Deadlines and Musical Chairs
Legislative candidates hoping to appear on the March 5, 2024 primary election ballot have until today to file papers to run. If an incumbent for a legislative seat does not file, the deadline will be extended another week, according to the Secretary of State’s primary election calendar.. Local jurisdictions may have a slightly different schedule, but it’s safe to say we are about to know who is running for what. Musical chairs is about to end so let the campaign games begin. Note: there is no actual music, but we think it would be more fun. Please ContactUs@Calpeek.com, if you have suggestions for next year’s election theme music.
More Musical Chairs and Surprises
Calpeek has been trying to keep up with all the retirements, new candidates filing, and old candidates running again in the March election. The big, and somewhat surprising news, is Congressman and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced on Wednesday that he will not be seeking re-election. Even more surprising is he is resigning from Congress this month and will not finish his 2-year term. Not so surprising is the new LA Times investigation into his leadership PAC’s expenses that show he spent “…lavishly on hotels, private jets and fine dining establishments…”
Assemblymember Evan Low is running for retiring Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s seat, along with Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian and former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, among others. With Low’s AD 26 now open, Politico is reporting that Senator Dave Cortese’s Legislative Director Tara Sreekrishnan and Low’s District Director Patrick Aherns are going to run.
As Calpeek previously discussed, Assemblymember Luz Rivas is running for Congressman Tony Cardenas’ seat and 6 candidates have started the filing process to fill her AD 43, including Human Rights Defender Carmelina Minasova and Mother/Office Administrator Felicia Novick who have both qualified for the ballot.
Google Pays Canadian News Publishers
In an effort to “…make large internet companies share advertising revenue with news publishers in the country,” Google has agreed to pay publishers in Canada, according to Reuters. Other countries have started passing laws to require internet companies that share news to also share their profits with the companies creating the content. Although the U.S. does not have similar laws, California is trying to get one passed. As Calpeek has previously discussed, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks has authored AB 886, the California Journalism Preservation Act. According to the News Media Alliance, state lawmakers held an informational meeting on Tuesday. The bill is now a 2-year bill, so we will watch its progress next year.
A Capitol Shake Up
No, that headline does not refer to an earthquake or the latest Hallmark holiday movie. The news is two weeks old, but it came out just before Thanksgiving, so we are talking about it here in case readers missed it. New Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas has made some leadership changes and they are not minor. The Politico headline is “Rivas’ first big flex.” Assemblymember Isaac Bryan was Majority Leader and has been demoted to Chair the Natural Resources Committee. Replacing him as Majority Leader is Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry. Assemblymember Jim Wood becomes speaker pro tempore. Politico has a list of the new committee Chairs and other details here.
LA City to Require Short-Term Rentals to Acquire Police Permits
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles City Council approved a draft ordinance that will require short-term rental hosts (such as those with Airbnb or hotels) to obtain police permits. The goal is to crack down on rentals used as party houses. If the location has a history of criminal activity, the permit would not be granted and would not be considered for short-term occupancy. While the ordinance would address Airbnb’s, it seems its purpose is more complicated. According to the Los Angeles Times, the requirement was part of a package of regulations targeting new hotels that was announced earlier this month. Such regulations are reported to be a compromise between the city and the hotel workers union, which was seeking a ballot measure focused on the use of hotel rooms and the housing of homeless residents. The police permit could cost hosts around $260 although fees are still being finalized. Concerns were raised by hosts who say the move is excessive. LAPD also expressed concern over the amount of extra work the ordinance would place on the department and the number of officers it would take to issue licenses to the over 6,000 short-term rental units listed with the city.
Commentary by Tap Water: New-Santis, a New Adjective
What do you get when two governors, with arguably large egos, go head-to-head on Fox so-called News for no real apparent reason? New-Santis! A term, that if recognized by Websters as an adjective, would mean two white men of privilege yelling at each other in front of an audience for no clear reason. According to the New York Times, the hour-and-a-half debate that took place in Alpharetta, GA, and drew an impressive 4.75 million Fox viewers, was a chance for DeSantis to hold a spotlight without the challenge of other GOP presidential candidates and an opportunity for Newsom to bring his “smooth persona and quick wit” to a conservative audience. Among its five takeaways from the “The Great Red vs Blue State Debate”, the New York Times pointed out DeSantis’ feistiness and Newsom’s personal jabs. At the end of the debate, those around the watercooler are not sure who won…as we’re still not sure the purpose. However, we gave both men equal scores on their nicely coiffed hair, whitened teeth, fresh tans, and matching suits.