Donald Trump fallout rains down on Scott Jones
Good morning. On behalf of The Sacramento Bee’s editorial board, welcome to The Take, your opinion-politics newsletter.
We start with Ami Bera, Scott Jones and Teamsters politics, move to the oil industry’s answer to global warming, listen as Andrew Malcolm explains why Republicans are like his loyal Siberian husky, gnaw on media chew toys and the Proposition 30 extension, and shed a tear for Jeff Bezos.
Take that
Democratic Rep. Ami Bera ended a miserable week on an up note, as he battles Republican Scott Jones, the Sacramento County sheriff, in what will be one of the year’s most costly congressional races.
It began when Bera’s 83-year-old father, Babulal Bera, pleaded guilty Tuesday to laundering $260,000-plus in campaign money to, ah, help his son.
But on Saturday, more than 100 volunteers gave Bera a boost by showing up for hot dogs, veggie burgers and brownies at his campaign kickoff at an Elk Grove Boulevard strip mall. On the sidewalk outside, four protesters carried signs urging further investigation into “Bera-Gate,” predictably.
Presumably, Jones will make much of Bera’s father’s crime. Bera left little doubt where his campaign is headed, telling volunteers he doesn’t want to wake up on the morning after Election Day having to say these three words: “President Donald Trump.”
The Teamsters agree. After endorsing Jones two months ago, the Teamsters revoked that endorsement because of Jones’ support for Trump, as per Christopher Cadelago’s latest scoop.
Having jilted Jones, will the Teamsters bless Bera? “No. No. No endorsement in that race,” Teamster leader Doug Bloch said over the weekend. Not even Trump can trump Bera’s vote to give President Barack Obama fast-track authority to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
Take a number: $70,878.36
Chevron, Valero, Tesoro and California Resources Corp. spent $70,878.36 on potholders to elect Democrat Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, the Winters mayor running against Yolo County Supe Don Saylor and Davis Mayor Dan Wolk. Veteran Capitol hand Craig Reynolds wonders if potholders are the oilies’ solution to global warming.
Our take
Editorial: Jerry Brown shouldn’t neglect funding for working parents’ child care.
Editorial: No matter what happens in court, the Obama administration was right to act to protect transgender students. This is about more than bathrooms.
Dan Morain: Faced with a Legislature that sought to limit petroleum use, the oil industry strikes back by funding Democrats who suit oil’s policy tastes.
Andrew Malcolm, our newest columnist: Republican voters are a lot like his Siberian husky.
Their take
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat lauds Assemblyman Jim Wood for trying to fix one of the biggest mistakes in modern medicine.
Debra J. Saunders of The San Francisco Chronicle sees a downside to coverage that has turned painkiller addiction into a media chew toy.
The San Diego Union-Tribune takes a dim view of the California Teachers Association-backed initiative to extend the “temporary” income tax hike for another 12 years. Temporarily, of course.
The Mercury News urges Senate Appropriations to spike Sen. Bob Hertzberg’s SB 1329, backed by Southwest, Alaska Airlines and other commercial carriers. It’d cost counties by giving airlines greater rights to challenge the assessed value of their aircraft.
The Press Enterprise of Riverside lauds Gov. Jerry Brown for signing Sen. Richard Roth’s bill providing businesses with some additional protection from lawsuits over California’s version of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram laments the failure of Texas public schools to prevail in a case challenging adequacy of school funding.
The News & Observer of Raleigh homed in on the impact of a North Carolina bill providing taxpayer vouchers for private schools, including religious academies, and how the notion short-changes public schools.
Second takes
Editorial: Hillary Clinton and the X-Files constituency.
Jack Ohman: Republicans are passing up a moment for moral and ethical clarity.
Ben Boychuk, among our regular columnists: Donald Trump is an awful candidate, but his policies make some sense.
The San Diego Union-Tribune is alarmed by Trump’s comments about Jeff Bezos.
Syndicates’ take
Ruben Navarrette: One undocumented immigrant’s quest to reinvent the media.
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Should America apologize for Hiroshima?
Paul Krugman: Donald Trump and taxes.
And finally,
Come by The Bee at 21st and Q streets at 6 p.m. Monday to hear Ann Ravel’s take on money in politics and the trouble with the Federal Election Commission. Tickets at the door.
This story was originally published May 16, 2016 at 5:33 AM with the headline "Donald Trump fallout rains down on Scott Jones."