Proposed initiative lacks support + Progressive chair endorses Levine + Newsom backs UC Berkeley

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

VOTERS OPPOSE PROPOSED BALLOT INITIATIVE, SURVEY SAYS

A newly published survey from David Binder Research found that 54% of those polled oppose a proposed ballot initiative that would limit the ability of state and local governments, as well as voters, to raise revenues for government services.

Another 25% support the measure, while 21% are undecided, according to the findings.

The polling firm surveyed 600 likely voters between Feb. 9 and Feb. 14, with a margin of error of 4%.

The ballot initiative, championed by the California Business Roundtable, is currently being circulated for signatures.

The poll was commissioned by the Alliance for a Better California, which is sponsored by Working Families and labor organizations.

“Voters learned what they need to know from just the title and summary of this initiative: that this measure undermines their rights to determine local priorities and raise money for vital services like public schools, fire and emergency response, public health, and services to support homeless residents,” said group spokesman Mike Roth in a statement. “When voters learn who is really behind this campaign — mega-developers, and corporations out to shift their tax responsibility onto everyday taxpayers — opposition to the corporate tax trick measure will surely grow.”

DEM PROGRESSIVE CHAIR ENDORSES LEVINE

The tug-of-war between the progressive wing of the California Democratic Party and the establishment has a new battleground: The race for insurance commissioner.

Amar Shergill, chair of the California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus, has thrown his endorsement behind the challenger in that race, Marc Levine.

Levine is running against the Democratic establishment-backed Ricardo Lara.

“I endorse Marc Levine for Insurance Commissioner because we need a serious and effective Insurance Commissioner who will stand up to the insurance industry and big corporations and put consumers first,” Shergill said in a statement.

Shergill, fresh off a fight over single-payer health care that divided the party, did not mince words when discussing the incumbent.

“Ricardo Lara has disqualified himself from office; he not only took contributions from insurance companies after promising not to, he actually stepped in and interfered with his own Department of Insurance to help those donors. It’s deeply disappointing. Marc Levine will end the scandals and corruption in the Insurance Commissioner’s office and put it back on track so we can focus on what matters: bringing down insurance costs, fighting for healthcare as a human right, and reducing the insurance industry’s contribution to climate change. I trust my fellow progressive Democrats will join me in calling for a new direction and supporting Marc Levine for Insurance Commissioner,” Shergill said.

Levine, who also is endorsed by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, said he was honored to have Shergill’s support.

“This is a critical election. And we must restore true progressive, effective, consumer-oriented leadership to the Insurance Commissioner’s office. It is clear that as we get closer to the State Democratic Party Convention, that key leaders in the party are moving away from the scandal plagued incumbent and coalescing behind our campaign. I will be an Insurance Commissioner who puts people before profit and who puts consumers before the insurance industry,” Levine said in a statement.

NEWSOM FILES BRIEF IN UC BERKELEY’S FAVOR

Just days after UC Berkeley announced that thousands of prospective students may have their invitation rescinded if the California Supreme Court doesn’t take swift action, California Gov. Gavin Newsom weighed in with a “friend of the court” filing in favor of lifting a lower court ruling capping admissions to 2020-21 levels.

UC Berkeley is currently locked in a legal battle with the group Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods, which opposes a graduate student housing project and argues that it’s wrong to enroll thousands of new students when there is a housing shortage in the area.

“We can’t let a lawsuit get in the way of the education and dreams of thousands of students who are our future leaders and innovators,” Newsom said. “I urge the Supreme Court to step in to ensure we are expanding access to higher education and opportunity, not blocking it.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It has been 80 years since Executive Order 9066 incarcerated over 120,000 Japanese Americans, including my parents. On #DayOfRemembrance, the Japanese American community comes together to tell our story, teach others, & lift up the voices of our community. When we take the time to learn from the ugly moments of our history, it enables us to identify injustice in the present. We must continue to be vocal advocates for justice — reminding our younger generations to build a more inclusive, equitable future for us all.”

- Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

• If the U.S. Supreme Court will allow private citizens in Texas to sue over abortion, it ought to allow private citizens in California to sue over gun violence, Gov. Gavin Newsom said, via Lara Korte.

• Criminal charges have been filed against 54 California Highway Patrol officers accused of participating in a vast overtime fraud scheme in East Los Angeles, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, via Wes Venteicher.