GOP DEBATE: FAULCONER hits ELDER in absentia — OSE drops out of RECALL race — BONTA to probe GRANT killing — State WATER RULES coming soon?

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THE BUZZ Republican frontrunner Larry Elder again forfeited his seat at the table, so his fellow Republicans put him on the menu.
There are 45 candidates running in Californias recall, a half-dozen upper-tier Republicans among them. But just three of those candidates were on stage last night for a gubernatorial debate: former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Assemblyman Kevin Kiley and businessman John Cox. At least one absence was due to unforeseeable circumstances: Hours before he too was set to take the stage, Rep. Doug Ose announced that hed suffered a heart attack and was dropping out of the race, as Jeremy reports.
Republican gubernatorial recall candidate John Cox waits to talk with reporters after his debate with fellow Republican recall challengers. | AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
But others were by choice: Frontrunner Larry Elder has refused to participate in a debate unless Gov. Gavin Newsom is there, as has reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner. They have both been taking their message directly to voters, and Elder has decided to circumvent mainstream media outlets entirely. That can be a poll leaders prerogative: Better to float above the fray than absorb your foes blows.
That also means you cant counter-punch when they take swings, and swing they did. First came some subtler jabs from Cox, who lamented the no-show and insinuated Elder was not a serious candidate. We can’t keep electing career politicians and media celebrities, Cox said in his closing remarks.
ThenFaulconer took the gloves off. Faulconer pounced on question about Elders opposition to any minimum wage, calling it indefensible, and then excoriated Elder for a 2000 essay asserting women know less about politics and current events than men. Thats bulls—, the typically reserved Faulconer exclaimed. (Elders team didnt respond to our request for comment.)
California Republicans had, to this point, coalesced behind a strategy of attacking Newsom rather than one another, as we saw with the CAGOPs decision to disarm rather than endorse for the sake of party unity. Team Faulconer signed on to the armistice, saying the party couldnt let infighting detract from the mission of unseating Newsom. But Elders rapid rise has undercut Faulconers efforts to frame himself as Republicans best shot.
Republican gubernatorial recall candidates, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, left, Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, center, and businessman John Cox, right, participate in a debate. | AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
So the former San Diego Mayor tacked to the center by assailing Elder, who enthralls the partys more conservative base.He told reporters after the debate that Elders comments dispararing women and dismissing pregnancy discrimination are not right for anybody of any political party or background and not what you want to have your governor doing or talking about. In California, Faulconer said, You cant have a governor that believes that. You cant. Its not who we are as a state. Well see if enough centrist voters agree with him.
THE WEIRDEST MOMENT:Mere minutes into the debate, Cox was served on stage with a legal order to pay some $100,000 in unpaid campaign debt. Check it out via the LA Times Melody Gutierrez, whose paper has covered this conflict.
BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenneger will be talking wind energy in a webinar with Assemblymembers David Chiu and Laura Friedman, former state Sen. Fran Pavley and John Margulis, vice chair of Offshore Wind California. Details: USC Schwarzenegger Institute, 3 p.m.
Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit [email protected] or [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @cmarinucci and @jeremybwhite.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Sometimes you have to do things that you dont want to do. It is what is: my campaign for governor is over. Ose drops out of the race.
TWEET OF THE DAY: Assemblymember @LorenaSGonzalez and former Cruz Bustamante aide on leaving the replacement question blank: My stepfather was not thrilled when he just asked me how he should vote on Q2 & I said to leave it blank. My daughter suggested she would pick the most absurd candidate. I have to be honest, No on the Recall, Yes on Bustamante seems far more rational to me now.
WHERES GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
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Southern California Edison is taking steps every day to protect the safety of our customers and communities. By installing insulated power lines, upgrading our electric infrastructure, investing in new technologies and strengthening our partnerships with fire agencies, we can prevent wildfires before they happen, better predict when they may occur and respond quickly if one starts. Protecting 32 million acres in Southern California and the people that live here is a job we take seriously.
TOP TALKERS
ONE DEATH IN SF Why Was Vicha Ratanapakdee Killed? by NYT Magazines Jaeah Lee: His death helped awaken the nation to a rise in anti-Asian violence. For his grieving family, the reckoning hasnt gone far enough.
NUTS TO YOU California drought takes toll on world’s top almond producer, by APs Terence Chea: A historic drought across the U.S. West is taking a heavy toll on Californias $6 billion almond industry, which produces roughly 80% of the worlds almonds. More growers are expected to abandon their orchards as water becomes scarce and expensive.
