Voters back RECALL changes — ELDER gets key money boost — L.A. UNIFIED testing requirement — SAC mask mandate

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THE BUZZ RECALL THE RECALL? It turns out Gov. Gavin Newsoms agenda may be more popular than the process for ousting him.
California voters support a raft of changes to the states recall rules, according to a new Public Policy Institute of California poll
. Majorities supported some sort of change, including making it tougher to qualify recalls and creating a runoff if no backup candidate can exceed 50 percent (a hedge against the possibility of a new governor slipping in with a plurality of the vote), and the vast bulk see this $215 million statewide special election as a waste of money, as POLITICOs Debra Kahn reports
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A CAVEAT: While Newsom and company have worked diligently to portraythe recall as an illegitimate power grab, voters arent buying it. An enormous cross-partisan majority told PPIC its a good thing that California allows for recall elections. A Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll last week
found similar ambivalence: while a majority of voters told IGS the recall is a needless use of taxpayer dollars, pluralities rejected the notion that the recall was making California the laughingstock of the nation or that it represented another attempt by the Republican Party to steal elections from Democratic officeholders. And a majority rebuffed the notion that it was insidiously inspiring other recalls. Voters were split on whether it was undemocratic to let a successor win the governorship with a mere plurality.
But if voters have mixed feelings about the recall itself, theyre more unified on Democratic policies. California voters broadly favor gun control over the Second Amendment sanctity, per IGS
aligning them more with the governor than with the judge Newsom excoriated for striking down
the states assault weapons ban. PPIC found voters approve by double digits of how Newsom has handled jobs and the economy and are optimistic about the next 12 economic months. They also resoundingly approve of how Newsom has handled environmental issues, view environmental regulations as worth the cost, trust their state more than the feds on the environment and believe California should be a global climate leader. One point of peril: water supplies and the drought have risen to the top of environmental concerns, and a slim majority rejects Newsoms order phasing out gas car sales by 2035
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THE BIG TEST: From the beginning, Newsom has framed this recallas a test of California values. Where Republicans see a backlash to the governors feckless leadership, Newsom and his Democratic allies describe a partisan attempt by Trump acolytes to derail Californias progressive agenda. That strategy serves to both shift the focus from Newsoms record and to impose higher stakes: its not about one politicians fate but about the trajectory of an entire political platform. The polls tell us those overarching policy goalsremain popular even if Newsoms star has dimmed somewhat.
The question remains how effective Newsom will be in rallying Democrats to maintain the states direction.Responding to a poll is not the same as turning out to vote. And the Republicans who are more enthusiastic about participating in this recall
are both opposed to Newsoms environmental and economic record and disinclined to see the recall as a waste of money: two-thirds say its worth the cost.
BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. Newsom and other Western governors are set to again discuss wildfires with the Biden administration today.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: I just want to be honest and I know people are tired of hearing this, but the delta variant is real. Were looking at vaccine mandates and mask mandates, and were looking at how those could work, depending on the situation. San Francisco Mayor London Breed hints at incoming restrictions, via the SF Chronicle.
TWEET OF THE DAY: Recall candidate @LarryElder responds to Newsom telling opponents to come after me, not my kids after coverage Newsom of pulling his son out of a mask-optional summer camp: I am coming after you @GavinNewsom! But we should all leave his son alone. Let’s talk about rising crime, rising homelessness, the rising cost of living, and the way he has mismanaged this state during COVID. Family should be off limits.
WHERES GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
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TOP TALKERS
A California city raised essential worker pay and their expectations, by POLITICOs Alexander Nieves: Hazard pay changed the lives of California grocery store employees during the pandemic and may have begun a long-term shift for lower-wage workers.
MASKS IN SAC Sacramento County returns to indoor mask mandate, cites drastic rise in COVID cases, by SacBees Michael McGough: The new health order comes as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations skyrocket due to the highly contagious delta variant. State health data Thursday showed 197 virus cases hospitalized in Sacramento County, more than triple the 61 reported July 1.
AND TESTS IN LAUSD LAUSD to require COVID-19 testing for all students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, by KTLAs Sareen Habeshian.
‘My Ankle Is Broken How a San Diego Skateboarder Won an Olympic Medal on a Busted Leg, by NBC San Diegos Derek Togerson: So, Jagger Eaton won an Olympic medal in one of the most physically demanding sports on earth with a demolished ankle. He didnt want to tell anyone to avoid any unnecessary drama.
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CAMPAIGN MODE
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK LINCOLN CLUB FOR ELDER: In the latest sign that momentum has shifted Larry Elders way since the Republican talk show radio host jumped into the recall, he snagged an endorsement last night from the Lincoln Club of Orange County. The venerable conservative club has been a financial mainstay for one of the original Newsom recall committees, sinking nearly $200,000 into the effort so far. Elder sat atop multiple recent polls of the GOP field, and Lincoln Club President Teresa Hernandez said in a statement that California was waiting for a candidate who has what it takes to lead and win, and our moment has arrived.
AIR WARS Newsom spending heavily on statewide ads, nearly half in LA region, by POLITICOs Jeremy B. White: The campaign to shield Gov. Gavin Newsom from a recall vote has spent roughly $13 million so far on broadcast ads, and nearly half of that has gone toward the Los Angeles market, according to tracking service AdImpact.
