The fallout from last week’s Paris attacks continues as GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump suggests implementing a database to track Muslims in America and eight California Democrats join their Republican colleagues in a vote to put a halt to resettlement of Syrian refugees. Javier Panzar and Lisa Mascaro in the Los Angeles Times:
“In total, 47 Democrats joined Republicans to back the bill. The 289-137 vote crosses the threshold that would be needed to overcome a presidential veto…
“The White House, which has proposed admitting at least 10,000 refugees to the United States next year from war-torn Syria, vowed to veto Thursday's bill. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton denounced the bill saying, it is "discriminating against Muslims."
Some of the eight California members who voted for the bill, including Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego), come from potential swing districts where the Syrian refugee issue could come up next November.”
Billionaire activist Tom Steyer made good on his promise to support a tobacco tax initiative Thursday, announcing a $1 million donation to the campaign. Jeremy White, Sacramento Bee:
“’We have a moral responsibility to stand up to tobacco companies and keep kids from becoming lifetime smokers, and we can do that by raising the tobacco tax,’ Steyer said in a written statement.
“The proposed $2-a-pack tax bump, which would also apply to electronic cigarettes, could spur an expensive campaign reminiscent of the drive for a 2010 tax proposal the tobacco industry spent tens of millions to defeat. The California State Council of Service Employees has already contributed $2 million in favor to this year’s effort.”
Bay Area tech donors aren’t ponying up for Priorities USA Action, the main super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton – at least not yet. Gabriel Debenedetti, Politico:
“People close to the group worry that Democrats’ inability to build a reliable political culture among Silicon Valley’s most influential figures will make it tough for the group to call on these megadonors once their money is sorely needed. If even struggling Jeb Bush is sitting on a $100 million super PAC, the thinking goes, then why should the front-running Clinton have to enter the general election without support from the party’s biggest potential investors?
“Still, Priorities publicly insists that it’s confident such backers will come around. ‘We’re excited about how we’re doing so far and that donors are beginning to understand how important early support is to our efforts,’ the group’s communications director, Justin Barasky, told POLITICO in response to questions about Priorities’ activity in the region. ‘We fully expect to engage in a number of donor communities to elect Hillary Clinton president.’"
John Jordan is one NorCal political donor who likely won’t be making any contributions to Priorities USA Action – or any other Dem PAC. The wine maker and outside-the-box Republican booster has formed the amazingly-named Baby Got PAC super PAC to support conservative candidates that tickle his fancy. Seema Mehta has the profile in the Times:
“The first candidate he devoted time and money to was Gabriel E. Gomez, a former Navy SEAL who ran in a special 2013 election for the U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts being vacated by now Secretary of State John F. Kerry.
“Jordan, who speaks of not leaving a fellow sailor behind, was dismayed by the lack of financial support from national Republican groups. He thought Republican Scott Brown’s 2010 Senate win in a Massachusetts special election offered a sliver of hope for Gomez in the Democratic-leaning state.
“’Sure it was an uphill battle, but someone had to go help him,’ Jordan said.
“’I saw “Back to the Future.” If lightning can hit the clock tower, you get your 1.21 jigawatts … ,’ he said, breaking up in a deep-throated laugh. ‘So you think it’s an uphill battle, but it’s possible. Scott Brown proved it’s possible, and what a way to set the tone going into the 2014 cycle if we can pull this off.’”
Two pending court cases mean that 2016 will be a big year – one way or the other -for political powerhouse, the California Teachers Association. Laurel Rosenhall, CALmatters:
“CTA has become a force in Sacramento by pouring millions into influencing ballot measures and electing lawmakers, then millions more lobbying legislators after they take office. The union’s formidable political operation -- spending about $200 million on campaigns and lobbying in the last 15 years -- is funded by roughly 300,000 classroom teachers who pay approximately $1,000 each in annual union dues.
“Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court decided it will hear a case next year, known as Friedrichs, that challenges the union’s financial muscle. In California, the union is appealing a ruling in another case, called Vergara, that says union rules prevent disadvantaged students from getting a proper education.
“The case that aims at union influence challenges CTA’s requirement that all teachers pay union dues. Today, about 29,000 California teachers have opted to pay less than the full dues in order to avoid a contribution to the union’s political activity. If the lawsuit is upheld, union dues could be voluntary.”
Both CTA and the California Federation of Teachers are backing a campaign urging Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson to resign, citing renewed scrutiny of old charges that he molested a teenage girl when he was with the NBA. Ryan Lillis, Sacramento Bee:
“The Courage Campaign, a group tied to teachers unions that uses an online mailing list to advocate for liberal causes, released a video Thursday featuring television news reports and police recordings on the allegations against Johnson. The video does not include new allegations and as of Thursday afternoon had been viewed 1,600 times on Facebook. Another 122 had seen it on YouTube.
“The Courage Campaign launched the video with a new group called the Sacramento Collective for Women’s Rights. The group of about a dozen women formed last month after a 1996 police video surfaced showing a teenage Phoenix girl accusing Johnson of molestation, said Michelle Pariset, a coalition member.
“The video’s release was coordinated with an online petition seeking Johnson’s resignation. Laura Leavitt, a campaign manager for the Courage Campaign, said more than 9,000 people had signed the petition nationwide since the group launched it last month.”
Not a good end to the week for the Sacramento mayor, and since it’s been relatively quiet around the Capitol this week, we’re calling it bad enough to earn KJ our #WorstWeek award.
See you Monday…
