Category: Politics

I'm here to remind you that leaked audio recordings of conversations between Los Angeles City Council members, however interesting they may be, are not the only drama in California politics.

Instead, I want to take a few minutes to focus on the ongoing battle between Governor Gavin Newsom and big oil.

As the leader of the Democratic state in a country with a Democratic President, Newsom is free from natural barriers.

Donald Trump does not pose the same existential threat to California as he does at the White House. California's legislature is dominated by Democrats who coexist peacefully with the governor in public and try to express their frustration with him in less visible ways.

While Larry Elder gave Newsom the GOP bug to increase interest in his recall, his re-election challenger, Republican Brian Dale , is less scary to the average liberal voter.

Thus, Newsom left California and managed to create conflict between himself and GOP governors, most notably Florida Governor Ron DeSantis , as well as Texas Commander-in-Chief Greg Abbott . And, like many of Newsom's other political stunts, it makes sense for the governor of California to compare his state's policies on abortion, LGBTQ rights, and gun control with those of more conservative states.

This contrast makes Newsom the white knight of the Democratic Party, which he says has been "crushed" by Republicans. National media began covering Newsom's fight with DeSantis, comments he made between him and his national party, and speculation about his presidential ambitions.

Then the battle with DeSantis and the Florida advertisement brought on another major foe: the Western States Petroleum Assn.

Although Newsom was largely sidelined as lawmakers battled a powerful industry and lost his first term, the governor stepped into the fray after the oil company's association attacked Florida, which is responsible for the nation's highest gas prices with your own ad. California.

The debate has escalated from passing some tough climate laws to governors calling for a special legislative session in December to impose windfall taxes on oil companies.

However, at a time when Californians struggle to buy gasoline and the effects of climate change are felt statewide, Newsom's position in the industry is sound policy.

"This is the battle of our time," said one of the state legislature sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared it could damage his relationship with the governor. "There are wizards in Salem, and we have WSPA."

Special Announcement

On September 30, Newsom's office issued a press release asking lawmakers to "impose additional taxes on oil companies that will be returned directly to California taxpayers."

At that time, the governor's team said that although the price of crude oil fell, oil companies continued to increase the price of gas stations. His team dismissed suggestions that refinery maintenance issues, hurricanes or government taxes were the only reasons for the increase.

The announcement raises at least one big question: how can lawmakers pass any tax if it's not in session?

The issue remained until Newsom told reporters at a press conference on Oct. 7 that he would hold a special session to approve a tax on excess profits for oil companies. The governor said he would start the special session once lawmakers returned to start the next session on December 5, a month after the November election.

“They can get away with it,” Newsom said of the oil companies. “They pocket hundreds of millions of dollars a week, fill their pockets at your expense, and then pollute the planet and leave us with all the externalities and costs that come with it.”

Pro Tempore Senate Speaker Tony G. Atkins (D-San Diego) and House Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) said they can't wait to consider "the governor's detailed proposal when we get it."

No parliament has yet passed the plan, and it is unclear how Newsom's proposal will work.

The surprise tax comes months after lawmakers urged lawmakers in August to pass a series of laws to tighten the state's climate change laws that the oil industry opposes.

Newsom promised to win support from lawmakers when they passed the bill, but in September he ruffled his feathers when he took over the law and invited Democrats in his state to commit to oil.

“I had to get the Democratic Party legislature to pass four of the 40 critical climate laws in the final weeks of our session,” he said during New York Climate Week. "Otherwise, all those special interests will take over again to be denied and postponed."

Newsom praised legislators at an event the following day, saying he was "very proud of his legislature."

If oil companies pass this tax on to consumers by raising gasoline prices, or say they will, lawmakers may be embarrassed by the unexpected tax. Each package of laws will most likely contain some provisions that will try to prevent this.

The tax message is also a sensitive and central theme in every proposal Newsom makes to lawmakers.

Newsom's office described the tax as an attempt to "put the oil windfall back into taxpayers' pockets." Republicans in the Legislature tried to call it just a new gas tax, arguing that it wouldn't save any Californians.

