Fundraising after Trump’s visit + Lowriders for affirmative action + Jim Cramer steps in it

Good morning! Here’s the latest news.

FIRST UP — What a difference a day makes.

As Sacramento Bee reporter Sophia Bollag pointed out on Twitter, on Monday Gov. Gavin Newsom said he wasn’t trying to score political points during President Donald Trump’s Sacramento visit.

Then on Tuesday, Newsom sent out an email that appeared, well, to be scoring some points.

“I confronted the President about what’s happening here — that climate change has exacerbated these fires to a point worse than they’ve ever been. That the hots are getting hotter, the dries are getting drier, and climate change is real,” the email blast from Newsom’s reelection campaign read.

The email was about more than scoring points; Newsom’s campaign used the email to make a fundraising pitch.

“... if you’re able, pitch in $10 or any amount so we can continue pushing for action on climate change at every level, and standing up to climate deniers everywhere,” the email read.

LOWRIDER CARAVAN FOR PROP 16

This Wednesday, Sacramento’s Family First Car & Bike Club is hosting a lowrider caravan to both kick off Latino Heritage Month and show support for Proposition 16, which would restore affirmative action in California.

Kicking off the event will be a presser featuring local elected officials, including Sacramento City Council members Eric Guerra and Jay Schenirer. The event is supported by the California Faculty Association and the Sacramento County Latino Democratic Club, among other organizations.

Guerra will accompany local activist and organizer Esmeralda Peña in leading the caravan, which will run through the downtown area and pass by the Capitol.

The Yes on Prop 16 campaign also announced Tuesday that the ballot measure has the support of the Latino Community Foundation, the California Latino Legislative Caucus, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia.

‘CRAZY NANCY?’ REALLY?

Borrowing a page from President Donald Trump, CNBC host Jim Cramer called Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi “Crazy Nancy.” To her face.

“I mean, what deal can we have, Crazy Nancy, I’m sorry, that was the president. I have such reverence for the office, I would never use that term,” Cramer said in video that has since gone viral on Twitter.

“But you just did. But you just did,” responded Pelosi.

You can watch the exchange for yourself on The Recount Twitter account.

Cramer took to Twitter to defend himself, writing, “I challenge anyone to listen to the interview and think i wasn’t imitating what the president says and how repulsive i find it.. I said that three times. I apologized for the implication twice. Who put out the quote without the context? what organization?”

He later apologized, which you see here in this tweet from CNN’s Brian Stelter.

CALIFORNIA DISTRICT ATTORNEYS URGE VETO OF CRIME BILL

A California bill aimed at reducing recidivism by giving most misdemeanants the chance to avoid a criminal record goes too far, one law enforcement group argues.

The California District Attorneys Association is urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to veto AB 3234, which they argue “would erase criminal behavior from defendant’s records and prevent law enforcement from having a true accounting of criminal history,” according to a statement released by the group.

AB 3234 creates a court-initiated misdemeanor diversion program, which would authorize the court to divert a misdemeanor offender in most cases even over the objection of the prosecutor.

“Whether or not to divert a misdemeanor defendant would be in the trial court’s discretion,” according to a Senate floor analysis of the bill.

There are some exceptions: domestic violence, stalking or any offense in which the misdemeanant would be required to register as a sex offender.

But that’s not enough, argues the California District Attorneys Association. It allows for such offenses as driving under the influence, elder abuse and firearm-related offenses to be eligible for diversion.

“Diversion will now almost certainly be sought in every eligible misdemeanor case. Failure by a defense attorney to request it would likely be considered ineffective assistance of counsel,” said CDAA President and El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson in a statement.

Joining that group in calling for a veto is Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

“For 40 years, MADD has fought to make streets safe from drivers impaired by alcohol and drugs—this bill threatens public safety by allowing almost all impaired drivers to avoid accountability. AB 3234 is so bad that even DUI cases that result in injuries are eligible for diversion, despite any objections from prosecutors and victims,” said Patricia Rillera, state executive director for MADD California, in a statement.

The bill’s author, Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, said in the Senate floor analysis that diversion programs lead to better recidivism results than prosecuting and jailing someone does.

“California’s criminal justice system should offer more flexibility and compassion. Time after time, we’ve seen that a second chance is all someone needs to turn their life around. When we do, we often get better rehabilitative and reintegration results,” Ting said in a statement.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“A Special Session of the Legislature should focus on reopening and recovery: assessing the evidence on school and business closures, evaluating the Governor’s orders and overseeing their execution, fixing the EDD, and passing a real small business relief bill.”

- Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

• Sen. Kamala Harris — the Democratic vice presidential nominee — met with emergency service personnel and assessed the California wildfires during a whirlwind visit Tuesday to the Fresno area, via Brianna Calix.

• Air quality remains poor throughout the vast majority of California to start the week, including the Sacramento region, as some of the biggest wildfires in the state’s modern history continue to fill the sky with smoke, via Michael McGough.

• Numerous California churches have sued Gov. Gavin Newsom, challenging his COVID-19 shutdown orders, without success. Now the state’s health clubs are giving it a try, via Dale Kasler.