Newsom says he’s worried about Elder + GOP blasts Harder + Group slams SD Sheriff’s video

Good morning, and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

NEWSOM WORRIED ABOUT LARRY ELDER

That was the clear message Monday night when Gov. Gavin Newsom joined Congresswomen Karen Bass and Barbara Lee to encourage women to vote against the upcoming recall.

“Why is it important to focus on Larry?” Newsom said. “Well, to put in perspective, what’s at stake here, some say he’s the most Trump of the candidates. I say he’s even more extreme than Trump in many respects.”

Talk radio host Elder is at the top of polls among recall candidates. He also raced to a fundraising advantage last month, Politico reported, picking up $4.5 million to edge out other well-known Republican recall candidates.

While courting female voters, Newsom pointed out that Elder opposes a minimum wage, opposes abortion rights and in 2000 wrote that women were easier to manipulate because they knew less about political issues than men.

“You think Elder is going to increase childcare slots?” Newsom asked. “You think he’s gonna look out for the rights of women and girls when he says there’s no glass ceiling?”

Newsom and lawmakers hammered on the urgency of turning out the vote, noting that the polls show a close race, and he could be in real danger of losing his job.

“The minute it looked like the recall was going to be real, we started having flashbacks to… when a number of people did not take the last recall seriously,” said Bass, referencing the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis.

“I will never forget the day when that race was called… we were shook, and then we went through seven years of leadership that coincided with the greatest recession since the Great Depression.”

Meanwhile, Newsom is continuing to ask for donations to his warchest. In a departure from emails requesting simple $3 donations, the Stop the Republican Recall campaign is now organizing a virtual event, to be held on Aug. 19, to support the anti-recall effort. The committee has raised more than $46 million since January.

Attendance at the virtual 1 hour and 15 minute event starts at $10,000 for a “friend” status, going up to $100,000 for an event “chair” status.

“There are no contribution limits for the recall election,” the invitation says. “Both corporate and individual contributions are accepted.”

NRCC RUNS ATTACK AD AGAINST HARDER

Central Valley Democratic Congressman Josh Harder is on the National Republican Congressional Committee’s list of vulnerable House Democrats, and now the NRCC is coming out swinging with a 15-second spot that is part of a six-figure ad buy, according to Fox Business.

The ad, called “Sticker Shock,” blasts Democrats like Harder for rising prices.

“Democrats’ harmful economic policies are making everyday goods cost more,” the ad says.

Harder used the occasion to send out a blast of his own, soliciting campaign contributions.

“Voters across the Valley are now going to start seeing nasty attack ads against me all over the internet. It’s frustrating because every time I think we’re in the clear (the election is still a year and a half away!) they come back with a new round of negative ads. The Republicans hope that if they keep these attacks on voters’ minds, they can do enough damage to win the 5 seats they need to take control of the majority in the House. We have to fight back!” Harder’s campaign blast read.

FENTANYL VIDEO A FAKE?

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department made headlines recently when it shared a video of a deputy purportedly overdosing on the drug fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid.

“Being exposed to just a few small grains of fentanyl could have deadly consequences. The dangers of fentanyl are real, and this drug is killing our communities,” said San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore in the video.

Now, the Drug Policy Alliance is calling foul.

“It is unconscionable and completely irresponsible for law enforcement organizations to continue fabricating false narratives around fentanyl. Content like this simply creates more fear and irrational panic that fuels further punitive responses to the overdose crisis, instead of the public health approach we need. We already know how this story goes, because we experienced it in the 80’s and 90’s with crack-cocaine. Law enforcement-driven, media-perpetuated hysteria inevitably leads to extreme racially-biased enforcement and mandatory minimum sentencing,” said Drug Policy Alliance Executive Director Kassandra Frederique in a statement.

The Drug Policy Alliance cites the opinion of Dr. Ryan Marino, a medical toxicologist, addiction medicine specialist and emergency physician assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

“Despite anecdotal reports from non-medical sources about overdose from ‘exposure’ to fentanyl, it is not possible to overdose on fentanyl or fentanyl analogues through accidental skin contact or from close proximity alone,” Marino said in a statement.

He went on to say, “The fear and worry generated by these reports, too, is likely causing the symptoms of anxiety and panic that people are experiencing in these events. Our current pandemic has sadly demonstrated all too well how medical misinformation harms everyone, and knowing that more than 93,000 Americans died from overdose in 2020, we all have an obligation to ensure that everyone is better informed.”

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

Fentanyl has been a hotly contested topic at the California Legislature, where lawmakers earlier this year shot down one bill aimed at giving prosecutor’s ammunition in prosecuting fentanyl dealers, and pulled another bill that would have stiffened the penalty for selling that drug.

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This story was originally published August 10, 2021 at 4:55 AM.