At the same time, the oil industry is gathering signatures for a referendum on SB 1137, one of the bills passed by lawmakers in August, to create a buffer zone between new oil and gas wells and areas. The industry, led by the California Independent Petroleum Association, hopes to wait until the law goes into effect and instead ask voters to repeal it by the 2024 vote.

The governor's team hopes to pass the surprise tax soon after the special session begins in December. Dozens of deputies will be sworn in for the first time on the day it starts, and the battle with the oil industry will be the new agency's first litmus test.

Stand up for and against abortion rights

While polls show that the vote to enshrine abortion rights in the California Constitution is getting closer to victory, that hasn't stopped major donors from opening their checkbooks in support.

This week the California Nurses Association. The Political Committee donated $500,000 to Senate President Tony Atkins' Committee on Accounts, and Kaiser Permanente donated $250,000 to support Proposition 1.

Supporters of the election move raised nearly $9 million during the last application period, which ended September 24, but donations have been pouring in. Opponents' campaigns raised nearly $1 million in the same application period, including a recent $20,000 donation this month from Dale's gubernatorial candidate selection committee.

Proposition 1 was put to a vote by the Democratic-controlled state legislature in November in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade was a landmark decision in 1973 that protected abortion rights across the country.

Supporters of the donation include singer and actress Barbra Streisand , who donated $5,000 to this month's event, and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie , who each donated $250,000 on September 30.

California philanthropists have also been hard at work in recent weeks, with Patty Quillin , wife of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings , donating $450,000, and Democratic mega-donor Susie Tompkins Buell donating $100,000.

“It's not about raising a lot of money that we don't need,” said Molly Widn , spokeswoman for the Yes on Proposition 1 campaign. “It's about raising money to ensure we can communicate with the communities most impacted. abortion bans introduced in the future.”

Governor Gavin Newsom used at least $2 million of his campaign funds to advertise in favor of Proposition 1 while he was lieutenant governor. Go. Eleni Kunalakis donated $100,000 .

Support The largest donation per person came from Graton Rancheria Indians, who donated $5 million on September 16.

"It is imperative to Federated Graton Rancheria Indians that all women, especially Indigenous women, and all low-income and women of color, have sovereign rights over their bodies and access to all health care services available to them," she said. Tribe by Greg Sarris .

Criminal background check

Crime became fashionable during the election campaign. Some evidence suggests that there are good reasons for this.

The California Department of Justice Crime Report 2021 shows a 6.7% increase in violent crimes, a 9.1% increase in homicides, and an 8.6% increase in rapes.

Similarly, crimes against state property increased, albeit slightly, by 3%, and auto theft by 8.2%. The numbers have become a political issue in the race for the best cop in California.

Nathan Hochman , Republican attorney and former federal prosecutor, frequently shoots Democratic incumbents. To General Rob Bonte for his relative inexperience in law enforcement and for advocating more progressive criminal justice reform policies as a state legislator.

Hochman said Bonta contributed to a "spiral of lawlessness" and the state Department of Justice needed a leader to "keep California safe and protected."

Bonta says the data tell a different story.

Bonta said crime had been on the rise and it was important to respond to this trend and ensure that people felt safe.

But, he adds, "when you turn the camera back, we're still at one of the lowest crime rates in California history."

According to the 2021 Crime Report, California's violent crime rate peaked in 1992. Property crime remains relatively low, well below the all-time high of 1980.

Bonta said it was "important to stick to the data" and "not be afraid to use anecdotes and examples and generalizations".

But facts don't always triumph over feelings, and there is evidence that crime matters more to voters when they go to the polls.

A September poll by the California Public Policy Institute found that most voters see street violence and crime as a problem. 43% believe that it has increased over the past year.

California political flash

– The editorial board of the Los Angeles Times urged readers not to sign the petition to revoke SB 1137, stating that it was "an attack on our health and safety and should be categorically rejected."

— Mackenzie Mays reports California's first homeless hospital failed.