Recall candidate Kevin Faulconer lobbied for climate-change denial group, by SFChronicles Dustin Gardiner: Unlike some of his Republican rivals seeking to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom, Faulconer doesnt express doubt that human activity is altering the planets atmosphere, and he has frequently touted his work passing San Diegos first climate plan in 2015. But that posture is a dramatic shift from a little-known, earlier period in Faulconers career when he fought tougher fuel-efficiency standards as a lobbyist for a group funded by the auto industry.
Recall money wars: What do Newsoms million-dollar donors want? by CalMatters Ben Christopher: A new CalMatters analysis shows which of the governors big financial backers are coming to his rescue in his hour of need for the California recall election. They include the unions for teachers and prison guards.
NATIONAL ATTENTION Gavin Newsom Has Reason To Worry, by FiveThirtyEights Nathaniel Rakich and Geoffrey Skelley: Until last week, there had been no new polls of the recall election in about a month. But since then, weve gotten two and both showed Newsom in danger of being recalled.
CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR
Liquidation of cows. How the drought creates chaos on California ranches, dairy farms, by SacBees Dale Kasler: All over California agriculture, water sources are being reduced to a trickle. Fields have been idled and even some fruit and nut orchards are being dismantled because of shortages. Based on what happened during the last drought, the financial losses to agriculture will be enormous.
VAX STATS California sees small COVID vaccine boost, but needs more, by LATimes Luke Money: From July 18 to 24, providers throughout the state administered an average of just more than 64,000 vaccines a day about 3,100 more daily doses than the week before. At first glance, a 5% increase doesnt seem that significant. But officials say any uptick is welcome.
Anti-mask Huntington Beach restaurant took PPP funds while rejecting safety regulations, by Mercury News Anne Valdespino: Despite its vehement anti-state and federal government social media postings, Basilicos Pasta E Vino has accepted $57,738 in PPP funds, according to ProPublicas Small Business Administration loan database.
STUDENT POWER Lawmakers aim to boost student voting power on UC, community college boards, by CalMatters Matthew Reagan: If a bill pending in the California Legislature passes, all three of the states higher education governing boards will have two voting student members. Advocates say the student representatives provide an important firsthand perspective on issues like campus safety and basic needs.
Wildfires: PG&E warns of financial losses due to Dixie Fire as blaze rages on, by Mercury News George Avalos: San Francisco-based PG&E also warned on Thursday that it might be forced to confront a material impact if it doesnt have sufficient insurance to cover potential costs connected to the Dixie blaze that continues to roar through Butte County and Plumas County in the rugged and remote Feather River Canyon region.
Black and Latino L.A. firefighters call for investigation of alleged racial bias, other wrongdoing, by LATimes Paul Pringle: The demand for an inquiry by the U.S. attorneys office follows a Times report this week on allegations that a high-ranking white official in the LAFD received preferential treatment after he was reported to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs while on duty at the departments headquarters.
Disneyland and other parks are requiring masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, by LATimes Hugo Martín.
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BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL
GOP lawmaker challenges McCarthy over ‘bulls—‘ mask mandate enforcement, by POLITICOs Olivia Beavers: Rep. Chip Roy confronted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday about a new Capitol Police bulletin that suggests congressional staffers and visitors could be arrested if they fail to heed the chamber’s new mask mandate.
SILICON VALLEYLAND
Apple to Require Employees, Customers to Wear Masks in Many U.S. Stores, by WSJs Bradley Olson: Apple Inc. plans to require employees and customers to wear masks in more than half its U.S. retail stores regardless of their vaccination status, according to a memo sent to some of its workers Wednesday. The Cupertino, Calif., company has also told employees working in its corporate offices that they must wear masks inside those buildings even if they have been vaccinated.
CANNABIS COUNTRY
One giant French kiss wrapped in money: Cannabis magnate admits bribing San Luis Obispo County supervisor, by LATimes Matthew Ormseth: The (plea deal) document is a sordid account of how a wheeler and dealer in the states nascent, ill-regulated marijuana industry corrupted one of San Luis Obispo Countys most powerful politicians, who was apparently brazen enough to write in a text message to his illicit benefactor that he deserved one giant French kiss wrapped in money after fighting off a proposal to ban outdoor cannabis grows.
HOLLYWOODLAND
Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney Over Black Widow Streaming Release, by WSJs Joe Flint and Erich Schwartzel: Ms. Johansson said in the suit that her agreement with Disneys Marvel Entertainment guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release, and her salary was based in large part on the box-office performance of the film.
MIXTAPE
S.F. renters in a 7-bedroom apartment set the record for the city’s biggest-ever tenant buyout, by SFChronicles Steve Rubenstein.
Beer is back at the Rose Bowl for UCLA fans, by LATimes Ben Bolch.
Oakland just gave us a Hillary Clinton ‘super predator’ moment, by SFChronicles Cat Brooks.
California fires in 2020, by the numbers, by CalMatters Julie Cart.
IN MEMORIAM Janice Mirikitani, Glide co-founder, activist and S.F. poet laureate, dies suddenly, by SFChronicles Lauren Hernández and Heather Knight.
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