As a Republican Governor Ron DeSantis The Florida resident stopped by California this week to raise money for the 2024 presidential election, but managed to set aside time to photograph campaign spots in San Francisco. A dystopian street full of graffiti In the background, he says, bashing of “leftist policies” is driving people out of the state.

Certainly California’s population has shrunk somewhat, largely due to higher housing costs, but it remains a very popular destination for a certain segment of Americans: politicians.

With Mr. DeSantis’ second visit since early March, President Biden Spent a few days in Northern California this week with campaign donations in my pocket, gifts to fight climate change and a vice president. Kamala HarrisHaving a home in Brentwood, he flew in for Juneteen’s celebration at the Greek Theatre.first lady Jill Biden It also fell a week ago.

Golden State has been particularly popular among Republican presidential candidates in recent months with a former vice president. Mike Penceformer Governor of South Carolina. Nikki HaleySouth Carolina Senator. Tim Scott And former Governor of Arkansas. Asa Hutchinson.

So at least in California it does.

hello everyone! Sacramento Bureau Chief Laurel Rosenhall is on a special mission, so Phil Willon will be his stand-in. I am the deputy editor of the Los Angeles Times Sacramento bureau, and I myself fled California once and returned triumphantly, including Florida everywhere. Let’s take a look at what happened in California politics over the past week.

Biden Visits California, Addresses Climate Change, Artificial Intelligence Anxiety

Biden spent the beginning of the week in the Bay Area, making official policy announcements, holding press conferences and doing some serious work convincing Silicon Valley billionaires to back his 2024 re-election campaign. It’s the first time Biden has been to California, where voters and donations are plentiful, since he formally announced that he’s running for a second term, but he’s likely to return.

As The Times’ Taryn Luna reported Monday, the president announced $600 million in federal funding to combat the impacts of climate change after spending some time touring Northern California’s nature reserves with the governor. bottom. Gavin Newsom. Environmental protection has become a winning issue for Biden among Democrats, especially in liberal California.

The Biden administration’s climate change funding will help coastal and Great Lakes regions vulnerable to storm surges, sea level rise, and flooding, and support innovative solutions that make them more resilient to climate change. Biden stressed that he would spend $2.3 billion on grid modernization under the federal bipartisan infrastructure law, including $67.4 million to California.

As reported by Luna:

Standing near a salt marsh at the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center on San Francisco Bay, Biden said, “I’m making it clear that climate change is a real survival threat, an existential threat to humanity. I visited many sites across the country that show that.”

Newsom used a high-profile meeting with Biden to argue the administration’s plan to streamline the infrastructure-building process in California, a proposal he negotiated with Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento. there is The governor’s office argued that ease of construction is critical to the state’s ability to meet ambitious climate goals.

Biden’s visit to California also included a series of fundraising activities hosted by a former eBay executive and 2006 gubernatorial candidate. Steve Westley and co-founder of LinkedIn Reid Hoffmanamong others.

Newsom co-hosted a fundraiser for Biden in Marin County on Tuesday. On the same day, Mr. Biden met with artificial intelligence experts, researchers and advocates in San Francisco to discuss the technology’s “great promise” and the risks, including fueling disinformation and job losses.

Queenie Wong of The Times, who covered the event, reported that Biden met with AI entrepreneurs and some of Big Tech’s most vocal critics.

“Capturing this moment requires managing risks to society, the economy and national security,” Biden told reporters ahead of a closed-door meeting with AI experts at the Fairmont hotel. rice field.

Biden’s talks with AI researchers and tech executives show how the president will align both sides as the Biden campaign tries to lure wealthy donors while the administration considers the risks of burgeoning technology. It highlights whether it is involved. While Mr. Biden has criticized tech giants, executives and employees of companies including Apple, Microsoft, Google and Facebook parent company Meta donated millions of dollars to the 2020 presidential election.