– The announcement of a congressional election bombarding Californians shows a clear division of priorities – Democrats focused on abortion access, Republicans focused on inflation.

– The race for the best California cop focuses on abortion, gun control and crime.

– Having trouble activating your California gas tax refund debit card? Please try again

Times staff writers Melody Gutierrez and Hannah Wylie contributed to this report.

Why are gas prices so high in California? "This is an oil company, we have turned to the experts," said Newsom.

A deep sense of loss pervades Rebecca Gilman's eloquent and poignant new play, The Swing State, which has its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre.

Sometimes the loss is very specific: Peg, the main character, played with welcome sarcasm and irony by Mary Beth Fisher, spent the past year mourning her husband when, shortly after his retirement, he suddenly died of a heart attack. Start of the covid-19 pandemic.

But sometimes the loss comes from something not tied to a specific event, but from a more general feeling that the whole world is falling apart, largely because of our kind. In rural Wisconsin, this emphasis on ecological decline translates into misguided nostalgia for what bats saw in abundance—before the fungus wiped out the population—in their failed attempts to feed on wildflower seeds.

Peg's grief has reached a point where she is clearly wondering if she should continue. In the opening episode, we see him thinking about how he could use a knife to cut himself. And the other characters see it too, as he decides to quickly deliver what he once loved.

However, this is not a series like Marsha Norman's Mother of the Night, where we see an open discussion about a possible suicide. Instead, this work, full of poignant humor that counters melancholy, reflects a state of mind between hope and desperate surrender. .

This psychological situation defines the "wavering state" of Gilman's title. There are other characters that react differently to damage. Ryan (Bubba Weiler) lost both his parents and ended up in jail after having a bad bar. , now as Peg's faithful surrogate to help keep her sober and stable. Chris (Kirsten Fitzgerald), Peg's neighbor and local sheriff, lost his son to a fentanyl overdose. Chris' granddaughter Dani (Annie E. Thompson) has lost her sense of identity due to divorce and is trying to find a new one while working as an MP.

But the title of the play also has an undeniable political significance. After the midterm elections in rural Wisconsin, the state that swung from Trump to Biden, it's clear that Gilman's theme here – hope versus despair – spans much of the country, a chasm that will eventually collapse one way or another. .

Although there is little real politics in this play, Gilman clearly depicts two different worldviews, partly reflecting our national differences.

Peg sees beauty and bounty in the conservation of the prairie. Chris sees only losses, or at least a lack of productivity. Peg tries to see the best in people, especially Ryan, perhaps because he makes his weaknesses so clear. Chris, perhaps because of his job, tends to see the worst and sees Ryan as a symbol of irreplaceability.

Robert Falls is directing the play, his first performance since retiring from the theatre's artistic direction. With confidence and care, she undermines the sentimentality of the most emotional scenes, but at the same time successfully conveys that caring for each other is the only cure for human suffering.

And Falls certainly brings out the best in his actors. The performances here are superb, making for a very thin plot involving stolen equipment and weapons.

Fisher and Fitzgerald make a great pairing, their differences of character combined with a sensibility—typical Midwestern practicality—that makes clear what they have in common.

Raised on the Chicago scene since appearing on Goodman in 2008, Weiler has tactfully covered up Ryan's weaknesses for as long as he can. and Ann E. Thompson is the least damaged of the characters and loves their depth and naturalness. a complaint

The ending here is not entirely satisfying, it comes to a dramatic moment and then resolves its consequences with a certain optimism that seems absurd. But Gilman, whose constant connection to plays and theater has made him the most produced living playwright in Goodman's history, produces an impressive performance in Swing State, full of sympathy for his characters and country, with deep melancholy.

Dominican Speech Series: Hope and Despair in American Politics

© Helen H. Richardson / The Denver Post / TNS Denver , Colorado – April 1: Denver mayoral candidate Lisa Calderon answers a question during the Denver Post mayoral debate at Denver Fieldhouse in Denver. Denver Post political reporter Andrew Kenney moderated the discussion. To his right is mayoral candidate Penfield Tate.

