Schubert says ‘Stop the Chaos’ + R’s want school oversight + Ballot initiative group forms

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

ANNE MARIE SCHUBERT RELEASES CAMPAIGN VIDEO

Anne Marie Schubert, the Sacramento County District Attorney running to replace Rob Bonta as California Attorney General, has unveiled a new two-and-a-half-minute campaign video, titled “Stop the Chaos.”

In the video, Schubert points to reports of crime in Los Angeles and San Francisco counties, both of which have criminal justice reform-minded district attorneys currently facing recall efforts. She ties Bonta to both district attorneys, and then vows that if elected, she would step in to enforce the law where those district attorneys have not.

“One of the most powerful and solemn duties that the attorney general has is to step in and take over cases from district attorneys when those district attorneys are not protecting Californians. I will exercise that power to protect victims and support their constitutional rights. The appointed attorney general will not,” Schubert says in the video.

“If you elect me as your attorney general, I promise you I will work relentlessly, every day to stop the chaos in our criminal justice system,” she says in closing remarks.

Schubert’s campaign video comes in the same week that she announced the launch of a true crime podcast, “Inside the Crime Files with Anne Marie Schubert,” where she will discuss some of the high profile cases she has prosecuted, such as that of the Golden State Killer.

Schubert is running as an independent in the race.

KILEY, WILK CALL FOR OVERSIGHT HEARING ON CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS

A pair of Republican lawmakers are calling for a joint oversight committee hearing to discuss whether schools are mistreating students because of COVID-19 protocols.

Assembly Education Committee Vice Chair Kevin Kiley and Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk drafted a letter to Sen. Connie Leyva and Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell — who chair their respective legislative houses’ education committees — calling on them to schedule a joint oversight hearing.

“California has been a national outlier in the COVID era, imposing both the longest school closures and the most severe lockdowns. Many states that took a more balanced approach by allowing their kids to remain in school with normal learning environments now have lower case rates than California,” the lawmakers write. “Even now, 20 months into the state’s indefinite state of emergency, we are hearing disturbing reports coming from California school districts regarding the learning conditions of students.”

Among the examples given were reports that students being told they would be required to eat lunch in the rain, young children being made to chew with their masks on, and students being limited in the number of bathroom breaks they can take.

“These unnecessary restrictions and appalling conditions not only fly in the face of common sense public health policy, they are realities that no child should have to endure in their learning environment,” the lawmakers write.

Also signing the letter was Jonathan Zachreson, of the group Reopen California Schools.

You can view the letter for yourself here.

COALITION FORMS TO CHAMPION MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CAP INITIATIVE

In 2022, California voters will decide whether to raise the $250,000 cap on payouts in medical negligence lawsuit payouts, indexing it for inflation and empowering judges and juries to decide compensation in cases involving catastrophic injury or death.

Now, fighting for that initiative is the newly formed coalition Patients for Fairness, which is partnering with Consumer Watchdog to raise support for the effort.

The coalition has launched a website which documents the stories of 60 different patients and their families, from all across California, “whose experiences show the trauma, loss and injustice caused by preventable medical errors and the state’s medical negligence cap,” according to a statement from Consumer Watchdog.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I would be willing to be the press secretary today for Gov Newsom and field questions about the last two weeks. Answers would be limited to ‘nope,’ ‘no,’ ‘yes,’ ‘he has correct priorities,’ ‘pound sand,’ ‘that’s not at issue here,’ and ‘his family is important to him.’”

- Republican political consultant Matt Rexroad, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

• Nearly four in five likely California voters are in favor of changing the state’s process for recalling elected officials according to a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, via Lara Korte.

• All California adults who received their original COVID-19 shots six months ago and think they would benefit from a booster should get one, California’s top health official Dr. Mark Ghaly said Wednesday, via Sophia Bollag.

• A former California police officer fired after being charged with unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor is fighting CalPERS to keep his industrial disability pension, via Andrew Sheeler.