McCarthy Appears on OC, Slams Immigration, Crime

Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy Last week, on his way back to his home state, he ventured outside his hometown of Bakersfield to meet with officials about the latest burglary in Orange County.

The official reason for the visit was to discuss a spate of robberies by Chileans who entered the United States through immigration loopholes, breaking into homes and robbing them of cash, jewelry and other high-value items. .

But, as The Times reporters Seema Mehta and Hannah Frye reported, the visit will try to appeal to Mr. McCarthy the importance of border control and crime-fighting to wealthy suburbans in traditionally urban areas. It also gave him a platform to hammer in two key issues for the Republican Party. Conservative strongholds like Orange County are experiencing more moderate growth and play an important role on the road to victory. This is especially important for McCarthy, who is struggling to maintain a narrow Republican majority in the House in the 2024 election.

Republican lawmakers also appeared with McCarthy. Michelle Steele of seal beach Young Kim Anaheim Hills and Ken Calvert All of Corona’s lawmakers face a race in 2024 to defend their Southern California swing seats that will help determine congressional leadership.

California Legislature Opposes Conservative Book Ban in Schools

The California Department of Education and Democratic legislators this week called on publishers to commit to producing materials “that contain diverse stories that reflect California’s student body without discrimination.” Florida, Texas and other conservative states have plans to remove books from schools.

Mackenzie Mays reports that a new ad hoc committee has been formed, including public supervision. Tony Thurmond And lawmakers made that clear when they met in Sacramento this week. Task Force members said this includes guidance on the LGBTQ community, the history of people with disabilities, blacks, Native Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Thurmond said California pays textbook publishers nearly $500 million a year. Representatives of companies that produce school materials, including the College Board and Benchmark Education Company, testified Wednesday at the State Capitol that they are working on diversity and inclusion.

“If you’re going to delete the history of people in other states, you shouldn’t expect to do business in California,” Mr. Thurmond said, referring to some textbook publishers bowing to Republican concerns.

The hearing came after Mr. DeSantis signed into law a bill limiting education about sexual orientation (known to critics as the “Don’t Say You’re Gay” bill). Florida school districts are currently facing lawsuits from students and publishers, including a lawsuit over the removal of a children’s book depicting a penguin with two fathers.

Get to Know California Politics

Los Angeles Attorney Tries to Undermine Public Records Law After Police Photo Release
It was prompted by the release of information about thousands of Los Angeles police officers posted by activists to the public online database City Atty. Heidi Feldstein Soto is trying to convince the California legislature to weaken the state’s public records law. Feldstein Soto describes his proposal as a minor amendment to the California Public Records Act, but civil rights activists say the proposal would cut down on information held by local governments and state agencies. They argue that it would significantly reduce the power of state law, the bedrock that allows access.

‘All We Received Was Abandonment’: Immigrants Sent to Sacramento by DeSantis Speak Out
Four immigrants who recently flew to Sacramento from Florida said they were deceived and are grateful to be in the US, but with immigration hearings now sweeping across the country and job opportunities stalled, plans said he was mad.

House Republicans condemned Adam Schiff. He couldn’t be happier.
The censure was a victory for Donald Trump, who had called on Republican lawmakers who voted against him to contest the primary, and a sign that the former president remains in control of the Republican Party. . But Schiff is a candidate for a seat in the U.S. Senate, Diane Feinsteindid not resist efforts to formally punish him particularly vigorously. He called the denunciation a “Medal of Honor” and has already started using free publicity to boost his campaign in the Senate.

Los Angeles voters may crack down on salaries for hospital executives
After the Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to put the bill on the ballot in March 2024, Los Angeles voters will tighten salaries for hospital executives next spring, cutting wages and other compensation totals to $450,000 a year. will decide whether to limit it to

Skelton: Sacramento lawmakers aren’t fooling anyone with California’s budget show
The California legislature has passed another state budget on what is called schedule. wink wink. It’s a tight budget.