Lisa Calderon, a public figure and leader on the left in Denver politics, has announced her second run for mayor in 2023.

Calderon will submit his candidacy documents for the next municipal elections in April.

Calderon, currently executive director of Emerge Colorado, the local chapter of Emerge Colorado, a national organization dedicated to recruiting and training Democratic women to run for public office, is running for mayor in 2019. She ran for public office for the first time. He finished third behind Michael Hancock and Mayor Jamie Gillis.

Calderon, a black Latina, is running for re-election and told The Denver Post earlier this year that her main goal is to elect a woman of color as Denver mayor.

"If there is someone who has a great chance and reflects my values, it's not about me," he said then.

A poll conducted this summer by Emerge Colorado found that 60% of voters believe it is important to elect more women to political office.

Calderon now joins an already packed field of candidates that includes City Councilwoman Debbie Ortega, former president and chief executive officer of the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, Colorado State Rep. Leslie Herods and Kelly Brough.

"I am not a term-limited politician and I am not part of the Denver political machine," Calderon said in a statement. Despite the pandemic, I have fought for working families, affordable housing, safe communities, civil rights, and reproductive liberties that threaten our democracy.

The fourth-generation Denver resident frequently clashed with Hancock and some members of his cabinet during his three terms as mayor, including former top City Council staffer Kandi Sidebaka. . He was a key member of the Task Force on Rethinking Community Policing and Safety, a group that issued 112 recommendations last year to improve how the city enforces the law. Those recommendations include ending strip searches of the homeless, creating safe drug use zones and reducing unnecessary police contact with residents.

In the year, He said that one of the cornerstones of Calderon's platform for the 2023 race is to restore trust in public institutions after deep political polarization and economic turmoil.

He laid out a vision for a Denver where we can invest in more affordable housing while preserving green spaces, where mental health services are available on demand, and where all neighborhoods are safe and accessible for pedestrians and people with disabilities.

"If we reimagine Denver, we can change how city government works and how the public perceives it," he said in a statement.

The company is led by Sarah Lake, who led the successful Ion the Arena bond campaign last fall to win a $190 million pledge to build a new arena and finance other projects on National Western's campus.

Calderon, Oct. 22 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Whittier Cafe, 1710 E. 25th Ave. He plans to make a company presentation.

© 2022 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit denverpost.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Live Streaming: Krivitititam Ban to Tan 11 Tamย 5 5

Hey, it's Justin! We may be in the middle of a fall sport, but for many, the best game in town isn't football, baseball, basketball, or soccer.

That's why we're bringing back our political column, Trail Mix, every Monday through November 8th.

surprises and advertising

We are not even two months away from the election we know from the wealth of political advertisements in our bones.

Leading the News: Dan Proft's superpower, PAC, has created a number of controversial assault ads, including one showing an assault involving a woman screaming.

No music, no voiceover. just scream

The controversial ad aired during a Bears game last week but was pulled after complaints from NBC 5.

Nabi later claimed that the news first aired the video.

News Review: Many news outlets broadcast videos as news, but reporters read transcripts over silent videos.

The purpose of the poll is to get Chicago residents to vote for a candidate, not to report on what's going on in the community.

IL AG: Hide permissions

In the race for Attorney General, who will represent the state in all legal matters, incumbent Democrat Kwame Rawle meets Republican Attorney Thomas DeVore.

Flash forward: DeVore successfully sued the state to end Musk's school mandate after a judge ruled against the order last summer.

Zoom out: Before you call out Anti-Mask DeVore, read his interesting comments at the GOP meeting in Springfield ahead of the Illinois State Fair rally.

"How many of you in this room don't like the Musk administration?" [people raise their hands]

"Now how many of you like it when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issues an order saying you can't enforce Musk's orders?" [audience clapping and shouting]

"You're the culprit in this crowd" [Calm down]

"If Governor DeSantis was Governor of Illinois, I would sue him too." [Silence]

"You have consented to and participated in the erosion of our great nation, abusing executive power to the extent that it achieves the possible end."

