California voters like Harris and Bass + Flavor tobacco ban advances + Pelosi speaks
Good morning and happy Wednesday!
CALIFORNIA VOTERS FAVOR HARRIS OVER BASS
As the clock runs down on presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to name his No. 2 pick, California voters are favorable toward both California Democrats rumored to be on the shortlist: Sen. Kamala Harris and Los Angeles Congresswoman Karen Bass.
The poll, conducted by Berkeley IGS, surveyed 8,328 registered California voters, 6,756 of which said they were likely to vote in the November 2020 general election.
Unsurprisingly, voters in deep blue California favor Biden, a Democrat, over incumbent Republican President Donald Trump, 67% to 28%.
“If borne out on Election Day, Biden’s lead is even greater than Hillary Clinton’s historic 30-point victory over Trump in California in the 2016 presidential election,” according to a statement released with the survey.
But where it gets interesting is when voters were asked their opinions of Harris, California’s former attorney general, and Bass, who once presided as Assembly Speaker and who now chairs the Congressional Black Caucus.
Voters like both Harris and Bass, but it’s clear from the poll that more voters favor Harris (68% favorability rating) over Bass (46% favorability). Part of that may be that while Harris’ national profile rose in part due to her own presidential bid, Bass remains relatively unknown; 44% of voters have no opinion of Bass, while just 12% have no opinion of Harris.
FLAVOR TOBACCO BAN ADVANCES
It was a long day for the Assembly Health Committee Tuesday, as lawmakers grappled with a bill that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco products in the state.
Senate Bill 793 ultimately passed through the committee, and is on its way to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
The bill did not pass through committee unscathed. Lawmakers previously inserted an exemption for hookah products. The committee on Tuesday added, with bill author and Sen. Jerry Hill’s blessing, exemptions for loose-leaf pipe tobacco, premium cigars and cigars that are exclusively sold in cigar lounges.
The exemptions were a necessary compromise, said both Hill and committee Chairman Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Santa Rosa.
“If I had my way ... there wouldn’t be any amendments,” Wood said during Tuesday’s hearing.
Lawmakers heard hours of testimony both for and against the bill. And when it came time for them to discuss it, several assembly members voiced concerns about it.
Assemblymen Freddie Rodriguez, D-Pomona, and James Ramos, D-San Manuel Reservation, questioned who was going to pay for enforcement of the ban, should it become law.
Several lawmakers, including Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, D-Los Angeles, also questioned the potential revenue loss the state would see if flavored tobacco were prohibited from being sold in the state, adding up to potentially hundreds of millions of dollars.
“It is my job to ask questions, it is my job to understand, it is my job to make sure that we are moving policy that makes sense,” Carrillo said.
Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, D-Inglewood, said that tobacco addiction is often a symptom of much larger, societal issues, and she questioned where the passion was for helping people of color on those challenges.
Other lawmakers still wondered why flavored cannabis products were being given a pass.
At one point, Assemblyman Heath Flora, R-Ripon, attempted to amend the bill to apply only to vape products. That amendment was tabled.
Hill and Wood responded to some of the concerns raised by their colleagues. Regarding the loss of revenue, Hill said that the loss of a few hundred million dollars in the short term pales in comparison to the billions the state would save on health costs with fewer people addicted to tobacco products.
“Big Tobacco has put a price on kids’ lives, but I refuse to do so,” Hill said in his introductory remarks.
NANCY PELOSI TO GIVE TALK
Want to see House Speaker Nancy Pelosi? Today’s your chance, albeit via telecast.
The two-time Speaker of the House is taking part in the Public Policy Institute of California’s 2020 Speaker Series on California’s future.
Pelosi will have a conversation with PPIC President and CEO Mark Baldassare about everything from the current economic upheaval to the social unrest that has rocked the nation.
The conversation will touch on what actions leaders at both the state and federal level can take “to address these generational challenges,” according to a PPIC statement advertising the event.
The event starts at 11 a.m., and you can register to watch online by visiting here.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Observation: the vast majority of #caleg lobbyists choosing to appear in person are white men, mostly over the age of 40. Not sure what to make of it, but am I the only one who has noticed this phenomenon?”
- Jennifer Fearing, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
A federal bankruptcy judge approved the $312 million sale of McClatchy Co. on Tuesday, officially clearing the way for the nation’s second largest local news company to exit bankruptcy under the leadership of the hedge fund that had been its largest lender, via Kevin G. Hall.
Rep. TJ Cox tried to bypass Yosemite National Park’s lottery for vehicle permits over a holiday weekend, and when he wasn’t selected, he used his office to push the National Park Service to grant him tickets, according to internal National Park Service emails, via Kate Irby.
‘We made a big mistake’: How GOP consultant Richard Costigan and his wife contracted COVID-19, via Samantha Young of Kaiser Health News.