4 seek Chiu’s Assembly seat + New challenge to Josh Harder + California joins climate alliance

Good morning! Lara Korte here filling in for Andrew. Here’s what you need to know:

AD 17 ELECTIONS TO BE HELD IN THE SPRING

Earlier this month, the California Assembly said farewell to David Chiu, who is leaving Sacramento behind to serve as San Francisco’s City Attorney. That means it’s time for yet another special election.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday afternoon declared that a primary election will be held on Feb. 15, with a general to follow on April 19. Assembly District 17 encompasses the east portion of San Francisco, including the Mission and Financial districts. That could look slightly different by the end of the year, when redistricting wraps up, but its unlikely to drastically damage a Democrat’s chances of winning.

And Democrats are already gunning for the spot.

Per the San Francisco Chronicle, four candidates already entered the race, including San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney; former Supervisor David Campos, who’s now chief of staff for the San Francisco district attorney; Thea Selby, a City College of San Francisco trustee; and Bilal Mahmood, a scientist, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Haney and Campos, both progressives, are likely to battle each other for voters. But the two have found one thing to disagree on: a rejected high-rise housing unit. Haney said supervisors shouldn’t have rejected the 495-unit project, while Campos said the few affordable units planned in the building weren’t enough to help residents.

REPUBLICAN CHALLENGES HARDER FOR CA-10

Ricky Gill on Friday officially launched his campaign for the Modesto-area congressional district currently held by Rep. Josh Harder.

Gill, a Republican, ran against Rep. Jerry McNerney for the 9th District in 2012, but lost by more than 10 points. At the time, he was barely old enough to run for office (he turned 25 just a month before the primary).

Now he’s back with a bit more experience under his belt. Gill, a Central Valley native, is a former State Board of Education member, U.S. State Department senior advisor, and White House National Security Council director.

Harder is among the four California Democrats the RNC is targeting next year. In 2020, Joe Biden won a narrow margin over Trump in the district, and voters there barely rejected the Newsom recall in September.

Gill on Friday said he is running because he believes American is “on the wrong track.”

“Higher taxes and rising food and energy costs are crushing local families and small businesses,” he said in a statement. “Our valuable Valley water resources are being depleted, threatening local famers’ livelihoods. Parents are being marginalized in their own children’s education and the high cost of this administration’s dangerous foreign and border policy is hitting hard right here at home.”

CALIFORNIA JOINS GLOBAL CLIMATE ALLIANCE

Newsom might have missed the United Nations climate summit, but the governor on Thursday announced the state would join a coalition of governments committed to “advancing a just transition away from oil and gas production.”

The Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance, also known as BOGA, was launched by Denmark and Costa Rica at COP26, and aims to “help build momentum for states and nations working to phase out oil and gas production and support efforts to build a clean energy economy.”

Newsom in a video message said it’s particularly important for California to phase out oil and gas because of the “smash-mouth realities” of climate change the state is seeing every day.

“It’s critical that we partner with other states and nations around the world to build momentum for the phase-out of oil and gas production,” he said in a statement.”

The governor last month said the state will move to prevent new oil drilling near communities and expand health protections. Newsom has also moved to end the issuance of new fracking permits by 2024, move the state toward phasing out oil extraction by 2045 and reduce demand for oil by ending the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Inflation is a very real concern. I feel it myself as a mom shopping here Orange County. I just told my kids ‘no bacon.’”

- Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, speaking with the Sacramento Press Club on Friday, says her family is also feeling the squeeze from rising grocery prices. Porter defended President Biden’s Build Back Better plan against critics who said it would only exacerbate inflation.

Best of the Bee:

• Reps. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, and Josh Harder, D-Turlock, could lose their seats in the United States House of Representatives, unless they decide to run in different districts than the ones they hold today, via Gillian Brassil.

• New draft redistricting maps would slice midtown Sacramento into two congressional seats and stretch a Sacramento County Assembly district all the way to Lake Tahoe. via Hannah Wiley