Who’s the boss? + Climate protest planned + Jones declares victory + Schubert endorses
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
WHO’S IN CHARGE HERE, ANYWAY?
Tuesday offered an object lesson in succession management in California.
It started when Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced that he had left the state for a trip to Washington, D.C., where he will accept an award and meet with Biden Administration officials “on key issues, including gun safety, abortion, climate change, homelessness, and education to talk about how we can stop the backslide we are seeing across the country and discuss how to shore up protections and privacy nationwide,” according to his office.
No problem, right?
Normally, in this situation, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis would take over as acting governor.
But Kounalakis, too, is out of state. According to her office, Kounalakis is vacationing in Greece, having left Sunday with plans to return to California on July 24.
However, with Kounalakis out and Newsom gone til Friday, that opened up the question of just who was in charge of the dang state anyway?
That would be Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, who falls third in the gubernatorial line of succession.
So congratulations to acting Gov. Atkins.
For those curious how far the line of succession goes, next up is Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, followed by Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Treasurer Fiona Ma, Controller Betty Yee, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, and finally Board of Equalization Chair Malia Cohen.
PROTEST PLANNED OUTSIDE CONSERVATION AGENCY
Protesters affiliated with the Last Chance Alliance and VISION are planning to “disrupt business as usual” at the California Department of Conservation, home to the oil regulator CalGEM, on Wednesday.
According to a statement from the groups, whistleblowers said the agency has placed a quota on the number of wells employees must inspect through ‘”remote witnessing.” This avoids in-person visits to California’s aging oil wells, including those near homes and schools, and instead allows for monitoring the sites from their desks.
Activists will block the building entrance with desks and wooden oil derricks “to symbolize the ‘remote witnessing’ desk monitoring scandal,” according to the statement.
The protest begins at 12:30 p.m., with activists first gathering at noon at Franklin D. Roosevelt Park on 9th St.
AND THE WINNER IS...
It’s official: Democrat Dave Jones has finished first in the closely watched race for Senate District 8. Jones leads Angelique Ashby, also a Democrat, by more than 7,500 votes with fewer than 1,000 ballots remaining to count.
Jones’ campaign released a statement touting the first place finish, saying, “We won this primary, and are proceeding to the general election, even in the face of more than $1.3 million spent against us by Big Oil and its allies. We have sent a message that our communities are not for sale.”
Jones and Ashby both will proceed to the November general election. But Jones will be doing so with the endorsement of Rafa Garcia, a Democrat who came in third.
“I want to start off once again by thanking everyone who supported me throughout my campaign for State Senate. And, although I don’t get to move on to the November election, I have confidence that Dave Jones will be a champion for workers’ rights, our healthcare system, and protecting our environment with community at its core,” Garcia said in a statement.
SCHUBERT ENDORSES HOCHMAN OVER BONTA
Outgoing Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert has one message for California voters: Vote Nathan Hochman for attorney general.
Schubert, who’s own No Party Preference bid for the AG spot fell short with just 7.8% of the vote, is throwing her support behind Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Republican challenger Hochman, a former assistant U.S. attorney.
“As a career prosecutor and Sacramento District Attorney, I know how important it is to have an attorney general who actively works with law enforcement to get criminals off the streets and keep our communities safe,” Schubert said in a statement. “Unfortunately, appointed AG Rob Bonta is not upholding that critical duty.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“What we learned today: On December 18, plans to seize voting machines were rejected by Trump’s own WH counsel. He summoned a mob to the Capitol instead. He knew they were angry. And he knew they were dangerous. It’s not that he didn’t care It was part of the plan.”
- Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
Californians will soon be able to sue gun manufacturers if they experience harm from their products, under a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, via Andrew Sheeler.
Only 18% of the 6.4 million Californians who are registered Independent, third-party or without a preference voted in the June 7 primary, according to Political Data, which tracks voter trends, via Gillian Brassil.
California built a safety net for millions of undocumented residents. Here’s how it happened, via Mathew Miranda.