apple employee, paid 'about $50 a week,'” by The Mercury News’ Rex Crum: “‘I’m the only person who’s received a paycheck every week since the start of the company,’ Wozniak said during an interview with longtime Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki on Kawasaki’s Remarkable People podcast.”

ELON’S NEXT MOVE — “Elon Musk wants to connect your brain to a computer this year as 'awesome' Neuralink mind-chip prepares to launch,” by The Sun’s Charlotte Edwards.

HOLLYWOODLAND

OSCARS — Full list of winners here from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

— “Netflix Denies Spending $100M on Oscar 2020 Campaigns (But It’d Make Sense If It Did),” by Observer’s Brandon Katz.

MIXTAPE

— “No evidence of engine failure in helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others, NTSB says,” by CNN’s Steve Almasy and Nick Watt.

— “California man killed a trophy deer on his rural property. Now he’s facing a huge penalty,” by the Sac Bee’s Ryan Sabalow.

— “Hepatitis outbreak linked to downtown Long Beach steakhouse, health officials say,” via KABC.

— “Judge holds off dropping rape charges against California surgeon and girlfriend,” by UPI’s Sommer Brokaw.

— “California Lottery gave away $212,500 in Scratchers on ‘Ellen.’ Some call it a misuse of funds,” by the LA Times’ Patrick McGreevy.

TRANSITIONS

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Elizabeth Economy will be appointed by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University as a Hoover Senior Fellow effective Sept. 1. In 2018, POLITICO Magazine named her one of the “The 10 Names That Matter on China Policy”. Economy is an author and an expert on Chinese domestic and foreign policy. She comes to Hoover from the Council on Foreign Relations, where she was the C. V. Starr Senior Fellow and director for Asia studies.

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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