Will Gavin Newsom take the fall for California’s homeless problem? by the SF Chronicles Alexei Koseff: With homelessness regularly cited in public polls as one of the biggest problems facing the state, recall organizers believe the issue could drive down support for Newsom in core Democratic areas that propelled him to a record victory in 2018, such as the Bay Area and Los Angeles, where the crisis is most evident.
How to help Afghan refugees coming to the Bay Area, by Bay Area News Groups Joseph Geha.
CAMPAIGN MODE
Washington politicians gear up for Newsom recall battle: ‘We’re going to have to work for it.’ by the SF Chronicles Tal Kopan: Most of the Democrats in Californias congressional delegation surveyed by The Chronicle said they have plans to, would be happy to, or have already campaigned for Gov. Gavin Newsom to beat back the recall. And most also agree that their biggest opponent isnt Republican candidates but voter apathy.
GOP recall candidates vow to roll back Newsom mask, vaccine rules. But can they? by the LA Times Phil Willon: A new Republican governor may decide to follow the lead of those in Texas and Florida and issue executive orders banning mask mandates in defiance of masking requirements enacted by counties, cities and school districts. But any attempt to do so could be blocked by the Democrats who control the California Legislature and challenged in court, as is currently happening in those two states.
GOP recall candidate Elder releases details on finances, by APs Michael R. Blood.
MONEYBALL The California State Building and Construction Trades Councilchanneled $1 million to Newsoms anti-recall committee, via a new campaign finance filing.
Who is John Cox and what would he do as governor? by CalMatters Ben Christopher: Imagine a California governor who rolls back todays mask and vaccine mandates, actively campaigns against Democrats in the Legislature who block his policies, and makes the expansion of oil and gas exploration the cornerstone of Californias climate change policy.
RECALL RULES Will your write-in vote in Californias recall election count? Maybe not, by LA Times Jon Healey: Write-in votes will be counted only for people who have filed the papers necessary to qualify as candidates. That anti-recall statement you think youre making by writing in Newsoms name on the ballot? No one will know about it because your vote wont be recorded.
THE COLONEL SPEAKS Sorry, Democrats Latino anger toward Republicans isnt enough to save Newsoms political hide, by the LA Times Gustavo Arellano: “Now, angry Latino voters once again stand as judge, jury and executioner of Californias political future but in a way few couldve ever imagined. We just might be the ethnic group that costs Gov. Gavin Newsom his job.
Opinion: On minimum wage, does Larry Elder not know or not care? by LA Times Caroline Petrow-Cohen: Economists and labor experts say that a minimum wage is absolutely necessary to protect workers and to keep as many low-wage employees as possible above the poverty line.
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CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR
FOOTHILLS FEARS Caldor Fire in El Dorado County explodes to 30,000 acres, rips through Grizzly Flats, injures 2, by SFChronicles Jill Tucker, Lauren Hernández and Dominic Fracassa: The speed with which the Caldor Fire grew from 6,500 acres to 30,000 within hours underscored the unpredictability and high danger faced by communities nestled in the forests of the Sierra foothills.
“Pollock Pines told to evacuate as Caldor Fire burns in Northern California,” by SacBee’s Dale Kasler: “Officials told residents in Pollock Pines, the most populous community in the vicinity of Caldor Fire, to evacuate late Tuesday as the Caldor Fire raged a few miles away in the rugged woods and canyons of El Dorado County.”
On the ground: SacBee’s indefatigable Sam Stanton tweets shortly after midnight that just as “I thought I might get one minutes sleep tonight, sheriffs deputies roared into my completely empty motel and ordered me out. Pollock Pines is being evacuated.”
MORE RULES FOR SOCAL L.A. County requiring masks at large outdoor events like concerts, sports games starting Thursday, by KTLAs Nouran Salahieh and Lauren Lyster.
TURN OFF THOSE SPRINKLERS Newsom says mandatory statewide water restrictions for California may be on the way, by the Mercury News Paul Rogers: Asked if he was going to require cities to meet mandatory water conservation targets, as former Gov. Jerry Brown did statewide during the last drought from 2012 to 2016, Newsom noted that he already called for 15% voluntary conservation, but that could change soon.
POWER PROBLEM PG&E inspected power lines two weeks before the Fly Fire started in Plumas County, by the SF Chronicles Julie Johnson: Six trees near the suspected origin of the Fly Fire were put on a nonurgent list marking them for trimming or removal because of their proximity to power lines, the court filings show. But the white fir that toppled onto utility lines on July 22 a charred tree was later collected as evidence was not among those mentioned in any report.
