Gavin Newsom under the big lights + Tracking rape kits + Bloomberg spends on flavored tobacco ban

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert! How about that State of the State address, huh?

On Tuesday evening, California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered his State of the State Address from the field of Dodger Stadium, where he defended his record on COVID-19 and made a case to beat back the recall he could face later this year.

• Sophia Bollag covered the speech in detail, which you can read about here.
• Hannah Wiley covered the reaction to the speech, which you can read about here.

Now, on to the rest of the Alert!

UNDER STADIUM LIGHTS, STARING DOWN A RECALL

Even before Newsom took the stage for his State of the State address, his opponents were shooting him down.

Hours before the address, Republican Kevin Faulconer released a response to Newsom’s speech, placing blame for California’s problems at the feet of the state’s top Democrat.

“Gavin Newsom has had almost unlimited emergency powers for a year and for months we gave him the benefit of the doubt,” the former San Diego mayor said in the five minute video. “But time and time again he has completely failed in delivering the basics.”

“I believe there should be a high bar for a recall,” he added. “Gavin Newsom has cleared it several times over.”

During his address Tuesday evening, acknowledged the struggles of the past year, particularly, the burden on teachers and women. But the governor also aimed to instill a sense of hope in the state’s 40 million residents, leaning heavily on the state’s vaccine distribution efforts.

“We won’t change course just because of a few nay-sayers and dooms-dayers,” Newsom said. “So to the California critics, who are promoting partisan power grabs and outdated prejudices, and rejecting everything that makes California great, we say this: we will not be distracted from getting shots in arms and our economy booming again.”

Recall organizers weren’t fond of that statement or Newsom’s address, saying he showed signs of a “desperate politician.”

“He’s taking what appears to be a victory lap tonight,” recall spokesman Randy Economy told The Bee. “And the race hasn’t even begun, as far as solving this crisis.”

Later this morning, a group of API leaders including State Controller Betty Yee and Treasurer Fiona Ma, will gather virtually to denounce the recall effort. The hope is to “show that Asians and Pacific Islanders in California are united against this Republican power grab and praise Governor Newsom’s efforts to end the pandemic as quickly as possible.”

For those of you keeping tabs on donations, Beverly Hills real estate developer Geoff Palmer recently kicked in another $50,000 to the recall, according to state filings, bringing his donation total up to $200,000.

In case you need a refresher, Palmer is known for donating millions to Republicans, including more than $5 million to President Donald Trump. In 2019, he even held a fundraiser for the former president at his Beverly Hills home.

RAPE KIT ONLINE PORTAL

The Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday gave the green light to SB 215, which would create an online portal to allow sexual assault survivors to track their rape kits.

The bill’s author, Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, said that the bill “empowers rape survivors, strengthens public safety and prioritizes healing and justice.”

“The fact that rape survivors in California must currently contact law enforcement agencies by phone or in person in order to receive an update on their rape kit is clearly not a survivor sensitive process and a reality that we must swiftly change,” Leyva said in a statement.

SB 215 would add a survivor portal to California’s existing rape kit tracking system, called the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Tracking database, or SAFE-T.

Current law allows survivors to request a status update on their rape kit.

The bill is jointly sponsored by the Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, the Joyful Heart Foundation and Natasha’s Justice Project.

BLOOMBERG SPENDS ON ANTI-TOBACCO REFERENDUM

Billionaire and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ponied up $667,000 for the campaign defending a ban on flavored tobacco products in California.

Bloomberg’s money is going to The Committee to Protect California Kids, a coalition of groups including the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Parents Against Vaping e-Cigarettes and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

“In this battle between California and Big Tobacco over the lives and health of our kids, nothing is more important than the truth: tobacco companies use candy flavors to hook kids on nicotine,” committee co-chair Malia Cohen said in a statement. “In the coming months, our coalition is going to make sure Californians know that their YES vote will protect kids from getting lured into nicotine addiction by the tobacco industry’s sweet, sugar-flavored lies.”

At issue is the referendum over SB 793, the 2020 law that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, though there are several exemptions, including hookah and pipe tobacco.

The tobacco industry took exception to the bill, which would ban the sale of menthol cigarettes, and successfully launched a petition campaign to put a referendum on the November 2022 ballot.

The California Coalition for Fairness, the industry-funded group opposing the ban, declined to comment on Bloomberg’s donation.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The Capitol riots have been telling about our justice system & white privilege. For the continued special treatment from organic food to cells w/o roaches for white men that rioted the Capitol is amazing. POC have never been afforded such accommodations in life, let alone in jail!”

- Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

• So many people in California’s prisons have been infected with COVID-19 that at least seven of the institutions have crossed a threshold for herd immunity, a Sacramento Bee review of infection data found, via Wes Venteicher and Jason Pohl.

• Supported by a mix of local funds and money from the Housing and Urban Development Department, the Jobs-Plus initiative provides rent relief to public housing residents who enroll in a job training and placement program. The initiative has expanded to some 40 cities across the nation, from Conway Homes in Stockton to developments in Sacramento, Oakland and Los Angeles, via Jeong Park.

• Millions of Californians are likely to see thousands of dollars in stimulus money by the end of March, if not sooner, via David Lightman.