Hello everybody!this is Ben Oreskes Recruit from Washington while Laurel Rosenhall is on special duty. The air quality here gives off the feel of a massive wildfire in California. It will be interesting for people on the East Coast to learn what the Air Quality Index is and why masks do more than stop the spread of COVID-19.

For now, let’s take a look back at a week of California politics.

senate split screen

Last week’s debate over the debt ceiling gave voters a prime opportunity to see how the three Democratic candidates for the Senate differed.

Rep. Adam Schiff was one of 314 members of Congress to vote on a compromise agreed upon by President Biden and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (Republican, Bakersfield) that cuts the nation’s debt through 2025. It would end restrictions and impose cuts on certain federal programs. Popular among Democrats.

Two other candidates, Rep. Barbara Lee and Rep. Katie Porter, both voted against the deal. Schiff described his own decision to vote in favor of the deal as a reluctance to avoid a “disastrous default.”

“This vote wrongly put the important things at stake: preventing defaults and protecting the environment,” Porter said.

“Both of these are non-negotiable in my eyes, but the bill was full of perks for big oil companies.”

For Lee, her no-vote means “to stand up to the extreme MAGA Republicans who are holding our economy hostage, and to my voters and the 20 million Californians who are only a paycheck away from poverty.” was to stand up.”

The Times noted another disagreement between candidates this week. It has to do with parliamentary quotas, a small but important funding mechanism for injecting money directly into communities. These are now known as community project funding. After a 10-year ban in Congress, it will be reinstated in 2021.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is using the system to tackle the homeless problem and is asking Los Angeles-area legislators, including Schiff, to submit these requests. Burbank lawmakers and Mr. Lee are all in agreement. Mr. Porter is the only House Democrat who did not submit any petition during the last Congress.

Her opposition to what many conservative lawmakers call “poke” represents one of the most obvious differences between Rep. Irvine, who won in a hotly contested area, and the two opponents who represent safer Democratic territory. there is

Porter cites former Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham (Rancho Santefe, Republican), who went to prison for accepting millions of dollars in bribes to direct certain projects. They argue that this financing method could be a source of corruption.

“People in the public sector have all the data on which programs are most effective, where the money is most needed, and how best to deliver it,” Porter said. “I think they are in a better position to do it in a more transparent and fair way.”

Several members of the California delegation noted that when Earmark was reinstated, it would come with new restrictions on what could be covered, more disclosure requirements and a ban on funding for-profit organizations. .

“If I can help voters, I will,” Mr. Schiff said.

it’s a family matter

As one of the state’s longest-serving legislative leaders, Democrats will step up worker protections when California State House Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) resigns from his powerful post at the end of this month. It will leave behind the achievements that have contributed to ensuring the Gig Worker, launched Universal Preschool and expanded major programs to combat climate change during his seven-year tenure.

Hannah Wiley and Katie Rikari of The Times wrote that even though Rendon left the floor of Congress, he was a successful consultant, non-profit executive, and politically powerful couple, including Annie Lam, who has devoted her career. Explain that you are also a half. Diversification of California Politics and Other Institutions of Power.The two thrived together during Rendon’s time He was active as a lecturer for an unusually long time. He has held the office longer than anyone other than Willie Brown, who led Congress in the 1980s and 1990s.

As Ren Dong’s influence grew, Lam’s consulting business grew similarly, according to financials and lobbying disclosures.During Rendon’s many years as a speaker, Mr. Lam Founded a non-profit organizationwon several new clients and became the executive director of a total of six organizations, a job that boosted her income and skyrocketed her profile.

Schwarzenegger Retrospective Exhibition

If you, like me, have been lazily flipping through Netflix lately, you may have noticed a new series starring the former governor. Hvar. I’m no Times film critic Justin Chan, but let me just say it’s worth skipping.

However, what is essential for viewing is new. 3 part documentaryAbout the life and times of Arnold. This includes familiar faces, including our own Mark Z. Balabac, who covered his tenure, and is basically an oracle on California politics. The big revelation of this program is hearing the reflection on the affair and the illegitimate child of the former politician who shook California when the affair was discovered.

The documentary also delves into allegations of molestation first reported by The Times nearly two decades ago when he was running for president. One of our editorial writers, Carla Hall, battered those articles, writing, “Interesting to hear Schwarzenegger apologize more fully.” [documentary’s director Lesley] Chilcott series. “Forget all the excuses, it was wrong,” he said in one episode, admitting he was once defensive against the accusations. I am happy to hear that. I hope he really thinks so. ”

Get to Know California Politics

Newsom Begins Long-Range Push for Constitutional Amendment on Gun Control
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday called for a U.S. constitutional amendment on gun control that would ban assault weapons and require background checks and waiting periods to buy guns, but could pass in a country deeply divided on the issue. It is a highly prospective proposal with little potential.

Florida announces responsibility for shipping immigrants to Sacramento
Florida officials this week took responsibility for a charter flight transporting migrants to Sacramento after days of silence since the first group arrived in California on Friday. The shipment has been lashed out as potentially illegal by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who on Monday raised possible kidnapping charges in a Twitter message to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. was

Police exercise political power in California State Capitol
After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, the Democratic-majority California legislature passed a flurry of new laws to change the way police work. Prohibition of choke hold Disqualify police officers with a record of illegal activity and step up investigations into police shootings. Despite these progressive victories, law enforcement last week blocked two controversial bills and secured amendments to other bills intended to limit the scope of their mandates to strengthen powers. made flexible.

How California, Land of Nixon and Reagan, Turned Blue and Changed American Politics
In 1992, the five-term governor of Arkansas became the first Democratic presidential nominee in almost 30 years to run California, the political birthplace of Richard M. Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Few, if any, saw Mrs. Clinton’s victory in California as the beginning of a political restructuring. He received just 46% of the vote. But his victory and 1996 reenactment, a firehose product of relentless courtship and federal spending, helped paint California a permanent blue and dramatically change the battle for the White House.