Who’s funding recall Newsom campaign? + Faulconer’s plans + Budget preview for vaccines

Happy Tuesday! Today is the highly-anticipated runoff for the Georgia Senate races. Here’s what is happening in California:

FIRST UP: Details of key police reform proposals for the new legislative year are expected to come at 9 a.m., when Sen. Steven Bradford and Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer lead a press conference to outline their goals. Bradford leads the Senate Public Safety Committee, and Jones-Sawyer chairs the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

WHO IS BANKROLLING THE NEWSOM RECALL EFFORT?

That’s what Ann Ravel, former chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, would like to know.

On Monday, Ravel sent a complaint to Attorney General Xavier Becerra and top members of the FPPC asking for a joint investigation into Prov 3:9 LLC, the Irvine-based company that contributed $500,000 to the recall campaign last month — the largest contribution the campaign has received to date. Ravel contends that the company is acting as a shell to evade disclosure of the person or persons funding the recall.

What exactly is known about Prov 3:9? Not much.

State records list two people as functionaries: Gordon Schaller as the agent for service of process and Thomas Liu as its manager. Liu is an accountant in Irvine and when asked about the contribution to the recall last week, he told Politico that “We have our beliefs in terms of the direction the state needs to go, and we felt that this effort was worthy of our contribution,” suggesting the existence of multiple donors or members.

Ravel was head of the FPPC in 2012 when the organization, along with the Attorney General, looked into the opposition to Proposition 30, Gov. Jerry Brown’s public school funding initiative. The investigation revealed a group of Republican billionaires had attempted to hide their own identities by funneling millions through a network of nonprofits. The investigation resulted in a $1 million penalty and disgorgement of unlawful contributions.

“This information clearly impacted the vote of the electorate,” Ravel wrote in the complaint. “The fact is that providing voters information prior to elections has an impact on the decisions of the voting public, and on the outcome of the election.”

In case you’re wondering, Prov 3:9 likely refers to the Bible verse in the book of Proverbs: “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.”

FAULCONER WAITS IN THE WINGS

Members of the campaign to recall Newsom have until March to collect the 1.6 million signatures needed to put a recall on the ballot. In the meantime, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is launching a “Faulconer for Governor exploratory committee.”

Faulconer, a Republican, officially announced his intentions via social media over the weekend, hours after encouraging followers to join him in signing the recall petition. Speaking on Fox News, Faulconer said he’s frustrated with the governor’s handling of the pandemic and its impact on California businesses.

“There’s a growing frustration throughout California. We need new leadership,” he said. “This is frustration across the board. This is Democrats, Republicans and independents that understand we need a change at the top in California... you have to protect lives, you also have to protect livelihoods, and that’s a message that has been lost on this governor.”

Newsom supporters have brushed off the recall effort as a waste of time and a distraction from the pandemic. It’s unlikely the governor will lose his job, political watchers say, but it has happened.

NEWSOM GIVES A BUDGET PREVIEW

Via Sophia Bollag...

Gov. Newsom won’t unveil his full 2021 budget proposal until Friday, but on Monday he gave a small preview, saying it will include $300 million for the state’s mass vaccination campaign.

The money would help fund the state’s CALVAX vaccine database technology and a public education campaign, as well as equipment like dry ice and freezers, Newsom said.

“We are looking to get some early action clearly to support our efforts on vaccination distribution,” he said.

New data shows California has vaccinated just over 450,000 people with the first shot of the vaccine, although California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said the state’s vaccine data might be lagging following the holiday weekend.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows 1.8 million doses have been allocated to California as of Monday.

Newsom said his administration is working to accelerate vaccinations.

“It’s gone too slowly I think for many of us,” he said. The additional funding he’s proposing would help the state ramp up vaccinations quickly, he said.

Anthony Wright, the director of consumer advocacy group Health Access, told The Bee he thinks it’s a good idea for the state to add money to the funding the federal government is providing for vaccinations. Even accelerating vaccinations enough so businesses can reopen a few weeks or a few months earlier would have massive economic implications.

“Every dollar invested in vaccine distribution will rebound multiple times in terms of economic benefit,” said Wright, who serves on one of the task forces advising Newsom on vaccinations. “Not just the lives saved, but the return on investment would be exponential.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“If you wonder why the stay-at-home order remains in place and our ICUs remain under strain, look no further than the party attended by about 100 people in Granite Bay on New Year’s Eve, an event that showed blatant disregard for the sacrifices so many are making.”

- Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg on Twitter. The state is still battling coronavirus surges from Thanksgiving and Christmas, and many expect cases to go up following New Year’s celebrations.

Best of the Bee:

• After nine months of watching their constituents suffer, COVID-19 has inspired a professional revelation among Democrats in the Legislature: government isn’t working, despite the fact that their party controls the Capitol. via Hannah Wiley

• For a while, California’s strict COVID-19 guidelines worked. Until they didn’t. Now, an average of 250 Californians are dying per day, and officials expect the worst is yet to come. What happened? via Lara Korte.

• About 270,000 CalPERS health insurance policyholders who aren’t protected from “surprise” medical bills will be protected from the bills starting in 2022. via Wes Venteicher.

• Another study confirms Californians are packing up and moving out. Where are they going? via Tony Bizjak