San Diego County to employers: Get proof your workers have COVID-19 shots or test them weekly, by San Diego Union-Tribunes Jonathan Wosen and Mike Freeman: The recommendation would apply to public and private employers as well as nonprofits, and its the latest step local officials have taken to combat a wave of infections and hospitalizations driven by the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus.
BONTA REVIEW California AG to review Oscar Grant case, by KCBSs Eric Brooks: California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Tuesday the state’s Department of Justice will conduct an independent review of BART officer Anthony Pirone’s role in the 2009 police shooting death of Oscar Grant.
JAIL, BROKEN People are dying in Sacramento County jails. The sheriff isnt telling the public, by SacBees Jason Pohl: Despite six men dying in jail custody this year, a Sacramento Bee review found the Sheriffs Office publicly announced just one of the fatalities Timothy Noble, who died last month. Since the start of the pandemic, 10 people have died in Sacramentos jails, including four men between August and December 2020.
Drought Map: Track water shortages and restrictions across the Bay Area, by the SF Chronicles Digital Team.
Will PG&Es Fire Victims Ever Be Made Whole? ‘Never,’ Says Trustee Overseeing Compensation, by KQEDs Lily Jamali.
California needs to focus more on findingand payingeffective teachers, by Jude Schwalbach in the OC Register: With the pandemic changing education options, whoever wins the recall election, along with the states school leaders, should recognize California needs to reform the way it funds students and pays its best teachers.
More COVID, worries, caution: What Bay Area pediatricians are seeing as kids return to school, by the SF Chronicles Julie Johnson: The start of school for tens of thousands of Bay Area children comes as more people including kids are getting infected with COVID-19, a rise fueled by the delta variant of the coronavirus that medical experts say is nearly as contagious as chickenpox, and can leave some kids gasping for breath.
WANT MUSIC, GET VACCINE L.A. theaters and orchestras harden their rules: Vaccinations required, no exemptions, by the LA Times Jessica Gelt.
BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK GRANHOLM VISITS: U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is returning to her former stomping grounds of Berkeley on Friday. Granholm will be variously joined by Rep. Barbara Lee as she tours clean energy projects at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and then Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and state Sen. Nancy Skinner for a visit to a solar-powered home.
WFH ON THE HILL Some representatives have barely voted in person since COVID-19 began. Should proxy voting continue? by the LA Times Sarah D. Wire: More than 70% of Californias House members 38 of 53, including four Republicans have voted by proxy in the last year, compared with about 60% for all House members nationwide, according to data compiled by the Brookings Institution. A handful of Californians have voted by proxy more than 250 times since the pandemic began.
SILICON VALLEYLAND
HIGHEST PAID CEOS Elon Musk tops CEO pay with $6.6 billion, by Bloombergs Anders Melin.
It Happened So Fast: Inside a Fatal Tesla Autopilot Accident, by NYTs Neal E. Boudette: A 2019 crash in Florida highlights how gaps in Teslas driver-assistance system and distractions can have tragic consequences.
KEEP AN EYE OUT Twitter pilots misinformation reporting tool, by POLITICOs Emily Birnbaum.
HOLLYWOODLAND
Inside the heartbreaking conservatorship battle of a Star Trek legend, by the LA Times Makeda Easter.
Barbra Streisand wishes Beyoncé and Will Smith had remade A Star Is Born, not Lady Gaga, by the LA Times Christie DZurilla.
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MIXTAPE
S.F.’s famed Z & Y Restaurant to pay workers $1.61 million following unpaid wage allegations, by the SF Chronicles Janelle Bitker.
Boats anchored illegally off Sausalito for decades may soon have a deadline to leave, by the SF Chronicles Annie Vainshtein.
San Francisco plans to buy four properties to house the homeless across the city, by the SF Chronicles Mallory Moench.
A message from Southern California Edison:
Evolving climate conditions throughout California have made wildfires a year-round concern to many communities. With safety as our number one priority, we are working to protect our customers and communities. Our engineers, field crews and fire science experts are developing and implementing industry-leading technologies and operational practices to reduce the risk of electrical equipment igniting wildfires. Weve invested $1.3 billion in 2020 and are on track to spend an additional $3.5 billion in 2021-2022 to continue to prevent wildfires and act quickly when they occur. This includes installing insulated power lines, strengthening situational awareness capabilities, and expanding operational practices like enhanced overhead inspections and vegetation management. Were also improving fire agencies ability to detect and respond to emerging fires using satellite imagery and providing aerial fire suppression resources.
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