In short, it's rare to see candidates tell party members they're wrong, especially at public meetings.

Ron Dienti's 2022 CPAC Speech: Full Video

Here is the strongest evidence yet that President Joe Biden cares more about politics than “democracy.” When a photo of 17,000 immigrants under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas last year became too embarrassing, the president relied on my work, and I am a de facto Haitian. His desire to banish the dictator.

Daniel Foot, Biden’s former special envoy for Haiti, said the White House agreed with Dr. He supported Ariel Henry, who took power after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated, largely because Henry was willing to take back thousands of Haitians who had illegally crossed the American border. And Biden helped change that, says Todd Bensman in the Washington Post.

With US support, Henry, who is said to have been close to the alleged killers, abdicated his duty to hold a new election. Haiti’s legislature and supreme court were shaky, and there were no internal checks on Henry’s power.

In fact, he became a dictator. Tim Biden looked away the whole time.

Ba said the image of Haitian immigrants (along with shots by border guards on horseback) was an “undemocratic transfer of American power” to quell the PR fire that had been stoked by highlighting the failure of Biden’s border policy.

Addressing the backlash was especially important because Biden’s recent chaotic departure from Afghanistan hurt him so badly.

In a tragic irony, the political pressure that Biden has increased in Haiti is making his victims more willing to act, exacerbating the border crisis. Biden’s claim that he wants to address the “root causes” that drive immigrants to leave.

else. In late September, the White House sent back 9,000 Haitians from Texas to Haiti, although border officials largely turned away all other arrivals, most of whom were Latinos. He has subjected Biden to accusations of racism, but that was clearly worth the risk.

Growing discontent eventually halted the deportations. . . But when the number of Haitians began to increase again in December, flights resumed. Another 10,000 Haitians returned between January and April.

For Haiti, democracy did not matter to Biden, and the “root causes” were not addressed. His policy of open borders to bury evidence of chaos trumps everything else.

Of course, he could change that policy, but his political needs prevented that as well.

Emmy Connie Barrett Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing, Day One

Joseph Ibrahim, Professor and Research Director in Health Law and Aging at Monash University, specializes in issues related to the care of the elderly. He has long advocated improving the quality of life of people in homes and reforming the sector.

In this podcast, Ibrahim says that currently COVID in nursing homes is ignored by the media. “If you look at the mass media, it seems like it’s not a problem at all. [But] the death rate from COVID is much higher than at any time in the last two or three years. So While vaccinations have helped bring the situation under control, the lack of restrictions is pushing infection rates to historic highs. Ibrahim believes that outbreaks occurring in institutions need to be addressed more individually depending on the circumstances.

Anthony Albanese’s main campaign promise was 24-hour nursing care in facilities for the aged. Ibrahim is skeptical how this will be achieved considering how long it will take to achieve the goal. “We will need 15,000 new nurses to have a nurse in each facility 24 hours a day.”

More generally, what Ibrahim says is a “disrespect” for older workers in the desperately understaffed sector, citing low pay, less salaries and fewer career opportunities compared to health care workers in hospital environment. road

Home care packages are the key to many seniors being able to stay at home. “I don’t think we were keeping people at home as much as we could….Both governments have reviewed and increased the number of support programs available. The problem is that the package may be available, but the staff is not there to deliver what is in the package. In some cases, “I think people want to stay home because they’re afraid to go to hostels, so hospital treatment isn’t seen as an option, it’s seen as a last resort. ” .

More radically, Ibrahim would like to see the total cessation of nursing homes. “We shouldn’t have nursing homes at all […] Do we think orphanages are a good way to care for children from broken or parentless families?

An alternative to nursing homes would be “you could have small communal accommodations that can accommodate five to ten people”.

“Or what you did in your 60s, 70s or 80s, there is a design change in terms of downsizing and moving to a house that is more likely to meet your needs […] It there are also communal accommodations. people of different ages participate. and people have different needs

“I think we’ve been too lazy to rely on nursing homes as a solution. So we’ve chosen a lazy solution, and we’re doing it wrong.”