Hi!this is Laura J. Nelson Standing in for Laurel Rosenhall while she is on a special mission. I’m a staff writer for The Times in Los Angeles, and I’m on the California political team covering campaign finance for 2024. If you want to talk about money in politics, get in touch.

Now let’s move on to this week’s summary of California politics.

Harvey Weinstein’s long shadow

As a feminist and documentary filmmaker, jennifer siebel newsom Worked for years to break down the gender imbalance in American life, writes my colleague Taryn Luna. But California’s first partner and wife, Governor Gavin Newsom When she took the testimony at the convicted rapist’s trial in November, she was still unprepared for what had happened. Harvey Weinstein.

Siebel Newsom cried in court after describing how Weinstein sexually assaulted her in a suite at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills in 2005.

One attorney downplayed her testimony as an act, and another disjointed her account and called her a bitch.

In her first post-trial interview, Siebel Newsom said she was shocked by the series of interrogations. Once again she felt like she was being assaulted, she said.

“I thought, if I had gone and told the truth, I wouldn’t have understood how much sexism and misogyny still exists in our culture,” she said. “It shocked me. I was shocked. It really was. I mean, it’s embarrassing.”

Siebel Newsom, who turns 49 this month, has gone from anguish to motivation since the trial. In her public appearances, she speaks about her funding women’s health and helping families flee domestic violence. Behind the scenes, she works hard to make the criminal justice system fairer to other survivors.

The full interview is an intimate portrait of how trauma fueled activism for one of Golden State’s most high-profile women. You can read it here.

Another scandal breaks out at LA City Hall

Tuesday, Los Angeles City Council Current price He was indicted on 10 counts of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest.

Los Angeles Township Office Ati. George Gascon Price alleges he violated state conflict of interest laws by voting for an affordable housing project developed by a company that hired his wife’s consulting firm. Dell Richardson Price. In the invoice, you can read hereProsecutors allege that Price committed perjury by failing to divulge some of his wife’s earnings in a financial disclosure report known as Form 700.

The allegations come four years after The Times discovered that Price “repeatedly voted to influence home developers and other companies listed as clients of his wife’s consulting firm.” . Reporters in the 2019 survey Emily Alpert Reyes That same year, Price reported that he voted for a decision involving at least 10 companies that paid his wife’s company at least $10,000.

Price is also accused of claiming tens of thousands of dollars in medical benefits from the city against Richardson Price, who was married to another woman.

Mr. Price called the accusations “unjustified” and said he would fight through his publicist.city ​​council president Paul Krekorian He said he plans to suspend Price. Mr. Price resigned from his city council commission and resigned from Mr. Krekorian’s number two position.

Price is the fourth current or former city council member to face criminal charges in the past four years.Including former Eastside City Council members Jose Wizar, pleaded guilty to tax evasion and extortion charges in January.Former South LA City Council Member Mark Ridley Thomaswas convicted in March of federal conspiracy, bribery and fraud charges.

Texas sends immigrants to Los Angeles

A bus carrying 42 immigrants, including eight children, arrived in Los Angeles from Texas on Wednesday afternoon.

Governor of Texas Greg AbbottRepublicans said busting immigrants out of Texas had brought “a much-needed relief” to the U.S.-Mexico border. He added that Los Angeles “is a major destination for immigrants, especially now that city leaders have endorsed its self-declared sanctuary city status.”

The migrants reportedly went without food for 23 hours while traveling. Jorge Mario Cabreradirector of public affairs for immigrant rights group CHIRLA.

The bus stopped at Union Station and then took us to a welcome center at a nearby church. Many of the tourists were originally from Venezuela, Guatemala and Honduras, Cabrera said, including two of them of African descent. One Guatemalan immigrant is scheduled for trial in New York.

Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass The migrants’ arrival “didn’t catch us off guard,” he said. “It’s abhorrent that American elected officials are using people as cheap political pawns,” she said.

Mr. Abbott’s announcement came after two commercial planes arrived in Sacramento carrying migrants earlier this month. Documents carried by the migrants show that weekend flights were arranged through the Florida Emergency Management Agency, according to the California Attorney’s Office.General Rob Bonta.

Some people on the plane to Sacramento told The Times that a contractor working in Florida provided them with seats.

Distrust of DC

nevertheless Senator Diane Feinstein After returning to Congress after two months, there remains a sense of caution among Democrats and Republicans over what might happen if the 89-year-old congressman retires early.

Democrats fear that if Feinstein resigns before the end of his 2025 term, Republicans will refuse to replace him on the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee.

“It’s a big unknown for me.” Senator Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, Connecticut) told The Times. (Former New York State Senator Hillary Clinton was more decisive in interviews in time magazinesaid Republicans “would not agree to add anyone else to the Judiciary Committee if she retired”).

Republican members of the committee rejected Democrats’ efforts to temporarily replace Feinstein. Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-Maryland), one senior Republican senator said Republicans didn’t want to cooperate with the confirmation.what we consider to be controversial or unqualified candidates;”

Democrats have a single majority on the committee tasked with voting on Biden’s nomination for attorney general. During Feinstein’s 10-week absence recovering from shingles, Democrats could only confirm the judge with the support of Republicans.

There are dozens of judge vacancies pending on committees or awaiting Senate plenary votes. In his first two years in office, Mr. Biden was able to: increase lifetime appointments of judges Better than Trump or Obama.

Newsom vs. Democrats on Infrastructure

Sacramento is budget season. The Democrats, who lead California’s Senate and Congress, unveiled the state’s budget bill this week, but remain at odds with Newsom over some infrastructure proposals.

After lawmakers had already completed their budget committee hearings last month, Mr. Newsom introduced the following policies: a series of budget proposals Infrastructure-related — The move drew criticism from Democrats.

“It feels disrespectful to the process and all the work we’ve done,” he said. Senator Susan Thalamantes Eggmana Stockton-based Democrat representing cities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region.

During Mr. Newsom’s tenure, it became common to pass interim budgets and then introduce amendments. But it is estimated to have a deficit of at least $31.5 billion, fueling disagreements in the Capitol over where to cut.

Get to Know California Politics

Silicon Valley Tech Executive Considers California Senate Bid
Silicon Valley executive Lexie Reese, a Democrat, made the announcement on Thursday. Former Senator Diane Feinstein said she is considering running for the vacant seat. Reese, 48, previously worked for tech companies including Google, Facebook and American Express.

First Lady Jill Biden Raises Funds for President Biden’s Re-Election Campaign in Hollywood
First Lady Jill Biden on Wednesday called out to donors on her first fundraising trip to California since President Biden announced he was seeking re-election, highlighting her husband’s achievements in job creation, gun control and infrastructure investment. bottom.

Democrats’ plan to take control of Congress may hinge on Southern California
Democrats want to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year at a pivotal time when policy decisions on reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights, education, and the economy may hinge on Southern California.

Column: Do you think “gay Republican” is a contradiction? Think again
Columnist Mark Z. Balabak introduces Charles Moran, 42, president of the Log Cabin Republican Party, an LGBTQ+ rights advocacy group within the Republican Party. The group is headquartered in Washington and claims more than 10,000 members nationwide.